May
30
2017
Kate contacted me about a newborn session at the beginning of her third trimester for her second boy. She had been less than pleased with the style of her previous photographer. She wanted someone with a clean, classic, and timeless newborn photography Greenville, SC. I was so honored to be chosen for these special portraits.
George has a precious older brother named Neil who was just two for this session.
Kate is an amazing mama, too! She read my post about preparing big siblings for a session and thoroughly prepared big brother Neil for his portraits. He was ready to follow directions and super excited about receiving instant bribery for each image. Neil’s preference was to get a green jelly bean from the jar mama brought. I dug one out for every smile and you can see it was worth it!
Neil was a little less excited about family portraits after playing in my book and toy nook while I did portraits with his parents. But we still got a great smile from him with a couple of extra jelly beans!
Some of my favorite images are always tight compositions in the parents hands. There’s just something so beautiful about the contrast of a tiny baby safe in his parents hands.
George was an extremely laid back baby. I only saw his eyes for a brief moment when he first arrived at the studio. I’m so glad I took a few seconds to capture these open eyes.
For the rest of the session George let us pose him however we pleased.
Kate, it was a joy to serve you and your family. I can’t wait to see your little boy grow.
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Feb
21
2017
Meet Zane who came for Newborn Pictures Greenville SC. This little bundle won the award for best hair in the history of all newborns here at Quiet Graces. We didn’t style it or anything. It just stuck up like this! We called it “baby Elvis hair.” And it’s to die for!
Zane has a remarkable story. His adoptive mom Randi always wanted to adopt a little one with Down Syndrome. It had been her dream since just 12 years old. When the time was right, Randi connected with the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network. Randi’s little girl dream was coming true!
After a year of waiting, Randi was matched with Zane’s amazing birth Mom. Their relationship is beautiful. Gifts and goodies are mailed to Zane. Beautiful words are spoken between both of them to encourage and support. Their match was clearly a miracle of grace.
Zane came to see us at 1 month old which is the perfect age for newborns with low trunk tone or hypotonia. All children with Down syndrome have hypotonia which make them super flexible but also very difficult to keep in a pose. Their little bodies just don’t stay put in the same way as other newborns. 
Zane’s mama Randi and I are very passionate about Down syndrome awareness. Did you know that between 75-90% of babies diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome in the USA are aborted? The list of those ready to adopt are around 100 strong, but most expecting mamas don’t know about the beautiful mamas ready to adopt. If you’re an expecting mama, please feel free to contact me here and I can put you in touch with Randi or Amanda to hear their stories. Down syndrome isn’t scary, but it can seem overwhelming at diagnosis.
Do you have or are expecting a special needs newborn? We’d love to help you plan your custom session with us. We want to help you show just how beautiful your baby really is. Contact us today!
Jan
09
2017Silas’s mommy Jaden is the super talented photographer behind Rooted North Portrait Studio outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Her husband Mark and Jaden have been spending all of their school breaks (Mark’s a teacher!) in Greer as Mark’s father’s cancer became more serious. This meant Jaden would be delivering Silas in Greer instead of at home.
So when Jaden contacted me about Silas’s newborn images, I was super excited. There’s something magical about photographing another photographer’s baby. There’s a level of collaboration with another photographer that allows you to try new and exciting things like the image above. We dubbed this the “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands” pose and it was our number one desire for this session. It’s even prettier in black & white.
Baby safety is important to me so I always want to be transparent about how impossible poses like this one are achieved. The following editing video shows you how Silas never supported himself in this position. Jaden’s hands or my hands never left him and Mark was super patient and still throughout the posing process which took several minutes. The final creation of this image was done in Photoshop as you can see below.
Silas also slept beautifully for the rest of his session to allow us to get so many beautiful poses to capture his newness perfectly for his mommy.
Family images are my absolute favorite. I’ve said, time and again, that if I could only photograph one thing it would be newborns in the hands of those who love them.
Here’s a peak at our favorite images of Silas at this session!
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Nov
22
2016
When Sarah and Stephanie contacted me about Preemie Twin Newborn Photos Greenville SC, I was really excited. Most photographers shy away at photographing babies who aren’t under 14 days old, but I love the challenge of the “older” newborn. Generally preemies who are a gestational age of around 38-43 weeks do just fine, but I have done up to about 46 weeks gestation with success. Preemies present some challenges in the studio, but we still manage beautiful images.
Reeve and Laken are little miracles. They were born at 31 weeks because tiny Laken struggling with reduced cord flow. She wasn’t getting enough nutrients to grow at an appropriate rate. The doctors and parents made the decision bring them into the world early knowing that it was best for Laken. At just 2 lbs, 1.9 oz. , tiny Laken was a fighter. She needed the expected support in the NICU but grew well.
Reeve was born weighing 3 lbs, 5.6 oz. Reeve did not experience the same stress in the womb as Laken and therefore had a much rougher start. He spent 5 long days on an Oscillator a type of positive flow ventilator only used with the most frail little ones in the NICU. His road to NICU release was filled with bumps and hurdles that he overcame.
After 50 days in the NICU, Laken and Reeve were released to come home to their mommies. Two weeks later they came to see me. By the time they came to the studio, Laken weighed almost 5 pounds and Reeve was a hefty 7 pounds.
Sarah and Stephanie arrived at the studio laughing about double blowouts that delayed their arrival. Their spirits were high and their joy was contagious. You see, Reeve and Laken were rainbow babies: miracles after losses and heart ache.
Reeve was born weighing 3 lbs, 5.6 oz. Reeve did not experience the same stress in the womb as Laken and therefore had a much rougher start. He spent 5 long days on an Oscillator a type of positive flow ventilator only used with the most frail little ones in the NICU. His road to NICU release was filled with bumps and hurdles that he overcame.
After 50 days in the NICU, Laken and Reeve were released to come home to their mommies. Two weeks later they came to see me. By the time they came to the studio, Laken weighed almost 5 pounds and Reeve was a hefty 7 pounds.
Sarah and Stephanie arrived at the studio laughing about double blowouts that delayed their arrival. Their spirits were high and their joy was contagious. You see, Reeve and Laken were rainbow babies: miracles after losses and heart ache.
Laken was sleepy and laid back for our session. I could not get over her delicate features. Her tiny hands were just bigger the two of my finger pads and I have small hands! She loved to be on her tummy and adored the comfort of a hand resting on her back. You can tell her mommies cuddle her often.
Reeve was a bit more of a wild card. He loved his paci a lot. A whole lot. He did not want me to take it from him. But once I unwrapped him and put him right up next to Laken, he finally settled into sleep. The comfort of his sister’s warmth soothed him.
Sarah and Stephanie, you are amazing mamas. Reeve and Laken are so lucky to be your children. Keep laughing often and loving well.
Nov
20
2016Dear Mama,
I used to know the kind of mom I wanted to be.
- I used to want to be the kind of mom who always had homemade cookies for after school snack.
- The kind of mom who never yelled at her kids.
- The kind of mom whose kids never pitched a fit in public.
- The kind of mom whose children were smart, polite, and funny and whose behavior defined the kind of mom I was.
I think by now you can see that these “Kind of Mom I Want to Be” dreams were all before my twin girls rushed into my life in 2009.
I wanted my children’ts behavior and accomplishments to define me and give me meaning. And that’s not fair to them or fair to me. They are much more than walking trophies reflecting my value. They are valuable just because they exist. And I am much more than the sum of who they are becoming. I, too, have inherent value.
Mama, would you link arms with me and vow to be the kind of of mama who is kind?
- The kind of mama who kindly makes cookies when she can and says yes when the time is right.
- The kind of mama who kindly forgives herself for yelling.
- The kind of mama who kindly has patience with her little people growing into the best versions of themselves.
- The kind of mama who kindly reminds herself that her children’s behavior doesn’t define her.
The kind of mama who is kind to other mamas and sees them as real vulnerable people who are not defined by their children’s behavior or accomplishments. The kind of mama who invests in other mamas and reminds her mama friends that they have inherent value.
I’m not sure that I will ever quite be the kind of mama that I dreamed I would be. And that’s okay.
But I am becoming a kinder mama who whispers to that mama whose child is pitching a fit in Target: “Hang in there, mama. You’re doing the right thing for your child. I’m proud of you.”
Join me in being kind encouragers of one another?
Melissa
