Soon after I found out that I was pregnant I knew that I wanted the photographer that shot our wedding to shoot newborn pictures of Grayson.  But, as luck would have it Grayson started getting really fussy in the days leading up to the shoot with Lindsey.  So….we canceled.  No sense in wasting money on a photo session that may end up in tears.  Plus Grayson would probably end up crying too.

I love the way Lindsey shoots and really wanted that reflected in Gray’s newborn photos, but I just had a feeling he wouldn’t be acting right.  I mean, to get those adorable newborn shots you’ve got to have a baby that stays asleep the entire time, and allows you to position him without waking up and screaming bloody murder.  Wait…first…first you have to get the baby to sleep.  During the days leading up to the day I scheduled his newborn shoot neither he nor I had slept much at all, and I was afraid we would be doing the same thing at the photo shoot.  NOT SLEEPING!

So, like I said yesterday, Derek gave me a studio lighting kit a bit early for my birthday, so in the off chance that Grayson began behaving and sleeping I could attempt a newborn photo session from the comfort of his nursery.  I’m no pro, but I really surprised myself with this shoot.

I edited all the pics using PS4, and used many of the actions I found over at The Pioneer Woman.  These Photoshop actions are sah-wheet!  Dude, these actions can make even a poorly lit and somewhat un-sharp shot look amazing.

We started out on a white quilt, which you will see in a bit, without a diaper.  That ended in disaster.  I was able to get a few baby booty pics before the EXPLOSION!  Oh my.  Let’s just say yellow diarrhea…everywhere!

This first shot I used a basket that I already owned and piled brown sheets in it, and placed it on the floor of his nursery.  I also used a pledge wipe to give the wood floors a bit of a shine.  I thought that might add a little POP to the shot.

Little did I know that the Pledge wipes would make the floor super slick.  That afternoon Derek came home from work and walked into the nursery and almost bit it.  I  couldn’t help but laugh.  It was so freggin’ funny.  The guy wasn’t even in socks, he was in his bare feet.  That’s what happens when you have super soft man feet.  Yeah, my husband somehow has the softest feet I’ve ever witnessed on a man or a woman.  It’s freaky.

A tip I got from my friend Callie was to put a space heater near the baby to keep him warm.  It worked, it really helps keep them sleeping during the ad-hoc photo shoots.

This shot is Derek holding Gray over a black sheet.  Derek was wearing a black t-shirt to add to the dark background.

Baby Toes!  Love them.

See I told you there was a white quilt with an un-diapered baby on it.  Now picture the quilt with a huge yellow stain on it.  Yes, I was able to wash it out.  After two washes.

This last shot is my little guy all swaddled up in a cute Dwell Studio blanket, and laying on a floor cushion I found at a World Market that was going out of business a few years back.  This is one of my favorites.

Okay, so I know it’s a lot of photos, but at least I didn’t post ALL of them.  Believe me there were millions more.  Which one is your favorite?

P.S. – Since keeping the baby asleep during the numerous poses this “little” photo shoot took place over many days, and many naps.  If you try this yourself remember to be patient with the baby, and yourself.  It’s hard work.

Yep, yep…that’s right people in just a few short days here this little birdie will be 30.  That’s right….I said thirty.  That’s a three you see here —-> 3, and a zero here —–> 0.  Boo is all I have to say to that.

Really, I’m not all that bummed about it!

I feel like I’m kind of becoming a real grown up now.  I mean I’m married, I own a house, I have a child, and I am no longer in my 20′s.  Weird.  Somehow I still feel like a 19 year old though.  Not that I still want to party, but the fact that I am responsible for someone else’s life blows my mind.  I still feel that I can barely take care of myself properly.

But anywho.  For my b-day my hubster bought me a studio lighting kit for my photography.  Derek and I use to shoot pics for people as a bit of a side business, but found that we much more enjoy doing photography as a hobby at this point in our lives.  I’ve been complaining that the light in our house is really warm and that I wanted something more than the Speedlight mounted to the top of my Canon to help light some of the things I shoot.  The lighting kit he found on Amazon is so light and easy to set up.  I love it.  I used it to shoot some newborn pictures of my new little guy.

Since babies don’t stay newborns but for a few weeks I got to unwrap my sweet present early.  Like weeks early.  Score.

This is how he wrapped up my lights since I was about to tear into the box anyway.

These are the lights I got…

They are 600 watt fluorescents.  You can find them here.  Oh yeah, I got some new curlers for my b-day too, but I don’t get to open them until the big day.

Here is a taste of the newborn shoot….

Don’t worry there is much more to come.

It’s been hard to pull up to the keyboard these days.  Wanna see why?

I mean really how do you pull yourself away from a perfect face like this?

.:: My Memphis ::.

This is a photo of the National Executive Office for ALSAC with a tilt shift effect added.  I can’t afford the actual lens.  ALSAC is the fundraising arm for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, here in Memphis.  I took this photo from the top of the parking garage just to the west of the building.

I love the the deep browns and yellows found in the fallen acorns this time of year.  Here are a few I picked up in my yard today I left the other 9 gazillion that have fallen outside for the squirrels.

Here is another “mishap” shot from my little puppy photo shot the other night.  I was laughing so hard at this poor guy that the camera was shaking uncontrollably from the muscle spasms in my stomach.  I couldn’t get the kid to sit for the life of me.  If I tried to push his butt down he would stiffen his legs in preparation of a butt scratching.  You see, if it even looks like your hand is heading for his hips Cohen assumes that you are moving in to scratch his butt, and locks his legs so that he may brace himself for the sensational scratch-fest about to ensue….or so he thinks.

It’s almost as if he’s saying, DO I LOOK FANCY ENOUGH IN THIS?  Yes Cohen, you look very ~fancy~ .

.:: My Memphis ::.

This shot is of some of my favorite flowers, Cone Flowers.  I love how trippy they are! It’s as if God said, LET THERE BE PSYCHEDELIC DAISIES…and there was.   You know how it goes. I’m sure it in the bible somewhere.

I shot these awesome “Crazy Daisies” at the Botanic Gardens back in 2007.  I wish they didn’t attract bees, cuz I would totally have some in my yard.  Being that I was stung by wasps on both cheeks (the face people…the cheeks on my face) when I was about 6, and having my cheeks each swell up to the size of regulation size softballs, I have lived my life in deathly fear of any of those buzzing, flying, stinging things.  P.S. – my skin is crawling just writing about this.  Ahhhhh!

Being 6 and having your face look like an inflated Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloon is enough to send any person running for the hill for all of eternity when they see one of those things.  And the pain, the pain!  Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that I have a rule about plants in my yard, “If it attracts bees, dig it up please.”