Of course, we all want to give the "favorite gift", the one that the new mom will look back on and say "Oh yeah, so and so gave me that and I just can't thank her enough!" As a newborn photographer I know that one of the things new parents treasure most is photos of their tiny little blessing.
With that in mind, K.D. Elise Photography is now offering gift certificates for newborn sessions! Give your favorite new mom a gift that she'll remember forever. Newborn photos will be treasured long after the diapers are outgrown and the clothes are handed down. Give me a call today, or send an e-mail through the contact form. All of our gift certificates come beautifully packaged and ready to give to the new mama. Your gift is sure to be a hit and the talk of the baby shower!
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I planned things a little different this time, it was my first session after attending a fabulous newborn photography workshop last month. I’ve added in some new poses and learned how to better transition babies from one pose to the next to make sessions flow more smoothly. I couldn’t have asked for a better baby to try out new skills on than Evalynn!
Little Miss Evalynn was super chill and calm. She was already sound asleep at the beginning of our session and was fairly content to just stay that way. She also now holds a very special honor, okay, maybe it’s really quite silly. Evalynn is the only baby to make it through an entire session with me without peeing (or pooping) on me! That’s quite the accomplishment! I always warn parents that their baby will pee and poop on me, its an occupational hazard for a newborn photographer and is completely okay. For the first time I was proved wrong!
I absolutely love this lace backdrop that we used for some of Evalynn’s photos. It’s one I’ve have sitting around for a while waiting for a baby girl to use it with. I’ve had quite the rush of boys lately!
This lovely little gal really liked being wrapped up snug. She woke up a bit as I was moving her but she fell back fast asleep!
I’ve been trying to break out of my comfort zone a little as far as colors go so I tried out a gorgeous purple and I’m so happy with how well it complimented Evalynn’s skin tones! I think I’m really going to love deep purples on my little ladies from now on.
If you’re a new mama looking for a Pueblo area newborn photographer, I’d love to work with you! Click the contact button to get in touch and we’ll start planning your baby’s first photo session today. Every baby and their family deserves beautiful newborn photos!
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I manned my table for several hours and as we neared the end of the show I still had one of my prizes- a free mini session. I was seriously starting to wonder if the person who had my special number was going to show up! Finally, about half an hour before the end of the show a lady walked up to me very excited and asked if I was table number 37. I sure was! Seeing how happy my sweet prize winner was just thrilled me to pieces!
Last week I got to meet with the prize winner and her little girl Madison for a lemonade stand mini session. Little miss Madison showed up with a toy in hand and like any kiddo wanted to roam around the park and check everything out. Madison has autism and so it was very important to me that she be comfortable during our time together. We walked around the park a bit while she warmed up and she “helped” me take a photo of her mama.
When a toddler stands behind the lemonade stand I know that one of two things is going to happen- they’re going to put the lemons in their mouth or they’re going to toss them into the pitcher of lemonade. Madison was a tosser, and boy was she good at it! Lemon after lemon found it’s way into the pitcher until it finally ended up overflowing! We were super lucky, and even though Madison’s mommy wondered if we’d be able to; we caught a smile! We danced around like fools and played silly games to get her to look at the camera, but in the end it was worth it because we got Madison’s beautiful smile.
Since we were shooting at a park, there were a lot of sights and sounds to capture Madison’s attention. At one point birds settled at the far edge of the grassy area where we were and she ran off after them until one finally flew into a tree. Madison ran to the tree while I ran around the tree and climbed up in it from the back. As she looked up trying to find the birdie she glanced right into the camera. I think this is one of my favorites of her, it makes me wonder exactly what she’s thinking.
We finished up Madison’s session sitting in front of the lemonade stand. She had fun piling all the lemons up in her arms and tearing all the straw out of the crates! Madison was so much fun and as her mama puts it a little “fireball”!
Looking back, those first newborn sessions weren't anything to brag about. Some of the photos are actually cringe worthy! I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't in business, in fact the sessions were done for friends and family because I happened to have a "nice" camera. I was getting familiar with my camera and figured I could get some decent photos. After all, how hard could it really be to photograph a newborn? Couldn't I just wrap the baby in a blanket and plop him or her in a basket? Babies are cute, this should be easy! I quickly learned that newborn photography is a whole different animal! Awkward posing, yellow skin and splotchy babies abound in those early photos. Like every photographer I've got a folder of "what was I thinking" photos that rarely see the light of day. Early failures do a lot to motivate a person though!
In the years since that first newborn session I've dedicated a lot of time and effort to learning as much as possible about newborn photography. I've photographed quite a few babies and I've loved every one of them. It's become very clear to me that newborn photography requires a totally different skill set than other types of photography. The technical basics of lighting and camera knowledge are certainly similar, but newborn sessions just aren't the same as other sessions.
Here's the thing- newborns are little people. They have their own needs and desires and their own feelings about things. They know when something feels good and when it doesn't but they can't tell us. Posing a newborn isn't the same as posing an adult, a child or even a three month old. These are tiny, fragile little beings who can be easily overwhelmed because the entire world and all of it's sensations are new to them. They have to be respected as such.
Your baby is the single most important thing in a photo session. Their comfort, happiness and safety have to come before everything else! A newborn session can last two or even three times as long as a regular session because we want to make sure your baby has time to settle, eat if needed and take breaks when necessary. Just getting a sleepy baby properly posed can take 20 minutes or more and that's perfectly okay!
It's super important to me to make sure that your baby is safe, comfortable and happy during their session. Since I've decided that newborn photography is an area that I really want to specialize in and focus on (don't worry, I still do other types of sessions!), I've devoted more time and resources to educating myself further on the nuances of newborn photography. I want to continue learning and growing because you and your newborn deserve the best experience and photos possible!
That's why a couple of weeks ago I traveled to Denver to attend a workshop with Michelle from Meshelle Photography in Spokane, Washington. Michelle focuses entirely on photographing newborns and teaching other photographers around the country how to safely and creatively do the same. She's one of the very best newborn photographers in the business! Check out the photos below, Michelle posed these sweet babies as she taught us and I photographed and edited each image.
I learned a lot from Michelle on how to prepare you as a parent for a session, how to pose and settle your baby and how to make our time together go as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. I'm excited to put these new skills to use! If you're looking for a Pueblo newborn photographer, I'd love to chat with you, call me to today or use the contact button to send me an e-mail. I also serve the Canon City, Florence, Walsenburg and Penrose areas.
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Thankfully, the weather for our second meeting was much better than it was for our first. Funny enough though, McCartney chose the same shirt she wore in her senior photos. I can totally see why though, the purple goes so beautifully with her green eyes. Just look at how amazing her eyes are!
It's so special to me to when clients come back for another session, I love photographing returning clients! Getting to continue to photograph my newborns as they grow, my seniors as they move on into the world, and my families as they change is such a special honor. Best of luck McCartney as you head off into your future! Thank-you for letting me be your photographer!
Like the rest of the world, every once in a while I just get a wild hair to do something different. Being a “creative type” these wild hairs usually lead to something pretty interesting. Last week, as I was preparing for my first vendor show I decided that the false wall set up I had needed more canvases. Of course, it couldn’t be just any old canvas; I decided very quickly that it had to feature a pregnant mama. You see, I really love maternity photography and wanted that to be reflected in my display. I think women are powerful during pregnancy and birth and I love capturing that. I looked through my past images and came to the conclusion that I just didn’t have what I needed to create the display I was looking for. Enter the “wild hair”.
I put out a model call for a mama between 32 and 35 weeks pregnant to participate in a stylized session and thanks to Facebook I very quickly found the perfect mama to be for the job. I spent the next day sewing a maternity gown (because there was no time to order one) and creating a flower crown to match the look I was going for. I’ll say this for making your own maternity gown- it’s not as easy as the online tutorials make it look. I’m a photographer, not a seamstress. I should stay behind the camera, not the sewing machine. At the end of a long day of stitching and then ripping seams and trying it all again the dress was done, the crown was beautiful and I got to meet a gorgeous mama to be.
Jessica and Jordan are expecting a baby boy, a very lucky little boy because his parents are really totally awesome. They drove from Canon City to let me be their photographer. In typical Colorado fashion, the weather started turning nasty about an hour before we were supposed to meet so we rearranged things a bit and headed to the Nature Center before the rain set in.
We got some gorgeous images of Jessica! I edited these a little softer and pinker than I normally do and I feel like it really fits the softer, sweeter mood I was going for.
The image below was put on canvas and looks amazing on the display I'm using for my first vendor show.
Jordan also jumped in for a few photos. I can tell you, this baby is going to be so very loved! His parents are just so sweet together!
We left the Nature Center just as it was beginning to rain. The plan was to head downtown and spend some time getting shots with a more urban feel, but mother nature cut us short. We did make it to the trains next to Union Depot, where we got a few shots in despite the dark clouds and complete lack of light. It’s a total happy coincidence that I brought Jessica and Jordan to the trains because Jordan actually works for the railroad in Canon City! Not only that, baby’s room is going to be decorated in a train theme. These show a different side of Jessica, the fierce and confident mama to be.
We made it back to our cars right as the rain really started coming down. As Jessica and Jordan pulled away my phone started beeping with a Flash Flood advisory and by the time I made it out of the parking lot about five minutes later it was raining heavily. Talk about perfect timing, I'm so glad we rearranged things to do the session a little earlier! Thanks Jessica and Jordan for being totally awesome!
It’s always fun for me when a baby comes in that I’ve been waiting for. It’s just so special when their mama contacts me during her pregnancy and I spend time waiting and anticipating the meeting of this new little one. Donald’s mama saw my ad and contacted me quite a while ago, anticipating that he would be coming several weeks before his due date as his older siblings had done. Oh those third babies! They never do quite what you expect them to do! Donald made his entrance into this world a good bit later than his mama was expecting him to. I was so excited when Donald’s mom sent me a message to let me know that he was born the day before!
I’ve had a lot of babies close to two weeks old lately, I was lucky enough to meet Donald at just 8 days old. He was super sweet and squishy!
Oh, and did I mention the hair? If he was a girl, oh the fun we would have had with that hair and bows! He has the most gorgeous dark black hair.
I had decided ahead of time that I’d like to approach Donald’s session a little differently. I made getting a couple of “prop shots” a priority and he was happy to cooperate! He’s the first little guy that has been on the airplane prop that my husband built. He also seemed pretty fond of my basket, snuggling right on in and falling asleep.
Last but not least we grabbed a couple of photos with a hat. Funny enough, the hats seemed to be the only part of the entire process that this little guy didn't like! We ditched the hat as soon as he started tugging on it and waking up. My goal is always to respect the baby and never do anything that they don't like, after all they're little people with their own opinions and desires.
If you're looking for photos of your baby, I'd love to be your newborn photographer! Click the contact button to get in touch, I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks again to Donald's family for letting me part of this special time!
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Several weeks ago as I was lying face down on a massage table I mentioned that I was going to be offering lemonade stand themed mini sessions. My therapist got excited, apparently great minds really do think alike. She’d already decided to do a pink lemonade themed first birthday party for her little girl Charlie. What a fun and happy coincidence!
Little miss Charlie arrived all smiles for our session. It was my first time getting to meet her and she was just such a doll and let me hold her and snuggle right away. We did our photos at a local park, and there was a little league baseball team practice in a field near us which Charlie seemed to think was pretty cool.
Charlie is a whole lot of cute wrapped up in a tiny little package and she barely cleared the top of my lemonade stand. Her mama was carefully positioned behind her to help hold her up and make sure she was kept safe.
I’m not entirely certain that Charlie had ever encountered a lemon before. As she was standing behind the stand we rolled one up towards her and she became enthralled. What is that brightly colored, funny feeling, tart smelling and tasting thing? It didn’t take long before Charlie did what any smart little one would do and tried to gum the lemon. She wasn’t a fan of the taste but she sure thought the lemons were cool. She held them, rolled them and of course tried throwing them. I’m here to tell you, Charlie plays a mean game of dropsies!
My husband accompanied me on this session and served as my assistant and reflector holder. It seems he’s quite the hit with the younger crowd! He captured Charlie’s attention so completely that he ended up standing directly over the top of me with his chin nearly resting on the top of my head so that I could get a shot with her looking at me. Miss Charlie- I think you have good taste!
By now you might have noticed that my favorite new one year old had a thing for sticking her tongue out at me. It’s one of those cute things that was just so completely her.
I had such a fun time meeting Charlie and capturing her personality during her first birthday photo shoot. I’m hoping to get to do a cake smash session with her soon. One year old is just such a fun age! Here’s a couple more of my favorite images from Charlie’s session. Thanks again to her mama for letting me be part of her celebration!
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Meet 17 month old Thane who helped me model my new raft photo prop. I was excited to meet Thane and his parents at the Nature Center here in Pueblo last week on a day that was supposed to be beautiful but decided to turn nasty a couple of hours before our session. Despite threatening skies and some gusty wind, the rain and lightening held off and we were able to make the most of our time together.
We spent some time walking around and exploring, Thane got to pet a puppy and watch bicyclists zoom past. He got such a kick out of helping me pull the wagon that was carrying the raft. I think he might also be a budding photographer, he loved touching my camera and checking out the buttons. He even managed to take photo of me (nope, not sharing that one!). It was no time at all before Thane was warmed up and happy to be in front of the camera. I usually have to work a little more to get smiles from one year olds, but not this time! Thane was happy to give them freely.
Thane's daddy likes to fish and actually showed up fishing pole in hand, so the raft theme I planned ahead of time ended up working beautifully with the Arkansas River in the background. Daddy didn't catch any fish, but Thane and I got some great photos.
I'm really happy with how this session turned out. Thane's beautiful red hair really popped against the natural background and he was just such a happy kid. I'm so glad his parents gave me the opportunity to photograph him. We made the best of the clouds while fighting the wind and walked away with some precious images of a sweet little guy.
I think his latest creation, a wooden airplane, is perfect for the little guys. Of course, he was putting the finishing touches on it while I was shooting my most recent newborn boy so I don't have a photo of it in use. I'm semi-patiently awaiting the birth of a couple of new boys (and I'm sure their mamas are too)! In the meantime, I figured I'd just show off the newest addition to my prop stash anyway.
One of the things I love most about summer is that I can ditch my tennis shoes. I spent most of my childhood barefoot, and I still rarely wear shoes or socks in the house. For me, happy feet are bare feet but let's face it, walking barefoot through the grocery store is kind of frowned upon. I mean, sure you could try it but you'd probably end up thrown out pretty fast.
In lieu of going barefoot, I've developed an affection for the lowly flip flop. My feet started screaming in flat shoes last summer so this year I'm sporting a comfy (if slightly ugly) pair of Croc brand flip flops. Can I just tell you how much I love them? Heck, my whole family loves flip flops (even my husband who is the proud owner of the really huge pair below). I took a few of our favorites out for an impromptu "photo shoot" this morning. Haha! Happy National Flip Flop Day from K.D. Elise Photography!
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As a newborn photographer I always enjoy the job, but this little guy was just a kick in the pants. At only ten days old, and being born before his due date he was incredibly alert. It's always amazing to me how much personality shows through in each newborn I photograph. They are all so different! Baby Z also had the most adorable little forehead wrinkles which just melted me!
Baby Z followed the trend of the other babies I've photographed lately and tried to spend the entire time awake. As he was finally giving in to sleep he gave me a big smile. He dozed a little bit off and on during our session.
The rest of our time together Z spent just chillin'. His Daddy mentioned that he likes to rest with his arms back, so we posed him that way for one of his photos. I think the photos of him awake and relaxing are my favorites from his session. There's already so much of a "little man" look in him, sometimes I almost feel like I can see the adult that these sweet babies will become.
Welcome to the world Baby Z! I know it won't be long before you're taking it by storm!
I love working with new babes and expecting mamas! If you enjoyed browsing through Baby Z's images and are looking for professional newborn photography or pregnancy photos click the contact button, I'd be thrilled to work with you to create a truly great portrait.
]]>Last week a fellow Pueblo area photographer posted on Facebook about a field of flowers she'd found out by the airport and I couldn't resist driving out there for a visit. I was really surprised when we pulled up, there were actually tons of flowers out there! In fact, I think there were more wildflowers than I've ever seen growing in one place before; it was beautiful.
The purple wildflowers made the perfect backdrop for a green-eyed girl with her hair blowing in the wind.
Contact me today at 719-371-3770 to schedule your session, or e-mail [email protected]
We took our four year old out to a little hidden park here in Pueblo to be our guinea pig, anxious to see how the lemonade stand would photograph. I decked it out with an assortment of lemons, pinwheels, and a big pitcher of lemonade. I don't know about you, but I think it looks pretty great! Of course my little guy had to be a total ham while I was taking his photos. He even took a big bite out of one of the lemon slices!
These special sessions will only be available seasonally, and for a fairly short amount of time. I'll be opening up a limited number of lemonade stand mini sessions in just a few days, but blog readers can e-mail me at [email protected] now to get on the schedule. I can't wait to see the cute photos that will feature your darling children and our cute lemonade stand.
Contact me today to schedule your senior portrait session because these will go fast!
Who says sports photos have to be boring? My daughter played volleyball this year for the first time. We are a homeschool family and this was the first time that she'd ventured out and joined a public school team. Sure her form still isn't perfect, and like the other new kids on the team she spent more time on the bench than on the court. She worked her butt off though and I wanted to make sure we had photos that captured her very special first season and how proud her mama was of her.
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At this time I'm seeking newborns between 5-20 days of age. I'll come to your home, where baby is most comfortable and spend 2-3 hours photographing him or her. You allow me to use the images here on my website and in marketing materials and in exchange you receive 5 free digital images! It's that simple!
Interested? E-mail me at [email protected] so we can book your session.
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Everyday that you wake up with your newborn in your arms is a day that he or she will grow and change, and become something just a little bit different than they were the day before. It's absolutely amazing, isn't it? That new baby you're holding will never be the same as they are right this minute, it's such a fleeting time! That's one reason I encourage parents to schedule their newborn's session early in baby's life. To truly capture them as a "newborn".
So when is the right time to schedule your baby's first photos? Ideally, I like to photograph babies between 5 and 14 days of age. Waiting until day 5 gives mom and baby time to adjust to each other in the outside world. We want to capture baby as early as possible, but the most important thing is that you've settled into life with each other. If you're nursing, your milk should be in by day 5 and a lot of the early newborn kinks should be worked out.
We all love those sleeping newborn photos, right? Babies in their first two weeks of life are still super sleepy, and they're used to being curled up in the womb so they don't mind being moved around and positioned for photos. After the two week mark, that sleepy little baby starts to realize that there's a world out here and it's pretty darn exciting! They learn that they really like stretching out, and that sometimes staying awake is just more fun than taking a nap.
I encourage pregnant moms to contact me to tentatively schedule baby's newborn session sometime in the last month of pregnancy. This takes away the pressure of planning your session in those early days of adjusting to life together. We'll iron out all of the details before hand and all you have to do is give me a call when baby's made his or her arrival.
Sometimes you get thrown a curveball, life gets in the way and mama, baby or both need a little more time to adjust to the new "normal". If you didn't get your session scheduled before baby's birth or within the first two weeks it really isn't too late! As your choice of Pueblo newborn photographers we can work together to create beautiful newborn photos of your baby.
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I did a lovely session with a very fun girl named McCartney in the late fall as the last leaves were barely clinging to the trees. What you can't see in her images is how absolutely freezing cold it was. She was so full of energy and had a great sense of humor! I love how she totally opened up and acted right at home in front of the camera.
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Baby MaKayla and her twin sister were two of my newborn photography portfolio building models. They were a little older than most newborns, at 7 weeks but because they were twins they were born a few weeks early.
Every baby has such a unique personality and I'm always excited to get to know them. Baby MaKayla was totally chill and calm and she didn't mind me moving her and posing her at all! She snuggled right on in to my blankets and slept like a dream.
The first image is my absolute favorite of MaKayla. I found the flowered headband at Mountain Moppets in Colorado Springs and knew it would be perfect for a newborn. It totally matches my yellow and grey branding colors too, which I loved.
The last photo is kind of an outtake but I really love it. I was getting ready to change backdrops and the blanket is completely wrinkly, but MaKayla decided to smile and I couldn't help but capture it. As mamas we know those baby smiles are all gas, but that doesn't make us love them any less!
When my second child was born I received my first DSLR- and realized how much I loved capturing memories but I still didn't understand how truly precious those images could be.
A couple of years ago a good friend's sister was getting married and I agreed to take some photos for them. I was warned ahead of time that like most adults the bride's father really hated having his picture taken. I can certainly sympathize as I'm far more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. I spent the day quietly looking for the right moment to get a quick shot, and the father of the bride spent the day carefully avoiding my camera. It was a game of cat and mouse that I was determined to win. Finally when he wasn't looking I stepped into place and as he turned I was able to fire off one perfect shot, he wasn't particularly amused.
A few short weeks later my friend called early in the morning to let me know that her dad had passed away in his sleep the previous night. Through her tears she asked if I had any pictures of her father. That's when I realized how important photography really is. That's why I do this, because the images in our mind's eye fade far too quickly. The details get hazy; before we know it it's harder to bring an image of grandpa to mind, or to remember how small and tiny that newborn baby was. There is something incredibly special about capturing a moment for a family to hold onto, creating an image that quite simply gives them the chance to remember.
Thank-you to that family and to the man who taught me such a valuable lesson, you may have hated having your picture taken but you're why I'm a photographer.
