Lightning Round 2, Baby Edition! {WNY Portrait Photographer}

 I am one very lucky girl, not only am I fortunate enough to spend my work days surrounded by wonderful and unique families but I also get to meet brand new, snuggly, perfect newborns. And here's 7 of them Born between November 2nd and January 3rd. Aren't they just beautiful? (And out of order. Sorry families!)

 Adeline is one of the most alert newborns I have ever met, but oh so sweet. Her parents and big sister welcomed her into the world on Dec 2nd and couldn't have been happier to meet her. We shot in home because she was born via c-section and we got to spend a lot of time getting to know each other as I tried to talk her in to taking a nap. My favorite shot of her is of her laying on her parent's bed once she did finally drift off. It just looks ideal. Addie is one of my Watch Me Grow babies and I love getting to document them as they hit different milestones!

 Emma is one of the most cuddly babies I've ever met, and definitely the biggest! She came in to the world, quickly, weighing in at 9 lbs, 9 ozs about two weeks early. Her parents are beyond in love with her and they make a sweet little family. While I worked to photograph Emma, she gave one of the cutest smiles and was just the easiest girl to work on.

 Oh Gia! Look at all of that hair!!! Gia is actually the youngest of the bunch, born just after the new year began. She was born later than expected and the smallest of the bunch. After shooting her family's portraits last spring, and mommy's maternity session in October, I knew I was going to just fall in love with this sweet girl. Since she came in with mom and Grandma, I made sure to get a picture of the three of them. Of course, because of all the hair, I also sent them home with headbands after making sure to get a detail shot of that downy soft hair. Really hoping she doesn't lose it all before the next family portrait!

 Jaxson was hands down, the easiest newborn I have ever worked with! I don't think I've ever had such an easy time shooting as many different poses in such a short period of time. I'm pretty sure he didn't take one break, he was so cozy! Because he was comfortable, we were able to photograph him with his parents wedding rings, a gifted blanket, his hat that was made for him, some sweet booties and some fun stuff from the studio. It was a great session and I hope to see him again in the future!

 Oliver was the oldest of my newborns, making him a little more fussy. We met when he was a month old for a session at home, right after Addi's. When photographing newborns, patience is the biggest virtue a photographer can have, right there with talent and skill. It took just over an hour to get his mama's requested portrait with him, but it was soo worth it to get those beautiful, calm eyes with his mother's stunning smile.
 He was such a hungry little guy that I think we spent more downtime getting to know everyone while he nursed than shooting, so I invited him with his mom and sisters back to my studio for some more shots the following week. Again, worth it!
 Also, it's important to be able to laugh at the ridiculous during newborn sessions. Oli peed on himself while we were getting his last in home shot of him cradled in mom and dad's hands and pooped all over his poor mama while we were working on their portrait together. I know some parents have become embarrassed in studio by these things, but it's natural and can happen at times that make it almost comical. Dads get the horrified look and moms apologize, but it happens almost every single time. I just laugh it off- poop happens!

 Peyton surprised us all by arriving about 6 weeks early so we met when she was about a month old. She was another cozy baby who I couldn't get enough of. I almost didn't get that beautiful smile though as it happened just as I was turning to adjust a light. The only time she wasn't thrilled to be touched and prodded was during her portrait in the main studio room with her big sister, she was just too comfortable in her bed of blankets in the newborn room. She was back in a week later for holiday portraits and I'm excited about tomorrow since it's time for her 4 month session as part of her Watch Me Grow package!

 Would you just look at the beautiful lips on Sophia Lorianna? Her family was given a gift certificate as a birth gift by one of my regular families and I was just smitten from the moment she came in the door! Another super easy to work with baby who loved to be cuddled- I was on cloud 9. Some of my preferred vendors had recently sent me some wonderful newborn items before I met Sophia and because she was so easy to work with I was able to knock a lot of the shots out for them. She's another one of my Watch Me Grow babies and I am so excited about what the rest of her first year will bring us!

Let's Play Catch Up, the 2011 Holiday Lightning Round {WNY Portrait Photographer}

First off, all of these fabulous kids and families deserve their own special Blog post, but with my recent burst of business I fear it would be June before I caught up. Twice I had every good intention of being caught up with all night Blogathons but there are only so many hours and so very many sessions to catch up on. This is about half of my remaining 2011 sessions to post. I hope you enjoy them all just as much as I enjoyed spending time with and photographing my clients.

 This is Dylan and he is an awesome kid. He still tells his mama how beautiful she is and that he loves her, though giggling through it in front of strangers. He's a handsome dude who told me all bout his martial arts class and what he likes about it.

 These are the G kids, and each is as unique and wonderful as they appear. Mom, Jill, had a couple of shots in mind before meeting up with me for our holiday session and I think we caught exactly what she was going for. Your children are just lovely Jill!

 One of my favorite babies, Grayson, turned 6 months old just in time for the holidays. He made the perfect little Santa and has one of the greatest baby boy smiles you could ask for. It's almost time for your 9 month session, Grayson!

 I don't adore many sets of siblings the way I adore the H girls. They are, by far, some of the prettiest girls and also some of the sweetest. I've photographed them a million times already and would love to do it a million more! Their parents are pretty spectacular too. ;)

 Like Grayson, Jaxson came in for his 6 month session and holiday portraits. He played with his beautiful mama, Kristin, and sat with one of his dad's ornaments from when he was a little boy. He is an amazing baby, just an all around sweetheart.

  I've photographed Nate and Maddie on a couple of occasions, and it was so nice to get to finally meet and shoot the whole M family! They are a fun family who have a lot of fun, Maddy is the typical girly girl (she modeled a headband while visiting my studio and got to take it home with her) and Nate is your typical, mischievous boy. I'm always excited for sessions with these two.

 Oh my! The K boys are just perfect! Perfect manners, good looks and the right amount of curiosity and enthusiasm. Mom, Kara, joined in the action at the end of the session while the boys looked over their Polar Express book. Isn't she gorgeous? They also won a contest I had in December and are picking up an Organic Bloom framed 16x20 when they come in for a session Monday. I can't wait to see them in the ties we have for them!

 The other M family wanted to shoot outdoors like their 2010 holiday portraits, so we headed to Ellicott Creek Park. It was shocking to see how big their youngest has gotten and their two oldest are maturing. Always wonderful to spend time with, I had a blast chatting with them as we worked on their early day session.

 Naomi's mom brought her in for her second birthday and holiday portraits. She is a sweet, quiet little girl with the prettiest blonde ringlets. She had fun playing with the toys I keep in my studio and riding the rocking horses. Her mom's favorite picture was the last one because it looks like she's praying to her.

 Neven had his 3 month holiday portraits to look forward to and he was the cutest thing ever with his little tongue sticking out and joyful smiles for everyone. Because of a case of the cranks, we split his session in to a 2 parter so we could get everything his wonderful parents wanted. I just swoon for that sweet little face!

 Riley's mom, Myndi, first brought him in for his holiday portrait session and then she won a 3 pack of portrait sessions when she was nominated for Giving is Awesome. So, we took his second session outdoors for a wintry set and a couple of snowball fights. He is one of the coolest kids I know, and he has an absolutely infectious laugh.

 What's not to love about this beautiful family? I see the S sisters and their mama, Melissa, almost every month and finally got to meet dad, Paul, for their holiday session. I love how playful the girls were with their parents and how Olivia blossomed in front of my camers. This was a super successful session as far as smiles go! For the hundredth time, thank you to the S family for choosing me to be your photographer!

 This isn't a real family, it's a bunch of actors and models I hired. Just kidding! Holy smokes though, is this a great looking family or what?! The other S family wanted something a little more elegant for their family's holiday session so we took it to the history museum and Japanese garden. They were funny, kind, easy to work with and would you just look at them! I kind of want to hire them to be my stunt family.

 Funny thing, after their session I got stranded at the museum waiting for the fella to pick me up. Our car broke down a half hour away and after an hour I decided to call a cab. It was great to just enjoy the gardens though while I waited and I hope to do many more sessions there this year.

 The Z boys are some of the funniest kids I have ever met! That sense of humor will come in handy come April when they welcome a new sister to the family! So many kids get bored of having to smile on command, so I took a rather, um... unique approach with getting those genuine giggles and grins from them. I'm sure their parents wondered why I was telling fart jokes with them, but they were happy with the results so I was more than happy to embarrass myself. I can't wait to see everyone again in a couple of months!

 And that's it for this Lightning Round! Next will be babies, babies, babies!