The Wright family

Last month you may recall that I photographed the Wright twins for their newborn photos. After spending a few hours with Shelby photographing her babies I returned home and finished their photos and we agreed that though those babies sure are absolutely adorable…they needed photos with their little ones too. Something tells me that when you have twins that time flies by twice as fast and that you might be twice as busy so I am glad we were able to take the time to meet to take these photos. Moments pass entirely too quickly and I think its easy for us to all to allow time to escape us without taking many photos to help us capture the memories.  Even photographers are guilty of this…though we may capture our children and loved ones around us it’s easy for us to stay on the opposite side of the camera.

We took a trip out to Melbourne Beach and arrived early enough to even attempt a shot of the babies on the beach. We realized light was going to quickly escape us but we agreed we wanted to at least attempt a shot with the babies on the beach and that we’d let them decide to tell us if they wanted to be in a photo like this. Shelby and I worked together positioning the babies and once we got them close to in position I let Shelby work with Carter who wasn’t quite as sleepy as his sister Hannah. When we took this photo they were just over a month old so we knew they might require a little more work but still wanted to give it a shot.

Yes, I have to admit sometimes the behind the scenes shots are the ones that are my favorite…they capture the real moments that just sort of happen. This little guy was so alert and really had no desire to sleep for us.

Hannah was just so sweet to us on the beach…she was quite content hanging out in that bowl snoozing near the ocean.

The rest of the moments were priceless memories that I enjoyed capturing of Shelby & Jason with their babies. There’s no doubt that they’ve been blessed with two adorable little ones who are so loved.

Best wishes Shelby & Jason…I look forward to watching the twins grow!

Newborn Blake

I’ve got an amazing family at Valencia. I’m beginning to lose track of the number of newborns I’ve photographed for my Valencia colleagues. Though some of the families I do know personally, Valencia is a large college and I’d never keep up with learning how many families are having newborns so it’s certainly a treat when my colleagues refer other colleagues expecting little ones my way. Adela received the sweet gift of a photo session from her colleagues she works with at Valencia and I’m thrilled to share some of her son Blake’s first photos with you all. Here Blake is nearly a month ago when he was only about a week old.

Adela congrats to your family…Blake is an adorable baby boy.

Their 3rd little miracle

”Every day holds the possibility of a miracle.” ~ Elizabeth David

More than a month has flown by since I photographed Renee & Ben’s third baby boy, Samuel. If you’ve been following my work in facebook you may have already seen photos of their sweet baby boy and moments I spent with their family, but I wanted to go ahead and take a moment to pause as I hope to update my blog with all the most recent work. Yes, life has been busy…and full of awesome moments like the ones I spent with Samuel. Yes, even amidst the newborn cries I loved every moment with Samuel and his family.

We had planned a newborn session with this little guy, but he had other plans. We spent an hour or more trying to work with him and he insisted on staying alert and fussing any moment we’d try to put him into any adorable poses.

I’ve adored getting to help Renee & Ben’s family capture the first moments with their boys…it’s hard to believe it’s been four years since I took Alex’s newborn photos. Alex was the seventh newborn I ever photographed…and is such a charming little boy now.

I swear it was just yesterday that I photographed JD…but it’s been two years.

Ben & Renee adopted Alex & JD. I think of what a great blessing they’ve been to their boys…and what a sweet miracle the boys have both have been to their family. I was overjoyed to hear the news that Renee was pregnant with their 3rd baby boy. Seeing how Samuel wanted nothing to do with my newborn ideas we changed things up and I visited them at their home to capture a few moments with their family. As much as I had hoped to take more “newborn” moments, I think we all agree now that we adore Samuel’s idea as it allowed me to capture such memorable moments with Renee, Ben and their 3 boys.

After capturing a handful of priceless family moments Samuel decided he’d cooperate with me for a few impromptu newborn moments.

I sure adore this little guy…another precious newborn…another miracle. Ben & Renee I hope you and your family enjoy the photos…your family sure has been blessed with three amazing miracles. Best wishes to you & your family.

Top 10 gift ideas for expecting parents

I’ve finally paused from my busy schedule to write this post…one that I feel has been in the works (or at least in my mind) for quite some time now. After just having a baby myself a little over a year ago and now working with so many expecting and new parents I am often asked “What gift do I get a new parent?” Surely we could resort to some gift registry where the parents, often times unsure themselves of what they need, may have made a list of things they’d like. There are the typical gifts like diapers, strollers, carseats, bottles, and the list goes and on and on with what a parent may need for their new little one in order to ensure they’re adequately provided for. But lets face it, after a while those gifts fade in a parent’s memories. Being a tad bit of a sentimental person I’ve found myselfreflecting on some of the gifts we’ve received just before our after the birth of our children and I thought it might be worth noting some of the things most valued…not to say the other items weren’t needed or valued, but these stand out as more memorable gifts that years from now when my kids are fully grown I am thankful I had for a variety of reasons.

1. PERSONALIZED OR HANDMADE BLANKETS
All of my kids have received handmade blankets from relatives or blankets. They are quite memorable. Even just this evening tucking my son Jaylen into bed he chose from the tons of blankets we have in our home one of the handmade baby blankets while Chance was tucked in with another handmade blanket. If you aren’t great at making items like blankets and don’t know anyone who is skilled in blanket making the next best idea that I totally adore are the personalized blankets you can purchase from a variety of vendors. One of my favorites is pottery barn kids. I really adore my children’s handmade blankets, they’re one of the things I will never toss in the trash or give to good will. In fact, when they’re all grown and have children of their own I certainly plan to pass the blanket on as I know it’ll bring special memories to them.

2. PERSONALIZED KEEPSAKE ITEM WITH BIRTH INFO
Okay, every parent has to have something that includes their child’s birth info on it. Whether it be an illustration or something printed or perhaps this super cool block. Parents will truly appreciate anything that has their child’s name, birthday, weight, height, and time of birth. Surely they’ll remember it forever, but as the years pass by, especially if they add more children to the family, the numbers get hazy and it sure is nice to look at the keepsake item as it brings back memories of that very moment their child was born. Best of all…it can be passed on to the little one when they’re all grown up. You can find this block at a lot of places online. I’ve seen it recently on pottery barn kids.

3. FINGERPRINT/FOOTPRINT KEEPSAKES
There are a lot of different keepsakes out there that help parents keep their child’s footprint or handprint. Sure they may have them stuck on a birth certificate, however, there are some pretty creative ways parents can have these little prints preserved so they can save them forever. I’ve seen everything from frames to memory books. I have my children’s hand and feet print hanging in a few places in my home still and I have no intention of ever taking them down. Every time I look back on them now I think of how little they once were. We have a couple of these pearhead frames in our home. They can be found online and I believe also at babies-r-us.

4. MEMORABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
I could probably write a post about nothing but my favorite children’s books. But if I were told I could only save one of my kids children’s books this is the one I’d save…

Okay, it’s two books…“Someday” and “Little Boy” by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds. Someday is intended for girls and Little boy is intended for boys. It essentially is a story about a little baby growing…everytime I read them  with my children it makes me heavy hearted to think of how quickly time escapes us and reminds me to treasure the moments with my children even more. Any parent would treasure these books that not only have a beautiful heartfelt message but have the most lovely illustrations to go along with the story.

5. WHAT TO EXPECT BOOK SERIES
Lets face it, parenting isn’t easy. If you’re looking for gifts to get first time parents this series of books by What to expect will help for them to have on hand.

I don’t know how many times when I was pregnant or in the first year or two after having my kids that I didn’t need to resort to these books to help me understand pregnancy and raising a baby. It’s not as easy as it seems and these books are a great resource for new parents.

6. WRAP/BJORN
Of all the items on my list of things I felt I needed for the baby the absolute most memorable survival piece for me was my Baby bjorn. In fact, Chance is nearly 15 months old and I still use it religiously to tote him around…here we were back in February with the bjorn.

I used the bjorn with Jaylen as well and lasted until he was nearly 15 months old and he got a little too hefty for me and had an interest in moving around on his own. When I had Chance I already knew how much I relied on the bjorn. It allowed me to carry my baby and still have my hands free to get so much more done…like run errands…or even better…take photos.:)With Chance we resorted to the Bjorn synergy…it’s seriously one of the most used baby items that is not only used…but remembered. Okay, I’m realizing my days of wearing this little guy in the bjorn are numbered and there’ll come a day that I’ll truly miss it. I know some parents are highly opinionated on the wrap vs. bjorn topic…whichever route you prefer…I definitely support toting a baby one way or another in a wrap or bjorn…for me that memory of carrying my little one is one that will remain years from now.

7. Growth Charts
Yes, I’m sentimental, hence, the need to obsess over closely monitoring how much my babies are growing. Back in 2009 we invested in the Pottery Barn kids ruler growth chart. Before expecting our third child we knew we were going to have next to no room for three different growth charts so we elected to purchase this one that we could record all of our children’s heights on. We took a candid photo back then…oh, my how much they’ve grown in 2 1/2 years! I’ve seen a lot of other creative ideas for growth charts at babies r us and pottery barn kids. I’m sure online you may find a lot of DIY ideas to create your own growth charts. I know this ruler idea is so popular and pottery barn kids seems to keep them in stock for only a short period of time so many people have begun to create their own (and probably for a lot less money). The growth charts are popular with my kids. I swear every week Hope and Jaylen go up to them and say “look I’m bigger now”. Or even better, they are waiting until they’re big enough to ride the rollercoaster so they exaggerate their height by a few inches every time they measure themselves in hopes that soon they’ll get to ride the big roller coasters.

8. KEEPSAKE BOX
Most parents would treasure some sort of keepsake box to store all of their baby’s first memorabilia. Before the first year of their child’s life is over they’ll have so many things they wish to hang onto. This box is a great way to help them keep things like their baby’s hospital items, pictures, important documents, pictures, etc. I really adore this new keepsake box on Pottery barn kids web site.

9. Cloud b turtle or ladybug nightlight
We got this night light for the kids after Jaylen was born. It’s absolutely adorable and offers just enough light to accompany your little one at night. My kids think it’s pretty neat that it also projects the constellation onto their ceiling.

10. Newborn photos.
Okay, as a photographer this is pretty obvious that of all the things that I value, I value my children’s photos the most. Days, weeks, months and years pass us by and by the time our children are all grown parents will appreciate having the photos to look back on when their babies were so little. I never truly got serious about photography until a few months after my son Jaylen was born. Sure I took a lot of photos of both Hope and Jaylen, but now that those moments have passed us by I truly wished I had known professional newborn photographers then because back then I didn’t have the experience I now have. I know most expecting parents are overwhelmed with so many changes and expenses that sometimes photos get pushed to the side as a desirable but extra expense that they may not be able to afford. I think about all the things we wasted money on with all the kids and I still think the photos are among the priceless possessions that I don’t know what I’d do with out.

If you know of someone expecting a little one I assure you one of the best gifts you can give is the gift of their baby’s first photos. Not at a department store, but with a trusted and experienced photographer that specializes in photographing newborns. In the last few years there has been an increase in photographers specializing in newborn photography and I am sure most would do the same as I do for families who wish to give a gift and offer a gift certificate for a newborn session. Newborn photographers schedules are based on a schedule that is time sensitive so be sure to contact them as early as possible because they typically only commit to a set number of sessions a month due to the unpredictable nature of when baby’s decide to be born. As much as I adore all the photos I’ve taken of my first two children I definitely wished I had invested in professional newborn photos to help me remember their itty bitty moments as a baby.

NOTE: We’re still looking for newborn models for an upcoming workshop. If you know of anyone expecting in the first two weeks in June be sure to spread the word about our call for newborn models for this workshop.

I’m sure I could go on and on about ideas to give expecting parents…but this list includes the things that are among the most memorable items for me as a parent. I certainly still value all the other items and gifts we received, but as the years pass I think these things will still stand out more in my memory because of how sentimental they were or how much they’ve helped me as a parent. Hopefully somehow they’ve helped you whether you’re an expecting parent or know someone expecting.

The Newborn Wright twins

A little over a week ago I got to meet with fellow photographer & Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep volunteer, Shelby Wright and her newborn twins. Shelby & I along with a few other photographers will be collaborating on an upcoming newborn workshop here in Orlando, Florida (find out the details here), so it only made sense for us to take an opportunity to work together a little over a week after her twins, Carter & Hannah were born. It’s always a treat to work with other photographers, especially newborn photographers. Regardless of how much experience I have, I always find myself learning so much more with each and every experience. I believe this is the fifth set of newborn twins I’ve photographed and it’s certainly another memorable experience for me doing newborn photography.

Okay, I know you all are anxious to see the babies…these two were absolutely adorable.

Shelby’s little boy, Carter.

Shelby’s been blessed with two sweet little babies…they were so darn good for us.

One of the best parts of the day, aside from photographing the babies, was getting to collaborate with Shelby. It’s always funny to hear parents reactions when they join me for their newborn session. Some believe the moments happen instantly with little work and by merely snapping a few buttons on the camera. No, it takes a great deal of patience and honestly I spend more time working on tending to the babies needs and posing them than I typically spend taking photos. Sometimes that can be frustrating…but with patience great things happen and thankfully Shelby’s patience with working with her babies helped me in getting some amazing shots of  the twins. It sure helped to have an extra set of hands to work with the twins.

In the beginning we spend time working with the twins separately, then together, and then separately…I guess you could say early on we’re teaching them all about taking turns. Here’s Shelby’s sweet little girl, Hannah.

While I photographed Hannah, Shelby tended to Carter’s needs. Yes, She’s only a week into motherhood and already proving she’s “supermom”. I stepped back from photographing Hannah and turned back to find her photographing Hannah while nursing Carter. Yes, this is a sign of a seriously awesome mother and photographer.:)

Hannah slept so well during my time with the twins. Early on I recognized her sweet deep slumber…the type newborn photographers dream of. So I grabbed my macro lens and snapped a few shots of her feet. I have a bit of an obsession with newborn feet…

Within the first hour the twins had done so well so we kept pushing them. Shelby and I had so many darn ideas and we did our best to pull off the best ones. Early on I was a little concerned how the twins would do together…sometimes twins will photograph separate perfectly but not together. After we did this pose I was totally in love with these adorable babies…they were just so darn good for us.

Shelby did a great job helping me with the babies. The moment we’d get them into position she’d be snapping shots right alongside of me.

We moved on from idea to idea…and I was just so impressed with the twins. I was worried how they’d do with this idea we had to lay them in this nest. Shelby helped me get them into position. In order to get the shot I had in mind I had to stand above the twins on a chair. Once we got them into position I stood prepared to take the shot while Shelby soothed the babies. This shot took several attempts of keeping them content, keeping their eyes and mouths closed and removing the pacifier without having them scream.

Yes, they’re perfect…

I’m a tad bit of a perfectionist so the slightest thing and I push the babies further. I’m so glad to I did because I have a few priceless outtakes…like this one…Hannah surely would like to give me a piece of her mind at this point during the session. I promised her I’d only take a little longer.

We kept trying…but Carter wanted nothing to do with this idea.

Yep, we realized after a few attempts that we had to be happy with the first shot I pulled off. But you know what…I think this one is far more memorable. Yes, Hannah…girl power…you rock baby girl. If only Carter hadn’t have been so fiesty…then again, I adore his fiesty little face in this photo.:)

Hannah was so darn sweet and cuddly during majority of the session. So I captured a few more photos of her in the nest.

As we worked to get the twins into position there were times where one baby was being fed or changed so I’d focus on the other…here Carter was hanging out waiting for his sister to join him.

It took a few minutes but they fell right back to sleep…like the awesome little newborn babies that I adore photographing.:)

Often times some of my favorite photos of the day are the ones that come unplanned, the ones that aren’t staged or posed. Like Hannah’s pouty lip. Priceless.

As a newborn photographer one thing I’ve come to enjoy is the moment that comes after the baby dozing off into a deep sleep. Sometimes it takes minutes, or even hours to get to that point…but it almost always happens during the session. It takes patience to reach that point sometimes…but once it arrives it is soooooo much fun to photograph and observe these miraculous new souls. Shelby and I had a great time once those moments happened.

Newborn feet rock…and newborn twin feet…well, they’re just so darn awesome. Thankfully they were passed out sleeping so contently that I had a blast just concentrating on capturing their tiny little feet.

At the beginning of the session I recall Shelby and I had one idea of wrapping the babies almost into a heart shape with the wrap we were using. They were so darn squirmy so it never worked out like we planned. After I finished the photos and began editing this next photo became one of my favorites…yes, they sure did pose themselves into a heart shape on their own.

Shelby has two sweet babies…and they are super lucky to have a mother who treasures every moment. It was fun watching how immersed she was in capturing her babies first moments.

Moments like making sure their little lips were closed perfectly.

Such perfect little ones…

And to think…these are just some of Hannah & Carter’s first photos. I don’t think they realize just yet how many pictures will be taken in the years ahead.

If you all are interested in attending a newborn workshop in a few weeks with myself and a few other local photographers learn more about it on a previous post on my blog. We’re still searching for a few newborn models too so check out that post for more details if you’re interested.

Shelby, thanks again for having me over to spend a memorable afternoon with your little ones. They’re absolutely precious…your family has been blessed with two of the best babies I’ve photographed to date. Best wishes to your family. I look forward to working with you again during the newborn workshop in a few weeks!

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