I’m overjoyed to finally have my blog up and running (and have some time to update). I’ve been dying to share the precious little ones that I was able to meet not long after they came into this world. Looking at these photos again reminds me how excited I am to start booking more newborn photography. I took a break over the summer, but continued to make new props, collect wraps and backdrops, continue educating myself and speaking with mentors, and advance my lighting and posing game. Bring me all the babies!! But today I will reminisce about my first:
Back in the spring, I was asked by a friend of mine to photograph her friend’s maternity/mommy and me session. (I’ll probably post that later.) I had met the expectant mom and her little boy a handful of times in the past but it was a joy getting to know them better. Things snowballed as they often do into a friendship and I was definitely invested in them as a family by the time I got to photograph the birth of their daughter (see post here). Their bright-eyed little girl, who we will call “Skye”, got yet another visit from me for her newborn session. Despite following all the suggested newborn rules, this girl was wide awake and taking it all in when I arrived at their home. In fact, she stayed awake through the whole session! There were a few yawns here and there but she wasn’t going to miss anything! Fortunately, she’s a very calm and cheerful little girl so there was no problem with her wakefulness. In fact, those gorgeous eyes of hers just reflected everything in the room and made my heart go pitter-pat. She was holding her head up on her own every time we tried to put her on her tummy, causing us to change our game plan for posing a few times. Skye is going to be one of those kids who move mountains. Long story short, she’s awesome.
This session presented many challenges to both me and my camera. Since then I have upgraded camera, upgraded lenses, and invested in a continuous lighting setup for times when the naturally available light of a home is inadequate. It has certainly gotten easier to get a great shot, but I appreciate the inventiveness and experimentation involved in this session. I was forced to stretch myself and work with available resources. I feel that is an important part of growth too and I’m better for having done it.
The yawn says, “I might be ready for sleep.” But the middle finger tells us she was just kidding.
We tried the ol’ blanket on the head trick and that lasted for but a few seconds. Her neck strength was incredible for her age!
The flowering branches were from her parents’ yard and add an element of their home into the session.
She seriously got into the ballerina position below on her own. So I took that opportunity to make it look like a painting.
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