Haven Hope

I had the opportunity to go with Andrea on an infant shoot this week and it was one of the coolest experiences I've had yet as a photographer. I had the chance to sit back and watch, not worry about being in charge of what was going on. But rather just observe and take pictures as I saw opportunities fly by.

The chemistry between this family is nothing short of amazing. They flowed with each other so well and as a result were just unbelievably easy to photograph. These pictures make me want to have a baby... or not :) Maybe someday...

A grand adventure about to begin...

The journey to motherhood...

There is a true beauty that is within all women who are expecting...



I wanted more maternity images to add to my portfolio, which is how I met Tammy... the mom -to-be of the adorable little Raiden you will see in this post in just a second.

I do in fact attribute much of my decision to give photography a "go" as it were to the special lady who insisted I do my first maternity shoot, which can be seen here.



Before I did this pictures with Tammy, I had only done one other maternity session, and I just love them. These pictures are actually pretty old as I took them in the beginning of November just after I had bought my strobes. Plus, I was still using the Rebel at that time! So much has changed in just a couple short months!



I love learning my way through photography... and my very favorite part is that no one person or session is ever the same. I may do some of the same things with people as a way to get started, but honestly, I have found that once we get comfortable with each other, the session unfolds... and inevitably, I will get one or two images from each session that I just look at and go "wow, where in the world did that idea come from?"



I thought the little Santa hat was appropriate although this little guy was born at least a month before Christmas :)



I love baby feet... and hands... and noses... and hair... oh heck, I just love babies!





I find this picture hilarious because I think it looks like a baby on a gong lol! Is gong even a word? You know what I'm talking about?



Believe it or not, this baby was not happy to have his pictures taken... and he was awake and crying in this picture! Like i said in my post yesterday, the key to taking good newborn shots is patience... I am willing to hold out and wait if you are :) So let's just sit around while baby finishes up eating... and drifts off to sleep... once they're asleep, we're golden! That is the KEY!



I'd really like to get better at taking this shot... at least ones like it. I just love parent/baby pictures... there will be more to come as I keep doing this :)



Again with the feet. I saved this image for last because it is only rivaled by one other shot (in this category) that I have ever taken. I just love this one. All the details and the little lines...

Oh, and I wanted to mention this, to all the other photographers that may be reading this blog... the first pictures of mama were taken with the rebel and my tamron 17-50 f/2.8 lens, but the baby was shot with my new 5D and the canon 50 f/1.8. I love the clarity of the 50mm lens, but I can't wait to do a shoot with my newest addition the canon 28-70 f/2.8... I have the day off tomorrow, so I'm planning to go out and capture some of the beautiful snow and ice we have around here right now :)

I'm going to try and enjoy this weather... lol

Kate Jacqueline

All this poor little baby wanted to do was stay warm... act cute... and look around...



But we wouldn't let her. We said, no baby, you must take cute nakey shots and go to sleep!



8 day olds, however, cannot be reasoned with.



She did quite well though, for being on her own terms... and I don't blame her... if someone had tried taking pictures of me when I was that little, i probably would have reacted the same way :)



I've learned a lot about the whole newborn picture taking thing the last couple months... It's hard! You never know how a baby will react to what... I'll keep trying though, for sure :)

Just know, if you ever are thinking about hiring me for your newborn pictures that I am a very patient person when it comes to this. Ya gotta be! If i come over to do pictures with you, and it's taking what seems like forever, I don't care! it comes with the territory. I will take as long as I need to, to get the right shot. So don't worry that you're inconveniencing me... ever. I love my job and I want to share it with you.

Sarah Grace

In my short photography career, I have only had the opportunity to photograph 4 newborns. When I first started doing this, I was sure that I wanted to focus my efforts towards infants and babies... however, it's a lot harder than I thought!

This is baby Sarah Grace. She was only a few days old at the time these pictures were taken... and up until I arrived, she had never stayed awake long enough to eat enough to make her fall back asleep.



Apparently less than one week olds are smarter than we may think ;) She was awake most of the time we shot here, with her eyes opening and closing as she was fighting very hard to stay awake for her shoot. Her one little eye would stay just a hair open deeming her the nickname "popeye."



However, these turned out to be my favorite newborn shots to date. Mom has amazing taste and was totally jiving with any and all ideas I threw out there. This waffle weave duvet cover sustained more than its fair share of the consequences of leaving a naked baby on it!





I have literally been itching to get these little headbands on a baby as small as Sarah.





Here she is with her three older siblings. Momma wanted a picture with the baby and then the other kids hands all around her... I just love it :)



The last in the series... because she just could do no more... "Gosh, could I please just go to sleep now?!"

What a great family this is, and I so hope that I have the opportunity to photograph all of them together this summer. ohhhh that is something i cannot wait for! :)