My niece's MATERNITY PORTRAIT sesh

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, prepare for some repeats. 

My niece Sasha & her hubby recently had twin boys. I insisted she let me do her maternity pics the instant she told me she was prego. She.obliged.me.of.course. 
Who passes up F*R*E*E*S*T*U*F*F?! 

First the pics, then a few tips from this backyard wannabe photographer. ;-) 

My dad cut the wooden blocks for me and I just slapped a little paint on em. I made the letters on my Cricut with scrapbook paper and Mod Podged em on there like a champ! 

I plan to keep these around for engagement pics, couples, etc. The Cricut cartridge I used was Don Juan.

Stole this idea straight off Pinterest. Made the banner myself with the Jubilee font on my Cricut. Easy peasy! 

At first I tried it with Stampin' Up rubber stamp letters but it's just too hard to get those straight and inked evenly. 

(ahem) I may be a little OCD.

Another one from Pinterest here folks... 

Frame from clearance aisle at Goodwill that just needed a coat of paint, a paintbrush that was just layin' around, and of course a couple Photoshop skillz. No big deal. ;-)

I bought these Chucks for them boysss cuz they were too cute & we needed some shoe pics...

Michelle (Sasha's mom) had this idea with the Scrabble tiles - - 

There might have been some laughter involved with this one and we might have licked the tiles to keep them from falling off the mom-to-be's jiggling belly... improvise people, improvise.

 ABC blocks have many purposes... 

this is just one of the shots we used them for.

In that belly lived two boys!! Whew wee!

Side note: a couple people told me this shot was magazine worthy. (blushing)

This is the pondering/thoughtful/serious shot

Advice & tips for maternity sessions:

• Research - get ideas for poses ahead of time
• Ask the mom if she's comfortable showing bare belly so there's no awkwardness at the session
• Be flexible (be aware of how tired Mom is getting - tired definitely shows up in pics)
• Try different angles (think outside the box)
• Play around with depth of field to add creative element
• Have a helper (Michelle was a LIFE SAVER)
• Be organized (with props, shooting locations, etc.)
• Ask the parents-to-be for input
• Remember to HAVE FUN!!!! 

And before I go... just because I like to keep it real, I'll show ya what it takes to get the shot (at least for me anyway)... 

Check back for pics of the baby shower and the TWINS in a separate post! 

My apologies for my lack of blogginess

I know there are a faithful few out there who check my blog for posts. Thanks for being loyal! I’m sorry I’ve been a little MIA lately in good ole Bloggerville. 

Let’s recap some of the highlights of March, April and May, shall we?

In every day happenings, we’ve been busy with church stuff, friends and family, work, the usual. But I’ll outline a few of the heavy hitters for ya.

~ I had my first spray tan (and a second one after that cuz I bought a package deal) Loved it! Only thing is, running and spray tans aren't happy roommates. Sweat causes streaks. Just so you know.

~ Bodily stuff (cuz I like keepin' it real) includes a sinus infection, a dental visit (no cavities YAY), and a Lasik consultation (would LOVE to do it, but for now I’m gonna stick with my spectacles since I only need em for driving really)

~ Family stuff was mostly just hangin out with em and enjoyin life.

My mother-in-law turned 65 a few weeks ago so we all went to dinner to celebrate. 

My dad was preaching a revival nearby so we surprised him by coming to hear him preach one night. I love surprises!

The most exciting family news of late was when my niece had her twins – but that’ll be a separate post. (insert severely excited happy face here)

~ A couple concerts happened…. in March I went to Maroon 5 with gal pals in March. In April Anthony and I went to hear Dave Matthews Band. Both of these are gonna get separate posts. Pinky swear!

~ Friends are cool & we love when we get to hang out with em… JMo had a birthday dinner and I might have been a little too hyper that night.. there aren’t any pictures on Instagram or Twitter to prove that. Don’t even look for em. Really. Don’t! 

I also ran a 5K with a couple of friends. It was fun!

~ The photography scene usually picks up a little in the spring and fall for me it seems. Did some beautiful maternity pics of my niece. Will post some of those soon. Also did a shoot with a 2 year old. He pooped while we were doing pics. On the ground. Like three times. It was pretty hilarious. No I did not photograph the poop. Toddlers are so unpredictable. I also shot a wedding a few weeks ago (something I swore I’d never do again) and it actually went really well. I may post some of those pics in another post.

On a “me and the hub” note, we have recently discovered Shane’s Rib Shack. Um…. If you haven’t been there yet, RUN don’t walk… it’s some of the best BBQ you’re gonna have at an affordable price. And their chicken tenders ain’t no joke if you’re not in a BBQ state of mind. And did I mention the SWEET TEA?!

Ok, so that’s about it from a summary standpoint. I’m gonna hit up the blog with some pics and posts over the coming weeks. I have a few things on the back burner that need to be moved to the front, ya know what I mean?

O-U-T 

I’m out for now! Check back in a couple days for more great stuff!