family photography
there's nothing i like better than giggles in a field with a family! the stewart family is full of laughter and love and adorable kiddos. my goodness those eyes! we had such a great time this fall tromping all over, getting burrs stuck to our pants and breathing in the fresh air.
photographing families is so fun when love is so evident in their lives. here's a few of my favorites that still tickle me!
i traveled to florida a while ago to shoot another well thought out maternity session. this shoot was so fun because we really got into planning it and even spent time that week making the amazing headboard you see in the picture above. Brooke is so detail oriented and i love working with clients like that. the quilt on the bed is made by her incredibly talented mother and when we pulled it out of the box we couldn't help but squeal over it. its truly lovely.
Brooke is such an adorable mama to be! i couldn't stop talking about her cool hair cut and we just had the best time being creative together. she was so easy to photograph and be inspired by. i loved this shoot and i'm so happy with the way it turned out! here are a few of my favorites from this portion of the day!
years ago, when i was about five, i broke my ankle and was in a cast. a boy tried to help me and i said something err...cough, not very nice to him. he and his brothers threw pine cones at us girls after all and there was no way i was letting him near me. that boy was/is my brother in law David.
i believe our moms were friends first. then our dads. us kids have know each other since babyhood and when my sister grew up and married that boy i can't say i was mad. he turned out to be pretty great, and he stopped throwing pine cones at girls...
they have been married for 8 years now and have three sons. those little boys are one of the biggest reasons i move to tennessee. their little hands and fat cheeks are sure to put a smile on my face and snuggles from that chubby little baby constantly melt me.
this family has shown me hospitality like i could never imagine and will never be able to repay. i love them with my whole heart and i am so thankful i get to do life with them.
also sheesh these littles are beautiful.
my sister and her husband have never had professional pictures done, so it was kinda extra exciting to get to photograph them when they had no idea how good they could look. i love the way these turned out. high five winter, high five...
the Baileys. what do i even say. from the minute Isaac open the door and yelled, "are you abbey?!" to the end where i waved goodbye from my truck, i hadn't had so much fun shooting like, ever. this family, so much like my own, silly, (maybe a tad crazy...) they love each other. i laughed my head off, i got to ride in a huge van, i tromped around a muddy field and i smiled. a lot.
and speaking of smiles. these smiles are so very genuine. i can't get enough. i think its time for another visit....but just for the fun of it.
so fantastic to work with. i love you guys!
talk about a sweet family! i was so excited to photograph this bunch back in December since i got to tennessee, this family has welcomed me in. then i broke a window in their house...long story. but none the less, they teach me things about the Lord i've never thought about, encourage me with the love they have for each other and occasionally give me the puppy fix i need to continue life without pete. i love this family a lot.
hi. let me tell you about this little family right here. they are the sweetest, funniest little bunch and photographing them this past fall was just the best! i romped all over a field, got plenty of burrs on our jeans and i practically died over the lighting. there is something magic in this wheat. the haze and glow it casts was enough to get me dancing.
i was able to be a part of such a special moment here. Jacob and Audrey told their daughter that she was going to be a big sister! they said, "mia! guess who has a baby in their belly?!?" she thought about it and looked at them and they said, "mama has a baby in her belly!" then she checked.
i cried of course. i love my job.
you know my love for this little boy. and i got to travel all the way back to virginia to photograph him this past fall. we went to the park and played (okay we just pushed him on the swing...) then we tried our best to bribe him into smiling for pictures. when it comes to kids i'm never above dancing around, making crazy faces and doing whatever it takes for a smile.
i love the ones we got during this session. boy is he cute.
oh and one more because you know, we are pretty funny...
i don't think there has ever been a picture that more accurately describes my family. sure we are missing a couple, (me included!) but every time i see it i laugh.
its the middle of an argument. we do that uh...on occasion...
we forced everyone to the deck behind my parents house after thanksgiving dinner this year and though we were still missing a couple of people, it was good to get a family picture.
i'm not one of those people who dislikes family gatherings. i love my family! no one knows you like your family, no one presses your buttons or (to be honest) pisses you off quite like family can. but i wouldn't trade mine for the world! all of the quirks, weirdisms and laughs. you really don't know how good i have it. my grandma and i were discussing this after dinner and i lamented the fact that not everyone has a family like ours. not everyone gets excited to see their grandparents or crazy uncles. not everyone is part of a family of good cooks and funny faces. not everyone gets to make fun of the old men grouching about politics or look through old photo albums and see pictures of their great(x4) grandmas who look like great(x4) grandfathers.
and what a shame that is because its actually quite a ball and i feel bad that they don't get that. so if thats you, feel free to join my family because we are pretty fabulous. both sides.
speaking of grand people (oh we weren't? well we are now!) my grandparents are some of the neatest people i know. full of stories and knowledge and fun facts i believe this family wouldn't be nearly as cool if they weren't the start of it all.
i said, "p! lean over and look like your like your wife!" he then smashed his shoulder into her cheek making her giggle. what a pill. i'll keep them i guess...
i love you all!
i remember sitting on the floor of my living room, flipping through old photo albums i had looked at a million times and marveling at what i looked like as a baby. i loved seeing the goofy old glasses my parents wore when they were young, the houses we used to live in and the dogs that had long passed. i love pictures. i love them printed out and scrapbook. i love holding old, brown, falling apart photos of my great, great, great grandparents and laughing at what people used to wear.
this all leads to the belief that family pictures are so important. even if you hate getting your picture taken (cough cough nina mcmahon...) one day your children might sit on your floor and look through them and laugh and love it so much they come back and hour later to do it again.
i always tell people we aren't taking pictures, we are catching memories. and if you look at it like that, it really isn't that bad at all.
here are some memories i caught, er...forced on one of my favorite little family's in the whole world. i love you guys!
a few months ago i got to travel to New Jersey for a little family session with my cousins. or my second cousins? or once removed? i'm not sure. its all very confusing to me. either way i had never met them and i was so excited to get there and hang out.
i have seen pictures of B for years now and i always talk about what amazing hair she has. my hair is curly, but not as curly and awesome as hers. she has natural highlights from the summer and she doesn't know it, but people pay big money for highlights like that. she is blessed in the hair department. all three of my cousins are beautiful people and as a photographer all i had to go on was how excited i was to get them in front of the camera.
what i found out after meeting them was that B is incredibly intelligent and taught me so many things about animals, S is so loving and all boy funny, he kept us laughing the whole time. and little peanut is the sassy little munchkin with good manners i've ever met. i had so much fun with them and when we left i couldn't help but feel like i need to make more trips up north to hang out with my new buddies. i miss their faces already. here are just a couple of my favorites from our time taking pictures.
i have known Brooke since we were wee little nerdy teens. the first time we "hung out" was to paint her bedroom bright blue. she was the first friend i made when we moved to virginia in high school. i have so many memories of growing (all the way) up with her. singing in church, laughing on youth trips, mission trips and getting over huge fences in skirts. we have laughed and cried together and i got to stand up in a pretty dress and watch her marry her high school sweet heart.
now we are old and she has probably the cutest little family known to man. that baby girl could melt rock and it was such a pleasure to shoot them all. there was a special part of this session that leaves me in tears. Brook and Dane are moving to florida for Danes job and Brookes mama was so sad she wasn't going to be around the baby while she is growing up. we did a special little tea party just for Sajah and baby. it truly is the sweetest thing.
thanks again Lobez family for letting me catch a little nugget of your life! love you all!
***want to book a family session? good because i want to take pictures of you! lets chat! @ abbeydeerest@gmail.com
if you know me at all, you know this little man is the highlight of my life. i got to do a few really fun sessions with him this past year and one of my favorites was on a rainy day when we were tasked with taking pictures for fathers day. he was a champ as always and i loved what we got! check it out.
i'm not sure if there is anything in this world more beautiful than a family that loves each other. this family session was probably the best (and most fun!) one i've ever been a part of. there was so much laughter and joy and the price ladies were all so darn good looking, i couldn't help but get magic with a lens. here are just a few of my favorites from our time at smith mountain lake!
