The BEGINNING.
The beginning of what? The beginning of something new. I have been wanting to start blogging my sessions for a quite some time but haven't had the guts to actually do it. I always find writing is so soothing. I may not be the best at it, but I love it. 2022 is all about building a healthy and flourished relationship with myself through good intentions. Step one of that is to push myself outside of my comfort zone to test and discover what I am capable of. So here we go. Blog post number one in the books.
The Fawcett Family.
Funny enough I actually met Kate years ago when I was photographing brand work for Blueberry Moon by the Bay when she first launched her brand. Kate is one the midwives in my town and you can bet your bottoms she was receiving photos (sorry Kate LOL) and messages near the end of Cals pregnancy, "is this normal" or " I haven't felt him move all day, what do I do?". On the clock or not she would ALWAYS respond with nothing but encouragement and helpful advice. I couldn't think of a more kind and whole hearted individual to become one of my clients. I can't say enough good things about this adorable mama and her growing family. When Kate reached out for a maternity session, I new instantly it was going to be one for the books.
When I arrived at Kate's home as per usual I had the jitters. No matter how many sessions I do, I will always get the nervous butterflies. Not sure if it is the excitement or the pressure but without fail they show up. Which is one of the many reasons I know I'm doing what I am meant to because no matter how many times I do it it still excites me.
Anyways, when I got there I was welcomed in with a wild, happy and pant-less little boy named Atlas. Seriously, how cute is this little dude. Kids are either super crazy excited or unbelievably shy when I walk into their space for a in-home session. Atlas was the super crazy excited kind, he was running circles around the kitchen island and doing tricks on his cool blue bike and playing hide and seek. **Tips for you photogs** When you walk into a situation like this you might be thinking "gosh, he's wild how am I going to reel him in, to get the shots I need". My advice... play it cool, become friends and play some games together. Build that trust and you won't believe the difference. No, Atlas didn't want to pose for a single photo during our shoot and that's okay. Luckily, I had some tricks up my sleeve to get him where I want and how...with mom and dads help of course. We hung out by the window played eye-spy, looked for rabbit prints and some cool cars. This allowed the light to be directly on Atlas' face, which is a major photography win. After we were done by the window we danced over to the kitchen were we ate cheerios off the floor, raspberries and snacked on some figs (AKA we bribed him with food). He hung on mom, gave dad kissed and got in all the snuggles. I always try and make sure the kids have fun during our time together. At the end of the day I am there to create an experience, capture your memory and tell a story. I want to leave and have your kids say "when is Rachel, coming back? She was fun".
After we were done with Atlas, it was time for mom and dad to shine. You know how everyone has a picture in their head of the perfect couple? In my eyes Kate and Kyle are that. I couldn't think of two people more perfect for each other and I barely know them. You can feel the love they share by just one simple look or touch, it truly fills the room. The way Kyle stares at Kate is something from a fairytale. As a photographer, they are a total dream couple to shoot. I know its important to read your couples and use that to your advantage, so I did just that.
While we were playing lots of fun games with Altas and jumping around I could feel they're very grounded, calm and intimate together, so we took it down a notch. We put on some tunes, took off some layers as they got cozy and close. We sat by the fire, cuddled by the window and lounged in bed. Need I say more? The images truly speak for themselves.
Right? I know, I told you these two killed it. Of course, we had to capture this stunning mom solo with babe to be. Would you ever guess little atlas is sitting behind me watching Netflix on the floor, devouring a pack of crackers during all of this? Probably not. You have to do, what you have to do.
After mom was done basking in the sun we topped the session off with a snuggle sesh in bed, blowing raspberries on moms belly and tickling Atlas while trying to keep him in nice and close, for the shot of course.
This was my first session back from the holidays, after some much needed time off with my boys. I was hoping to start 2022 with a bang and I feel this was the perfect session for me to do that. I was able to get creative and step away. I wasn't able to work with Kaine because of COVID so I'm soaking in this new found balance of work and life. I'm loving it. All in all this day was perfect and exactly how I hoped to start 2022.
Sending all the good vibes for Katie and her family as they welcome their new bundle into the world in the upcoming weeks.
Heres to a happy, healthy and new beginning to an era of blogs.
Rachel.
