A sweet 16 is such a special occasion for a young lady. It is also a great opportunity for you to capture updated portraits of your child. Your daughter is on the cusp of adulthood and it is important to capture images that document the all of the whimsy and light heartedness of this stage. Before you know it, she will be off to college. It is also a great opportunity for your daughter to dress up, have some fun, and enjoy the limelight for an hour or so. I mean, who doesn’t want to feel special?

I know that right now everything retro is trending, but long before this trend, I have always had a passion for all things vintage. I like to take on personal projects every few months and for this project, I wanted to shoot something fun that had subtle nod to the 80's. Maybe it was my love of Xanadu or my favorite childhood doll, roller skating Kimberly, that inspired me, but as I rode past Marvel on the Boardwalk, an idea struck me. I needed to shoot a session that involved roller skates and ice cream. I mean, can you think of anything more fun than ice cream and retro roller skates?

I immediately thought of my beautiful niece for the session and she graciously agreed to lace on some skates for the photos. My niece recently turned 16 and we had not yet documented this milestone, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally capture those photos.

When my goddaughter was born 16 years ago, it was my first experience with a newborn. At that time, I was a mere 28 years old and , quite frankly, knew nothing about babies. I remember getting the phone call that my sister was in labor. I was teaching at the time and after the last bell of the school day rang, I left the school and drove straight to the hospital to meet my parents, who were already waiting there. I can remember sitting in that waiting room for what felt like an eternity and then finally hearing the news that she was born. There are not many moments in my life that are etched as clearly and vividly as this moment, but I will never forget walking down the hospital corridor to the glass paned nursery and seeing that tiny little miracle for the first time. I didn’t know much at that age, but I knew that she was the embodiment of love and God all in one…and a true blessing.

Now, here I am 16 years later and she is a stoic and beautiful young woman. It is like I blinked my eyes and here we are. There is not much this girl can’t do. She is a stellar athlete and scholar, a master baker, crafter extrodinaire and, above all, she is kind, patient and strong beyond compare. We are all so proud of her.