Growing By 2 Hands

If you've followed my photography for any length of time you have met the Arboleda family. For this session we had the two ladies of the family show off their skill sets. Mama is expecting another baby boy into the family & they couldn't be more excited.

Leslie is a yoga instructor and can still nail more poses than I can while preggo. & she does it with such grace.

Miss Maddie is the big sister of the family. She is ready for her littlest brother to make his arrival. 

M is such a talented little diva! She painted a mural on her mama's belly for her brother...typical girl beauties like flower and sunsets.

The little one was super active, I think he knew it was his time to shine.

Sometimes you just have to get right in there and use your fingers!

Halfway through Maddie had a change of vision...

Her new design looks like the Earth, I loved it! & every good artist tops off their art work with something original, like handprints.

#belliesrule naturally.

Thanks so much for spending some time with me this weekend & letting me capture these special moments. I can't wait to see the new addition in a few weeks. Congrats Arboleda family!!

King Beckham Turns One!

What do you get when you combine Pinterest, the first baby and crafty parents? Beckham's WILD first birthday. Katie & Mark, Beckham's parents, put a lot of time and effort into creating the perfect first birthday pictures. They built and designed literally until 2:30 am the day of the shoot.  

But...no matter how much they prepared, nothing could convince baby Beck that his birthday cake wasn't scary and evil. Personally, I love little baby pouts & these are some of my favorite images from the day. We tried everything to get him to warm up to the cake but it was just a big no go.

This is as close as we got to a smiling Beckham next to his cake.

Once we took the cake away, Mark worked his magic and got the little man to show off those two bottom teeth! Such a handsome little man.

As much as I loved the first set, the colors in this set are just so calming and beautiful. Love the details from the custom banner that Katie made to the logs that Mark cut. Not to mention the teepee, how cool?!

As Beckham gets older he is getting so much more expressive & I am adoring all of these awesome faces!

Beckham is pulling up but not walking yet, which made my job so much easier. I have a feeling he will be much more mobile next time! Katie messaged me the night before Beck's birthday shoot to let me know that he HATED the balloons, he definitely warmed up to them, saving his hated for the cake.

The last set was a boat that Mark built just for King Beckham, straight from Where the Wild Things Are! Just remember, next year you have to top this....better get started now!!

Thanks for working so hard to make this a memorable and adorable session Katie & Mark...and the happiest of birthdays to baby Beckham!!

The Studio Space Reno

It's coming up on 2 years of being in my studio, CRAZY to think about! But, that means that my lease here is coming to a close and I had some big decisions to make. I either needed to find another home plus separate studio space or renew my current lease. I checked out a few places but I'm a bigger is better girl so couldn't convince myself to downsize the studio space and simultaneously up the budget. Soooo that being sad, I decided to stay & to renovate. 

I absolutely love my friendly neighbors, artistic community and great space. However, my space wasn't working for my growing business any more. Since starting my second photography business last year called Head Over Heels Wedding Photography, photographing weddings with the great Janel, I needed a consultation space to meet with my to-be brides and grooms. 

I found this table online at Ikea and knew it was the perfect piece for my consultation space. I loved that it had a glass top that would allow me to put albums and my marketing pieces in an accessible place. The chairs were my next pick. The grey chairs with the cream piping tied my floors together with the table and couch. 

The hallway now has a purpose! That makes me super excited. I moved the shelves and baby changing station to the hall. Inside the kraft linen drawers are everything a new mom could need for her baby. I have diapers, wipes, creams, lotions, pacifiers, the whole 9. Plus the cubbies hide my fabulous electronics and give shelter to my blocks. 

Every small business owner needs an office & this is mine! I'm not going to lie when I put this wall unit up, by myself, nearly a year ago, I was waiting for it to fall. But, it hasn't! Yay for that!! The wall system I customized at Ikea as well and is fabulous for storing and organizing all of my newborn backdrops, blankets, throws, wraps, hats and headbands.

When I first moved into the space I was NOT fond of the yellow walls. I wanted white walls but not the cost of painting them and then painting them back yellow when I left. I have since embraced the yellow walls & even found these awesome pillows at HomeGoods that tied in the grey with the walls. The studio now has a clothing rack which I am super excited about. I'm sure it will make moms feel more put together as well as declutter the couch. Perhaps my favorite piece so far to the renovation is the mirrored accent table. It is totally not my style but I felt compelled to purchase it. There isn't any other piece that could have tied this space together any better. I love being able to display my first ever 35mm camera that I learned photography on as well as paperweights from my business travels. Speaking of, I can't wait to go to New Orleans and Nashville later this month!! 

I just ordered new albums, custom USBs, studio lights and headbands as well for the studio. Once those come in I will share them as well. So excited for 2015 wedding season and to meet lots of new little ones and continue to watch my babies grow into toddlers. Life moves way too fast as you get older so make sure to capture those memories! 

<3Amanda