MORGAN ELLIS

These laid-back, in-home family sessions are some of the most fun to photograph. It’s such a privilege to be invited into a client’s home to document the unique nuances of their family and those special moments that make up a childhood. This session was one for the books. From secret handshakes and daddy-daughter dances to imaginary under-the-sea excursions, these four allowed me to capture them as they truly are, forever freezing moments that their children will thumb through and cherish for a lifetime.

I knew from the moment I received their inquiry that I was going to have a great time photographing this family. They were looking for “a photographer that captures the in-between, genuine, non posed moments” and said “We see this in your work. We see your ability to capture life that jumps from the frame.” Their vision was perfectly aligned with what I strive to create: photographs that document the overwhelming love of family and fleeting smallness of a child.

Our session was at Rockledge Park on a particularly warm Fall evening. The cool, refreshing waves made for the perfect spot to splash around and document their love.

This vacation session in Turks and Caicos was magical! We spent an evening on the beach and swam around as the sun set over the clear blue water. The next morning we woke up early for a sunrise hike and found ourselves in a taxi in the pouring rain. Luckily, the weather let up just as we arrived at our destination, and we had a beautiful hike under cloudy skies with a refreshing drizzle of rain.

I love the portraits I was able to create for these two, vacation sessions are such a beautiful way to have your favorite memories preserved.

I met up with Mariah and her beautiful family on a dreary Spring morning at Grapevine’s Rockledge Park. It was misting when we arrived, but that didn’t stop these four from having a great time. I love the images that we created while they explored, searched for dinosaurs, and splashed their feet in the water on this muggy Texas morning.

Session Tip: If your photo session is going to be near water, plan to get in! Pack extra clothing and towels for the ride home, and have fun with it. Getting in the water makes for beautiful photos and a refreshing escape from the Texas heat.

I photographed this sweet family of four in their home when their newest daughter was just three-weeks old. From dancing in the living room to family snuggles and storytime, we captured some beautiful everyday moments. In-home sessions are a great choice for families with newborns for so many reasons, and in this blog post, I share what a few of my past clients had to say about their choice to book an in-home session.

Joanna and I planned her family session for the beach, but kept her home in mind as a backup location since we were planning her session for November. We lucked out with an incredibly beautiful Fall day (thanks, Southern weather!), and got to create some magic by the waves at Hunting Island Beach. I had so many favorites from this session that it was almost too hard to narrow down for this post. I love how we focused on the fierceness of motherhood, the love between husband and wife, and the fleeting moments of childhood.

I had the privilege of flying to South Carolina to photograph Cynthia and Caleb’s family just after they welcomed their daughter into the world. Our session took place in their home, where I spent the morning photographing the two of them as they loved on their darling babes, Oliver and Sophie. In-home sessions have such a special way to them, knowing that years down the road they’ll look back and see not only the connections they share, but the home where they made memories during this season of life.

One of my favorite aspects about the end of the year is the time for reflection, and this year I wanted to share some of that reflection and celebration with you! This collection of photographs portrays just some of my favorite moments from the past twelve months. Narrowing this collection down was no simple task as I had the pleasure of working with so many incredible couples and families this year. These are the belly laughs, dances in the rain, tearful moments, and newborn snuggles that stood out the most to me this year.

This motherhood session was one for the books. The golden Fall sunset was what dreams are made of and John was the sweetest, happiest kid. I think he had the most fun out of all of us, he was thrilled to get to cuddle and love on his mom throughout our session (can’t you tell!?). I was so excited to get these images on the computer and edited after our session, but not as excited as I was to see them the way they were meant to be seen, in PRINT. Displayed on heavy-weight archival matte paper, these made for some seriously beautiful pieces of art.

Last month I had the opportunity to photograph my sweet friend, Katie, thanks to her awesome husband who secretly reached out to me to plan this session as a surprise for her. I’ve always been inspired by Katie as a mother, but getting to witness her and her children from behind my lens for the first time was just so special.

About an hour before we were scheduled to start, I stepped onto the beach to find a soft breeze, blue sky and sunlight shining on my shoulders - perfection. Our session was scheduled to start at 6:30, and at 6:27 I got a text from Sarah that read "Are you okay? Are you in your car?" ...That's odd.  I thought, of course I'm okay, it's absolute perfection out here! And then it came. At 6:30 on the dot…

“As is true to the reason I went with you in the first place, you captured the real, raw moments of our relationship. I absolutely love them and I can’t help but notice how happy I look in nearly every one - not a fake smile for the camera, but a real one. Those unposed moments are what make our relationship so special to me, and that’s why I…”

I recently had the honor of photographing Zach’s surprise proposal to Jude and, spoiler-alert, he said YES! Zach chose to pop the question by the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, a meaningful place where he and Jude had spent their first date. We had unseasonably beautiful weather for a winter evening and after the big moment, I got to create some beautiful engagement photos for the newly-engaged couple. Congratulations you two!

This black dress was given to Megan by her mother, who wore is while she was pregnant with Megan. Photographing Megan in this dress, carrying her own daughter was so special.

Sunset sessions in South Carolina are some of my favorites, so I was beyond excited when Meghan reached out to book a mother-daughter session on Hunting Island Beach. It turned out to be a pretty chilly Fall evening, especially by the ocean, but we explored and played enough to warm up quickly and create some magic. This mother-daughter session is one of my favorites, take a look!

Spent an evening on the Ben Franklin Bridge in Old City documenting the love and connection between this awesome couple. We had a magical sunset and shot right into that beautiful blue hour light with the city lights shining in the distance.

Amanda is one of Philadelphia's best wedding photographers, and someone I call a friend. She’s one of those people whose joyful demeanor spreads like wildfire wherever she goes, and as you can see, she and Rich together have a pretty amazing energy. At the end of our session Amanda and Rich unexpectedly…

This session with Kate and her family in Ocean City is one of my favorites. Her family is so full of love and is growing - she told me after we shot that she was pregnant with her second little one at the time of our session! We spent an evening on the beach in Ocean City and created photographs I think they’ll treasure for a lifetime. Plus, how romantic are the photos of mom and dad at the end?!?

“In truth, I pray that my daughter sees me, and the world sees us, the way Morgan does. In a snapshot of an hour, I know that if documentation of love is ever called for, I want it to be seen in just this light. Morgan's sense of adventure was remarkably aligned with mine and came as an always welcome reminder to drink the wild air.” See what else Katherine had to say about her mother-daughter session in Megunticook Lake.

Our last morning in Maine was an epic one. It was just before dusk as I tiptoed across the old wooden floors toward the kitchen to heat the tea kettle. When I swung open the screen door a cold, salty breeze wrapped itself around my shoulders, painting a layer of goosebumps all the way to my ankles. It was my favorite kind of morning, the kind…

It doesn't have to be a special occasion to document your love, engagement photography may be the most common time for couples to experience a photo session but the many beautiful moments that happen after the wedding are well worth documenting. Click through to see more of this “just because” session with Courtney & Steve at Valley Forge Historical Park.