LILA AND HER FAMILY

Baby Lila and her admiring parents.... One of my favorite poses of babies of any age, alseep...always so angelic

a pastel close-up of sweet baby Lila

This was my first time to meet baby Lila. I have known her mommy for a long time. She was one of my first family portraits after moving here. Her family has changed a lot over the years. When I met her the first time, she had a different husband and her son was the baby. I don't have any of those images handy since that was in the days of film. All my negs are filed away, but I do still have them. Then a few years later, she was recovering from the emotional roller coaster of a divorce. She wanted a portrait of herself and two children. She wanted a portrait that said, "we're okay". It really touched me and even inspired me and you know---I really understood. I have never been through a divorce, but I knot the ups and downs of a marriage (even after 22 years--your gonna have them). So I felt priviledged to the photographer to capture this milestone in her adult life...the milestone that says that I can stand on my own--that I am fine as long as I have my children.

A little more time passed and Lila's mom called again. She had a new life, a new husband and a brand new baby, Mena. She wanted some newborn portraits and her children photographed. I will try to go through my files and post a few of Baby Mena. Before Christmas I get another phone call, a new baby and of course, we need new portraits but we didn't schedule them until the next phone call. "LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHILE WE ARE BUSY MAKING OTHER PLANS". I am sure this is espically true when you have four children. Thus it took some mental planning on her part. Lila was the suprize baby that often families get unexpectantly, but the best things in life often are not planned.

So Baby Lila was a little past newborn, but still quite adorable and very much resembling her older sister (as I remembered her...we'll see how true it is when I find those other images).

I hope Lila's mommy doesn't mind me sharing this with my viewers because it sort of puts what I do in people's lives into perspective. It makes me realize the impact of what I do and what an awesome opportunity that God has provided in my life as well as the lives of the people that I photograph. I do feel it is a priviledge and an honor to do what I love and to have people love what I do.

Lila and her daddy... I think he is "just a little proud of his baby girl". What do you think?

I think Lila got her mommy's beautiful blue eyes.

A BEAUTIFUL PASTEL TONE IMAGE OF A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL

Lila's older sister, Mena (two years old and not to happy about having her photograph made today)....

This is Rawleigh, Lila's big brother...

Lila's oldest big sister, Claire...

Okay...this isn't the best...not even close, but a typical version of what we were working with when it came to photographing any group portraits with Mena. Just remember she is two and just wasn't having any fun at this "photo-thing". And before long that un-happiness was contagious---notice Baby Lila's face too.
Daddy and his girls...
NO ONE CRYING AND EVERYONE IS IN THE IMAGE! YEAH!
These kind of sessions do get quite stressful, but rest assured. It is much more stressful to the parents than it is too me. We all have tendency to have more patience with everyone else's children and see it for what it really is: "just a bad day for a two year old" or whatever the case may be at the time. Not an award winning family portrait, but a priceless heirloom that this family will treasure forever. Portraits are one of the few things that a family purchases for the themselves that will increase in value and the longer you have it the more it will increase.

~~jami~~