at home with leah avery.

June 23, 2016

Two of my best buds made this perfect little human, and I feel so lucky that I get to photograph all of her big moments. For forever, like on Fame. Leah was a perfect 16 days new when we had her at-home lifestyle session with her mom and dad. Anytime within the first month works, but keep in mind, I only work with natural light so you’ve got to have some great windows to make a session like this happen.

Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them. Welcome to the world little girl! You’re in good hands.

and then there were four.

June 2, 2016

Normally I have a lot to say. But I feel that these images say it better than I ever could.

Not finding out the gender of your baby before it’s born when you already have a child is INTENSE. Not really for the parents, because they just want a healthy baby plain and simple. But for ME, I was like please, please, PLEASE let it be a boy. Because that’s just exciting. And seeing dad’s face when he saw that baby boy for the first time. Waterworks. Also, Joseph Francis just happened to be born on his great-great grandpa Frank’s 96th birthday. SO MANY FEELS.

It was so nice seeing this brand new family of four all together 9 days later. I do feel part of the family after being in the foxhole aka delivery room with parents, and I like to see how everyone settles in at home. As you can see, big sis is handling her new role very well.

Congratulations to this beautiful family! Can’t wait for the next one 😉 Just kidding. Probably.

the birth of evelyn june: a love story.

March 16, 2016

Back in August, Ashley wrote to me asking if I offered birthing pictures. My first reaction was, uhhhhhh. Because let’s be honest, no. But then I thought to myself, when a stranger asks you to take pictures of the birth of her first child, you do it. So we made a plan, kept in touch throughout the months, and on March 7th, I got the call at 10AM that her water broke. I was at the grocery store, in my gym clothes, looking wild. I super market sweeped the place, went home to grab my camera equipment, and hit the road. This is exactly what I walked into when I got to their hospital room at noon. An adorable mommy-to-be and the sweetest husband in all the land.

I have never met anyone quite like Ashley. We hit it off immediately. Even though the situation could have been a little awkward, what with the contractions and the getting ready to push a baby out, it wasn’t. It was totally natural, like we had known each other forever. And her husband, oh my gosh, what a doll. He was so tender and loving throughout the whole experience. And what an experience it was let me tell you. Plus they didn’t know the sex of the baby beforehand, which made things extra exciting.

I took pictures of EVERYTHING. I had a story to tell. But I’ll leave the actual baby coming into the world via Ashley photos for her and her hubby to share, or lock away, whatever they choose. Watching that baby be born though, I cannot put into words all of the emotions. And seeing their faces when they saw that they had a healthy baby GIRL. Well, we were all crying.

Looking back, I still can’t believe I was asked to be a part of something so beautiful. I cheered Ashley on. I passed the ice chips. I heard that little girl’s first cry. I counted her toes. I fell in love.

At the end of things, we made it clear to each other that we were now forever friends. Because you can’t just walk away from something like that and not feel it for a long, long time. Miss Evelyn June, I cannot wait to see what the world has in store for you, or better yet, what you have in store for the world.

10 days new.

January 18, 2016

I’m very in the moment with newborn sessions, which is why I love them because they allow me to be more creative and give client’s a unique experience. On the other side, I stress HARD about newborn sessions until I walk into the home and see what I’m working with. The second I walked into this nursery, all the stars aligned, angels sang, and every worry left me. Just LOOK at it. Sigh. Is it strange that my bedroom walls are the same color? Mommy’s got good taste!

I recently purchased my first L lens. I chose the Macro to help capture those close-up newborn details (and it’s nice to have on hand for weddings, which I am getting into this summer). I love being able to close in on baby’s tiny features because they will never be this small again.

I also love getting everyone all snuggly on the big bed. The art of the everyday happens right here.

But my FAVORITE part of this session, even more than the nursery, was big brother. He LOVES his baby sister and it was SO apparent during my visit.

I want to thank this family for inviting me into their home and being SO wonderful throughout the trials of a newborn session. I was able to do my job well because of their easy-going personalities!

a day in the life of a newborn session.

October 26, 2015

I get lots of emails and messages about newborn sessions. I will be the first to tell you that I am NOT a master newborn poser. I am not a tiny baby whisperer. I specialize in toddlers and uncooperative boyfriends/husbands (because let’s be honest, they have almost the same temperament). I try to make it very clear what I’m about as to not disappoint clients looking for magic to happen. If you want magic, you’re going to have to go to a studio and pay studio prices. I have considered choosing a seminar to attend that focuses on newborn poses, and when I do, you’ll be the first to know.

Also, it is important for people to understand that I only work with natural light. So if you have a baby in the colder weather and do not have a decent amount of natural light coming into your living room, master bedroom or nursery, I cannot help you. Summer babies, call me anytime. That being said, here is a look into what goes down during a typical cold weather newborn session. Family pictures are always included because I do not spend a lot of time posing your new baby. You’ll get a few portraits/birth announcement options, and that’s pretty much all that’s promised, the rest is heavy on the lifestyle. The art of the everyday. The good stuff.