Hannah's Maternity Session

There are a lot of things about pregnancy that are uncomfortable, and flat out awful. It's hard work growing a tiny human! Fortunately, there are also some very amazing things that come along with pregnancy too!

This mommy-to-be, Hannah, has got this pregnancy thing down. She is positively radiant, and absolutely has that pregnancy glow.

Isn't she stunning?! 

One of the many reasons that I love maternity sessions, is being able to capture the relationship that the daddy already has with their unborn baby, and more importantly the relationship between mom and dad.

These two were so cute, and fun! Plus, you could tell that they absolutely adore one another.

If you know anything about me, you know how much I love dogs. They are more than just an animal. Dogs are, in many cases, a fur baby and a vital part of a family unit.

I think it was love at first sight when I met their gorgeous puppy Graceson. How could anyone resist such clear blue eyes and blond hair?! I guess I have a thing for blondes (just ask my very handsome blond husband). Not to be comparing my husband to a dog by any means... I just... never mind... maybe I should stop before I dig this hole any deeper.

But seriously, isn't he such a cute dog!?

 

Anyway, back to this gorgeous momma. 

She is so effortlessly beautiful! And trust me, that is hard to do when you are 7 months pregnant.

Just as we were finishing up our session, the sky decided to turn into a spectacular combination of colors. My kids call them cotton candy clouds, but they were so much more breathtaking than that description conveys. It was magnificent! You can see a little bit of them peaking through in the back of this shot.

 What a perfect way to end a perfect session! 

Sister Castro

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a religion that I love, and one that has shaped me into the person that I am today.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (some people know us as the Mormons), young adults have the opportunity to give up 18-24 months of their life to do missionary work. They move away from their families and friends, and spend that time sharing their beliefs and helping others. It's actually a pretty incredible opportunity to be able to give up part of your life to share something that is so important to you.

With that information in mind, I would like to introduce you to one of those amazing future missionaries. 

Meet Pamela.

Pam contacted me months ago to schedule her mission pictures. Even before she received her mission call! She had no idea where in the world she would be going, all she knew was that she was going to serve the Lord for 18 months of her life. That faith is so incredible to me!

I shared in her excitement as she received her call to serve the people of the Philippines. And together we tailored the session to be exactly what she wanted.

On the day of her session, Pamela came with her two older sisters and her adorable puppy. I love when family comes to sessions like this! It helps you to relax, and not feel as awkward. I didn't have to worry about that at all with Pam though. She was an absolute natural, and gorgeous both inside and out.

It was a pleasure to get to know such an amazing young woman. 

Good luck on your mission Sister Castro! 

Your Home = My Studio

As a new mom, the last thing that you want to do is get all dressed up and leave the house. I know for me, I practically live in sweat pants and baggy shirts for the first couple weeks of my baby's life. Does that make me lazy? Maybe. Am I the minority on this? Probably not. You just created a human being! I think that gives you an excuse to wear comfortable clothes for a while. (Hey, if you want to wear comfortable clothes until your baby is 54 months old, more power to you! No judgment here!)

This is one of the major reasons that I have chosen to not find a studio space. There are so many reasons that a studio would be more convenient for me as a photographer: all my props in one place, the ability to have consistent lighting, more room to work in, etc.. But in the end, who's convenience is more important? Mine, or my awesome clients? Yep, you win 9 times out of 10.

For each and every one of my newborn sessions, I have no idea the conditions that I will be walking into. Of course I have talked to mom (or dad) to find out what they are wanting. But when it comes to lighting, space, and/or pets, etc. I am totally in the dark. I love the challenge that this provides.

When I first enter your home, my brain starts going in hyper drive to find the best room with the best light. Sometimes the best lighting is in the bedroom, sometimes in the kitchen, but most of the time I find it in the dining room next to some big glass doors. If you read my post about my newborn session at Presley's home (find it here), you know how much I love me some big glass doors.

Not only do I find the challenges exciting, I also love being able to incorporate your home into the session. Like this beautiful stencil wall from Miles' session:

Or the fabulous gray floor at Gavin's house.

Or even this simple wall from Preston's session. 

I am so grateful for such wonderful clients that welcome me into their homes!  And if you don't feel like your house is clean enough, or pretty enough, or styled well enough, don't fret (mine for sure isn't...)! I bring floor drops and other tools to make each and every picture absolutely priceless.  

Reeder Family

I love and am grateful for all the amazing clients that I get to meet, and I know that I probably shouldn't have favorite ones, but sometimes I can't help it. I have photographed this beautiful family for years, and they have become some of my favorite people to photograph! 

 Seriously, can you blame me? Look at how cute they are!

They just welcomed their third boy into their family, and I can't think of a better excuse to have some family pictures taken. Especially of this bunch. 

It's still pretty hot here in Arizona, so we wanted to quickly get some great shots in before we all melted. Luckily, these boys are pros and we were able to capture some sweet photographs in no time at all! 

This is their precious newborn, born just 17 days ago. He is almost three weeks old, and still so teeny tiny! Momma was afraid of having a big baby, but he was their smallest by far.

I love how alert he is! And look at the red in his hair! Too cute.

As always, it was a pleasure to be able to spend some time with this beautiful family. I look forward to watching these boys grow up, and photographing them every step of the way!

Presley

Boy, has it been a long time since I have blogged! I almost forgot that this was even here! I love being able to share special moments from every session, and this is a great spot to do it. I will be posting after almost every session, and even sometimes in between. So make sure you check back often for updates! 

I thought that this adorable family would be the perfect way to get back into the swing of things in the blogging world. Seriously, can they be any more perfect! 

One of the first things that a photographer notices when they walk into a location is the light. When I walked into Elizabeth's and Jordan's home for their newborn session, my jaw practically hit the floor. In the front room/living room they have two sets of gorgeous sliding glass doors. Two sets!!! It was almost an entire wall of glass! Amazing as a design idea, and even more amazing in my photography-light-sensing brain. I was practically fan-girling over the amount of light, and looking back it should have been slightly embarrassing...

Anyway, enough about those gorgeous doors. Let's talk about the even more beautiful little newborn that I got to spend some time with.

Meet Presley:

Isn't she perfect? Look at that dimple! I don't think that she could get any cuter.

And of course I can't forget about the fur baby. Dogs have a special place in my heart, so when I get to include them in a session it makes me so happy!

Thanks for letting me spend some time with your beautiful family, Elizabeth and Jordan! And thanks for not making fun of me when I kept gawking at your glass doors.  

What to expect at your Newborn Session

Newborn sessions are by far some of my favorite sessions.  I think it might be because I don't have to act like a crazy person behind the camera in order to get everyone to look at me and smile.  Or maybe it's because I get to cuddle with the adorable newborns.  Either way, they are so much fun for me!

As a mom of a new baby, there are so many things that you are trying to get used to.  There's lots of stress, hundreds of questions, and almost no sleep.  So, when it comes to the photography session with your precious little bundle, I want to be able to take all that additional stress away that you may feel not knowing what to expect during your shoot.

 With a new baby, everything is new! It takes time to get into a rhythm with your little angel, and predicting when nap time will happen is generally difficult. However, if you can manage to have baby fed and changed before the shoot, this will increase chances of sleep! If you have any outfits or props you would like to include, please have them available and I will try to work them into your session.

Do what you can to keep your little one awake as much as possible a couple of hours before your session. This will hopefully insure that your little bundle will be super sleepy and posable during your session. 

Please dress your little cutie in comfortable, loose clothing that is easily removed. Also, do not diaper too tightly to reduce the possibility of red marks on baby’s skin.   

 The golden rule of newborn photography: babies are unpredictable! At just a few days old, a regular feeding, sleeping and potty schedule is out of the question. I understand this, and as a result recommend at least 3 hours be blocked out for your newborn session. Although I do have  my bag of tricks to make the process efficient and fun for everyone, it really all comes down to how baby is feeling.

When I come to your home for your session, the best room to use is usually the one with the most light. This could be the living room, the master  bedroom, or sometimes even the kitchen! Don’t worry, you won’t see the dishwasher in any of  your final images.

Here are a few more things to be prepared for:

-  Babies like to be warm, and I usually have a space heater running the entire session. (My rule of thumb: if I’m not sweating, it’s probably not warm enough for your baby.)

-  I find that the quieter the room, the better the session. Loud noises can startle and awaken your sleeping baby (but, you already know that).

-  I usually get pooped on, peed on, and/or spit-up on at least once each session, so don’t feel bad when it happens at yours.

-  Most importantly, relax and enjoy this special time as we capture some beautiful images of your precious little one.

Within a day of your session I will post a sneak peak to my Facebook page. Keep a look out for it!

It can take me up to 2 weeks to edit and perfect all the photos from your session.  I know you will be anxious to see all the photos, but newborn editing takes time. 

Of course, if you have any questions at all about your session, don't hesitate to ask!