This is my second time meeting this family, but my first time being invited into their home. I felt the importance of this particular session because Mama had let me know ahead of time, when we were session planning, that her mother-in-law had survived a very serious and very scary stroke and that they were so thankful to be able to spend Christmas with them (and yes, I realize it's March now and I have been a bit back logged on blogs- but it's still important and relevant to share!)
Their home is filled with love and memories. Pictures of them are everywhere from all of their adventures and you can tell they really love being able to do life together. And the icing on the cake? There are so many precious animals and critters to cuddle and enjoy! (I made a funny little pun there because there was literal cake involved in this session!) 

This is incredibly heartwarming to me. I wish I had pictures of myself with my grandparents baking and cooking in the kitchen together. You won't know how precious these kinds of photographs are until it's a bit too late. I'm so happy for this family and that they decided to have a morning in-home storytelling session together. They don't say "the kitchen is the heart of the home" for nothing! 

Want a session like this of your own? Let's talk about how I can preserve some of these memories for you so that you can have something tangible to hold onto. Click here or on the Contact tab above to get the conversation started!

I was making my usual morning cup of Earl Grey in my favorite mug a few weeks ago and I heard the familiar notification sound that my phone makes when I get an email. I open up my account and my eyes are slow to adjust, but I think it says that one of my images was selected for exhibition. 
I see words like "congratulations" and phrases like "the competition was tough" and "the standard was high".  
I blink. Re-read it again. 
And then again.
I see a link at the bottom to view the exhibit and I scroll down and I see a very familiar picture...a photograph I made. 
And it hits me then that my work was included among so many talented photographers that I deeply admire and look up to. And an environmental portrait that I made was included among theirs. 
I am so filled with gratitude and honestly, I am humbled. 
To the amazing jurors, thank you so much for seeing the magic that I see in this photograph and for believing in my work. 

To see the whole exhibit, please click here. It's so inspiring! 

If you ask me, there is nothing quite like a maternity session done at home. Are they different from more traditional maternity sessions, where you pose with a pretty gown? Oh yes, very. Is it very different from a normal family session with me? Not particularly. I love to see "the bump" in it's natural habitat! 
And I don't know about you, but once I hit a certain point in pregnancy, I just really wanted to hang out at home and be comfortable. What about you?

This session was filled with the easy comfort that comes just from being at home. As I arrived, I was greeted by a level 5 blowout from soon-to-be big brother that was so bad they had to just use trauma sheers to cut everything off of him. Ha! Me, a mother of 3, walks in, camera in hand, totally unphased, begins shooting the momentary chaos. 

I came on a Monday and it happened to be a federal holiday, so the Dad was there too, and soon to be big-big-brother had the day off of school. So, naturally, we played super hero, blocks, had nap time, looked at a few books, made the most delicious smelling pour-over coffee and enjoyed it in the playroom/Florida room. 

With permission, I am going to use a bit of words written by the mama (now I call her friend) I photographed. 
"Worked through a lot of vulnerability before doing this shoot. Mainly how big I feel and how it might look to be holding a baby (with medical needs) and then be actively pregnant again. I wanted the house to be magazine worthy. In short, we have never had the opportunity to do family photos of any kind so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it extra special....By doing this kind of shoot, there was some growth that happened. Letting go of it all and just being. " She also went on to say, " it was the perfect reminder to just be fully present and literally nothing else matters. That the simple moments of the ordinary are the ones we will crave and cherish the most as nostalgia will grip us in the years to come." - Jessie K.

If you want your easy-like-Sunday-morning maternity session, I am here for you! Let's get that conversation started. You can message me from the Contact tab above or just click here. I can't wait to hear your story.