Kolleen + Jacob // Lake Mead Maternity Photos

If you've seen any of my work before, you of course have seen photos of Kolleen and Jacob, from their downtown engagements, to Kolleen's first maternity session at Calico Basin, to now these ethereal shots at Lake Mead outside of Las Vegas. Kolleen is a huge trooper, always down for 5am shoots with me, which are sooooo early but sooo worth it! I mean the light at this hour could not get any better!! Also, the birds seriously put on a show for us this morning.

This was my first official shoot on the lumix S1R I got a few months ago, and I can't believe it took me so long to blog this session because it was a freaking DREAM! The dress, the sunrise, the water, and the absolute perfect temperature of the air. Not only was the morning just ideal in every way, but since it was so early we had the entire beach to ourselves which made it the most magical and intimate morning with these two lovers. Kolleen is now a mama to her beautiful baby boy Maxx, but this day was a beautiful calm before the storm for these parents to be. Being a photographer in Las Vegas, I mostly shoot sessions out in the desert landscapes, but we have some beautiful beaches!!! I honestly can't believe I don't shoot out here more, but hopefully I will get to be back out here soon for an epic shoot, or possibly Kolleen and Jacob's first family session???

I also have to say that this way my first shoot with my new Rose Anvil lone bandit single harness (I have a dual strap for when I shoot weddings, but I wanted to also get a single camera strap) and WOW! It is cute, comfy, takes the weight off my shoulder and holds the camera close to my body when I don't want to have to hold it. If you aren't using a harness yet, do it already because it will change the way you shoot for the better. I got mine from moment, and have literally ZERO regrets! Get yours here!

Every shoot with Kolleen just keeps getting better and better because she is so down for WHATEVER, and is a gorgeous model even at 9 months pregnant, and is as excited to get her dress all wet for the photo as I am. I mean isn't that every photographers dream?

On this shoot I really focused on exposing for the sky and hoping that I wouldn't muddy up their shadows too much, but the raw photos and the ISO on the S1R really has a lot of room to work with, so the photos turned out exactly how I imagined! I don't really like HDR shots, it's not my style, I prefer more natural film emulation editing style, so I try to capture it how it really was. There is nothing wrong with HDR of course, it's just not my style. I don't really like editing in photoshop, so if I can't do something easily in lightroom, then I just don't do it at all. I like knowing that my photos really show what my camera can do with the choices I make while shooting.

XOXO,

HAYWAY

The Leavitts in Tule Springs | Las Vegas Family Photographer

Makenzie and Ben are not only the cutest couple, but also the best parents to the two cutest little kiddos around. I mean, come on, this family is just adorable. I was so excited to get to capture their beautiful family and have some fun in the desert at sunset! Little Hudson was loving it, climbing around when he wasn't asking why this was talking so long ever 2 minutes lol! We went out to one of my favorite spots for some cool golden hour family portraits, and the results were just perfect.

With Joshua Trees, beautiful creosent bushes, and these wild cream cliffs, the fossil beds are a seriously epic location for any kind of photoshoot! My philosophy on family portraits is get the classic poses, but don't go overboard. How many different variations of everyone huddles together smiling do you really need? You are only going to hang 1-3 of this exact photo... so then once we get that, it's all about having fun! I think family photos, and just photos in general are one of the most important things, especially in order to remember and look back upon. My photos with my Dad are priceless, and I wish I had more. I wish I had photos of us like this every few years, but at least the ones I do have I can look back on and see him smiling and hugging me.

So as someone who understands how much family photos really mean, this has really changed how I prepare and look at a family session. It's not about how many "good" photos I can get in a bunch of different poses, but how many smiles, laughs, and real moments I can get of everyone there, so they have these memories forever.

Las Vegas has so many gorgeous and epic locations around, all they are all so different looking... like wild orange rocks, beautiful lakes, aspen groves, and dry lake beds... making being a photographer in Las Vegas so much fun! I get to suggest these crazy locations to my clients, and sometimes get the chance to show them something they've never seen! Like this spot, Makenzie and Ben live only a few miles from and now they can take their kids hiking there or go out exploring, which is such a fun thing to do on a Saturday!

One of my favorite things about this spot is the colors. The way the desert lights up and almost glows when the sun hits it just right is extraordinary! The warm tones are just perfect for beautiful family portraits. To me, colors are a big indicator of feeling, and the yellow warm tones conveying warmth and happiness, the exact feelings every family portrait session should show!

Hudson and Liberty are just such cuties... I mean look at these two! I was dying the entire shoot because Liberty's little pig tails were glowing with the sun shining behind her. And Hudson was so sweet, holding her up, giving her sweet little kisses, and just being such a good big brother! She was so cute and happy the entire shoot, I can't wait to see what she's like when she can talk and run around! And this family just has the biggest blue eyes you have ever seen, just absolutely gorgeous!

XOXO,

HAYWAY

Aimee + Chase \\ Las Vegas Maternity Session in the Desert

Golden Hour Maternity Pictures

Aimee and Chase are the cutest parents to be, and I was so lucky to capture their maternity pictures in one of my favorite spots in Las Vegas. I met Aimee through facebook when I was advertising my valentine's day mini sessions last year, and since she works with my sister, she saw my post and booked one of my time slots. I love maternity sessions, so I was so excited to have one of the mini sessions be a little maternity session! The other crazy part is that I went to high school with Chase's brother Chance, and also shot Chance and Skylar's #maternity session!

For my mini sessions, I wanted to have some kind of prop, so I made a little bouquet that my clients could use in some of the pictures, and I loved how this turned out! This spot is right outside of Las Vegas, and perfect for #engagement pictures as well as beautiful boho maternity portraits, and it just lights up around sunset. This is definitely my favorite time to shoot photos in this spot. Golden hour is just that, GOLDEN, everything in the desert turns gold and it's just like the desert is bathed in sunlight, it is so beautiful. Sometimes you can get a wild sunset at this spot too, which looks wild with all the Joshua Tree's around. I like to call this spot my little Joshua Tree National Park, but it's only 20 minutes from my house instead of 4 hours!

We had a lot of fun out in the desert this evening, and even though it was a little chilly, the photos made it look like a beautiful and warm in the #desert on this winter evening. Being a wedding photographer in Las Vegas means that we get to capture some of the most amazing weddings and elopements, but I still think that some of my favorite shoots ever are maternity pictures. It has to do with this beautiful moment before your entire world changes, and it's like this beautiful moment for the future parents to soak in their time together and their love. Also, the female body is something that I am always in awe over, how it grows and entire human from one cell, and it stretches and bounces back afterwards, and a baby bump is just such a beautiful thing, that I LOVE getting to photograph them. So without further ado, Aimee and Chase's maternity valentines day mini session!

XOXO,

HAYWAY