Rebecca's Family Maternity Session

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I gift all of my birth story clients a maternity session - so that we get to spend a little time together with a camera in the room before mama is in labor.  :)  Really, it's a great chance to get to know one another a little more, meet the entire family if we didn't already meet at our initial consult, PLUS we get to document that famed glow of pregnancy.  

This session is a great example - maternity sessions with older-siblings-to-be involved are always the most fun, and with a mama as radiant as this and that Alaskan summer sun, it's simply magic. 

Be sure to surf the blog to see the birth story associated with this beautiful bump.  I'll link it once it's up - The Birth of Wyatt.  

Ali + Brandon: Love - Fairbanks Wedding Photographer

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Ali and Brandon tied the knot on in the clear sunlight of a December afternoon in the beautiful University of Alaska Museum of the North.  It was a tiny ceremony attended by the bride's sister (and maid of honor), the groom's best man, and the cutest ring bearer there ever was - the couple's two-year-old son, Eli.   It was short and heartbreakingly sweet.  The couple wrote their own vows, and they did not fall short.  Brandon surprised everyone by pulling one of Eli's board books out of his cummerbund (Eli's squeal of recognition was ADORABLE) and reading it to Ali, who was doing her best not to sob off her mascara.  One line I still remember from Ali's vows to Brandon was her promise to try "to always say 'have fun' instead of 'be careful.'"  Such deep love was expressed that day, and I am so happy to have been there to witness it.  

This gallery begins with some bridal portraits Ali and I did in the days before the wedding (talk about being a trooper - we were working quickly, but still, we're talking about Fairbanks in December in a sleeveless dress!), and the day of ceremony follows.  

Amy Komar ART

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Amy has long been one of my favorite local artists (Amy Komar Art) - I love how original and fueled by passion her work is.  In addition to her invaluable contribution to the Fairbanks art scene, she's a pretty rad woman and an amazing mama to boot.  

This shoot was actually several years in the making - we first talked about it aaaages ago, before our now-two-year-olds were even a thing.  :)  It took us a while to actually make it happen, but perhaps it was fated - because I just love the blend of lifestyle family and editorial/commercial photography that we got from this shoot.  We needed to stock her website, and they were also long overdue for family photos... two birds, one stone.  As Amy noted, she does her work at home, surrounded by her family, and her husband and daughter are both participants in the process - from Lola's help selecting the perfect Katchemak Bay stones, to the frames Matt builds to house each of Amy's wall art pieces.  It was important to her that we capture something that LOOKED like her actual process - her actual life, workspace, surroundings, and inspirations.  

This is some of what we came up with.  Love.  

Serenity Grows: Pregnancy & Postpartum Retreats

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Serenity Grows is a remarkable business run by a remarkable woman, Maranda Bowers.  Though based in the Palmer area, it sits poised to serve the entire state (and beyond) through pregnancy, postpartum, and women's retreats; an active blog; the published volume Birthing in Alaska and another volume in the works; and an online store full of herbal and self-care goodness.  Large-scale, Serenity Grows exists to empower women in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.  There's so much more to say about the scope of her business, but instead of butchering it myself, I strongly encourage you to check out her blog or join her online communities on Facebook or Instagram for a dose of community and long-overdue reminders of affirmation and self-care.  

Almost two years ago (!), I was invited to photograph her very first retreat, for pregnancy and birth workers, in Anchorage, and it was a really touching experience I was grateful to be a part of.  Over the past few years, we've been fortunate enough to have Maranda bring several Serenity Grows retreats all the way up to Fairbanks, and I've been able to attend and photograph them as well.  This post contains a sampling of images from all three retreats I've attended, and you can see more on the Serenity Grows site as well.  

Talk about commercial work right up my alley!  Being a part of Serenity Grows' growth has been an amazing experience that I'm excited to continue.  If you need a photographic relationship for your business, please don't hesitate to contact me - I'd love to work with you.