Remember this cutie with his planes and snowboard? Throwback Thursday is my good excuse to share more family photos from K’s session. We wanted the session to be really fun, candid, joyful, and kinetic, so we laughed, smiled, and kept things moving. Don’t you almost want to be a part of this family after seeing these? So stylish and fun!

~Mariah

Storyboards are my favorite product that clients order. These are my favorite because they are super customizable and are beautifully stunning when displayed on a wall.

This weeks featured size is a 16×24 storyboard.  These 16×24′s are very popular for all types of sessions.

16×24 storyboards are one of our most popular sizes by far! The tricky part my clients face is picking the right amount of images and the orientation because it really matters!  This week tip I focus on 3 to 4 image storyboard because thats the average number picked.  I’ve done up to nine images on one board though!  These are great visual layouts to help pick images because whether its a canvas or in an Organic Bloom frame the goal is to make the images look balanced.

I first met this happy baby girl back in 2011 when she and her big brother visited our studio for portraits.  We stayed in touch online and through the wonderful community of moms at Bellani Maternity over the years.

We were on our Holiday break this year when I saw the story spread over facebook.  A family in our community was struggling with the recent diagnosis of their young daughter.  She had gone into the doctors with a stomach bug and then their world had changed.  I soon found out it was Belle and her final diagnosis was pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) .  I just couldn’t wrap my head around the sudden news.   I sent mom a message as soon as I heard.  Whenever she was ready, whenever Belle was ready, I wanted to be there for them in any way that I could.

I have worked with many families fighting childhood illness through The Tiny Sparrow Foundation over the past few years.  It has been the most meaningful part of what I do as a photographer.  I know how much photos can mean to families fighting through treatment and recovery.  I also knew how much Belle’s beautiful curls meant to her mom.  Not for their physical beauty, or the soft way they framed her baby doll face, but because they were a symbol of Belle’s babyhood.  They were a symbol of Belle before their world was turned upside-down.  I know I would have felt exactly like Belle’s mom did.  Yes, those curls will grow back, surely more beautiful than ever, but I would have wanted to hold onto them as long as I could.  I had to get to the hospital and capture Belle’s curls.

Belle and her mom are some of the strongest girls I’ve ever met.  Mom has been incomprehensibly positive and tenacious for her daughter.  They amaze me and everyone else they meet.  Belle had already fought through over two weeks of treatment and wasn’t feeling great the day I visited.  We had endless fun, girly, dress-up toys to make her smile, but she mostly wanted her Elmo, her mommy, and her cozy blanket.  You know what?  That Elmo and blanket looked pretty perfect to me and there is nothing more beautiful than a mother’s love.

Plus, this isn’t the last photo shoot you’ll see with Belle here.  We’ll be catching up again, when she’s feeling much better.  She has plenty of tutu-twirling ahead of her!  This summer, her hair will be growing back and I probably won’t be able to keep up with her as she runs around outside.  For now, I’m happy to have captured those sweet curls before her next chapter begins.  You can read more about Belle’s story in her mother’s words on the Kent Macaroni Kids Blog.

If you would like to help Belle and her family, please visit  Belle’s Youcaring.com Page or check back in with us for the many opportunities to make a difference for Belle in the coming months.

Oh my gosh, is this not one of the cutest babies you have ever seen?  I was totally in love with her from the first second she looked at me with those big brown eyes.  Little Star sessions are some of my favorite and especially when babies are at this age.  It feels like I’m just hanging out with mom and dad, playing dress up with their little one.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m working!  M was so sweet.  She indulged us in plenty of adorable outfits and sets.  I’m wondering how I’ll ever choose favorites for this gallery!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Sweets + a sweet model = an epicly sweet shoot! Shoots like this remind me how much I love my job.    Sweet Indulgence called us the day before this happened and asked if we wanted to pop over to their shop for a quick shoot, and I had no idea that THIS would happen! We started out shooting the table of cakes and candy, then added in our bridal model to create a ‘fashion’ shoot to show off the stunning wedding cakes that Sweet Indulgence now makes. The tiers of lace in the background, her dress, and then the ruffles on the cake all came together for a vintage-elegant look.

Wedding cakes and dessert table: Sweet Indulgence

Bouquet: Flowers By Semia

Dress and Accessories: Couture Bridal

Lashes: Ch’i Spa

Makeup and Hair: Dion at Magnolia Salon

~ Mariah

I had so much fun with these 4 sweet kids and their mom, aunt and grandmother the week before Christmas!  I’m not going to lie, I was nervous about how a session with 2 month old twins and 2 older siblings would go.  I was so pleasantly surprised by how amazing big brother and sister were with their new babies.  They were such good listeners and did a wonderful job holding the babies and posing for me.  I was so impressed with them.  I think half of this gallery will be the four kids all together because I have so many favorites!  After the family portraits, we took some of just big brother and sister on their own, and then we captured a few sweet newborn sets.  It was so much fun, the time flew by!  Thanks for such a great session.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Seriously, how handsome is this little guy?  Those big brown eyes and sweet curls just kill me.  He was such a little flirt with the camera too.  O was a fast little guy, but I somehow managed to keep up as he explored the studio.  We had a fun session celebrating his first birthday last week.  Mom and dad wanted a sports theme for his cake smash so we made a sporty bunting to hang over our soft blue background.  Turns out that warm up suits are perfect for cake smashes because O’s kept him totally clean underneath!  Maybe our next outfit should be a poncho   Enjoy your sneak peek!

We’re holding a boudoir “petite” session day, just in time for Valentine’s Day! For those that want a quick, stunning, (jaw-dropping!) gift for their significant others, we’re offering 30-minute sessions on January 10th, 2013.

Petite Boudoir Sessions   |   $600

• 30-minute session on January 10th, 2013
• One look, or outfit
• 15 full-resolution, fully edited images on DVD (picked up on or after January 31st, 2013)

Just come to the studio with your hair and makeup done, one outfit with accessories, and you’re good to go! We highly recommend having professional hair and makeup done for the best possible portraits, and have fabulous salons to suggest when you call!

Restrictions:  The Petite Boudoir Session includes photographer’s time and talent, custom image preparation, and 15 fully-edited images on DVD only. DVDs will be available for pickup on January 31st, 2013. Hair and makeup is NOT included. All prints and products are not included. The Petite Boudoir Session must be scheduled during our normal business hours and based on our current availability.  During the winter months, all sessions must start by 3pm due to the availability of natural light in the studio.  There are no rain checks and the session is non-transferable in the event of rescheduling.  There is NO minimum investment.

How do I book?
Call the studio (401-864-1919) to schedule and submit your session fee for our Petite Boudoir Session. Please note we are here to answer your calls Monday through Friday 9-5pm.  Calls during non business hours will be returned in the order received.  The studio WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY from December 21st through January 1st, and will re-open on January 2nd.

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J’s shoot was so much fun! He’s coming back in for a cakesmash in a couple months for his first birthday, but mom wanted to schedule a Little Star shoot to capture him before he started walking. He’s definitely a fast crawler right now, and I bet he’ll be running by the time we see him again!

J loves water, so we created a simple nautical set for him to play in. The last shot is the studio favorite- mom wanted to get a classic baby shot, and we just love how this concept turned out. 

We’ll see you in a couple months, J! Can’t wait!

~ Mariah

We love these Little Star sessions! Little J was the best model- she gave us the cutest smiles in every set and every outfit we put her in. How can you not smile yourself when looking at these? I hardly have a serious face in her entire gallery!

Such a happy girl! And a stylish one…her football outfit was custom-made for her. Can you even stand the little football leggings? Her Christmas dress and headband are also just too cute. 

~ Mariah