Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph my eighty-seven year old mother-in-law Joan. 

Joan has always been an out-going, life-of-the-party, kind of lady.  And she still is.  But she also has dementia, and some days are better than others.  

The day of the shoot was not a great day for Joan.  She was tired and really just wanted to sit on the couch under some blankets and relax.  She wasn't over excited about being dragged up to the studio.  But we decided to move forward anyway.  We got her ready and sat her on a comfortable stool behind a desk (to give her something to lean on).  I thought perhaps we'd get one or two frames and then let her go back to her comfortable spot on the couch in the lobby.

But as soon as we got her situated and in front of the camera, everything changed.  She sat up straight, talked about her kids (all seven of them), sang songs.... she was herself in a way she hadn't been just minutes before.  Something about the photos brought this out in her, and it was amazing to see and to capture.

Most of my time in the studio is spent photographing newborns and their families.  I love those photos because they capture such a special moment in time. The newness of a relationship that is so unlike anything else.  That sense of wonder and the indescribable love that we all feel for our children. 

But what about the other side of that journey?  When at some point the roles reverse and the child grows into becoming the care giver.  

The love that is there on that end is a different kind of love.  It's the love that has history.  It has a lifetime of stories.  And memories.  And times together.  It's about the love children feel for their parents as well as the love parents feel for their kids.

I think that that was what Joan was responding to the day of our shoot.  

She was there with two of her kids.  They got to sit, with their arms around each other, and talk and laugh and just be.  

Moms and babies.  

That is what I photograph.  And as any mother will tell you, your baby is always your baby, no matter how old they are.  And your mom is always your mom.  She's always that person who loved and cared for you, even before she knew who you were.  That relationship is unlike any other we will ever have.  And I'm so honored to be able to capture it.

Happy Mother's Day.

Clients often comment on the fact that my work does not look like other newborn photography they’ve seen.  Part of that is due to my minimalistic style.  I don’t pose babies or use props, which I know is uncommon in my field.  But part of my look is also due to the way I capture my images.  

Everything seen on my website was shot on film.  And the subtle look of film is, what I believe, people are seeing when they comment on the distinct look of my work. 

I choose film because my goal is to create timeless images for my clients.  I want their baby’s photos to have the same sense of nostalgia that baby photos of their grandparents have.  Film helps me create that.  

I also choose film because I know I can trust it. 

I don’t know what the future holds.  I don’t know if we will be able to open and view a CD or a thumb drive or even what will happen to “cloud storage” in ten, twenty or 100 years from now..  What I do know is that the floppy disks I used in college are obsolete, but the film negatives I have from my own childhood and even from my parent’s childhood are still printable.  I know that when I shoot a roll of film the lab will scan it and send it to me as a jpeg file that I can then save on my computer and share with my clients.  But, if (God forbid) something were to cause my computer or my hard drives to crash, there would still be the negative, and those images would not be lost.  

I choose film because shooting film makes me a better photographer.  It slows me down.  It makes me think.  It allows me to look up from my camera and connect with the people I’m working with.  

Most importantly though, I choose film because it brings me joy.  I share that joy with my clients and it comes through in my images. It also inspires me, which means I love my job and even after 16 years of doing it, I never feel burt out.  In fact, I look forward to each and every session I shoot and am looking forward to many more years to come.

Holy moly.... these photos definitely fall under the category of I can't even...!

I knew from the moment this cutie came into my little Seattle studio that this was going to be a great shoot.  She was all smiles from the first moment she walked through the door and we had so much fun together!

From now on whenever someone asks if 6 months old is a good time to come in for photos, I'm just going to email them these pictures! 

Such a fun age, and SUCH and gorgeous little girl!

One of my favorite things about being a newborn photographer is watching new parents as they fall completely in love with their baby.  There is nothing quite like those first few weeks of parenthood.  I remember it well.  And I love seeing it in others. 

Last week I had this adorable Seattle family into the studio and decided to take some "behind the scenes" video of what really goes on at a newborn photoshoot.  Spoiler alert: it's pretty darn cute!

Enjoy!

I believe babies are perfect.  

They really are.  Their skin.  The way they smell.  Those little sleep smiles.  All perfect.

I also love that they come out of the womb with their own little personality.  No two are alike.  

When you take a sleeping baby and lay him or her down on a bed, they all do something different.  Some curl up, some stretch out their legs (or just one leg), others will put their tiny hand up in front of their face, or give a little fist bump pose. 

Whatever they do, it's inevitable that at some point in the session their mom will laugh and say something like "we have an ultrasound photo with him in the exact same pose!"  Or "Ha!  She came out with her arms up by her ears like that."  They recognize a gesture in their baby that is unique and special to their baby, no one else.  It always gives me goosebumps.

I believe that as a portrait photographer, my job is to capture the essence of the person I'm working with.  

That job is the same whether the person I'm working with is 45 years old, 5 years old, or 5 days old.

I want to create a piece of history that people can look back on and say "Oh my... look at you as a newborn baby... you know, you still make that expression"  

I want each portrait I take to be as unique as the infants I photograph.

And so I don't pose babies.  

I soothe them.  I put them in a swaddle if they seem to need it.  But I let them lead the show.  I want to see who they are.  And I want to capture that for all time.

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I've been photographing Ida since the day she was born.  

I love this little girl, and always look forward to getting her in front of my camera.

Her mom is my dear friend Lily, and Lily always has Ida dressed to the nines!

For her second year portraits, Ida wore a stunning red vintage dress.  The photos we got from this session are some of my favorites, which made it all the more fun when Ida and her stunning red dress were featured in the March/April edition of  Click Magazine!

The good people at Click asked me to talk a bit about my approach to shooting film with strobes, and I was more that happy to share.

To me, film and strobes are the perfect marriage.  Film love lights.  The more the better.  And with strobes you can create perfect light every single day, no need to rely on the weather.  

Teaching other film photographers about how to use strobes has become my passion.  I teach both an online and an in person workshop about it, and now I get to share this amazing and beautiful technique with the readers of Click.  What an honor!

And here is Ida in her gorgeous red dress in Click Magazine!

As soon as I saw you,
I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.
- Winnie The Pooh

I love this quote, because this is exactly how I felt the first time I looked at my own babies.  

It reminds me of that feeling of being completely in love with someone before you even know who they are, mixed with excitement, and a little fear. I think all new parents feel it.

Having a baby is the single most life changing event we can have.  It is an adventure, to say the least.  And an amazing one at that.

I love freezing that moment in time for the families I work with.  It's why I do what I do.

I love all babies.  I do.  

But as the mother of twins myself, I have to be honest, when twins come into my studio, my heart skips a beat.

These two brothers were just too much!  They snoozed through most of their photoshoot, and then work up near the end, allowing me to get some great photos of their pretty eyes looking right into the lens.

Adorable!

Little Ms. Kate (and her family) came to me as a referral.

Referrals are what make small businesses like mine thrive.  And I'm always grateful when someone thinks so highly of my work that they refer me to a friend.  It means to world!

Little Kate here was a dream to work with! 

She came to the shoot awake and bright eyed, allowing me to get great photos of her sweet face and big blue eyes.  Then, about half way through the shoot, she decided to take a nap, which is perfect for snuggly photos with mom and dad.

The photos we got from this photoshoot are just adorable.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  

Don't get me wrong.  I love a good outdoor photoshoot in one of the many beautiful parks Seattle has to offer.  But there is something about studio maternity portraits that just make me swoon!

I love the simplicity of the studio.  Combine that simplicity with the classic look of film and the result is timeless images that will stand the test of time.  

Love!