Out with the old...

This is be the last entry in this blog... why? I've found a great new blog option that allows me to really showcase my images and entires beautifully. So go check it out! Be sure to change your bookmarks to www.ashleybrownphotography.com/blog and stop by often. See you there!

Happy Easter!

I hope that everyone is having a great Easter weekend. I just got back from a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel... what better way to celebrate! (Well, that and an Easter basket full of chocolate).

Yesterday I got the chance to work with the nicest family. They had four of the most well behaved and easy kids! I really hit it off with them, especially V, who showed me her awesome American Girl collection. Here's a sneak peek (click to see it larger)!

Sunday

My first session on Sunday was with a really fun family... I love when I get to work with those! Mom and dad were so laid back, and little K & M were great to work with. K is at one of my favorite ages... you can really see a child's personality coming through around this time. I learned that my baby beanbag is much loved by older siblings as well!

Then I got the pleasure of working with baby K and his family. Of course, I think all of my clients are well loved... but let me tell you... this baby is LOVED! It was so sweet to see the interaction between him and his mama and grandma. He was full of smiles and made my job a breeze. You can tell he's dying to crawl, as is by this picture!

Enjoy your sneak peeks!

Twins

Are L & C not two of the most beautiful baby girls?! They are almost 3 months old and I got the opportunity to work with them and their mom and dad today. They lived a gorgeous old house with tons of windows and fun, photographable decor. Any photographer will vouch for the fact that 3 month twins make for quite a challenging shoot! L & C weren't sleepy during my visit, but I got a ton of eye contact and many sweet shots. I can't wait for mom and dad to see the rest... I think they'll be quite pleased. But in the meantime, one of my favorites so far. I love the little laugh.

Babies galore...

February really has been a month of babies! Not that I mind!! I love photographing the various stages in baby's first year. Meet baby "T". He's an older newborn... about 6 weeks. He gave us the best of both worlds... lots of alert eye contact as well as a nice deep sleep, perfect for curling up into sweet poses. Enjoy your sneak peek, mom and dad!

Click the image to enlarge and learn more about ABP's Share the Love promotion!

Brothers

Babylegs...

This is one of my Growing Plan babies, "V". I photographed her at 3 months and now at 7 months. I love first year babies because it's so much fun to see how they've changed. I was hoping V's mom had Babylegs (for those of you not familiar, they are those insanely adorable leggings) and she had a whole stash! Nothing beats a chubby naked baby with some hip legwear. Here's a sneak peek!

A busy, busy weekend...

This weekend I went down to Connecticut to visit with my good friend and fellow photographer, Erin Bell. We had a few fun, "creative shoots" which were really a breath of fresh air. I was feeling a bit of a winter rut and this weekend helped to energize and inspire me. Saturday's session included 7-week old twin baby boys. It was an amazing, rewarding and challenging experience. Newborns are TOUGH! We spent a good 3 hours there, but the results made every second totally worth it. Stay tuned for some shots from Sunday, which took place in the cool downtown area of Norwich, Connecticut (as well as some very interesting other locales!)

Sweet baby C....

This family is a repeat client of mine, and I love working for them. They are just such a cool, laid back family... and then have a beautiful house which I really enjoy working in! This is baby C, who I first photographed at 2 weeks. I got so many sweet shots of her, but this one just stuck out. I love her expression, the little finger in the mouth, and the bracelet. Enjoy your sneak peek, mom and dad!

Brr....

Can you believe that part of my session today was done outside?! It looked deceivingly warm but once you were out there for a bit, it wasn't so much. These little boys and their mom & dad were such good spots... and it really paid off!

We have a winner...

There was a great response to the blog contest, and voting was pretty close! But, we do have a winner.



Little miss "V"! I guess no one could resist that smile... and who doesn't love babies in hats? V's parents will have their choice of a photo cosmetic baby with this sweet image or a gift certificate to the Albany Pump Station for a night out. Congratulations and thank you to everyone for sending your family and friends over to vote!

A not-so-sneak-peek...

Mom & dad have already seen their slideshow, but I finally got around to posting some images and I can't resist. This was a session from last weekend that I just loved. Mom & little M were so much fun, and the location was perfect. I think I really captured some sweet interaction between the two.





P.S. I am more than a little jealous of those EYES!

P.P.S. The blog contest has been a great hit! Voting is still open for a few more days so make sure to show some love for your favorites.

Favorite Image of 2007 Contest!

January is kind of a slow, boring month. So in an effort to spice things up, I've decided to have a blog contest! I want you to help me choose the Favorite Image of 2007. I've gone through and selected my personal favorites from each session of the year (in order to keep it short and sweet, I only posted images from my standard sessions).

So please, tell your family and friends to head over and pick the image that WOW's them (or, your son or daughter :) ) Voting will remain open until January 24th... vote as many times as you wish (one vote per day per person please)! The winner will then be announced and receive their choice of a gorgeous cosmetic bag with their favorite image or a $50 gift certificate to the Albany Pump Station.

Click on the image to view it larger. Happy voting!

Happy Holidays!

The day after Christmas and life is starting to get back to normal. Don't get me wrong... I love everything about the holidays... but it's always nice when everything slows down afterwards. I hope that you and your families had a wonderful holiday and that the new year brings good health and great things!

2008 is ushering in lots of changes for ABP as well. I'm excited to announce that new collections have finally been created (after much time and thought!). These will provide a great way for clients to have the flexibility they desire which obtaining discounted pricing and exclusive items.

Lastly... I'm looking for newborns! I've realized how much I enjoy them and would really like to bulk up the newborn area of my portfolio. With this in mind, I am waiving my session fees for newborns (0-6 weeks) in January. Be sure to tell your friends and family members who have a new family member or are getting ready to welcome one! Contact me for information on gift certificates... these make great baby shower gifts!

Till next time...

A.

A note about newborns...

I've only done a handful of newborns thus far. They are very challenging... but I'm coming to really love them. It's such a perfect and fleeting age. I could really see it becoming my favorite age to photograph. Remember little A I photographed a few weeks ago? This is his brand new baby brother, R, at 6 days old. How sweet is? Sigh.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Jamie at Cowbelly Photography to answer this question...

"If you could spend 30 days in one location (and only one location) anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go and why?"

I think that I would have to say... London. It may be cliche but I've always wanted to see what life is like overthere, and how different or similar it is to the States. The culture fascinates me and I've never been outside of the country so I would love to! There's a lot to see there that I think I could fill my 30 days. :)

Jamie was a great resource to me when I first dipped my toes into this business. She is actually a pet photographer, located in Seattle. A bit out of the realm of what I ended up doing, but her work is just fantastic. Maybe one day I'll add pets to me repetoire, who knows?! Anyway, check out her stuff. Again, it's great! www.cowbelly.com

Thanks Jamie! Now I'll leave you with one of my favorite recent images...

Wrapping up the holiday madness!

All Christmas cards have been sent... most orders are delivered or packaged and ready to go... it seems as if the holiday madness is starting to come to a close! The next few weeks will be busy for me, but in a different way. The last few months have been a wonderful experience and have taught me many valuable aspects of running a children's photography business. I plan on taking this knowledge and fine tuning exactly what works, what doesn't, and what kind of service I want to offer. Stay tuned for some modifications as well as additions of new products, services and extras in the new year.

I plan on traveling to Connecticut this weekend to meet up with a good friend and fellow photographer, Erin Bell, to join heads, work on business plans, and just enjoy some company! Erin is a fantastic photographer and business person and a huge inspiration (she's young, like myself, and we have a lot in common!) If you have any family or friends in the Connecticut area, make sure to refer them to her! You can view her beautiful work at www.erinbellphotography.com. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds out for the trip!

Last but not least, I'm much anticipating a newborn session scheduled for this coming Thursday. The star of the shoot is being born tomorrow, so I'm so excited to be photographing him or her in their squishy, brand newness! I'll be sure to post some images.

Til' next time...!

The weekend of 2 year olds...

Not that I'm complaining. I'm really starting to enjoy this age. It's challenging but a lot of fun. Little A is about to have a new sibling in two weeks, and I'm very honored and excited for the opportunity to photograph him or her. I think A is going to make a great big brother.

In other news, it seems as soon as it hit December 1st the snow started. I'm really hoping for a white Christmas, so let's hope it keeps up. We went out and got our first real tree in several years and put it up today. You really can't beat it.

Here's a sneak peek for A's parents...

Finally catching up...

Things have been crazy around here as I scramble to get orders completed before the holidays. Its my first year in business, therefore my first holiday rush, so its been quite an experience! I promise to update this more as things settle down in the coming weeks.

2 year olds don't get much easier (or cuter) than Miss E. She really was a dream to photograph. I had a great time this morning with E, her baby sister, and her parents... I love to find clients who really share my vision and style.