Gender reveal sessions come in many forms. Balloon releases, pink or blue cake that’s revealed when you cut into the generic white frosting and colored smoke bombs are all fun ways that couples have used to find out if they’re having a boy or a girl. This sweet couple had gotten confetti poppers to use at the beach to see if they were expecting a son or daughter. Luckily, I didn’t have to set up the right color. They had done that ahead of time.

They really wanted their gender reveal to be on the beach, so we met on the beach at South Haven, with the iconic lighthouse in the background.

the gender reveal

After some traditional maternity pictures, it was time for the big moment. They pushed their plungers at the same time, and this is what happened:

They’re having a boy!

They were over-the-moon excited, and it was such an honor to be able to share the excitement with them. Their families have been eagerly waiting to hear the news. These pictures are going to be the gender reveal to both their families. I know they’re going to be so excited when they see them!

the new baby boy

Fast forward several months, and he is here! Meet Hakeem:

Isn’t he adorable? The baby boy that they have been dreaming about since their gender reveal photo session is here, and is so very loved.

Are you planning a gender reveal to find out if you’re expecting a girl or a boy? Would you like to have a photo session of your experience? If so, contact me here. I’d love to talk with your about your ideas for the gender reveal and the ways that we could capture it! If it’s scheduled for a bit later in your pregnancy, it would be easy to have it be part of a maternity photo session. I love making creative ideas happen!

She spent 100 days in the NICU, but she’s home at last! Her family is overjoyed to have her home. She was early and tiny, but is healthy and doing so well. I often find that babies who have spent some time in the NICU are great sleepers. They’ve been exposed to lots of noise and light, and it seems like that trains them to ignore lots of distractions. That was certainly the case with Amari. Even though she’s 3 months old, she is very much a newborn in adjusted age. She slept soundly through all her pictures. Moving her to a new spot or a new pose didn’t bother her a bit.

She has an older brother and sister who weren’t able to visit her in the NICU, and they are loving being able to spend time with her. It’s so much fun to watch them talk to her and touch her ever so gently. She’s going to have such fun with them as she grows!

Safely photographing babies home from the NICU

Newborn safety is always important to me, but it’s especially important to be careful of these tiniest babies once they’ve gotten out of the NICU. These days, I always wear a mask, of course. I use lots of hand sanitizer and make sure I’m healthy. I keep up to date on vaccines. My whooping cough vaccine got updated a few years ago, since that can be such a risk to kids. You can be sure that I’ll do everything I can to keep your baby safe.

If your baby has to spend some time in the NICU, you can safely have a newborn session for them once they’re home and your doctor OKs visitors. I have a very flexible schedule, and we can reschedule as necessary if your baby comes home early or late. Even if your baby is older than the recommended 1-2 weeks for newborn pictures, a newborn photo session is very possible. Give me a call or send me an email here. I’d love to talk over details with you!

The beach was top on their list of wishes for a location for maternity pictures. He’s from the UK and she is from Brazil. They’re in Michigan for now for their jobs. They’re headquartered in St. Joseph, MI, so they wanted to take advantage of the beautiful beaches there with their iconic sand dunes and lighthouses for their maternity pictures. These pictures will always remind them not only of expecting their baby girl, but their time in the US near the shores of Lake Michigan.

The beach at Tiscornia Park was perfect for a couples’ maternity photo session. Beach pictures offer a variety of backgrounds, from the grassy dunes to sand, sea and sunsets. As you can see, we were lucky enough to get a beautiful sunset that evening.

The best time for beach pregnancy pictures is early morning or just before sunset in the evening. The sun can be a bit glary at other times, but sunrise and sunset give you such pretty soft and warm light. I love everything about the evening light from the glowing backlight to the stunning sunset!

I can’t think of a more perfect backdrop for this stunning couples’ maternity pictures. And I can’t wait to meet their baby girl!

Emma’s mom’s top request for her newborn session was a picture of her military dad with his newborn daughter. Emma’s dad gladly put his army uniform on for the pictures. She was still so small that she even fit into his cargo pocket, and that one was her mom’s favorite. I love it too. It shows so clearly his love, care and protection of his new baby girl. It embodies exactly what those who serve in the military do for us.

Once we had some pictures of her with her dad in uniform, we took some with just her and the uniform. It’s a good thing she was still tiny- I don’t think she would have fit in either the pocket or the helmet if she were much bigger!

I love seeing how tiny she is next to his boots and jacket. It won’t be long before she’s sitting next to the boots or is pulling herself up to hang onto her dad’s legs, and it will be so special to have these pictures to show how much she’s grown.

Thank you to all those in the military who give us the gift of the safety and peace that Emma’s showing us here!