Our Maternity Session Surprise

A little over six weeks ago, Sonja Stafford of Dolce Vita Photo Boutique did our maternity session and took some beautiful photos of my growing family (and growing belly…haha). Little did we know that the night after that session, our feisty little lady would start trying to make her way into this world. Let’s talk about some crazy timing!! She made that happen super early on the morning of March 29th, and our plans to move to Texas the following week quickly changed! There will be much more about her in a future blog post including her much anticipated newborn photos, but now, I want to focus on our maternity session with Sonja. We did our maternity session a bit earlier than I normally would have, due to the timing of our move down to Texas. Because our baby girl was “Made in Alaska”, it was important to me that our maternity photos were done here also. With all of the major moving chaos, each of our crazy schedules and the wonky Alaskan weather, I am SO glad that we were able to schedule them when we did. It was also really important to me to work with a photographer that I could connect well with on this session, as I hoped to have a great recommendation for all my past clients. In my opinion, being able to connect well with your photographer is a HUGE factor to the success of your photo session. You want to make sure they bring out the best in you, and make you feel as comfortable as possible in front of the camera (especially for me spending most my time behind the lens). Let’s just say that from the beginning is was clear that we would connect incredibly well. I wish we had started hanging out together much sooner! Though our photography styles are a bit different, I feel like we see photography in the same light, and aspire to offer the same experience to each of our clients. It’s special to share a passion like that with someone! Sonja was wonderful about brain storming session ideas and locations. We even met up a few times to hang and check out possible locations. My husband and I really wanted to capture as much of the incredible beauty of Alaska in our maternity session. I’m very pleased that even though the wind was INSANELY STRONG everywhere we went, Sonja was able to make that happen for us. AND, she even made me feel fabulous all through out the session. Any expecting woman knows THAT is extremely important when you’re carrying extra weight around the middle! ;-) We included our first (fur) baby in the session, worked with the wind as best we could, and made our way towards/down our favorite road in all of Alaska. Sonja even managed to wrap up our session by capturing a few photos of us standing smack dab in the middle of the Seward Highway! SO for all my many amazing clients that are looking for someone new to capture beautiful moments, be sure to contact Sonja with Dolce Vita Photo Boutique. She just opened up a large, yet charming studio space in the historic arts district of downtown Anchorage last week, and I’m excited to see her do great things in the near future. I like to think that I have pretty high standards for the entire photography experience, and it’s great to be able to recommend her with confidence!

I expect all of you to keep in touch, and continue posting beautiful photos, so be sure to contact Sonja now to say hello and start discussing your next photo session!

Core Pilates Studio Anchorage

Portraits

This blog post isn’t about showing off beautiful photos, as much as it is a raving review for Core Pilates Studio, here in Anchorage. I joined Core not too much longer after we moved here in the summer of 2013, and can’t speak highly enough about them! After all my many years of cheer and dance, running doesn’t work out well on my knees, and I just can’t handle the slow pace of (most) yoga classes. My goal was to find a fitness facility nearby, that offered a variety of classes at different intensity levels, that I LOVED. I mean, we all know that when it’s dark and freezing out, you really need to love your workout as much as possible to keep motivated and committed. After trying several places around town, Core Pilates unanimously won my heart. I’ll be honest, a membership there is not cheap, but I can say without a SHADOW of a doubt, that it is worth EVERY penny. There are THREE things that I contribute my (mostly) smooth pregnancy to… my Snoogle pregnancy pillow, my incredibly supportive husband, and Core Pilates! In no particular order, of course. ;-) I’m 100% confident that keeping my core strong, has everything to do with feeling so good (and aligned) as my baby belly takes over. Did I mention that they have wonderful Massage Therapists on hand also!? Major perk for my aching back there. The folks at Core REALLY know their stuff. They don’t just tell you what to do, they show you AND they make sure you understand WHY it’s best done that way. With my sporadic knee issues, the instructors always have great modifications ready when I need them. And even more recently (even pretty early in my pregnancy), they have been BEYOND wonderful with even more extensive modifications as my body changes. Being high risk, I never in a million years would have thought I would be ‘working out’ in my third trimester, but they make that possible. Now, almost everything I that I do in the classes I attend is modified, BUT I’m keeping active at an intensity level that’s best for me. That alone confirms they kick A$$. Lets be clear, they are certainly not brain readers, so you HAVE to communicate with each of them to get the best out of your workout and membership. Be sure to let them know that a) you are new and/or just need clearer instruction b) you have an injury and/or would like a modification c) an exercise doesn’t feel right for some reason d) you just straight up have constructive feedback on something they’re doing in class. There isn’t an instructor on the payroll there that isn’t always pushing themselves and their clients to do their best. Just another reason that I’m sad to be leaving Anchorage! I can imagine that it’s going to be so hard to find a new studio that I love this much in Houston. Seriously, they’re so awesome, that I’ve actually even become friends with several of them. I’ve had the opportunity to photograph their studio and lovely staff over the past couple of months, and I wanted to take a few minutes to brag on them! Some of them are showing off some of their more difficult moves in the photos below, so if you have NO clue what Pilates is, I assure you it’s not that intimidating at all. ;-) If you live anywhere near south Anchorage, and are looking for a new work out, definitely check Core Pilates out soon. You can find a list and description of their classes here, and they even offer a free beginners intro class at 9am on Saturdays. Be sure to try all the many different classes out. Once you figure out which one’s you love, you can get signed up for them online or with their handy app in advance. Just as they should, the good classes fill up quickly. ;-)

Pretty in Pink • Newborn Photos

Newborns

At twelve days old, this little missy was OH so pretty in pink. Because she was awake, we started her newborn photo session out by taking sweet photos with her mom. She was SO alert. She had very recently learned that she could stretch her skinny little legs and arms out, and she definitely loved doing so! I can’t deny that at that point, she made me a little nervous. There is a pretty slim window in a newbie’s fresh little life to capture (what I consider to be) true, cute little posed, ‘newborn photos’. At two weeks old, she was quickly nearing the end of that window. Next we captured some major cuteness of her cuddled up in a Seal skin hat that her grandmother hand made especially for her dad, to keep him warm during the harsh Alaska winters. Of course mom had the fireplace going so it was nice and cozy for her session, and that was incredibly helpful. With a little patience and persistence, she finally conked out for all of her ‘posed’ individual photos. And ohhhh myyyy, they ended up being SO precious. What a precious little lady! Her mom ordering a huge canvas of her with the pink wrap gently draped over her, and I believe that I just may have to get one to display in the studio also. Pretty in pink, in deed.

Savvy Images Rainbow Baby Maternity Photo Session

A Rainbow Baby Announcement

Families, Kids, Maternity

This cute family has an EXCITING and colorful announcement to make… They are expecting a beautiful little Rainbow Baby girl this June!! Pretty early in my pregnancy, I was taking a one on one pilates class from this fit hot momma, and I confided my exciting pregnancy news to her… only to find out a few short weeks later at a mutual friends baby shower, that SHE was expecting a baby girl also! I was so excited to finally have someone here in Anchorage to swap real time pregnancy stories and advice with. We chatted briefly about doing pregnancy announcement photos, and within a week or so (thanks to a great idea she had) we formulated a super unique plan for their pregnancy announcement photos. And that’s when I learned all about what exactly what she meant… A “rainbow baby” is a baby that’s born following a miscarriage or still birth. Once I heard her explanation, I felt like such a ding dong. It made SO much sense. We all know that beautiful rainbows appear after dreadful storms. By incorporating a rainbow umbrella into her session following their past storm, was the PERFECT way to remember her precious angel baby boy, while celebrating and announcing the news of their beautiful baby girl. I just love the vivid pop of color against the Alaskan snow. It was superrrr chilly out, so we made sure their photo session was short and sweet. But regardless of the temperature, you can still tell from their photos that big sister is VERY excited and proud to share their Rainbow Baby news! Just as she should be. I’m so eager to photograph them again once mom’s cute little belly grows a bit more!

Super Fun Family Photos…

Families, Kids

This fun mom wanted a little variety to be captured in her family photos, but most importantly, she wanted them to be very unique to their family, and mostly about the little one’s in her life. I just love when parents make the sessions about their kiddos, and let them take the lead! This was their first winter in Alaska, so capturing the kiddos playing in the snow was a must. Well, we did we best we could, with the snow we’ve been given this year! ;-) They were adorable, and it’s clear that this little sister loved her little brother SO MUCH, she could squeeze his head off…haha. One of her big hugs, sent them tumbling to the ground, but no biggie there. Continue on! Before we ended up getting too cold, we took it indoors to warm up a bit, and grabbed dad for a few family photos all together in their cozy living room. As you can see, their little ones may be a bit ticklish! Then for the perfect touch of variety and major FUN, we moved it to the playroom! I’m so glad that my lovely (and super fun) assistant was there to play along and sing Little Mermaid songs. How neat will it be for them to look back on these photos, to see the very spot where they spent so much time hanging out and having fun together!? Especially during that VERY photo session! Little brother is going thru a “tasty finger phase”, and even though we strived to capture lots of his cute smiles (with big sisters help), mom also wanted to capture this time in their lives as it truly is. I seriously love that my clients are so genuine! We eventually had their fur siblings join in for a few photos, and managed to snag dad one last time for a grand finale family shot. The pups had no interest in having their photo taken, but we still manage to capture their entire family together!! I’m so excited to share their fun family photos with all of you!

Is it time for new family photos?! Shoot us a quick message now!

A Cozy Sibling Session

Babies, Kids

I was pumped when these little one’s lovely momma contacted me about a sibling session, and four month photos of her newest cute addition! She contacted me monthsss in advance and knew exactly what she was looking for. I like it… She was a woman on a mission to find a great photographer in Anchorage, because their long time family photographer had recently moved out of state. She liked my photography style, and I knew her kiddos would be fun, and oh so precious to photograph… I was confident that it would be a win for everyone! ;-) It was incredibly chilly outside, so we all gladly opted for some cozy, fun photos in doors. We were successful in getting several great photos of her littlest man, that were similar to his sister and brothers four month photos. I love that what she did for her first, she committed to also doing for all her other little loves. And of course we had to get some photos of all of them together! Now THAT was a challenge plus three! Going into a session with kiddos of their age, is always a bit of a gamble… and then when there are FOUR kiddos their age, oohhhhhh Lordy! We were patient, we were persistent, and all was a tad bit chaotic, BUT we succeeded!! With the help of Dad’s silly faces, jelly beans, and an impromptu Batman costume change, we managed to capture lots of major cuteness. Including a few sneaky shots of mom hanging with her munchkins! Isn’t that what life is all about!? Because they’re completely in their comfort zone, and we did the session (mostly) on their terms, you can truly see all of their little personalities come to life in their photos. We got what we needed, and let the rest of their sibling session just fall into place. Just.as.it.should. I just love sessions like this, and am so excited to finally debut their photos! Mom wanted to make sure she got all of her Christmas cards and photo gifts out before any of their family and friends saw them online. What a lovely AND patient momma these kiddos have. Not only did she complete the photo collage of her four month old youngin’s, she now also has a gorgeous gallery wrapped canvas of them ALL together to proudly display in their beautiful home!

A Rustic Family Session

Families, Kids

Last week we showcased a fun Urban Family session, so this week, I thought it would be great to feature a fun RUSTIC Family Session! It also took place in Austin. I thought that I was really putting myself up to a challenge for scheduling TWO, two years old sessions back to back, but they both went incredibly smoothly! I took this little guys newborn photos about two years ago, and it was such a treat to photograph him again. He has turned out to be a daring and inquisitive little guy. Because Grandma is such a big part of their life, she also wanted her to participate. Of course I was thrilled about the idea! His momma wanted to incorporate a little rustic Texas charm in their family session, and I knew JUST the spot for that. Ironically their location worked out well for many reasons, as it was right down the street from their home and where I was staying. We saw an airplane, turtles and even a cool caterpillar. We had SUCH a good time roaming around taking photos, that it didn’t even really seem like a photo session! That’s always a good plan (or as I like to call it, the non-plan plan) for a toddler session. ;-) I’m so grateful to work with wonderful repeat clients like these guys, and hope to continue taking photos for them for many years to come!

Savvy Images Urban Family Photos Featured

An Urban Family Session • Anchorage Family Photographer

Families, Kids

While back in Texas, I had the honor of photographing one of my very best friends and her family! They are a bit of an urban family, so we thought the rustic charm down on South Congress would a great choice for their session. It was very different from other photo sessions that they’ve done in more “park” like settings. Their little man was the perfect age to switch it up a bit, so taking a handful of photos in several different spots worked out great for his spunky attention span. ;-P I’ve taken photos many times for them in the past, and it makes me extremely happy that I have such great friends that truly value my passion AND support my career. That’s such a huge blessing!! Not only do I get to capture beautiful moments for them, I simultaneously get to MAKE fun memories with them also! And I just happen to know a few things about getting their handsome little one to grin. He had been practicing his smile for a couple days, and I’m going to say that he certainly got it down!

Because my schedule was much more limited than normal then, I didn’t really have a chance to ‘scout’ out a solid location prior to meeting them. I take great pride in the fact that my clients are so trusting and spontaneous when it comes to choosing their session locations. Factoring in cool spots that photograph well, and are unique to my clients, is a big part of a session’s success in my eyes. I prefer to have that mapped out in my head, as well as a back up location, justttt in case something goes awry. I would like to think that everything will always work out perfectly, just in the perfect amount of time, but THIS time… I really wasn’t sure that was the case. I’m not going to lie, I rarely get nervous about a session location working out, and I definitely WAS this time! They may be great friends, but they’re also still paying customers with busy schedules, so this HAD to work out well! Thank goodness >>insert deep breath here<< everything did work out wonderfully, and I am extremely pleased with their cute little urban family photo session. Can you just check out their GQ little man!? So handsome, with SO much personality. I love him so much, I just want to pinch his cheeks…lol. Photographing him as he grows up, is going to be a blast!!

Do you need current family photos?!
Savvy Images can definitely get you fixed up with a fun and unique photo session! Just let us know!

Savvy Images Winter Mini Session Family Photos Featured

2014 Winter Recap & New Year Special

Babies, Families, Kids

As the new year slowly starts to sink in, there’s one thing we can be sure about here in Anchorage… winter has definitely been a warm one! Literally, one for the record books! According to National Weather Service records, 2014 was the first year EVER recorded where the temperature NEVER dipped below zero here in south central Alaska. You may possibly recall the chaos from rescheduling our Winter Mini Sessions NUMEROUS times!? Well, good news… we FINALLY got them all taken care of, and I couldn’t be more excited to share a few of these fun families photos with you! I’ve said it a gazillion times, but I really am BEYOND grateful for such cool and understanding clients! We only ended up doing one of the sessions in the Savvy Images studio to meet that momma’s photo timeline, and even their photos turned out super cute. Once it did eventually snow a bit more, we were able to get everyone else’s done also. Most of my mini session families were repeat clients, and I’m beyond grateful for that. Being able to see and capture all my little one’s fun personalities over time is such is truly a HUGE blessing. Especially now with their families in this incredibly picturesque spot. Finding this gorgeous location was definitely challenging because of our major LACK of snow, but it was worth the search. It worked out wonderfully and I absolutely LOVE everything about it. It was just the winter Alaskan feel that we were all keeping our fingers and toes crossed for!! Because of the crunched timeline of these sessions, I sped the production up to get everything back to them as quickly as possible for the holidays. Once all was said and done, their photos turned out STUNNING. The best news is that they all have prints, canvases or mini albums to cherish until the end of time! ;-) And of course I had to include a few of the beautiful photos of my lovely assistant. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a little photo fun for ourselves!

& NOW MORE ABOUT THE NEW YEAR SPECIAL…

Even though this winter has been a strange one, I really want to finish it out by making the absolute most of it. THAT is why I have decided to offer a pretty exceptional New Year Special to you guys… For the next month, ALL of our family photo collections will be HALF price!! Yes – you read that right, and YES – that is one HECK of a deal if you need current photos of you and your loved ones! Regardless of what Mother Nature has in store for us this winter, there are still SO many gorgeous Alaskan locations that I’m dying to photograph with fun, new families. This offer is only valid if your family session retainer fee is paid by February 8th, it may not be combined with any other existing offer, and you have 30 days to schedule/complete your session. BUT while we’re taking your photos, it’s required that you have as much FUN as possible. ;-) See below to contact Savvy Images about scheduling your beautiful Alaskan Winter photo session!

This is a GREAT special and I’d love to chat more about making it happen!

Savvy Images Pregnancy Announcement Photo Featured

Exciting News for the Holidays!!

Maternity, Personal

It’s that time of year.. the hustle and bustle of the holidays.. the time of year when we squeeze our loved ones a little bit tighter, and we’re reminded of all the wonderful things we’re thankful for. Before the holidays even began this year, things actually got a little bit chaotic for my little family. In a pretty amazing way. And in a complete photographers fashion (as you would expect), I thought that our amazing chaos would be best celebrated with a cheesy-cute photo shoot. My good friend Rob Siciliano, of Siciliano Photography, captured all the beautiful images below. We had to get a bit creative to find a photo shoot location anywhere near Anchorage that had decent looking snow. It’s completely beyond me that we live in Alaska, it’s mid-December, and I actually just said that we struggled to find decent looking snow! Luckily, both Rob and my husband were major troopers, and made my vision come to life.
I couldn’t be more thrilled to share these photos AND our exciting news with all of you!!

That’s right, our little family will be welcoming a precious little baby GIRL early next June! This has been such an incredibly HARD secret to keep over the last several months, but we couldn’t be more excited. It is very clear to us that we have SO much to be grateful for. Our lives are about to get turned upside down in such a fantastic way! The spontaneous trips and some of my random recent Instagram photos may potentially make a little more sense now… We were getting our airline miles and adventures in while we still could. ;-) With the help of faux cocktails and many trusty service industry folks, we were able to keep our exciting little secret much longer than we ever thought possible! Luckily, (from what I’ve been told) it’s been a pretty smooth pregnancy, because going to multiple weddings and events expecting without many folks knowing about it can get challenging!

Yesterday evening we had a balloon confetti gender reveal party with our close friends here in Anchorage, and with our family on video chat. I’m so grateful for technology (and my tech-savvy sister-in-law), so that our family could be a part of the fun on Google Hangout. WOW, I still can’t believe we are having a girl!! Now we can finally start discussing names, nursery colors, AND all the best safety rated baby products! (Have you met my husband?? ;-) Love you honey! I give you a hard time, but it really does make me extremely happy to know our baby girl is already a blessed little one) Pinterest and I have a major date tonight. For those that are curious, I assure you that this momma WILL NOT be jumping on the frilly, crazy pink, glittery, ruffled up bandwagon, just because we’re having a girl. Family, friends… Seriously, for the love of sugar and spice and all things nice, PLEASE pump the breaks if/when considering any of the over-the-top-cute little girl jazz! (wink, wink, nudge) ;-P

Speaking of great baby products, if any of my awesome mommas out there have any great pregnancy OR baby product recommendations, I would absolutely LOVE to hear all about those!

Introducing a Fall Bundle of Joy • Alaska Newborn Photos

Newborns

This handsome bundle of joy was born smack dab in the middle of fall here in Alaska. His name is Micah Julyan, and his momma wanted the timing of his birth to be captured in his newborn photos. SO that’s exactly what we did. Because we did his session as fall turned to winter, it was too cold to take this cute little man outside. So we improvised and brought some fun fall outdoor details into the Savvy Images studio! She gathered leaves from around their neighborhood and a few other festive fall items, and I absolutely love how it turned out. They clearly have much more colorful trees near where they live, because the ones I gathered were only a dull tone of orange and brown…lol. In his family photos, he looks JUST like a tiny little MAN!! I cannot even HANDLE the cuteness of his big one eye grin! This happy little one was checking on exactly what we were up to. Micah loved being bundled up and snuggling into his bunny “Rags” (which is also his grandpa Julyan’s nickname). We finished his session with some cute bare booty shots, and his skinny little roles were beyond precious! By the time they came back to review their photos a couple weeks later, he had already grown SO much. I absolutely LOVE seeing how much my cute little Savvy Newbies grow and change over time. Just think how much will have changed when mom and dad look back on his tiny toes in these photos ten years from now!

Are you expecting a little bundle of joy also!? The go ahead and contact Savvy Images now about capturing your little one’s newborn photos!

Savvy Images Formal Family Holiday Photos Featured

Ready for the Holidays • Anchorage Photographer

Families, Kids

This fun family wanted to do their holiday photo session right where they all spend their quality time together… in their new dream home! I am SO glad that they did, because it was definitely holiday photo perfection in my eyes! I knew the session was going to be a good one the day that I met with mom for their pre-session consultation several weeks before. We sipped on a nice warm cup of coffee at their dinning room table, and discussed all the great session possiblities. Like all my other sessions at that time, we were patiently waiting for an awesome fall backdrop for some of their outdoor photos. The morning that we actually did their holiday photo session, it was a crisp, chilly fall morning. We had to keep it snappy, but luckily dad had his big jacket handy to warm the kiddos up for a bit. I couldn’t help but capture that cuteness. They were so much fun to photograph! Between outdoor shots, we rearranged their formal dining room furniture, and took more classic photos indoors to warm up. These two silly kiddos were great help when I needed to get my light tested. ;-) They did so well for us, and of course we had to capture a few good photos of mom and dad together! We were even able to get a few more artsy images to include their gorgeous chandalier. It was a fun perspective on a few more traditional photos. This was my first “holiday” photo session of the season, and this blog post definitely has me eager to do many more soon. I’m so excited that they will have these photos to look back on one day. How sweet it will be to reminisce on all the fun they had growing up in their childhood home!

Savvy Images • Austin Professional Photographer

Austin Newborn & Family Photographer

anchorage photographer

Our Maternity Session Surprise

I expect all of you to keep in touch, and continue posting beautiful photos, so be sure to contact Sonja now to say hello and start discussing your next photo session!

Core Pilates Studio Anchorage

Pretty in Pink • Newborn Photos

A Rainbow Baby Announcement

Super Fun Family Photos…

Is it time for new family photos?! Shoot us a quick message now!

A Cozy Sibling Session

A Rustic Family Session

An Urban Family Session • Anchorage Family Photographer

2014 Winter Recap & New Year Special

& NOW MORE ABOUT THE NEW YEAR SPECIAL…

This is a GREAT special and I’d love to chat more about making it happen!

Exciting News for the Holidays!!

Introducing a Fall Bundle of Joy • Alaska Newborn Photos

Are you expecting a little bundle of joy also!? The go ahead and contact Savvy Images now about capturing your little one’s newborn photos!

Ready for the Holidays • Anchorage Photographer

Do you need new, fun and exciting holiday photos?! Contact Savvy Images to schedule a family photo session before it’s too late!