For a little change of pace, instead of happy faces, here are a few critters Lucy and I caught on our trip to Florida last month. Knowing I'd be chasing a toddler and roughing it, I only took along my back up camera (Canon 40d) and an inexpensive 50mm lens. I am thrilled with some of the results! I'm still sorting through about a hundred beautiful sunrise & set shots so check back for those soon. 

I often get questions from moms with fancy cameras who want to take awesome photos of their kids. My first piece of advice is to practice... a lot. Easier said than done since most kids are rarely sitting still, and would rather eat peas than pose for a picture. When you're taking pictures of kids, you get the best results when you let them be the boss for a change. Follow their lead. And sometimes that means they will start "posing" when you least expect it. Keep your camera close, the battery charged, and your eyes always open. Eventually at some point you will find them sitting (somewhat) still... pick up your camera and start shooting!

Taken on February 6, 2014

Lucy's Room, North Potomac, MD. 

Somewhere amidst all the learning, shooting & editing my family took a trip to Florida where I had the wonderful experience of meeting 1-month-old baby Alex. We took her on her first trip to the beach just after sunrise. Everything. was. PERFECT. Just enough clouds to soften the light from the sun, warm-but-not-hot weather, a tiny breeze, an empty beach, and a very sleepy baby. 

I'm pretty sure the weather around here today was textbook perfect. If its any indication of the next few months, its going to be an awesome fall. I couldn't resist taking a drive down to the Potomac River to continue my quest to find the ideal location for fall photo shoots. I now have another beautiful spot to add to my list. Now I just need a few more gorgeous families to get in front of my camera!

Taken on September 22, 2013

Poolesville, MD

Lucy and I are on the hunt for a perfect location for fall portraits... and we are having a lot of success (and fun)!  I can't wait to fill the backgrounds of my photos with changing leaves and fall colors! We are finding so many beautiful spots, I may have to use more than one...  I have three families lined up for mid-October portraits. I would love to add you to the list! Please contact me if you are interested to learn about my portfolio-building rates!

Taken on September 17, 2013

Gaithersburg, MD

I took a long walk with my daughter this morning. I brought my camera along (shocker) but instead of my usual shots of Lucy exploring and enjoying her universe, I was only compelled to take one picture, and this is it. 

I think its safe to say that today is no ordinary Wednesday. My mind was all over the place today, but it spent most of the time in peaceful, happy and grateful place. I only hope that the rest the world ended their day as wonderfully I did mine... listening to the laughter of my daughter, who has absolutely no idea that this Wednesday is any different from the next. 

Taken on September 11, 2013

Gaithersburg, MD

Taken on September 7, 2013

Springfield, VA 

I usually leave the bird photography to my very talented step-father (who is also a photographer), but I decided to give it a shot on the beach last week. Know what's awesome about seagulls? They are brave enough to let you get pretty damn close... but so chicken that they are sure to fly away if you stick around long enough and get into their personal space. The result? A bunch a cool pics of their little bird feet splashing the water and wings about to take flight! 

Taken on August 31, 2013

Avalon, NJ

Also, I'm trying out the new blog template I made today and I realize this would make a great layout for a holiday card, too!

Taken today, Sept 4, 2013

Lucy's playground, MD

We just returned from a perfect 10-day vacation at the Jersey Shore. I'm having a blast editing my photos from our trip, and will certainly share more in the next few days.

I found this handsome little guy in the sand while trying to keep up with Lucy in the surf. I love the awesome blend of beach-color behind my hand, created by a super-shallow depth of field. 

Taken on August 31, 2013

Avalon, NJ

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today, so here are a few cute shots from my Lucy collection. This was taken in the fall of last year, when she was 5 months old. Next week she will be 15 months, and today was her first day of day care! It is so cliche, but so true - our kids' lives happen so fast... I'm just happy I have the photos to look back at and make all her days last a little longer! I would love so much to do the same for others, and hence why erica b. tappis photography exists...

P.S. A cool banner like this is super easy for me to do after a photo shoot. It makes it fun and easy to show off your new photos with your Facebook cover photo! 

Taken on November 10, 2012 

Sugar Loaf Mountain, MD

A little change from beach pics tonight, with an oldie but a goodie. I love live music, and have a lengthy repertoire of concerts I have been to. I'm in a dave matthews mood, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite shots taken at one of my favorite shows. This was taken almost exactly 2 years ago at a small outdoor theatre in Charlottesville, VA; just a few yards away from the block of bars where dave started playing music. It was an unforgettable night! One of the things I like most about this shot (other than the delicious look on dave's face) is the shine coming off of the tuner on his guitar. 

Taken on August 20, 2011

Charlottesville, VA 

You wanna know what's awesome about your 14-month old waking up at 6:00am every morning of your vacation? Getting to see some gorgeous sunrises! The clouds tried to get in the way, but the sun wouldn't have it. Know what else is awesome about your 14-month old waking you up at 6:00am every morning of your vacation? Nope, that's it. Nothing else.

Taken on August, 17, 2013

Kill Devil Hills, NC

Just a fair warning, I added about a hundred gorgeous beach shots to my collection over the last week. So it's a guarantee you'll see a lot of them over the next few days!

I love that this photo captures the surf at its calmest moment over the 6 days we were at the Outer Banks. This picture deceivingly portrays a calm sea and an empty sky. What we had in reality was a relentlessly rough ocean, and a mix of clouds, wind and sometimes rain. What the picture accurately depicts is the awesome friendship between my daughter and her grandpa. They spent many hours together playing in the surf, running in the sand, making new friends... and chasing birds.  

Taken on August 18, 2013

Kill Devil Hills, NC

Taken on August 15, 2013

Kill Devil Hills, NC

It was hard to pick my favorite shot from tonight's sunset, but here it is... I can't remember the last time I was so happy with the colors that came through my lens. Usually when I take sunset pics, I can't seem to capture the awesomeness the way I want to - not anymore! Besides the gorgeous glow of the sky, I love the reflection of the sky's colors in the surf, and the beautiful lines... of the sand, the fence, the horizon, and the dunes. Tomorrow night I'll head downstairs to the beach to take a few (hundred) more!

Taken on August 14, 2013

Kill Devil Hills, NC 

Lucy has been giving me a lot of great practice taking action shots lately... and she shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She is an excellent subject to learn how to use my al servo setting!  There is a great walking path behind our house where Lucy likes to run as far as she can go, and sometimes do a little off-roading!

Taken on August 8, 2013

Lucy's back yard, MD

Nothing special here... Just two handsome devils and a fist full of worms. This was taken at a pond a couple miles from my house.  Just one of many great spots around here for a fun (albeit a little slimy) photo shoot! If these guys don't put at least a half a smile on your face, I don't know what will!

Taken on July 26, 2013

DuFief Pond, North Potomac, MD

It's time (again) for the Tappis family to head to the beach(es)! Next week we head south to the Outer banks of NC to celebrate my brother's wedding. And 3 weeks from now we are going north to Avalon of the Jersey Shore for 10 days to soak up every last minute of summer. In between dips in the ocean and chasing my daughter around in the sand, I would love to do some photo shoots!  If your vacation plans coincide with ours, let's meet up and take some fabulous pictures! Family portraits and beachy kid pics make excellent Christmas gifts :)

Here's when I am available:

Outer banks, NC: August 15 & August 16

Avalon, NJ: August 24 through August 31

If you are interested, please send me a note and I will share some additional info along with my totally reasonable portfolio-building rates!

I have been staring at maternity photos all day so I thought this would be a nice change of pace to call it a night. I know I said this before, and I'll say it again a thousand times, but I. LOVE. this. photo. I took this on my dad's back porch a week or so ago, and knew the second I hit the shutter that it would be a winner. I did zero editing. ZERO! All it took was a perfect afternoon, manual focus, a steady hand, and a wide open 50mm lens. 

Taken on July 29, 2013

Dad's House, VA

I had some fun last night with my new flash after dinner with my awesome sibling-in laws. The speedlite was definitely well worth the investment. It makes a big difference for indoor shooting!

PS. Do I have the most beautiful sisters on earth or what?!

Taken on July 31, 2013

Silver Spring, MD

I took this picture of the moon on a super clear night last month.  I was borrowing a Nikon D300 at the time, and thought there was no way the shots would come out.  It wasn't until a few weeks later that I uploaded the photos and found this dynamite shot among them. I can't wait to catch a night like that again!

Taken on June 23, 2013

Earth

Would you guess that this professional headshot of my gorgeous step-sister was taken smack in the middle of a bachelorette party? (Unless maybe those beads are a dead giveaway...) Goes to show that a great photograph can be taken anywhere - anytime!  I'll be putting together a headshot session in the fall so if you are looking to update your professional profile pics, keep your eyes peeled! 

Taken on July 20, 2013

Annaoplis, MD

Taken on July 29. 2013

Montclair, VA

This image breaks all the rules:  It's not in focus, the lighting isn't great, her fingers and arm are cut off, and so on.  I love it anyway.  At what point in life do we stop finding joy in things like feet? 

Taken on July 25, 2013

Lucy's House, MD

My husband and I spent a month in Australia and New Zealand in February 2011.  My Canon Powershot gave us hundreds of awesome images, many of which are sure to be POTD's. New Zealand had tons of black swans.  These photos were taken along side of the road one afternoon.  I love how the two swans mirror the two fishing boats in the image on the left. 

Taken on February 17, 2011

North Island, New Zealand

This is one of the first photos taken with my Canon 60d.  I was at the beach for the day where I spent at least an hour chasing this guy around in the sand.  I did minimal editing using iphoto. 

Taken on June 28, 2013

Corolla, NC

My daughter loves to run outside.  I love the look on her face in this photo.  You can just tell that she is in heaven and can't get her feet to go fast enough!

Taken on July 10, 2013

North Potomac, MD 

IMG_1933

A walk in the park with Grandpa. 

Taken on July 20, 2013

Annapolis, MD