Last year I received a phone call from J. who let me in on a secret, she was 5 weeks pregnant. She approached me with the idea from something she had seen on Pinterest.  (Love that!)  I felt so completely privileged to capture her first pregnancy with her and her husband and her growing baby.  (J. & I. didn’t have great wedding photographs, and they wanted something special and a professional portrait series for this incredibly special time of life for her maternity portraits.)  She gave me creative license to have fun.  I showed them around town as we met for a variety of shoot locations throughout the Conejo Valley and slightly beyond.   We started with the ideal plan and spacing of time.  And half way through I found out I was moving across the country.  J. & I. were beyond sweet in wanting me to continue working with them, and we adjusted accordingly.  Plus, I was so encouraged that the year before they took a vacation to Lookout Mountain, GA and Chattanooga, TN (where I moved!).  Now the only downside was that I wasn’t able to be there to capture their newborn once he arrived.  But, as you can see, J. did an amazing job looking great all of her pregnancy.  I am always excited to see moms do this, especially because pregnancy wreaks havoc on my own health and body, and I love seeing it done well.  I mean not every-mama can pull off horizontal stripes in their third trimester. 🙂

On one final note, I find this especially refreshing, celebrating life.  I call this “Produce Plus Love Equals A Maternity Story.”  Yes, this is also a pun, but a focus on what love produces, and the story that unfolds, and the reminder of how precious human life is, no matter how small.

Thanks for looking!