The flu has taken out half of our family this week and I’ve been part of that equation. Now I’m playing catch up for the extra (but much needed) rest that I snuck in during my kiddos nap time. So just a few valentine mini session images for now.
Little {A} can be seen all over my blog and website and I just adore her. Though she was feeling a bit under the weather as well, you would never know it by her precious smile. Just looking at these images makes me want to squeeze those cheeks!
I held my mini valentine sessions this past Saturday and had such a great time with all of the kids that came out. There was another break in the storm so we had some beautiful natural light to work with. Here are just a few of the cuties from the mini sessions–more to come in another post.
So this is what six days looks like. So fresh, so new, and so adorably snuggly. This little one is by far the most sleepy, cooperative, and precious newborn that I have photographed to date. And I’m not biased at all since he’s my brand new nephew. I cannot describe how much I love little {H}. I think the love that you have as an aunt is probably as close to the love you have for your own children as you can get (I know some grandmas out there are about to argue with me, but I honestly believe it.)
And I think it must mean even more when it’s the child of your one and only big sister. There is a special bond between sisters no doubt. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my big sis. She is the one who shares all of the same childhood memories. She is the one who was there when I gave birth to both of my children and encouraged me, telling me that I could do it when I felt like I couldn’t. She is the one who was there with me at my Dad’s beside when he took his last breathe. And she is the one who knows what it’s like to try to create a life other than the one you had imagined when you lose your Daddy to cancer. She’s the one that understands the joys, the tears, and the beauty of motherhood. She’s my sister and I’m so grateful God gave her to me.
And I just adore the two beautiful boys that she and my brother in law have created. I feel so blessed to live just a mile from them and that to get to watch my nephews grow up. And I feel so honored that I got to take little {H’s} newborn pictures–he’s such a beautiful little guy and the perfect little model. He didn’t even make a peep the whole time–what a trooper!
The biggest compliment to me is when a client comes back to take more images of their child. I absolutely love when I see a familiar name in my inbox requesting a future session. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That they liked their pictures so much they chose me again as their photographer. What an honor!
I was so excited to see {J} for his one year session this weekend. Last time I photographed {J} he was just four months old–and adorable at that! You’ll recognize him up in my header with those stunning baby blues. Well, he’s even cuter at one year (if that’s possible!) and we had such a great time yesterday at our shoot. Unfortunately the weather was horrendous and we had to stay indoors, but it worked out perfectly for our cake smash session. One year olds + cake = an adorable mess!
Mom–thank you so much for choosing me to capture {J’s} one year images. I had a great time and hope you love your sneak peek! I’ll let you know as soon as your full gallery is ready!
So I must say, I am astounded at the amount of votes that the Best of 2009 contest has generated so far! We’re only a few days into it and we’re already up to 173 votes and counting! It’s a close match with the top three within 18 votes of each other. So make your pick if you haven’t yet and remember to spread the word since you can only vote once!
And definitely don’t forget to leave a comment here after you vote for your chance to win a mini photography session. With only 12 comments now, you’ve got pretty good odds! I know you’re out there, so leave me some blog love! I adore feedback and communication and would love to know who is reading this little ol’ blog of mine! So jot me a quick note and let me know who you are.
I’ve got several sessions coming up that I can’t wait for, but today I tried to snap a few pictures of my own children. That’s definitely a New Year’s resolution of mine–to remember to photograph my own kids. It seems silly, being a children’s photographer and all, that it would slip my mind to capture images of my Abby and Jacob. But trust me, it’s harder than you think. It’s also difficult (as any professional photographer with kids would tell you) to get natural looking pictures of my very unwilling children. My kids run every time the see the camera. Seriously…run! Or scream at me, shake their finger, or collapse into a puddle on the floor. You may think I’m being dramatic, but believe me–it’s not a pretty sight. And I do feel for them. Honestly, I do. They have been subjected to numerous lens testings, backdrop try outs, and countless “just one more!” pleadings from me.
So when it appears that I might, just possibly, have a willing subject, I bust out that Nikon faster than you can say “cheese!” (which you will never, ever hear me say at a session, by the way. Saying cheese is a surefire way to get forced and strained looking pictures of your little ones. If you have to say something to coax a smile out of them, opt for “candy” or something that produces a somewhat more natural grin). Jacob was a good sport and even offered a smile or two for me without any pleading, begging, or bribing on my end. So I’m quite pleased with the resulting image of my little man.
