Finishing the Early Motherhood Project

Yesterday’s photo shoot marked the end of my Early Motherhood Project. This model and her baby girl were one of the first to sign up for the project, but because of bad weather, sickness, graduation (congrats to my model!), and scheduling conflicts, we almost didn’t get together for the shoot. I’m glad it finally worked out!

It’s a relief to be finished. It’s been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. What started out as a germ of an idea has blossomed into a great adventure for me as a photographer. I’ve met so many wonderful moms and their families, made friends and contacts for future shoots, and put my photography skills to the test.

Meanwhile, I’m taking bookings for regular photo shoots: families, couples, individuals, and (yes!) mom and baby shoots. Please visit my Pricing Page for more information. And it’s full speed ahead for my next TFCD Modeling project: I have spots available on June 16th, 26th, and 27th. Lots of dates in July are also available. If you live in the Roswell or Alpharetta area (or can travel here for a shoot), please contact me to have your school-age kids model for my Kids and Teen Photo Project.

Summer Portraits

With summer approaching, the colors and light outside have become more vivid and bright. That's great for my Nikon camera, which captures colors so well as long as I white balance before each shoot. But the brightness is sometimes hard to get around. To avoid squinting eyes and harsh shadows, I look for shady spots to take photos. These photos were taken at the model's home in her front and back yard. The trees and the house provided enough cover from the sun, and the ivy, lattice fence, and brick made lovely backgrounds.

This time, I concentrated on getting portrait shots of each model. The girls were pretty easy to capture. At first, the oldest played and posed readily for me. Even when she got a little stubborn about having her picture taken, she looked great on camera (see the close-up black and white photo). The baby was an easy-going calm one. She was just about happy with anything I did to get a good picture. Lastly, I wanted to give mom a nice portrait of herself. When the light hit her brown eyes just right, I took several shots of her alone. It's great to have pictures of you and your children, but sometimes it's nice when you are the star of the photo alone.

This is the second-to-last photo shoot from my Early Motherhood Project. I have one more mom and baby pair to shoot, and then I am officially done with this project . . . at least the photography part. I would like to have some of my work from this project published and am looking into that possibility.

New Eyes for a New World

Marchet writes:

This week, I had the privilege of photographing an amazing little one-month-old and his mom for my Early Motherhood Project. Don't those little eyes look like they have a whole galaxy in them? And despite lack of sleep, I think mom looks great! Mom and dad have a great blog that includes a fun "time-lapse" sequence of the pregnancy I think you may enjoy.

Photographing a one-month-old brought so many memories back! Only a year ago, I was in the same situation: a new mom who couldn't quite believe she was actually a parent. I was unsure of my natural abilities, but I was willing to learn and absolutely committed to do the best I could for my little one. As the months passed, I gained more confidence as a mom and I began to enjoy it. I've heard that when a first baby is born, a mother is born too. So, I've learned to be easy on myself as my baby has grown into toddlerhood and I have grown into parenthood. To my model and her little boy, "Welcome to the world, little one, and welcome to parenthood, mom. You're both going to do great!"

Why Candids?

Candid photography is all about taking risks: you're never really sure if you're going to get the shots you want. You're constantly moving around, trying to get your subjects to fill the frame without interfering with the action, and then there's the background to worry about. But when I look at all of my photos from a session, it's the candids that I love. Why? Candids capture a lot more personality than posed shots. You can see the relationship between subjects when they aren't trying to "look good" for the camera. I am wrapping up my Early Motherhood Project soon, but I was so glad to include this mom and her little one in the series.

This mom and I talked about my style of photography before the shoot, and I mentioned how as a photographer, I can see the beauty in other people that they can't necessarily see in themselves. After the fact, I realized that a lot of that has to do taking candids: we're at our best when playing and laughing and smiling with our families. Check out our Pricing page for rates on a candid family photo session of your own.

Trio in the the Trees

This beautiful trio were wonderful models for my Early Motherhood Project. Despite bright sun, we found some shady spots in the backyard and in wooded lot nearby. I love how vibrant and alive the sisters look in their red shirts against the green background. I also love shooting mom with both her young child and her baby; after all, early motherhood is often about taking care of more than one child.

Being One

Marchet writes:

My little boy and I spent a great morning at Webb Bridge Park with a friend and fellow blogger who agreed to model for my Early Motherhood Project. Her little guy was busy! He was swinging, playing, eating, smiling, fussing, and even walking as proud as he could be across the floor of the pavilion. Such independence comes with being one, and this little guy was out to prove it!

Today's sunny light made harsh shadows and bright highlights, something I usually try to avoid. However, I found that the contrast was perfect for black and white images like the ones on the slide. It's opportunities like these that help me learn as a photographer. So far, the Early Motherhood Project has been a tremendous success: it's helped me expand my portfolio, get out of the house to meet other moms and babies, and say "thank you" to my models with a free CD of their images. I will be finishing this project in a few weeks, but I'll start a new one after that. Ideas for new projects are welcome!

Quiet Wonder

This mom and baby pair braved cool weather to model for my Early Motherhood Project (see previous post for details if you are interested in modeling). Just six months old, the baby boy was full of quiet wonder for all the spring beauty around him. And I love how the soft pink and blue hues echo the mother's gentle caregiving.

It's been such an amazing experience meeting moms and taking candid shots of them and their babies. I will be working on this project until the end of this month, April. After that, my new project tentatively called "School Days" will feature school-age children and teenagers.

Real Babies, Real Moms

Marchet writes:

My Early Motherhood Project is off to a great start! I have a few more moms lined up to model for me, but am looking for more. Details are available on an earlier post: Early Motherhood Project.

Today, this little 6-month-old ran the gamut of emotions during our photo shoot: sleepy, hungry, angry, scared, confused, and absolutely desolate! Fortunately for us, little miss also had some smiles behind the tears. We spent the first half of the photo shoot trying to sooth a teething set of gums and helping little miss become acclimated to the camera. Even though the situation may have been a bit distressing, I have to admit, I still loved it! This is what I've been wanting to do for months: shoot photos of real babies and real moms.

After little miss calmed down, we took her outside to sit in the grass for the first time. She didn't wait very long before grabbing that fistful of grass. Let's add one more emotion to today's list: curious!