Pearls & Frills | Emma at 6 Months Old | Anchorage Baby Photographer

A sweet sneak peek from yesterday's baby session! Emma has grown from an adorable newborn to an even more adorable sweet baby girl! Is it possible to be too cute? I think not!

Little Miss Parker | 7 Days | Anchorage Newborn Photography

Remember Crystal and Warren from their awesome urban downtown maternity session? Well, after many long months of waiting, their sweet baby has finally arrived. Introducing... little Miss Parker!


And let me just say that after shooting adorable baby girls like Story and Parker, I want a little girl of my own even more than before! 

Crystal (i.e. Mommy) had a whole slew of headbands that she had gotten for Parker.. LOVE! Don't worry, I made sure to find out where she had gotten them from!

I've decided that little girls really are perfectionist from birth as all the girls I've had in the last few months have been perfect sleeping angels, while the boys were wide-eyed and curious and not about to sleep a wink!

Even though she liked to keep her hands positioned how SHE liked them, Parker did let Crystal and I shape her into some adorable poses... just look at her little toes!

I mean... just look at that sweet little face. That little smile. Babies really are the most wonderful things in the world.

And then comes my favorite part of the session... Mommy, Daddy, and Baby! Crystal and Warren the ideal set of large picture windows in their living room, and it provided the perfect backdrop for our back-lit pictures!

And you all know how much I love Daddy & Baby pictures!

Now this... this is one of my all-time favorite newborn family pictures. As one person put it, there is just pure happiness on all of their faces. And truly, there never was a family more deserving.

Congratulations to Crystal, Warren, and little Miss Parker!

Aaron | 8 Days Old | Anchorage Newborn Photographer

Meet Aaron, a sweet little boy and the first Baby's First Year plan member of 2011! Seriously, I am so excited to watch this little guy grow over the next year. From this precious, little newborn baby, to a wide-eyed 3 month old, a playful 6 month old,  an exploring 9 month old, and an independent 1 year old! He is going to grow, learn, and learn to love life, just like Mom and Dad.

First of all, I absolutely adore the name Aaron! It's such a strong name with a good noble ring to it, and I love real "boyish" names. I think he's going to make a very nice Aaron.

Taking advantage of a rare sleepy moment, I was able to use one of my new props from this last week's thrift store expeditions: an antique suitcase! I can already tell you that I love how it turned out and Aaron was the perfect first model.

 

I really love this next one as it includes an ultrasound picture of Aaron while he was still a "belly baby". This really just amazes me all over again, the whole miracle of birth, really. From that tiny baby-in-the-belly to the little, yet oh-so-big baby in your arms. Like I said, a miracle.

 

Aaron amazed me with just how alert he was. It was as though he knew that something exciting was going on and didn't want to miss out on a single moment!

Although he wasn't very sleepy, we still got some beautiful portraits of Aaron's amazing eyes and handsome little face. You know how they say that eyes are the windows to a person's soul? Well, there never were windows so clean and purse as that of a newborn baby.

Since Aaron didn't care much for sleeping, we just took our time feeding, cuddling, and being patient. After all, this day was all about him, so ultimately he was the one in charge!

But in the end, it all paid off and we were able to get the sweet portraits of Aaron and his Daddy, which were Mommy's dearest wish.

While I was adoring that sweet button nose, Aaron gave me an adorable little smile! And of course, I felt my heart melt all over again. I just love it when these little ones smile, as through letting me know just how much they are loving being the star of the show, and the light of their parent's lives.

Once again, welcome little Aaron and congratulations to Mom & Dad! I can't wait to see what this year holds for your sweet family! ~Megan

Life's Greatest Adventure | Jami | 36 weeks | Anchorage Maternity Photographer

Last fall I found myself posting about our photography on the Bump message board. A day or two later, this really sweet gal contacted me all excited because she was expecting, loved my photography, and wanted a session with your truly.

And that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Jami and I have sent sooo many emails back and forth since then, I know that our poor inboxes feel downright abused. It seemed as though her maternity session would never get here (and I know it seems even longer for Jami!), but come Sunday, we finally got to meet and have this much-anticipated outdoor maternity session!

For the session, I scouted out a new location: Taku Lake Park here in Anchorage. Just so you know, it's my favorite new location for Anchorage maternity photography or any type of photography for that matter! I would love to see a family session here. There is a huge open lake, and although it's covered with ice right now I can just imagine how beautiful it is during the summertime. There are grassy hills and open fields, a lovely pathway with trees and lamp posts lining the side, benches galore, and even a sweet wooden footbridge by a little creek. I've even heard rumors that during the summer there is a dock set up on the lake!

So we had the perfect location for the perfect couple, for the gal with the perfect baby bump!But don't just take my word for it, see for yourself!

This first image has found a special place in my heart. Just something about it is so beautiful and stirring to me. I can't wait to hang this one up as a large canvas in the studio!

Torn apart by rival teams... how tragic.

Seriously.. so the sweetest and funniest couple. They are going to make amazing parents.

Pregnancy very much agrees with Jami! She is so fun-loving and absolutely glows...

See? I told you.. beautiful!

I love including the Daddy-to-be in our maternity sessions. It's so touching to see these big, strong, tough guys act so tender and gentle.

One of the things I love most about maternity photography is its ability to convey emotion. Joy, happiness, anticipation, wonder, hope, amazement.. it's all here.

The time frame of the session was perfect as it was entering the "Golden Hour" right as we were wrapping up. Turning around, I saw the sun, which had been hiding for most of the afternoon, peek through the clouds to light the entire scene on fire. Instantly, I had an image in my head and Joe and Jami were great enough to go along with it.

So congratulations, you guys! I can't wait to meet Mac in a few weeks. Truly this is going to be life's greatest adventure yet...

(I think they're excited....)

Blaine | 6 Days | Anchorage Newborn Photographer

First of all, I think that I have been *almost* as anxious for this little guy to arrive as his Mommy and Daddy! Blaine must have been anxious too, because he arrived two days before his due date... he just couldn't wait any longer to be introduced to the world.

So here he is, folks... Blaine Edward!

Isn't he such a handsome fella? I really think that he may rival our Caleb as he handsomest baby ever! (But don't tell Caleb that I said that...)

Cynthia, aka "Mommy", came prepared with a few props of her own! We absolutely  loved this adorable little hat and it's super-long "tail".

I absolutely love sleeping babies.. to me there is nothing sweet, more precious, nor a better example of complete trust than a baby sleeping in their mother's arms.

Unless, of course, that it's a baby sleep in his DADDY'S arms!

Oh, let's just admit it.. sleep babies are adorable. Period!

Blaine was such a sweetheart! He even give me a "gift".. he thought I needed a "shower" (and all that entails!). But the smile we got was so worth it!

Speaking of "gifts"... this little guy really was the best gift that Mom and Dad ever received as he was born ON Christmas! And speaking as someone who absolutely adores all things Christmas, I think that is wonderful!

Seeing as how Blaine really is a "Christmas Baby", we knew that we had to do at least a few holiday-themed poses.

Congratulations once again, Cynthia and Matthew! You have a beautiful little family and believe me, life only gets better from here!

Silas | 1st Birthday Cake Smash | Anchorage/Wasilla Children's Photographer

The first of (hopefully) many Cake Smash sessions, we helped this little guy celebrate his very first birthday! His Mom was great enough to go along with our out-of-blue idea of doing a Cake Smash session and we couldn't have asked for a better subject... even though Mr. Silas didn't care very much for the mess, he still had all of us laughing at his sugar-induced silliness. So Happy 1st Birthday Silas!

Melissa & Austin | Couple's Session | Anchorage (And Indiana!) Photographer

Meet Melissa & Austin! Now Melissa is a fellow photographer that popped into my life back in August and after realizing that we were practically twins, we have talked constantly in the months since then. She has become my sounding board, critic, and encourager all rolled into one. On our way back to Alaska after visiting family down South, we met up in the middle of nowhere.. i.e. Indiana, to swap photo shoots.

You can see the FANTASTIC images she took of our little family on her blog: Melissa Glidden Photography

Melissa, I am sooo glad to finally meet you for "real", and I can't wait to see our businesses and art grow over the coming years!

P.S.- You're pretty cool too, Austin!

And my favorite image from the day:

Danielle | Anchorage Senior Portrait Photographer

This beautiful, sweet gal made our session soooo easy! From her fabulous sense of style to her brilliant smile, she rocked every minute of our session. Danielle, you have a great future ahead of you! Your talents, smarts, and love of life will only serve to help you along as you accomplish your dreams. Thank you for letting us capture this glimpse at the wonderful woman you are becoming.

 

Happy Senior Year and the best of luck to you, Danielle!