jill carmel photography | the blog

Fresh Off the Presses -- Birth Announcements

These just went out to some very happy parents. Thought I'd share them with you, too.

  

Darling Little Girl

Sometimes you can smell the sweet baby goodness coming right through a photograph, and I think this little one takes the cake. At only eight days old, she was all snuggles and those perfect little noises that only newborns make. 

And being a good eater, makes for a good sleeper -- and a good little model.

And her hair...there's so much of the "chicky-fuzz". I love it.

 

Who could resist the cute-factor?

What a darling!

Sweetest Little Rosebud

Remember these cute people from just a few weeks ago? Here they are again, plus one more.

And isn't she just the sweetest little rosebud?! I'm smitten with this shot. I think I might need one for MY wall...

 

 

 

And remember their butterfly-themed nursery? Little "A" was ALL about the butterflies, floating around above her sweet face.

 

What a blessing it was to meet her at only five days old. Thank you for including me, Mom and Dad! Can't wait to show you all of them!

Newborns and Nurseries

I sat down to write this post and honestly, I'm a little bit speechless over how sweet this baby was. I mean, he slept FOREVER, let us put him in pretty much whatever pose we wanted to, and it doesn't get much cuter than this little man.

I'm in love with this blanket -- it was crocheted by his great grandmother. 

 

And who doesn't love a baby on a stack of towels? Mom had this shot envisioned for the perfect spot in their lovely powder room.

 

This baby was welcomed by such a warm and loving family. All of the grandparents were there for the shoot to help and admire. We snuck away for a few moments to get some intimate shots of the new family. This is one of my favorites of the day.

 

I think I have a new obsession with nurseries. I see so many of them and this one was really fun. They had a custom-made circular crib with an "E" carved into the front that is special just for their family's last name (which begins with E). The chandelier and light colors are a beautiful touch as well.

I can't wait to show the family the rest of their pictures - they're turning out sooo cute!

So Very Welcome

I'm back from Los Angeles with some uber-cute photos of a little guy who was only five days old when I got to meet him. His mama had done such an incredible job decorating the nursery, that I had to show it (and the baby!) off at the same time. Isn't this little window seat gorgeous with the light all soft and yummy?

 

Check out Mr. Handsome. He was soooo good for me. He slept and slept and was just a dream to photograph.

 

I'm in love with this picture below -- so soft, so loving. You get the sense of how incredibly welcome this baby is to the family.

 

Gosh, what a handsome pair. Dad looks so happy and proud -- as he should be with a sweet little bundle like that in his arms!

One More Makes Four

I've been a bit behind in my blogging -- there are some very exciting things going on behind the scenes here that have been demanding quite a bit of my attention, although I'm always happy for the excuse to take a break and go photograph. And what a joy it was to get away and spend some time with this lovely family.

Their little girl is 20 months old and already knows 50-60 signs. What? I don't even know three signs...Let's see...I can wave (1) and can give a thumbs up (2) and I can shrug my shoulders (does that count?). This uber-smart kid can sign all kinds of things and her daddy was prompting her to show me a bunch of them...there were so many that I lost track after a while. It's a pretty amazing thing to see, and she's not even two years old yet.

Did I mention this kid's smile could light up Times Square? Check her out!

 

 

I love this picture because you can see how much mom and dad are enjoying themselves. The kids are just hanging out and the adults are having a blast. 

   

Little M was so sweet. He just quietly hung out for most of the session, eating and cooing like a good little boy. He had these big, bright irresistible eyes that my camera fell in love with. Ah, what a cuddle-bug!

Found a Peanut | Sacramento Newborn Photography

Ah, what a perfect little peanut! He just slept and looked cute and then slept some more...and looked cute some more.

The way dad is resting his chin on Baby G's head, it makes my heart skip a beat. So sweet.

I love this shot with the three of them. They look so proud, so happy, so complete.

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.

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.

Good Little Guy

This little guy was so good for his photo shoot. He ate and slept...

and ate and smiled...

 

and ate and was patient for all of us adults.

 

Look at those lovely blue eyes. What a handsome little guy!

Thank you for being such a good little eater! Food in the belly = great pictures!