The night before a session I always get really nervous. It’s kind of like that night-before-the-first-day-of-school feeling you had when you were a kid. The feeling of excitement mixed with pure terror and panic. I know this may come as a surprise because, after all, I’m the professional, right?

This is what I do.

This is what I breathe.

This is what I love.

This is what I live for.

But alas, it never fails. The day leading up to a session always includes moments of feeling like I’m going to puke combined with a deer in the headlights look on my face and the search for a brown paper bag to hyperventilate in to. My brain gets a little out of control and I start to worry how everything will play out. What if the sun is too high? What if the sun is too low? What if the clouds roll in and there is no sun? What if the family runs late? What if the family doesn’t show up? What if the kids are completely out of control? What if all my tricks fail me and I don’t get a single smile the entire session? What if the parents think I’m lame? What if I forget how to pose my clients for that great shot that doesn’t look posed at all? What if my finger accidentally pushes a button on my camera and I go home and realize all of my photos are pitch black? What if I forget my memory cards? What if I shoot the entire session without my memory card actually in my camera? And cue the hyperventilating. After discussing this phenomenon with several other photographer friends, I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re all going to need therapy at some point in life.

My husband drove me to a session a few weeks ago and I know for a fact he thought I was losing my mind. I get really quiet when I head out to a session location. After all, I need time to channel my inner Eminem and envision myself in a hoodie staring at myself in the mirror. “My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy … you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”

Then I quickly come back to reality and remember I’m a mom to two (almost three) small children and we live in suburbia and I’m not in fact a rapper.

You can only imagine my excitement a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity to experience what it’s like being on the other side of the lens. We had our own family photoshoot with two very talented photographer friends of mine. Although, I do confess there were still a few “brown paper bag” moments leading up to our session, it was a lot of fun and I LOVE how our photos turned out. Here are a few of my favorites:

All images copyright Amy Gray Photography and Melanie Monroe Photography

san diego family photographer | maternity photography san diego | austin family photographer | maternity photography austin, tx

I cannot even begin to tell you how in love I am with this session. The moment I laid eyes on sweet baby Chad I knew he was going to be sweet as pie. And he was! He was such a tiny little guy (about 5 pounds) and I was amazed by his calm, serene demeanor. He snoozed away for most of our session together and was so easy to work with. And oh my goodness, I’m in love with his hair. It’s pretty rare that you find a blonde haired baby with so much hair right at birth. After sessions like this one, I can honestly say … I love what I do. : )

yaaaaaaaawn … sleepy baby

Here’s one of my favorite shots from mom’s San Diego maternity photo session. Absolutely gorgeous!

san diego newborn photographer | newborn photography san diego | austin newborn photographer | newborn photography austin, tx

This sweet baby girl was only 5 days old when I first met her. She was sweet as can be and didn’t fuss or make a peep the entire time I was there. It didn’t surprise me though because her entire family was super sweet and oh so relaxed. Grandma sang the greatest lullabies and big brother was content as can be just watching me with his baby sister. Here are a few of my favorites. : )

san diego newborn photographer | newborn photography san diego | austin newborn photographer | newborn photography austin, tx

Last month I held a day of mini-sessions and loved seeing several of my favorite repeat clients as well as meeting quite a few awesome new families. I tried something new this time and offered a variety of both morning and evening sessions and I really loved the results. Morning sessions and evening sessions have two very different feels to them and it was fun to be able to play around with both. Here are just a few images from the day I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

This sweet baby is Miss Bridget from this san diego newborn session I posted. She has grown SO much in such a short period of time!

San Diego Family Photographer | San Diego Child Photography | Austin Family Photographer | Austin Baby Photographer

In my 29 years of life (ahem, ok so 32) I have learned a lot about life and relationships. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that good friends, I mean REALLY good friends, are one of life’s greatest treasures. Eddie and Heather are those kind of treasures. We’ve known them for about 8 years now, they’re our oldest son’s godparents, and they’re some of the nicest, most genuine people you will ever meet. They recently welcomed a daughter into the world and I can tell you this (or in Texas they might say “I tell you whut”) sweet Autumn is one loved baby girl. She’s so lucky to have Eddie and Heather as parents. They have loved on our kids for the past five years and I’m so excited that now it’s our turn to love on their sweet little lady.

 Austin Family Photographer | Austin Baby Photography | Austin Newborn Photographer | Austin Child Photographer

Last month I teamed up with the wonderful folks at Matilda Jane Clothing for a fun day of mother/daughter photoshoots. We all had such a fun girly day together! (something I don’t get to experience very often because my house is typically filled with light saber duels and wrestle mania, ha!). Moms and daughters alike had a blast picking out their outfits and dressing up for our fashion photoshoot. Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

Here are a few images from the family session I had with Matilda Jane trunk keeper Carrie. : )

 San Diego Commercial Photographer | Family San Diego Photography | Austin Commercial Photographer | Austin Child Photographer

“A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.” – Isadora James

I first met and photographed the “A” family four years ago. The twins were only 19 months old and big sister was 5. My how they have grown! Every time I see these awesome girls they just get cuter and sweeter and more fun. I love watching how they interact with each other. I’m a mom to two rough and tough boys so it’s always so nice to see the softer side to life. lol. They are so sweet to each other (although I’m sure mom would tell me they have their moments just like all sisters do) and you can just tell they come from a very close knit family. They rocked this field session (how awesome is this lighting?!?!) and I LOVE how their photos turned out. Here are a few or my favorites. Enjoy!

 San Diego Family Photographer | Child San Diego Photography | Austin Family Photographer | Austin Child Photographer

“A child is the greatest joy, the ultimate blessing.” – Emily Laughton

I was looking through some of my previous sessions and realized I never blogged this sweet baby. Miss Bridget and her parents (and their awesome dogs!) were so very fun to hang out with. I always enjoy meeting new parents because it reminds me so much of the days when we brought our first son home from the hospital. So much joy and anticipation mixed with a little chaos and sleep deprivation. Those are the memories that remind you how blessed you are. Time goes by so fast and I’m thankful for parents who hire me to photograph their newborns because in a blink they will be big kids. I know these images will be cherished as Bridget grows into a sweet little girl … and that, my friends, is why I love what I do. : )

San Diego Newborn Photographer | Newborn San Diego Photography | Austin Newborn Photographer | Austin Baby Photographer

Oh how I love the B Family. I first photographed Moira when she turned one almost a year and a half ago. Since then, we have had several mini-sessions and snapshots through events at So Childish (like this super cute Valentine Photo). Moira has turned into such a sweet little girl and we had an absolute blast at their recent photoshoot. It was kind of a bittersweet shoot though because Moira’s family found out they were going to be moving and this was their last photoshoot they were going to have here in San Diego. We chose to meet at the beach because it’s a favorite spot of theirs and they wanted to capture some beach memories before moving to the east coast. I came home after this session and was grinning from ear to ear. Moira was a hoot the entire time and kept running up to me and tackling me and giving me giant bear hugs. At the end of our session I asked her if she wanted to come home with me and she said yes. Ha! I told her she should probably go home with her own family though because they might miss her. : ) This session was such a renewal for me. I felt inspired again. And invigorated. Moira’s spirit and enthusiasm for life is contagious. I’m going to miss this sweet little face.I hope to see you again soon B Family!

Mom is expecting baby #2! : )

Waving “bye-bye”. Sniffle, sniffle. See you soon Moira!

San Diego Beach Photographer | San Diego Photographer | San Diego Child Photographer | San Diego Family Photographer

Pacific Beach on Dwellable

First birthdays are always such a bittersweet milestone. On one hand, you’re excited that you officially made it through the first year … you survived! On the other hand, you’re sad because your little one is now venturing into the world of toddlerhood and before you know it the tiny bundle you brought home from the hospital will be a kid. A BIG kid. It almost seems to happen over night. I love first birthday celebrations and this was one of the funnest ones I have photographed to date. Sweet Ever had a costume party that included a clown, tons of delicious food, and lots of laughter. Thank you W family for asking me to capture this sweet day!

They must have a pretty awesome San Diego Photographer. : )

San Diego Birthday Photographer | Austin Birthday Photographer | San Diego Child Photographer | Austin Child Photographer