Leslie & Marlon

The best feeling is being in love.  Then right when the time is right, God sends us a miracle.  Leslie and Marlon have been married for five years and they're expecting their little miracle this May.   They're a lovely couple and I can't wait to meet their daughter!!!

 

A good shoot....

Once, while Bobby and I were shooting a wedding in the middle of the winter, Bobby let his feet get completely soaked in a snow bank just to shoot at the right angle.  He then continued photographing for 4 more hours with soggy feet.  Once, I wiped runny snots off of all three kids with my sleeve because none of us had tissues.  You don't want to know what my sleeve looked like after that portrait session ended.  

It's on these less than perfect days that a photographer feels accomplished.  In order for clients to have their photographers trust, I think it's important to be the first to dive into whatever environment we're challenged with.  So if that means I ask a client to go jacketless for their photos, then I'm ready to take my coat off too.   And if getting to a perfect tree means walking through mud, then I'll be the first one to check (with even my favorite pair of boots) if that mud is going to swallow my clients' shoes.  On this particular March day, the sun felt warm but the wind was still frigid, the melted snow left the ground wet and muddy, and although it was still winter.....we all wanted to be there.  Both the couple being photographed and I were invested.  When I got into my car and took a look at my windblown and dismantled hair, my smudged make-up from the cold wind blowing in my face, and all the dirt on myself (my knees, the ends of my open cardigan, and all over my boots).......I knew it was truly another good shoot.

Julia

When doing a shoot in people's homes, I get a glimpse of what their lives are like.  I often feel like a fly on the wall, watching normal activities go on.  With a newborn baby that includes a lot of feeding, rocking, and a bit of anxiety because the photographer is there to take portraits.  A lot of times parents are wondering why their baby won't stay asleep the day I'm there.  So now I'm convinced that newborns have some sort of sixth sense that we are all trying to get them naked and pose them for a cute baby shot.  Their initial instinct when put down is....."Wait a minute.....not this....please!!!!  Pick me up right now and comfort me!! Don't let me go!!!"  Newborn portraits are as unpredictable as the baby can be.  It can sometimes take 3 or 4 hours to take a good half an hour worth of good photos.  But let's face it, it's completely worth it.  They only stay that small for a brief time.

I was pleased to see Julia's parents working so well in team as they passed her back and forth comforting her.  There's no doubt that they are completely in love with each other and with their new daughter.  I love seeing it.  The small inside jokes between couples, their happy faces when they look down at their baby, and even the look of concern when they hear her cry.  Life's beautiful moments.

Most people may live their life not knowing why they are here.  I feel like we've all gone through this phase at some point.  I think my phase was in college.  Somewhere in between not knowing what to declare as a major and then not knowing what to do after I graduated.  Then working jobs that pay bills while still never feeling accomplished or headed in the right direction.  I never would of guessed back then that my life's greatest purpose was to be a mother.

While motherhood may sneak up on some women when least expected, others (like Julia's mom, Jenny) know at a very young age that this is just why they are here on this earth.  Little girls will tell people that they want to grow up and become an actress, doctor or lawyer.  But not Jenny.  She always knew that she was going to grow up to be a mother. She knew this at six years old. 

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility."

Leslie & Marlon {Preview}

"Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch."

Bella turns three.

I have to hand it to my friend Kathryn for raising such an intelligent little curly-Q.  It's been so fun watching her daughter, Bella, grow into a fun little three year old.  As I sat and listened to a whole conversation about the snarls in Bella's hair (complete with quotes from the actual snarls themselves), I was left thinking that the expression "kids say the dardnest things" is a true understatement for her. She also remembers absolutely everything at her age and was even able to paint a clear picture of our day at the beach last summer. 

So not only does my friend Kathryn juggle being a lawyer and an unbelievable mother, but she also started making these beautiful headbands for her girls, just for fun.  I absolutely adore them and think that they are the best I've ever seen!  I don't even think I'm being partial at all. 

My camera and I just love photographing Kathryn's girls.  The shoot was perfect....Bella's great big personality, her tossed up curls, Kathryn's handmade accessory, the winter sunset, and the purple lollipop.