oh boy do I hate getting my picture taken. my spine locks up, my face freezes, my hands do all sorts of weird gangly things and when I see the result of my "cool, confident and sexy" face, I want to run and hide. I 100% understand when my clients share that they feel uncomfortable in front of the camera and honestly, the challenge of bringing them to a place of ease where they can be themselves is one of my favorite things about my job. but at the same time i know the importance of having your photo taken - and deeply value any photograph that exists of ruth and I. it's my desire for her to have a visual record of each season of our life and I fully believe that when a mama is present in the photos, that speaks volumes to a little girl. and even more volumes to that little girl when she becomes a mother herself. and so with this in mind, I took a deep breath, slapped on some lipstick and readied for nicki sebastian to enter our tiny abode and work her magic. and boy did she bring her magic. one minute with her and you feel completely comfortable. she allowed us to be ourselves, for ruth to be wild and perfectly captured every essence of her being -- tender, sassy, adventurous and confident. what a beautiful gift to have fresh eyes on our family -- ones that offered grace and freedom to be ourselves in our most intimate place. just a few weeks before our session i had a miscarriage -- it was quite early, so early in fact we hadn't had the chance to even tell some of our friends but there was still a very real and deep hurt present. and these photos proved to be the reminder that we needed of the beauty that existed even during this season. and now, a few months later as we anxiously await the arrival of our little boy, we are extra grateful to have such beautiful documentation of this sweet time of just the three of us. thank you, sweet Nicki for sharing your gift and your presence with us. we will treasure these always. xo