Newborn Photos: Lakyn Rose, 3 weeks old October 11, 2009

I got to visit my cousin’s family and welcome her new little baby girl into the family. :) Lakyn Rose is just three weeks old, and is such a little sweetie. I could have held her all day! We grabbed a few photos in their home (since it was 30-something degrees outside!), and Lakyn did such a good job (so did big brother Mason). Here are a few of the photos:

I also took a few photos of the new brother, who is now two years old. :) Isn’t he adorable?

And one of the two together… how sweet!

And a few of Lakyn and her mom. I think she’ll love these when she’s older.

We took one quick family photo on the front porch! 

Congratulations, Rebecca and Dustin! :)

Family Photos at Shawnee Mission Park October 8, 2009

Shawnee Mission Park is a popular place for photos this time of year — I had two in one week out there! The second was for this cute family. I love photographing children and getting to spend some time with them. Kids just really crack me up, and I love how everything is so neat to them. Especially at the age of this little guy, Connor. At almost 2 years old, the world is one big wonder!

Fall is a great time for family portraits — I especially love the sweaters that come out in the fall. :) Here’s Connor with his parents:

He is just so sweet! Look at those pretty blue eyes and his adorable little smile. :)

I love this one. Connor liked to lead the way. 

He also liked to run to my camera. :)

And then give me one of these looks… :) What a cutie!

How cute is this one? :) It just makes me want to shout, “YAY!!”

We also visited the boats, which was very exciting for a little boy.

And one more with mom and dad… taken right before he stood up and ran for the next awesome thing. :) I love kids. I wish we all had that same sense of adventure after we’re grown-ups. :)

Thanks for asking me to take your family photos! It was a really fun time, and Connor is so sweet. Have a great fall season!

Kansas City Baby Photography: Tucker’s 9-Month Photos September 29, 2009

It was so much fun seeing Tucker and his parents again. :) I love this part of what I do — I get to see babies as they grow up and get big and develop cute little personalities over their first year. Doing a first year package is an awesome way for parents to capture their children over the first year, and an awesome way for me to get to hang out with cute babies multiple times throughout the year. :)

Tucker is all smiles, has the biggest blue eyes, and is just super adorable. Our session was fall themed, the weather was perfect, and we had a great time! Here are some of my favorites.

They’re such a cute family! I love the next two:

I love the fall leaves — this is a great time for fall photos, since the leaves are falling, but also still on the trees. :)

This one might be one of my favorites… I love his expression, the light, and the lines from the wooden slats!

Playing with a pumpkin…

And one more with the parents! :)

I can’t wait to see Tucker again in a few months for his 1-year photos! :) What a cutie!

Kansas City Baby Photography: Troy, 9 months old September 1, 2009

I can’t believe how fast babies grow up! I’m sure their parents feel the same way — one day they’re a little newborn baby, and before you know it, they’re headed off to college. :) The last time I saw little Troy, he was just 4 months old. Now he’s just turned 9 months old and I can’t believe how big he is! He was all smiles during our session, which was amazing. 

Here are some photos of our session at the park!

Babies at this age are so exploratory — everything is interesting! :)

I think Troy knows how cute he is… just look at this face. :)

We took some fun photos with Mom and Dad, too.

I absolutely love taking photos of parents interacting with their kids. These are too cute.

These photos marked Troy’s first time sitting in the grass. The grass was VERY interesting. :)

More fun photos with Mom and Dad! :)

And we’ll end on one with a facial expression that just makes me smile so big. What a cute boy! I can’t wait to see how much he changes over the next few months! :)

6 Months Old: Olivia in Manhattan August 10, 2009

We got to see little Olivia again this past weekend. You might remember her from her 6-week session earlier this year. She now almost 6 MONTHS old… I can’t believe how big — and adorable — she’s gotten over the past several months! Babies just grow up so fast.

We went for a visit and also brought along our “son” (Petey) who Olivia was extremely interested in… Petey, being the good boy that he is, was very patient. :) It’s a good sign for the Short (notice the capitalization of the word) children in our future… sometime way, way in the future. Well, unless we keep hanging out with adorable babies like we have lately. :)

Anyway… Miss Olivia Belle charmed us with her smiles. She is too cute.

On her mom’s lap:

What a sweetie.

I took all of these photos in one little corner of their couch in the living room. Proof that the location doesn’t always matter for adorable photos. :) Keep it simple… that’s my motto. Simplicity is key.

Favorite!

No, wait, maybe this is my favorite. 

I think I said, “awwwww!!!” more times during the creation of this blog post than any other time in my life. :)

Seriously, that profile kills me with its cuteness.

Baby feet!

Olivia loves her rubber ducky:

After all those smiles, I’ll leave you with “the serious face.” :)

Oh, she just melts my already super-soft heart… :)

Newborn Session: Lucy, 3 weeks old August 4, 2009

You might remember little Lucy from a few weeks ago, when I got to visit her in the hospital and capture a few photos when she was less than 12 hours old! I was really excited to go back and see her again at about 3 weeks, and she was wide awake and so alert! :) I went to Lucy’s home for these photos, which were all taken in her parents’ bedroom and in her nursery. I love these at-home sessions!

Look at her cute chubby face!

I took over one of the cocoons that my awesome sister-in-law Leslie makes… I love the softness these have in the photos of newborns, and the babies LOVE them. They’re so snuggly and warm and help them feel cozy during the session. :) I couldn’t decide which facial expression was the cutest out of these, so you get to see them all:

Of course, we took a few photos with the new mom and dad!

(I adore this next one…)

One with just dad… 

And one with just mom (I love this one, too).

A few of Lucy in her extra-stylish crib:

Mom and dad wanted a fun photo with their wedding rings (they’re getting ready to celebrate their one-year anniversary in about 2 weeks!). Lucy’s tiny little toes could hardly hold the rings. :)

Oh, little Lucy, I can’t wait to see what a cute little girl you’re going to become. :)

Welcome to the world, Baby Lucy! July 9, 2009

Today I got to meet the newest little life I know. Lucy Jean was born late last night — and I got to snap her first professional photos when she was just over 12 hours old. :) My good friends Rachel and Jonathan welcomed their baby girl into the world… here she is:

Congratulations, Rachel and Jonathan! :)

Tucker’s 6 month baby portraits at Shawnee Mission Park July 3, 2009

You  might remember this little guy from the portraits we took when he was just one month old. His daddy was deployed during that time, and his mom got in touch with me to do an Operation: Love Reunited session. Well, I’m so glad to report that his dad is back safe and sound and I got to see the whole family for Tucker’s six month portraits! :) I can’t believe how much he’s grown!

We met up at the park for this session. Check out Tucker’s gorgeous blue eyes! Can you say, heartbreaker?? :)

His parents obviously love him… and he thinks they’re pretty funny:

Those eyes are even gorgeous in black and white!

And he makes the best faces! What a happy boy!

Some family photos:

I love the next two:

Brandi, call me if you ever need a sitter. :) I could stand to play with this cute little guy for a day!

One with dad…

And one with mom…

And let me explain this last one… :) This one’s for grandma. Tucker’s dad wore this exact western outfit when he had 6-month portraits taken… only Tucker’s dad fit into the jeans and boots that went with it. Tucker is a growing boy, so the shirt fit… and the rest, well, didn’t. :) We improvised and came out with this cute shot:

I can’t wait to see you all again at the next session! Have a great 4th of July! :)

You can make a difference… and I can give you great portraits! :) May 12, 2009

I am so excited to share with you an amazing opportunity to not only get some great portraits, but to make a real difference. If you’ve been following this blog for very long at all, you’ll remember that I volunteer every year with an organization called Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) — a non-profit organization that hosts youth leadership camps at local sites, which are all planned and executed by volunteers.

I went through the HOBY program as a high school sophomore, and I can honestly say that it changed my life. I know that sounds completely cliche and  a little bit silly, but it did. I explored new topics like entrepreneurship (and look what I’m doing today!), met amazing people (you know, like my husband!), discovered my passion for volunteerism, and really discovered who I was as a leader. I have since returned every year to volunteer on the staff… and now I’m the Program Director, which basically means I plan the schedule of the four-day seminar and recruit speakers who will undoubtedly change other lives.

HOBY‘s mission is to empower young leaders and teach them how to think, not what to think. The entire local seminar (serving 125 sophomores from across the state of Kansas) is about exploring different and important topics, asking questions and interacting with leaders in fields like education, the media, volunteerism, business, medicine, etc. It’s an experience that puts a big emphasis on leadership through service.Since HOBY is a non-profit organization and is run by volunteers on the local level, there’s quite a bit of fundraising and behind-the-scenes tasks that our staff at HOBY Kansas works hard on all year long. I am so blessed to be a part of the team of people who dedicate so much time, effort, energy, resources and heart to HOBY year after year. So, in order to help give back to an organization that has given so much to me (besides letting me meet my super sweet husband!), I’ve decided to offer you all an awesome opportunity to be a part of something great.

Today through June 7th, every single portrait session that takes place will be discounted to $150.00 — as long as your check is made out to Kansas HOBY! That’s right… you will not only save money, but send some directly to support a great cause. How does that sound? :) Each portrait session will include a one-hour shoot at an outdoor location, an online gallery of images and a disc of your edited, high-resolution digital files! Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Time slots will fill up fast and your session has to take place before June 7th (the HOBY seminar is the next week). I will mainly be doing these sessions in the Kansas City area, although I should have a few Wichita area appointments available as well! To reserve your session, just send me an email: me[at]ericamay[dot]com.

And, because this is a photography blog… here are a few photos from different types of portrait sessions that qualify for this opportunity!

Children and families (perfect for a Father’s Day gift):

Engagements, anniversaries, or “just because” photos of couples:

Seniors, headshots or individual portraits (because everyone deserves great photos of themselves!):

Babies and newborns:

Pets! With a family or without… I love pets. :)

Don’t delay — you can make a difference today (and get some sweet portraits out of the deal!). Contact me via e-mail: me[at]ericamay[dot]com to schedule your appointment early. Remember, all sessions have to take place before June 5th (just in time for Father’s Day!).

How can we make a difference together? This is one way. :)

OpLove Session: Tucker’s One Month Portraits January 18, 2009

I am so glad to be a part of an organization of photographers who participate in a program called Operation: Love Reunited. In short, the program offers portrait sessions at no charge to military families who are experiencing a deployment. It’s an awesome program, and I love meeting families where one or both of the parents is a member of the Armed Forces.

Little Tucker turned one month old just last week, and I was so excited when his mom got in touch to do an OpLove session. Tucker’s dad had to deploy back to Kosovo just a few days after Tucker was born. I am so excited to send his dad an album in the mail — with some beautiful photos of his adorable little boy! I met Tucker and his mom at their home, and Tucker was such a good sport — especially after some food and cuddles from his mom!

Look how tiny Tucker’s feet are next to his dad’s dog tags!

I love the images we captured of the bond between Tucker and his mom. There’s something so moving and beautiful about a relationship between a mother and her baby. You can just tell that Brandi is an awesome mom! The photos are just so filled with love!

I love these next few photos… seriously. Tucker is the main focus, but you can just see how Brandi interacts with her little boy!

This boy has the best, brightest blue eyes!

I love how well this American flag patterned blanket photographed! 

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of baby yawns! :)

Yellow ribbons signify supporting our troops. Military families display yellow ribbons when they have a deployed soldier, and Brandi had a great idea to tie a big ribbon around Tucker! :) In these photos, Tucker is laying on his dad’s Army banner.

Brandi, thanks for asking me to photograph Tucker’s one-month-old photos! He’s just beautiful! I’ll be thinking of you all, and praying for a quick and safe return of your husband!

If you know a member of the military who is going to be deployed or who will be arriving home soon, send them my way! I’d love to work with military families going through deployment — to either do a “surprise” session of the family to send to the deployed soldier, or family portraits right after they return — or to capture the actual homecoming! Just visit the contact page on www.ericamay.com!

This session also helps me get one step closer to completing #81 on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days! :)