Thursday, March 27, 2014

A newborn baby and her sister

I was so honored to get to photograph this darling new baby and her gorgeous big sister! The baby is just 8 days old here, a perfect age for newborn photography.
Professional photo of a newborn and her big sister in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a sleeping newborn baby in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a newborn baby in Albuquerque

While the baby took a little break for some food, her sister showed me a few things she likes. I love that she picked "Curious George Christmas Countdown" to read. She has obviously spent some time with George because she knew all about him.
Professional photo of a beautiful little girl in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a beautiful little girl in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a beautiful little girl in Albuquerque

Once Baby Sister was sleeping again, she and I spent a little more time together.
Professional photo of a sleeping newborn baby in Albuquerque

She did such a good job!
Professional photo of a sleeping newborn baby in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a sleeping newborn baby in Albuquerque

The girls were darling together. Big Sister had been a little ill and hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time holding the baby, so she was nervous at first. But with some m&m's and a funny puppet, you would never have known it. I bet she has spent a lot more time holding her baby sister since!
Professional photo of a newborn and her big sister in Albuquerque

Professional photo of a newborn and her big sister in Albuquerque

If you are interested in baby photography, I have a bunch more newborn sessions, along with some info on my baby plan options, on this blog page - look through and see if this might be something you'd like for your baby!

I offer four different options for baby photography collections. If you are interested for yourself, or if you have a friend or family member you might like to gift a collection to, I have an online magazine with more information that you might like to see. You can send me your email address below and I will email you a link right away.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Spring birthday portrait party mini-sessions - Friday April 4th

It's time for spring birthday minisessions!



Professional photo of beautiful little girls in Albuquerque

These are super quick and easy - a great way to get beautiful portraits at a discounted price. I don't charge a session fee for these and I do them throughout the day, so hopefully there is a time that will work for you. Plan on 6-8 great portraits to choose from. You can call or email me if you'd like more information, if you'd like to see a price list, or if you'd like to sign up for a timeslot.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

What if your two year old doesn't like having his picture taken?

It's spring time! I am always so happy when winter nears its end. I love the bright spring green color of budding cottonwoods in the bosque. I love the flowering trees - especially when the breeze blows their scent my way as I walk past. And I especially love daffodils and spring bulbs.

I was so happy when this family wanted a photo session at the botanic gardens - one of my favorite locations for portraits in Albuquerque.
Professional photo of a family holding hands walking on a path in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

But! This session has a twist. Instead of just enjoying the signs of spring, you also get to read my thoughts on this subject: "What if Your Two Year Old Doesn't Like Having his Picture Taken?"
This happens, and my guess is that if you have a two year old, this concern may have crossed your mind too.

Guess what? It's kind of normal. Some toddlers LOVE the camera. Some of them hate it. I kinda don't blame them - this lady they don't know points this big giant black eye at them and tries to be funny. Sometimes it's just not very funny. I think usually I find that these little guys are somewhere in between, and with two year old sessions we definitely tend to do what the child wants to do, not what I necessarily had planned. :) (And that's okay!)
Professional photo of a father and little boy in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

This darling little boy (love those curls!) was not into photo sessions. He did really like "Motts" (fruit snacks) and he liked the gardens fine, but the camera was not fun for him. For instance - we found this beautiful flowering tree and tried to see if we could get a quick family picture. Not really!
Professional photo of a family with a sad little boy in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

When this happens, we don't give up! We try lots of things until we finally find something that is fun for your child. Yay!
Professional photo of a family holding hands by a blooming tree in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

There is always something.
Professional photo of a family holding hands by a blooming tree in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

It may not be what you expect - maybe you didn't plan on hanging out in the farm area while your baby throws pieces of mulch, but seeing the joy in these photos is worth it! Professional photo of a happy baby in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

My funniest moment - it tickled my funny bone that he got super mad while looking at the model trains. He usually gets to play with trains, and here are these awesome trains that he is not allowed to climb in and get! I see his point. Professional photo of a happy couple in the Botanic Gardens in Albuquerque

And you know when you're all done when, while taking one minute for this portrait of Mom and Dad, the baby looks like this:
Professional photo of a baby crying because he was tired of photography

If you have a two year old, and you're considering a photo session but you're at all concerned at how it might go with him or her, I'd love to talk with you about it.You can call or email me and we can chat! I also have a page with lots of tips on how to get the best possible results from your photo session here.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Creative kids photography

Last year I set a goal for myself to take more creative pictures of my own kids. (And also to just take more pictures of my kids, just in general.) I think I started out pretty well, and then I got busy and distracted and let it fall by the wayside. So - I am really going to try again this year!

My kids have lots of ideas. And I have lots of ideas. The trick is getting our ideas to align. :) But here we go, my youngest, who I believe yesterday was a baby, and today loves soccer and dressing in her own eccentric style. She had to actually finish her homework, in a reasonable amount of time, to take these pictures with me. I love that getting a fun picture is incentive for her to actually do her work and not just sit around with pencil in hand while moaning about the dog being too stinky.
Professional creative photo of a little girl balancing on a chair


This is one we did get to last year. One of our family's favorite places is the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. I don't know how many times we've gone there, but it's a lot. Combine that with a love for "Night at the Museum" and we came up with this. (This is the T-rex skeleton from the museum.)
 Professional creative photo three children running from a dinosaur skeleton that came to life

Last summer we spent some time in the mountains in Colorado at the perfect time for wildflowers. One morning we even got butterflies to land on our fingers (it was a little chilly). That inspired this picture.
Professional creative photo of a girl dressed as a fairy sitting on a flower with butterfly wings

This might be my favorite. It's also from last year - something that I'd had in mind for awhile and my son was so happy to help. First of all - we have a BIG lego fan. Then, he got to pour legos out everywhere in the living room. He told me "Mom, this is the first time you've ever TOLD me to make a mess!" He is not as enthusiastic to cooperate with creative photography as the girls are so I love when I can find something he's excited about. We call this one "Don't Vacuum up the Legos."
Professional creative photo of a little boy vacuuming up legos

Also important to my children is St. Patrick's Day. It is one of their favorite holidays. Why? Because they are intensely motivated to catch leprechauns. My older two have graduated to just being in it for the chocolate coins, but my youngest is still a true believer.

I may need to explain this trap. She had this idea that we'd make a fake leprechaun, put it in a trap, and when the real leprechaun went in to hug the pretend guy, the trap would close. Ha! Gotcha. So the girls had a fun time acting out what would probably happen when the leprechauns saw her trap for this picture.
Professional creative photo of two girls getting caught in a leprechaun trap

If you like the idea of creative photography, which obviously sometimes involves photoshop, I'd love to talk with you about a fun session for your kids. It's a fantastic way to celebrate their imaginations! You can give me a call or email.

You can see some other examples of creative children's photography here. You can also sign up for my newsletter if you'd like to know what specials I have planned or what's coming next.