So here we are, another new year, CHEERS to 2017!
2016 was a year beyond exciting with whirlwind changes. Each year becomes a bit busier than the last. Each year, I continue to meet new families and welcome my returning families to preserve, freeze and cherish their beloved, fleeting life moments. I welcome 2017 with wide open arms and the possibilities it holds.
I choose one word to live by each year. Why? It grounds me when I'm feeling happy, sad, frustrated, disconnected. My 2017 word of the year: EMBRACE.
Embrace the now, the present. Embrace challenges. Embrace new connection. Embrace whatever stands before me because there is a reason for it.
I tend to often think of the future and not embrace the present moments of the daily as I should. I have worked on "embrace" with conscious effort this last week & it has been nothing short of refreshing. My youngest daughter had her regular morning cuddles this morning. Out of nowhere, she said, "Mommy-do you remember when I was 4 yrs old and you picked me up at 11:00, then we went home for lunch-I'd watch Caillou, take a nap and we'd listen to that song...Beautiful something-on our way to pick up Em?" My heart melted like a volcano. It was sooo precious and sweet the way she said it. How she so remembered that important time in her pre-school days-just her and I. The time before she grew up and went to school like a big girl all day. Those were also the beginning days of my transition to focusing solely on photography as my career. Did I embrace those moments as I should have? I wish I could say I embraced them wholeheartedly. But the truth is I had just left my pharmaceutical career of 12 years and decided to fulfill this passion, so I was constantly feeling this onward push of the how, where, why, what, when on how to get there. And what I can say is-there is most definitely a time and place where and when life is suppose to happen. It will happen-maybe not on your timeline-or maybe not on the timeline you expected. But it does happen. I hope you embrace this year as it unfolds in front of you. I'll work on it with you...
The peak of family photography season has just ended. However, if you got a bit too busy or still would like to have your family portraits done, there is no time like the present especially in these cooler Florida months to freeze some memories of your crew altogether. Once the session is over, I can promise you, you won't regret it. You will remember the quirks, the expressions, the toothless grins. You will remember the perfectly imperfect of your family dynamics. The perfectly imperfect is a beautiful thing! It makes you-YOU.
January is here and I'd like to get back to my newborn sessions in the studio. If you are a new Mom, this precious newborn time to start your baby's visual history is a short, short blip in time-only the first few weeks of life. Newborns are best photographed between 5-21 days after birth. They like to stay curly and cuddle up in those very early days. Moms-you're also super exhausted amongst a dozen other mental/physical changes going on within. You will make a million excuses on why you cannot do it, but I tell you if you're considering documenting the brand new-ness of life. DO IT! You will quickly forget their bright, glassy eyes, their super tiny fingers/toes, their peeling skin, they way they stretched. You will wake up one day and your baby is 6 months old and you'll ask yourself - HOW is my baby already a 1/2 a year??? I make it easy for you. All props, blankets, wraps, headbands, outfits are all here in the studio for your baby to use. You just need to bring him/her in with basic necessities. Sit on the couch, nap, read, relax or take a stroll downtown, grab a coffee. Breathe. I do the work! Consider this time in the studio your relaxation time! Please contact me for details. I'd be honored to photograph your precious bundle - some portraits, some real moments (aka lifestyle photography such as below.)
P.S. Check out the updated investment page! All galleries will be revealed in the studio where we will also design and create your family art. You have the option to purchase a la carte or choose a package that fits your needs and wants. There is no minimum purchase requirement. Purchase what you love!
XO-Christina
"Because you are my definition of perfection..."
