Maternity ~ The Norwoods, Part 1

We spent the last weekend working on my maternity photos. I have only photographed 2 different maternity sessions and have learned so much from both. But when it came to my own, I really wasn't in the mood to even do them. The only reason I did is because I knew I would regret it one day if I didn't. That and I have had Jeremy whispering in my ear this entire pregnancy about how beautiful I am. Even though I feel far from beautiful, he was a great motivator in getting me in the mood to be photographed with a giant belly. And I am SO glad he was so supportive because I LOVE THEM. This past weekend we photographed outside as we normally would maternity sessions. It was chilly but worth it. We decided on a morning shoot since I feel the least disgusting in the morning. My face isn't so fat, and I don't have legs the size of elephants legs. Win win. We hope to do another shoot next weekend and try our hand at "Lifestyle Maternity" portraits. It's really just a more relaxed and natural approach to the whole photo shoot, and will take place in the nursery.  And by "we" in this whole scenario I mean Jeremy. He did all the work. It was his first time photographing maternity and he did awesome.

On a complete side note, I have a newfound respect for women in maternity photos. I had zero desire to take these. I felt fat, ugly, bloated, swollen, and overall just unattractive. HEY, LET'S TAKE SOME PHOTOS! It wasn't the first thing I wanted to do. It also gave me more insight into what I would ask a woman to do in terms of position or putting her in a place that may be compromising to get to. So that was some good real world experience for me. 

Here are some of my favorites from the first shoot. Enjoy!

Themed Shoot ~ Gwen as Snow White

Last night I finally gave little Gwen my birthday present to her (well it was really for her parents, let's be honest). I bought her an adorable Snow White outfit handmade on Etsy and gave them a free photo shoot. She is such a peach to work with! Gwen is just one of the happiest and easiest to please babies I've ever worked with and gotten to know. I think the biggest meltdown I've seen her have was putting this dress on actually. It was a little dramatic, but she forgot all about it once she got an apple. Here are some of my favorites!

Smithsonian Associates ~ Dinner Lab

Last week we photographed the Smithsonian Associates first ever Dinner Lab. Dinner Lab is an event that happens all over the country, and the Smithsonian has to decided to put their touch on it. There are only 100 tickets and once it sells out, it's out. The menu is not disclosed until 2 weeks prior to the event (to allow for food allergy requests, they had vegan options!!), and the location isn't announced until the day before the event. This particular event was held at the National Museum of the American Indian. The cool thing about Dinner Lab is that it all ties together. From the menu, to the location, to the guest speaker and presentation. They bring in a chef and their team to create one of a kind gourmet meals for the experience. During the meal a guest speaker will talk about the significance of the location. At the end of each course the guests are encouraged to leave feedback for the chef on provided notecards. The family style dining also encourages guests to discuss all of these topics with each other. All in all it was a great first experience for the Smithsonian Dinner Lab. We can't wait to see if they continue putting them on!

2nd Birthday ~ Emma Stoner

Last weekend we got to photograph our friends daughters 2nd birthday party. For Emma, this was her first time eating sweets, which means her first taste of cake!! It was a nice low key birthday party at the Winery at Bull Run. It was our second shoot there and we absolutely love that venue. Here are some of our favorite shots from the day. Happy Birthday Emma! You're too cute!