feather-nest photography | The Woodlands Tx newborn, baby, kids & family portraiture

alright already . . . quit with the threats people! Who knew I’d cause a stir with my teaser picture?! I should charge my family & friends to see this post. I bet I could bring in a small fortune from a few of “baby Raleigh’s” loyal fans. Here they are. I still couldn’t decide on my favorite pictures from Raleigh’s birthday shoot. So, my sincerest apologies for the monotonous shots (but not really;o))

This is an antique high chair that resides at her grandpa’s house. I know nothing about it, except that I had to have it to take these pictures. He brought it to me from Abilene just for this. Thanks Q-Pa for always taking care of me in the prop department. I go shopping at his house for my photography props every time I’m in Abilene. His garage is a gold-mine. And, for those of you who know him . . . you’re laughing right now aren’t you?

 I love this picture because she’s standing. It’s the hallmark shot for a just turned 1 year old baby.

I love this picture because my baby was talking to ME. Not her goofy Daddy or her big sister, who were also trying to get her attention. It’s my shot. Of course, the cute knit teddy bear hat doesn’t hurt one bit.  

now, this one is Daddy’s shot. She smiles like this for him. What? It looks like the same smile? It’s totally different. Way different. Trust me. It’s flirtier. Yeap, I can make up words if I want to.

What’s not to love about my favorite colors as a backdrop for all these images. I intentionally scoped this location for these colors. I even had to leave The Woodlands to find it! They will match her nursery perfectly. There’s something about the angle of winter light. It’s dreamier, softer, and full of pastels. It’s my favorite.

speaks.for.itself

luh-luh-lurve.it

And, it’s not over! Some of you don’t know that my special mess #2, Raleigh, shares a birthday with my special mess #1, Pressly. Yeap, totally unplanned; no intervention. They were born on the same day 2 years apart. I think it’s very special and I hope they will have an extra special bond. Soooooooo. Here are Pressly’s 3rd Birthday pictures! We did them the same day. The fun part was, she was big enough this time to go out for a real “photo shoot” with me all by herself. We had fun together. I think this kid rocks so hard. She had her own little 3 year old ideas. She’s a funny one.

I’m leading with my favorite picture. We had the most amazing natural light reflectors all around us and then there were these amazing fluffy white clouds that assisted as our giant soft box straight from heaven (because these were taken at high noon people!).

did I mention she’s THREE now?

I had so many amazing pictures of her showing off her dance moves. Yah – they’re awesome. They’ll have their place, but, this one is my other favorite. Most people wouldn’t pick this one. I love it because it captures a real piece of her soul. A small piece, but a real piece. She felt just a tad insecure for a split second. She didn’t know what to do with her hands or her feet, her hair was blowing in her face & she felt a little awkward sitting on a cold piece of metal. She giggled and glanced down. Then back up. And, I clicked. My shutter release was just quick enough to catch it. Then she found her stride and that moment was gone. There’s just something so real and authentic about an emotion that you can’t control. I see a little girl here. . . not a baby anymore. Still my baby, but not a baby. And, that’s what I love about this image. I can see my baby, but I can also see a big girl growing into a little lady.

(their birthday was in December for the record, just now getting time for their post!)