emily - newborn session

i had one of those neat, full-circle kind of moments when i went out to shoot emily's newborn pictures earlier this week.  as i was chatting it up and clicking away, emily's mom reminded me that she was working for my husband, josh, when i started frantically calling his cell phone on the afternoon of november 11, 2004 to let him know that my water had just broken.  i was in labor.

the story of my first baby girl while i was shooting photographs of her first baby girl.  blessings.

i'm sometimes asked what my plan is or what steps i take in shooting newborn sessions.  while it's true that i've got a handful of absolutes (heating pad, space heater, warm hands, etc.), my plan beyond that is virtually non-existent.  the baby leads - i follow.  so i suppose it's pretty much just a two-step process.  i'm a big fan of shooting this way, and some of my favorite photographs come out of natural interactions between a baby and her family.




during the downtime, i try to get a few photos that i like to call "baby parts".  these, too, end up being some of the sweetest shots from newborn sessions.





emily was a dream to work with, and she made my job incredibly easy.  she said, how about i lay here awake and happy with my gorgeous eyes showing.  then i'll give you a darling yawn and doze on off.  will that work?




wes and beth, you've been blessed beyond measure with precious emily, and i'm so appreciative to you for letting me spend the afternoon with your new family of three.  congrats!!!!!!!!!