Surprise! Baby A is a...

From very early on in my client's pregnancy, I knew she was carrying a girl.  She and her husband had decided not to find out - they wanted to keep the experience a surprise, and welcome baby intimately, with a home birth.  Well, to say I couldn't be happier for these two is the understatement of the year!

As she grew closer to her guess date, I waited on pins and needles to see if my prediction, my instinct, would be confirmed.  Sure enough, on a Friday morning in March, I received the call to schedule the newborn session for a precious little GIRL.  (GASP! I was right!)  She was born on a bright, spring day, and we'll call her Baby A.

My client kept everything quiet as she labored at home with her husband into the wee hours of the morning.  She got the birth she prepared for, using the Hypnobabies technique (as I had with my second child), and calmly welcomed a baby girl earth side after a short 7-hour labor.  (For a first time mom, that is quite the accomplishment!)

got to snuggle this sweet girl at only a week old to capture her perfection.  The soft skin, new baby smell, and snuggly nature of this squish made my part of the arrangement easy!  She inspired me to play around with some beautiful spring flowers and vines.  I'm excited to share a few more captures of sweet Baby A for you to enjoy!

The Marvel Family

It's so lovely when your work brings wonderful families into your life who you may not have met otherwise.  This was the case for myself and the Marvel family.  This relaxed, go-with-the-flow bunch joined me for a session at the Covered Bridge in Smyrna, which I love.  Nature did it's thing and gave us beautiful color, while historic buildings aged quietly in the background for some added personality. 

Christina and Rob have THE MOST ADORABLE chunky, sweet baby!  Bennett had the most adorable little outfit on, and was a trooper in the chilly weather.  He mostly took in the scenery with his baby blues until late in the session when he took a little snooze.  :)  Zach joined us last minute, and I'm glad he did.  While he's quite reserved, I caught a few smiles here and there and loved seeing him interact with little Bennett.  (See Bennett blowing bubbles, below)

Another fun challenge I had with the Marvel family was to capture their daughter, Samantha for some senior portraits.  The catch?  Samantha does not like being photographed.  One would think that this may intimidate the photographer, but not me.  I try to do my best to make every person feel comfortable in front of the camera (forgetting that the camera is there is the goal) so that the best captures of each person's personality can be realized.  I connected with Samantha pretty organically right from the start!  Interested in traveling and also in vintage cameras, we incorporated those elements into her individual portraits and captured some absolutely beautiful images.  (see my favorites below)

Her portraits are some of my favorite to date - all of that beautiful fall color behind her and I loved her personal style.  All in all, it was a joy to spend a few hours with this family in beautiful Smyrna.  Here's a gorgeous flower I snapped a quick shot of as we were relocating for a different backdrop during our session.  Beautiful.  I'm kind of a nerd for flowers.  :)  Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek!

The Bartig Family Mini

You may remember this image I shared on my Facebook page a little bit ago.  I love the serenity children find in the arms of their mothers.  It always gives me pause and I was able to capture sweet Aiden enjoying a good snuggle with Momma Nicole during our mini session.

I arrived at the park one particularly cold and windy Sunday morning.  When I got there, it was 39 degrees!  What we originally intended for a fall mini turned into a winter mini when LIFE took over the scheduling aspect.  Despite the cold, Madison toughed it out and you wouldn't have ever known how cold it was based on Aiden's behavior - he acted like it was mild and sunny!  Madison, adorably, kept saying, "I'm chilly," and this shot of Aiden was in between setups when the children snuggled into blankets to stay warm.

Ultimately, I loved spending a little time with this sweet family in the park, regardless of how numbing the temperatures made us feel!  Even Grandma and Grandpa were there to dance around and make the children laugh for the camera.  (Mind you, this proved very entertaining for me as well!)

Enjoy these images of a wonderful family enjoying each other in the park.  They were all such troopers with the weather!

Irene's Maternity & Family

Daniel, Irene & I have known each other for a loooooong time.  Of course I jumped at the invitation to document her second pregnancy - another bouncing boy!  I met them at her parents' home - stocked with beautiful accents and furniture straight from a magazine (the kind of home I only wish I could create for myself), and we got to it. 

Ethan, their two-year-old, kept things exciting because as we all know, toddlers don't stay still very long!  I managed to catch a few silly faces from Ethan, but ended up getting some really sweet lifestyle shots of them as a family. One of my favorite moments was when I snapped an adorable shot of Mom & Ethan sitting with their feet the same way.  They didn't even know that they had the same mannerisms!  It is those moments - those glimpses - that I strive to capture and preserve because kids just don't keep.  These moments are incredibly fleeting.

I hope you enjoy some of our fun from this session!

Birth Story: The Fabulous Mr. Fox

I met Stefanie completely by chance.  At 8 months pregnant, she and I coordinated a meet-up at the local Chick-fil-A to complete the sale of my stroller, as she prepared to welcome her first child - a boy - into the world.  My trunk still full of tools and props from a newborn session, I found it challenging to get the stroller out!  I mentioned to her it would take just a moment because I am a photographer and I still had all of my newborn stuff in my trunk.  "I'm a photographer too," she exclaimed.  Wow.  Small world!

We got to chatting about the business and then onto babies and things just clicked.  What can I say?  When you meet a person with a great vibe, you just want to keep talking to them and getting to know them.  She gave me her business card and we went our separate ways.

A few weeks after the sale, I contacted her to meet for coffee because I had some questions for her about her photography business.  We talked portfolios, gear, etc.  Then...my favorite part - we talked about LIFE.  We got to chatting about the beauty of birth and how powerful it is, and she realized she wanted to preserve the experience of Harrison's birth through photography.  I had an opening, and it worked out perfectly. 

Harrison, however, didn't want to budge!  Her guess date came and went, and before we knew it her induction date came around.  Harrison, however, had no interest in being induced!  Babies will come when they WANT to come, and he didn't want to come on anyone else's schedule. 

I got the call that she was in active labor on Thursday, early afternoon. I expected to find Stefanie overtired, and I wouldn't have been surprised if she was grumpy too, as this was two days into the induction.  But when I walked into the room, I was met with smiles (some were weary), and joy.  Stefanie eagerly chatted with me about photography, her excitement for breastfeeding, wondering what he would look like...  And their families welcomed me into the room like I belonged.  Mother, sister, mother-in-law, and husband all relaxed through the ebbs and flows of labor progressing.  With Harry Potter on in the background (by the time I got there they were on The Half-Blood Prince, Part 1), they talked, laughed, napped, and anticipated Harrison's arrival.

After getting her epidural the day before, she told me the story of her anesthesiologist coming into the room seeing "Harrison Fox" written on the dry erase board.  He asked if that was this baby's name, because his son (now 19) is named Harrison.  The connections flowed from there.  His name was Tod, his son's name is Harrison Brandon.  Stefanie's husband's name is Brandon Todd.  Fox means Todd.  Are you following all of this?  What an amazing web of connections with this birth story!  Tod had never shared a picture of his son with a patient, but he couldn't resist sharing with Stefanie and Brandon.  I enjoyed capturing this moment between them to remember their uncanny story.

The anesthesiologist showing Stefanie and Brandon a picture of his son Harrison, when he was an infant. 

The afternoon progressed and we ran out of Harry Potter movies, so we moved on to another classic...Jurassic Park!  Before we knew it, Harrison started making his way.  Everyone in the room focused on supporting Stefanie, and she leaned into her body's natural instincts to move him right along.  It was incredibly moving to witness her power as a woman birthing her child.

Harrison emerged with a delightfully adorable blonde mini mo-hawk.  Melt my heart, he is ADORABLE.  Seriously.  He immediately felt peace against his Momma's chest. I am grateful to have been there to document this sweet boy's journey earthside, and also to see him at his newborn session at a week old!  (More on that, so stay tuned!)

After she birthed the precious boy and snuggled him, he went to be weighed and measured.  Something told me to look back at Stefanie in that moment as I was documenting Harrison being evaluated...and I caught this beautiful moment.  Stefanie with her mom and sister giving thanks to God for a safe Momma, safe healthy baby, and the gift of being a mother.  It gives me chills just to look at this incredible moment, preserved in time. 

The Baby With The Special Name

Baby Bryce Jackson is a very special boy to me.  His parents and I have known each other for years and seen each other through the highs and lows of life.  One of the most challenging experiences we shared was the short life of a beloved baby named Jackson.

My best friend (Irene's sister-in-law) courageously carried her son, Jackson Bryant Liberatore with love and prayer after a fatal diagnosis: trisomy 13 and a heart defect at 20 weeks along.  I traveled to be with my friend in the middle of the night when she was 36 weeks (she has a knack for having babies in the middle of the night) on March 9, 2014.  "Baby Jacks" as we'd called him throughout her pregnancy was born and he lived miraculously for 2 hours before going home to Jesus.  I held him and I held my friend.  Jackson's short life continues to impact me today.

Later, Irene found out she was pregnant with her second, another boy, and she and her husband knew they wanted to honor the life of Baby Jacks by giving their son the middle name: Jackson.  You can imagine my delight that she asked me to take Bryce's newborn photos, with him being Jackson's namesake. 

Bryce's birth was a big deal too, as Irene had been preparing for her VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean).  Having experienced my own VBAC and the triumph it brought, I knew Bryce's story held a great significance for all of them as a family.  I am proud to report that Irene successfully (and powerfully) birthed Bryce by VBAC and I celebrate her as a sister!  There is much misinformation out there that once you have a cesarean, you must always have cesareans - which just isn't true!  It is just another testimonial that your birth stories are individual - they are based on your personal choices as a family, and your desires as a mother.  Each mother is different, and I celebrate them all!

Baby Bryce gave me some sweet smiles during our session and at 6 pounds 4 ounces, he was just the sweetest little peanut to snuggle at his session!  My favorite part of this session was capturing the breastfeeding bond between Irene and Bryce at the start of our time together.  We had the most beautiful lighting, both inside and out, and I could sense the supreme peace they shared together in those moments. The images turned out beautifully, and his milky dreamy smiles made me melt!  You may recognize the following image from my portfolio and business cards...it is definitely one of my absolute FAVORITE images as a photographer.

Bria + Baby at Stone Mountain

I met Bria on the day of the session while she had her makeup done - somewhere between eyelashes and powder.  I admire Bria and her husband for being able to journey through the entire pregnancy not knowing the gender of the baby!  So few people do that these days and I can't imagine the anticipation as they inch closer and closer to baby's birth.  They will finally know who their precious child is!

But getting back to the session: having done some modeling before, she became the canvas on which the shoot stylist, Andrea Richardson, painted.  (And what a gorgeous canvas she is...even before makeup and styling)  If you check out my portfolio under the "Other Work" category, you'll see another session where I partnered with Andrea to capture a styled shoot she called "Summer Solstice".  Her inspiration is always exciting and fun, and I couldn't resist the idea of a styled maternity shoot at Stone Mountain's Rock Quarry Exhibit.  Andrea left no detail out as she cast her vision by selecting wardrobe, jewelry accents, hair styling, and make-up artistry.  When Bria got up from her seat ready to go, I knew she felt as beautiful as she looked.

We gathered on a beautiful morning where it was just cool enough for us to move around (Bria, at 36 weeks was a CHAMPION about navigating the rock quarry), and the time flew by as we moved from spot to spot.  Bria moved effortlessly in front of the camera, always keeping her light in mind and moving gracefully.  My favorite times were the moments she didn't even try to model, she simply took a moment for herself (see first capture above) and when she sunk into her most comfortable positions (see below).

This session truly captured the purpose of maternity sessions for me: to uplift the mother, celebrating the work her body is doing, capturing her glow and her innate beauty, to preserve for all time. 

After we finished, Bria said it was the first time in the past few months she didn't feel bad about her body in front of the camera.  YES!  This is every photographers dream review, because our hope is to help you feel perfectly at ease so we can capture your raw beauty.  YOU are extraordinary. 

Warm thanks to Andrea Richardson for inviting me to capture her vision, yet again, and for her trust in me.  Hopefully I will get to work with Bria in the future!  Either way I'm excited to hear the birth story and learn if Baby is a precious little boy, or a sweet baby girl.  Blessings!

Welcome Baby Asha

Back in June, our neighbors sold their home and moved out.  We were sad to see them go and interested to see who would fill the void in the neighborhood.  Our neighborhood isn't exactly the typical keep-to-yourself, just wave, you-don't-really-know-anyone neighborhood.  We know each other, have monthly get-togethers, and choose to spend time together.  There's a party in our cul-de-sac almost daily!  But back to my original story...

I finally got the opportunity to meet our new neighbors, Sue and Jason, a week or so after they arrived.  Sue and I immediately clicked.  Her effortless, easygoing disposition compliments my eager over-planning personality perfectly!  :)  At this point, Sue was thirty-something weeks pregnant with her first baby, a girl.  Things were getting close!

After a few chats, I offered to photograph her new baby when she came.  Sue - being the sweet, go-with-the-flow gal she is, immediately agreed and we went from there.  I reached out to her to schedule a few dates for baby's arrival, and got the most surprising response.  Baby Asha (meaning Hope) made her arrival at 35 weeks, all on her own!  She was doing great, but did have to spend a few extra days at the hospital. 

A week later (round-about) I got the opportunity to behold this 4 pound, 10 ounce precious angel called Asha, meaning "hope".  She was the perfect model during her session and I felt honored to photograph her. I had the opportunity to play around with my tiny suitcases (yes, she fit inside at less than 5 pounds), and my vintage scale!  I was in heaven getting to try all different things with her. 

One of the most special things about this session was a specific piece Jason wanted incorporated into the shots: a Coke bottle with Asha's name on it.  Jason works for Coke, and had the bottle specially made for her.  I love it when parents bring their own ideas and inspiration to the sessions!