New | Charlotte Newborn Photographer

I had the opportunity to assist the very talented Waxhaw photographer (and lighting guru) George Holt on a newborn shoot with this little sweetheart.  When he asked me, I jumped at the chance, I love newborn sessions.  George was great to work with and let me shoot as well as assist.  Newborns are always fun, and Miss A was particularly dreamy.  Beautiful, tiny, and sleepy, she was easy to pose and easy to move.  Holding her made me nostalgic for my own 5 lb 4 oz little boy (almost three!?) and excited to meet our newest addition.

I also took the opportunity to practice a few post processing techniques, and I'm eager to hear your opinions on these photos, so please, don't hold back:)

I've written about newborn photography before, and I just want to say a few words about baby safety.  I'm a big believer in the simple shots.  Those beautiful curled poses that show a baby as a baby.  I have starting to delve a bit more into the propped up composite shots that are so popular these days, but my style isn't really focused on these kinds of shots (there are some absolutely amazing newborn photographers in Charlotte who do it, do it well, and do it safely).

Among my favorite newborn poses are the photographs with the baby being held in her parents hands.  I want to explain how it is done.  Miss A is neither hanging in space, nor is she balanced on one hand.  She is cradled securely in both of her fathers hands.  We set up the pose with the baby asleep on a large table (away from any edge) or on a posing beanbag with several people surrounding her.  We make sure that she is secure and her dad is completely comfortable holding her before lifting her up as little as possible to get the shot.  Effects are added in post processing.  The point being that in a newborn photo shoot, safety should be the first concern (And really, that is true of any photo session).

Because, really, how precious is this?  Can I just go on a little more about how amazing this newborn is?  I had so much fun on this shoot!

Awwwww!!!

Thank you, George, for allowing me to participate in this session!  I had a fabulous time!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was planning on a long Valentine's blog full of awesome photos, but instead I've got some news.  My little guy is going to be a big brother in September!  Unfortunately, we had some complications over this past weekend, and I have been unable to work and edit photos like I normally would.  In the meantime, let's all keep our fingers crossed for our newest peanut!

In the meantime, here is a photo of my favorite little Valentine and the future big brother.  

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Sentimentality of a Portrait | North Carolina Portrait Photographer

I have a photograph hanging on my wall.  It's a photograph of my grandpa (my father's father), his brothers and his mother.  They were living in Israel at the time, and for this photo they are dressed in full Bedouin costume (at least that's what I'm told, any Bedouin experts out there?).  When I was a child, that photograph hung on the wall of my grandfather's home.  I always loved that photo, and when my grandfather passed away not too long ago, it was one of the things I wanted.  Fortunately, today, we can replicate such photos fairly easily, so my mother made fabulous copies of it to give my siblings and I, while my aunt was able to take the original photograph.  

When my mother's parents passed away, she and my uncle inherited many photos.  They spent many hours bent over these photos, remembering times past, figuring out who the more distant relatives were, and cataloguing them for the future.  The result of this collection and cataloguing was a set of the best Christmas presents I have ever received.  My mother, once more, went to a printer specializing in reprinting and restoring old images, and put together a pair of albums.  The first album was more like a family tree sifting through generations, distant cousins, etc, while the second was a compilation of my parent's childhood.  I could pour over these albums for hours, admiring the photos there.

Before I had these albums, I had no idea my great great grandfather on my mother's side was a volunteer fireman, or my great great grandfather on my father's side had the best beard ever.  

I had no idea how handsome my mother's stepfather's father was.  

Or how lovely my great grandmother (my grandma's mother) was.  

Fortunately, my mother was far more meticulous than I in recording our lives in a photo album.  By contrast, my son's life in photos sits in our computer somewhere, arranged in sterile computer folders by date and event.  As I think about how much I enjoy these past photos, I consider the importance of printing a selection of these images, creating an album for him to page through the same way I so enjoy going back through my life via those albums when I visit my mother, remembering the not-so-distant past (graduating from college) and resurrecting shadows of the distant past (sitting in a stroller in Venice).  

Even if he doesn't care as much about the albums himself, maybe there will be a future generation that does, a distant cousin, a grandchild, a family historian.  That's why photos are important.  They keep the past alive for us.  I still regard the photo of my grandma and grandpa that I keep upstairs with tears in my eyes, wishing my grandma had been with us longer, happy to have been able to introduce my son to my grandpa (we have photos of that event as well).   

So that's why I encourage you to bring a camera with you, print out your photos and create albums.  Who knows how it will be appreciated, but it will be appreciated.  Someone will love those photos, pour over them, and remember through them.

Edit: My mom would like to point out that I'm wrong, my aunt does not have the original photo of my grandpa and his family, my parents do!

Eyes So Blue | North Carolina Baby Photographer

Miss A was quite possibly the sweetest baby in the world during this session.  She was so happy through the entire session that we did much more than I expected.  I have to admit, it took all my restraint NOT to post every image that I took on this blog.  Seriously, check out these eyes!!

Ready for my close up 

I forgot how much fun this age was.  Just as they are starting to become mobile and (more) independent.  I mean, wouldn't you be happy that you're FINALLY able to start going places?

Yes, Miss A definitely showed us that she was ready to go, and she gave it her best shot.

But she decided that our session would not quite be the day she would crawl on all fours.  Don't worry, she has that army crawl down to perfection!

Look at the pride on her face!  How can you not swoon?

And when she wasn't trying to explore the studio, did she ham it up for the camera or what?!  What a beauty.  She's going to break hearts someday! 

 

She was still full of energy, so we decided it was bath time.  She had a fun time playing peekaboo.

Peek-A-Boo

I See You!

Once she got dressed again, we managed to get a few quick photos with pearls.  But we had to be fast, it took three adults on all sides to make sure she didn't get those pearls in her mouth.  

So we decided to move on and try a little something in honor of Valentine's Day.  She was starting to get tired, but she pushed through with the help of that strawberry in her hand.

We managed to make her laugh even if she was getting a bit tired of the camera in her face.  And oh that face!  How much do you want to squeeze those cheeks?

Yes, little Miss A is a sweet beauty!  It was so much fun to capture that bright personality!