A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Karen and Josh. Since we were already planning on doing their maternity session at their home, that's where we decided to meet for the first time. Their home is an adorable and eclectic little place in West Asheville filled with pictures of their life together, keepsakes, and an array of other personal touches! This is exactly the reason why I just love doing sessions inside people's homes. What better way to document this time in their lives, than by showing them in their own, unique atmosphere.
Looking back at these pictures, I just know that Maeve (and their other future children if they choose to have more) will one day see these and it will be like a time-capsule for her. Do you ever wonder what life was life for your parents before you joined them? Before they had any children at all? This in-home, documentary maternity session provides the perfect glimpse into what a normal Sunday in the life of Karen and Josh pre-baby looked like!
At our initial meeting, Karen, Josh, and I hit it off really quickly! Josh and I let our conversations run wild while Karen spent her time trying to wrangle us back onto topic. It was great! People like Josh and I, need people like Karen to keep us on track if we ever want to get anything accomplished! Thankfully, this style of session doesn't really need a lot of planning and my meetings with clients truly are mostly just about getting to know one another which usually works out pretty well! During our chat, I learned that these two love to have breakfast dates! For those of you who don't know me personally, I am all about some breakfast dates with my husband, Drake, and I thought this was the perfect idea to build their session around! So the following weekend that's exactly what they did as usual!
Karen asked me what they should wear for their pictures. I told her what I tell everyone initially, "Wear whatever you feel comfortable and confident wearing." She then took me to her closet and pulled out some outfits and we chose a couple of options. As for Josh? He's most comfortable in a kilt and I was thrilled that he decided to wear one for some of the pictures. You will notice, however, that halfway through the session, he switched to pants. Let's just say when you're a man in a kilt and your maternity pictures involve lounging on the couch, kilts don't always work out as well as you might hope. Don't ever be afraid of an outfit change, guys!
While the quiche (which was delicious by the way!) was baking, Karen and Josh remembered there was some decor they needed to hang in Maeve's nursery, so we headed in there to get to work! Well, mostly Josh worked and we watched. I absolutely love doing photos in nurseries, whether it be during a maternity session or the newborn session. This is where your baby will spend a good bit of her first years and most people put some thought, effort, and time into making this room special for their new little one, so it only makes sense to show it off a little bit! Karen is very crafty, and she made this little nursery look cute as a button!
After the "work" was finished, I had to do a few natural portraits of Karen in all her motherly beauty! She rocked that baby bump and I had to make sure she was able to see that!
PS did I mention that Maeve's nickname before she was even born is "Maeve the Brave"? How adorable is that?!!
After the nursery portraits were finished, they decided to move to the couch for a little light reading and snuggling. In a few minutes, they learned a lot about what it would be like to deal with baby poop and other fun parenting things! They also got to feel Maeve the Brave kicking away at her mommy's belly. I guess she was excited to be part of the session!
I don't think I mentioned at the beginning, but this session actually ended up being a two-parter. Brunch one day, campfire with friends the next! During my first meeting with Josh and Karen, it didn't take me long to recognize that their friends are a huge part of their lives and a campfire with some of their most important people was a great way to showcase that special piece of their story!
I think these pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Laughter, smiles, food, beer, bonfire, and s'mores!
Josh and Karen, thank you so much for allowing me into your lives for a couple of days! You two have such a fun and lighthearted relationship and your friends are such a blast! Maeve the Brave is so lucky to have you two as her parents! Getting a glimpse into your lives pre-Maeve was such an honor and I hope these pictures serve as awesome memories for you all for years to come!