1. Junie sporting her vintage coat and matching bonnet. She’s such a sport.

2. The big snowstorm. We got a foot of snow at our house!

3. Tea Party time! I did my hair with Downton Abbey in mind.

4. The girls found swim goggles and had entirely too much fun with them.

5. I’m making soda from fermented ginger. It’s alive, similar to kombucha. It’ll be done in a week!

6. The snow. It’s so noteworthy, it’s on here three times.

7. Brunch at Lola. Go there, your tummy will thank you!

8. I insisted on Matt taking a photo of my comfy outfit. This is normal.

9. Presents from Anthropologie make any woman happy. I promise.

10. Hazel may have a career in downhill sledding the girl has no fear. Carl also sledded, but mostly chased Hazel.

11. Hazel drew a cat. This I will treasure forever.

Yay! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Why is it important anyways, sharing goals? Well, for me… when I write something down, it gets remembered. It’s not really for you… it’s for me. Why share it publicly? Well, I don’t keep a journal. My blog, in a weird way is my journal. When I go back three years ago, to when this all started, I see where I was as a person and an artist. You might not know this, but my photographs tell not only the story of the subjects, but also tell a story of my life. It’s more subtle, but I can tell what I was feeling at that time through my art. It is sort weird really…

So, here it is, my ONE 2012 goal… to let go. Last year I chased goals, made sacrifices, stressed myself out to no end, worked harder, beat myself up over little things, compared myself to people, and mostly felt alone. So, this year, I’m letting go of all that. Letting go of feeling like I’m never good enough, and embracing that I have a gift, and that God gave me that gift to glorify him. How dare I think I’m not good enough. He is the one who allows my eyes to see, and what I see is what he has put in front of me. It all, in itself is a beautiful gift, and I should feel grateful and blessed, not inadequate and self-conscious.

So… there it is. I’m sooooo excited for this year… I feel good about where I’m at as an artist, and what I’m doing. Our upcoming wedding clients have me all sorts of excited and we feel truly blessed.

Does anyone else have any goals or ambitions for the year that surprised them?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about baby photos (which, I’m thrilled about), so I thought I’d just put this up to answer any questions you might have about maternity/newborn shoots, and also, if you were planning on booking a maternity/newborn shoot, you’d know what and when.

When should I book my maternity shoot? If you are in your second trimester, it’s time to book. You want to book us at least a month in advance, and you’ll want your photos done between 32-36 weeks. The last month of pregnancy *CAN be pretty unflattering for some because our bodies tend to retain a lot of water, and I know personally I wouldn’t have felt ‘beautiful’ if I had my photos done at that time.

When should I schedule newborn photos?  Newborn photos are best between 3-14 days… babies quickly realize they can stretch out and don’t want to be in a ball anymore right around two weeks. To capture their newness, and to make the shoot easier on everyone, it’s best to do it early.

Where will the newborn shoot be? Do I have to pack up everything to get the photos taken? I prefer taking the photos at your home, where you and baby will be most comfortable.  I’d love to have my own studio, but until that happens, I’m happy to come to you. Also, I know with my first baby it took me two hours, four new diapers and two new outfits before I left the house for the first time.  If you don’t have a beautiful home you are proud of, that’s fine, I bring backgrounds and can work magic in any size space.

How long will the newborn shoot take and what if I need to feed my baby? Typically, newborns will tolerate about an hour of shooting time, but it will take at least two hours to accomplish. Most of our time will actually be spent getting baby to sleep and taking our time to pose them as we need. A lot of babies will need to eat too, and that’s perfectly fine!

How many photos will I see from my photo shoot? For a maternity and newborn 25-50 are typical.

Do you take photos of births? Sure do! As a mom myself, I’m not scared of birth or weird about it, and I actually love  birth. It’s like no other experience in life. I especially love births attended by midwives, but if you want your hospital birth photographed I do that too! Booking a birth needs to be done at least six months in advance as I’ll be on call for you and will have to schedule life accordingly.

And there you have it. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me! rachel@nickelimages.com

p.s. Anyone got any good baby prop ideas out there? Baskets and suitcases are fun… but I’m sure I can broaden my horizons, right? Comment any suggestions you have! (Crock pot just came to mind, but that’s not really ‘appropriate’).

Here’s to growing more, dreaming bigger, accomplishing more, and becoming what you are destined to be!