Kelly Chandler

Newborn babies….there is nothing sweeter….especially when they are all scrunched up sleeping so peacefully.  I had an amazing photography session with this little two week old princess.  She was alert when she arrived so we got lots of bright eyed photos and images of her little features.  Midway through our session she needed to eat so we took a break.  When she finished she had that “milk-drunk” look and I knew she’d be asleep in no time.  Mommy held her close and we got some precious images of mother and child as she quickly fell fast asleep. 

Now, the tough part is taking a nice warm baby who is wrapped up in a blanket cuddling with Mommy and getting her uncovered so I can photograph her.  I turned up the fireplace in the studio and cranked the heat while she was feeding so it was pretty warm when we transferred her to the basket I had waiting.  Mommy did a great job of carefully placing her just as I suggested and we both held our breath as the baby squirmed a bit to get settled.  What resulted was an AMAZING series of photos that are probably some of my favorite newborn photos that I have ever taken.  I’ve included just a few to share the magic with all of you who follow my BLOG.   

I moved to get a different angle and caught this precious little smile as if she was embarrassed that I was taking a photo that showed her naked bum-bum. 

I also had to add Mommy to this series as I knew these were going to be some pretty special photos.  I adored the way her little pouty lips were open just slightly….you know she was having some serious REM dreams going on.  Don’t you wish we could sleep so peacefully and look so perfect.  I guess that is why they came up with the old saying “sleeping like a baby”. 

I have my studio set up in my home.  So if I had remembered to turn down the heat after our afternoon session, my family would have slept much better.  We were out for most of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine, had dinner out, and were busy when we came in getting our own kids to bed.  At 2am my husband awoke and said “Why is the house so hot?”.  Oooops….I shuffled down stairs and turned on the air conditioning.  My bad!

I eat my words….to any clients who have had the “digital vs. film” discussion with me over the years where I swore film was the best….I eat my words.  I never thought I’d say it, but I LOVE shooting digital.  I have been fiddling with digital in my own personal photography of my children for a few years.  I wanted to be sure I was totally comfortable in my editing and managing of work flow before I began recommending it to clients.  The time has come for me to load up a big plate of “film is better” words and eat them with a spoon.  There is nothing about digital that I don’t like other than it is more time consuming for me to process, edit, retouch etc.  The product I am providing my clients from digital images are phenomenal.  Rather than being limited to 36 shots on a roll of film where clients get proofs of each shot, I am able to shoot freely and then pick the best possible images.  I crop, tilt, adjust, fiddle, play and down right enjoy making the images exactly what I want from each shot.  

 The little princess below was from a session I did yesterday.   She was a giggly little subject one minute and then would turn on a serious face the next.  I love capturing different emotions and feelings and she made that easy to do.  This was shot in my studio with natural light from the window.

I suggested Daddy go outside on the porch and play peek-a-boo through the window.  She clearly was excited.

In a more serious moment, she played with her dress quietly.

I could go on and on sharing photos from this shoot as each one is more precious than the next.  They were darling parents with a child that they clearly adored.

My favorite part of people both young and old are their eyes.  From youthful innocence to elderly wisdom, the eyes speak with just a glance.  I have been photographing this family for 3 years.  They recently added a new little boy to the family and he has the same amazing bright eyes of his older brother.  

I mean come on…how could you say NO to these eyes. 

What a fantastic weekend.  Once again, I had a picture perfect winter wedding day.  Julie, this beautiful bride, was so peaceful and relaxed as she prepared to see her groom.  Her sister was on hand to help her into a gorgeous dress.  I had a new lens (85mm 1.2) and could hardly wait to start photographing….I think I started shooting 45 minutes ahead of our scheduled start time.  I captured these two photos with very little available light, no flash, and loved the results.   

We were so excited to have a dry day.  The lighting was perfect and Todd couldn’t stop kissing his bride. 

Todd surprised his mother and godmother with a special ride to the church.  He was “supposed” to pick them up himself but he had bigger plans.  The two ladies were absolutely giddy when they arrived at the church in a chauffeured old-fashioned Bentley. 

The car had many purposes beyond transporting the lovely women.  It made a perfect backdrop for some photos outside the church and it was the get-a-way car for the bride and groom after the ceremony.  Rumor has is the ring barers went for a spin in it before the ceremony started.

The church was beautiful inside.  I used my fish eye lens on this photo to capture all the cool old woodwork and stained glass.

The reception was rocking…everyone was on the dance floor…no matter how young or old.

These little guys were the ones to catch the garter……but they weren’t sure what it meant…..a few more years and they will understand.