Maternity Session in Baton Rouge at Hilltop Arboretum.. and me 5 Months Preggo!

First Babies and making beautiful Maternity Sessions!!! 

Man, I couldn't REALLY know how exciting this aspect of Motherhood was until I became pregnant myself! I had done hundreds of Family Photography Sessions and Maternity Sessions since starting my business full time but honestly, I didn't understand the JOY behind this slot of time to really appreciate it all! 

Until now.... when I am almost 5 month pregnant! (Picture of me with Baby Charles in tow). Some people say I don't look 5 months pregnant but let me assure you, Natty is FULLY pregnant!! That tummy was non-existent till Baby Charlie arrived on the scene and I have 3 months of sickness to vouch for his growing little self as well! 

So when I photographed Karla and her hubby the other day it was so much more meaningful celebrating in their sweet joy that's on her way! 

Of course my sessions will always look very lifestyle and classic. I asked Karla what her desire were for their maternity session and she was all about the great outdoors and nature. This of course made me more than happy to accommodate! We went to LSU's Hilltop Arboretum off of Highland Road to begin.

We got some many precious takes with the three of them. I could not help myself but to of course utilize the Golden Hour. Did I mention how gorgeous Karla is and how impossible it was to get a bad photograph of her? Yeah... there basically was not one. And her hubs was such a nice guy- asking me if I needed help with my bags and always helping with the set up of shots. A lot of time guys are not the enthusiast ones with photography sessions so this is a real treat! 

We wrapped up the Maternity Session talking about potential names and finding the best spots for the end of their session. 

What even BLESSED me more than I have expressed is this sweet lady brought ME a GIFT!!! Do I need to remind you that this was the first time we met? She didn't know me from atom and she was so kind to think of me when we were there for her!!! 

Thank you Jesus for some of the best clients a girl can ask for!! 

Happy Motherhood, Karla!! You will be an excellent first time mommy, I am assured of it... 

Baton Rouge Family Lifestyle Photography Session

This family. GAH!!!

Love them so much! Do you ever just meet "cool people" and know instantly that you want to be friends with them? That's what happened YEARS ago when I met this girl and her soon to be man- Katherine and Blake! We were in an internship at Healing Place Church together in 2007!!!

GASP.... I KNOW.... Where in the world does the time go? 

Back to 9 years ago... I met Katherine and she was the bookish, English, introverted type and that made me happy because I am all of those things wrapped up with some crazy Natty tendencies. Kat was immediately awesome in my book! She loved God and she loved internship and she immediately invited me to hang with her for coffee to talk life. 

Aren't those the best kind of people? Just easy going and fun to be around! Ahhhh... love a good refreshing coffee date! Well, here we are ALL THOSE YEARS later... and Katherine married a fine young fella named Blake who is the cool, sarcastic type (like my hubs but Johnny may have this guy beat) and they have since settled down and just had their third son- Knox.  

That's right- THIRD son!! Ole Knox-y man came after their oldest, Dax and their middle child, Hendrix! Both whom Natty completely adores! 

Me and the littles had more fun than I imagined! We talked favorite candy and crackers and they explained to me about Ironman and Superman and how apparently there is a big difference. I just told them I loved Ironman's suit. They agreed it was cool. 

The two boys were like gold though and made this little family photography session a breeze.  

They listened to mommy and daddy with such perfection. I loved seeing how easy going this couple made parenting appear. (I know parenting has it's weaknesses but it's refreshing to see parenting done so so well.)

Back to the man of the hour- Baby Knox!

He was so smitten on his mommy and was a complete breeze to photograph. The thing with newborn photography is you have to have baby ready for it's shoot by being well fed and preferably ready for a tiny nap. All of which Knox was! We got some great lifestyle photographs with him and was able to capture their relationship oh so well. 

(Blake was entertaining the wild ones in the other room- super dad!!!) 

He had the most darling Modern Burlap swaddle and we made the most of tailoring darling little shots with Knox-y and his Crosses and XOXOs. He complied completely <3

Then I got the whole family on the bed and made sure we got some natural, quality photographs of the whole family interacting together. All the boys made it such a great time and we got some jewels! 

Of course the Prudhomme's live happily ever after...

Baton Rouge Family Lifestyle Session

This was a family session turned lifestyle photography for great reason! This particular family was visiting from California and the other half lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The father of the two kiddos was a long time mathematician at Louisiana State University. His two kiddos and family were all together for the holiday so we scheduled a cozy Sunday afternoon for our session for a group of 11. 

One of the mommy's was highly concerned of her two autistic children cooperating for a proper family portrait. As a client, she was worried this would be problematic but for me this is where I believe some of my best work lies... and the adventure begins!

Clients with a sense of adventure are right up my alley!

We began the session on an overcast afternoon at Rural Life Museum off of Essen Lane. This is an ideal location for photographing because it's smack-dab in the middle of the city off of Essen Lane and it's completely wooded and covered with sprawling gardens. I prepped the family that we would attempt some classic portraits and then let the kids just be kids.

My approach as a lifestyle photographer is always to capture the subjects as they are in real life - couple's being in love and children being themselves. So when parents seem frantic about me getting any good photographs of their seemingly disengaged child, I reassure them that this is where my skills shine.

Lifestyle or candid photography is a chance to just document subjects doing the things they love to do and I am just a fly on the wall. 

With families this size there will always be a classic group shots but after these are done I just say, "y'all play together and interact" and I stand back and catch the magic that happens (even in the rain!). 

Like these such jewels that will be cherished for a lifetime... 

So where some moms of special needs (autistic) kiddos would cringe at the thought of corralling the littles for a family photo session, I say bring them all to me! 

To me, generational portraits are an absolute favorite and I just adored the rest of the family in the background that complemented this all too well. 

To me making a family portrait is to be fun, stylish and simple.

Capturing a family as they engage is the most rewarding form of photography to me.

Everyone exactly as they always are. Such as life. 

Baton Rouge Newborn Family Session

Umm, this Newborn Session slash Family Session was just the most perfect ever!!! 

I met this family through their doula, Katy Soong from Louisiana Birth, and these two were just darling. I did their natural birth session a couple weeks ago and it was the first natural birth I photographed and seriously one of the best experiences to date! Justin was a super-dad supporting Michelle and she was just a rockstar delivering Mckenzie! 

We got together after newborn Mckenzie got situated and mom and dad got some sleep :) We actually live in the same part of town, the best part, in the Garden District. When I walked into their apartment I just fell in love. I could not stop taking pictures of newborn Mackenzie's most perfect room! It was a pale mint green and had darling, little decor items in accent color GOLD for the win!!!

Michelle was truly a natural mommy. Loving on her new baby girl like they were long lost buds. 

Newborn Mckenzie was just the sweetest!! She even let us semi-get her into a tutu!! I am pretty sure it was a tad itchy because it certainly didn't last long on. But look how precious she looks with her sweet little sleepy self with her bow! Just edible!

Little fingers are the best next to little toes, of course! 

We moved into the living area that was guess what?? DARLING... 

This was all their sides of their family together on one piece of artwork. Both sets of their  parents parent's :) And they shared the stories of them with me. It was so refreshing to see them cherishing their families history. And to top it off it was all displayed in a DYI. I just loved it all. 

They really were just naturals with their newborn Mckenzie. 

Doesn't she look so smitten in his arms.  

I just love this image. Such a strong dad daughter photo.

Que: So Happy Together!!!! 

And they lived happily ever after with their darling newborn, Mackenzie!! 

Baton Rouge Family Session

I say that with all seriousness! I truly had no idea that Livingston Frost was not the same as Livingston the actual parish which I just lumped up as Denham Springs. It's quite a humbling thing for this city gal to drive 20 miles outside of where she was supposedly going but that was the start to my shoot with these two darlings. 

This is there spot most time of the day, mom swinging baby. Basking in the country life. 

I know Kristina from Healing Place. We were involved in their ministry at the same time. This girl is a hoot! Need a boost in your day? Just go tell Kristina heyyyy :) She just had her first little one, Baby Hudson about 4 months back, and she is loving life as mommy. 

I was thrilled when she reached out to me for photographing her little Hudson. Also thrilled as I pulled up to her house in Livingston Frost. Not to be confused with Denham Springs in LIvingston Parish. I had driven about 10 miles from the highway passing nothing but fields of green and rustic landscapes. It was refreshing to see as far as the eye could see instead of stripe malls and Circle Ks.

To top off the refreshing drive Kristina had prepared breakfast for her and her mom and set aside some yummies for me. How she knew I loved green tea I will never know! There were peaches from a farm somewhere that her family knew and an egg frittata which I was not able get to. Talk about the best photoshoot ever!!

We started in the house that her grandfather had built some 100 years ago!! It was essentially a cabin of sorts that had been added onto to accommodate more family members. It was the most darling thing in the world with old iron fireplaces, doorknobs that outdated my parents age and original cypress wood flooring that creaked under foot. It had this perfect nook window and I pulled the curtains back and started shooting her and Baby Hudson with a stream of golden light pouring in! 

Grandmaw loves to take pictures and is usually the one behind the camera for capturing their family moments so I was happy to have captured a couple with her and her grandson in their favorite spot. 

And there is no such thing as newborn photography without that baby getting almost naked and capturing the pure essence of baby-ness. Mr. Hudson was all about it as well and made capturing his little personality very easy :) 

After we had gotten all we needed I couldn't help but to marvel out their bedroom door. To the right is a real smokehouse where they cure meats and such. And just ahead was an old pear tree that was hollowed out but still standing. It made me think I could get used to country life but then I packed up and drove back home into the city and remembered how much I adore being an arm's reach from LSU Lakes, favorite coffeeshops where I spend lots of my time and of course all of my favorite people. 

So I will leave country life in Livingston and settle for my cityslicker ways instead!

and we all lived Happily Ever After...