Such a beautiful little girl to join this wonderful family…

Thanks for looking,

I knew that after their maternity session that they would have one cute baby…

and little Kai didn’t disappoint!

And at only 5 lbs he definitely was little.

His daddy plays for the Buffalo Bills so we had to incorporate some football shots

Thanks for looking,

I think it is such an amazing thing to meet a couple and witness them become a family and then see their new little baby grow and develop into a person.  The first year of your child’s life is truly amazing.

Miss Savannah will be celebrating her first birthday this weekend.  I know that she will be surrounded by love and maybe a few tears as her mom and dad celebrate a year of firsts.

She is definitely a girly girl!  She didn’t want to get her fingers messy at all!!  This was the cleanest cake smash I’ve ever done

Savannah will become a BIG sister this year!!  So excited for this wonderful family.

Happy Birthday sweet Savannah!

Thanks for looking,

When photographing a baby’s first year the newborn session is the only one with a definite timeline.  After that we call them milestone sessions.  Once your baby is sitting independently, but before crawling.  And standing but not quite walking.  These can happen at a wide range of ages depending upon your baby’s developmental timeline.  Typically around 6 months and one year, but not always.  My boys were all a little on the lazy side  My oldest crawled on his first birthday and none of my 3 boys walked before 15 months.  So milestone sessions are flexible.  We want to capture the best of your baby in the best time frame.  We work around nap time, eat cheerios, and dance to baby Einstein.

I was excited to see little Humphreys back in the studio.  I wish he were as happy to see me :>|  Couldn’t you just die over his big blue eyes!

Thanks for looking,

Thanks for looking,

So happy to wish all these new mom’s the Happiest of Mother’s Day!

As the video says, “Every time a baby is born, so is a mother.”

Thanks for looking,

We are on a count down to summer break!  Only 11 more days until the bliss of long days spent without a schedule.  There seems to be two camps when it comes to summer break.  Those who don’t look forward to it worrying about how to keep their children occupied during all those daylight hours and those who enjoy the flexibility of outings or long days spent in pajamas.  I am definitely in the latter group.  I love having all my chickens under my feet.  I love our house filled with noise and messes.  I know that this time when they are all home will not last forever and I am grateful to be able to play games instead of do homework.  I’m grateful to wash swimsuits instead of school uniforms.  I’m grateful to pack picnics instead of school lunches.  Here’s to a summer break making memories to last.

Enjoy beautiful Vincy at 5 days…

Thanks for looking,

A friend and very-expectant mom-to-be recently asked me how much life changes upon becoming a parent. She knew the answer, of course, having undoubtedly heard dozens of others opinions on the matter over the previous seven months. But in times of huge personal change we tend to seek as much reassurance as possible, and regardless, such a question is a tried-and-true conversation starter in any social situations when you are visibly pregnant.

When I hear this question I say what I believe to be true, that parenthood is a wondrous, albeit sometimes challenging experience and a lifelong commitment that enriches life in ways for which we have no prior frame of reference. I also believe that passing through the doorway of parenthood very quickly feels comfortable, familiar and right. You look back after a few weeks and can’t imagine your life not as a parent.

That last part is true with most of life’s big changes. It’s the looking for a parking space, the waiting in line at Disneyland, the find-your-seat-during-the-movie previews that causes anxiety. Once the show starts, you’re fine. Of course I’m referring principally to change that we orchestrate and choose, or at least have some clue about before it happens.

Sometimes we’re shoved or dragged through the doorway of change, or awakened abruptly to find the door, the room, maybe the entire house and neighborhood gone.

What’s important, I suppose, is what we do next.

“You can’t stop what’s comin’. It ain’t all waitin’ on you.”
–Barry Corbin, No Country for Old Men

I know that Stephanie is going to find becoming a mother a natural transition…I’m so glad I was able to capture this time in her life.  She makes pregnancy look good!

Thanks for looking,

Maternity photography…

Whether you had it done or didn’t or wish you did there is one question I feel goes unanswered in all cases,

What do you do with the portraits once the session has been completed?

As you know having a disk of images that sits in a drawer and goes forgotten makes a photographer sad

We work hard for you and want to produce images that you want to share with the world.

This is not the easiest thing to do when it comes to maternity portraits.

Not many people would want to display their growing belly above the fireplace mantle in a 30×40 canvas.

That doesn’t mean that these images are any less special than any other time a portrait session is taken.  In fact I think they may be even MORE special because they are so very personal!

Maternity portraits capture a time in your life where your body undergoes miraculous changes.  An experience you will only have a few times in your life.  When you are busy chasing around a two year old who doesn’t want to eat their vegetables or sleep in their own bed your maternity pictures can bring you back to a time when you remember those little kicks and movements of them inside the womb.  Or at least a time when they couldn’t get away

Here are my favorite ways to display your maternity portraits.

In the baby’s nursery!

How sweet is it to use your maternity session as art for your babies nursery.  Pick one or two of your favorite images and get them big!  This same image would not have the same impact as a tiny 8×10.

A keepsake album!

There is no better way to display all of the images from your maternity session than in an album.  This is great especially if you choose to do a more intimate style for your maternity session.  An album doesn’t take up a lot of space and will be something you can treasure forever.  What a beautiful reminder of this special time in a women’s life.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a beautiful maternity session…

Thanks for looking,

This past week all three of my boys got there hair cut.  The start of the summer shearing

When we got home I told them to go jump in the tub so they could rinse all the little annoying hairs off.

My 5 year old asks, “Shower or bath?”

I responded with, “Just a quick rinse off.”

He comes back with, “What if we take a shower AND a bath at the same time?!  We can call it a shwath!”

Please enjoy sweet Andrew…

“Babies are a great way to start people.” -Don Herold

Thanks for looking,