Sneak peek…. Miss H, one year old! April 21, 2010

I took this precious little girl’s newborn photos almost a year ago… it’s just amazing how time flies.  It’s always so neat to be able to see how much a baby has grown and changed in such a short period of time.  Miss H was as beautiful as the last time I saw her… and it was wonderful to be able to capture her with her beautiful blue eyes OPEN this time… wow, have you ever seen such big beautiful blue eyes??  Good luck saying “no” to those, mom and dad!  Forget it! 

It was so great to see you all a year later and see the adorable little family you’ve become.  I hope to see you again in the future!

Sweet Miss H, brand new…

Sweet Miss H, one year later…

Miss H’s stink face, brand new…

Miss H’s stink face, one year later…

… couldn’t help myself. 

Sneak peek… Kirsten, maternity March 15, 2010

I get asked “what should I wear??” quite a bit and for the most part I don’t have a definitive answer.  We are well past (ok, MOST of us are well past) the days of white button down shirts and khakis as our photo session go to wardrobe.  Since I’ve known this mama personally for many years, I know she’s a huge Beatles fan so I thought it would be super cute and unique to incorporate that into her shoot.  Fun, form fitting t-shirts also happen to be a great way to show off that baby belly!  She didn’t really plan to have soon-to-be big brother in a Beatles shirt as well, but those of us who are mothers to opinionated toddlers know that once they decide what they MUST wear, it’s typically not worth starting an argument over.    And who can argue with the kid for wanting to look cool like his mama??

I had to put together a little slideshow for this sneak peek because something VERY strange happened when I was leaving the shoot.  In my car, 99.9% of the time I listen to “The Coffee House” on my Sirius radio (no, this isn’t a plug, but if they want to give me some $$, I’d be happy to take it!!).  It’s mostly singer-songwriter, acoustic type stuff and they play a lot of really neat covers.  Well, as I’m pulling away from their house, you won’t believe what’s on… ( visit my facebook fan page to watch….  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bella-Jackson-Originals-design-and-photography/103004932039_#!/pages/Bella-Jackson-Originals-design-and-photography/103004932039 )… and yep, they’re having a GIRL!!

Sneak peek… Miss E, 2 years old! February 15, 2010

I got to hang out with my little friend Miss E today for her TWO year old session.  The last time I saw her she was 18 months old and about to be a big sister.  Today she was as beautiful and spunky as ever… she was giving us a bit of two year old ‘tude from time to time so we just took it really easy and let her think she was in charge.    She did manage to give me some serious stink eye on occassion though…

HA!  Gotta love a girl with some ‘tude. 

I love the way these images turned out for being stuck inside on a cold day… I’m always a bit worried we won’t be able to do enough inside but I really think these tell the story of this little princess at two years old.  Hope you love them so far, Mom and Dad… can’t wait for Mr. E’s SIX MONTH session next month.  Man, time flies!

I couldn’t resist sharing this one of baby brother… can’t wait for his session in March!  What a good lookin’ baby!!

Sneak peek… Miss S turns one! February 8, 2010

Today was a little bit bittersweet for me.  As I’ve mentioned about a billion times on this blog, I just love my first year clients.  I get the opportunity to really get to know these little ones and am given the gift of watching them grow during their first year of life.  So, as much as I love the big first birthday shoot, it’s also a bit sad to know that it will probably be while before I get to see them again!  I definitely won’t be seeing them every few months like I’ve been able to.

It’s been such a pleasure to work with this family.  Super sweet Mom and Dad, entertaining and beautiful big sis and of course, Miss cutie patootie herself, Miss S.  This little one has turned into such a character… from her non-stop talking in her own special language to that super funny one-knee crawl, there was no shortage of laughs today.  Miss S was in an awesome mood and LOVED being the center of attention.  Both Mom and I were shocked at how much she loved this poofy pettiskirt that I brought!  She definitely played the part of princess for a day!

Happy 1st birthday… tell your Mom to keep in touch!! 

Sneak peek… The P twins… being one is fun!! January 31, 2010

I completely adore my regular clients… it’s such an amazing gift to be able to capture someone else’s child as they grow up.  I get to witness all of their milestones and watch them grow…. without doing any of  the hard work!    I first met this beautiful duo when they were a few weeks old.  I was just starting out then and they were the PERFECT models for me… sleepy and peaceful.  Today at one they are busy, busy, busy!!  Miss C is a lightning fast crawler and Miss T is a tricky one escaping me both by crawling AND walking.  I have no doubt they will both be RUNNING the next time I see them… yikes.  They are both as beautiful as the first time I met them and they just keep getting more and more fun for me to play with.  I hope to continue to see this pair throughout the years.

Miss C at her newborn session….

Miss C, one year old!!

Miss T at her newborn session….

Miss T, one year old!!

Sneak peek… official introduction of Mr. L, now 13 days old December 21, 2009

Well we didn’t get the “perfect” day that I’d hoped for… but December in the Chicago-land area is rarely PERFECT! It was cloudy but at least it wasn’t the dense fog that we had last time. I could work with this lighting for sure!
The stars definitely aligned for this shoot today though, I must say. Mr. L still wasn’t a very deep sleeper, but we were able to get him to sleep a bit faster today. Big sister Miss O, was already familiar with me so was happy to take some photos when baby brother was having his feeding break. She didn’t love the idea of holding a squawking baby but did very well regardless… and she was much more lively once mom was holding him during the family photos.
I love the neutral color palette of this session… very classic and timeless. Oh, ok, I did have to throw a wee bit of red in, just because it’s that time of year!

Sneak peek… Mr. T, 9 days old December 10, 2009

Have I ever mentioned that I love my job? Especially when it means I get to snuggle adorable little babies…?? This little man had a bit of a tough time falling asleep but hardly made a fuss about it even though he was most definitely having some pooping issues… Sorry T, I promise that’s the last time I’ll talk about your poop publicly. I’ll only talk about nice things like how you have the BEST creamy skin and the most perfect little features.

It’s only day 9 but he seems to have just the sweetest personality… big brother is awfully sweet so it looks like he’ll probably follow in his footsteps. I’m looking forward to seeing you grow during your first year and seeing the handsome toddler you will no doubt become!

And one of the brothers… big brother did an AMAZING job handling his wee little brother!

working on…. December 9, 2009

i’m working on this session right now and have been cracking up the whole time. four year olds are just the weirdest little beings… i know because i live with one. but can you imagine having TWO?? i have a lot of respect for this mama for remaining sane for the last four years!

Sneak peek…. a holiday family extravaganza December 6, 2009

It was a family affair today at the C family residence… sisters, cousins, kids, babies… we had it all! And we did it all with minimal crying and complaining! A true Christmas miracle!

Lexie, thanks for the AWESOME bloomers… you really are a crafting genius!

Melissa and Paul, thanks for the vino… it shall be enjoyed shortly.

Great seeing you all, as usual.

Sneak peek…. Miss H, 9 months December 3, 2009

This bald beauty definitely put Mom and I to work this morning! We had to work for every single smile and poor Mom even got a full upper body workout. I have to say that every minute was worth it to capture this beautiful little girl. Going through her images, I was reminded of two things- a baby GAP model with that porcelain skin and beautiful blue eyes… and Brangelina’s daughter Shiloh with the fabulous full lips and baby blues. Either way, she’s one good lookin’ baby.Usually I have a pretty clear idea of the “look” I want a photo to have… but the one below, I loved so much in both color (with a bit of a vintage/texture twist) and b&w that I had to show both.