Vanessa G. Photography: Blog

The Robeson County Partnership for Children (RCPC) hosted the Beautiful Babies contest again this year. The 12 winners will be featured in a 2010 calendar produced by their organization. Calendars will be on sale soon. Check their website for updates. All profits benefit the RCPC and the work they do to support the children of Robeson County.

Vanessa G. Photography was selected to photograph the winners for the calendar. (Yea!) It took two days to photograph these precious kids. They were all truly beautiful children and I enjoyed meeting their families. There are 12 kids in all, so I decided not to spoil the calendar by revealing all of the calendar images. You’ll have to purchase the calendar to see them all!

The RCPC’s Beautiful Babies contest is significant. Sure they are trying to raise money to support the programs they provide to the community. More importantly, they are raising awareness about the beauty in every child. The potential for their success in life. The defining role that parents and educators play in their lives by helping them see their own inner beauty and worth. Remember these things when you look at a child, of any age. They are ALL beautiful.

Finally, a girl. With all these handsome little boys I’ve been seeing lately, it was such fun to work with a pretty little girl. She set a record! We spent four lovely hours trying to capture these images. It happens, but I’m patient. When I see potential, I don’t give up. Diaper changes, feedings, mommy-itis (wants mommy’s love), and even the wiggles will not keep me from capturing the best I can. This little beauty had been constipated for several days (stop reading now if you have a queasy stomach), but with my magic, I helped relieve the problem…all over the blanket, daddy’s hand, grandma, and a stack of baby wipes. Sounds terrible, but we were all laughing. I promise. Someone said I “must have aggravated the crap outta her.” True. But it was worth it. Check her out…

Some babies look like little cherubs. Here is a good example. Baby Seth is only about 3 months old, but his sweet nature has shown through from the beginning. He is calm, happy, and unbelievably beautiful. Perfect skin. Perfect eyes. Perfect lips. Crazy fun hair. I could eat him with a spoon he is so cute. He was so happy the day we had our session too. I had a hard time deciding what to share on the blog. Here are just a few of my many, many favorites.

Mr. Seth offered so many adorable expressions. I combined them into a 20×20″ storyboard as a sample wall display. Typically my storyboards are 10×20 or 20×20. The black border here is for blog purposes only.  Storyboards are a great way to combine some of your favorites into custom artwork.

Little Henry smiled a lot for a newborn. As I was editing his session images, I started to think. Who could possibly look at that tiny 7lb. baby’s smile and not smile back? It’s so unexpected. There is nothing you can do to make a newborn baby smile. I sit, finger on the shutter release, and almost hold my breath waiting for that little smile to appear. You’re lucky if you get one. Henry just surprised us over and over. Maybe it’s because he has so much to be happy about…loving parents, a wonderful big sister, and a bright and promising future.

And you are still smiling. Right? How can you resist?

Baby Cole is still a baby, but he’s a lot bigger than he used to be. I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing his entire first year. These are from our 4th session. We’ll soon be compiling our favorites from all four sessions to create a one of a kind ‘Babies First Year’ book. Look for a sample here on the blog soon. In the meantime, look at how he’s grown. Baby Cole is curious, calm, and his easy going nature makes him such a joy. Happy first birthday!

Our little neighborhood was blessed with new babies in 2009. The total is now 4 boys and 2 girls. Shocking, I know! (If you’re looking for that little something extra to give you an edge in the baby-making department, you might want to stop by my house and have a glass of water.)

Baby J. was the last to arrive this year. He was lucky number six. He has an amazing head of hair and bright eyes. And on the rainy day that we had our session, he was a ray of sunshine and he cooperated so well. We made it through with only two pees and one poop. Ah. It’s to be expected when you strip a newborn down to their birthday suit. All part of a days work and always fun.

Brotherly love is something special. I’m sure the day will come when they will fight. (My sister and I surely did!) But right now, there is this sweet, sweet love that Levi has for his little brother. His favorite part of every day is just holding him on the couch. He showers little Noah with hugs and kisses and tries his best to sooth him when he cries. He will make up little songs to sing to him when Noah is unhappy.

One day, I hope they both look back at this image and recognize how beautiful they were together. Noah is so lucky to have such a caring big brother. It was something I had hoped for him. And Levi finally has a brother of his own. One he calls “my best friend.”

Babies are adorable. Especially when they’re sleeping! I love to hold Noah against my chest as he curls into a little ball of baby yumminess that sleeps soundly listening to my heart beat. A sound he’s sure to recognize. According to what I’ve read, babies can distinguish their mother’s heartbeat, voice, and dialect from all others. Isn’t that amazing? I guess after nine months he should be an expert at all things ‘mom.’ It’s really wonderful to know how much they need you and want you right from their first breath. There is no greater love than that between a mother and child.

My poor child may end up being the most photographed baby in the world. But then again, I bet there are a lot of moms out there taking dozens of pictures everyday of there own little miracles. I’m just part of the club. When on your quest to capture all the wonderful things about your new little one…don’t forget the details.

Those tiny little feet! They look extra small next to Daddy’s hand.

Those itty bitty hands! Adding in the wedding bands is another favorite of mine. A baby represents the renewal of life and a joining together. The rings are a great detail to represent love and the circle of life.

This last one was a complete experiment. My belly cast sits in the background. I think every mother tries to imagine how in the world that baby ever fit into that small space.  Trust me. It wasn’t easy and it didn’t feel good after about 8 months. Yes, women are quite amazing creatures.

I’m trying to take a few minutes each day to edit my little Noah’s newborn images. Today was basket day. Since I had a perfectly good little model I tested out the new baskets I’ve been collecting just for newborn shoots. I’m still trying to decide on my favorite. Here are a few…

TIP: Notice the hat? Yes, it’s the middle of summer, but he didn’t mind and it adds something extra to the image. Think of hats for both newborn and kid sessions. Even out of season!

I loved this one in BW too!! Sometimes it’s hard to decide between the two. I’m always partial to BW.

June 25th was a life changing day for me. I spent the morning agonizing over the choice I was about to make. June 25th was D-day, “delivery day”.

After having had the worst delivery experience with my first child three years earlier, I was hoping to avoid a repeat. Big brother Levi had made his debut after 40 weeks and three long days, induction, 12 hours of hard labor, three failed epidurals, one failed intrathecal, a failed spinal block and then a lot of general anesthesia for my cesarean section. That was followed by two weeks of intense spinal headaches and a year of daily back pain. But after six weeks of recovery, I was finally able to walk to my mailbox and back with enough energy to collapse on the couch. In a word I would describe my first child birth experience as ‘terrible.’ My first words upon awaking from my surgery were “I’m never having another baby.” And then came Noah.

The tough decision for me was whether to risk the chance of repeating spinal headaches and back pain for the chance to be awake for Noah’s first appearance, OR to jump straight into general anesthesia where my husband wouldn’t be able to attend and I miss the whole event yet again. I had felt so robbed of my first child’s entry into the world. It was a scary decision. The anesthesiologist explained procedures and tools to me and I decided to risk the spinal block. After much crying of course.

I felt no pain. I was awake when Noah Jesse German arrived at 9:13am on June 25th, 2009. He weighed all of 8 pounds and was 21″ long. I heard his first cry and I cried too. Little Noah had the same boyish voice his brother had.  The Dr’s first comment about him was that he had dark hair. Shocking because Levi didn’t have a lick of hair at birth or the next 12 months. I was so relieved to have reached the end of my pregnancy and to finally hold my baby.

Noah is calm and snugly. His skin is soft and kissable. He has long skinny feet and toes. So far, he only cries when he’s hungry and when he’s naked. This child does not like to be exposed. He was born with modesty.

These first images of him were taken during a nice long newborn nap. I’m guessing he’d blush if he knew the world had seen him bare. But newborns have a very sleepy nature at first, and before 10 days of age, they will cooperate amazingly well for photographs. There will be more images to come. Here is a little introduction.

 I’m about to experience this great expansion myself. Therefore I am super curious about how all of the details work themselves out when someone new arrives in the family. I’ve witnessed three of my neighbors having their second child in the last few months and I’m anxiously awaiting my turn. It’s a little scary and exciting all at the same time. I worked with the Pope family a few weeks ago and got to see first hand how their oldest boy had become a ‘big brother’ over night. He seemed to be taking it well. He was calm and caring with his new little sister. How precious she was! Here’s a sneak peek…

Big brother and his stunning blue eyes.

There is nothing like a mother’s touch to easy a baby into a peaceful sleep.

Newborns have a sleepy nature. This is fantastic for photography. You can position them into little curved shapes and they rarely complain. This is why it’s best to schedule newborn sessions in the first 10 days after birth. This little man was about 8 days old. He was so very precious, and calm. We were even lucky enough to capture a few treasured smiles. What makes a newborn baby smile? Wouldn’t you love to know what he was dreaming about? It must be his mother because I can’t imagine anything else that he would have grown to love.

Welcome Brady. I sure enjoyed smiling at you too.

Babies grow unbelievably fast. Little Claire is about 12 weeks old now and we’ve just completed session two with her and big sister Cate. Baby Claire has nearly doubled her birth weight and livened up quite a bit. I had forgotten how wonderful babies are at this age. They coo! They sound as if they are learning how to make vowel sounds. I remember holding a video camera and recording my own son at this age making all those adorable cooing sounds. Aaaa, Oooo, Ahhh.

The funniest part of our session was when baby Claire was laying on top of big sister Cate. Just as we’d finished getting the shot, Claire decided to show Cate what she’d had for lunch. Imagine a screaming 4 year old, completely grossed out, with baby spit up running down her neck. It was hilarious. We managed to calm her down and clean her up. As moms, we are so used to it that we’re barely fazed by a little spit up. There must a repressed memory in my head somewhere of my first baby puke gross-out. Babies! You’ve got to love em’…spit up and all.

I get to see a lot of happy people through my work as a photographer. Couples get engaged, get married, conceive their children, and present their new little darlings to the world. Maternity sessions are unique, especially when it’s the first child.

This couple was clearly in a blissful state. Ashley and Ray are expecting their little one in a just a few short weeks. There was lots of talk about what the Doctor has said and where the delivery was going to take place. Anticipation was in the air! Ray was so patient and loving with his expecting wife. He was going to do whatever made her happy. And Ashley was the picture perfect maternity model…tall, slim, and with the perfect sized baby bump!

We took quite a few outdoor images, even the black and white’s were done on the scene in their front yard. Typically, I prefer the environmental, scenic images, but sometimes the simplicity of a plain black background lends itself to more graceful and simple image. I always aim to provide some of both for maternity sessions. After all, the baby belly is what we’re all looking at, right? It’s the first symbol of new life.

I’ve been asked so many times…”Who’s going to take YOUR maternity pictures?” Well, the answer is….drum roll please….my husband! For Mother’s Day I decided to take advantage of the beautiful morning and bribe my two boys into a quick photo shoot. It was quite difficult to direct the shoot, get the three year old to cooperate, and run back and forth to the camera to see exactly what we were capturing. In the end, I was happy with a few images. I really wanted the focus to be on Levi and not myself. I wanted that one good image of him next to his baby brother, in the days shortly before he arrived. A whole new life is about to begin in our home. I’m full of ideas for those new born images too. Just you wait and see!

I started with the test model. Handsome little devil isn’t he?

Since I’m going to have two boys I can only imagine what life would be like with two girls. I got a little glimpse the other day with these two lovely girls. Cate has the most beautiful blue eyes and was settling into her new role as ‘big sister’. Baby Claire was only 8 days old and perfect for newborn pictures. At this young age, babies still have their newborn ‘curl’ and they mostly sleep. That is until the photographer puts her cold hand on the babies warm skin and startles a shrill ‘all-girl-scream’ out of her. Ha-ha. But I’m a quick learner and I took every precaution not to do that a second time.

Mom had purchased letter to hang Claire’s name in the nursery. We made use of them! I’ve never tried this before, but I love the way it turned out. I’m thinking of having this one printed for myself as a studio sample. Every home session is like a scavenger hunt when it involves kids. I’m always looking for objects to include in the images.

Big sister Cate took me on a tour of the yard. I never would have thought that a green slide would have photographed so well. It turned out to be perfect. And it was my favorite image of her.

Check out those pink boots! While mom was tending to Baby Claire, Cate and I went looking for shoes to wear outside. I don’t think these were usually part of the outfit, but I loved them!

Babies are just so darn cute. They are a lot of fun to photograph too! Emma had the best hair I’ve seen on any baby. It curled a little…just enough to form it’s own little mo-hawk. I know I commented on that hair a few times during the session. I love to find something unique in everyone. In fact, I search for it. Now that I think about it…my camera allows me the opportunity to stare at people in a way that would usually not be acceptable. That’s sneaky and entertaining. I look for my subjects’ beauty, individual characteristics, and imperfections. I only look for imperfections so I can help draw the focus away from those things and help the viewer to see what I see…something unique and special. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You DO want your photographer to be looking for the beauty in you.

Behold…beauty. Dad’s rustic arms holding Emma and her smooth, new skin tightly and safely.

And no baby session is complete without the precious feet.

Baby Cole is really doing that…growing like a weed. We’re continuing baby’s first year with our third session. He has such a sweet nature about him. Calm, easy going, and happy is how I describe baby Cole. He’s a great example to use for Photo Tip #4.

Tip #4: When to capture baby in the first year…

Many studios will advertise the 3-6-9-12 month sessions. The truth should be told. You really want to capture baby’s milestones and not focus as much on the age. Sure the ages are more typical, but absolutely not carved in stone. Use these guides to help you decide when to try and capture distinct moments in your baby’s first year. Whether you’re using your own pocket camera or scheduling a session with Vanessa G. Photography, the guides here can still help you decide “when” is the best time to make memories.

Session 1: Newborn - milestone=immobile, tiny,wrinkly, new.  The BEST time to capture newborns are in the first 10 days after birth. This of coarse is when mom will not feel like having her picture made, but babies are sleepy, quiet, and don’t mind being handled as much during their sleep. The smaller the better in that first session, but anything before 6 weeks is a great idea too. After the 10 days passes, your baby will be awake more hours of the day, a personality will start to show, and your little one will begin to grow…fast. In other words, they may not enjoy being put down, in a cute outfit, all for the sake a few peaceful looking baby images. Things become more difficult and much more patients is required to capture those precious moments.

Session 2: 2-5 months - milestone=holding up the head for at least a few seconds…long enough to take a few pictures. Your baby will have livened up a lot by this session. Their facial features will have changed slightly and they will appear more plump. They can see beyond the 14″ in front of their face and may even provide a smile when entertained. You should have introduced “tummy time” by this point and your baby should be able to push up their shoulders and take a look around the room. If you’re little one is still laying around flat on their back, you might want to give them time to develop those neck muscles a little more.

Session 3: 5-9 months - milestone=sitting up with little to no assistance. The sitting up stage could happen anywhere from 5 to 10 months. All babies develop at their own pace. Some are walking at 10 months and some are just trying to sit up without falling over. It’s not a sign of intelligence, but rather a physical development stage. It also means nothing about the child’s future athletic ability. So don’t worry if your little one is lagging behind the pack. Sitting up well is the next great photo opportunity.

Session 4: 9-15 months -  milestone=standing and trying to walk with little help. Many parents are familiar with the term ‘cruising’ which means that baby is stepping and trying to walk while holding onto the furniture. Some babies are running by 12 months, while others are just ‘hanging on.’ Again, no worries if you don’t see walking until 15 months or more. I would recommend holding off on that last end-of-year session until your little one is starting to walk. The images of that unsteady stance are priceless.

Just to clarify, don’t get stuck on the numbers. It’s the milestones you should focus on.

Now on to baby Cole. He’s sitting up well at about 7 months old and we took full advantage of his abilities.

I also recommend that we add in a few images of the siblings together. This was my favorite. I love the feet and the antique rocking chair. The toe grabbing was their own idea. How sweet.

Continuing our baby and family theme for January is the Chamber’s family. Now officially first time parents, Mom and Dad were much like I expected. If you have kids already, then you know what I mean. When that first little person arrives you are so very attentive to every little sigh they make and each little expression on that chubby little face. It takes two adults to manage that tiny addition to the family. They were so cute though. It made me remember how I was back then. It was so scary at first. With baby number two, all the mommy fears are gone. I’m an old pro.

Baby Chambers was a perfect model. I had a very hard time trying to decide which images to include here on the blog. I gave into FIVE! And I must describe as we go because there are some great stories and emotions here…

1-How does your baby feel out in public surrounded by new people they’ve never seen before? This looks like the shy, unsure little expression you’d expect. Dad reached over and took her hand in a normal kind of way and I just had to say “freeze.” This is one of those looks you could never plan to capture. It’s just authentic.

2- In our attempt to have baby grasp a finger to get that close up baby-hand shot, I found this instead. I loved it so much more than the standard version. The wave, the curiosity on her face in the background really makes this image stand out. She looks so tiny wrapped up in mom’s hands. One of my favorites!

3-The hand shot again. (yes, i love baby parts.) These next two have a great story. The dress baby is wearing was made by her Great-Grandmother using the material from her Grandmother’s wedding dress!! Priceless and complete with bonnet!! If you’re trying to think of something special for a baby or kids session, an heirloom is perfect. It doesn’t have to be a dress. It could be an old book, glasses, hat, glove, etc. This is not just a picture for the Chamber’s family. It’s history.

4-Finally, the burping session that delivered the funnest face of the day. We had to take a little break for Mom to feed baby a snack to help her make it through our session. During the burping, I kept clicking away. I’m so glad I did. She’s so cute!

I seam to be surrounded by people who are “building a family” these days. I’m just one of FIVE pregnant women in my neighborhood. Can you imagine the hormones floating around here? It is great to have so many like-minded people around.

The Brice family had one of my first 2009 sessions. They’ve recently added a second child to their group. These two sisters are as cute as can be. Mom and Dad both were such adoring parents as well.  I could tell you more about how spirited and fun these kids were, but just take a look and you’ll see for yourself.

A brief moment of silence…

I love to capture siblings interacting. Occasionally it takes a little prompting, but they usually jump right in.

I had a recent session with a client at her home. We’ve worked together before, but this time I had the pleasure of working with her newest edition, little Eva. She is as beautiful as her mother! And she’s the perfect model for Photo Tip #2.

Photo Tip #2: Use your environment! (Use your own props too!!)

I try really hard to look for environmental elements that are unique. In little Eva’s case, she had cute stuffed animals and a lot of pink that made for an adorable surrounding for such a sweet and innocent little girl.

Another item we found around the house was an antique wooden bowl. It was a perfect fit for Eva. Items like that make for great size comparison in the future. I can hear daddy saying…’I remember when you were so small you could fit in that wooden bowl.’  

Being an on-site photographer gives me the distinct advantage to personalize images. I love finding something different. Mom had a stool given to her recently, another antique, that was gorgeous. Guess who fit the furniture perfectly….Eva! We basically had a scavenger hunt around the house just to look for great things to use during our session. I am always up for moving furniture, raising blinds, and reorganizing a bedroom, just to get a better environmental shot.

And don’t think all of this info doesn’t apply outdoors. Mother nature provides a million fun and interesting things to incorporate into your images. You just have to spend a little time looking.

And here is our little model posing for a close up. Sweet. Cute. Lovely.

The first thing I notice about people is their eyes. The shape, the color, the way their eye lashes curl, and the way they look back at me or search for something else. I think friendliness shows in a person’s eyes too. We say a lot in the way we look at other people.

These eyes are captivating. She get’s that blue from her daddy. Little E. was lively and curious. She loves to dance and she talked up a storm. She didn’t say a lot with her words, but her eyes were saying plenty.

Babies have a limited variety of talents. But the things they do, they do well. Sleep, eat, pee, poop, cry, drool, and laugh seem to top the list. I’m still working on the ’sleep’ talent myself.

This little sweetheart was full of giggles. And she was stylish too. Check out those chic polka dots! And you should hear her laugh. We were laughing at her laughing. And she was laughing at us laughing. Gigglefest 2008…

You know what I love about babies? They are so honest. As we grow older, we become more guarded, more reluctant to express our true feelings because of what someone else may think. A baby has no reference to what is proper, or what is bad timing. They are always unashamedly themselves. What freedom it would be to always just be ourselves. Without apology. It sounds wonderful. Adult life can be so complicated. You’ve got to appreciate the ‘real’ things in life to really enjoy being alive.

I worked with some adorable little babies this past weekend. Even the older siblings seemed to know what I knew…that there was something special about these little ones. They are innocent and perfect.