Halfway There!

Six month sessions are tricky - baby isn't always sitting which can cause posing to get boring FAST. I usually recommend that parents of six-month olds choose a theme or do a session to tie in a holiday that's around that six-month mark. It takes work for mom and dad, to be honest, and I feel bad, but it really is a great way to incorporate the family's interests and personality. See, that six-month mark is a BIG deal - and it should be documented, but those oh-so important milestones that we, as parents, put pressure on ourselves for our children to hit by that half-birthday aren't always visible. We know that our kids have made leaps and bounds since birth, and that they will be a completely different child by the time their first birthday comes around. Six-month sessions shouldn't be skipped, they are a great opportunity to celebrate something ALONG WITH all the developmental growth, toothless smiles, and still-chubby legs we get to enjoy at that awesome age.

Such is the case with this AMAZING six-month session. Mom and Dad, and subsequently baby, are HUGE Boston fans. Remembering this from Mom's maternity and baby's newborn session, I asked them to bring a selection of Red Sox apparel, whether it fit or not. They thought I was crazy, at first, asking them to haul out all of these clothes and then telling them to strip her down! But the result was AWESOME, if I do say so myself!

At the end of the day, there is no milestone that isn't significant enough to capture with photos. Click HERE to schedule your milestone session!

Blessings!
Chrysti

Location, Location, Location!

"Where" is always the big question when booking family sessions. Obviously, a beautiful spot is essential but there's so much more that goes in to it. Is it safe? Kid friendly? Does it face the right direction for the time of day we decide on? How's the parking/restroom situation? Sometimes selecting a location can get overwhelming! This family - with whom I've worked several times - happen to have this gorgeous landscape right in their neighborhood. It's such a relief to know they are comfortable where we are working, especially the kids! And the best part was walking back to their home to have a drink and catch up in their kitchen. Do you have a favorite location in your neighborhood? Sometimes inspiration hits you in the most unlikely places!

Click HERE to schedule a session in that awesome spot you've been eyeing. 

Blessings!

Chrysti

Maternity Photos: The Nearly Naked Truth

When I was pregnant with my daughter, we had to wait until I was 21 weeks pregnant to announce it to everyone, since we had to travel back east and tell my mother-in-law in person. Thankfully, I was only showing a tiny bit so keeping a secret wasn't that hard. So it was now September. We took our Christmas card portraits in November, like always, but there wasn't a whole lot to see belly-wise under the black sweater I picked out, and once Christmas came and went, then the New Year, and my birthday, I had completely forgotten to have maternity photos done. 

I'd had them envisioned. I wanted to wear a flowy dress, walk down the beach hand-in-hand with my husband (which is weird because we both hate sand and I hate flowy dresses), I figured we'd write baby's name in the sand in a heart (REALLY weird because we kept baby's name a secret), and maybe get some of me on the end of the jetty, the sea mist splashing up around me, a sheer white drape barely covering what needed to be covered. It was a cute fantasy, but as time grew near and my belly grew large, it became more and more unrealistic. 

We live an hour from the beach. 

We don't even really like the beach. 

I had gained over 50 pounds and had no desire to wear anything revealing - or not black. 

Also, it was now the end of January and very cold. 

It would be just my luck that I would get sick just before delivering and with me being the cooky naturalist that I am, my elaborate fantasy of a birth plan did NOT include a stuffy nose while "breathing through the pain" or sneezing while I was trying to get my newborn daughter to latch. No sea mist for me. I decided I just wasn't going to do maternity photos. I had waited too long and there was just too much going on. My due date came and went.

The day after my due date, I woke up and decided I wanted maternity photos. Yes, I was swollen, yes, I was tired, yes, I was the size of a schoolbus but ya know what? This was my first pregnancy and dagnabit I want half-naked pictures of myself in this condition! 

I called a photographer friend who thought I was crazy and was positive I was going to give birth on her floor but she made time for a few indoor photos the next morning. 

I was NOT feeling sexy by any stretch of the imagination when I did my hair and makeup that morning, but I felt like this was just one of those things I needed to do as part of the pregnancy experience, like playing baby shower games and letting strangers in Starbucks touch your belly. We spent a few hours talking, laughing, snapping photos, I changed clothes a few times, and my wonderful friend allowed plenty of time for me to catch my breath between poses. When we were almost done, she asked if I wanted to take some "intimates". By this time, I was sweaty, tired, and hungry, but I'd brought a robe to make outfit changes easier and figured, "why not?". The image she got of me in that robe turned out to be my favorite from the session. I share it with you, and all of the internet, God help me, below.

I love that I'm not smiling. I love that it's shadowy and the focus is not on my belly. I love that my "mother's love" necklace, a Christmas gift from my Mother, is showing, and I love that my normally thin fingers, in all their sausage-y glory are visible. I think this captures me, at that time, so very well. And after all, isn't that what maternity photos are all about? Capturing Mom (and the rest of the family) during a time in your life when everything is different, and after which nothing will ever be the same.

Thanks for letting me share this experience with you. I promise to be wearing more clothes when I shoot your maternity session.

Blessings!
Chrysti