maternity

Cassy Maternity | Mikaela Joy: El Paso Portrait Photographer

Isn't motherhood beautiful?

I absolutely love shooting maternity portraits.  Being pregnant is such a fleeting moment.  It doesn't feel like it at the time, with the morning sickness, the Braxton hicks, and the incredible exhaustion, but looking back afterwards you'll realize, pregnancy is gone in the blink of an eye. 

And there's really nothing else like it.  There is no other moment in life where a mother and her child are that together, bonded by the fact that they, for a while, share the same body.  The more I learn about pregnancy and how a mother's body adapts to grow a child, the more I realize how amazing it is.  

Pregnancy is also a moment that women often forget to capture on camera.  

Understandably so, being pregnant is hard work.  Getting dressed up with hair and makeup can feel impossible when all you want to do is sit on the couch and drink a slushie. I've definitely been there, and I get that.  But it's so worth it.  Photos from my pregnancy are some of my favorites.  I look at back at them in awe.  Unless I have more children I will never look like that again, my body will never perform those amazing feats again.  But I will always have photos to remember.

So needless to say, when Cassy wanted to have maternity portraits done, I was excited.  She has other children, but has never done photos while she was pregnant.  I was thrilled to be able to finally capture that for her.  

We made our way into the mountains on a foggy morning with a threat of rain.  It was a risky day to shoot, for fear of a sudden downpour, but it was so worth it.  The fog rolled over the mountains in such a beautiful way, it was absolutely gorgeous.

But why explain when I can show- have a look for yourselves!

Isn't she stunning? 

I also brought my Holga for some experimental film portraits.  This one's a bit different, but I'm absolutely in love with the looks that this little plastic camera can create.  

If you are interested in your own portrait session please contact me to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Ruiz Family Maternity | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I really love maternity sessions.  It is so amazing what a woman's body can accomplish in just 9 short months.  The changes a woman goes through, both physically and mentally are astounding.  There isn't much more beautiful than the curve of a pregnant belly, the strength in a new-mom-to-be's gaze as she thinks about her future child.

Like I said, I really love shooting maternity.

So I was obviously thrilled when the Ruiz family wanted to do a studio maternity session.  We had a good time from the moment we started shooting.  Both of these beautiful women have the type of personality that puts you at ease instantly, like we were already long time friends. Because of this we were able to jump right in and get some really great shots!

These two have the most handsome baby boy now.  I'm so happy for them, and excited to see their little one grow up.  And someday in the future I hope they can look back on these photos and remember this wonderful, fleeting time.  It goes by so quickly.

Congratulations Ruiz family!

Jenny's Maternity Session | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Family Photographer

Jenny's Maternity Session | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Family Photographer

I've been really wanting to take some maternity photos lately, so I was very excited to meet up with Jenny and her husband to do just that.  This was a fun one for me, with her due date just one day after Riley's birthday.  She was round, beautiful, and proud, and seeing her really brought back all those memories for me...

Pregnancy Weeks 21-23

21 WeeksI've been getting requests from family and friends for a new bump picture, so I guess it's time to update a bit. I will confess though, this photo is a bit old.  I'm actually almost 23 weeks now and this was taken at 21.  Still the bump hasn't grown that much in the past couple of weeks... at least I don't think so.

I seem to be still in the happy glowy ohmigosh the baby is kicking stage of pregnancy that everyone keeps telling me is so great (and oh boy is there a lot of kicking). I'm hoping to hang on to that as long as I can.  Everyone keeps reminding me that things are all downhill from here in terms of pregnancy ailments, but I think I'll just live in blissfull ignorance for right now.

Oh! I haven't shared the latest new yet have I?  I had an ultrasound at 20 weeks and found this little tidbit out:

Three_Rectangles

Yup, I was wrong and the hubby was right.  It's a boy!  I thought I might be disappointed by this, just a little, but the truth is that I'm just happy for a healthy baby (who is normal in size, apparently, which is quite comforting).  And then I started looking at clothes for little boys and oh my goodness are they cute. 

So for now it's all about the baby shower and nursery decorations, and of course buying all those cute clothes that I really don't need!

Renata Maternity | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

renatacolor This was another early morning shoot with the beautiful momma-to-be Renata.  Renata is a photographer herself, so I was a bit nervous about doing her photos.  I was determined that they had to be perfect.

That said, the morning lighting was absolutely great, the location beautiful, and Renata was about as gorgeous as pregnant ladies get.  I didn't have anything to worry about.

renatabelly

My only challenge here was teaching myself about maternity photography.  I'm used to positioning my models to make them look skinny, but in maternity that is out the window.  Everything is about showing off that belly!  The poses are different than what I'm used to, the model doesn't get around as well, and babies and bellies move! But working with Renata was great because we were able to pool our experience a bit and come out with some great photos.

Renata is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl.  It doesn't get any better than that!

renata b&w

 

Pregnancy Update Week 18

18weeksWell, now that the big news is out (along with the big belly), I suppose it's time to start doing some pregnancy updates. At 18 weeks pregnant I'm officially and unmistakeably showing.  I'm to the point where strangers now feel comfortable enough to comment on the small orb that is my stomach. It pretty much happened overnight. Speaking of which, since when are people so bold about asking a woman if she's pregnant?  I'm of the philosophy that you should never ask.  Even if she's got a giant 3rd trimester belly.

I think I'll start acting confused whenever people say something.  I'll lead with a, "What? I'm not pregnant," and then act very offended that they think I'm fat.

Since this is always everyone's first question, I should probably mention that no, I don't know whether it is a boy or a girl yet.  I will be finding out in less than two weeks though (how exciting!) I've started to feel movements fairly regularly (at least once a day), but no significant kicks yet.  Definitely nothing that anyone else would be able to feel.  I had my first appointment with the midwife today (after the long battle of trying to get off post with my care) and heard a strong healthy heartbeat and confirmed that both baby and I are healthy and happy.

As for cravings, at this point I pretty much want to eat my weight in cherries.  So if anyone has the hookups on where to get large amounts of cherries for cheap please let me know.  I will be oh-so-grateful.

So that's the news for my 18 week update.  I haven't quite decided how often I plan to do these (maybe weekly) but expect more to come soon!