Fall 2017 in a Nutshell: Upcoming Events

There is so much goodness coming up!  Even though it means Fall is going to be even crazier than summer (if such a thing is even possible...), I can't help but be excited for all the fun ahead.  

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So, in short order, here's what's coming down the pipe.

If you're in need of details for anything, or if you'd like to book a spot for your family, please don't hesitate to contact me!  

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UPDATED - Back-to-School Portrait Mini-Sessions, September 9, 2017

It's that time of year!  Back-to-School Portrait Mini-Sessions seemed like a great idea, and I'm really looking forward to offering them again this year.  

I'll be in the studio from 12:00 - 4:00 Saturday, September 9, 2017.  Sessions include a 15 minute sitting, four finished high resolution digital files + print release, and a $20 print credit (so the grandparents can get their wallet photos!).  $50 for singletons, and siblings are $45 each.  You can pre-pay and reserve your session/s online here, or Contact me ASAP to schedule your session!  

UPDATE 9/6: This event will be a fundraiser to benefit the Ryan family.  Over Labor Day Weekend, baby Ella was taken by air ambulance to Providence PICU in Anchorage in unexplained liver failure.  As of today she is much improved but remains hospitalized in the Pediatrics ward as they try to determine what caused her illness.  100% of the sticker price of your Back-To-School Session will go to the Ryan family to help support them during this time.  

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Next up: Perfect {Professional} Headshot Events - Fairbanks Small Business Photographer

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At long last: the dates for the next installments of the Perfect {Professional} Headshots series! 

As always, these events include a preparation guide, an on-site sitting with a professional makeup artist, a portrait sitting, and a complete set of all finished portraits (you can expect at least 5-10 unique portraits) via digital download + print release.  The all-inclusive fee is $225, and remember, if these headshots are for your professional life, this is a tax-deductible expense!  

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 12-4 -- SOLD OUT

NOVEMBER 18, 2017 12-4

Limited spots available.  Discounts are available if you would like to book multiple spaces for all of your employees - contact me for details.  

Don't hesitate to book your spot now!  Contact me to grab a slot.  I look forward to working with you!  

Turning One is Oh So Bittersweet - Fairbanks Childhood Photographer

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It was hard enough when my own baby turned one a few short months ago.  But it somehow hits me anew when clients' babies turn one - perhaps because those babies are often preserved as their newborn selves in my memory.  I often have parents send me notes of reminiscence as their baby nears their birthday - and even though I may have literally been present at said child's birth, the fact that it's been a year still blindsides me every time.  (Also, nothing reminds you just how far behind on blogging you are like having an unblogged-Fresh 48 baby have a birthday...)  A whole year disappeared in the blink of an eye.  

Case in point: Ariana.  

And though so much has changed - the whole sitting up, mobility, and eating solid food thing - I'm thrilled to report that her amazing deadpan "I am merely humoring you" camera face is still going strong.  

See for yourself.  

Ariana then: 

Ariana now.

NURTURE: Art by Colleen Firmin Thomas, August 2017

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I love having artist friends, if only because I sometimes get to wrangle a sneak peek at solo exhibitions before they open!  I have always been in love, hard, with my friend Colleen's artwork, so I was only too happy to help her photograph a selection of her works that will hang as part of her show in the Bear Gallery this August.  The show opens on Friday, August 4th with a reception from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.  

Colleen gave me the thumbs-up to share some of the work we photographed here.  Consider it your very own sneak peek!  But trust me, you want to see these in person (as you would with any artwork, but these are three-dimensional works, so you REALLY need to experience these in the flesh!).  

You can follow along with Colleen's career on Instagram and her shiny new website.   

Little Sessions in the Peonies at Alaska Peony Flowers: July 8, 2017

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UPDATE: July 8 Little Sessions are SOLD OUT!  If you're interested in a make-up session, please contact me!

The peonies are set to bloom in the next few weeks, and that means it's time for Little Sessions at Alaska Peony Flowers' farm in the Goldstream Valley!  

35-minute Little Sessions are a sweet spot between mini-sessions and full custom sessions, and are a great opportunity to grab some beautiful portraits.  Couples, families, and individuals are welcome.  The inclusive fee of $175 includes your session and a complete set of high resolution images via digital download.  

Sessions begin at 12:30 and will go into the 5 o'clock hour!  Reserve your spot now.  If there's a time you prefer, please leave me a note letting me know, and I would also love it if you would let me know how many people I can expect for your session (including the ages of any kiddos).  

I can't wait to see you there!

Summer at Calypso Farm - Featured in Edible Alaska's Summer 2017 Issue

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During the coming year, Edible Alaska will be doing a four-season series featuring Ester's own Calypso Farm.  First up is summer, featured in the current issue.  I was thrilled to contribute a few images to the story, which I took last summer while on a field trip to Calypso with my kids.  

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Animals, dirt, flowers...pretty much a kid's dream come true.  With my camera in hand, I think I had almost as much fun as they did.  I compiled a few more of my favorite images here, but I definitely recommend getting your hands on a copy of the magazine to read the wonderful piece that accompanies the images (along with the rest of the issue's content!).  

Sweet Cheeks Bakery is On A Roll - Featured in Edible Alaska's Summer 2017 Issue

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My friend Annie is kind of amazing.  She also happens to make a mean cinnamon roll.  Not just anyone could take those two things -- amazingness and cinnamon rolls -- and put them together, but Annie could, and did.  Last year, she followed a flash of inspiration all the way to the end and made a dream come true.  

I can't think of any way to write this that doesn't sound a little cheesy, or sappy, or perhaps both, but nonetheless - I am so inspired by her.  Maybe because I had a somewhat behind-the-scenes view of things over the year during which Annie and Vance worked to make the bakery a reality, I have an extreme appreciation for the sheer amount of work, dedication, and determination that has gone into this "little" endeavor.  They built it from the ground up and made it happen.  This summer, Annie and her family are living the once-lofty dream of feeding people delicious treats while taking advantage of all our beautiful state has to offer.

And it is so.  cool.

I am of course thrilled that Edible Alaska included my photo essay on Sweet Cheeks in their 2017 Summer issue.  Copies are available all around the state, and there's additional content on their website.  

I wanted to share some additional favorite images from my session with Sweet Cheeks here as well (...as you may recognize, my two older kiddos were MORE than happy to volunteer to model for the "tasting" portion of the day, haha)!  

Sweet Cheeks is currently in Valdez throughout June, serving up fresh, warm cinnamon rolls to locals, fisherpeople, and tourists alike!  They'll be back in Fairbanks sometime mid-season.  To keep up with their whereabouts, follow them on Facebook here.  

Bon appetit!  

Thank You, Fairbanks: A Letter from Student Midwives Hannah & Kluane

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I've had the great privilege to work next to Hannah and Kluane many times over the past two years as they completed their midwifery apprenticeships at the Alaska Family Health and Birth Center.  The real bummer about apprenticeships, it turns out, is that they come to an end.  Hannah emailed me this week and asked if I might share this letter she and Kluane penned - INSTEAD OF STUDYING FOR THEIR EXAMS - to help share their deep gratitude to the community of Fairbanks for welcoming them into their families and training them as midwives.  

Please join me in sending them love and the best of luck as they embark on their next chapters!  As you'll read below, they will be holding a fundraiser at AFHBC in July to raise money for their upcoming charitible mission - I hope to see you there.  <3

And now, onto their words.  The following letter is authored by Hannah Brown and Kluane Tozier.  

To the women and families of the Fairbanks area:

June marks two years since we became student midwives, and also the conclusion of our apprenticeships with Alaska Family Health and Birth Center. Time flies, and all that. While we really should be studying and preparing for the test that will determine if we get to be real, grown-up midwives, we have been talking and can't help but reflect on our time here. Along with this reflection comes a need for us to express our thanks. 

None of this would be possible without you: the women and families of Alaska Family Health and Birth Center. Your willingness, patience, and good humor throughout every phase of our education has been amazing and so very humbling. We were never told that we were too young, or that we couldn't support a woman through labor when we have never personally experienced it. Through these years, we have laughed with you. We have cried with and for you in joy, as well as in sorrow and loss. We have been honored to witness the strength that can only be found in the birth room. We have watched you struggle and wiped your tears as you worked through pain and exhaustion to breastfeed your baby. 

The last few weeks have been emotional ones. We've slowly been collecting my "lasts" at the birth center: the last Monday of clinic with Julie and Kate, the last lunch with the midwives, the last initial prenatal with Manga, the last postpartum visit with Erin. While it's true that we could never have arrived at this point in our training without the women, babies, and families that we have served for the past two years, we are equally indebted to the midwives of Alaska Family Health and Birth Center. 

"Our" midwives. Oh, how I could go on and on about how much we love, admire, and aspire to be like each of them. These women are fearless in their love and support. These women are our heroes. They hold life and death in their strong but gentle hands. We have seen them be unflinching in their care through the dark moments, the painful moments, the moments when it is clear that they are grieving, too. We have heard whispered words of encouragement as a woman is at the end of her strength, as well as words of firm direction when danger is detected. These women have taught us so much, as women and as wives and mothers, as well as midwives. We will forever carry their teachings our my minds and hearts, and someday hope to be half the women and midwives that they are. 

Truly, the last two years have been the most incredible, joyous, and sometimes painful years of our lives. We have grown so much; and while sometimes the growing pains were more than we thought we could take, we have emerged proud of the individuals and midwives we have become.

Thank you so much.

We could never express our gratitude enough. We really never knew that we could grow to love and cherish so many wonderful families in such a short amount of time. 

The next chapter of our lives (and our journeys as midwives) includes a mission trip to the Philippines. We will be having a fundraiser gala at Alaska Family Health & Birth Center on July 2nd from 3pm to 6pm. This fundraiser will in part help us raise funds for our trip to the Philippines through the incredible organization Mercy In Action. Even if you can't give monetarily, we would love to see anyone who we served, for any encouragement or a kind word.

Love,

Hannah and Kluane

Happy Mother's Day 2017

The last 12 months have been a wild ride, to say the least.  Last year on Mother's Day, I had a one-week-old in my arms and plenty of cause to reflect on life and the passage of time.  This time around I have a one-year-old (because somehow a year has passed?!?) and I'm again reminded how grateful I am to be surrounded by such an amazing variety of parenthood, and in particular motherhood.  I'm truly lucky to have been invited into each family story and to stand witness to the love that makes someone a mother. 

Happy Mother's Day!