Annie's Belly Session: Anticipating Baby Benjamin
This shoot is the first of many sessions I will shoot for the Benjamin family, Annie and Corey are expecting a baby girl early this September and I am both excited and honored to document Baby Benjamin's first year of life.
I haven't taken too many belly portraits so Annie and I talked quite a bit about these photos before I even picked up the camera. I hate saying this but its my blog after all so here goes: I think there is a fine line between timeless and tacky when it comes to maternity photography. In fact, I strongly dislike most photos I see within this genre. Take what I call "the mother goddess shot" for example, where there's a mother-to-be dramatically draped in white or black bed sheets, paying homage in her role as mother earth wearing costuming more suitable for a school play or Halloween ghost costume than a grown up shoot. Or, the "hot momma" shot with mom-to-be sprawled out in black panties and a seductive pose, blurring the line between belly and boudoir. I'm no prude but come on, most of us know how you wind up with the bump, it just feels a little cheap.
Annie and I agreed to approach the shoot with a focus on form and black and white. And while there is a lot of nice light and form in these photos to be certain, its the emotion that surfaced as we worked that makes them beautiful to me. I simply love these photos. Collectively they paint an intimate portrait of a marriage. I love that we shot in their home, which transformed into sacred space through pictures. I brought studio lights but I'm glad I never set them up. I didn't need to worry about things looking staged or trite because, well, we didn't really stage it. I feel their anticipation through these photos; their knowledge that life together is about to change in a profound way, its completely genuine.
I also learned that you don't need white bed sheets to get pictures of a goddess. Annie is stunning and she makes these photos ethereal.
Annie and Corey, thank you for everything and we wish you a speedy and safe delivery. The next time we meet you will be two entirely new people.
The Knot Magazine Fall 2008, Part 1
I apologize for holding the press for so long on this exciting news: we were published not just once but
twice in the latest edition of the Knot Magazine for DC/MD/VA. Congratulations to
Keri and Andrew, whose amazing destination wedding at The Homestead late last fall caught the eye of editors at the Knot. Check out the beautiful 4 page spread designed to show off their super creative wedding:
To read more about their wedding, check out the Fall 2008 edition which recently hit the book stands. In the mean time, see if you can find another photo by us in the same magazine...we might as well get a "Where's Waldo" style game going while I wait to receive the layout!
Baby Clayton at 3 months...and Larkin too!
Now, where have I seen these eyes before?
Ah yes, on the very first page of the very first gallery of the Wee Ones portfolio on our new
website! Its hard to believe that Larkin was the very FIRST baby I ever photographed professionally. Both of us have grown a lot since then, huh?
Larkin has had some very exciting developments in her life lately, namely the arrival of a sweet baby brother named Clayton. Kelly and Ahmet thought it would be cool to take photos of Clayton at about the same age Larkin was in our first shoot.
Larkin gives fist bumps to her favorite peeps and Clayton was happy to receive one from his big sis. Not that I am bragging or anything, but I received one myself by the end of the shoot. Oh ya.
Clayton is not only super cute, he is super chill: he seems to like the camera as much as the camera likes him. He was even happy to pose in the grass as the family played outside.
The room that was formerly Larkin's bee nursery has transformed into a little boy's room outfitted in pale colors and friendly fish shapes. Larkin has a new room herself and I was happy to see Cherry the black and white horse, one of her favorites toys as a baby, sitting on the shelf and ready to be photographed again. Above the windows in her room hangs a single bee like a nod to a past that keeps watch over all her big girl toys.
At some point, Kelly mentioned that Clayton has a Yoda look and I couldn't stop seeing it. Maybe it just suits his content personality and pensive looks. We wanted to do a flying photo for comparison with Larkin's so fly he must!
Here's more that I put into a
slideshow, the music was inspired by a fist bump. If you would like to view the entire session,
click here. Kelly and Ahmet, thanks for inviting me come by and spend a Tuesday morning with the family, I loved every minute of it!
