The C Family {Austin Family & Maternity Photographer}

I love maternity sessions, and celebrating the beautiful life growing in his/her mother's body.  I also love photographing the baby (that used to be that pretty little bump) once it makes it way into that family.  What a fun little guy E is!  He was super smiley, and such a little heart breaker.  Especially in the image below with the newsboy hat on.

It's hard to believe that not so long ago, he was just a pretty bump in his mama's belly.

To the C Family: It has been so fun working with your family and watching it grow!  You have such a little sweetheart in E, and I love the way you all laugh together.  Thanks for allowing me to capture some of those laughs through my camera!

The W Family {Austin Newborn Photographer}

To say I enjoyed every minute of this session would be an understatement.  I was able to do this couple's anniversary portraits in early 2011, and then their maternity session in May (click here).  We wanted to get some "after" shots to go along with a few of the maternity shots we captured, so they scheduled a mini-session to get that done.

For true newborn photography, mini-sessions (30-minutes) are not a possibility, because in order to get those "sleepy baby shots," it is best to have a session done by the time baby is 2 weeks old.  And a true newborn session takes anywhere from 1.5-3 hours due to baby's schedule, need to feed, and the time it takes to get baby to sleep during poses.  By 2 weeks of age, the baby starts waking up a bit more compared to the 5-10 day olds who sleep a lot.

But - if you have a new baby and didn't get your session done in that 5-14 day old timeframe, you can absolutely still get wonderful images of your new addition while they are still tiny!

Here is an example of a baby that was 5 weeks old.  She was pretty alert, but I love the fact that her eyes are open and she's interacting a lot with her parents in these images.  What a little beauty!  If you can believe it, this was a 30-minute mini-session!  I had things lined up and ready, and we got priceless memories captured on camera for her mom and dad to enjoy always.

Sneak peek into our session...

Shots like the one below are totally "ah hah" moments for me in this business.  I adore them because they show the true tiny-ness of a newborn, and we all know that doesn't last long!  Our photographer got one of me and my sweet baby girl this spring, and I will always cherish it.
 

And this is what the sweet baby's mama sent to me after the session.

"Oh my! Sarah you are absolutely AMAZING! Our morning had been totally crazy before we arrived, but you made sure that our shoot was calm and FUN.

Plus, I was SUPER impressed with the variety of shots you accomplished in such a short time, and that my less than cooperative little one didn't phase you a bit.

Thank you SO much for capturing these precious family moments for us- I can't wait to display more of your beautiful work in our home. Again, thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

~Jessica  

Mama-To-Be Vanja {Austin Maternity Photographer}

I had such a fun afternoon with Miss Vanja doing her maternity portraits!  It was my first session back after 5 weeks of maternity leave, and I was happy to (officially) be behind the camera lens again. 
(My camera has been quite busy the last 5 weeks with baby girl's arrival!)

May must be "maternity month," as I have three maternity sessions this month!  I love it... baby bumps and babies everywhere.  I had never met Vanja before, but by the time she left, I felt like I had known her for awhile.  Much longer than just an hour!  :)

She is a tennis star and loves the Longhorns, so of course we had to incorporate some "Longhorn love" and burnt orange into this shoot.  I love the way they turned out! 

Mama-to-Be Sam {Austin Maternity Photographer}

Maternity sessions are quickly becoming one of my all time favorites to do these days.

Perhaps because I just went through pregnancy myself... Perhaps because the idea of a perfectly forming little life inside of a beautiful woman inspires me... Perhaps because I know the immense blessing that children are.  It is such a crazy, fun, emotional, empowering, exhausting phase of life all wrapped up into 9 months, and I love when people want to capture that on camera to look back on when their babies arrive... and when their babies go to Kindergarten... and graduate from college. 

I love them.  And this maternity session definitely ranks up there with my all time favorite shoots.  We did it all... studio shots, silhouettes, and my favorite... wildflowers!  Enjoy a sneak peek of this beautiful mama-to-be (for the 3rd time!).  She is a beauty, and no doubt her baby girl will be too.  

Mama Mondays: Countdown to my Cowgirl

On one hand, I cannot believe I am just a matter  days away from meeting my sweet baby girl face to face.  On the other hand, I feel like I have been pregnant for two years.  Do you feel me, mamas?  


My first pregnancy was pretty easy-breezy.  I was able to exercise throughout my pregnancy.  (I ran the fitness/wellness program at the University of Texas, so had a paid lunch break and access to all kinds of fun gym equipment just outside my office door.)  I slept pretty well other than a few weeks here and there.  I was tired, but had the ability to sit down on the couch every now and then and kick my feet up.  And then came the second pregnancy.  :)  (Again, do you feel me, mamas?)  


This time around, I worked part time at UT without a paid lunch break, much more limited workouts, did photography 20+ hours a week at all hours of the day and night and weekends, and had a very cute 2 year old boy to keep up with.  The last time I have slept through the night was 2 weeks after I found out I was pregnant.  That was in August 2011.  Ouch.  When I tell people I am ready to have a baby so that I CAN sleep again, they give me a funny look, but it's true.  When I have her here, at least I can cuddle her and know we're on a path to sleeping again.  :)  I know she will be here before we know it, so I'm trying to savor every sweet moment of pregnancy, as it truly is a miracle and it could possibly be my last one.


My sweet friend, Jessica, was kind enough to come over to my house and studio set up spaces to snap pictures for me.  I prepared some detailed plans, set ups and samples, and she brought them to life through my camera.  So grateful to her, and so looking forward to doing her baby bump (she's having a girl too!) session in a few months. 

Here are some of my favorites... The countdown to our little cowgirl is on!!  (Click here for a cute story about the pink dress.)  

Austin Maternity Photographer {Mama-To-Be Meleah}

There is something so beautiful to me about maternity sessions.  I love making a mama-to-be feel comfortable in her own skin, especially since she's near the end of pregnancy - which is no easy 9 month task.  And it is such a cool time to remember through photographs, because pregnancy is such a miracle in and of itself.

It is like the start of a love story to me... A love story whose next chapter begins the first time a mother holds her baby.  There are no words to describe that feeling.

I enjoyed doing Meleah's maternity shoot last week in my studio space and capturing many beautiful images for her family to enjoy for many years to come.  Pregnancy is such a miracle, and it is so much fun for me to capture and freeze those "baby bump" moments in time for my maternity clients.  Because after the baby comes and grows so quickly into a little person, it is easy to forget about the pregnancy part.  And how magical it is having a life perfected by God growing inside your body - and falling in love with that life before that baby even takes its first breath here on this earth.

I know that I am in that "amazement" phase right now, as I am pregnant and this pregnancy might be my last (?).  Trying to savor every sweet moment (and powerful kick/punch) of my little miracle finishing her growth in my belly before coming into this world in a little over a month.

Enjoy the sneak peeks from our maternity session.  Meleah is such a beautiful soul, and is going to be such a wonderful mama to her little babe.  I can't wait to find out what she's having!  It's a surprise for even her.  And funny story... she and I are due on the exact same day!

The baby's nursery colors are brown and yellow, so I created this set up to work perfectly for big portraits hung on those nursery walls!

I am just loving the simplicity and cleanliness of a silhouette portrait.  There is something so powerful about it...  I feel like silhouettes really tell a story without even having to say a single word. 

Beautiful Maternity {Austin Maternity Photographer}

I had such a lovely time working with this sweet couple in my studio and doing their maternity session.  And they emailed me with the sweetest testimonial from our session together.  (Click here.)

What a lucky little baby boy this will be, as he is already so loved by his parents.  (Clients requested no faces be shown, but even the shots without faces turned out beautifully!!)

I love capturing the beauty of pregnancy and that growing baby bump for families to enjoy.   Enjoy a sneak peek!