Holy moly.... these photos definitely fall under the category of I can't even...!
I knew from the moment this cutie came into my little Seattle studio that this was going to be a great shoot. She was all smiles from the first moment she walked through the door and we had so much fun together!
From now on whenever someone asks if 6 months old is a good time to come in for photos, I'm just going to email them these pictures!
Such a fun age, and SUCH and gorgeous little girl!
One of my favorite things about being a newborn photographer is watching new parents as they fall completely in love with their baby. There is nothing quite like those first few weeks of parenthood. I remember it well. And I love seeing it in others.
Last week I had this adorable Seattle family into the studio and decided to take some "behind the scenes" video of what really goes on at a newborn photoshoot. Spoiler alert: it's pretty darn cute!
Enjoy!
I believe babies are perfect.
They really are. Their skin. The way they smell. Those little sleep smiles. All perfect.
I also love that they come out of the womb with their own little personality. No two are alike.
When you take a sleeping baby and lay him or her down on a bed, they all do something different. Some curl up, some stretch out their legs (or just one leg), others will put their tiny hand up in front of their face, or give a little fist bump pose.
Whatever they do, it's inevitable that at some point in the session their mom will laugh and say something like "we have an ultrasound photo with him in the exact same pose!" Or "Ha! She came out with her arms up by her ears like that." They recognize a gesture in their baby that is unique and special to their baby, no one else. It always gives me goosebumps.
I believe that as a portrait photographer, my job is to capture the essence of the person I'm working with.
That job is the same whether the person I'm working with is 45 years old, 5 years old, or 5 days old.
I want to create a piece of history that people can look back on and say "Oh my... look at you as a newborn baby... you know, you still make that expression"
I want each portrait I take to be as unique as the infants I photograph.
I soothe them. I put them in a swaddle if they seem to need it. But I let them lead the show. I want to see who they are. And I want to capture that for all time.
I've been photographing Ida since the day she was born.
I love this little girl, and always look forward to getting her in front of my camera.
Her mom is my dear friend Lily, and Lily always has Ida dressed to the nines!
For her second year portraits, Ida wore a stunning red vintage dress. The photos we got from this session are some of my favorites, which made it all the more fun when Ida and her stunning red dress were featured in the March/April edition of Click Magazine!
The good people at Click asked me to talk a bit about my approach to shooting film with strobes, and I was more that happy to share.
To me, film and strobes are the perfect marriage. Film love lights. The more the better. And with strobes you can create perfect light every single day, no need to rely on the weather.
Teaching other film photographers about how to use strobes has become my passion. I teach both an online and an in person workshop about it, and now I get to share this amazing and beautiful technique with the readers of Click. What an honor!
And here is Ida in her gorgeous red dress in Click Magazine!
I love this quote, because this is exactly how I felt the first time I looked at my own babies.
It reminds me of that feeling of being completely in love with someone before you even know who they are, mixed with excitement, and a little fear. I think all new parents feel it.
Having a baby is the single most life changing event we can have. It is an adventure, to say the least. And an amazing one at that.
I love freezing that moment in time for the families I work with. It's why I do what I do.
I love all babies. I do.
But as the mother of twins myself, I have to be honest, when twins come into my studio, my heart skips a beat.
These two brothers were just too much! They snoozed through most of their photoshoot, and then work up near the end, allowing me to get some great photos of their pretty eyes looking right into the lens.
Adorable!
Little Ms. Kate (and her family) came to me as a referral.
Referrals are what make small businesses like mine thrive. And I'm always grateful when someone thinks so highly of my work that they refer me to a friend. It means to world!
Little Kate here was a dream to work with!
She came to the shoot awake and bright eyed, allowing me to get great photos of her sweet face and big blue eyes. Then, about half way through the shoot, she decided to take a nap, which is perfect for snuggly photos with mom and dad.
The photos we got from this photoshoot are just adorable. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Don't get me wrong. I love a good outdoor photoshoot in one of the many beautiful parks Seattle has to offer. But there is something about studio maternity portraits that just make me swoon!
I love the simplicity of the studio. Combine that simplicity with the classic look of film and the result is timeless images that will stand the test of time.
Love!
The adorable Brothers family came into the studio on a rare sunny Seattle day back in January.
This time of year, I get so used to the dark days of winter that I forget what it is like to have natural light to work with. This gorgeous day reminded me how much I love natural light and just how beautiful the results can be.
And, as if the sunshine wasn’t enough, I had this sweet family and their adorable newborn to work with. He snoozed through the entire photoshoot.
We all had a wonderful time, and the photos that we got as a result are just magic.
As the mother of twins myself, I kind of fall to pieces when twins come into the studio. I mean, the only thing better than a newborn baby are two newborn babies, right?!
This brother and sister duo were just the cutest! Seriously! So tiny, and so content to lie there next to each other, all snuggled up.
This shoot is also special to me because I've worked with this family before. I've seen them go from a three to six, and I have to say, the best part of my job (aside from cuddling newborns) is watching families grow. I love it!
Images captured on a Contax 645, with Fuji 400h and strobes.
Processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.
