I’ve been doing self portraits every other week to document this final pregnancy and last weeks was so magical and came out exactly how I wanted and above my expectations of doing self portraits! Here is 24 weeks, a little over half way done and growing by the second it seams. I feel like I was showing a little extra since these were done the day after Thanksgiving where I think I devoured about 34 meals over a one and a half day period.
I want to take someone here to shoot soon, before they mow it down! SO lets set up a session for you, your family or your sweet little one – you won’t be disappointed.
More maternity sessions can be seen on the Maternity tab
Ada had her adorable fall themed first birthday party last month at Old Field Club in Stony Brook. Big sister Mable and her were dressed in rose gold and white coordinating outfits that were just the cutest! It was so fun to see how much Ada had grown up since her Fresh 48 session I had done when she was just born, Mabel too! Mom really went all out with the festive pumpkins and fall themed center pieces to the amazingly done cake that looked like a basket of apples. Ada had a great time celebrating her first year of life with all of her wonderful family and friends.
I had so much fun with August and his parents last month. Â They were visiting family here on Long Island and while in town wanted to do a session! I may have called him the wrong name most of the time but we really had a good time and got a lot of great smiles from him.
It could be because I love photography and seeing the history of my family but it is just as important for you too, for you and your family. In this day of digital everything, printing out photos is becoming a long-lost idea. Technology will change again and again and again and things will get lost as it isn’t meant to be sustainable, it is just data on a disk unless you make a hard copy – A PRINT!
I was set to write this post at the beginning of February but it didn’t happen. We finally closed on our house and have been working on getting it ready for move in! Then rolled in the plague and winter break and I’m finally getting around to posting on this very important topic. Why printing your photos is oh so very important.
What inspired me to create this post was my grandpa, Fred Egenberger: USN Seabees, he passed away just over a year ago at the end of January 2016. Since his passing and visiting my grandma a few times I have collected many MANY photographs. Some I know very well and some I have NEVER seen. Photos of my grandma as a child with her mother, my mom as a newborn, pictures of me from summers and holidays spent at their house. I have boxes and albums full of photos and it is nice to be able to show my children who our family was. It allows me to see the life that was before me and remember my past and my families past.
It could be because I love photography and seeing the history of my family but it is just as important for you too, for you and your family. In this day of digital everything, printing out photos is becoming a long-lost idea. Technology will change again and again and again and things will get lost as it isn’t meant to be sustainable, it is just data on a disk unless you make a hard copy – A PRINT! I am always asked “Do I get all the digital files?” “Will my gallery be here forever?” or told “I just want them for Facebook, Instagram, etc” but none of these are permanent. Prints are forever and can physically handed down to the next generation and the one after that. You can’t hand down your Facebook or Instagram – who knows if they will even be around in 5-10 years… remember MySpace?!
What you can hand down is a physical print in all of the forms it is offered in.
I urge you to get prints of your photos from your sessions even if it is just one, please order prints! When you order prints though me you receive archival photos printed on high quality paper and is printed by a professional lab that makes sure the print looks exactly like the image does on the digital file. My favorite product to offer satisfies both the want for the digitals and the ability to have prints. It is a keepsake box with all the images from your session printed in 4×6 size and all the images on a custom USP drive so you can share them digitally.
Some of the oldest photos in the collection – I think this could be my grandmothers parents and older siblings. I am guessing from about 1923 since there is a “23” on the back and pairs up with the ages of kids. Grandpa at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where they were building the base that is there now. Grandpa and his comrades and images of Guantanamo being built. The back reads Corpus Christy, Texas 1947 – Grandma is the one on the left in the one of 2 women. The other one reads ” Rodd Field Party – Boy, it was drunk out that day 4-21-52″ I can’t get over the light in this one and how young grandma is reads “Mother and Child – Bernard 4 weeks” My mom as a newborn – 6 weeks old and from what I know this was the first time my grandpa was meeting my mom since he was deployed during the time of her birth. I see so much of my little guy in this – my mom about age 2 ME and grandpa – this is how I remember my grandparents. This porch was a central hang out at Grandma and Grandpas.
Before having a cell phone was a big deal and a way of capturing everything I was always going to photo booths. The color one was from a cross country trip with my husband – we had only known each other for 3 months and he moved cross country … to be with me! You can’t tell but this is a print – and one of my very favorite shots ever of us.
Just 2 weeks ago I made the trip back to California for a handful of my very favorite clients!
Just 2 weeks ago I made the trip back to California for a handful of my very favorite clients! I was so happy over the summer (yes, SUMMER) when a few of my fav families reached out asking if I was ever going to come back at any chance to do photos. They were sad that I wasn’t there any longer after moving to Long Island to do their yearly holiday photos. After calling a few more clients to see if they too they would be interested in booking in advance if I were to come back – the trip was in the works!
It took me about a month to pick the perfect location, because all of these clients had shot at all my other go to favorites and only had 2 days to do sessions I had to come up with ONE new stand out location. IT was – you might recognize it because I have used it once before for my own little guys first birthday session. The infamous “Cypress Tree Tunnel” in Point Reyes! It was as gorgeous as IÂ remember it being and upon almost everyones arrival they too gasped with joy and amazement!
Here are a few from each family that were my very favorite! Enjoy!
This is what you get when you ask a 3rd grader how many girlfriends he has!
And lastly – My absolute favorite from all the sessions!
I don’t know what it is about this photo but I keep getting chills every time I see it – I LOVE IT. Odessa is a friend and fellow photographer, so she gets when sessions kinda go off the tracks and I really felt like this one was headed there – miss Addie was just not having any part of being in photos with or with out her sister Lulu (who was a total ham).
I am working hard on capturing a little bit more of the lifestyle aspect of each session as well at the posed shots. And this shot just really yells that to me, the “pose”, the light the moody-ness of it all.
To see more of what I offer please check out my website. Can’t wait to work with you!
I met Nicole at my event back in August at our local baby boutique, Cribs n’ Bibs, and we hit it off right away. She brought in her beautiful daughter Mable and told me she was expecting in October. She love the idea of a fresh 48 session since they were still doing renovations on their house and it would be a mess for a at home session.
We were set and ready for her section date in October and she was not finding out boy or girl until the birth! Which is pretty exciting for everyone. I was away in Nashville doing a newborn session for a childhood friend and only expecting to hear from another mom due the previous week. When I returned home and was able to get to my email I saw that she had emailed me – she had gone into labor on her own and IT WAS A GIRL. I was able to shift some things around on the calendar and get to the hospital the next day. There I met baby Ada – alert and absolutely as cute as a button. Aside from my two very wild children I had never had such an alert baby – let alone one that was 3 weeks early and only 29 hours old! After a little time with just Ada big sister Mable and Dad arrived. I just adore how this session turned out.Â
Saturday I was able to be a part of a big surprise for my sister in law, her engagement!Â
Saturday I was able to be a part of a big surprise for my sister in law, her engagement!
Chris had planned everything out and only kept a couple of people in the loop to make sure no one let out any of the details. Liz convinced Cait to go on a walk with Sully at West Meadow Beach since the weather was nice and ended up not raining. As soon as they left Chris let me know it was go time, we jumped in the car and raced there while he changed into his suit like a ninja in the back of the car. We arrived at the same time at the girls so we stayed back just a little before parking so they didn’t see us! Once we were parked it was on to the hardest part…. we had to JOG about a mile on the beach to get to the location where it would happen. Crunched for time we couldn’t not run. Luckily we made it with about 5 minutes to spare. We pat the sweat off from our brisk run and get settled into our hiding spots. When they got to the spot Liz walked behind the shed and Chris walked out. The rest is history! Thank you Chris for letting me a part of such a big and personal moment ♥
Congratulations Cait and Chris – we are all so happy and excited to celebrate your wonderful life together!
Fresh Outdoor Maternity Session | Jessica Michelle Photo Beautiful maternity session held at Blue Point Nature Preserve in Blue Point, NY
It may have been early August and hot as ever but this session was just ready to say “Hello Fall!”. It was my first time coming to the Nature Preserve in Blue Point on the south shore of Long Island but it didn’t disappoint in any way!!! I had hoped to have gone closer to the spring to check it out when it was FULL of wildflowers but I just didn’t make it, next year. Thanks to a wonderful friend for the suggestion to check it out – I am still trying to find spots that I love and this if defiantly one of them.
I often gravitate towards settings with wide open fields and neutral colors so that each client can have the chance to wear great colors. This spot was perfect – I can’t wait to use the space again for more sessions, especially since it is constantly changing with the seasons.
This momma was one of my contest winners and decided to do a maternity session with me. She was just so beautiful and had such style and loved that we were able to get a few different looks with just one outfit. She rocked her session and shined just as bright as the evening sunset. I can’t wait to meet her new baby boy in just a few short weeks for his newborn session.
Loving mom to be’s beautiful sweater – it was the perfect complement to the setting
This field was everything I had hoped for when I showed up – the yellow just popped against her white dress.
I had so much fun with August and his parents last month. Â They were visiting family here on Long Island and while in town wanted to do a session! I may have called him the wrong name most of the time but we really had a good time and got a lot of great smiles from him.
Jessica Michelle Photo 