Aug
18
2016Liam and his sister Eva came back to see me during a mini session!
Liam received a brand new set of wheels this year! And he was proudly showing all of us how well he could turn in my small studio.
The freedom of his wheelchair and his growth in using it in the short time he has owned it astounded me! I’m so proud of him!
It’s remarkable to me how different these siblings are. Liam is just a pretty laid back cuddle bug and Eva is a sweet and sassy girl full of drama and life. 
Aug
12
2016
I may have had a little too much for this session. Mama and daddy requested images of Gentry (see the rest of Gentry’s session by clicking here) with this fox.
Due to an illness in my family, we photographed the family and individual portion of Gentry’s session at different times.
I asked to keep the fox between the two sessions to see what props I had that would fit them both.
And then I thought:
“I should do a twin session.”
And then hilariousness ensued. Mama and daddy didn’t know about any of my shenanigans until I released their gallery.
I really couldn’t stop giggling.
I can’t stop giggling now either.
I hope we tickled your funny bone too 🙂
Aug
04
2016Sometimes a dream baby is carried into my studio.
The greater newborn photographer world refers to these as unicorn babies. When a unicorn baby comes to the studio, I rarely see their eyes. And if I do see their eyes, they are content while awake.
Gentry was a unicorn baby. The mythical newborn creature that allows me to pose to my heart’s content (and makes mama’s gallery HUGE)! I especially love Photoblocks Wall No. 13 and was so glad to fill it with lovely images of Gentry.
A unicorn baby always smiles at least once.
And most of the time, a unicorn baby smiles more than once.
It’s almost as if Gentry is amused at how the above pose (called Froggy) fooled you into thinking that he did it all on his own. But he didn’t: safety is so important to me! A little work in Photoshop creates this magic pose.
Did I mention that sweet unicorn babies LOVE being in images with their mama and daddy? Gentry even smiled every time his daddy kissed him!
One of the ways to create unicorn baby behavior is to follow my prep package for making sure your little one is perfect for photos. I recommend a purposeful awake period of about one hour before the session and a full tummy right before you leave to come to the studio (if you live closer) or right when you arrive if you live farther away. Gentry’s mama followed prep to the letter and was spoiled with this full gallery of lovelies.
Sweet Gentry, thank you so much for spoiling me with all of these beautiful images. I’m sure your mama loved them too!
And one more Photoblock Wall because I can’t resist!!!
Jul
28
2016
As a newborn baby boy photographer in Greenville SC, there are two types of babies: Dreamy babies who I never see their eyes. Or average babies who fuss a little, nurse a lot, and give me a very good workout from rocking and soothing. I adore both kinds of babies.
Sweet Asher was an average baby. Sometimes the fussiness comes from gas or a growth spurt, but either way the day of Asher’s session wasn’t the best day for him.
I hear a lot of parents worry about these things when hiring a newborn photographer.
Questions like this race through their minds:
“What if my baby doesn’t sleep?”
“What if they are fussy?”
“What if while they’re naked the poop all over the props or photographer?”
Let me assure you, I have had all of these things happen. Sometimes even in the same session.
If your baby is having a really rough and out of characteristic fussy day, I will reschedule. But that has rarely happened for me.
With some good rocking and shushing and full tummies most babies will sleep.
As for the poop or pee: well, it’s a job hazard and I’m quite used to it. Everything in the studio (including my clothing) can be washed.
Other ways I help your newborn to be extra sleepy is heat, swaddling, and white noise.
The studio is super warm (75-80 degrees!) to simulate the womb environment. Swaddling also simulates the cramped quarters of the womb and prevents startle reflex. And the white noise helps with startling from noises.
So with some patience and extra love, Asher’s parents had a set of beautiful images to remember these early days.
Jul
21
2016Meet Kyson Taylor.
This little guy was supposed to have taken a long nap on his mama’s drive to the studio, but instead he screamed all the way. Poor mama Bree was so frazzled.
Kyson checked me out pretty cautiously at first. He wanted to make sure that I was safe. Most babies in the 6-8 month range take a few minutes to scope me out.
Bree had commissioned me to create a session that would help her remember their season of cloth diapering and breastfeeding.
Bree never thought she’d cloth diaper. But over the course a few months she started to out of necessity and found that she loved his little fluffy bum. She didn’t want to forget that cuteness or the work she put into keeping him dry and clean.
But what she really wanted to remember was the feeling of Kyson nursing. Bree is a huge breastfeeding advocate. Her direct social circle has sometimes had opposition to her beliefs, but Bree persisted and has nursed this chunky and healthy boy from day one.
I feel like we created such a wistful set of images for her to remember this season through.
After the long car ride and the nursing, sweet Kyson passed out. These are my favorite images from this session.
I especially love this image of Kyson sleeping on Bree in my Oval Photoblock. It’s such a timeless emotional image.
We also previewed a collage of their session images for Kyson’s room.
