maternity sneak peek

Posted on May 16, 2010

Just so very very excited to share these photos…

I love shooting in the home environment – I love that its “real”. Its where the heart is of everyday life. And how cool it will be years down the road to see your home captured in photos.

I love that this couple just did their thing. They didn’t look like they were trying to pose. They were relaxed and they enjoyed the moment. It was awesome. If I’m ever doing photos for you and you find that I am giving you very little direction, just know that its because I love what I am seeing.
And I know you will too.

Their home was beautiful. I felt it was a perfect reflection of them.

The mom-to-be and I shared by email a bit last week and she mentioned how busy she has been in this last month. It took me back to when I was in that last month before Emma was born. How I was supposed to be resting and soaking it all in, but instead I was running around like a crazy woman from Target to Target trying to find specific things for baby – things that I just HAD to have. Nesting. I know. I also remember my manager at the time telling me that this would be the last time for a very long time that I would be alone. And to savor it, reflect on things, and just enjoy the moment.

It’s true. Enjoy the moment for everything it is right now. But know that the anticipation of what is soon to come is just a smidgen of how beautiful it will really be.

And with that, I am a little choked up about now because I am so excited for this couple to experience the joy that I was blessed enough to experience twice. There is nothing like it. Nothing in the whole wide world.

sneak peek: Baby “C”

Posted on April 2, 2010

In early February we captured a few last shots of this couple on the verge of a life-changing event…

To be married for several years, and then to finally decide that its “time”, no matter how ready you think you are, it really is life-changing.

And beautiful.

There is no doubt, we all worked hard for these photos. Baby “C” was a day shy of two weeks old at the time of his newborn session. That’s really cutting it close because the older they get, the more difficult it is to get the sleepy curled up shots. And what’s more, the night before he had his first long stretch of sleep… Maybe bad timing for our session, but such a great time of transition for parents. I hope that he has kept it up since then.

Dad was such a trooper. He drove him around in the car at one point just to calm him and get him to sleep. He did sleep, but it lasted for a very short while. Totally worth it for the sleepy smile though.

Sleepy? No, not me.

And then there was the posing. These shots just crack me up, right down to the pointed big toe.

By the end he just hung out and chilled.

Sleeping baby or not, I am so pleased with what we captured in this session. Just a precious baby boy who didn’t want to miss a beat of his first photo session.

backtracking thru 2008 – part 6

Posted on February 9, 2009

I believe this is the last of 2008 that I haven’t shared… Well, almost. Regular sessions, yes.

I had an awesome maternity session back in November – on the beach, in glorious weather, with such a great couple. Except for one other time very early in my photography, this was my first outdoor maternity session. Normally I just do indoor maternity with the black backdrop, which I like, especially for its classic simple look, but this was new and fresh… an absolute treat! The couple allowed themselves to be very comfortable in front of the camera which I feel translated beautifully in the images. I’m struggling to find just the right words to describe how great this session was for me… Let’s just say that the more and more I do this photography thing that I do, this awesome thing that I get to call “work”, certain sessions along my journey strike me in a way that tell me I’m growing. As an artist. The vision and the technical take one more step towards each other. Its absolutely encouraging. It assures me that I’m on the right path.

Having said all that, I left a few of my faves out because I wasn’t sure if the mom would feel comfortable with me sharing them here… I just might add a couple more to this post later.

Was thinking about Notting Hill with Julia Roberts here… He needs a book.

Sometimes I struggle with this crazy thought that every photo in a maternity session needs to show her belly. But what my heart tells me is that this is also about capturing two people, as they are in this very moment, before their world completely changes. They know they have been given a special gift, and there is much anticipation for the moment when they can hold that precious gift in their arms. But for now its just them. Enjoying the last few days of life as they currently know it. And I want this child to one day look at these photos and be able to look into their eyes and perhaps see the special glow that I see. Glowing for them. With so much love and anticipation.

Then how lucky am I when I get to see them in the first few days of their brand new life. And I get to meet precious little gifts from God, such as this little guy ~

Just so loved and fussed over ~

These next two shots really speak to me… When I was a brand new mom, *both* times, I remember holding my babies and just staring down at them in disbelief and wonder. So beautiful and precious. You just want to freeze that moment and never let it go. I always say that I wish I could take photos with a simple blink of my eyes, just to capture exactly what I am seeing at that very moment. When I took this first photo I was trying to do that for her ~

Then I found myself looking down on this beautiful mom’s face and I was very struck by the way *she* looked at that moment, so lovingly holding and admiring her brand new son… Not sure which I like best. Both are precious.

To say that Dad was loving this moment is almost an understatement…

One of my new favorites ~

We absolutely wore him out by the end ~

Sleeping like a baby… Hopefully mom and dad got a little of the same after I left.

Oh, and did I mention that this newborn session was done early on Christmas Eve? It felt so fitting to do a newborn session on the eve of our Savior’s birth. What a miracle.

maternity/newborn – round two!

Posted on August 5, 2008

Round two for these folks, I mean.

A photo from the maternity session:

And then some from the newborn session a little over a month later:

This little guy was one of the first newborns that I photographed. At almost two years old, he wasn’t too much into having photos taken, EXCEPT in the very beginning. He literally climbed up on my stool and posed for me while we waited for baby brother to be ready. Got a couple nice smiling shots too, but I just love his expression here.

And finally, the new kid on the block – I am so in love with this shot.

Hope this doesn’t look scary to anyone. This cat is known to get in on the action when I’m there. Although I’ll admit, this was a tad bit set up this time.

Thanks my friends for asking me back again. It was a pleasure and an honor. I loved meeting your new little guy. It took me back to the first time I met his big brother. Looking at the photos closely, I could see resemblances between the two, but it was fun noticing the differences as well. Especially the brown hair! What a blessing these little guys are. Congratulations!

My first share on my new blog!

Posted on July 6, 2008

Welcome to Debbie Lee Photography… the blog! So nice to have you here.

It was tough separating out into two blogs for personal and business, but I felt it was something that needed to be done. I’m excited about it actually! I feel like it gives my very special clients a home of their own! I hope this will be a fun place to share session photos as well as post updates about what’s new with Debbie Lee Photography. And lately, there is a lot of “new”… Some of you may have noticed my new website, which is still not finished. I call it “presentable”, but there are lots of unfinished areas that need attention. I also have a new logo, although it hasn’t been “branded” on anything, so to speak, and who knows, we may see new logo, round two! And there’s other new fun stuff coming soon… You’ll have to stay tuned!

To kick off my new blog, I’m back-tracking to my last two sessions in May that have yet to be shared.

This first session was for a dear friend of mine and her husband, who were expecting their first child… Yes, I said “were” because she delivered 10 days ago and I had the honor and pleasure of photographing their newborn daughter this morning. Baby “T” was a perfect little model and Mom and I had a blast. I can’t wait to share those photos. But first, a few from their maternity session:

Isn’t she stunning?

Aren’t they adorable? It had been a long time since doing a maternity session and it was kind of tough getting back into that saddle again, but I was so pleased with the end result. You’ll also see more from this session in my website portfolio.

My second session that same day was for a family I have had the pleasure of photographing three times now, well, sort of four times…

It all started with this little guy’s newborn session and now here he is at one year:

Is he not adorable or what? He is the cutest little guy and it has been a pleasure photographing him for his first year.

We also took extended family photos that day… Beautiful family, sweet and kind. I truly enjoy spending time with them.

Weren’t those fun? Next time I’ll continue with the first two sessions of June… Thanks for stopping by!