Just like heaven...

By now it's no secret that newborn photography is my passion. My love for newborns began long before I picked up my first camera. I figure, being a big sister of 9, you either run for cover or embrace it. I guess you can say I fully embraced it. :) It would only make sense that my 2 loves would eventually collide.... and here we are.

Just a little glimpse into a newborn session: I prefer to have the session within the first 3-5 days of baby's birth. This is the perfect time period (in my opinion) to catch those sleepy, snuggly, sweet poses. I bring my whole set up right to Mom & Dad. Why leave home when you can sit down and relax while having these sweet memories captured?

This week I got to meet my newest client. He was my 4th baby boy to be photographed within 4 days!! (I'll be posting the other ones soon). This little man was a champ. He slept the entire session, and gave me just about every shot I wanted.

Take a peek...

Wide eyed girl...

I know it's kind of "against the rules" to post two blogs in one day, but two babies, two nights in a row is reason enough to let that slide. ;)

It's not very often that the babies I work with don't cave in the warm soothing environment that I create for them, in fact, the adults present usual end up pretty sleepy themselves (myself included!). But this little girl was able to resist it all! I'm pretty sure I spent more time cuddling her, than actually taking photographs, but the baby lover in me didn't mind one bit. Though she decided to stay awake for much of the session, I was still able to sneak in a few shots here and there. Here are a few, isn't she a beauty?!? :)

Take a look...

Baby sister...

I've been looking forward to this session for several months now! I first met her family back in May for their maternity session. During my original phone conversation with Mama, she requested I come take pictures the day after the baby was born in the hospital. I had a planned trip out of state a couple of weeks before her due date, but we were going to plan for it and see how it went.

A couple days before I left, she wasn't sure that baby was going to wait until I got back, but much to my surprise, she was born the day before I came home. She had perfect timing! :) I drove home, dropped my family off, then went straight to the hospital to meet her.

How perfect is she?!?

A few days later they brought her to the studio. She was a champ! No breaks needed & I got all of my "planned" shots, plus a few more, in less than 2 hours.

Take a peek...

Looking forward to watching her grow as I capture her milestones at 3, 6, 9, & 12 months!

Years of growing...

I often see the quote: "The only photographer you should compare yourself to is yourself". A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about how I got started into photography, you can read it here. Though at the time I felt like I had been in it for a lifetime, It amazes me how many opportunities I've been given to grow since.

Three years ago next month, my sister-in-law asked me to take maternity photos for her. She was due with my niece within just a few weeks, and though I was thrilled, I'll admit I was just a little terrified to take them. The perfectionist it me will often keep me from trying things I'm not 100% sure I can achieve. It's amazing how the world of photography will take me out of my comfort zone (in a good way)!

I was happy with the outcome of their photos. They were by no means perfect, but I proved to myself that day I could do it. Here are a few...

A few weeks later, my beautiful niece was born. Once again, thrilled, but even more nervous. Newborn photography... it's hard to even describe. For the baby lover in me, this is something I dreamed of doing. On this day, the dream became a touch of reality...

Flash forward a few years....remember the quote? "The only photographer you should compare yourself to is yourself". Same family... new baby sister...

What have I've learned? My love for color outshines how I {thought} I felt about black & white back then! :)

I've had more newborn sessions than I can count between the births of my 2 nieces. I have only fallen in love more as the years go by. I could do this every.single.day.

To my family, friends, and clients (who become friends!). Thank you for supporting me, trusting me with your memories, and watching me grow. I have lots of growing to do, and I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Maternity sash & hair accessories by Peppermint Kisses Boutique.

I'm still here...

I look to see how long it's been since I've blogged, and I can hardly believe it myself. Has it really been since last summer? Surely the date on the last blog is lying, right? :)

So summer goes into ::my busiest time of the year::... enter holiday photos. Following that I made ::the:: big switch. I'm now a Mac girl, and oh how PC I've been trained over the years! I thought it'd be an easy adjustment, but I'll be honest, I've been playing catch up since January. Only in the past 2-3 week have I felt that I really have a clue as to what I'm doing.

And just in time for my mini baby boom...

I've had 2 newborn sessions in the past week or so, and I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my due-anyday-now-niece. I'm on to being an aunt of 12 here and I can honestly say, it NEVER gets old!

A random thought before I get to pictures (because that is after all what I'm supposed to be blogging about). ;)

You might notice I've changed my logo. There was some confusion with this (even in my own family) as to why I'd change after nearly 3 years. My name ::shocker:: is not the easiest to pronounce, and even more so, spell. I was finding it increasingly difficult for people to be able to interpret the spelling with my original logo being so fancy. I decided to make the switch to a much more "me" personality, and easier to read/spell. So there you go.

So onto the pictures!

Here's a pair of sessions...Maternity & Newborn...enjoy...

::Sigh:: I could do this ::everyday::

Sweet baby boy...

Two newborn sessions in 5 days, I love my job. :o) It gets more fun than that though...the two babies? Cousins!

My oldest niece is 36 hours older than my twin nephews, so I love hearing stories about cousins being born close together. My Mom & 2 of her cousins were born within 2 weeks of each other, and she still talks about how much fun it was going up together.

These little ones are destined for adventures!

Here's baby M...

He wasn't so sleepy at first, but look at this amazing sleepy smile! Might be the best I've seen yet. :o)

For not being a fan of bees, this one would capture my heart for sure!

This might be the most creative idea I've had from a parent, LOVE this! He was born at 12:55am. :o)

Let the cousin adventures begin!

Welcome baby girl...

I'm going into a busy weekend of photography, and this morning, Hannah & I had the privilege of meeting this sweet baby girl! She did so wonderful. :o)

Take a peek...

I just lover her little cheeks!

Photographing a wedding tonight, sneak peek to come!

Mother's day...

Mother's Day is 1 week away! I wanted to let everyone know about a few specials I am running this month in celebration of this special day. The best part is, you don't have to be a Mom to take advantage of them!

And just so you know...all you have to do is book your session in May, the session itself can take place anytime this year (or 2013 for newly expectant Moms)! So feel free to plan ahead for family portraits, that special birthday or milestone, baby-to-be, or 'just because'. :o)