Anchorage Cozy Newborn Session
The early winter months in Anchorage hold a special kind of magic. The first snow seems to quiet the whole world and I love the draw to slow down and be cozy. In a lot of ways, it is reminiscent to those early days at home with a newborn. I really love that this session seemed to capture that sense of hygge (the art of coziness) and quiet.
In-Home Maternity Session | Madison & Denali
Being in your own space is comfortable, cozy, and also such a huge part of your life story. I know Alaska is one of the most beautiful places in the world and it's hard to not take advantage of that when doing photos— but I always encourage people to not overlook the beauty in their own spaces too.
Homer Lifestyle Newborn: Baby August
I traveled to Homer, Alaska for this in-home lifestyle newborn session— and it was an absolute dream. First, getting to travel for work is such an awesome perk, and Homer is one of my favorite places in the world. Second, the parents wanted the photos to feel very much like how this newborn whirlwind has felt: sleep deprived, slow and fast all at the same time, and overwhelmed with love. They completely trusted me, and that is always the best place to begin to make art.
Another thing I loved from this session was the Dad brewed a special beer for Baby August’s arrival. Mom was super excited to try it once she wasn’t pregnant anymore. Dad said he wants to hang onto the recipe, and make it again when August turns 21— I mean, how precious is that!?
Kenai In-Home Family Photography: Baby Bea
I like to think that I can see the magic in your life when you can’t. I don’t mean that in a way that is supposed to make you feel bad for not seeing it. (Trust me, I can’t see my own life’s magic a lot of the time either.) But there’s something about walking into a home with my camera where everything just falls into place for me. I see the way that your toddler feels a gravitational pull to the parents. I notice the toys stacked in bins and baskets that you’d love to donate right now, but one day will remind you of this time. There’s intimacy and love everywhere, and I can see it because I have fresh eyes in your space.
When Hannah asked me if I’d be willing to drive to Kenai to take their photos, I couldn’t write back “hell yeah!” fast enough! Not only because she’s one of my all-time favorite clients and not only because I think we should be best friends— but because I knew there would be so much magic.
Turnagain Arm Maternity: Meredith
How lucky am I to be a photographer in Alaska?! And how lucky am I to have the easiest access to the Turnagain Arm where there are so many wonderful places to take photos!? For Meredith’s maternity session we started out at McHugh Creek (which is always notoriously windy, though I love it!) and then moved on to Beluga Point just down the road.
I love getting to photograph maternity sessions because it is such a wild time for a woman and her partner. I love that the session feels like a fun date-night, but it is also such a great time to focus on baby and this journey you are on. I also love my clients, and the fact that I can say things like, “Now for this shot, I want you to look at the water and imagine your husband is at sea,” and no one will bat an eye. The best! <3
Flat Top Maternity Session: Ashley
This was my first photo session back after sheltering in place for almost two months during the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole drive up to Flat Top, I was worried about feeling rusty. Once I got there, it felt weird to put my mask on before climbing out of the car. Once Ashley and Dan arrived, it felt even stranger to not shake their hands— or give hugs. (I’ve learned through isolation that I’m a hugger!)
The light at Flat Top was absolutely beautiful in the way that only spring nights in Anchorage can be. It was almost 9pm, and golden light flooded across the town and lit up the green and red lichen on the Glen Alps. Before we started, I gave my usual spiel about posing and prompts, but this time added in information about how I would be staying 6-feet apart from them and how we would work around things like errant hairs and dresses that needed fluffing. I wasn’t sure I could get used to shooting in a mask and not getting up super close for all the detail shots I love… but then something happened.
It was like every instinct I had came rushing back. It was amazing to be able to talk and joke with people that weren’t my family. (No offense family, it’s just that we’ve been seeing an awful lot of each other lately. Ha.) It was like for that hour and a half, our world was almost normal again.
Ashley and her fiance, Dan, rocked the session. Rocked it. They were so much fun to work with— and I will never forget the moment I posed Ashley against the gorgeous mountain backdrop and asking her to yell a cussword at the Corona Virus. It was a truly cathartic moment, and I’ll see if you can guess which one of these photos has some f-bomb thrown in. ;)
Jennifer: Winter Maternity
Maternity sessions in Alaska can be tricky sometimes because you don’t have all the time in the world to wait for Mother Nature to get her act together. Jennifer had such a perfect vision of snowy flocked trees in Girdwood for her maternity photos, and I was willing to try anything to get them for her. I location scouted so many different spots, but there just wasn’t enough snow— or when there was snow, it fell on dates when neither one of us was available.
Finally, we had to go for it at the beginning of December or run the risk of not getting them done before her baby boy arrived. We ditched the idea of Girdwood thanks to copious amounts of rain. (Are there really still people who don’t believe Climate Change is a thing?!) And then Flat Top turned out to be so windy and the snow was blowing so hard, that it really wasn’t safe. We took only a handful of photos before I turned to Jennifer and said, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to trust me. There’s a place where I can get you flocked trees, gorgeous light if we leave now, and it will be out of the wind. The only problem is it is right on the side of a road and when you pull up you’re going to think I’m crazy.” But she was a trooper and trusted me, and I think these photos speak for themselves.
If you have a vision for what you want your photos to be, I’m always down to do whatever I can to make that a reality for you. <3
Siobhan + Dylan's Family: Alaskan Summer Mini-Session
This amazing family right here is why I will always have a vendor booth at the Alaska Birth Collective’s Baby Fair. Always. I met Siobhan and Dylan at the fair when they were expecting, and we immediately hit it off. Siobhan booked me for her Maternity photos, and now I’ve been lucky enough to take family photos for them three other times.
There is nothing cooler than getting to be a part of a family’s story in this way. We have inside jokes (like what kind of shoes is Siobhan going to be wearing at this session, and how long will it take her to kick them off! Ha!) and I get to see their son grow and change. (I hope too as he gets older, he will start to remember me and that will be even more fun!)
I was also so pleased that at this summer mini-session, Siobhan wanted nursing photos. She and I talked a lot about our nursing journeys, and I loved that we were able to capture the selfless, awesome, powerful feelings she had about breastfeeding in such an awesome setting. I squealed with delight the entire time I was editing this session, and it was the kind of session I just couldn’t wait to share with them.
Tara: Beluga Point Maternity Session
One thing you need to know about me: I’m incredibly passionate about motherhood and supporting moms. After becoming a mom, my business focus completely shifted and I wanted to spend my time documenting families in all stages. There’s something about maternity sessions where I just really love the chance to connect with women while they are going through such an amazing time. The prenatal stage is full of so much love, excitement, fear, anxiety— and I really appreciate the chance to just slow things down for a bit and check in with the mom-to-be. This session was especially big in that way because I was just coming off of my own maternity leave and it was my first session back since having my daughter. I was so excited to be back to work— as well as loving the chance to connect with other adults! (Tara did tell me later that I was like a puppy who was seeing people for the first time all-day!) I hope all that joy really comes through in these.
Harrison's Birth Story
Photographing births continues to be one of the most powerful things I have done as a photographer. It is an amazing feeling to witness a new life come into the world, and an incredible honor to be a trusted member of a mom's birth space.
Every birth I've been a part of has been very different from the ones before it. Sometimes I take on a supportive role where I help comfort mom or communicate with nursing staff on her behalf. Sometimes I shrink into the corner of the room and am as unobtrusive as possible when a mom needs quiet. Paige's labor was the first time though that I'd felt like I was family.
It always helps getting to know clients beforehand. I did Paige's maternity photos earlier in the winter, and we went out for coffee and talked about labor and how hopefully baby Harrison would wait until Dad returned from Afghanistan. She shared fears she had, my toddler spilled water all over the Starbucks floor, and we laughed about trying to talk our spouses out of bogus name choices.
When I arrived at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hospital shortly after 9PM and walked into Paige's room, it felt more like hanging out with friends than a birth. Paige had just had an epidural and if it hadn't been for all of the tubes sticking out of her arm and the persistent blood-pressure cuff, you would never have known anything was up. She was watching Comedy Central with her husband Nick (who'd made it back with about two weeks to spare!) and her Grandma Bev had just arrived from the airport with all of her luggage. Paige joked about her eyebrows being on-point for baby's arrival and Nick fielded responses to text messages as quickly as they came.
Paige and Nick took to being parents instantly and little Harrison was so alert and excited to take in his new surroundings. Paige relished in every second of that "golden hour" on Mom's chest, and when Nick held his son for the first time, he wrapped him up in the sweetest cradle hold I've ever seen. I loved too that Paige's Grandma was there, because it is so fun capturing the moments when family members meet baby for the first time.
The night Harrison was born the Northern Lights were out in full force. I'm just guessing that being born in Alaska under the aurora is about as lucky as it gets.