New Blog & Website!

I am BEYOND thrilled to debut my newly designed website and blog for Raleigh Durham Wake Forest Newborn Baby and Maternity photography!!

Here is the link to the website (same address, different look):

Raleigh Newborn Baby Photographer

And here is the link to the new blog (new address):

Raleigh Wake Forest Newborn Baby Maternity Photography

This means that anyone subscribing to or linked to my photography blog will need to take a quick second and update the link they're subscribed to. All future posts will be on that blog.

Hope you all like the new look as much as I do! And thanks, as always, to my loyal readers! :-)

Jessica | Raleigh NC Maternity Photographer

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone." -- Author Unknown

Jessica and Andy will soon become parents for the first time... what an exciting time in their lives! They're on my "Mommy & Me" plan, which means I'll be meeting their baby soon after she arrives, I can't wait! Jessica is absolutely glowing -- pregnancy really suits her. Thanks for a fun session, guys!

Photo Challenge - Sunflare | Raleigh NC Maternity Photographer

This week's photo challenge theme on I Heart Faces is Sunflare. It was perfect timing, because I took this photo with major sunflare over the weekend. Looooove some sunflare on a gorgeous pregnant Mama!

More images from this session to come soon!

To see other sunflare entries in the photo challenge, head on over to I Heart Faces!

Spring Mini Sessions Available!

Spring Mini Sessions are now available!

If you'd like to capture sweet little Easter outfits, give a Mother's Day gift, or just have a few updated pictures, then these are for you!

Please contact me soon to book your session! Space is limited!

Fix It Friday! | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

I'm a big fan of I Heart Faces, they have wonderful tutorials and are a great resource for photographers. They do a weekly Fix It Friday in which they supply a photo that needs some editing help. This week I decided to participate and put my own spin on the photo.

This is also a good example of what goes into custom photography (and why it costs so much - you don't see Wal-Mart or Sears doing these things to your photos!). It takes a LONG time to master Photoshop, and if you're hiring and paying for a custom photographer, make sure they know their stuff! I spend a huge amount of my time sitting at my computer after every session making each image perfect. You wouldn't believe the details I look at in every shot and make sure everything's super duper!

So, on to the photo. Here's the before:

And the after:

Here's some of what I did to the photo, all in Photoshop CS4:

1. Crop
2. Run an unsharp mask
3. Clone out the white door in the background
4. Used MCP's Magic Color Finder Brush (Vivid) on everything but the skin
5. Used the spot healing brush very lightly on portions of his face
6. Ran TRA's Oh Snap action at about 75% opacity
7. Burned the edges of the photo slightly
8. Re-sized and sharpened for web

Visit me on Facebook here!

Josh & Mary Grace | Raleigh NC Engagement Family Child Photographer

Meet Josh and Mary Grace! They're one of the cutest couples I've ever seen and soooo in love!

Josh's Mom is a member of my local Clickin' Moms group. We're a bunch of photo-friends who get together once a month or so to have fun and take pictures together.

We held the session in downtown Raleigh and had a blast! I couldn't believe all the blooms we were finding in DOWNTOWN in FEBRUARY! And I had so many good pictures, I had a hard time narrowing them down.

Here are my faves!

Just for Fun! | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

Had a little more fun recently with my macro lens and wanted to share a few images! Hope you enjoy!

Sweet Allie | Raleigh NC & Columbia SC Newborn Photographer

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting sweet little Allie, just 10 days new. Oh, how I love newborn sessions, I could do them every day. Congrats to her parents and big brother Caleb, she is gorgeous and such a blessing!

Here is big brother Caleb, counting his sister's fingers. I just love the look on his face!

Happy Valentine's Day! | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

I got some use out of my macro lens yesterday. For those who aren't familiar with macro photography, it's essentially just taking super close-up photos with a special lens. My macro lens is rather new, and I looooove it!

I hope everyone had a LOT of love this Valentine's Day!

Cutest Kid Contest Winner!! | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

After two straight weeks of LOTS of voting on my Facebook page, I've crowned the winner of my first annual Cutest Kid Contest!

Koen!!

I'm sure I don't have to explain why he won... here is the photo his Mommy submitted for the contest, and I think the cuteness speaks for itself. :-)

Koen, I can't wait to meet you for your free photo session!! Congrats!

Ashley and Jamie's Bridal Portraits | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

I'm excited to share another session from my trip to Savannah a few weeks ago. These are bridal portraits for the lovely couple Jamie and Ashley. Ashley is totally beautiful and was so fun to photograph! And I am so in love with the city of Savannah... around every corner was a new and exciting picture spot. Loved it!

Be sure to visit me on Facebook, here!

Cate & Lucy | Raleigh NC Newborn Family Photographer

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Cate and Lucy - baby girl twins. This family is one of a kind - the parents are talented in so many ways and they have FOUR girls! I can't even imagine how Daddy will sleep at night when they become teenagers!

Here is a peak at some of their photos - enjoy!

Kim and Ashley's Bridal Portraits | Raleigh NC Family Child Photographer

Meet Kim and Ashley. They were married recently in Savannah, GA. I know some of you will be surprised to see bridal portraits here on the blog because I'm not a wedding photographer (maybe someday)! Well, I traveled down to Savannah a few weekends ago to visit with some fellow photographer friends of mine. And Kim and Ashley, having been a little disappointed with how their wedding pictures came out, decided to get all dressed up and model for us so we could get some new shots for them. They were such good sports - it was freezing out but Kim stood out in the cold posing for us as long as we wanted her to. Thanks Kim and Ashley for a fun afternoon in downtown Savannah!