Tim & Cassandre` {expecting} | kearney nebraska maternity photographer

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this session because it is my family!!!  My absolutely stunning sister and brother-in-law are expecting their first baby!!  They are very beautiful people which made choosing the photos from this session INCREDIBLY difficult!  This little Sweetpea is going to be my niece or nephew, and my family could not be happier! (with the exception of my 21 month old daughter who keeps looking for this baby under Cassandre`'s shirt and is continuously disappointed to find a belly... she may think we are trying to trick her, haha.)  We had a beautiful afternoon last week to capture these images.  The sun was warm and golden, and we were surrounded by all kinds of yummy light.  And of course it never hurts to have some of the most photogenic people on the earth as your subjects!  Thank you, Tim and Cassandre`... you are going to be wonderful, loving parents!  I love you!

{Brand New Love} rock the shot February contest submission

This was one of my favorite sessions; when I saw that the February contest was about LOVE I immediately thought of this session and starting looking for just the right photo!  This baby was 8 days new, and her parents could not be more in love with her!  They could not stop looking at her, totally mesmerized by this beautiful little girl they had been blessed with; their emotion was so so raw, true and absolutely beautiful.  

This shot was not posed, it was just one of those amazing moments that I happened to be behind the camera for... usually these things happen and you're setting up or not quite ready, but this was perfect.  Baby reaching out and kissing daddy's hand!  I did some subtle exposure correction in camera RAW and then edited with Oh So Posh action, Ivory Silk, tweaking the action until I got the perfect mix of colors and light.

{Brand New Love}

Contest submission for February 2012:

www.rocktheshotforum.com 

Jillian, 6 months | kearney nebraska newborn and child photographer

Winter is proving to be very tricky for a natural light photographer in Nebraska; we had planned to do more than 1 photo outside, but last Friday was literally FREEZING!! :)  I owe a huge thank you to the director at the Frank House for working with me to allow Russtanna Photography to use this amazing historical house in Jillian's 6 month shoot!  I cannot believe how much she has grown since our first shoot a few months ago and how she is just getting more and more beautiful!  It is not always easy being 6 months, but little Jillian was just an angel!  She only got upset once the entire session and even that was only a few little (and adorable) whimpers. :)  She is just gorgeous like her mama, and I had so much fun wandering around a new place finding the most amazing "set ups" for us to pose Jillian in!  Jillian also got to be the first baby to model my new headbands!

Sophia, 6 weeks | Russtanna Photography, newborn & child photographer, kearney nebraska

Oh how I just ADORE babies.  It is quickly becoming my favorite part of being a photographer!  Little Sophia was welcomed with so much love by her parents Kayla and Matt.  They are just the sweetest little family with so much excitement and joy a they watch baby Sophia.  She was the perfect baby sleeping, cooing, and that relaxing, heavy and steady breathing of a baby that just calms all you stresses.  I knew Kayla from our sorority and we both grew up in the same hometown, and she is such a wonderful mommy; I met Matt for the first time that day and he adores Sophia so much; it just makes your heart melt.  Thank you for sharing your time with me and for making such a beautiful little angel!

Erin: beautiful. woman. | Russtanna Photography, model photography, kearney nebraska

I owe a huge thank you to my friend Erin!  She gladly agreed to be a model for me to try out some new techniques that I learned at my latest pro-photog training (not that I'm calling myself a pro yet...).  Erin has such amazing features and I new she would be the perfect model.  We had such a fun time, and she was such a great sport as I had her twist this way and that way and lay on cement and old pieces of wood... These are some of my favorite shots yet!  The lighting was yummy and delicious as we moved out to the park, the sun was so golden and I just loved how it played up her hair and clothing.  Erin is a stylist at Regis here in Kearney, and she has a warm and friendly spirit and an awesome attitude towards life.  Thanks again Erin, and I can't wait to have a knitting date! ;)