Keith & Andia // Intimate At Home Maternity Session

We settled onto the floor of their living room. It was raining, there was a Laura Mvula record playing over the sound of the drizzle. When Andia scheduled the session a few weeks before, the significance of the date was lost in the bustle of coordinating calendars, but sitting there then, exactly 1 year to the day, since their dear son was laid to rest, it felt divinely arranged. I watched as Keith & Andia each created a piece of art inspired by the memory of their son. They worked quietly, periodically breaking to exchange a smile or admire the others progress. 

The pieces were hung by their bed, followed by a slow dance of covenant embraces. With every sway, every step, I could feel their joyful anticipation for this new child filling the room. Andia's radiant smile, they way her head tilted towards the heavens in laughter. Keith's tender grasp on her stomach, the gaze in his eyes when they were resting on her.

It was holy ground.

Michael & Cari // At Home Maternity

A morning spent with Michael & Cari in their home as they prepare for the arrival of baby Luca.

These are the sweetest of times.

Jay & Maria // Downtown Orlando Rooftop Maternity

Jay & Maria are so fun & dynamic. Jay had me cracking up the whole shoot. Warm & inviting by nature, it was instantly easy being with these two. 

They are gonna be incredible parents. 

Abby // Maternity

My friend Abby has always been a babe, so it's no surprise to me that she's also a supermodel pregnant lady. You might remember her from her & her husbands'  epic pink powder gender reveal party. (If you haven't seen it yet, take a minute to go check it out here, the look on their faces is priceless.)

A few weeks ago, Abby came into town for a visit & of course that meant a little maternity session was going to happen. We spent the day frolicking around different parts of town, taking photos & laughing too much. As the sun was setting, we found ourselves in a random parking lot, in front of a random white building. Maybe we were tired of the traditional maternity posing we had been doing all day, maybe we were a bit delirious from not eating for hours, or maybe it's just that we tend to bring out the silly side of one another; but, somehow we ended up dancing, twirling, & leaping around this lot. We made ourselves dizzy shaking our hair in the wind & I even had pregnant Abby jumping into the air wearing 4 inch heels. 

The images aren't technically perfect. Some are blurred by our dance moves or from the fact that I was laughing too much to keep a steady hand. Some are grainy because we wouldn't stop shooting till the last bit of light sunk into the night sky. But they are my favorite images because they are my favorite memories.

I hope Baby girl Hollar looks at these one day & is able to see her mom in a whole new way. I hope she can she that her mom isn't just a maker of meals, a cleaner of clothes, & a driver to places. I hope she can see that her mom is a woman who dances & twirls in the wind in some random parking lot, laughing, & celebrating life with her best friend. And I hope it inspires her to do the same. 

Love you sweet baby H, can't wait to meet you soon! :)

Baby Hollar // Gender Reveal

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to go to California & witness the baby gender reveal for some of my best friends, Abby & Julian.  On a sunny Sunday afternoon, 50 of their friends gathered on Redondo Beach to learn the exciting news. Prior to the party, a trusted friend was given the ultrasound result & tasked with preparing the colored powder. The day of the reveal, everyone huddled in close, closed their eyes tightly, & were given cups filled with powder. On the count of 3, cups flew, pink powder billowed into the sky & the epic celebration ensued. We spent the afternoon running around covered in pink & screaming "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S A GIRL!!!" 

This was the second gender reveal party I've been given the opportunity to capture- both of them for amazing friends. I'm basically obsessed with them & the images they produce. There is so much joy & happiness that surrounds these events & it's incredible to be a part of them! Keep them coming people- I will do this all day long! 

I'm so so so overjoyed for Abby & Julian and CANNOT wait to meet sweet lil baby girl H. She's gonna be the raddest chick, I just know it. 

Kate // Maternity

Remember Kate from the awesome confetti gender reveal party?!  Well this summer she was in Orlando for a few short days and, of course, we made sure to get in a quick maternity session. If you're wondering how much I love this girl & her sweet babe, you should know that the only time our schedules allowed for this shoot was early morning. I'm talking sunrise, early. There's not much in life that motivates me to wake before the sun, but for these two ladies, always. Plus, we were rewarded with some pretty morning light that just might make me reconsider my aversion to early rising. :)

This blog post is coming a little out of order, as Baby AK was born almost two weeks early, and made her appearance last Wednesday. I was fortunate enough to witness and photograph her birth. It was an incredible experience and I'm so excited to share the birth story with ya'll .

Be on the lookout for the cutest baby to ever exist coming to the blog soon. But, until then, in honor of Baby AK's one week birthday, enjoy her stunning momma! 

Baby Wood // Gender Reveal Party!

A few months ago I flew up to Selma, Alabama to witness the most exciting gender reveal in the history of the world. My best friend, Kate, & her husband, Brett, live in Selma & were hosting a backyard gender reveal party to announce their coming babe. Kate is an amazing hostess & hands down the best, most impressive person in the kitchen. The night before the big reveal she casually whipped up some seriously intricate desserts. (You can see her handiwork in the photos below.) The impressive spread included, a from scratch strawberry cake,  homemade eclairs (!!!), & my personal favorite, miniature ice cream cones lined with chocolate & filled with this crazy amazing whipped cheesecake concoction. I'm not a huge dessert person, but I was stuffing my face with those things! I was not alone, it was not unusual to see a party guest double-fisting the mini ice cream cheesecake cones! 

Okay, I'm done drooling now. Back to the important part of this blog- the baby! Kate wanted to reveal the gender in a very exciting & creative way. She thought through a lot of options, but decided on filling balloons with colored confetti & hoped for a picturesque moment. The best part was Kate & Brett waited till the party to find out the news so they could share in the excitement with everyone at the same time. (Be sure to look at the slideshow below- their reactions are the best!) One of Kate's trusted friends was the only person who held the secret, she read the ultrasound sealed in an envelope by the doctor, went into the house to fill the balloons with the appropriate color, & brought them to the yard for the big moment. Kate & Brett's immediate family gathered around, while the rest of the party guests watched with great anticipation. There was a countdown, a "POP", & a lot of screaming as pink confetti rained down revealing... IT'S A GIRL!!! 

Crying, hugging, & lots of celebration followed. It was an unbelievably exciting moment to be a part of. I am so happy for my lovely friends & I cannot wait to be an Aunt.

Baby girl Wood, I hope you look at these photos one day & realize how loved, valued, & celebrated you were even before we ever saw your beautiful face. This is just a glimpse of the joy your life is going to bring to this world. Can't wait to meet you! Love you so much lil babe.

The Schillers // Maternity

I first meet Jesse & her husband, Robb, at a birthday party for a mutual friend. It didn't take long for Jesse & I to figure out that we have a lot in common. For starters, we both grew up in Orlando , attended rival high schools, and even attended the same tiny private college in Birmingham, AL, yet somehow never met in the 2 years our time over-lapped there. But probably the greatest & rarest commonality of all- we have the same name, spelled the EXACT same way. You might not think this is very cool at all, but after a lifetime of being presumed to be a boy & Starbucks baristas just never quite getting it right ( tough life, I know ;) ), it was exciting to meet a fellow no "i" just "e" , lady Jesse. 

We later met for coffee, had lots of fun, & decided we should do a maternity shoot for her & her husbands' pending babe. Speaking of the babe, Jesse & Robb decided to not find out the gender & are waiting to be surprised once the lil one arrives. I'm pretty sure I was far more stressed out by this than they were.  Jesse was so calm & peaceful when talking about it, but I couldn't stop saying " wait, so you have a baby in you & you can know what it is, but you're choosing to not know?!?!" My OCD planner brain was on overload & Jesse, like a champ, just laughed along with all the crazy questions I threw at her.

For the shoot, we headed over to Jesse's parents house. They have a stunning lakefront home with lots of amazing photographing locations. We started in Jesse's childhood bedroom, then made our way to a little dock by the water, and finished the evening in a sprawling field as the sun set behind us. It was so much fun to shoot with these two. They both have such light & joyful spirits & I loved getting to watch them together. Their interactions are so full of laughter, silliness , & peace. It's evident they truly are best friends & I can only imagine how much fun they will be as parents. 

Wishing Jesse & Robb all the best in a safe & healthy delivery as Baby Schiller is due any day now!  I'm excited to meet him/her (and finally find out whether it's a him or a her, haha)! 

Viva DREAMTOWN!

YAYYYYYY!

Welcome to the DREAMTOWN blog!!!

I’m equal parts terrified & ecstatic as I write this, my very first post on my very own brand new business website. This site & brand is something I’ve been working on for a really long time. But even longer, before the actual work began, the vision & hopes for this brand stirred relentlessly in my head. Basically, this day has been a reallllly long time coming. 

I can’t really count the amount of times I’ve doubted that I would, or even should, pursue this dream. But thankfully, I’ve been extremely blessed to be surrounded by a community of friends who’ve encouraged me & lovingly pushed me towards this dream in the moments when I was so ready to give up. Their belief in me truly kept me going & for that, I am so grateful. 

I’m terrified because it’s tremendously nerve-wracking to put yourself “out there” & present to the “world” something that is an extension of your heart, your creativity, your ability, your personality, & the list goes on. But in truth, I’m even happier because it IS scary & I’m doing it anyway.

So for me, today is the biggest step & the biggest win I could hope to come from this journey. The simple fact that I’m even sitting here, about to click ‘Publish’ on this post, is enough excitement & satisfaction for me.

You might be thinking, "so what exactly does DREAMTOWN mean"? Wellllllllll....

DREAMTOWN means nothing & everything all at the same time. A made up word with no formal definition, yet, to me, represents everything I would ever want something I create to be- adventurous, joyful, love driven, fun, hope filled, genuine connection generating, freedom seeking, & forever radiating life & light.

So here it is, here is DREAMTOWN.