These guys came to me for a little happy birthday to Dad photo shoot! They bantered back and forth, teased each other and laughed at me for my crazy suggestions the entire shoot, but I think in the end they had a good time and hopefully we got a few shots Dad will enjoy.

Sam was so easy on me…smiley, happy, calm, patient and so much fun to watch! I photographed his parents and older brother, Bo, as a newborn 3 years ago and now there’s Sam who just turned 1 and a new little guy due in October. I love watching families grow and being able to capture them in varying stages of their lives. It’s such an honor to have so many clients who return time and again. I love my job! 

Just three days old and she couldn’t have been more content, cooperative or yummy! I’ve been dreaming of these outdoor shots and Hayden was the perfect fit. When her Momma and Daddy came for their maternity shoot I started talking about my vision for their newborn shoot and they were stoked and willing to try anything. They trusted my art and just let me do my thing…my favorite!  

The first shot is my favorite from their maternity shoot which leads me to a topic I’ve been wanting to approach on the blog…I do a ton of maternity and ‘hottie’ shoots, but have thus far been apprehensive about blogging these shoots. With client approval of course I’d like to blog some of it, but wanted to see what my blog readers think about posting semi-nudes on the blog. Please shoot me an email, leave a comment, call me, whatever, just let me know if those are posts you’d like to see more of. If you’d like to see more of that line of my work check out my beautiful bodies section in my galleries on my site. 

Back to the adorable, sleepy, happy and healthy, Hayden. Enjoy!

The plague flu has been haunting us for the past 10 days and I’m confident that we are finally on the mend. We have been hibernating together and it’s funny how something so icky can bring a sense of peace and closeness to us. Times like this remind us of that for better or worse, in sickness and in health part of our vows to each other. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life…and I’m blessed to have these two.

It’s -14 this morning so I thought it would be a good day to post a couple shots from the sweetest summer baby! Abby was a perfect little model. After a full studio shoot it didn’t phase her one bit being naked in the light breeze, trudging through the swampy bog or being tickled by the wispy grass. Good thing we aren’t all that comfortable being naked in the summer sun.  :)

The Union 76 boxes in one of the shots trigger many childhood memories for me…these boxes carried our goods for our trips to the cabin and my dad’s gear on his hunting trips. Dad use to work at our family owned, Kelly’s tire station as a young guy and these boxes were part life at the shop. When I came across them at my parents house I snagged them for my studio. My client came in and they spurred fond childhood memories for her as well – her family use to own a Union 76 shop when she was a girl. The boxes were perfect for Abby.

Here’s to naked baby buns…

…of boys in the Milles house that is! Wiley was busy trying to take off, Kaiden was busy egging Wiley on and through it all Brady was content. I even took shots of him on the wet grass with the rain sprinkling on him and he didn’t make a peep – hands down easiest baby I have ever worked with! Kaiden and Wiley on the other hand kept me moving and cracked me up the entire shoot which made getting photos of the sweet big brothers calmly holding their new baby brother next to impossible. So I figure with a new baby, two busy boys on the run, tonsil surgery and a broken hand in the house these guys deserve a little something to make them smile.  Enjoy!

These shots were taken during my first photography play-date. Throughout my photography journey I have been inspired and mentored by the incredibly talented Kathy Carlisle of Heavens Eye Photography and I was honored to be asked to get together with our kids for a photography play-date this summer. My cousin and I were getting set up for The Pretzel Chef so I thought the kids would enjoy exploring the fair from behind the scenes before the crowds hit. The bull pens, rodeo arena, rides, barn and the ever so interesting carnie folks we encountered on the way were a hoot! Capturing Jalena as she looked into the eyes of a reindeer for the first time was priceless. Watching Tre and Jamison tenderly play with Lael melted my heart. Belly laughing as the kids gave their best pirate faces was too much…until we got kicked out! But, Jamie takes the cake on the best memory of the day…we had to leave his undies in the bull pen and that’s all I’m going to say about that. We had a great time and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to shoot together. 

To see our full takes on the day you can view the featured section of both of our websites. Enjoy!

…that’s why the Manke’s visit Creamer’s Field. The first photo will be hung in the Manke’s new home in South Dakoka as a great memory piece for the time they spent in Fairbanks. Jake LOVED to come see the geese at Creamer’s so it made perfect sense to shoot their family photos there. Thanks for a great shoot guys, I wish you well on your journey!