Kristin Motherhood Session | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

Breastfeeding photo sessions always end up being my favorites, and this one was no exception.  Kristin and her little boy are coming to the end of their breastfeeding journey, and wanted to commemorate the bond they shared with some photos.  It's a bond like none other and deserves to be remembered. 

Breastfeeding is a lot of things.  It's full of drool, and spit up, leaky boobs, and getting kicked in the face.  It can be frustrating, painful, and monotonous, whether it's the hours spent on the pump or when baby wants fed for the third time in an hour. But it's so much more than all of that.  There's something so amazing about being able to provide everything a little person needs from one's own body.  It's about those late nights when the baby falls asleep on your chest and sweetly suckles in his sleep, or those moments when you make eye contact and he smiles up at you.  Breastfeeding is a crazy, frustrating, never-gonna-end/is-it-over-already roller coaster.  And it's damn beautiful, too.

I'm so happy that Kristin trusted me with these memories.  It was so wonderful to meet these two strong, beautiful people and share this time with them, because moments like this shouldn't be forgotten.

Throwback Thursday: Breastfeeding Shoot | MIkaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

This is a throwback to one of my favorite sessions from last year.  I teamed up with two other photographers who all happened to be nursing our babies at the same time, and exchanged breastfeeding photos.  This is a shot that I never edited, but I can't for the life of me figure out why.  Just look at that sweet little nursling and her big blue eyes!

This is from the session that produced this shot, quite possibly my favorite from 2015

The Little Moments & Getting in the Picture | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

There are constantly moments where I think "God I wish I had my camera."  I see things every day that I frame into a photo in my head but never take the shot for various reasons (no camera with me, no patience for my photography shenanigans from the people I'm with).  Usually these are passing moments with strangers that I won't ever think about again, but often they are moments in my own life- moments that I would have loved to have captured and printed. Being a photographer means that the lives of the people closest to me are very well documented.  I have taken several pictures of my son for every day of his life.  I do photo shoots with him every month.  I take pictures of any friends that will let me and bring my camera to most events I attend.  But I'm hardly ever in the picture.

I think a lot of moms can relate to this.

It's so easy to get caught up in capturing every moment of your kids lives.  But what about one's own progress during this time?  Being a mom completely changes a person.  When I look at photos of myself before and after having my son, I see an entirely different person.  My body has changed, my outlook has changed, everything about my life is a little bit different.

Obviously, I believe in the importance of photography.  I want my son to look back at old pictures of us with amazement- at both the changes in himself and in me.  I want him to see the way I smiled at him as he "helped" me cook, the proud look on his face as he takes his first steps.

This is why I place my focus in lifestyle photography.  When I look back at posed pictures from my childhood I laugh at the way we all looked and the clothes we all wore, but it doesn't represent my life to me.  The pictures that resonate are the ones in a baby carrier strapped to my father as he gives commands to the family dog, or the photo of my brother and I playing together, me standing in his work boots.

As I capture these moments for others, I've been making a point to be sure they are taken in my own life as well. Whether it's through the art of self portraiture (and some  plain old lselfies, too) or by handing off my camera on occasion, I want to be sure that these memories are saved.  They are too important to miss.