Evelyn Marie {Boston Newborn Photographer}

Evelyn Marie

March 29, 2013

7 lbs 12 oz

21 inches

Isn't she lovely?  Little Miss Evelyn Marie was welcomed to the world at the end of March by a very excited mom and dad, and a big brother who was eagerly ready to take on his new role!  Mom Meesa and I have taught together for years, and we were both really looking forward to our newborn session with her brand new baby girl.  As I was driving up to New Hampshire for our shoot, I received news of the next newborn's arrival who's mommy also works with us at school (that post is coming tomorrow!).  What an exciting day!

Evelyn (Evey) was such a doll for our session.  She was alert for our family portraits, and fell right asleep once we got settled in and started posing her all cozied up in our warm blankets and baskets.  

This was my first full session with my brand new Nikon D610 camera.  I love the clarity of these images, and the soft feel that the next few have.  I came home absolutely in love with these shots right here.  What a sweetheart!  (Though, I will say that after holding my trigger finger on the shutter and supporting the camera weight for 3 hours straight took some getting used to.  I'm now working on new hand and wrist exercises!  Hazards of the job.  ;)   )

This next image was a new look and edit that I'm trying out.   I made the wrap from roving wool, and was going for a much more dramatic look than my typical photos.  I'll stick with the soft images that you all know in my style, but changing it up every now and then is fun.

This one makes me catch my breath every single time!  Lately there seems to be a theme of the little newborns I'm photographing with these piercing and soulful eyes.   Such a beautiful little girl.  Again, I'm using a one of my DIY roving wool wraps here for a new prop.  I've started DIYing my newborn props, and it is sooooooo much fun.  Thank goodness for summer vacation coming up so that I can get to work on many more ideas!

Welcome, sweet little Evey!

Congratulations, Meesa, Andrew & Big Brother Liam!

Sweet Sophia {4 months}

Earlier this month I got to meet the absolutely darling 4-month old Sophia.  Her mom had contacted me to schedule a session after being referred to {Nicole Schwalm Photography} by a friend (check out baby Stephen's photos, here!).  That referral actually happened in the middle of baby Stephen's shoot and put such a smile on my face.  Word-of-mouth referrals are the best and are my favorite way to get in touch with new clients since you have an instant connection based on the referral.  Plus, the new clients already know exactly what they are looking for in their family's photographs since they saw their friend's session and could already picture how their own family's portraits would turn out, inspiring them to schedule their own session! I walked into Veronika, Alec, and Sophia's sunny home and met their loving and happy family.

Veronika already knew that she loved my B&W baby portraits, so we were sure to capture those classic and simple moments that always translate so well to B&W.  I adore the love that fills these photos, the soft back lighting that lends an airy touch to them, and the precious candid moments that I was able to capture between little Sophia and her parents.  Plus the light coming through those doors resulted in my two favorite characteristics in a photograph: beautiful bokeh AND catchlights... oh, be still my photographer's heart!  ;o)

Ooooh, and did we ever have fun playing dress-up with Sophia and these gorgeous little handmade hats that had been given to her!  I love the sherbet-colored bonnet and how it just pops against the white background.  It's reminiscent of Genevieve's Christmas session, but a touch more spring-like with the colors.

Sophia spent most of our session clasping her little hands together and bringing them up to her lips, a move her mother explained that she perfected in utero and that they saw time and time again in her ultrasounds.  So cute to now be able to see that in person and on film!

And I loved the B&W image and the color one so much that you get to enjoy both of them full-size right here, too!  Look at the way those beautiful eyes of hers sparkle and are full of so much depth!  THOSE are the perfect catchlights in her eyes.

Next came the adorable little pea pod hat and some tummy time.  Sophia was such a little model and was in such a pleasant mood, not fussing one little bit during her tummy time photos!  She was in love with the soft, furry background and just burrowed herself in it, smoothing it along her cheeks to feel how soft it was.  So cute!

And finally, another favorite from her tummy time.  This one is much more dramatic with the light and shadows!

I'll end with this gorgeous soft-lit frame of Sophia chilling in her dad's arms.  Her blue eyes really pop against his shirt!  Since she was so much older than the newborns I've been photographing lately, she really kept her focus on the camera the entire time and stares right into the depths of the lens in many of her photos.  Love the effect that has!

Thanks for a wonderful session, Veronika and Alec!  It was a joy photographing your family.

Remember, everyone... word of mouth referrals!!!  :o)

Stephen {Newborn Portraits}

Stephen made his grand entrance into the world on December 4, 2012.  To his parents Nichole and Stephen, little baby Stephen is their "tornado", and it was quite appropriate that the Little Big Town song came on during our session.  He has turned their world upside down in the two months since his arrival, and it was so clear that they are head over heels in love with their firstborn. At only 6 weeks old, I got the chance to photograph this newborn on a sunny winter day to ring in the new year (actually, "oldborn" is the term that photographers use for the littlest of the little ones older than 2 weeks).  I was thrilled to be able to capture his precious and fleeting newness on camera.  Stephen was very alert and pleasant throughout the session, which is rare for a newborn!  It was almost as if he was telling us, "So you made me get naked?  And you're putting hats on me?  And you're posing me in baskets and moving me around the house?  So what?  I can take it!"  Absolutely adorable, and his photos came out just precious.

And now, with no further introduction, the little baby boy with the sparkling blue eyes...

There's just something about newborns in black & white that is so classic...

(I couldn't decide which of the above edits I liked more, black or grey... what do you think?)

And the adorable, happy family.  Baby makes three.  I love the shots of the new mom and dad with their little guy.  You can just see the love pouring out of the photographs.  The candids are the best and their bond really shines through -- and being able to capture THAT is the reason I love this job!  :o)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And finally, some soft toned photos to showcase those gorgeous sparklers of baby Stephen's!  Such a wonderfully fun session -- I can't wait to photograph this little guy in the future.  His mom and I were already talking about a one-year old cake smash!

And now that I'm in head-over-heels in newborn mode, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby C, the next little girl I'm due to photograph.  Everyone seems to be eagerly waiting for news of her grand entrance into the world.  Hurry up and get here already!  ;o)

13 days {Boston Newborn Portraits}

Alice Olivia is quickly going to become the most photographed baby girl in Jamaica Plain.  Not only was I lucky enough to photograph Alice's mom's maternity session over the summer and her arrival into this world at a mere 22 hours old, but I got to spend a wonderful afternoon with her and her parents to get some fabulous newborn shots. The hats in all the photos below (except the elephant hat) were hand-crocheted by my coworker's fabulous mother.  I think every photographer should have a little Ecuadorian abuelita to make baby hats for them.  A thousand thanks to Maria for her many hours of hard work.  The hats came out wonderfully and I am so, so happy with how they look in the photos.  They're absolutely precious!!

Alice makes an adorable little teddy bear.  

And a sleepy little elephant...  Her mom loves elephants, and this was a hat she bought while pregnant.

Alice was so wonderful during our session.  When awake, she had the most expressive face.  I love her wide alert eyes taking in everything around her.

Since Alice's mom is finishing her doctoral dissertation in Spanish literature, we thought it was appropriate to raid the bookshelves for some of the best and most classic volumes from her mom's office.  Only this little 13-day old girl would be propped up with Don Quijote and Silvina Ocampo.  Plus, the little hands under the chin pose?  That was all Alice.  We had nothing to do with it!  What a little model!

And one last picture to leave you with...  I just discovered this gem of a photo and it literally made me burst out laughing.  Look at this adorable little face!  I love being able to capture all the funny little expressions on my subjects' faces.  So sweet!

Shutter Session: Ravi

Those hot July days were good for one thing -- some fun-filled photo shoots with friends!  Last week I got to photograph my friend's son Ravi. He just turned one, and he is the most adorable little boy ever with these huge dark eyes that just make you melt when you look at him.

He's a very independent, spunky little guy who's sure on his feet but is always looking around to make sure his mama is right behind him.  I love these black and whites of Ravi, especially the second and third that show him with his mom.

He was a blast to photograph and we definitely had a lot of laughs -- and outfit changes! -- during his photo shoot. Ravi is one of those kids who will have a million toys and will manage to play with each and every one of them at the same time.  His mom's been talking about the "path of destruction" he leaves in his wake.  Always being on the go, I can see how that might happen!  Here, a few adorable shots of this little guy.  Note how DIFFERENT they all look -- that on-the-go nature of his really made that possible.

At one point, somewhere between the kiddie pool and the jungle gym, we busted out the colored bubbles.  Have you seen these yet?  Crayola makes them, and they put all these warnings on the bottle about wearing play clothes and not using them at weddings.  (I keep imagining the poor bride that didn't read the directions.)  They are messy -- WARNING! Only do this with friends' kids  :o) -- but they are so much fun in photographs.  Ravi was more interested in chewing on the wand than playing with the purple bubbles, so his mom decide to shake things up and cover him with the purple liquid instead.  From there, EVERYTHING was purple.  A little bit messy, but a lot of fun!

Mr. Independent.

I absolutely love the soft, hazy sunlight in the two photos below.  Plus, the expressions on his face in each one are so unique!  Above he looks a bit mischievous, and below he's just happy and bubbly, lost in his own little world while sitting in a pool of sunshine.

Ravi was such a joy to photograph.  Already looking forward to our next session this month!

Shutter Session: Sophia and Violet

Last weekend I got together with two little girls in pink and purple dresses to shoot some photos for a Fathers' Day surprise.

We went to the Grist Mill at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, and the girls turned the grassy fields into their playground.  The oldest one, Sophia, told me all about how they were taking photos for "Daddy's Day" and that it was a secret.  Amazingly, they kept the secret all week long and didn't let it slip!  So Happy Fathers' Day to all the fathers out there, but especially to the ones of little girls who keep photo secrets to surprise their dads.

Sophia is the oldest, and she came up with all sorts of interesting games for us to play during the session.  I loved catching her staring into my lens (she was searching for unicorns!), and her eyes really sparkled in these pictures.  I used my new 50mm lens, and I absolutely love the results.

I pulled out some more of my new photo props (check out these chairs I bought for $5 and repainted!).  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the chairs and they really made the shots.  I happened to leave the chairs off in a field while we wandered off to take some more photos in a different part of the park, and I came back to find someone setting them up taking a picture of just the chairs.

Plus, the light in these photos is gorgeous and it just worked wonderfully with the girls.  This next photo is my absolute favorite.  Violet put her head down on the chair when she was getting tired, so Sophia stood up and copied her.  Their mother and I were joking, "What are they doing?", but this turned out to be one of my all-time favorite photos.

Violet, at 22 months, was an absolute doll and such a sweetheart.  She spent some time running around chasing after her mom, so when  I finally gave her a chair, down she went.

We came across a beautiful run-down barn, which was a nice backdrop for a few photos of Violet.

And Sophia was game for playing on the fence posts.  Such a cute shot!

After our fun in the fields, we wandered off in search of some ducks.  "Patos, patos!" the girls exclaimed as we drew near them.  I love the story that this next picture tells -- you can see Sophia up ahead on the path to see the ducks, and Violet turning around to make sure we were coming behind them.

Such a fun day, and such adorable little girls to be able to spend the day with!

Happy Fathers' Day, everyone!