MEF Photography Blog! » San Francisco-Based Wedding, Family + Portrait Photography

I have a confession to make: I LOVE baby photos.  LOVE them.

Admittedly, I am nowhere near ready for my own children.  For the time being, I am very content with the east coast family of two I’ve been working on for the last two years.  But even still, photographing newborns and then staring at those photographs while my insides just burst with joy is too much fun.

Which brings me to Whitney.  Or “One Eyed Whitney,” as her parents lovingly call her.  Jenn and Geoff welcomed this sweet girl into their lives on September 30, and I had the pleasure of taking her picture about 10 days later on October 10th.  But why “One Eyed?”  See, Whitney has a habit of checking out her new world with only one eye open — and I don’t blame her.  In fact, I do the same thing each morning.  For about the first 10 minutes of the day, I experience life with just one eye.  It makes the transition from sleeping to waking (and I imagine, womb to world), a bit smoother.  And though Whitney looks extraordinarily calm in all of these photos, she couldn’t decide whether or not she was asleep or awake for the entire two hours I was with her (despite the 80-degree temperatures we were enjoying in the room).  However, heavy doses of rocking, back rubbing and pacifier plying made for some good photos. :)

I experimented with the editing of this set, which turned out a bit different from what I usually do.  I thought these images deserved a certain sort of softness, and I think I managed that pretty well.

So without further ado, here’s little Whitney.

Baby eyelashes?  Is there anything more precious than that?

I think this one is my favorite.  It’s so soft and warm.  Plus, those lips!
She’s like a little frog!

The lighting in this next one is just perfect.

Look at the love and pride of Geoff’s face.  You can immediately tell he’s happy to be a father, and that he so cares for his wife and his new family.

I realized after I posted Lacy + Gene’s engagement that I would not be chronicling my past work in order.  Likely a fact no one other than me would notice or worry about.  However, this bungle has turned into a blessing.  You see, last week I ventured out to get my first haircut in over six months.  I love my long hair, but it was desperately in need of a trim.  And while I would normally wait for a trip back to my folks’ house in California to visit my old friend Stephanie for this service, I decided it couldn’t wait.  So I made an appointment with the stylist of a good friend with great hair because, people, hair shouldn’t feel like straw (Mine did!).  Trust me, it couldn’t wait.

To put it simply: I should have waited.

Afterward, I said to that same good-haired friend that if I disappeared, she’d have to describe me to the police as a 5’4″-tall woman in her twenties with mid-length brown hair.  Hair like this has no other descriptor — just “mid-length.”  It is neither long nor short.  I haven’t layers or bangs.  It’s.. plain.

What has this to do with the chronology of my blog, you’re wondering?  As I sit here and twist the blunt ends of my new, perfectly unremarkable haircut, I find I am in serious need of a pick-me-up.  And because I’m not blogging in order, I have the luxury of choosing a photo shoot which brings me great joy: that of baby Molly (Good choice!), the precious daughter of Kate and Tim, taken in August.

I adore the way babies smile — full-on, no self-consciousness, drool, teeth and big cheeks.  If this doesn’t make us all just a little happier (and make me forget about my haircut!), we’re all in trouble.