An In-Home Family Portrait Session

Some of the happiest times a family will experience together are when babies come into this world. I’m fortunate to live in my hometown, which allows me to be near much of my extended family. This means when it’s time to celebrate the holidays, milestones like graduations, and the arrival of new family members, I’m able to document those moments with my camera.

Documenting memories for my own family was how I began my photography journey. Although I don’t take my camera to every single gathering, I almost always have batteries charged and ready to go. The day my newest cousin, Henry, made his entrance into this world, I headed down to the hospital with the rest of my family, camera in tow. There is something so special about gathering to welcome new life into this world. And we had a bit of a wait for Henry!

The wait at the hospital always seems long until that moment comes when you get the news that the baby has arrived. Then, it suddenly seems as if you haven’t been there that long. Everyone gets lost in the excitement of seeing the baby for the first time. With Henry, we were all taken with his cubby cheeks and his head full of hair! It was all we could talk about while I documented the moments of everyone meeting him for the first time.

I don’t often photograph newborns, but I of course fit a lifestyle family session for my sweet cousin into my summer schedule. Thankfully, Henry didn’t arrive during busy wedding season! I love photographing newborn family sessions in the home because that makes them so personal. Henry’s parents put together the sweetest nursery for him! Check out their maternity session post for those details!

I told Alex and Taylor (Henry’s parents and also my cousin and cousin-in-law), not to stress if Henry didn’t sleep well during his session. This is the beauty of lifestyle portraits! They’re less about squishy poses and more about relaxed photos. Well, to my surprise, Henry slept so well through the entire session that we were able to get plenty of family shots and a few lightly posed portraits. I just can’t stop smiling when I look at these photos. Little Henry has certainly brought a lot of joy to his whole family! Enjoy this preview of his first official portrait session!

Alex and Taylor’s first “baby” was their fur baby, Bear. Bear wasn’t at our shoot, but I love this sweet little toy that looks so much like the real-life Bear. I just know that Bear and Henry are going to be besties. I look forward to when Henry is old enough for a portrait with him!

This is Henry just getting comfortable. He was in a deep sleep most of the shoot, but at one point he curled up in this pose on his own and I just loved capturing his expression!

Taylor plans to take monthly photos in this rocker, so we made sure to use it for a few photos.

Henry says this photo thing his hard work! Is there anything sweeter than a newborn yawn?!

Of course I had to grab a photo with Henry at the end of the shoot!

Even after all the photos, he was still fast asleep!

A Washington Square Park Engagement

Proposal stories are my favorite and Noah and Cassidy have a good one! Noah carefully planned a hike during a camping trip to Cheaha State Park. He made sure that he and Cassidy wore their best hiking outfits for the excursion, packed a camera, and timed everything with the sunset. I love that Noah set multiple alarms reminding them to depart on time so that they wouldn’t miss the sunset moment.

Cassidy and Noah were camping with friends, so everyone made the trek up to the outlook together. All their friends were in on the surprise, but no one gave it away. Cassidy says she didn’t suspect a thing! They ended up arriving at the outlook well ahead of sunset. Noah waited until the lighting was just right. As the sun dipped closer to the horizon, he suggested to Cassidy that they take a photo together.

As soon as they had their picture together, Cassidy turned to her friends and suggested a group photo. When she turned back to look at Noah, he dropped down to one knee, pulled out the ring and asked her to spend the rest of her life as his wife! Cassidy was so surprised that she was speechless. She nodded a yes before she was finally able to exclaim, “of course!”

Y’all, I seriously get so much joy out of hearing stories like this! Also, I think I have the most thoughtful and creative grooms around. When it comes to proposals, they know how to do things right! I knew that I was going to love spending time with Cassidy and Noah at their engagement session based on their proposal story alone! They are just the sweetest couple!

For this session we decided to go to Washington Square park. I shoot in this park often for weddings, but I haven’t been here in a while for an engagement session. I loved utilizing both the park and the surrounding neighborhood for this session. It let us get multiple backgrounds in one shoot! Enjoy my favorites from this summer engagement session!

Don’t mind us…we’re just taking a few pictures right by this house because it’s cute and the light is good in this spot!

About 60 seconds into the shoot I started to feel like I was photographing professional models. Seriously, these two were so at ease in front of the camera!

One of my favorites from the shoot!

View more engagement sessions here!

A Spring Hill College Family Portrait Session

It has been a crazy busy summer around here! I took a two week break from blogging to refuel my creative energy after a busy spring/summer wedding season. I love putting together my weekly posts, but it was time to rest and recharge.

After a two week break from the blog, I found myself missing the time spent writing. I am excited to get back in the swing of things this week! While all was quiet on the blog, I was out shooting quite a bit. If you’ve followed my stories on Instagram, you’ve seen a sneak peek of what I’ve been up to. If you’ve not been following on social media, I promise to share some posts in the near future about those projects!

Today I’m excited to share a preview of the session I had last week with the Swain family. Roberta initially contacted me for senior portraits for her second eldest daughter, Brooke. When we were emailing about the session, she asked if it was possible to get photos of her other daughters taken at the same time. We ended up settling on a session that was a combo of family portraits, and some solo shots of Brooke to celebrate her high school graduation.

I absolutely adore senior portraits and I especially love photographing close-knit families. This session gave me the opportunity to do both! Once we’d completed all the family photos, I took Brooke aside to focus on some solo portraits of her. Roberta told me before the session that her daughters weren’t super into having their portraits taken, but they were total naturals in front of the camera and I think by the end of our time together they just might like photos a bit more than they did before. 🙂 I had so much fun working with this sweet family and it turns out that we have many mutual acquaintances. It was another small-world Mobile, AL moment!

These four sisters were such a JOY to photograph! They’re beautiful ladies inside and out!

Brooke is only a couple weeks away from heading off to college. As much as I love photographing a senior at the beginning of their senior year of high school, there’s something extra special about doing the photos right before they leave for college. It’s sort of the last hurrah and the anticipation of starting that first semester of college is something you never forget. I could tell Brooke is so excited to begin this new chapter!

View more senior portrait sessions here and more family sessions here!

 

A Downtown Mobile Cathedral Wedding

Two words come to mind when I think of Elizabeth’s bridal style – Audrey Hepburn. Everything about this day was classic. When she paused at the window of the bridal suite, on our way to meet Jeff for their first look, I knew that it was going to be a pretty amazing day portrait-wise. Elizabeth’s dress was STUNNING and she was radiating happiness! When Jeff saw his bride for the first time, the first word out of his mouth was “WOW!” You could tell she totally took his breath away.

July weddings are a bit of a gamble in Mobile. At the start of this day, we were prepared to avoid the heat and stay inside for portraits. Fortunately, the rain showers that passed over downtown the morning of the wedding, made it tolerable to shoot almost all bride and groom portraits outside. Let me tell you, the balcony at The Battle House is a DREAM! I love that it gives us a private spot for portraits and captures the feel of our small city. I also love that the breeze that always seems prevalent in this spot is perfect for lifting a lightweight veil!

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception will always be one of my favorite churches. I was smitten from the first wedding I attended at this church as a young girl. Every time I hear the music announcing the bride’s procession and hear the creaking of the massive wood doors opening, I hold my breath because it’s just that beautiful. Watching a bride walk down that long aisle on her father’s arm is so special!

Elizabeth and Jeff were only the second couple to have their wedding reception at Crown Hall. This new event space in Mobile is perfect for a bride who wants to have dinner and dancing all in one big space. I loved the neutral tones of the venue. It has such a sleek look, while still embracing a touch of old. This building was formerly the old Red Cross building. I am amazed with how it has been transformed! Crown Hall’s owner, Sarah Clarke, also owns Bay Gourmet Catering, so they definitely know a thing or two about events!

I had the best time working with Elizabeth in the months leading up to her big day. One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is getting to know my brides. They (along with their grooms!) are truly what make my job a JOY! Enjoy my favorites from my last wedding of the summer season. I can’t wait to share more beautiful wedding days with y’all this fall!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Jacob Bennett

Photographer’s Assistant | Toni Goodie

Planning | Lydia Noble Events, Jenny Klein

Getting Ready Location | The Battle House Hotel – Mobile, AL

Ceremony Location | Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Reception Location | Crown Hall

Catering | Bay Gourmet

Florals | Belle Bouquet

Cake | Pollman’s Bake Shop

Band | Shimmer Band

Rentals | Port City Rentals

Hair & Makeup | Jillian Jenson Holt

Transportation | Gulf Coast Tours

Invitations, Save the Dates & Koozies | Soiree Signatures

Bride’s Gown | The White Magnolia – Atlanta, GA

Bridesmaid Dresses | Bridals by Lori – Bill Levkoff, Designer

Groom & Groomsmen Attire | Men’s Wearhouse

 

 

A Midtown Mobile Maternity Session

Wedding days are day one of a new life together. They’re day one of a new family. When a bride and groom walk down the aisle at the end of their ceremony, they are walking into their future life together. I always love witnessing this moment and capturing it forever with my camera.

I remember Alex and Taylor’s wedding like it was yesterday. It was a hot, but beautiful, June day. I was so excited to get to photograph my cousin and his wife-to-be as a bride and groom! Since I was the second photographer at their wedding, I’ve never shared any of the images here on the blog, but I definitely need to dig into my archives and pull out my favorites sometime in the near future!

You know how they say that a woman glows when she’s expecting? Well, Taylor definitely has the mommy-to-be glow! In fact, I suspected she was pregnant shortly before she announced the news to our extended family. There was just something that seemed different about her, an extra bit of joy in her already cheerful nature. And she still had that glow the day of this maternity session!

Taylor has such a great eye for decorating and I absolutely adore the nursery that she and Alex have put together for their little one. We decided to do their maternity portraits at their home. I loved shooting in the nursery and was equally excited that their neighborhood has plenty of beautiful trees and shrubs. I found one spot where the light was so dreamy that we stayed there for most of the outside photos. I always say that background is secondary to good light and it’s SO true! Be sure to scroll down to see the dreamy, golden light!

Taylor asked if we could include these books by Jimmy Fallon in their portraits. I thought it was such a cute idea! They’re definitely in preparation mode!

Can we talk about how sweet the name Henry is?! Paired with the middle name, Wallace, it sounds positively regal!

See Alex & Taylor’s Gender Reveal!

View more portraits sessions!