baby tate • newborn

There is nothing quite like a brand new baby. Seeing little Tate reminded me just how incredible it is to see those tiny fingers and toes...clearly a miracle created by God! Sweet Tate did not feel like napping during his session, despite his mother and grandmother's best efforts :), but I think it may be a sign of what his personality will be like- there was too much action going on! And he loooooved to be held close by his family. That's a wonderful thing. 

I also enjoyed photographing big brother, Timothy, who is the sweetest kid and sure to be an awesome big brother.  

Enjoy these images! 

baby berklee • newborn • lubbock, tx

I got to photograph Berklee at 6 days old- and she was such a tiny little treasure! After photographing her big sis, Anslee, when she was brand new, I was super excited to meet the new addition to the family. She is just as sweet! 

We shot a similar image of Anslee- so now here is Berklee's!

Their bathroom had some amazing light- so that is where we ended up. Berklee is actually in the bathtub! Haha!

baby jake • newborn • lubbock, tx

It seems like my life has been filled with so many precious newborns lately, and I'm not complaining! I was so excited to meet baby Jake and see his family again- I met them at David + Taylor's wedding last April. I typically like to shoot newborns inside their nursery, but since the Mullins family lives out of town, we got to do an on-location session which was equally as fun. The weather was suprisingly nice, and baby Jake and his big brother Cooper did such a great job. Check out this gorgeous family!

whitaker thomas • newborn • lubbock, tx

Introducing Mr. Whitaker Thomas, or Whit! This little guy was welcomed home just last week after spending some time in the NICU at the hospital. Thankfully, he is perfectly healthy and his parents are so glad to be at home with him. Whit was such a trooper through his whole shoot, and you can already tell he has the sweetest personality. Matt + Brooke's home is beautifully decorated, so there was no lack of places to shoot. I'm inspired to re-do my bedroom now! 

Notice the "I Love You" symbol? He's a genius. :)

This is Paisley. She was so patient and careful with little Whit.

Towards the end of our shoot, he was just plum tuckered out- so much that he hardly noticed being moved at all!

we got shot! • things i learned from the other side of the camera

I've been a bad blogger lately, and I'm sorry for that. Hopefully the posts I have planned will make up for that!

The past couple of weeks I have been lamenting the fact that as long as I am the one photographing my little one, I won't have any pictures of myself with Knox while he is so tiny. I'm pretty sure I asked Shawn about doing a family photoshoot 3 times in one day- the problem is, we are still pretty busy people! Finding the time for a shoot was becoming a difficult task...and all the while he was growing bigger! 

Then one day last week, Lauren Clark posted about having a mini-session open up while she was here in Lubbock. I thought, "Perfect! Let's do it!" Sadly, since it was so last minute, Shawn had to be at work- but his time in front of the camera with us will come, for sure. Frequently. For the rest of his life. (Sorry honey, you did marry a photographer. Love you!)

Thankfully, Lauren squeezed us in and captured some beautiful pictures for us. Here are a couple of my favorites:

During my short stint in front of the camera, I learned a few things that made me very appreciative of my clients and for professional photographers. Here they are:

1. The hardest part is getting there.

I used to pride myself on being able to travel well. Now, with a baby, things are a little bit more complicated. We have so much stuff (and backup stuff)...thankfully Knox is a pretty chilled out little guy. The day of our shoot, I had a meeting with a bride, which ended in plenty of time for me to get home and get ready for the photoshoot. Little did I realize that I had locked myself out of my house! My Mom and sister, who had been looking after Knox, weren't far away, so I just had to wait. Then, when we finally got to our meeting place, Mr. Knox made a HUGE poopy. I was super lucky that it didn't get on his white onesie- although it did get all over everything else, including me! (The fact that I was wearing a yellow shirt was a convenient coincidence, if you know what I'm saying.) I have a new respect for my clients who arrive on time- especially for those with little ones.

2. It's about the people.

 As a professional photographer, I see a LOT of pictures. I take a lot of pictures. I think about a lot of pictures when I'm not looking at them or taking them. And it can all lead to a bit of image-overload. There are times when the picture can become more important than the person. And let's face it- the whole reason I am a photographer at all- or have a business at all- is the people. Photographing a 2 month old is not an easy job- Knox couldn't hold his head up and is just now beginning to crack a smile every now and then. I still have my baby weight and I'm not sure if I combed my hair before we got there- but when it comes right down to it- these are pictures of us, and just to have some documentation of us-right-here-and-now is priceless. The day that I care more about the picture than the people is the day I'll know I'm ready to quit. Because, after all- that's what it's all about!

3. Put yourself in good hands.

I knew this before, but I was reminded once again- hiring a professional photographer is totally worth it. Shooting with Lauren was easy, relaxed, and fun! It felt SO GOOD to just trust someone else with the picture-taking for once, and I'm sure I'll be doing it more and more as our family grows. When Knox was born, I figured I'd just capture him through my own lens (which has happened)- but far less frequently than I'd hoped. I didn't make a point to have a professional come over in the first week of his life to capture his tiny newness- instead, I left it up to myself- and I was not only tired, my creative juices just weren't running. From this point on, I'll be making an effort to have our family photographed frequently. It's such a fun experience, and the images that come of it are priceless to me. So, although you'd expect me to say it, GET YOUR FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED BY A PROFESSIONAL. 

Click HERE to see Lauren's blog post about our mini-shoot!

baby atlynn • newborn • borger, tx

Meet baby Atlynn! She was the most perfect little girl her entire photoshoot- I don't think she made a peep the whole time! Here are a few of my favorites from her newborn session:

P.S. I have to give a shout-out to Atlynn's aunt Shanna- who helped me out at the photoshoot, aunt Amanda- who made her adorable black and white dress, and friend Lindsey- who made the flower headband. I have some awesome friends!