Meeting Elle

A few months ago I had the privilege of meeting the Tankersly family: Mom, Leeana; Dad, Mike, and their ridiculously cute two-year-old twins, Luke and Lane, for a family shoot at the Bahrain Fort. At the time Leeana was expecting their third, a little girl, in February.

Fast-forward a couple of months...and Baby Elle is here, and I had the opportunity to capture this special little girl in her first couple of weeks. She is as sweet as her big brother and sister. It was a joy to spend another afternoon hanging with the cute Tankersly family as they make the move to a family of FIVE. Congratulations to one of the warmest families I've had the chance to photograph: twice!

Here's Elle.

Manama, Bahrain: The Grand Mosque

Beautiful light in a grand, holy place.

The main entrance is open-air--gorgeous, but not so handy during the sandstorm that was going on the day we were there.

Top: The Quran.
Bottom:  These men were learning how to perform the call to prayer, which takes place five times a day here.

A sneaky shot of afternoon prayer.

My covered photo friend, Pricsilla.

Off to pray.

Anticipation.

When I first met Melanie, first-time mother to be, I thought she surely must have a couple months to go before the big delivery date was set to arrive. I soon learned this stunning expectant mom was just three weeks away from bringing her little bundle of love into the world. Two words: not fair! She makes pregnancy look way too easy.

Melanie and Jimmy were one of the cutest couples I've photographed. She could obviously be a model for those darling 'little' maternity clothes (the ones I could never pull off when I was growing larger by the minute waiting on my twin boys to arrive nearly seven years ago--we won't go into the footwear situation that arose...)

Being away from their lush home of South Africa and now living in a desert, Melanie wanted something 'green and vibrant' for her session--not a small feat here in Bahrain. But we settled on a hidden-away oasis of a spot called Jannusan Exotics Nursery, just near my house. The owners have been so gracious in letting me overtake their place of business more than once--thank you, thank you for your little spot of heaven in a land of sand...and more sand.

Melanie just glowed in every photo, and it's plain to see that Jimmy will be the most tender new dad to the baby girl who will be here any day now. Congratulations to such a gorgeous, warm couple as you move into this next wonderful chapter of your lives.

And Baby Ali Makes Three

I recently had the pleasure of photographing my first local family since arriving in Bahrain. It was a great privilege for me to step into their beautiful home and life. Sometimes as expats, although we live among other cultures, it is difficult to bridge the gap and truly experience how the local residents live day to day. Baby Ali had just turned six months old, and his mother, Noor, and father, Akhmed, wanted to capture their little cutie at this early milestone. Ali is one of the smiliest babies I have ever photographed, and his parents made me feel right at home.

After shooting Ali's session, Noor put me in touch with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Ghalya, who asked me to photograph her engagement party--what a great chance to learn about the Bahraini customs during such a special occasion (photos coming soon!)

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite shots from my day with the Al Bastaki Family--loving the gorgeous light we had. Thanks to Noor and her sweet family for allowing me into your home for the
afternoon!

Something Green.

Okay. I'm WAY behind on posting session stuff--there's been tons of holiday jobs, Christmas chaos, kids home from school (going back tomorrow...but who's ticking off the days?!). So, here we are, and I'm just going to go back a few weeks and start trying to catch up.

Meet the Greens. An English family of four who couldn't have been nicer to meet and to get to know a little bit as we took over the Bahrain Fort. The Greens were hurrying to get family photos wrapped up to give as Christmas gifts before they headed back to the U.K. for the holiday. I loved how laid back Simon (Dad) and Nicky (Mom) were as the kids Grace and 'Tink" (cutest nickname) discovered all the nooks and crannies the ancient fort offers.

Here's a peek into how things turned out. Happy New Year Greens and thanks for letting me get to know you and your warm, sweet family a little bit.