"GASP!"

I feel like every post that I write has the sentence "and this was my favorite moment yet!" tucked inside it somewhere....but I just had another one of those at my last photo shoot. Taking pictures of newborns has always been something that I struggle with - I mean, I love my kids and they love me, but other people's kids and I just, well...we didn't click. Between my constant ice cold hands and the lack of milk I had to offer them, it just never seemed to go super well. Once I started doing lifestyle newborn shoots, it became something different - it became less of capturing that specific child in some sort of costume, and more about photographing the life surrounding a new child entering a family. There is much more to be said about that, right? If you've had kids, you probably remember that "Oh crap..." (or maybe a more colorful word) moment when you bring the baby home from the hospital and you realize....this person is here to stay. For me it was a very frightening thought. Followed by many sleepless nights, a lot of anxiety and for Pete's sake, figuring out how to put that freaking car seat in the car without worrying that your child is going to fly out at the next red light.

But outside of that, you spend those first few days, weeks and months, marveling at this little human being that is, and forever will be, a part of you. Their little fingers, their little toes, their smile, their snuggle. You fall in love with this little person and that is just the beginning.

What I love about these photo shoots, is that I can capture all of that. I love seeing how they respond to their parents. I love seeing how comfortable they are, all snuggled up. They feel safe and I think, somehow they know that they are loved. I often wish I knew that same innocence again, that peace...and if we're being honest, I wish I knew that if I cried, someone would feed me immediately. But when it comes to photography, I absolutely love love LOVE giving my clients images that they will cherish. At my last photo shoot, I was showing my client a couple shots on the back of my camera, and when I pulled one up, there was an audible "GASP!" That was the best moment EVER. (I know I'll probably say that again at some point, but oh well.) There is nothing that makes a photographer's heart soar more than a strong, positive reaction to their images - especially ones that haven't been post-processed yet! This job never gets old. These moments, and all the others, is why I do what I do. To be able to not only give people "pictures" but to hand over memories, is the reason I love this job.