Films are memories in motion. Preserve the sweetness and beauty in your life.
Documenting our lives in this exact phase, complete with sound and movement, film is the perfect addition for those of us who realize how wonderful these days truly are.
I'm so thrilled to now offer newborn and family films, along with my photography, to help you hold onto this fleeting time for a lifetime.
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I still remember my first visit to the Clickin’ Moms website.
It was four years ago, just after I finished my very first DSLR photography course.
I had learned all about the exposure triangle, and I was intent on using my Nikon – in manual mode! – to take a photo of my boys for our Christmas card.
The only problem was, I couldn’t figure out how to get all three of them in focus AND get the blurry background I wanted.
As I searched through the tutorials, finding the exact one to help me, I couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous photographs that filled the Clickin’ Moms website or that each article was written by women who were practicing professional photographers – Click Pros.
I remember sitting cross-legged on my living room couch that evening, and thinking, I cannot imagine ever being on their level.
Read MoreThere are so many similarities between a documentary family photo session and a maternity one, especially when a family already has a child (or two, as Kaytee and Jason do!), but that's exactly what makes them so special.
A baby isn't born in a bubble. He's born into a family - and that family shapes who he is and who he becomes. When your family celebrates this stage of life in photos, it's truly a gift for everyone involved.
Whether it's your first or your third, giving your child the ability to look back in time and see how he was a part of your family's life from the very beginning is something he will always treasure.
Read MoreGet the emotional goodness of a family session when you sign up for my FREE Find the Beauty in your Every Day: 7 Day Challenge.
Read MoreSometimes we hold off on a newborn photo session because we tell ourselves, "We didn't get professional photos of our first baby...and we don't want our oldest to feel left out."
I know I felt that way with our second, but like Kaytee, thankfully, I was over that guilt trip by my third.
This newborn time is so short and so sweet, and it deserves to be documented in beautiful photographs.
And that guilt trip - besides being a complete figment of our imagination - just doesn't stand up next to documentary newborn photography.
Read MoreI headed back to Amanda's home when Baby Joshua was 2 weeks old for his newborn photo session. In the short time since his Fresh 48 Session, he had already grown so much, and was even more alert, which was so fun to see.
One of the wonderful benefits of in-home lifestyle newborn photo sessions is that your baby is free to be himself - awake or asleep, nursing or crying, in your arms or wrapped up tight.
There's no pressure to put your baby to sleep (and make sure he stays that way).
There are no rules to follow.
It's just you and your baby, exactly as you are, making memories you want to keep forever.
Read MoreAmanda welcomed Baby Joshua in the early morning hours at Dar a Luz Birthing Center. Just a few short hours after he entered the world, he was able to come home with his family.
(I don't know about you, but that sounds heavenly to me!)
So instead of the traditional hospital setting that marks most Fresh 48 Sessions, I photographed a glimpse of Joshua's first few sweet hours and his brand-new, newborn features in the comfort of his parents' bedroom, right after his dad got home from work.
Joshua was incredibly alert. He would gaze at his mama - and even into the camera - with such intensity, it took my breath away.
Read MoreWith Baby Huck being their seventh baby, Krystal and Gabe know very well how quickly the newborn stage passes, and what a treasure this time is.
When we met, Krystal explained exactly why a documentary-style newborn session appealed to her. Instead of the stress of trying to convince her children to sit still, look at the camera, and smile at the exact same time, they could all relax and enjoy their photo session. In being themselves, they could capture the honest connections between each other and their beautiful baby boy - the moments she holds most dear.
Read MoreMy husband has a lot of wonderful qualities that make him a great provider for our family.
He’s practical.
He’s a saver.
He researches major purchases for months before investing.
And I can tell you for certain, he’s not hopping on any bandwagon, just for the ride.
It makes total sense that he’d think, “Hey! I love my wife’s photography! She should do all of our photos! We can save money by using her skills, and she’ll have photos in a style she knows she loves!”
The problem with that line of thinking circles back to one fact.
I’m missing from our family photos.
Read MoreI fell in love with Family Films from the first time I saw one, and I knew I had to learn how to create them.
I know that the movement and sound captured in these videos will take our hearts back in time in a way that's totally different from photos, and just as valuable.
Long after our boys are grown, we'll have their little voices, their foot steps, their hobbies, and their giggles in this time capsule.
Read MoreWhen I think of the ways I love my family every day…
From making meals to reading stories,
From kissing away boo-boos to listening to hopes and dreams,
From dancing and singing to hugging and cuddling,
It breaks my heart to think, if I don’t make an effort to get in the frame, one day, the details of those memories will fade away – both for me and for my children.
Megan understands how important it is to have her family’s real life documented – and to be IN her family’s collective memory in photographs.
Read MoreIf you’ve visited my website in the past month, you’ve probably noticed a few changes in my logo and website design.
By first glance, I know it seems like a fairly simple logo - a classic font, paired with an olive branch – but like most things, the significance is in the details.
Read MoreOur family has made great use of our membership to the ABQ BioPark over the past year. We love the Gardens and the Aquarium, but the Zoo is at the top of our kids' list, for sure.
Between their favorite exhibit (the sea lions!), the ever-present peacocks, and the Carousel, I'm thankful our boys will have photos of the way they enjoyed their very favorite parts of the Albuquerque Zoo this summer.
Read MoreThere's nothing quite like an "ice cream goatee," and at this stage of our family life, I know those days are soon coming to an end. I'm so thankful to have these photos of my kids' contented...ice cream-covered...faces, enjoying one of the best parts of summer. I know they'll be thankful, too.
Read MoreIn Part 2 of my project to document OUR 2016 summer in Albuquerque with photos, I'm sharing our 4th of July.
I want my kids to remember the sense of community and pride we felt that morning during our neighborhood parade, and the wonder and excitement they felt, setting off fireworks in our backyard.
Read MoreThis summer I'm documenting my family's life, with photos that speak to the iconic moments of OUR 2016 summer in Albuquerque.
When my boys look back at these prints, years down the road, I want them to feel these memories in their hearts and know that this was summer for us.
Read MorePregnancy is such an important phase of life to document with photos. Whether you feel fantastic or not-so-much, it's the beginning of your child's story. Looking back at photos of this season of your life will bring back the anticipation and love you felt, while waiting for your child to arrive.
Even more, though, it gives your child a glimpse of what your family's life was like, just before his or her arrival. Our children want to see how much they were loved, even before we see their faces, and they see it in the details.
Read MoreIn your hands and in your home, those tiny newborn details shine. Through the simple act of caring for your baby, you’re able to remember forever just how her foot fit into your palm and the way you once fed her in your arms.
Read MoreRemember when you were a kid, and you’d drop off film canisters at the drug store?
Your stomach would twist with anticipation on pick up day. You’d open that envelope right there at the counter and flip through each image - laughing at funny hair, rolling your eyes over the bunny ears your brother gave you, and checking that, yes, that one you really wanted to turn out, did.
And even better?
When you found those photos years later, you’d notice details that seemed so insignificant at the time, but were just the ticket to bring back forgotten times and big emotions.
Read MoreSometimes we hold off on an in-home documentary-style photo session because we're waiting for our lives to settle. But while we wait for this more perfect version of our lives, we miss out on the beautiful moments happening right now.
(And truth time - we'll never feel like we have it all together. There will always be pieces missing from the puzzle...that is, until you decide you love those weird edges and that funny cloud in the middle.)
As an Air Force family, Staci and Eric know their home here in Albuquerque is temporary. When their three years is up, they'll be onto the next duty station, the next town, and their next home.
But when they look back at these photos, they'll remember THIS page of their story.
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