So I’m back to blogging again. Over the next week or two I hope to catch up on all the end of the year sessions I did that still haven’t made it to the blog. It was a very busy season for sessions and with the holidays, 3 family birthdays between Christmas and New Years, and a workshop in Washington……well, let’s just say I’m a tad behind on posting here and you’ll be seeing lots of Christmas trees and holiday outfits in the next few posts….LOL!
This little guys was so eager to come into this world that we barely got the Mini Maternity session done in time!! These were great sessions with a beautiful budding family. This couple’s friendly dalmation also complied for a few images from both sessions!! Which you know thrilled me. I am such a sucker for a cold nose, soft fur and a wagging tail:)
The parents-to-be were lovely and handsome, the home was beautiful, the dog was eager to please. And the subject or our Newborn Baby Photography Session could not have been sweeter. Of course, as all babies do, there were times when he fussed and needed to be soothed. It was so awesome that dad was willing to pull out his guitar and sing for baby boy during the shoot. And it was amazing to watch how quiet and peaceful his son would become when he would hear his father play for him. It was very touching for mom to watch and for me to witness. This little man is so well loved by both his parents. The very best part of my job is being a witness to the happiest moments for new parents….to relive just a tiny bit through my subjects how wonderfully awesome new life is!
During these sessions I had a few special requests for images and I am so happy with them! The black and white of mom was a special request and there were several other images in which we incorporated items that were of great significance to the family. It’s always a wonderful challenge for me and I love knowing the images will be even more powerful for my clients. Please be sure to read about the last image and how it was created.
Dear family, I hope you love these images as much as loved creating them for you! Tell your friends and family members to check out the images and leave a little love on your blog post. Blog love makes me very, very happy and I like to say thank you to my clients for sharing my work. If you get 35 comments from unique visitors (with a unique email address), you can choose your favorite image for a 5×7 print on me! If you get 50 comments, it’s an 8×10!! It was such a pleasure working with you! Enjoy:)
PLEASE READ THIS!!! THE FOLLOWING IMAGE IS A COMPOSITE
AND BABY WAS NEVER IN ANY DANGER. A POSE LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED BY ANYONE WHO IS NOT AN EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL.
WHEN WORKING WITH BABIES, SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS COME FIRST!
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
A baby’s safety is always my first priority during a newborn photo session and I am very careful and never put them in a position of danger. Many images I have on my website or blog are composites and are created with the assistance of a spotter, who has their hands on the baby the whole time, even though you don’t see that in the resulting portraits.
OK, so what is a composite? It is a photograph that is comprised of two or more images that were merged together using photo editing software. This particular image was created with the assistance of both parents. I placed the guitar on the carpet the way I wanted it and we had a support behind the guitar. Dad used BOTH hands to hold the guitar in place. His job was to make sure the guitar could not move or slip or fall. I posed baby on the guitar the way I wanted him (and believe me this took a lot of patience and a little soft blanket). And then mom came in and used BOTH hands to hold on to baby, to keep him in place so he would keep the pose and so he would not be in any danger of slipping, twisting, or falling. The parents had to keep both hands on baby (mom) and guitar(dad) at all times. I took an image and then mom and dad just slightly moved one hand. I took another image. Mom and Dad slightly moved the other hand. I took another image. We did this about 6 times. And then we were done!
Or I should say, mommy and daddy and baby boy were done! My work definitely was not over. When editing the images from the session I chose the best images with the parents’ hands in slightly different positions. I stacked (or layered) the images in my photo editing software and erased the hands out in each layer until the result was one image of baby sleeping on the guitar.
Now that you know this precious baby was always safe in the hands of his mommy and daddy, enjoy the resulting image:)
desi: awesome, awesome work!
Laura: Oh Ashley these are gorgeous!! Beautiful family and the baby is adorable! You did a great job.
Patricia Giraldo: Meli: Que hermosura de fotos!!!! Fantastic job!!!! The pics look like they are just taken out from a fancy magazine or better from a cute baby calendar. My favorite one by far is the one Isabel is all curled up with a purple background and she has a long pink hat :-) Good thing you have a big house now because you are going to need to frame lots of them :-) Love, Patricia
Julie Wagoner: My goodness what a gorgeous family...right down to the puppies! I especially love all the family shots captured in with their lovely home as the backdrop. Gorgeous!
Gail: Awe - Ashley! LOVE!!! Your newborn work has such a fresh perspective and you can just feel the love this family has for this GORGEOUS little one! Beautiful work!
Dee: I really love how you capture such natural, beautiful interactions in a family's own home - it's truly a gift you have there! Wonderful work, Ashley - I think you have another thrilled family on your hands!
Anelle: Oh, I love these, Ashley! The family is beautiful and your work, as usual, is wonderful!