Shooting Star Photography

Sweet Aiden is now a year old! It’s hard to believe this time last year he looked like this -

And now he’s such a big boy!

Happy Birthday, Aiden!

I love seeing tiny newborn babies grow into toddlers that walk, laugh, clap and talk! It’s amazing how totally dependent infants can become little people so quick. Remember Reese’s newborn session from last August?

Since then, her parents have moved to Mississippi, but I’m fortunate enough that they wanted to come back to visit for Reese’s 1 year old session!

I said at Reese’s newborn session how strong she was and how I’d never seen a baby hold their head up like that at 1 week old. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when her parents told me she’d been walking (er, running) for a couple of months. Reese was also one of the happiest and most expressive 1 year olds I have ever seen.  Besides the heat, Reese made this session a breeze with her big smiles and adorable disposition!

It was great to see you guys, and Reese is absolutely amazing and so gorgeous! Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Look how she’s leaning her head into her Daddy. It doesn’t get any sweeter than this!

Three generations of beautiful girls!

It has been 11 days since Davis’ birth, and he was so excited about his first real photo shoot, that he thought it would be more fun to stay awake for most of our session! His mommy emailed me later to tell me that he had been cashed out for the entire afternoon after I left. I think he likes me :).

Check out this eye contact -

Eventually, he drifted off. So dreamy…

Is this not the best face? Don’t you want to know what he was dreaming of?

Of course we had to get big sister, Sally, in on the fun! For the most part, she’s been ignoring the newest family member. But there were a few sweet moments, and some funny ones too!

Congratulations “M” family! I look forward to watching Davis grow over the next year!

When this family asked me to photograph the birth of their second child, a son, I jumped on the chance! I wouldn’t have missed it, because over the past 15 months, you see, I’ve become part of their family :).

It started with the birth of their first child, Sally, which I photographed back in April of 2009, and then I documented her from a newborn, every 3 months, until her first birthday.  Unlike Sally who was born at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning, baby brother Davis’s birth was induced and we were able to easily plan around it.

The scheduling wasn’t the only easy thing about this labor and delivery. Apparently a woman’s body remembers how to give birth the second time around, and it was a much easier and shorter process for the birth of Davis.  After arriving at the hospital at 6 a.m., the doctor broke the mother’s water, she got the epidural and pitocin mid morning, and by 10 a.m. she was 5 cm dilated. By Noon, she was complete, and after one “practice” push with the nurse, the doctor came in to deliver the baby on the next contraction.  He is a beautiful baby with a head full of dark hair! Congratulations M family on your latest member and thanks for allowing me to be part of such a special day!

Here is the slideshow - enjoy!

The birth of Davis

These parents waited, prayed, and went through so much to have this little blessing in their lives! Now that he’s here, they are enjoying him so much and giving him more love than you can possibly imagine.  I think you can see how much they adore him by the way they look at him, and how they just soak him in.

It was so much fun to photograph this sweet boy with his mommy and daddy! He was all smiles and such a trooper… even in this crazy heat wave we’ve had! Check out these cheeks and smiley eyes -

For the past 3 years, I have held Holiday mini sessions, and they are always a big hit! In fact, last year, I didn’t get a chance to announce them because they booked up in just a day or so from word-of-mouth! They are always a fun time and a great value for my clients. I LOVE getting a holiday card back from them too (hint, hint)!

I’ve already had quite a few requests, so I thought I’d go ahead publish the details! I know it’s not even July yet, but it’s never too early to plan, right?

I will be doing 2 days of Holiday mini sessions -

• Atlanta - Saturday, October 23rd
• Birmingham - Saturday, October 30th

What is included:

• 30 minute mini session
• 25 press printed holiday cards (for 50 cards, add $25)*
• 10-15 digital files with print release
• $225

Half of the session fee reserves your spot! The other half is due at the time of the session.

I will also be offering 1 day of Santa mini sessions -

• Birmingham - Sunday, November 7th

What is included:

• 15 minute mini session with THE REAL Santa
• 5-10 proofs
• 1 digital holiday card file (flat 5×7 card, which you can print yourself)
• digital files with print release
• $75

Half of the session fee reserves your spot! The other half is due at the time of the session.

*Wanna see my holiday card collection from last year? I will be adding a few sets for this year!

Ms. L turned 2 last month and we had a fun session today that ended with a tea party (which my daughter crashed!).

I can’t believe how much this sweet little girl has grown in the past year! She’s talking up a storm now too and she’s hilarious!

Usually when I photograph larger families (anything more than 1 child is large to me!) where the kids are close in age, I notice that the kids don’t always get along well and they often don’t even want to be close to their siblings, much less pretend they like them. But not this family. These three kids, ages 5, 4, and 2, were PERFECT and so loving and kind to one another. I was pleasantly surprised.  It was probably surprising to me because their youngest child is the same age as my only child, and I couldn’t imagine her behaving this well for a photoshoot :).  It made this session even more fun for me. Their parents should be very proud!

I will be at the beach in the Seaside, Rosemary Beach area (along 30-A) from July 10-16th and I am going to open up my schedule for a few beach sessions while I’m there. If you will be anywhere from Panama City Beach to Destin and are interested in a sunset or sunrise beach session, email me!

Sessions will be $325 and include the session and 12-15 proofs with digital files.  I will only be accepting 3-4 of these sessions, so contact me soon if you are interested!