jill carmel photography | the blog

Sleeping Beauties | Newborn Photography

Every time I photograph a family with a new baby, I have a keen sense of how magical it is to invite another person into your life, to share that part of you which you may not have even known existed before you gazed into those new eyes, looking up at you for the first time.

I thought you all might enjoy this video with Tracey Raver and Kelley Ryden, twin-sister Nebraska based photographers who were recently featured on the Today Show for their newborn photography and the book that they published, Sleeping Beauties, Newborns in Dreamland.

They talk about the advantages of working with a photographer to document this time in your life as well as giving a look into how a newborn photography session rolls along. It's a fun time. Enjoy!

Note: If you are subscribed to my blog posts and can't see the video below, just click on the post title above and it will send you to my blog where the video is viewable.

Documenting Children As They Grow

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to take a workshop with Laura Novak, one of the country's leading child photographers. She shared this article with me where she was recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which talks about the importance of documenting children as they grow. You can visit the full article at this link.

 

Lovely People | Sacramento Family Photographer

The weather has been good to us this last week and I enjoyed a perfect day at the park on Friday with these lovely people. 

This shot makes me smile. They are such easy-going folks. Always up for a little fun (and a mini-tickle-fest).

 

And little "S" -- caught her in the act of having some serious fun!

 

And "L" with her easy smile.

 

What fun we had!

Picture Perfect | Sacramento Newborn Photographer

This family booked their newborn session months before their due date, so I had a lot of time to get really excited about meeting everybody. Little "J" showed up just in time before I went out of town for a week, but I wouldn't have missed him for the world. 

He couldn't have been a better baby, and thanks to mom, when I showed up, his tummy was full and he was already asleep. After clicking away for a while, we took a little break to find a new blanket to use and out of the corner of my eye, I saw mom, head resting on the blanket, admiring her little peanut. Added Dad and there it was, my favorite shot of the day:

And here he is...they don't come any sweeter.

 

There he goes, smiling for the camera and looking picture perfect.

Kites and Bugs | Sacramento Family Photographer

I'll take a day in a field any day...and flying kites and catching bugs is like a cherry on top. 

This family is one of my favorites to photograph because they are so easy going - and naturally beautiful which helps a lot, too! 

The picture of little "B" with the kite is my favorite image for today. It turned out exactly as I wanted it.

 

 

I love the way she is looking at her brother - lost in a moment of fun and admiration.

 

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My Birthday

Today is my birthday. It's bit of a milestone for me since I'm turning 30. On my 29th birthday, I was pretty much dreading 30, thinking that it would be the end of...well, something, but I wasn't quite sure what.

But over the last year, I've learned so much about myself and to have faith in my dreams. I have also discovered an incredibly humbling love and understanding for others that can only be explained by all of the amazing people that I have had the fortune to encounter through my work. 

I am thankful for the path that I have walked on to get to where I'm at and all of this together has made me SO excited for the next decade of my life. I look ahead to the future with bright eyes and a welcoming heart. And if you've read this far, then you're pretty awesome. (Hi, Mom! You're probably the only one who will read down to here...)

And since many of you don't know what I look like, I thought I'd post a recent photo of me. I'm a real dork in front of the camera, but this one actually turned out alright . :-)

 

Soon | Sacramento Maternity Portraits

I love this family. They are SO on the same page as I am, both artistically and individually. You probably recognize their little girl who has graced this blog more than a few times. One of the greatest compliments I can receive is when a child remembers me from their last photography session and lately I've been getting that "I remember you" smile from little "E" when I get to see her.

Lucky Miss E will have a baby sister very soon and we spent a lovely afternoon together celebrating and documenting this special time in all of their lives.

We can't forget Husky! He was their first "baby". 

 

Love this picture. Serene. Welcoming. Beautiful.

 

Life & Curiosity | Sacramento Family Photographer

This lovely East Sacramento family found me through my newborn photography interview published in Sac Magazine last month, and on a lovely sun-filled afternoon, I met them and instantly connected with their energy. The parents were so calm and loving while the kids were filled with life and curiosity. 

The two boys are 6 year old fraternal twins and, eight months ago, they welcomed sweet "S" into their family. This being her first photo shoot, we gave her a little extra attention.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL??? And full of smiles, too. She was such an angel.

 

 

The boys were so good and gentle with her. Lots of kisses and hugs.

 

And giggles in the grass. One of my faves.

Mother's Day Mini-Sessions

The sold-out Mother's Day mini-sessions were tons of fun and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Here are some of the shining faces that were photographed this last weekend. They make me smile just looking at them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

In-Between Moments | Sacramento Family Photographer

I love photographing this family because they are all about the "in-between" moments, showing each of them as they are in their everyday lives. You might remember them from last year, when the little guy below was a whole lot littler.

 

 

 

I think mom's in love. :-)

  

 

And guess who was waiting for us in the car...