Hello World

Meet Lilly, who was born on October 4, 2012 and was only a little more than three weeks old at the time these photos were taken.

I was lucky enough Friday and Saturday to be able to take her newborn pictures and she was my first true newborn photo shoot. Most of the babies I'm fortunate enough to photograph are three months old or older by the time their parents bring them to me. While small babies can be a challenge, newborns require an entirely different set of skills since they are so new to the world.

The trick, I've learned, is to photograph them while they're asleep. Lilly was in such a deep sleep that I was able to place her in quite a few poses. I had plenty of help from her grandmother and mother, as well as a good friend of mine and we were able to capture the preciousness that you see here.

The pumpkin hat was a last minute addition that I found at the Clifton Forge Fall Foliage Festival on Saturday morning. Her dad's an author, her mother enjoys reading, as does most of their family and friends, and if the books you see in the photograph below are any indication, she's going to grow up in a warm, loving environment filled with countless exciting stories.

Speaking of exciting, this past weekend has been filled with plenty of adventures and photographs. Over the course of two weekends, I have seven separate shoots booked and my stack of photos to process is growing by leaps and bounds. You'll be seeing plenty of sneak peeks over the next few days if you "Like" Hagy's Photography on Facebook or follow this blog.

As always, all photos appearing on this blog are a copyright of Hagy's Photography and may not be printed or reproduced without the express written consent of Bethany Hagy.

A Sneak Peek

I never know where my photography is going to take me.

My shoots for little babies typically take place in my home studio, or the home of my clients. As you might imagine, that adds the challenge of learning how to pose babies and keeping the ideas fresh from one client to the next. So when I had a request to conduct this photo shoot at The Homestead in Hot Springs, I was excited to have the chance to do something different.

The Homestead, for those of you who haven't been there, is a resort hotel that can trace its origins back to 1776. While construction is currently underway on the hotel's new water park, The Homestead is known for its old school luxury and it earns the capital "T" in "the." I've taken portraits at the hotel a couple of different times, but they've always been engagement, bridal or wedding photos. A baby at The Homestead was going to be a new experience.

As it turns out, the hotel was just as perfect for a baby as it is for a bride. There were plenty of fall colors outside the hotel and I was able to take advantage of this perfect window seat for this beautiful three-month-old girl. 

Maternity Pics

Rebel XT, 1/80 at f/5.6

Maternity shoots haven't been a staple of Hagy's Photography, but they sure are something I enjoy doing. I've only had the pleasure of a handful of maternity sessions and this one, which took place a few weeks back, was definitely one of my favorites.

Rebel XT, 1/80 at f/5.6

Not only were the subjects involved close friends of mine, but the shoot gave me the opportunity to break out my studio gear and work inside for a change. It presented an entirely different set of challenges as opposed to shooting outdoors, but it also opened up an entirely new set of possibilities. Not only was I more in control of my lighting, but I had the privacy of the studio to try some interesting poses and the luxury of not having to deal with rain, high temperatures or the clouds of gnats that hang around this part of Virginia.

There are countless ways to approach maternity shoots, but I like to take the time to show the quiet moments of contemplation as well as the excitement and joy of expecting a new arrival.

A maternity portrait, however, does require a slightly different approach since the focus of the portrait often isn't usually the face, as is typical with most portraits. Whenever I'm faced with the challenge of capturing a subject's personality, as well as telling the story, I've found that a simple approach is often the best. A white shirt against a nice, basic black background went a long way toward quietly emphasizing the impending arrival of a newborn and I thought the bow, along with the tag that reads "Do Not Open Until September 7, 2012" added just the right touch of whimsy. The little fellow didn't wait that long, however, and I'm glad we were able to get the maternity photos done before he happily arrived into the world.

Rebel XT, 1/80 at f/5.6,
Converted to black & white in Adobe Photoshop

Of course no maternity shoot would be complete without the big brother. I had a blast working with him as well and the photo at left is a rare moment of calm in the midst of the madness of posing a three-year-old. I wonder if children that young really understand what's going on until their new sibling arrives, but who can fathom the mind of a child?

A newborn child truly is a miracle to be cherished and I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to share in my friend's miracle in some small way. There is a lot of beauty to be found in this world and a lot of magic. I think that a newborn child exemplifies this in a way that we should all take more time to notice and appreciate.

If you're interested in seeing more of my work, click here to visit my Facebook page and "Like" Hagy's Photography for exclusive looks at my latest photographs and blog posts. If you're interested in learning more about Hagy's Photography, or in booking a shoot, send an e-mail to hagysphotography@gmail.com and I'll be happy to get back in touch with you.

As always, all images on this blog are a copyright of Hagy's Photography and may not be reproduced or reprinted in any format without the express written consent of Bethany Hagy.