Annabelle's Fresh 48 - Fairbanks Newborn Photographer

I was invited over to photograph this adorable girl when she was less than forty-eight hours old. She was a “surprise” baby – Bruno and Judith had opted not to learn the sex of the baby before the birth – and so they hadn’t yet picked out her name the day I met her. They later told me that they had named her Annabelle – a sweet name for a sweet girl that I think fits her perfectly.

I hope you enjoy these indoor, wintertime images. It was an honor to be invited to capture the tiny moments within those intimate first hours of this new family of three (and with the midwives, who happened to stop by for the 48-hour home visit while I was there!). I hope these images will always help transport them back to the particular sweetness of their beautiful daughter’s first days on earth.

Rowan - Fairbanks Lifestyle Family Photographer

I could hardly wait to shoot this session so I could see little Rowan again! It was a real treat to spend the afternoon with him and his mom and dad, and even Spam the dog.

The Birth of Rowan - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

This little guy’s family was soooo ready to meet him – especially by the end of a labor that spanned almost two full days and nights! But both Rowan and his mom, Colleen, hung in there until the very end.

In an effort to write less and let the pictures tell the story, I’m not going to go on and on. But I do have to say that one of my favorite things about this birth was the intensively supportive environment both Joe and Colleen’s aunt created in that little hospital room. It was chance that Colleen’s aunt was visiting from Fort Yukon when Colleen went into labor – and amazing kismet. Colleen later joked that she has kind of served as the family’s doula, as she had attended her own daughters’ births and also Colleen’s sister’s birth, and now she was here for Colleen as well. And even though she isn’t (technically speaking) an actual doula, this is one of the births that springs to my mind when I think about doula-assisted births and the incredible connection women can forge during labor. Colleen and her aunt went into the zone together: they maintained a deep connection through Colleen’s intense back labor as her aunt coached, encouraged, and supported her, always with Joe by her side.

And when Rowan finally arrived, there was so much love in the room, it spilled out into the hallway. (Literally! Unbeknownst to her, Colleen’s mom, dad, and sister had shown up at the hospital – in the middle of the night! – to check on her and were actually standing in the hallway in time to hear Rowan’s first cries. Some of my favorite images from this birth are those of the overwhelmed grandparents and auntie gazing at Rowan through the nursery window as he was examined.)

Daisy + Fritz: Love - Fairbanks Wedding Photographer

This past winter, I was asked to shoot my first wedding. It’s not my usual specialty, or even my usual pot of tea – but the bride happened to be my cousin, Daisy, and the groom my cousin-in-law-to-be, Fritz. And, the wedding was in December – in Kauai.

(Pauses.) Let me think about that for a second… I’d love to do it!

In all seriousness, though, it soon became apparent that this wedding, while challenging – as all events are – would be extremely enjoyable to shoot: it was a small, mostly family affair, and a relatively casual, semi- to not-very- traditional ceremony and reception. Basically, I was surrounded by a swarm cousins, aunts, and uncles (and my own immediate family, of course) for a week as we Alaskans descended upon the island en masse, and I had a great excuse to have my camera out all the time.

And it was just lovely, to the extreme. Going back through the pictures as I finally get them up on the blog puts me right back there on that beautiful island…and during this strange, late, and now extremely smokey Fairbanks summer, I have to admit that it’s a welcome reprieve.

The Birth of Oliver Kai - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

I’ve been sitting on this beautiful birth story for far too long – it’s time to share!

I was thrilled when Alison and Manny first asked me about shooting the birth of their second child. And just I suspected it would be, it was a great birth to be a part of. Earlier in her pregnancy, Alison invited me to her blessingway (if you’re unfamiliar with blessingways – sometimes called Mother Blessings – this is a good link here) because she considered me an important part of her birth team. It was a lovely thought at the time, and it came to the forefront of my mind again when I arrived at the hospital to meet them on the very, very early morning of the birth. I was greeted by a spartan, and yet entire, community of birthing support, from her magnificent doula Tristan of Loving Lotus Doula Services, to her friend and babysitter, tasked with keeping an eye on the two-year-olds, to, of course, Manny, dad-to-be, who was eminently tuned in to Alison’s progress. In a way, it felt like we were simply picking up the blessingway where it left off – and very much like we were witnessing it come to its natural and intended conclusion! The mood was overwhelmingly calm and sure; Alison was amazing, and seemed completely in control the entire time.

Alison suspected her labor might be a quick one, and she was right: not long after 8 am, Ian got to witness the birth of his surprise little brother, who was quickly passed up into his mother’s elated embrace. It’s hard to say which part of any birth was ‘my favorite’ – for obvious reasons – but I will say that I just loved capturing this new family of four’s first few hours together.

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this birth. Welcome earthside, Oliver Kai!

Espen - Fairbanks Lifestyle Family Photographer

As you might have noticed, I’ve been behind on blogging lately. Shamefully so, and you have my sincerest apologies. As a lifelong Alaskan, you’d think I’d know better, but it seems that as every winter approaches, I think about the long, dark indoor months ahead and start to pile on activity after activity, task after task, onto my calendar to fill those winter months… forgetting that it’s still possible to overdo it! At any rate, however, the daylight is steadily increasing and I’m re-dedicating myself to getting caught up before spring strikes us full force.

Which is all to say that I’ve waited way too long to get this particular session up and featured on the blog, because I love it. Macinsey originally contacted me about doing a Fresh 48 session for their first child, but little Espen had other plans and arrived before we’d managed to get plans in place! Since their first few weeks went not-quite-as-expected, Macinsey asked if I would instead be able to do a lifestyle baby session with them later in the fall, so they’d have recent pictures of the baby to gift to their family for the holidays.

And so that’s exactly what we did. Macinsey and I met briefly for coffee in order to design a lifestyle session to take place in their home on Fort Wainwright, and I just love the results – and I hope you do, too. These photographs exemplify why lifestyle photography is my passion: I love capturing those slice-of-life images, freezing the moment when two people glance at each other or gaze at their new baby; the authentic smiles, unconscious caresses, and gently intimate moments that occur between a family in love.

The Birth of Jacob - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

Well, it’s a day to celebrate – the sun is (finally) out, the snow is (finally) beginning to melt, mud is (finally) beginning to make an appearance… and I finally have a second to sit down and share this beautiful birth story!

This was such a peaceful, powerful birth. (And as a side note, whenever I refer to a birth as “peaceful,” I am by no means trying to deny the extraordinary intensity or power of birth, or to minimize the gamut of physical and emotional trials experienced by the mother…rather, I speak to the overall atmosphere of quiet, confidence, and, for lack of a better word, tranquility that is somehow achieved even in the presence of such raw travail.) Both maternal grandparents were present, and the arrival of Jacob was very much a joyous family event.

Instead of yammering on and on like usual, I’m going to let the pictures tell most of the story for once! But there one is other thing I have to note, of course: one of the things that made this birth extra special was that it was the second-ever birth to take place at the Alaska Family Health & Birth Center’s brand-new facility. (I, for one, can’t wait to go back!)

Welcome earthside, Jacob John-Michael!

The Birth of Ezra - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

Earlier this spring (and I’m using the word “spring” liberally here…), I had the pleasure of photographing the birth of Keturah and Mark’s third child at Bassett Army Community Hospital, located on Fort Wainwright.
Keturah spent months carefully planning her first all-natural childbirth with the help of Bassett’s amazing midwives. And I have to say – when the moment of truth arrived, it certainly seemed that all her preparations had paid off. The morning of birth started off mellow enough – enough that though Keturah had woken up with contractions, Mark still went to work because they weren’t sure if it was “the real thing” or not (only to be called home an hour later, of course). At that point, things began to pick up pretty quickly, and we made arrangements to meet at Bassett. When I got there, it was clear that things were progressing in earnest, but Keturah and Mark met every stage of labor with calm, premeditated grace. The labor ended up moving fast (much faster than the under-manned staff on the maternity ward initially anticipated – there were some expressions of surprise), but even through the intense moments, Keturah remained centered with Mark’s steady support. Their connection was palpable, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to capture some of their shared moments on film.

Ezra Nehemiah was born not too long after the sun finally came up, directly into the arms of his mother. It seemed like the sun was just pouring through the windows…the morning certainly didn’t need the weather to make it any more beautiful, but I will at the same time admit that it did seem appropriate.  

Welcome earthside, Ezra Nehemiah, and thank you, Mark and Keturah, for having me there at your birth.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation (2012)

This past summer went by in a blur, as it always does up here.  We’ve already had our first snow this year (though it didn’t stick, thank goodness), and more is coming soon.  I’m already feeling a bit nostalgic for summer, so when I had a few moments last night I went through my backlog to make sure I had all my personal photos from the summer edited and ready for relatives.  This post is really for them – but in case you want to know some of what we were up to this summer as well, read on!

Some of our featured activities: balloon wars with friends; playgrounds and watering friends’ gardens; painting canvases; berry picking; camping on the Denali Highway; more berry picking; and visiting the critters over at LARS with visiting friends and family.

Tricia's Maternity Sessions - Fairbanks Maternity Photographer

First of all: have you ever SEEN such an adorable bump?

The true basketball-like quality of this little womb alone made this a really fun session. And add to that the timing: we wanted an evening session, but one thing led to another and we ended up in full-on dusk, and we decided to go ahead and keep shooting, embracing the the dusky mood. But what really, really made this session special was that when we shot it, Tricia was a mere 12 hours away from being 38 weeks pregnant and thereby, I was a mere 12 hours away from going on call to photograph the birth of that selfsame bump. 

Tricia and her family hired me to photograph the birth of their second child this October. And I am patiently – oh so patiently! – waiting for The Call. Luckily, though, we got to spend a bit of time together before all of this will transpire: all of my Birth Story Collections include complimentary maternity sessions. I essentially stole this idea from my friend Rebecca Kurber, wedding photographer extraordinaire, who includes complimentary engagement shoots in all of her wedding collections. The reasoning is the same: both weddings and births are live, documentary, once-in-a-lifetime events that cannot be re-created or re-staged (no pressure!), and having a session ahead of time gives the photographer and the client time to get to know each other, chat, and get comfortable in front of the camera.

Nothing has affirmed my belief in the importance of this practice like getting to spend some time with Tricia, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though we didn’t address many things of substance as we chatted while we posed and walked around the Georgeson Botanical Gardens, I definitely feel like I know her a little bit better. And – if such a thing is even possible – I’m even more excited be there to document the arrival of her little one.

Here are a few from our dusk session. And – yes – I did put a pregnant lady in a tree.  (WE WERE CAREFUL, I PROMISE!)  We also met up again just today to do some sunny pictures and added soon-to-be big brother to the mix.  You would never guess it was actually technically below freezing on this particular late afternoon… poor Aiden was such a trooper!  He totally got a hot chocolate out of the deal, so I feel a bit better about sticking him in front of the camera when he would’ve rather been doing…anything else, lol!