PHOTO + DESIGN
BY MAD
I honestly don’t understand how my first baby is already 5! It’s going by so fast and I’m not a fan of her being so grown-up. I will be sending her to kindergarten this year and I’m trying not to think about it. Of course, she can’t wait and I know she will love it! We had fun celebrating her birthday yesterday with just our little family. We had planned a trip to Vegas over her birthday to visit my aunt and she was a good sport about having to cancel. Happy Birthday Ava girl! We love you!
This is my Aunt Jacki and Uncle Tracy and their kids and grandkids. Look at how cute they all are together! It was really fun for me to take these photos for them. It’s always a good time when we all get together. Jacki is grandma of the year! Every year she does “Cousin Camp” where all her grandkids come stay at her house for a week full of fun activities! She’s amazing! She even includes my girls because she’s so sweet and thoughtful like that. She goes ALL OUT and they look forward to it every year. So many of my own childhood memories were sleepovers at her house and helping on their farm and I love that my girls are now doing the same. Thanks Behling family. Love ya!
Getting ready to be in front of the camera can be stressful! One of the best ways to reduce that stress is to get your makeup professionally done. All of a sudden getting ready is relaxing! You just show up and let the pro take over. They know exactly how to apply makeup in a way that looks AMAZING on camera, but still looks like you. I hired Jill Marie the last time I got my photos taken, and I can’t say enough great things about her. She is so sweet and talented! Utah has so many talented makeup artists and I included a list of my favorites below so you can refer back to it next time you schedule a photo session!
Makeup by Jill Marie. Photo by Melese Miller. [Read more…] about Favorite Makeup Artists
The session I used to be the most terrified of is now my favorite! In the past, I wished all families that booked me only had one little baby that still slept all day and couldn’t run away from me yet haha. Or maybe even a senior girl that was a total natural in front of the camera and listened to everything I said. I would get so nervous before a family session with several young kids or heaven forbid, toddlers! How will I win them over? Will they listen to me? What if they cry the whole time? Will dad just roll his eyes when I give him directions? Once I figured out how to work with energetic kids instead of against them, it all changed! Of course kids don’t want to stand perfectly still and take a list of instructions from a stranger. And no kid gives a natural smile when you say, “look here and say cheese”. Instead we play games and run and cuddle and it’s magical. Family sessions are so fun and are now my favorite to shoot! Every session ends up going so differently, highlighting each family’s unique dynamic. I love how I can give families the same games to play and yet the photos end up being one of a kind. Capturing the love and joy within families can’t be beat!
I married into the best family you guys! This is my husband’s brother, James and his gorgeous family. If you have ever met John, I probably didn’t even have to tell you this was his brother. I can’t tell you how many times people get them confused haha. I love taking family pictures for them! They are so fun and beautiful inside and out.
The summer after my husband John and I got married, he felt that doing summer sales was the right thing for us. Neither of us were too sure about it, but we packed up and drove to Arkansas anyway. It was not a very successful summer as far as sales went, but we met wonderful people! John still says to this day, the only reason we were supposed to go was to meet Nick and Lauren. Actually, we all lived in Logan, Utah at the time but didn’t meet until we were in Arkansas where Nick and Lauren were also doing summer sales. That has always seemed so funny to me. We love anytime we get to hang out with them! While we were at their house on Sunday for dinner, Lauren saw their family photos for the first time. I have never been with a client/friend to see their first reaction when they open their photo gallery, and it was so fun! She was so excited (her enthusiastic reactions are actually one of my favorite things about her)! Anyways, we love the Hancey’s and I’m so grateful they asked me to take their family photos. I love how they turned out!
I sat down to edit a sneak peek of this session and ended up finishing the entire thing! This family is just too gorgeous, I couldn’t make myself stop. Val and I know each other from design school and I love each time I get to see her and her family. Their sweet Gavin is growing so fast! He looked like such a little man in his outfit. He has grown so much since their session last year (see it here). Gav definitely has a future in modeling if he wants it. He had so much fun exploring, running, and was mesmerized by the river nearby. Hopefully we wore him out and he slept like an angel that night.
This beautiful family has an exciting announcement and they let me in on their secret a little early….
I was lucky enough to photograph Elena and her adorable kids last year (see that session here). Her husband was deployed and she wanted updated family pictures to send to him. They are so sweet! I loved being able to see them again and their daddy got to join them this time! Yay! Kids grow and change so quickly… it’s fun to see them each year.
Motherhood. It’s intense, difficult, exhausting, incredible, fulfilling, joyful, heartbreaking, challenging, messy, and a million other things. I think all mothers wonder if they are doing it right, get confused about where to go for help and information. There are so many conflicting opinions out there when it comes to parenting. Just remember we all screw up at times but we are doing our best. Give yourself grace. Kids are so loving and can forgive in an instant. It seems they give us endless chances to get it right, love unconditionally and continue to look up to us. Kids are the best. I know none of us are perfect, but this beautiful mamma might be the exception…. She is so involved, loving, present and selfless despite life’s challenges (that we all have). She has an Instagram account under @thisnewlifeofmine_ (you can find her blog there too) where she shares respectful parenting, kindness, her adorable kids, great tips, and support for other parents of kids with disabilities (or rather different abilities). I look up to her and love how positive she stays!
My husband and I met Addison and Jenna about 6 years ago, well before either of us added sweet babies to our families. We were all living in Logan at the time, but didn’t meet until we moved to Little Rock, Arkansas for summer sales. Funny how life works. I’m grateful they gave me the opportunity to photograph their beautiful family!
Sometimes I shoot personal work on film. Since all the pictures from my childhood are on film, these instantly feel like old memories to me. I love that about it. And the colors are just so perfect. I will always remember summers hanging out in the back yard after John gets home.
