Little Princesses

As a photographer I get the chance to dress up little girls from newborns on up. It feels kind of weird since I'm the mom of two boys. In the last two weeks I've photographed lots of girls. For some strange reason I'm on a girl streak.  I've noticed that girls pick up on the idea of dress up clothes at a very early age and are very capable of dressing and undressing themselves. However my two and a half year old still doesn't know how to do this. Apparently you have to TEACH this skill to boys. And even then it takes FOREVER for them to pick up on it or even care.

I've been trying to teach Maven to dress himself. I'll help him a few times and guide him in the process and then I'll leave him on his own to do it by himself.  This usually ends up with him deciding he would rather run around the house without any clothes.

The fun thing about being a child photographer is I get to have fun playing with girls and doing the girly things then I can go back to being the Mom of two boys. These two sisters were so sweet and fun to work with. What cute little princesses.

Five Months | Corvallis OR Child Photographer

One of my favorite times to take pictures is from 3-6 months. Not many people afford this opportunity. Newborn and One Year Old pictures are obviously the most popular but their is something about this stage that I love. Their looks are already changing so much. Features are becoming more distinct and it's easier to see what traits come from what parent. They are also starting to reach some fun milestones.

A typical child photo session always starts out with some smiles.

Then I start to get the "you are a crazy lady" look.

Of course we have the blank stare but I think he was just concentrating really hard on sitting up all by himself. What a stud!

And then I go overboard. I tend to push these little guys a tad too far and they let me know they've had enough. As we were wrapping things up Mom picked him up with his favorite blanket and we got this sweet gem. I LOVE IT!!! It might be my personal favorite.

So I might be crazy when it comes to pictures and I might get a little carried away but in this case I think it was totally worth the last shot.

Cake Smash | Corvallis OR Child Photographer

Don't you just love that gummy smile with just a few new teeth poking through? These pictures were taken 3 days before his first birthday and he was sure proud to show off his walking skills. In the short time we had to take pictures we were all exhausted from getting him back in position countless times.

We always save the cake smash for last for various reasons.

#1 It's messy...The most obvious reason.

#2 After 15-30 minutes of taking pictures the child's patients with me is running out and they wan't to be done. By doing the lovely cake smash last it gives me more time to shoot.

However for the first time in my experience as a photographer this plan didn't work. He wasn't a huge fan of the cake smash. He actually stayed relatively clean and the cake was hardly smashed or touched. His 5 year old sister was more anxious to break into than him.

They still turned out cute none the less.

This entire session was shot with a very plain and simple seamless white background.  I was traveling when I did these pictures so I didn't have my whole studio set-up. No lighting, no backdrops and no props. It was literally freezing outside so that wasn't an option either.  I used a 1.8 aperture on a 50 mm lens and LOTS of window light. That's it!!! So here is proof that you don't need a lot of equipment to get great shots.  I love the simplicity of the white and how the focus is on the subject. There isn't anything competing for your attention and there is no doubt your eyes are drawn directly to this handsome little guy. I was able to find a smooth hard surface that gave us a slight reflection under the subject.  Simple but perfect.

and I'm BACK

What a whirlwind!!! I don't even know where to start. I've been enjoying the last few months with my boys. It's different getting used to two kids. We don't just pick up and go anymore. Everything we do takes a lot of planning and preparation. We are finally getting a good routine going and I'm ready to jump back into photography.  

I'm making a few changes and I've added some awesome new features that will be included in every photography package. {I'll go into details on all of these things later} I love being a photographer in Corvallis Oregon and I don't want to miss a beat before we move in June. {if you didn't already know we are going to Kingman Arizona}

Here are some late Valentines Pictures.