Love for the Lillards | Maryland Fine Art Photographer

I've dreaded writing this post.  I suppose that's why I've been putting it off.  But the time is now right, and I hope you will all bear with me as I give you a piece of my heart.

As many of you know, my dear friend Chrissi Lillard and her family had a house fire on the night of January 31st.  They lost everything they owned.  They lost their pets.  They lost two of their beloved little girls.

I've had the pleasure of having them in front of my lens a few times, the most recent time being this past October for the FRM minis.


Sweet Sophie


Beautiful Madigan


I've used these past few weeks to help Chrissi in the ways I know how, and to try and be a comfort to her as best as I can.  I've grieved, for myself and for my friend.  I'm now ready to do something more to help.

Chrissi and her husband want to build a public park in memorial of their precious girls.  If you don't know Chrissi, you don't know just how generous she has always been.  One of the most generous people I've ever met.  The fact that they want to build a park for the public just proves that point.  She is amazing.  And this is where I come in.

I am going to be holding mini sessions to help her raise more money for the park.  When I talked to her about it, she said to me "I don't want you to have to do all of that work."  What she doesn't realize is....I'm honored to do it.  So I'm hoping you all will want to help me help her make this a reality for them.

Mini dates:
Thursday March, 14th 4-5:30
Saturday March 16th, 4-5:30
Thursday March 21st, 4-5:30
Saturday March 23rd, 4-5:30

Each slot is 10-15 minutes long.  Each slot is $150, and you will get 5 digital images to keep.  100% of the amount you give will go directly to the park fund.

At this time, these are the dates I have available for March.  But if I find that there is an overwhelming interest, I will consider adding more dates.

If you are interested, please contact me through my website or by email at tanya@kgleafphotography.com for more details.

Even if you cannot attend one of the minis, I hope you will join me in continuing to pray for the Lillard family.  I also hope to see you out at the many other fundraisers that are still occurring.

Last Mini! | Maryland Fine Art & Family Photographer

I did meet a few new faces this year, this family is some of them!  And this marks the end of my day of strong willed children, as well.  :)

The thing that struck me with this family...every image I edited shows their complete love for their son. Every one.  You can't fake this kind of connection.









Thank you again for your generous donations to the FRM!

And thank you to everyone that participated this year.   Another amazing year thanks to all of you!

Growing Family | Maryland Fine Art & Family Photographer

Here's another family you may recognize - one I've been shooting since their oldest daughter was born! My mini session with them is the first time I've been able to meet their 2nd and brand new baby girl.  Such a doll, and so much like her sister!







Thank you again so much to the R family for your generous donation to the FRM!

One Year Later | Maryland Fine Art & Child Photographer

The first time I met this little cutie was during last  year's minis.  One year later, I've got her in front of my camera again in the same spot!  My how she's grown!





She loves hats, so Mom brought a few that she really liked playing with!





Thank you again so much to the S family for your generous donations to the FRM!

Last Day of Minis! | Maryland Fine Art & Child Photographer

This last day of minis marked the day of strong willed children, ha!  Every single participant had a young child that had their own ideas on what they wanted to do during our half hour together!



Enter Subject #1 :)






Thank you again so much to the H family for your generous donations!

Angie + Carlos | Maryland Fine Art Engagement Photographer

I met Angie about 2 years ago during the first set of minis that I did for the FRM, and she came back again this year with her fiance!  It was so great to meet him, and to see her so happy and in love!  I love shooting engagements, it really does my soul good to see so much love.







Thank you again you two for your generous donation to the FRM!  I'm thrilled for you both.  :)

Back to Blogging | Maryland Fine Art Family Photographer

Wow, Sandy really threw us all for a loop didn't she?  Back to blogging... :)

I've been shooting this family since their oldest was a newborn!  It's been so cool watching these boys grow up.  Such a sweet family, and it's so obvious they love their little guys!






That is some spectacular hair, right?




Thank you again to the B family for your generous donation to the FRM!

Friends and Blessings | Maryland Fine Art Family Photographer

Meet another good friend of mine!  I first met Chrissi when I was just starting out in this crazy business, she was a local photographer here in my area.  It has always been so amazing to me that I am friends with some of my biggest competitors.  I love following their work and supporting them by sending inquiries their way.  Chrissi has been a great friend to me during my ups and downs in this business, and I am forever grateful!  She has moved on for the moment from photography, her life work is now her 4 beautiful daughters.

Being in this business at any point means knowing all of the really great color combos that work well for family images.  I just love what she chose!







Thanks again to the L family for your generous donations, and the yummy apples you gave me!  :)

Beautiful Family of 5 | Maryland Fine Art Family Photographer

This is the second time I've been able to have this family in front of my lens, such a beautiful family!  I always enjoy catching up with people, seeing how their kids have grown and how their family has changed.




These kids are some of the most non squeamish kids I've ever met!  They really love their bugs.  It's pretty cool :)


Thank you again to the W family for their generous donation!

This Kind of Love | Maryland Fine Art Family Photographer

This family kicked of my day 3 minis.  I've photographed them a few times before, once for Mom's maternity and also for the little guy's newborn pictures!  The day we did this mini, it just so happened to be the little guy's 1st birthday too!  It's amazing to see how much he's grown in just one year.

The thing I love most about this family is that they are so obviously in love with their son, they just can't keep their eyes off of him.  And that kind of connection makes for the type of images that are my favorite.  Not the everyone looking in to the camera kind, but the kind that you will look back on and see the love and joy you shared with your child at that moment.  These are not moments that can be forced, like a smile directed at the camera.  These are the things I personally want to remember with my own family images, and the things I try and capture for my clients.







Thank you again to the C family for your generous donations!