As I mentioned in my previous post, I get a lot of questions about my little studio set-up, so I decided to put a post together for all of the visual folks out there (like myself).  When I set up in my own home, I most often use my entryway.  Yes, it is a little tight to shoot in, but I have both North and South facing windows, so it is very well-lit.  Here’s a pull back shot from my last commercial shoot:

I think I managed to darken up most of the mess in the background, so don’t let that distract you.   Since you can’t see the whole area (I was backed into the corner with my widest angle lens), here’s a little diagram of the layout of the room:

As you can see, I pull the blinds up on all of the windows.  I angle my set-up towards the larger windows, but I still get nice fill from the smaller windows camera left.  I also prop my lovely Hobby Lobby foamboard up against the door to get a little more light bounced back on that side.  Here is the final product:

There’s still enough shadow and light to give it that natural light look that I love, and I can keep a catchlight in both eyes (when she cooperates).  I’ve had some questions about the set-up itself as well, so here goes!  The backdrop stand is a Savage Portable Stand, I just love it!  The bamboo mat was ordered from Home Depot online, and the damask backdrop is a curtain I got off of Amazon.  I also picked up a length of white baseboard from Home Depot, along with the red clips holding it in place.  The white fluffy rug you see in the pull back shot is one of two I bought at Hobby Lobby, I usually just lay them next to each other and you never know it’s not one big one.  I believe that I’ve seen them at IKEA as well.  I hope that helps!  Obviously, if I’m in my clients’ home for a newborn session, I set up wherever I can get the best light, and I typically use front lighting rather than side lighting.  This area in my house is just uniquely suited to good side lighting.  Feel free to comment below or email me if you have any questions!

Words can not express how very excited I was to get the opportunity to photograph baby Lerin for our dear friends.  Her journey into the arms of her sweet family was far longer and much more difficult than anyone could have ever imagined, but you can’t spend more than a couple of minutes with them to see that it was all worth it … as Mom said, every tear, heartache, and trial they have been through brought little Lerin into their arms.  God is indeed so good.  Lerin was a little older than most of the babies I photographed, so she wasn’t quite ready to konk out and sleep for us on this morning. :)  I’m kind of glad she didn’t, rarely do I get to photograph babies who watch me so intently, and look at those eyes!  She also had quite an opinion – she was not a fan of hats!  It was almost funny, she could be half asleep, but she fought those hats tooth and nail.    She did allow us to use some cute headbands though, so it all worked out.  She finally dozed off towards the end of the session long enough for us to get some beautiful shots of her in front of a lovely hand-painted mural in her room.  I think this is one of my new favorites!  Thank you for letting me spend the morning with you Mom and Dad, and enjoy your sneak peek! 

I had the great pleasure of photographing adorable baby Sydney last week when she was just 7 days old.  We met Sydney’s Mom and Dad during our time in Lubbock, and we all ended back in the Dallas area.  I was so thrilled when they asked me to capture these special moments!  Sydney was such a doll!  I mean, look at all of these adorable expressions!  She was posing and working the camera all on her own, she definitely kept us laughing.    She did such a great job at her first photo session, I can’t wait to get my hands on her again at 6 months!  Thanks for letting me into your beautiful home (and allowing me to rearrange it), enjoy your sneak peek! 

Baby Joseph officially held my record for “advance” booking until recently … Mom contacted me back at the beginning of the year when she was only 5 weeks pregnant to take advantage of the newborn special I had going on at the time.  Gotta love that foresight and enthusiasm!    I’m very lucky to know this family and to have worked with them before.  I took older sister Madilyn’s newborn pictures, and she responded to my casting call for babies back in March!  Of course, I was so honored to be asked to photograph their newest addition and update their family portrait.  Joseph was wonderful!  He was such a great sleeper, and he let me postition him in all kinds of fun ways.  Thanks so much for letting me capture this precious time again!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I had the pleasure of meeting beautiful 5-day old Vivienne last week for her first “official” photo shoot!  I  first met Mom and Dad when we were all in the same birthing class back before our first kiddos, and it appears they beat us to the punch on number two.   It was wonderful to see them again, they were actually my runner-up contest winners from the That’s My Kid contest back in June.   Big Sis CeCe hung in there just long enough for us to get some GREAT family and individual shots – I’m convinced that all toddlers wake up really early or skip naps the day of a photo shoot on purpose, Emory did the same thing for our pictures last month!  Thanks to some antics from grandma, we were able to get some great big smiles out of Miss CeCe.  And speaking of smiles, oh my goodness!  I think Vivi was one of the smiliest babies I’ve ever photographed.  She was soooo good during her session … sleeping nicely, waking up for a snack and diaper change, and then going right back to sleep.  I got to use some adorable new accessories too, and she was the perfect model!  Thank you so much for letting me capture these precious moments, and enjoy your sneak peek!

I had the pleasure of meeting then one-week old Baby Keaton last week just before we went out of town.  He is so tiny and adorable!  I always forget how tiny the brand new little ones are until I see one, and oh my, it just melts your heart.  It’s a good thing I have a bunch of these lined up so I can keep getting my newborn “fix”!   They weren’t sure how Keaton would do without his clothes on, but he fell asleep like a champ.  Dad had to work, but we did get some shots of Keaton and his beauiful momma.  You’ll have to take note of his “positioning” in the one just below on the right, we just about died laughing.  What a little man!   Thanks so much for letting me spend a few hours loving on your little one, and enjoy your sneak peek! 

Well, I didn’t think I’d be able to give you a look at these until next week as they were supposed to be a top-secret Father’s Day gift, but I’ve been notified that the cat’s out of the bag and I’m cleared to share.    And it has been so hard to hold back, let me tell you!  Not that I don’t absolutely love my senior clients (which I do), but it seems like forever since I have gotten to photograph some little ones.  We decided to have a some fun with this shoot – lots of great colors (Mom nailed the outfits!), new props, and the debut of my studio setup to the great outdoors.  It was not without it’s hiccups (think backdrop turning into a giant sail), but we managed to skate through with only minor injuries and lots of smiles.    As you can see, they are some pretty adorable smiles!  Big sis Ella completely took control and just loved all over her little sis … Lucy really shone once she got the spotlight to herself, as the younger ones often do!  I’m so glad Mom wanted to get in a few as well – I hope Dad was thrilled with the images of his three gorgeous gals.  Thanks for letting me capture this special moment and for being such troopers – I had a blast! 

I’m so excited to share these with you!  Emory graciously agreed to model for an awesome online seller I’ve teamed up with – Lucy Mae.  She carries the most adorable bows, headbands, and other accessories, and let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for accessories.   As expected Emory is both a total natural and a complete goofball.  Since it was still a little chilly when I worked on these, I also got to utilize my new studio set-up indoors.  Have I told you I LOVE  my new studio?  Anyways, you should go check out the Lucy Mae store and become a fan on Facebook!  She has some neat new products coming soon, and she also posts specials to her page! 

Hannah in Purple

Vivienne in Light Pink

Abigail – Strawberry Pink with Brown band

Abigail – Strawberry Pink with Brown band / Watermelon Pink with Green band

And my favorite shots … Abigail – Pink with Pink band

My favorite, what a ham!!!

Welcome back baby Madeline!  The last time she was in front of my camera she was only around one week old!  My, how the time flies.  Madeline (actually her mother) answered my casting call last week, and we were able to set something up right away.  I’ve recently invested in a large variety of items to add to my home/portable “studio” set-up in preparation for a new type of session I’m offering: Milestone Mini Sessions.  These sessions are meant for those “milestone moments” during your baby’s first year, whether it be six-month portraits or celebrating baby’s ability to sit up on their own.  These are short and sweet (and very affordable), so there’s no excuse not to capture every moment along the way during that ever-changing first year.  You have the option of coming to my home studio using my studio set-up or shooting on location.  Since you’ve seen plenty of my on-location work, I wanted to take the opportunity to preview some of my new and improved studio work.  I’m so excited about the possibilities!  This is just a small part of what I can provide in-studio.  Look for more coming soon when I post Emory’s first modeling shoot!  For more information on the Milestone Mini Sessions, visit my website and go to Sessions under the Pricing tab.  Madeline was such a wonderful model – she was very tolerating of both wardrobe and background changes.  And isn’t that smile to die for?    Thanks for letting me experiment with your daughter, Amy!