Isabella

This is Isabella. I've been photographing her since...forever! Seriously, I took photos of her before she was born - or at least, photos of her mom when she was pregnant with Isabella! Since then I've seen her quite a few times, from newborn until now. She's 18 months old and a real firecracker.

We took her to Saguaro Ranch, which is a beautiful old house and park surrounded by citrus groves. I remember going there when I was in high school, quite a few years ago. It has changed a bit, but it is still a beautiful place to take portraits.

We let Isabella run around, checking out the buildings and the staircases. She even got to chase a rooster or two. It was a beautiful day, and I am thrilled to see how perfectly the setting went with such a sweet little girl.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Supposedly, 51% of the babies born each year are boys, and 49% are girls. But if I had to base the statistics on what I see in the studio, I would have to say the boys outnumber the girls by far. I've been doing quite a few maternity/newborn sessions the past few months, and for some odd reason - almost every single one has been a little boy!

So I was very happy today to photograph a mom-to-be and her precious little girl. Of course, you can't see her yet. But I'm sure she will be just beautiful and I can't wait to meet her. It's been so long since I've seen a girl baby, I'll have to go dig up the pretty pink bows and blankets! Or, maybe I'll use this as an excuse to go buy more cute little props - "gee, honey - I simply don't have anything for a cute little girl baby, I just must go to Hobby Lobby/Target/Michael's!"

Somehow, I don't think he'll buy it. He'll remember that even though he hasn't seen any little girls come through the studio recently, at some point there was a girl baby - and certainly I must have something to use for a session.

UR2CUTE. B MINE?

This is Cynthia - she's one of my longtime favorite little subjects. I've been photographing her since she was only 3 months old. She sure has grown, hasn't she? It's been such a neat thing to watch her grow from a little baby into a curious little toddler.

Cynthia is ready for Valentine's Day. She was OK with the present - but quickly unwrapped it. A rose caught her attention for a minute. Then the sparkly glitter-covered heart - well, let's say that it now has toddler-sized teeth marks in it! Finally, the solution to the problem of how to get a toddler to stay put - CANDY! Specifically, those little Valentine's conversation hearts. I don't think anyone over the age of 10 can stand the things, but Cynthia loved them. And the best part is, they're not too messy! Too bad I can't say the same thing about Easter candy.

Welcome little Austin!

This is Austin. He is a sweet little bundle of joy, isn't he? I love it when I get to work with brand new babies, for many reasons. They are so soft and squishy, and they pretty much stay where you put them. They don't have a lot of wants, only a few basic needs - make sure they are not hungry or wet, and make sure they are not too warm or too cold, and they will cooperate (for the most part!). Austin was a very cooperative baby! I'm sure by the time he's a little older he'll be more interested in rolling around, sticking things in his mouth and avoiding the camera - but for now, he's pretty easygoing!

Congratulations to Austin's family and a big happy birthday to Austin. I wish you many years of happiness!

A sweet little angel...

Yesterday was an odd day. I started the morning with a newborn session - a sweet little boy who was so tiny and cooperative. It was wonderful to see him, and a joy to work with him.

Almost immediately after that session, I got a call from the regional coordinator for NILMDTS. This is a group that does photos for parents who have lost a newborn, as these photos are the only images they are likely to have of their baby. The baby was a little girl named Amelia, who had been born in December at 24 weeks. She has a twin sister still in the NICU. Amelia had been very sick all week and the parents had decided to take her off life support.

Amelia was perfect, and very tiny. She had perfect little fingers and toes - just smaller than a full-term baby. She had a full head of hair. And she had two parents who loved her very much, and weren't really sure how to deal with this. Most parents never go through this situation, but every parent imagines it - what if something happened to my child?

If you would like to see a slideshow of Amelia, you can download it at www.lovebugsphotography.com/AmeliaNILMDTS.exe. The images can be disturbing, especially for young children - so watch with discretion.

I wish I would neverneed to get called again to do a NILMDTS session - I wish that every parent would have the joy of taking their child home and watching him or her grow and be healthy. But the pain of dealing with such raw grief is outweighed by the feeling of purpose I get from the NILMDTS program - I am able to give these parents something important, something they will value forever. When we lost our son Nicholas in 1999, there was no program to take beautiful photos of him. I'm glad that NILMDTS exists to help parents with their loss.

Looking for on-location maternity customers!

I was lucky to photograph a beautiful family this morning that is preparing to greet a new member in less than a month. If the doctors are correct, this little girl will have a new baby sister soon! She's thrilled about it, and I'm sure she'll be quite helpful. Her brother isn't worried about being outnumbered in the boys vs. girls count. As he told me "we have fish, and they are boys!"

As I mentioned below, I love doing maternity/newborn sessions. I've been doing lots of them in the studio recently, and it's always a joy. But I'd also like to get some images for my website showing what can be done on-location with just a little imagination and the right setting.

What I'm looking for is a maternity customer who has a home that is photogenic and has good natural light. This usually means a few good windows that we can open to let in the sunlight. As far as the decor of the home goes, it doesn't have to be Pottery Barn catalog-worthy - but having a clean house with a few interesting pieces of furniture can help. A nursery that is decorated and just waiting for baby can also look great.

If you think that you would like to do a maternity session in your home, here's what I'd like to do: the regular session fee for maternity/newborn is $150 in the studio. If you would like to do an on-location session for my portfolio, I would do the maternity and newborn session in you home at no additional charge - so $150 for two sessions, one 5X7 from each session and 25 custom birth announcements. This offer is only good until I have built up some portfolio images, so don't wait too long! The early bird gets the worm.

Be prepared for images that aren't typical studio shots - adventurous souls only!

Welcome to the world, baby Aiden!

This little guy was born December 3. What a perfect gift for Christmas! He was so sweet and very alert, I'm thrilled to have been able to meet him when he's so new.

I love doing maternity and newborn sessions - it's such fun to photograph the baby both before and after. You can never predict exactly how the baby is going to look or act. Sometimes the baby is very active while still in mom's tummy, then comes out kicking and screaming. And yet sometimes the most active babies will come out and then sleep through the whole session.

Anyway, welcome to the world, Aiden. You are so lucky to have a big sister to watch over you, she is a real sweetheart and I'm sure she'll show you how to get into all sorts of trouble.

Sweet Sixteen

In a couple of weeks I will be photographing the Sweet Sixteen celebration for one of my former students from Maryvale High School. I recently did some formal portraits for her to show off her beautiful dress.

In Arizona, the tradition of a Quinceanera or a Sweet Sixteen is very popular. I think it's a great tradition, and a beautiful way to celebrate the passage from childhood into young womanhood. It's a day for every young woman to be a princess for a day - and what could be more special than that?

Happy Birthday Maria!

This is Maria. She recently celebrated her first birthday, and came by for birthday portraits. I loved her little white dress, it was simple and had a vintage feel to it.

I like this image because it looks very similar to one that my parents had taken of me when I was little. The exact same position, the same simple outfit, the same simple background. Any one of those things alone wouldn't be particularly special, but put together they become a classic image. Twenty years from now, it won't be immediately obvious that this portrait was made in the early 2000's - and perhaps one day Maria will bring her own children for a simple, classic portrait that will become a cherished family heirloom.

Happy birthday Maria!

Merry Christmas! Wesolych Swiat!

Christmas is here and the kids are excited. Santa has visited our house and soon the kids will be tearing open presents. The dog already got her gift - a $6 box of chocolates from Poland that weren't meant for her. Luckily they weren't all chocolate, there was lots of non-chocolate filling so she isn't sick from it. Still, those chocolates were for Zbyszek, not Mocha!

I wish everyone a peaceful and Merry Christmas. This picture is a 7-week old baby I photographed recently. She'll be celebrating her first Christmas today, and I hope Santa is good to her. If cuteness = presents, she'll be unwrapping all day!

Get a head start on those New Year's Resolutions!

I recently photographed this little cutie who happens to be the cover baby for the January issue of a local magazine. Her parents run a local gym, which means that while my busy time of the year is winding up - theirs is going to start in a week or two! January is the time for resolutions, a time for fresh starts. It's the perfect time to begin working on new goals. But so many of those goals get set aside by...well, by January 15! It's hard to change who we are, especially when we don't yet know exactly who the new person is going to look like.

Here are some helpful hints to keeping those New Year's Resolutions and accomplishing those goals.

1. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Don't just say "I'm going to become a size 0 supermodel." That's unrealistic (although measurable!). Start with a small goal - "I'm going to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time." Or maybe "I'm going to lose 5 pounds by cutting back the sweets I eat." Both of those are doable, and certainly measurable.
2. Give yourself something to look forward to - what will you do when you reach your goal? Make it something you really want! In the meantime, set mini-goals with smaller rewards along the way.
3. Share your goal with someone else. This gives you accountability. It's harder to go back on a promise when someone else knows you made the promise! You don't have to tell everyone about your goal, but let one or two close friends or family members know. It's harder to look them in the eye if you've been slacking off! And sometimes they can encourage you.
4. Look back and enjoy your successes. Maybe your goal is taking longer than you thought. Maybe it feels like you're spinning your wheels. But chances are, you have made progress. Before my youngest child was born, I lost 49 pounds over a period of two years. I would NEVER have guessed it would take that long. Sometimes it felt like I'd never get to the end of my quest to lose 50 pounds (and I didn't - thanks, Grace!). But I knew that even if I never got to 50 pounds, losing 10 - and then 20 - and 30 - and 40 - and 49 pounds - those were all accomplishments in their own right.
   

Have a merry, merry, merry Christmas!

Yesterday I got the chance to photograph triplets. I've got two surviving triplets of my own, and I've had the opportunity to do sessions with triplets and quadruplets before - so by now I feel like I'm a pro at dealing with three little ones! If nothing else, it does give me the chance to really relax at sessions with "only" one baby!

It seems that invariably when you work with multiples, there will be ONE baby that just doesn't want to cooperate. They fuss and cry - or they want to sleep when everyone else is awake. So it's really a nice surprise when all the multiples are content and willing to work with me!

These babies were little cuties, and I'm sure Santa will have to spend a little extra time at their house Christmas Eve. What a blessing for their parents, to have a house full of love and little feet this year.

You know Dasher, and Dancer...

This is Matthew. Matthew and I go a long way back. When we first met, he did NOT want his picture taken - by me or anyone else. More than one session was spent waiting for him to sit still long enough to take even one shot. I'd usually end up with a couple of shots, but not very many smiles.

I think I've photographed Matthew at least 5 times now, some times more successfully than other. But we finally made friends in October. Instead of coming to the studio, he came to a church Harvest Festival where I was taking pictures of kids in a wagon filled with pumpkins. Somehow, that got him interested. And - it got him smiling! For the first time ever, I didn't have to fight with him to take his picture.

Yesterday he came over for holiday photos. He was so handsome in his Christmas outfit! He showed his little sister how it's done. And not only did he sit still, he even smiled! I think the promise of a big candy cane did the trick...and even got him to sit still with silly reindeer ears on his head and a nice red nose.

I hope that Santa is good to Matthew this year. I don't know how good he's been at home, but he was a very good boy for me.

Sharing a secret...

These two sisters I recently photographed. You can tell how much fun they have together just by the way they play and giggle with one another.

Sometimes photography isn't about capturing the "perfect" pose that will be a classic for all time. Sometimes, photography is about capturing two sisters being silly. While this photo may never become a classic for the world to admire, it will always be a reminder of the times when two little girls were able to just be silly. Those photographs can be just as important to a family as the perfectly posed classic photographs can be, but for different reasons. While a classic photo can show you how a person looked, they don't always show you who a person really is. For that, you need a little bit of silliness from time to time.

Welcome to the world, Iago!

I was lucky enough to photograph the recent baptism of Iago. What a wonderful name - the world needs more Iagos! And the perfect setting for a baptism - a gorgeous church, decorated for the holiday season.

I wish many blessings for Iago and his family, and congratulations on your entry into the church.

A little princess...

This little girl is such a sweetheart, and she looks like a little princess. Of course, every little girl is a princess. But some just show it more on the outside! I can imagine her with a little tiara, can't you? And yet behind the sweet smile, there is surely a little bit of mischief hiding.

The Cobbler's Children have no Shoes...

I've been so busy taking holiday photos of other people's kids that I didn't get around to doing my own until this morning.


Of course, everyone wants to do their own thing and I never did get that perfect holiday shot. Gracie wasn't willing to cooperate at all, so that was the end of that.

At least Marie made me proud by losing the second of her front teeth in time for Christmas!

Naughty or Nice?

This little boy is going to be a big brother not too long after Christmas. He is the sweetest little thing, but can't you just see the mischief hiding behind those eyes? I'm sure he will be an excellent big brother, but he'll probably also be really good at getting the two of them into trouble. I can't wait to see if his brother is as cute as he is. What a heartbreaker he'll be in a few years!

Happy "Black Friday!"

So the turkey is gone, the pies have been eaten and now it's officially the Christmas season. No better time to get some family portraits than the holidays! This photo is a mother and daughter I photographed today in their home. While the studio is great for formal portraits, there is just something fun about shots taken on location. And with the background of the home, they can be more meaningful to the family. Too often families assume they don't have a suitable home for a session - but that often isn't the case! A photographer will look at your home and furnishings differently than you do, and will see the location with fresh eyes. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination.

Of course today is known for its holiday shopping frenzy. I was able to make it to Target and back in one piece. Really, I didn't have a choice - I needed some new props for an upcoming session and they were the closest place to have them. I was happy to see that while the morning may be crazy, the afternoon isn't so bad.

What a couple of cuties!

Last year, I took a holiday shot of these two little guys - who really aren't so little any more! They had a newborn sister and the older brother was missing his two front teeth. Now the sister is a much-more mobile toddler, and the teeth have grown back. I love how close they are, it's so easy to get great portraits when the people in the portrait care about each other so much. I'm sure they fight and argue sometimes, but brotherly love really is a special thing.

I'd like to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. It's been a great year for me and my family, and we have many blessings to count. Take it easy today, let the holiday madness start tomorrow. Enjoy a day of good food and good company, and know that I am thankful for every one of the customers I have, and that some of those customers have become friends.