Portrait of a new family

Having just returned from a week long trip to WPPI in Vegas I’m fresh from the desert, full of inspiration. I was initially scheduled to photograph this little guy’s birth but he decided to arrive just as I was boarding the plane. Heartbroken, I realized it just wasn’t in God’s plan and I told Mama I’d be over just as soon as I got home.

While at WPPI I took a class by Amber Holritz that really opened my eyes to the way I photograph families. I always strive to capture real life while it occurs showcasing the bond between parents and children but I want to take it a step further. I want to spend even more time with the families I photograph getting to know how they spend their time together. I want to document how they *love* each other. My goal in this is what Amber explained to us. She said the portraits she had of herself growing up told her what she “looked like”. Instead, she wanted to see what her “life looked like” and “how she was loved”. I instantly related to her thoughts thinking of how I don’t have many images of my mom and I together since most often she was the one taking the photograph.

I photographed baby R’s newborn images and then I hung around to showcase the new dynamic this family has having added one more child to love.

These images are my favorite. Everyone in Mom and Dad’s room getting “cozy” as big sister K would call it. She’s dressed in her PJ’s with accompanying ballerina skirt and accessorizing the third child with a feather boa. This is *their* family. This is how they spend their Saturday afternoon together. It isn’t scripted . . . it’s real and I hope these pictures will stir up memories for these kids someday when they’re grown. I hope they can feel the laughter and love and silliness going on here. I hope they see the looks on Mom and Dads faces and know how much they’re cherished.

Thank you for inviting me in to document and be a part of it.

Baby “D”

Newborn photographs are a favorite of mine but even more so when I already know the parents from photographing their wedding. This good looking bride and groom sure made one good looking baby!

Meet the newest excitement in their life:

I have been waiting to use this new little prop for awhile now. How cute is a naked baby in a necktie?

And these eyelashes .  .  . gorgeous!

I enjoyed my viewpoint for this last image. Sure, we took some more traditional face forward portraits but I was drawn to the closeness in this image. A big, tight hug with all three members of the family in their beautiful home. The loving gaze they share on the new little guy is beautiful. Thanks for inviting me in to capture this special newborn time. We all know it doesn’t last long.

Well hello beautiful

Introducing the most recent newborn I had the pleasure of photographing. Isn’t she beautiful? Shown here with her extremely proud, and very loving older sister.

And look at this beauty in pink, all wrapped up and ready to snuggle.

I was drawn to this exquisite, antique chair in the front room. So happy to be able to use it as a prop. I later found out this chair belonged to baby’s Great Grandmother. 

This was such a beautiful, sweet family that welcomed me into their home. Thank you for sharing your new little bundle of joy with me!

“Baby he was born to ride”

When this little guy’s Mama called to schedule a newborn session she casually asked if I’d be able to get some shots of him on their motorcycle. My ears instantly perked up, “Why yes, I’d love to try that!” I’ve never photographed a little one on a bike before but I have a soft spot in my heart for motorcycle enthusiasts. Most likely because my Dad is into them. Any chance I get, I’ll go for a ride. So you can imagine how excited I was to pull up to their house and this good looking bike is outside shining in the sunlight. Don’t you love that paint color?

So thankful it was a warm day outside because newborns won’t stand it being cold. After some coaxing from Mom and I, we got him asleep in this position. We faired pretty good too, only one minor hiccup. Nothing a little Armor All couldn’t fix. While we were photographing Dad said he was going to send this image into the Victory Motorcycle dealership. Bet they don’t have too many like this.

I’m excited to use this image on a custom birth announcement!

Then we headed back inside for some more traditional newborn images. This little guy was an angel throughout the session. He slept really good and looked so cuddly.

This family is absolutely adorable. I really enjoyed talking with Mom and Dad about the different trips they’ve taken on their bike. Sounds like fun.

I photographed this session right before I left for Memorial Day weekend. I couldn’t have asked for a better session to end my week. Mom and Dad are so happy to be parents, it just shines. I left that day smiling after seeing them love on their new baby son.

I can make you smile

This title is so fitting. How can you look at this sweet baby and not smile? It’s like she’s already got you wrapped around her finger. Even when it’s late at night and she won’t sleep just look at her dressed in this cute outfit and you can almost hear her whisper “I’m really cute, you love me, and no matter how late it is . . . I can make you smile”.

Speaking of smiles, I was quick with my camera and look what I captured. It’s like finding a four leaf clover, you gotta keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready. So happy I was able to get this baby’s smile on film. 

And I just had to show this cute set of images. When baby “L” was still in her Mama’s tummy we took some pictures with these little socks as a prop. I remembered the socks and wanted to show them on her tiny baby legs compared to when she was still growing inside.

How can I say these last couple images are my favorite? It just seems that every new shoot I go on lately I keep getting images that I want to call my favorite. I realize they can’t all be my favorite but still, I’m very pleased with them. So cool to see a family from the very beginning. I hope they look back on these photos years from now and remember what it felt like when they were parent newbies. They’re doing an amazing job with this little one.

Congratulations Christine and LeRoy, you two have a beautiful start to your family.