 There's something about being in nature with your baby. They are free, we are free. Unburdened by fluorescent lights and painted walls. Outside we're subject to the fluctuations of temperature and color, we see new and beautiful things with sincerity and surprise -- two deer skittering by, a white butterfly hovering in the warm spring air. The ground is pricklier than we expected, and also softer underfoot. We slip down dry hills into a creekbed, and here we're kind of hidden from the rest of the world. We are explorers here. Just wandering in the morning light.  Mama began by nursing with her top on, but then discarded it as we walked. It was covered in her baby's pee, she said, so what's the use? I am a naked mom, she told me, smiling sweetly. These are precious days, and we're allowed to be so free with our babies. So connected, and so close. Just nursing and bonding. Just finding out about each other without asking any questions.    These are the moments I live to photograph. That I gasp as I capture them. I am in awe of this mother, just a few months into her new role, and wearing it with such divine simplicity. Such ease. This is where she wants to be -- with her sweetie. Gently touching leaves and watching bugs. Holding tightly to each other and holding loosely too. These are the moments I want too. They are timeless and perfect and filled with the kind of love you can't describe. 
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I've had many moms tell me, with a bit of exasperation in their voice, that the kids on my website look so calm... The moms are a bit worried, I think, that her kids are of the wild-child persuasion, and therefore the photos with me are going to look crazed, not as loving and peaceful as the others they've seen. But I'm here to tell you to not worry about that one bit. When I'm photographing toddlers and energetic kids, it's the energy those children bring everywhere with them that brings so much joy and life to the photographs. Sometimes it seems impossible that we could capture anything at all during the high-impact, high-energy play, but in fact, these photographs are often my favorites.  My goal isn't to get your kids to calm down, but rather it's to capture a bit of that beautiful energy. It's to show you, even through this high-energy play, that there are undeniably beautiful moments of connection and love through it all. My job isn't to slow your kids down -- it's to meet them, and you, where you all are, and try to give you an accurate reflection of your experience. I'm actually really big on getting kids to tap into their energy for a session. Play games, dance, spin, run around if they need to. This isn't about sitting still, it isn't about looking a certain way. It's just about you and your little ones being together heartfully. Whatever that looks like for you.  There's nothing like having an energetic kid. You are really experiencing life at full volume. So let me help you see how beautiful that looks to me. Let me reflect back to you that you are, in fact, keeping up with your amazing kids. You're the person they most want to share their energy with, and play with. What a joy that is. And how fantastic for me that I get to try to capture it.   I'm a huge fan of skin to skin. It's deeply important in bonding with your baby early on, and I think it's incredibly powerful with older babies too. And I'm also a huge fan of skin in bonding photographs. It's just so stunning to see your skin next to your baby's. But I'm not suggesting you take your top off if you're not into that. I really think any amount of your skin is deeply beautiful. I typically recommend that mamas wear a tank top and leggings or bike shorts, to have enough skin showing that it really feels like you're in it with your baby. And I recommend that you have your baby nude, if you're comfortable with it, and your toddlers and older kids wearing diaper covers, onesies, or black tees and black shorts. You're also welcome to play around with it. Start with one clothing item, take it off, try another. There are mamas who choose to be photographed in a sports bra, or totally topless. This mama, above, did a variety of levels of clothing. She had a tank top on for some of her session, and for some of it, went without most clothing.  In the frame above, the mama is wearing a tank top. This is the most common choice, and I absolutely love it. It shows plenty of your skin, and is really beautiful with baby's skin. But, if you're wanting a more skin to skin look, but without showing your breasts, you can hold your sweetie in front of you like this mama, below.  You're of course welcome to cover your baby up, as well. In this session, below, the mama chose to put her babe in a black diaper cover.  You can also wear longer sleeves and still get beautiful images. This mama, below, chose to wear three-quarter-length sleeves, and I think the images are still stunning.  And, of course, you can cover your baby more, too! This mama, below, started with her baby totally covered in a little black dress, but then took off her baby's clothes -- and her bra -- to get a more intimate skin to skin look.   I really believe that if you're confident, your photographs will be stunning. So, if dressing yourself and your baby up or down helps you feel more confident, go with that. The photographs will be beautiful no matter what.
I have always been fascinated by siblings. My own, my friends'. It can be such a striking relationship. And it's something I absolutely love to photograph. The look on a baby's face when his older sibling comes near him has to be one of my very favorite things ever.
One of my favorite, and most surprising sibling sessions, was with a 12 year old (shown below) and his 5 week old sister. I had never had a 12 year old in the studio before -- I had thought before this moment that 12 was too old to be in there. I was focusing only on babies and toddlers. But this mama brought both of her kids in. I did most of the session with just the mom and baby (you can find those images at the top of this page, if you're curious!), but I invited the older brother to come play with his sister at the end. Seeing the two of them together was really breathtaking. And it shifted my idea of what a Bonding Session could be.
 I absolutely loved photographing this mama, below, and her two boys. The boys loved to play around, tumbling and chasing, but they also were just so incredibly sweet and calm together. I always melt when I look at these nursing images. What love. What deep affection.   I'm also really moved by older siblings. This beautiful family, below, came in for photographs when the kids were 3 and 5.   And this session, below, is one of my all-time favorite siblings session. This mama brought her four children in, and they truly just played the whole time. It was kinetic, vibrant, and so full of love.       Are you wondering if you should bring your twins into the studio for mama and babe bonding photographs? Are you wondering if it will be chaotic? Are you wondering how you'll contain them in your arms, how it will feel? Are you wondering if it will be worth it? I'm here to tell you to do it. Just bring them. Bring them to play, bring them to snuggle, bring them to wrestle, bring them to love each other, and you, up.
During twin toddler studio sessions, I make sure to get each twin with mama alone, and the twins together alone, and all three of you together. It will be playful, it will be vibrant, it will be a little bit chaotic. These girls, below, were three when they came in with their mama. They were incredibly active through the whole session, but the action, as well as the in-between moments, were absolutely stunning.  I love the dynamism of this session. Their interactions are almost like a dance. Rough and rowdy sometimes, and delicate and ornate others. 
These sweeties, in the photos below, were two during this session, and they were so adorable, energetic, and playful. This mama was also pregnant, so the session had a lot of amazing dimensions to it.    The mama below brought her beautiful two year old twins, along with her seven year old for a proper snuggle fest.
Bring your twin toddlers in to get photographs made! This time is fleeting. This time is beautiful. This love is absolutely sensational.
Sometimes booking a session with me can be a little bit of an emergency. At least it's felt that way a few times. I've had women write to me because they're on a timeline. Something big is about to change, and they want to remember this moment, right now, before the change comes.  Years ago, this amazing mama wrote to me asking if I'd photograph her with her 15 month old. The timeline was a bit tight, she said. She'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, and was going in for a double mastectomy on Tuesday. In 4 days. She wanted to memorialize this time, to celebrate her body, to hold on to something tangible from this period of her motherhood, her womanhood, her life. This wasn't about darkness and gloom. She was filled with optimism and hope for a cancer-free future. But she still wanted to be able, in the future, to touch back and see evidence of her body, and her bond with her baby, and to celebrate this moment. So we sat together in the yard, the two of them snuggling and examining each other, exactly as they are.     That same mama came back to my studio for more photographs. Years had passed, and she had another sweet child. She wanted to capture another specific transition. She had gone through reconstructive surgery for her breasts, and she had gotten a new tattoo. The tattoo spreads onto her breasts, and adds new life and a new kind of beauty. These later sessions are all about her new body, her bond with her brilliant little ones, and the evolution of her motherhood.    This mama, below, came to me the day before she went into surgery for a postpartum complication. She was just a few months postpartum with her third little boy, and she was told that she wouldn't likely be able to continue nursing her newborn after the surgery. She was devastated at the prospect of the loss of their nursing relationship. So she asked to have some time with all three of her sons, as well as her mom, in the studio.  The hour they were with me was a little bit of everything. Absolute love, deep joy, and moments of buoyant, playful chaos. Having three small boys in the studio is what you would expect. High energy, running around, lots of laughing. But also moments of lovely quiet, and deeply meaningful snuggling and bonding.   And she got to nurse her baby on camera. That was a big moment. An emotional moment. And one I'm so grateful I got to capture.  I don't know if coming to my studio is a way of healing yourself, exactly. But I do think that looking at honest photographs of ourselves and our little ones can be incredibly touching and moving, and can change something in us. I think seeing ourselves as others see us can be surprising and deep. And when you come in to the studio with the intention of being totally present with your baby or children, it's amazing what comes through. Your pure love. Your joy. Your deep connection.
It's powerful to have someone reflect back to us that our bond with our babies matters. The work you're putting into them -- I can see that. It is not invisible, and in fact, it's really quite stunning. I always hope that my photographs show you what I see in the room. Those small moments and big feelings.
This incredibly sweet baby, above, had just gotten out of the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and needed a feeding tube. He had struggled with different complications from birth. His mama wondered if we should wait to do photos until after he had outgrown the tube. I said, and I say to other moms who are wondering: Don't worry at all about the feeding tube or oxygen on my behalf. These things are part of who your baby is right now, and what they need. And it's likely part of who you are right now too. It's a visual representation of your advocacy. You being happy to capture these early moments in your baby's life, regardless of their needs, is a beautiful thing. That's powerful mothering right there. Below is a sweet mama and her baby who was on oxygen. I love these photographs because they're not about looking like anyone else. The photographs are just a reflection of this mom and her baby in that moment in time. A true reflection of their deep love.   The baby below is Sully. He was born about 7 weeks before his due date, and spent months in the NICU with an extremely rare condition - Vein of Galen Malformation. Too much blood was being pumped to his brain, making it hard for blood to flow to other areas of his body effectively and putting great strain on his heart. After Sully's second stroke, his parents learned that his prognosis was different than they expected and hoped. "This isn't just about quality of life, it is also about quantity of life - we are not really sure how long we're going to have with him." That's what Sully's mom told me when she got in touch. She wanted to do photographs with Sully because they were uncertain about his future. This has to be one of my favorite sessions I've ever done. Nothing says mad love like a mama who has seen her brand new baby through months of challenges, scares, sadnesses, successes, and changes, and has stood, unwavering, by his side. This is deep attachment. This is deep love. It was incredibly powerful for me to get to photograph these two together. The mama was just so deeply present. So in the moment with her sweet boy. And I got to show that mama what her love looks like for her sweet Sully. He passed away about a year after we captured these photographs.     I had the honor of photographing this beautiful family in welcoming their sweet baby, in a session at the hospital, within hours of the birth. I call these sessions "Brand New Newborns", but they're often called "Fresh 48". It was really a richly meaningful experience, and I was so glad I got to be there. They were all so loving and gentle, but the older sister didn't always seem super excited to meet her new sister.  I loved how the parents reacted to their older daughter's reactions. She was having feelings. It was a complex day for her. And her parents didn't get frustrated with her, or push her. They just let her be who she is, and to hopefully come around to her sister when she's ready.  We all want our kids to be madly in love with each other from the jump, but the reality is that it's not always so simple for an older sibling. They've been "left out" of the birth most of the time, and they're likely feeling a bit unsettled with the massive change in the family dynamics. It took my son the better part of a year to start to think of our baby as really part of our family. He still felt for months and months that she was interfering with our time with him.  It feels respectful to our older children to recognize that this experience -- the first meeting -- is a little wrought. It's not simple. It can be layered and emotional for a few different reasons. But the first moments of that meeting are still worth capturing. Still worth remembering. To see the evolution. To honor the way our babe entered the family, and the work our kids did and do to engage with the ever-changing landscape of love and family.
To piggy-back off of my previous post (which you can read here!), which was all about how I ask mamas what (if any) risk they'd like to take during a session with me, here are some of the mamas' responses to my questionnaire question about bravery. The question is: Is there anything you'd want permission to do during the session that might require bravery? A risk you'd like to take? "Breastfeeding photo and even just being in underwear only for some pics with [the boys]." "Nursing, being confident in my 3rd kid, postpartum, 42 year old skin." "Relax! Let go of my self-consciousness." "I’m an open book. I struggle with body confidence but I believe that I will be able to overlook that in order to capture this time in my life." "I think of this project not only as bonding but as a nod to body positivity, which is something I’m more likely to grant others permission to accept than myself. I want to celebrate this perfect newborn and the body that made it." "I'm a pretty everything on the table gal. But getting my photo taken in general is very hard for me. I do not like photos of myself. Let alone photos of my body. I'm doing this because I know I will cherish these in 15 years. But right now? I don't feel like it." "I, like many, pick every photo of myself apart. I’d like to be able to trust your skills and do what you ask of us." "I’m not breastfeeding and that makes me worry about our intimacy. I’d like to capture that somehow." "To be nude with the baby. Eeek that's a bit scary." "Being partially naked/topless, being comfortable expressing the authentic tenderness for our family in front of you." "I'll think more, but perhaps something that shows my stomach rolls."  I send a questionnaire to mamas who are going to do a Bonding Session with me before their sessions. It's not an easy questionnaire. It asks a lot of each mom. You don't have to answer the questions, but I find that the answers often lead me into understanding of a mom before she arrives in the studio, and meaningful conversations during a session. And if you do answer the questions, that means that you've thought deeply about mothering and parenthood -- and maybe even your childhood -- before you've even gotten to the studio. This session isn't just about getting in and getting photos. It's about going deep. Being present. Letting the moments of your motherhood wash over you and letting your love for your child be the overwhelming feeling and presence in the room. Typically, in our busy lives, we don't often allow ourselves much time to just *be* with our babies. The repetition of motherhood, the simplicity and complexity of it all can feel overwhelming -- or worse, underwhelming. One of my favorite questions on the questionnaire, though, isn't a question about your experience of motherhood day to day. It's something one of my favorite photographers taught me to ask a few years back. The question is if you want to be brave or take a risk during your session. And I'll ask you how you want to be brave. Over and over, I've found that asking this question can be like handing someone a key and letting them open their own heart.  Some women have declared that taking off their tops and doing skin to skin is their idea of bravery. Or breastfeeding during a session. Some women have said that they'd like me to photograph their c-section scar. Some have asked me to capture their body "as it really is" -- softer than they'd like, maybe, but still in the vague design of their pregnancy. Still holding on to the birth they went through six months ago, a year ago, or more.  Still, most women tell me that the simple act of coming into my studio, for them, is an act of bravery. And it absolutely is. It's hard to be vulnerable. It's hard to let go of our guards: the clothes we allow to drape over these "embarrassing" parts of our bodies, and the distance we allow to grow between us and our neighbors. Who would want to disassemble the protections we hold so dear? But when we do allow ourselves to be seen, when we let go of our fear of how we might look, and instead look for how we are connected to the ones we love, the results are absolutely stunning. I encourage you to take a risk -- whatever that looks like for you. I encourage you to be seen. And to let yourself see what you look like when you're being totally present, and in love, with your sweet babies.  |
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