Late last year Courtney reached out to me about doing photos as she was newly pregnant. Her husband, Andrew, was in the same strike group as my husband and therefore they were deploying at the same time. I offered Courtney two sessions, one for a pregnancy announcement she could do while Andrew was gone and then another once she was further along and Andrew was home. A few weeks before our October pregnancy announcement Courtney told me she was actually pregnant with TWINS! I was so excited for them and we planned a really fun Halloween announcement. We both wanted to do something different and fun, this is what we came up with:
It was a huge hit and I was so excited to document something so special. I don't know why, but I had it in my head that Courtney and Andrew were going to have twin boys. Sometimes I just get a little sense about things and USUALLY I'm not wrong! I was totally off this time around! Courtney told me shortly before our maternity session that she was expecting two girls! I was so excited to plan this maternity session, to celebrate Andrew's homecoming and the birth of their babies.
For the maternity session I decided to book a studio in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Studio at Chelsea Commons. There were enough windows to filter in a really flattering light during our session time and loved the simple yet tasteful way it was decorated. There was a large window in the bedroom area that I couldn't wait to make use of! I love backlit photos taken in front of a window, especially for pregnant women. The silhouette it creates is so beautiful.
After we did some photos in front of the window we moved across the room where this beautiful bed was set up with a white iron headboard and white textured bedding. Courtney and Andrew both laid down and immediately were ready for a nap! I brought along one of my favorite children's books, On The Night You Were Born, and asked Andrew to read it to the babies. On The Night You Were Born is by one of the most magical children's book authors, Nancy Tillman. The illustrations are beautiful and a perfect match to such a whimsical story. I bought this book for my own children and I read it to them on the night before their birthdays. I brought along my slightly beat up copy (my children are 8 and 6 so this book has seem some love!) for Andrew to use. After that I let them lounge and became a bit of a fly on the wall as they interacted with each other.
We ended our session in the front sitting room of the studio. There was this beautiful couch up against beadboard walls, I was so excited to use it! One of my favorite things about this session was Courtney's dress. It was almost like her bump was decorated. This is my favorite photo and I think it wouldn't pop as much if she had gone with a solid color dress:
I just heard that Courtney and Andrew have an induction date and we'll be meeting these sweet girls very soon! I'm so excited document the growth of a family from 2 to 4 in such a short period of time. I'm so grateful Courtney found me and decided to work with me, it's been such a fun journey!
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