Hi again, ladies and gents!

Let me stop for a second to tell you that I am seriously the luckiest photographer in the world. My clients are always so wonderful to work with. That’s true of my session with the Barr family, too!

I met up with them at Scorpion Gulch and the weather was perfect but it was the Barr family that made this shoot such a success.

The Barr family consists of Mom – Amy, Dad – Eric, Rosalie who is 8 years old and she has been on the honor roll since she was in kindergarten and loves spaghetti, Melody who is 6 years old and has the cutest little dimple on one cheek and loves babies, and Baby Luna who is just 2 months old and loves to smile at her daddy.

“We like to watch a new movie, eat some snacks in our pjs on the weekends.,” says Amy.

As you can see from the comments above and the photos, this family is not only photogenic, but also a close-knit group who clearly loves spending time together. Amy, Eric, Rosalie, Melody and Luna are lucky to have each other.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

So we meet again, dear blog readers!

The topic of discussion for today is none other than the cutest little boy, David. If the name or face look familiar to you, it’s because I’ve photographed this family before. Because my last session with this family went so well, I knew it wouldn’t be any different this time around. And I was right! Check it out for yourself:

I was over the moon when I got a email from Lisa saying she wanted to book a cake smash session. When I asked her the theme and vision, she had told me she wants it to be like the movie coco. I about went crazy and threw in the idea of doing a taco smash session instead! Mom was totally on board and I have never been more excited about a photo session in my life. We of course still had to include a little cake 😉

As expected, Mom and Dad did a wonderful job preparing David for our session. They brought all sorts of props and the cutest outfits to incorporate their culture. I mean how is this not the cutest session you have ever seen!

Breastfeeding awareness group session

August is breastfeeding awareness month and I wanted to do something special for breastfeeding moms. I did a model call on my instagram page looking for mothers who would like to participate in a group breastfeeding session. I am so happy that these four moms were able to join me in Wickenburg, Arizona to bring my vision to life.

Being a mom who nursed for 19 months and has had a breastfeeding session, I know that they will cherish these images forever and when they look back at them later – with a little tear in their eye – they will be so happy that they were able to capture this special bond they shared with their not so little anymore.

I hope you enjoy seeing these mamas gorgeous images and reading their stories. Make sure to leave them some love in the comments!

This session turned out so perfectly and I loved hearing about their journeys so far. I mean seriously… look how amazing they all look in this group photo.

Mariah’s Story: Around 3 months I had a really rough time nursing. My nipples were raw and hurt all the time, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue. But we pushed through and things have been wonderful ever since. My goal was to try and nurse for six months. I remember in the beginning not enjoying it at all, not just because it was painful but because it felt like a job or a chore I had to do every 2-3 hours. I reached out to a friend when I went through a rough patch and thought about quitting and she helped me push through and told me it would become something I would really cherish. I remember thinking she was crazy, but Logan is now 9 months old and I love the bond we share while she nurses and plan to continue until she’s at least one year. Logan likes to put her foot in my face and pull my hair while she nurses I think it is so cute!

Mariah’s Advice to nursing moms: Reach out to other nursing moms when you have questions and don’t be afraid to ask silly questions. I’ve learned so much on this crazy journey and can’t wait to share and help other mamas!

Lisa’s Story: My first daughter I breast-fed until she was almost 4!! But she was both bottle and breast. My second daughter was breast- fed until she was 6 months. Now, I plan to breastfeed until David wants to stop. I’m ok with him not wanting to be independent just yet!! Lol. It has been demanding though since he has refused a bottle and pacifier since day 1.. but it’s gone smoothly. I love that he puts his foot on my chest and hums while I am nursing him and it is something I will alway remember about our journey.

Lisa’s advice to new nursing moms: Stick with it for as long as you can. The benefits are amazing for both baby and you!! It’s precious time for you two to bond and enjoy together.

Steffani’s Story: Nursing came very easy to me and also to both of my babies. I’ve been very lucky and grateful to have come this far. I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my babies. Once I gave birth, I joined several online and in person support groups that were integral to our success during the learning process. They not only taught me what was normal and to be expected, but I formed great friendships with like minded mamas with similar aged babies. I recently started my tandem nursing journey and it’s been incredible. I love knowing that both my babies are getting the best possible nutrition, but they’re also bonding together and with me. It’s definitely minimized the jealousy factor and I couldn’t be more blessed. I plan to allow both my babies to self wean when they’re ready, but hopefully that won’t happen before they’re two. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity with my babies.

Steffani’s advice to new nursing moms: My advice to new nursing moms is to be patient and allow yourself and your baby time to adjust. It can be painful and extremely exhausting at times, but it gets easier and I don’t think any mom ever regrets any amount of time they spent breastfeeding. I’d also suggest joining support groups, whether online or in person, they are so beneficial to learning moms and babies.

Angela’s Story: I nursed my first child until about 6 months. After returning to work my supply drastically decreased and it was difficult to keep up to my child’s demand so I stopped once he was eating solids. I will try to go as long as I can with my second child. Overall nursing has been pretty smooth, it definitely helps to have taken a class and having friends who have nursed their children for support because something always comes up!

Angela’s advise to nursing moms: Do whats right for you and baby and don’t worry about other people. Talk to other nursing mommas for advice/support!

Hi gang!

I was so excited to meet up with Christina and George at Lake Pleasant for a stunning – and terribly sweet – maternity session. At the time, Christina was mere 7.5 weeks away from giving birth, so you can only imagine how she was feeling while we were roaming around finding the best spots to shoot! She was a trooper, though, let me tell you. Her skin looked amazing, her hair was perfection, and her outfit choices were on point.

George was a total supportive rock star the entire time. There was a moment when he moved Christina’s hair while giving her the sweetest look and I nearly fainted from the tenderness of it all!
I asked what name they had picked out for their sweet baby boy and you will not believe what they told me, “We are naming him Atlas, because he will have the whole world before him and will be holding it in his hands.” Seriously, how adorable is that?!

Since they’re almost at the end of the pregnancy, I asked them about how their journey has been thus far. Christina said, “This pregnancy has been super easy and smooth, opposite of what I expected for my first. I have been craving Mexican foods, the spicier the better! But I enjoy getting to read pregnancy books, seeing tons of baby things on Pinterest and getting to relax more. George is also been amazing! He gives foot and legs rubs, cooks dinner, helps around the house, and made my 1st mother’s day so special. He is also super funny and tells Atlas to stop being mean to his mommy and to stop kicking me. I am super excited to finally hold baby Atlas in my arms!” Aww!

They’re going to be an amazing Mom and Dad duo, and their little bundle of joy is so lucky to be brought into the world with them. Thanks again and congrats, you two!

My family and I spend A LOT of time by the pool and at Lake Pleasant during the summer and I must say, I am obsessed with @swimzip swimming suits! With summer here I thought I would share them with you because they are seriously great! Plus they will be perfect for underwater photos this summer.

I have two great swimming suits by Swim Zip and I am amazed by the quality. They are some of the best swimming suits I have ever had for my daughter. I love how many different ways the three piece can be worn and I love how much coverage the surf suit has. Might I add that they are UPF 50+ sun protection and have a great variety of swimming suits to choose from for girls, boys and women! Check out some adorable photos of my daughter below.

Find more adorable swimsuits at www.swimzip.com

I get really excited about going into new parents homes and photographing the candid moments of babies first days. Today’s blog post features Melanie, Ken, and their newborn baby, Addisen, in those kinds of lifestyle, real-world images.

The session took place at their lovely home located in Litchfield Park, Arizona and the day was truly memorable. Don’t you just love the nursery? And you know there was so much love there based off the pictures alone! You can practically feel it through the screen! Congrats on your growing family, Mel and Ken!

I had the privilege to photograph Kaitlyn’s senior portraits and we had a blast. Check out what Kaitlyn has to say about graduation and college below.

“I’m excited about graduating to see my growth and accomplishments through the years and see where they lead me. The college decision process has been a bit of a difficult process but it will be worth it in the end.  I applied to San Diego state university, Sacramento film school, and San Francisco film school. The most important factor for me when it came to applying to college is knowing what I want, and what college is going to support my career choice the best. I plan on taking a gap year to save up enough money to move to California and afford to go to a film school out there to pursue my dream job as an actress, director, or model. I am excited that my best friend is also applying to the same colleges as me so hopefully we get to go to college together!”

 

 

There is so much that I loved about this family and their session. Samantha reached out wanting to get photos of her family in uniform in front of the flag wall at Park West which I, of course, was thrilled about. When the Zaragoza’s showed up, I was so happy to see that even their daughters were in mom’s and dad’s uniform shirts. Seriously… how perfect!

Justice and Honor are the sweetest little girls and are so adorable. They are very lucky little girls having mommy and daddy as police officers. I loved all the hugs I got from them and all the cute smiles they gave. They loved seeing what they could see in my lens such as elmo or dinosaur poop!

There was a lot of love and laughter during their session and I am so happy that I was able to capture these memories for them. Below are some of my favorite images from there session. Enjoy!!

P.S. Did you know that we offer 15% off sessions for police officers, firefighters, and military?

Melanie and Ken are expecting their first baby and wanted to make sure they captured the experience of pregnancy through images. Mel wanted gorgeous desert images so we decided on going to white tank mountain regional park and since they are expecting a spring baby she knew she wanted floral gowns incorporated in her session which I think was an awesome choice!! Everything from the lighting to the gowns to this gorgeous couple made for a dreamy session.

Mel and Ken love spending time together going shopping, to the movies or exploring but the time they spend talking and hanging out with each other they also like their alone time with their friends or a good book. Should we let them know that will all change once baby A. arrives? Nah, we will let them figure it out.