And then the car wouldn’t start.

Isn’t it funny when we try to make plans, but life has something else in store?

It kind of reminds me of this little guy’s entrance into the world. Just over a year ago, my dear friend Danielle was shocked when she went into labor five weeks early. God had different plans for little Judah’s arrival and I just have a feeling that He also has some pretty big plans for his future. I just love this little guy!

I know it’s a struggle for a lot of photographers to define their style, and once they find it, they often feel limited by it. I, for one, pretty easily define my style as bright, clean, and classic. I know that I want my pictures to be timeless, that’s why I don’t do a lot of textures or use lots of actions on my images. That’s just my personal preference. Don’t get me wrong–I love a good image with a grungy, texturized feel. I’ve just found that every time I try this style on my own, I end up preferring my original edit.

But lately I’ve been stretching myself–trying new things. I’m really loving distortion, especially when photographing children (glance up at the image of my sweet Abby in the orchard at the top of this blog and you’ll see what I mean). And I’ve enjoyed playing around with sunflare, too. And black and white images? I never used to like them. My style is all about bold, bright color, right? Well, done correctly, you can really achieve a bold and bright feel in a black and white image.

So when I was going through the images from this session of adorable Miss {A}, I knew that I wanted to try a few new things. I loved the haze that I was getting from the evening sun coming through the grasses and thought that these pictures would look great edited with a vintage feel. To me, they look like they could be pulled out of a Crewcuts ad with her adorable jumper and accessories. And I just love the black and white edits. Her dark hair and eyes contrast so beautifully against her creamy skin.

This session is one of my favorites not only because I had such a great time hanging out with {A}–who, by the way, came up to me out of the blue and hugged me–love that! But it’s also a favorite because of the emotion that the images convey. I love how they aren’t all just of {A} looking at the camera, posing, and smiling. I love the strands of hair on her face, I love her profile defined by the setting sun behind her, I love that they make you feel something when you look at them. And I love that I’ve given myself the creative freedom to try something new. Something to enhance my style. Something to help me grow as a photographer and as an artist.

And yes, we did get some traditional shots for the relatives. But I really love these ones that tell a story. And just look at those eyes! I have a feeling that these little guys will get out of many situations throughout their lives by their adorable puppy dog eyes alone. I know they have me wrapped around their little fingers!
Mom–thank you again for such a wonderful afternoon. I have so many more great images that I just can’t wait to edit. I’ll let you know as soon as your gallery is up!

When he saw this shirt at H&M the other day he begged me for it and I just couldn’t resist those puppy dog eyes of his. And Yoda was pretty hard to resist, too.

That’s how today’s session with {K} was. I just couldn’t wait to browse through all of the pictures and start editing them. And once I started, I just couldn’t stop! This little one was such a doll! Her eyes are so amazingly expressive and she’s at my favorite age where she can sit up but can’t crawl away out of my camera’s frame. Love that.

And I love these first two images. So much so that I think I might just order a canvas of one as a studio sample. The lighting was just perfect (which we had to work for–believe me). Being a natural light photographer has it’s challenges in the winter. We actually had {K} set up a couple of feet from the door and I did most of my shooting from out on the porch (with Dad and Mom taking turns making silly sounds and faces behind me.) Put all that together and you get the perfect session, don’t you agree?

Mom and Dad–I had a great time getting to know you and little {K} today. I hope you love your sneak peek! I’ll be in touch and will let you know when your gallery is ready!

And Mom totally knows my style. I love when she pulled out one of the wardrobe changes and said, “You’re going to go out this week and get this one, aren’t you?” And you know what? I already had the outfit for my own little girl! Talk about being in sync! Love it! I also have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more of their faces around here. Some of the images from their session have become my favorites and I plan to use them in my new marketing materials.

Mom, I know you’ve been waiting so patiently for this sneak peek, so without further ado…your gorgeous daughters.

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!