Inara Studios

Last Tuesday night, Cade and I fell asleep never suspecting we’d wake up at 3:30 a.m. to begin the 9 hour journey of welcoming our baby.

Our beautiful daughter, Eva Victoria (pronounced Eh-va) was born at 12:27 p.m. at Vanderbilt Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches tall. Of course we think she is absolutely perfect!! =)

Today, one week later, I finally got the chance to take a few “official” photos of our little girl and I am SO excited to share a couple. It has been an awesome first week of learning to be Mama and delighting in her first days of life. Eva is such a good baby and we’ve been so spoiled by her smiles and sweet personality!

You KNOW I will be taking TONS of photos and posting them here, so stay tuned while I’m “out.” Just a reminder that I will be taking my maternity leave the rest of June - August. Portrait sessions will resume in September and we are booking those now, so don’t wait to get on the schedule. Availability is limited.

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P.S. All outstanding orders will be processed and delivered within the next 2 weeks. Thanks for your patience and understanding!!

Baby Avery is now 8 months old… and is cuter than ever! Once again, her mommy brought the cutest props and outfits along for her outdoor session. I really do love when so much thought and effort is put into making a session so special!

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Even though it’s 2 days late, I want to wish each of you mommies a Very Happy Mother’s Day!!! I hope each of you know how much you are loved by those precious little ones around you!!

These brothers are so adorable!!!!

Baby Clara’s mother did an amazing job planning her 1st birthday with a Shabby Chic theme. My mouth is watering…

And then there was the eating of the birthday cupcake:

Happy Birthday sweet Clara!

Baby Clara is now 1 year old! Wow! I really love looking back at Nicole’s maternity session, Clara’s newborn, 4 month, and 8 month sessions. And to complete her “Baby’s First Year,” here are the 1 year portraits. Her mommy even made this adorable dress for the celebration. I love it!!

Tomorrow I’ll share a few detail shots of her fabulous birthday party!

Sweet Maddox was born just 2 weeks ago. I was very excited to meet him because his big brother, Jackson has been a joy to photograph over the last year! Even though it took his Momma and I about 3 hours to get all of the images we wanted from this newborn session, I am absolutely thrilled with the results! Here is just a sample of what’s coming…

Jackson is not too sure about being a “big brother.”

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Just a quick reminder: If you want to book a Spring Session, email me soon. April and May dates are filling up quickly and the summer heat is usually here by June!

There are days when the honor of being a photographer is elevated to a whole new level.

Landon was just 12 days old when I met him for the first time. Just a few weeks before he was born, the unbelievable happened: his daddy passed away while serving his country in Afghanistan. It breaks my heart to think that Landon will never have the opportunity to meet his daddy, this side of heaven, but I am so thankful for men like him who willingly risk their lives for our safety.

It was truly a joy to capture this sweet baby’s first photographs.

Big yawn!

The US Marine’s shirt below belonged to Landon’s daddy.

Update (10/2011) - When I first published some of the images from Landon’s session on my blog, I left out the photograph below. I felt it was extremely personal and I wanted to honor their family’s privacy. I am honored that Landon’s mother has generously chosen to share it publicly through numerous interviews and blog posts. Neither of us ever imagined that so many people would be touched by his story. We have received so many emails, comments and phone calls from men and women all over the country. Thank you for your love and support of this sweet family!!

Please be sure to thank the men and women that serve in our Army, Marine and National Guard!

P.S. Stacy, thank you so much for being such an beautiful example of loving other moms who have also lost their husbands. Your generosity is inspiring!

Baby Liam is now 1 year old. Woo-hoo! His curls couldn’t be any cuter!

I really love using fun and unique props/accessories for our portrait sessions. They not only add interest to the photo and establish a theme or feel (vintage/modern/fun etc), but they can make the photos that much more personal, especially if you are using a prop that is your own. I always get a lot of questions about what props and accessories parents should bring along. So I wanted to share some ideas which you can take literally if you want, or hopefully they will inspire you to come up with ideas of your own. (Note: I have a stash of my own props that I can bring, but if you have your own, they will make your session that much more unique and special.)

Vintage radio wagon:

Baskets:

Antique rocking chairs:

Balloons:

Handmade quilts:

Other blankets:

Cute hats, headbands and bows:

If your daddy is a fireman, a firetruck:

Rope swing:

These are just a few ideas I’ve used in the past. There are tons of other options such as vintage high chairs, old Coca-Cola wooden cases, wooden ladders, benches, antique strollers, crates/baskets full of apples, books, vintage couches/chairs, etc… I think you get the point. =)

So as you plan for your next session, be thinking about what you can bring that is either meaningful to you and your child, or just plain cute! I can’t wait to see your ideas (and find some more of my own too - I constantly have my eyes open for deals on craigslist or flea markets)!

Happy Friday everyone!