Pueblo Maternity Photographer : A Stylized Session
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!
Donald : 8 Days Old
A few months ago when I decided to launch K.D. Elise Photography and finally make the jump into business I put up an ad seeking newborn models. Newborns are an area of photography that takes a lot of time and practice to master. Newborn photography really is completely different than other types of sessions and it's an area I’m really looking forward to specializing in. Last week I finished up the very last of my portfolio building newborns. These mamas trusted me to capture their newborns’ first images, even though they didn’t have the opportunity to see the volume of sample work that my future clients will. I’m honored that they put their trust in me! I have to say, over the course of the last few months I’ve gotten to work with some amazing mamas and babies!
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!
Pueblo Photographer : Charlie Turns One
A couple of years ago I started seeing a fabulous massage therapist to help work out some kinks. I think she’s probably the best massage therapist in Pueblo and after months of seeing her every week for our “gab fest” / massage time I’m happy to consider her a friend. I’m so happy she decided to let me be her photographer!
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!
Pueblo Children's Photographer : An Outdoor Fishing Raft Session with Thane
What do you get when you mix a homemade raft, an adorable red headed boy and a gorgeous riverside location? A fabulous children's photography session!
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.
