May
24
2012I’ll be honest, I was a little anxious going into this session. Skye has a big brother Ashton who turned 2 in February. I really felt like the classic sibling shot was going to be a miracle, especially since I don’t think I have a single beautiful image of my own Sedryn with his sisters from the newborn stage. But we got our miracle! (Thanks to a promise that daddy would find Ashton a ‘special treat’!)
Skye Eliana was just beautiful. She had the perfect newborn skin just felt so tiny compared to my 7 month old almost 20lb hulk!
However, Skye did not want to sleep! We rocked and patted and bounced and fed her for nearly 3 hours! Finally, she drifted into a deep sleep for about 20 minutes of blissful photographing. Just goes to show that the newborn always calls the shots during a session!
Heather, Mike, and Ashton, enjoy these early days with beautiful Skye. They drift by so quickly!
Dec
27
2011Sedryn is my own “little wiggle” as we call the children in my home. You’ve seen a couple peeks of him here and here, but I wanted to showcase his full session. Or rather sessions…
This image was taken when he was five days old. It was actually the only image I took before my toddler twins came crashing through my backdrop squealing. I wish I’d been able to do a full session on this day… he was the most cooperative!
The little detail images of Sedryn’s mouth and eyelashes were taken when he was 3 days old. He was not okay with me moving or posing him at all, but he stayed still!
The middle images were taken at 12 days and either he was just too old or he didn’t like his food source posing him. He was my worst full newborn session to date! He ate 5 times, pooped or peed on my backdrops/props 6 times, and screamed for the first hour. Sedryn finished off this session by peeing on a laptop keyboard… a perfect little arc. I was through! However, I still got a few good images!
I think I took him outside in the apple basket about 7 days old. It was another one shot deal and he was perfectly cooperative.
The tire swing composite I took when Sedryn was 1 month old. If you look closely, you can see the little chunker grumbling and about to yell. Fortunately, his sisters are too cute for this to be immediately noticeable. 😉
Why am I telling you about all these sessions in detail?
First, because I want you to see how easy and relaxed he was in the earlier sessions (the two most difficult images: composite pose, apple basket). Newborns are most pliable to the photographers’ touch between 5-11 days so call immediately after birth to schedule your session!
Second, because I want you to capture a glimpse of this little fireball’s personality. Sedryn can be all sleepy and sweet, but when he’s finished with something he lets you know in no uncertain terms! He’s still that way… but now that he can smile… he’s added flirting to his repertoire! Watch out, little ladies, this one is going to be super dangerously cute!
Sedryn boy, I can’t wait to watch you grow and develop. It’s such a blessing to have you!
Dec
11
2011My baby boy Sedryn will be 8 weeks old on Wednesday and I’m finally starting to come out of my new baby fog. (I still need to finish editing his newborn sessions… soon… I promise!)
As I was browsing Facebook and saw one of my photos used as my dear friend Julia’s profile picture, I realized that I never blogged her impromptu session.
Julia and I met via our personal blogs. My twin girls are almost 6 months older than hers and we bonded over sleep issues and a commitment to raising our girls to love Jesus. Pretty soon we started doing a book/bible study together (we really need to finish it, Julia! When Sedryn sleeps through the night and I can manage to read again…) and next thing you know we’re exploring true beauty together.
Julia is definitely one of my best friends 🙂
Her quirky, hysterical, and squishy (it had to be said!) husband Brad planned a surprise trip for Julia to come visit us here. It was a perfect week of hugging my dear friend and watching our girls chase each other around.
And refuse to sit still for one decent photo!
Julia’s family is so beautiful and the setting for this impromptu session couldn’t have been more perfect.
Hadley is such an intense little girl. She reminds me of her momma: very focused and generally super content. I just loved watching her explore.
Brynne is a lot like my Bronwyn. They both enjoy order and routine to an extreme. She looks just like her daddy and their bond is just so beautiful.
Brynne is pretty famous for her open-mouthed kisses and Hadley just loves to show affection with kisses. I was so excited to capture one of these special kisses.
It’s no wonder Brynne and Hadley love kisses so much: Brad and Julia must model kisses for them daily.
Doesn’t this image just make you want to be swept off your feet? Sigh…
Brad, Julia, Brynne, and Hadley, I love sharing life with you. You’re one of the graces I count daily.
Sep
16
2011I had the pleasure of photographing their wedding, and this summer my sister-in-law Johana and her husband Ron allowed me the privilege of photographing Greenville SC maternity portraits.
Johana just glowed with excitement over their upcoming girl, Brooklyn Joy.
At 34 weeks, Johana was still so tiny that I had to find creative angles to make her look pregnant! This is one of my favorites.
Proud daddy Ron kept us all laughing throughout the session with jokes about how he was just “an accessory.” I’d say he was a mighty fine accessory to these images, wouldn’t you?
On the evening in August that we had this session it was hovering right around 100 degrees. Ron and Johana kept their cool and were just such a pleasure to photograph.
I love this tender moment between the two of them.
Johana and Ron, I pray that you’ll be able to treasure Brooklyn Joy in both the happy moments and the trials. You’re going to make excellent parents!
Aug
23
2011It’s been a very long few months here in the Quiet Graces household and I’ve seriously been neglecting this little corner of the internet!
In May, I had a sweet session with a local harpist named Sarah Northrop. Sarah performs at weddings and other events and needed some images for the website she’s building. If you’re in need of some beautiful music for your event, please visit: www.SarahNorthrop.com.
Here are some of my favorite images from this session:
I love how well Sarah and her harp lent themselves to being displayed in Sepia tones. I love Sepia so much from my years in the darkroom, but rarely find a place where it looks so appropriate.
Sarah was so relaxed and natural in the session. You’d never know that it was around 80 degrees and we were hauling her harp from location to location on foot.
I learned a little about harp strings: some are nylon, some are metal based, and some are natural gut. I loved their colors and variation.
This playful shot illustrates a wonderful part of Sarah’s sweet personality. This young lady loves to laugh!
This is probably my favorite image from the session. I love how her eyes just shine.
Sarah, I pray that your business venture will be blessed and you will be able to bless others through your beautiful music.
