Nominee #13

Traipsing around Arizona State campus, trying to find some great shots.  I look from his shirt to the chairs and back again.  Are you kidding me?!  The day I took this is the day I felt proud of my composition. And that confidence affected the whole rest of the shoot.  One of my best of the year.

Nominee #12

I asked him to tell me a joke.  So he thought.  And he thought.  And he thought.  I can't remember the joke he finally told me but I'll always remember the boy who sat on the rock.  And thought.

Nominee #11

This young lady grinned like a cheshire cat the day she realized she was taller than me.  Her 12th birthday.  :)  Full of beauty and grace, she gave me one of my favorite photos of the season.

Nominee #10

There has only been less than a handful of times, that while editing a photo, I've started crying.  I think it really hit me with this one, how fleeting her childhood is.  Matt will always be Matt, smart, successful and funny.  But Gracie will soon have this photo at her wedding.  And sharing a kiss goodbye.  Oh, kill me now!

Nominee #9

The trick on this one was that she was running towards me.  So it was going to be pure chance to catch the focus on her, with her parents lined up just right and not too crazy blurry.  I'm still shocked it actually worked.  Luckily her big brown eyes can make any photo look perfect.

Nominee #8

Motherhood is intense.  And emotional.  And real. And this mom knows it.  One of my favorite baby shots of the whole year.

Nominee #7

There were plenty of "cute" photos from this shoot.  But this one was so real and so genuine.  While wrestling two crazy kids, they happened to catch each other's eye.  So sweet.