That nine months went by so fast! I'm not sure it was fast enough for her though ;) Before I knew it, May was here and I was already planning my trip down to San Diego. As due dates go, little Kasia was making her debut late and not only was she late, she gave her momma some drama trying to come out! Luckily my best friend is a strong willed woman and gave everything she got and delivered a very healthy 9.4lb. baby! And my mom and I were on our way...
During all this excitement a friend of Gosia's who lives near her also had a baby girl and was looking for a photographer to take her photos as well. Of course I said yes! I was a little nervous at first to be shooting two babies at the same time in a small space but I was up for the challenge.
On a side note...it really is a small world. So Gosia kept telling me about a girl she met named Angelique who happens to have so much in common with her. I thought that was so cool since they both had babies around the same time. It's always a blessing to have a friend with a baby close to you. Come to find out, I had something in common with this girl as well. Angelique's best friend (who happens to be named Ashley as well) is a friend of mine who makes all my headbands for me and of course would be supplying her best friend with some for our shoot!
Okay, sorry if I lost you all there but I thought it was neat! LOL
Alright alright so the big day came and I was hauling all of my newborn props, set up etc. into Gosia's apartment.
Here I am planning out our looks for the day. I like to be organized when I shoot newborns. They don't always last long so I like to plan out wraps, headbands, and props for each different look so we are as ready as possible. I had a very tight space to work in but luckily she had lovely light coming in the sliding glass door so I positioned myself to work facing the light. (I almost never use artificial light unless the house is very dark)
I use my 85mm to shoot newborns so here I am standing on the patio to get enough distance...LOL Hey I will do what it takes to get the best images I can.
Sometimes newborns have a hard time adjusting to bright light and they will get squirmy. They also don't like to be naked and cold...My goal here was to get her warm and cover her eyes to get her calm and back to sleep. Yes, you need a lot of patience. Another trick I use is a space heater. Not only does it keep them warm, they like the white noise it gives off. I like to warn parents that we will be hot during our shoot but it is what makes the baby most calm and comfortable.
Mom and dad made great assistants! It is very cloudy in San Diego so when I need a little extra light I had dad hold the reflector for me and Gosia held the space heater. Of course there I am pregnant and teetering on a chair to get the shot I wanted.
I was trying to get as much in as I could before Angelique got there to begin her session. I was able to get in three different looks/backgrounds and a ton of fun photos before this little one needed a feeding and a little break. She did great! I don't think the cat was very happy though!
The timing worked out great. Just as Kasia needed a break Angelique and baby Kaitlyn arrived. We planned her looks and after a quick feeding we got down to business. Here I am getting her headband just right! I'm all about the details.
We did a few looks for Kait and then Kasia was ready to go again while Kait took a break. I tell you what, this was definitely a lot of hard work switching back and forth and might not have worked if I had had two babies that weren't in the mood. I had luck on my side that day. I had two very patient mommas and two very sleepy babies who did amazing!
Gosia was calling me the baby whisperer that day. I would like to say that I have the magic touch most of the time but really babies can smell their mommas and just want to eat. If momma is alright with it, I like to hold the baby and get her to sleep. Usually works like magic! Here is a picture to prove it ;)
Overall, I was at the house for 7 hours! I shot consecutively for 5 straight. It was by far the longest shoot I have done and physically tiring...doesn't help that I am pregnant. It was also one of the most successful shoots I have had. I was lucky the light and space worked out the way it did. It made for some gorgeous soft shots. I was also lucky to have to super cooperative babies. I was crossing my fingers that would all work out and it did! I say that because there has been occasions when I have had to come back on a different day to make up a shoot because the baby just wasn't having it that day. It happens, and I am happy to reschedule so that we get the perfect shoot. In this case, I had no choice but to get both babies done that day. I was more than pleased! I ended up with tons of looks for each baby.
Here are just some of my favorites from that day.
Introducing Baby Kasia (The Polish Princess) :)
This key was a little gift that Evan gave to his baby girl the day she was born! So sweet! Kasia's first Little Blue Box! ;)
These were shot on Gosia's porch.
These are of baby Kaitlyn. Both of these girls have amazing lips!
The top photo here Kait is holding mommas wedding ring. In the bottom one she is holding a ring that has been passed down! I love that!
I had a really great time doing this dual shoot! The photos came out beautiful and I am so glad I got to meet such a sweet new baby and momma! I hope I get to work with you again in the future! :)
Now of course we didn't end it here. Well sort of. My mom and I packed up and went back to our hotel for some much needed rest. I really wanted to do a beach shoot with the babies but we had decided that day that we had done enough and plus the June gloom had set in and I was thinking the beach photos wouldn't have been good so we got rid of that idea and just enjoyed a fun night with Gosia and the baby in Old Town.
The next day we packed up our car and decided we would meet Gosia, Evan, Kasia and Evan's dad for breakfast before we were going to head back to Vegas. (Just a short trip) As we finished up my mom said, "You know we should just do that shoot on the beach anyway what do you think?" We all kind of looked at each other and then said, "Sure why not?"
So we drove down to La Jolla where I saw some pretty coves and and new that it would make for the perfect backdrop. It was a very gloomy, grey day and was actually a bit cold too. I grabbed a few blankets, basket, wraps and headbands and we walked our way down. I really had no idea what to expect but it is on my photography bucket list to do a newborn beach session so I just had to go with it.
Here are some behind the scenes shots.
I loved this spot, It had waves, and rock. I made sure to put baby out of the reach of the water just in case. Baby was in her carrier while I set up.
Momma was cold.
Love La Jolla
Papa Comer helped decorate with natural seaweed.
Quickly, I took Kasia out of her carrier, didn't bother to undress her and just wrapped her up in about three layers of wraps very tightly. We didn't have long to shoot so I had to work fast.
Here I am with dad placing her in the basket
Dad and Grandpa stood near for safety and to keep her warm in between shots. And some little boys looked on and then I told them to get out of the shot. Bahahahah
Dad and Grandpa were right there to grab her in case a wave came to close.
Surprisingly baby did great! She is a natural beach baby!
Dads idea for this little cove was great. We were all a little hesitant at first for safety reasons but realized it was just fine and it turned out to be all of our favorite photo!
Up on a cliff...me trying to shoot around my belly and not fall off! LOL
Now we had no intentions of shooting mom and dad with baby but I MADE THEM! LOL Mom and dad need to have sweet pics with their newborn even though they don't always want to be in front of the camera. So of course they hadn't planned for this but I still think they came out super cute and sweet. Sorry about the wind Gosia! ;)
I adore this shot of Grandpa Comer with his Granddaughter.
Overall, this impromptu shoot turned out better than I could have imagined.
So excited, in love and overjoyed for my best friend Gosia and Evan! I love your little baby like my own and enjoyed watching you both interact with her. You make a mazing parents already! I miss you guys so much already!
And lastly, here I am with my mom and almost getting creamed by a wave! LOL Thank you so much mom for coming with, taking all these behind the scenes shots for me and making this trip a fun little get away. I love you mom!
I want to give a huge thank you to Gosia, Evan, Mr. Comer, Angelique and both of your beautiful babies. You all did amazing and I hope I was able to give you memories that you will cherish forever.
Thank you so much Ashley Adams of IttyBittyBands for you gorgeous bands that help my photos come alive.
Thank you ekplovelies for your beautiful and soft wraps.
Thank you ItsyBitsyBlooms and LeightonHeritage for your wraps, faux fur and layering blankets.
Thank you kirinati and AnnabelleKnits for your gorgeous hats.
Thank you Sleepy Shimmer http://enchantedshimmer.bigcartel.com for your gorgeous blinged out head band!
