I love every opportunity I get to photograph anything. But when I photograph people, it rejuvenates me and makes me love my job even more. On top of that, when I get the opportunity to photograph a newborn, I am left in awe. Photographing a newborn always leaves me with a sense of hope. Hope for what that child will accomplish with their lives, hope for the people who will be touched by the innocence of that child, and hope that this world will be a brighter and happier place because of this child.

I recently had the joy of photographing Levi. He is such a sweet child and cooperated with me in every image I wanted to create. Some people are frustrated or put off by a crying baby, but I just roll with it. When a baby cries, especially a newborn, they are just trying to tell us they don’t know what is going on. They just want to be reassured and comforted. So what do I do when I’m working with a crying newborn, I work the tears into the photography session. This is part of the growing process and to me can create some of the most beautiful and touching images.

Enjoy the photographs of little Levi.

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Miss ‘B’ again at six months old.  You might remember her debut on Jarman Photo. She was so curious in her first photo session with me that she didn’t want to go to sleep.  This time around was a little different. She really didn’t want anything to do with having her portrait taken.  I really love the opportunity to see and photograph children as they grow up. Especially in the first 18-24 months of their lives, they change so much. They develop their own personalities and attitudes, they get their bearings when walking and they discover the joys of laughter.

I was able to capture many sides of Miss ‘B’ during this session. Enjoy the photographs.

A short time ago I had the opportunity to meet with and photograph Miss ‘E’ and here parents.  Miss ‘E’ was just a few weeks old  and was so excited about her photo shoot.  She did not want to sleep at all during the session, but we still had a great time.  Here are a few from this fun newborn session.

At the end of 2010, I had the pleasure of photographing little Miss ‘B’.  She was such a cute baby who didn’t want to sleep at all.  She was a fascinated by the lights and the camera.  Towards the end of the session she finally fell asleep and we were able to capture a few of those peaceful baby shots.

I had so much fun at this session and absolutely love photographing newborns.  Newborns are so innocent and pure.  It always reminds of the first time I held my own daughter. The absolute joy and the amazing opportunities she would have.  Children are definitely our future.

Enjoy the photos.

Earlier this month, I had an amazing photo session with a cute almost 1 year old.  This session came about through a silent auction to which I had donated two photography sessions.  The auction was to benefit some good friends who are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.  Little Miss Zoe was such a precious little angel. She was shy around me at first but quickly started to open up.  I found out that she loves the theme song from the Office and once I found it on my phone she was fascinated by it.  This session took place at a close friend of the family’s house, who decorate every room and the exterior of the house for Christmas.  The house was beautifully decorated and outfitted with a uniquely decorated tree in almost every room.

I had so much fun photographing Zoe.  Enjoy the photos.

This past weekend my wonderful wife went to Atlanta for an inservice event. So I got to have a Daddy/Daughter weekend with my beautiful daughter. There is nothing quite like having quality time with your two year old daughter.

The game of peek-a-boo didn’t last long because there were more slides to explore. Emma got to slide on her first metal slide and the first thing out of her mouth was “That was fast.” No photos were taken during the metal slide because I had to help her climb it then run to the other end to catch her. It was so much fun to watch her on the metal slide.

There are some days I love being a photographer and there are others where I can’t think of doing anything else. Photographing Baby Kinley was one of those days that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She was such a perfect little model for us, letting me pose her the way I wanted her to be, then moving the way she wanted to be. Oh well, when working with little ones you learn to go with the flow and create beautiful images no matter what.

I’ve known this family for years and was very excited when I heard that they were pregnant. It is truly amazing the way God choses to bless families. Having a child or another child changes many things for parents, but to me it shows the truth of God’s love for us.

Let me introduce Miss Kinley to you.
She was wide awake at the beginning of the session, but was very cooperative.

Isn’t she just the cutest little baby you have ever seen?

I just love these with her big sister. Can you feel the love?

And I’m a sucker for daddy-daughter photos.

I love her facial expression in this photograph. Do you think she is going to be a ‘daddy’s girl’?

And finally we have a new Lil’ Vol.
Mommy and Daddy are big University of Tennessee Volunteers fans and I just love the way these turned out.

I hope you enjoyed these photographs.

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Colton a few weeks ago. Even though he was only 13 days old at the time of the photo session, he was a perfect gentleman. The only time he was fussy was when he was naked, but who really wants to be in front of a camera without clothes on. His big sister, Madison, was such a big helper for me. She even took a few of the photos.

I love the look of a baby’s hands and feet and all their little body parts.  They seem so fragile and innocent as babies.

This is one beautiful family.
Madison is a beautiful girl and a great helper to her mommy. She is going to be a wonderful big sister.

I love the opportunities I get to share these wonderful moments with families. It amazes me how quickly children grow up and what they learn to do and say at young ages. My daughter recently turned 2 and it surprises me on a daily basis the understanding that she has and the phrases that she picks up.

Remember to capture those moments and get those images printed.

It’s hard to believe that Emma is 20 months old. It seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms and she was so tiny.  Now she sings and dances. She will get her own diapers when she needs to be changed. She has her favorite books and toys. It is amazing to see her growing up before my eyes. She loves her books and one of my favorite phrases from her is “Daddy read it” and she will bring me one book, then another and another.  Check out the song “One More Book” by the Imagination Movers, I think it was written with Emma in mind. The Imagination Movers is one of her favorite TV shows and music. She loves to dance and sing along to their music.

So I decided to try and capture a few of these things in portraits. While I believe that I captured her love of books during the photo session, it was really hard to capture her love of dancing and singing.  I hope these portraits of my daughter make you smile.

Make sure you take time to capture these fleeting moments with your family.

Let me know if I can help you create memorable portraits for your family.

I had a wonderful session with the Loveland girls this last weekend.  This was my second session with little Kelaney.  My previous session was with her at 2 weeks old.  It is amazing to see how much she has changed in 4 months.  Her sister has become such a big helper for her parents and is a very proud big sister.  Kelaney was such a good sport and was very patient until the very end.

The Loveland’s are University of Tennessee football fans and are bringing their daughters up in the fine tradition of cheering on the Volunteers.  So the first series of photos are of them in their UT gear.  Next they wore their “Little Sister” and “Big Sister” shirts. They were so cute together.  Then Kelaney wore a dress that was her big sister’s when she was little. At this point Kelaney was getting frustrated with the photography session and we only took a few more photos.

It is such a joy to experience kids growing up and the changes they go through. I love that I can be a part of the process of documenting the growth of children.