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Everything lined up just perfectly for this spring maternity session: a gorgeous couple, the perfect maxi dress, blooming yellow irises and that gorgeous afternoon light that makes me happy just thinking about it.

Spring is so fleeting, so when we hit it right at that moment when the flowers are blooming, it makes me so thankful that the couple could have them included in their session.
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This April marks my fifth year in business (yay!) and it reminds me to celebrate the families that have been with me since the beginning. These lovely people that you see below have had six sessions with me and we have yet another on the calendar to welcome their twins (yes, TWINS) to the world.

For their pregnancy session, we meandered down to the river on an overcast and somewhat cold day, but they brushed off the chill like champs and we came away with a set of images that I love.

Oh, and a little brag for Katie  - she really does look this amazing in person! Every time I look at these pictures, I silently pray I will look even half as incredible as she looks when I’m pregnant (fat chance). Lol Click HERE to read more

Maternity photos in the spring are one of my favorite sessions. There’s the excitement of the baby and the beautiful backgrounds and everything comes together so beautifully.

I drove down to Elk Grove for this shoot so that we could incorporate the family’s beautiful home. I got there a little early so I poked around the neighborhood looking for nice spots to take them to. Just down the street from their house was a driveway lined with pink blossoming trees. It was like heaven…

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Light like butter and honey mixed together…I couldn’t stop taking pictures…

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This couple was cute beyond words — they’ve known each other since they were kids, but only really connected later on in life after he had become an attorney and she, a physician. I love that…it’s like they were destined for each other and now they are adding a third member to their team — how wonderful! Plus, they own two Boston Terriers, so they get an extra-special spot in my book.

We struck out to a nearby pond. The sun was nice and low in the sky, perfect for the setting. We walked by this spot in the trees and it’s like it called my name, asking to be used for this very image. I think it’s one of my all-time favorites. I made such a dork out of myself when I took the picture…I distinctly remember doing a totally unfiltered dance when I saw it in the back of the camera, lol!

Even the ducks participated. What a pretty spot amongst the yellow flowers.

The gentleness of her hands on her perfect little belly — love it.

My favorite kind of “glowy” light.

We captured a few in their back yard and I love how the curve of the pool draws the eye to her face and the image is sort of “cradled” by the trees and grass.

Doing a little experimenting this week — which do you like the better, the images on the top or bottom? I’m playing with some new editing techniques…

Omg, I have so many more from this session that I LOVE! Can’t wait to share the rest with this lovely couple.

Oh how I love spring-time photography sessions! My heart does a little flip as soon as I see the first signs of daffodils and cherry blossoms. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my birthday is in April or that it’s just so darn beautiful — probably a combination of the two.

I adore all of the red hair and freckles in this family’s session. They are expecting their third child so we did a combo-family-maternity session and the kids had loads of fun, laughing and playing. We caught the light just perfectly on a sunny day sandwiched in between a few rainy ones. Love it when the sun comes out just when you need it to – whew!

I feel very lucky to be able to call these two gorgeous people my family (the handsome guy on the right is my husband’s brother, Adam). Their baby girl, is expected to arrive in April, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! She will be the first grandbaby on Drew’s side of the family, and all of the grandparents are SO excited.

Lauren and Adam came up from Los Angeles for their spring-time maternity session, and we had a lovely reception from the local blossoming almond orchard. It was the perfect backdrop for such a gorgeous couple. Isn’t Lauren just stunning?!

I love how the light comes through the fabric of her dress, showing just enough, but not too much.

Lovely light, beautiful location, awesome people. Ah, it was a good day. I can’t wait to share pictures of my new niece!

Jill

Do you recognize this beautiful mama from my website? It felt like only yesterday that we did her maternity session and newborn photography session for her son. However, now she’s expecting a little girl, and I could be happier for them. She’s the founder of Veera Yoga in Roseville and it shows! She’s one of the fittest moms I’ve ever seen at 34 weeks, and she’s just stunning!

The love between these three is palpable – so, so sweet.

It was a warm and windy day, whipping our hair around our faces. It added a nice element to the images while we caught some of the last of this pretty winter light.

Can’t wait to meet their little girl!

I’ve been photographing this lovely family for a few years now and never cease to be inspired by them. I thought I’d share a bit of their story here, along with a few images from their last maternity session. And since I love Cate’s style of writing, I’ll just give it to you in her own words here:

“Matt and I met on Match.com while living in Las Vegas (which doesn’t offer a lot of ways to meet people outside of a bar), so I’ll always be grateful for the Internet. The first thing either of us did when we woke up each day was check to see if the other had written back. I remember telling Matt on our first date I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. That makes me laugh now, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t tell him I wasn’t looking for a husband, or he’d have more to tease me about. Eight years later and we still discover something new about each other all the time. It’s been a joy becoming parents and getting to raise these boys together. It isn’t easy, but it has strengthened our bond to each other and to our son, Bennett, and his brother.

Waking Matt up at 5 am on vacation to tell him we were expecting again was hilarious. I was jumping up and down whisper-yelling, asking Matt if he saw two lines, and the poor guy hadn’t even opened his eyes yet. Telling Bennett, was even better, though he had no idea what it meant. We were sure we were having a girl, but when the ultrasound said ‘boy’, it just felt right. This was who we were missing. Bennett will show you my tummy (or sometimes his) and tell you it’s his baby brother. I think we are all a little anxious about the changes coming but excited, too. Little brother already fits right in, kicking and rolling, like he can’t wait to join in. It’s amazing how much you can love someone you haven’t met. I’m can’t wait to see my two boys together, and to hold them and love them with my husband.”

Here’s a lovely little note that Cate put in an email after our session together:

“Thank you for capturing these moments for us. I am always grateful for the time and attention to detail you show, during the session and after. We are so lucky to have found you and to have you on this journey. There is no one we would trust more to bottle these little moments so we can always treasure them.”

When I was a kid, I LOVED collections. I had sets of sea glass, stickers, stamps, playing cards, rocks…and even dirt (well, it was dirt from different parts of the world, which makes it a little cooler, no? haha). When I discovered Pinterest, it was perfect because I could collect all of the fun and inspiring things I found on the internet all in one place (minus the heavy box of rocks that I have to lug around every time I move, lol!).

What is Pinterest? It is a virtual “pinboard” that lets you organize and share all of the inspiring and fun things you find on the web. You can use it to plan an upcoming photo shoot, collect ideas for decorating your home, or even organize your favorite recipes.

Want to be on Pinterest? It’s easy — the first thing to do is request an invite. Pinterest is invite-only right now, so email me if you’d like to start an account at info@jillcarmel.com.

I love to use Pinterest to create inspiration boards for each different kind photography session that I might have: maternity, newborn, baby, family, and teens. You can also create your own inspiration board and share it with me so that we can be on the same page for your session.

Trying to think of what to wear for your maternity session? Check out the pregnancy inspiration board on my Pinterest page:

Wondering how to display the portraits you purchased? Come on over to my wall display ideas board:

Not sure where to start when it comes to clothing? It works best to start with one outfit and base the others on it. Here some ideas on my What to Wear – Women board:

You can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/jillcarmel

And once you get totally obsessed good at using it, you can have Pinterest on your iPhone like me…

If you’re already on Pinterest, leave me a comment letting me know how you like to use it.