Mar
05
2018I was delighted to do Studio Newborn Portraits Simpsonville SC for Shazia, Haseed, and baby Yayha.
Shanzia had purchased a number of props and items from Etsy intending to do her own little newborn photo shoot. She said she found it harder than she had imagined to take good images. On top of that she had become very ill shortly after delivery and her physical stamina didn’t allow her to keep trying. 
By the time she decided to hire a professional, Yahya was already a month old. Most photographers turn away babies at this age as too old, but I never will. Mama’s deserve images of their little ones even if they aren’t in the “perfect curly posing window” of 5-14 days.
I do give a different set of expectations for older newborns. Usually we’ll have a higher proportion of wrapped and awake images than in sessions with younger newborns. But we’ll also have more eye contact (your baby can actually see me!) and usually more smiles.
Yahya was no different. As you can see he LOVED being swaddled tightly, so I worked with that. We put him in as many props as we could while he was asleep as he wasn’t a very sound sleeper and he preferred to be in a more upright position.
And then the awake shots! Look at this eye contact. 
And this tender moment of self soothing with his sweet little thumb.
But I was absolutely in love with his little lips! This is one of my all time favorite macro images that I’ve ever taken. Newborn details are the things we remember most about our babies. My son, too, had beautiful lips and amazing eyelashes.
Yahya, you are a little miracle and your sweet eyes and tender smile bring so much joy to your family.
Interested in booking your own session for your older newborn? I’d love to get you on the calendar as soon as possible. Contact me today.
Mar
01
2018There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen...
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."Margery Williams The Velveteen Rabbit
Once upon a time, Sylvia was dream. Sarah loved her and cared for her, but she had not become real. Through the heartbreak and joy of adoption, Sylvia came to be the miracle of a dream come true.
As Sarah shared the tiniest glimpse into their journey and Sylvia cuddled this rabbit during her One Year Old Pictures Greer SC, I could not help but feel the strong stirring of The Velveteen Rabbit echoing from my childhood. The visual cue certainly helped.
Yet, story has a way of moving us into the emotion and very soul of living. It gets past our defenses and leaves us bare and vulnerable. Story makes us real to one another.
Your story matters. It changes me. It changes my art. It challenges me to become someone who reflect the sheer beauty of a person with a unique story.
Sylvia, it was a joy, not only to be chosen to tell part of your story, but to become part of it in the way the telling changed me. Also, thank you for my spontaneous kisses.
Interested in having your own story told in One Year Old Pictures Greer SC? I’d be honored to be considered. Click here to learn a little more about working with me.
Feb
23
2018I have to admit, I love my creams and neutrals. If I could shoot only on my creams and neutrals, I’d be so happy forever. They never fail to inspire me. I love the way the draw attention to baby alone. But then you have sweet clients whose world is literally unicorns and rainbows and you know that color needs to shine for their cake smash.
You see, Gia is a rainbow baby. She’s a baby conceived after the unimaginable loss of a baby. Gia is also a miracle during a struggle with infertility, so sweet mama Marie also calls her a unicorn. Over the time I’ve known Marie, we’ve texted unicorn shoes, dresses, and rompers back and forth; I’ve giggled so much as I called myself her #enabler. 😉
So when Marie asked for a rainbow and unicorn theme, I knew it was right to branch out from my neutrals and embrace the color or all the colors as it was.
Cake smash sessions include a set, outfit, and cake planned with your inspiration. I love doing these! For Gia, tulle created her rainbow set. I’ll be using this often for rainbow babies in the future! We chose a purple romper and Dearest Dreams created this one of a kind unicorn headband to match. Marie squealed like a little girl when she saw this headband… and she may have sent a few text curses of joy :-p You’ll never know for sure.
Christine of Baking Sweet Scents created this ombre naked cake and I decorated it with some orchid flowers that seemed to me as rare and miraculous as a unicorn.
But babies are never really sure of cake. I never know if a one year old will cry or stuff her face. So I had big brother Frankie coax Gia to dive in and the result are some of my favorite images from the session.
We finished off with a bubble back and, of course, a unicorn towel.
Did I mention that we also snuck in family portraits which are included in every custom session?
Marie, thank you for always being a delight to serve. I can’t wait to see you again soon!
Interested in planning your own miracle baby’s cake smash with me? Great! Shoot me a quick email about your ideas through my contact form here.
Feb
16
2018When Larisa and Angelo walkined it the studio for their Natural Simple Newborn Photos Greenville SC, I was immediately sure that we would be friends.
First, Larisa was wearing a dress that I owned in my studio wardrobe. Second, their smiles were so warm. Finally withing ten minutes of their session’s start they we were all laughing hysterically at a text conversation. You see a stranger had been added to a group text and Larisa and Angelo were totally creating sheer mayhem confusing this person. It was hysterical as this person tried to figure out how he knew them. Truly, I was in love with this fun loving couple almost immediately.
And then we discovered that Luca also had Gandalf eyebrows: these beautiful sheer blond eyebrows that stuck out in all directions. It was impossible to photograph this phenomenon, but that’s okay because Luca had some many other beautiful features. His eyelashes, his tiny ear dimple, and this beautiful profile are quiet possibly my favorite album spread that I’ve ever made. But really, Luca was just exquisite.
Luca even gave us a few smiles. And this is my first newborn smile with eyes open ever recorded. He was just 10 days old!
While I adore a newborn on creamy backdrops in all their simple and profound glory, I also love capturing relationships even more. And as I mentioned, Larisa and Angelo are perfectly matched in laugher and joy. Luca completes them. The way he fits in their arms and the way they dote on him: breathtaking.
Larisa and Angelo, you already know the secret to both parenting and marriage: laugh often and never take yourselves too seriously. Add in the ability to say “I’m sorry I was wrong,” and you will be wiser than most couples and parents are. Luca is so blessed to have you.
Are you interested in booking your own session for Natural Simple Newborn Photos Greenville SC? Need a resource for deciding on the best photographer for YOU? Insert your email in the box below and I’ll send that right over!
Feb
09
2018
Noel contacted me for Timeless Natural Simpsonville Newborn Photos because she loved my style. The details, the simplicity, the focus on the sweet baby and the relationships was just as much her heartbeat as mine.
Noel and Chris had just moved back to Greenville to be close to family. They closed on their home and just days later sweet Addison Josephine arrived on Christmas Eve. I guarantee sweet Addie Jo was the very best Christmas present this family has ever received.
Addie Jo came into the studio at about a month old two days after a South Carolina big snow. The first thing I asked her parents was if I could take her outside to play. It was 55 degrees, but I wrapped her in three wraps and put a wool bonnet on her head. I took her outside to this shady patch that had not yet melted and photographed these images in about 5 minutes.
Baby safety is so important to me. I will never endanger a precious life to get “the shot”. Addie Jo and every newborn that comes into my studio will always call the shots. I monitor their temperature and re-position babies when they start to loose circulation in their limbs. If I walk away or do a pose where there is danger of startling, I will ask mama and daddy to keep hands on or near. If the image looks impossible, then the odds are we created it in Photoshop. I repeat: newborn safety is a big deal to me!
Although I love my snow in South Caroline picture, my favorite set of Addie is this simple cream set with the curly posing and the sweet newborn faces. They are perfect just as they are. Always. Babies don’t need embellishing to be beautiful. They just are.
Thinking about booking a session for Timeless Natural Simpsonville Newborn Photos? I’d love to hear from you today about your dreams and wishes for preserving your memories in fine art.
