What Meeting Finn Looks Like

If you've been following along from last month, I've been asked to join eleven very talented women across the globe who have come together with a common goal: to capture our families in a real and beautiful way.  No posing.  No forced smiles.  Just come-as-you-are lifestyle photography (my favorite!).  I am honored to be a part of this group and look forward each month to seeing what they've posted and what beautiful snippets from their families' lives they've chosen to remember and share with us.  It's called "What ___ Looks Like", and each month we fill in the blank with a new subject or a different example of the same subject... our choice. This project has been both a challenge and a joy for me, as it forces me to grab my camera for reasons other than "work".  And thank goodness for that.  My kids certainly deserve it!

This month I'm sharing What Meeting Finn Looks Like.  (Edited to add two photos from my sister, below.  They really help tell the story of how meaningful this visit was to me.)

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Last summer my sister had a baby boy.  If you read this recent post about the newborn I'd never gotten to hold, then you'll know how excited I was to have my my beautiful sister Amy and my sweet nephew Finn come visit us from Kentucky after Charlotte was born!

This is what he looked like when I first met him in the NICU (I took this through the window)...

My sister took these photos from her side of the window... Parker, me and Lila.

And the smears of kisses and salty tears I left on that window, after we found out that I wasn't allowed to come into the NICU of that hospital to hold my nephew.  I nearly left my heart on that pane of glass.

This is the only way I've "seen" him since... again, through a "window"...

Huge thanks to my sweet Parker for snapping this at the airport for me... xo  (Yes, Charlotte is in there somewhere.)  :)

I finally got to hold him!!!   No more windows to separate us.  I. Love. This. Shot.  What's funnier (to me) than our babies' sweet fishy faces is that Amy and I both did this at the same time without us looking at the other one... a complete coincidence.  And we are mirroring the expressions ourselves.  We're crazy.  And very much alike, apparently!  But I think Parker has the knack for capturing the right moments, don't you??  A lifestyle photographer in training.

This was the first time we'd held each other's babies.  :)  We had a wonderful time together.  Here are a few snippets from our long (but much too short) weekend...

And of course, what is a trip to Florida without meeting the ocean for the first time?

Sweet boy.  I tried very hard to hold it together when we said goodbye at the airport.  I didn't cry in front of her, but when I got back in my car I couldn't keep in the tears any longer.  I thought I was safe since she had walked into the airport and would surely be busy with baggage and tickets and checking in, etc.  But she texted me a few minutes later saying she looked out the doors and saw me crying... and then she lost it too.  As Truvy says in Steel Magnolias, "I have a strict rule that nobody cries alone in my presence."  And that certainly applies to sisters.  Especially to sisters.

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I'd encourage you to follow this circle of women, right along with me... next up is a very talented artist named  Gina Oh |  Arroyo Grande, CA Photographer.  Last month Gina shared the beauty and laughter to be had in a simple bike ride, and I can't wait to see her sweet kids' faces again this month.  I hope you follow us.  Enjoy the journey, friends.

xo, Stacey

A Rainy Afternoon

During my pregnancy, I began turning inward quite a bit, "nesting" and preparing my home for our new little one.  Now that we have a newborn in our midst, I continue to feel that pull of home.  The need to just be present here, even if it looks to everyone else like I'm simply puttering around the house.  I feel that urge to slow down, to take things a bit easier than my full-speed 90-to-nothing pace from earlier this year.  Nowadays, laundry calls my name during all my waking hours.  Little onesies, blankets, burp cloths and diapers all beg to be washed, dried, folded and put away.  There are chores to do and little lunches to make for Lila.  Parker's bus stop reminders on my iPhone often wake me from my nursing-induced nap in the afternoon.  It's still a busy time, but it's busy in much different ways than it used to be. This day, however, was relaxed and wonderful.  No agenda.  No plans.  Nowhere to be but here.  What a lovely idea.

The perfect blanket to snuggle up and watch the drips on the windows, don't you think?

Chris and Charlotte watched a little football together.  Online.  Chris is already trying to find her a Redskins jersey/onesie to wear on game days.  We had one when Parker was a baby, but I put it up somewhere to save it, and apparently I put it up a little too well...  and now we can't find it!

And what sort of rainy day would it be without a little baking?  Lila and I made a fresh cherry cobbler.

Her first and last bite.  I have to say, she appreciated them a little more once they were cooked in a sugar syrup and baked under a crust.  Girl after my own heart.

This cobbler was absolutely delicious.  Oh it was.  I might even share the recipe with you.  It's from one of my favorite cookbooks... an autographed copy of Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook.  It's a spiral-bound book, just like all of the church ladies used to sell at the fundraisers.  It's comforting to me just to flip through all the dog-eared, flour-sprinkled, sticky-finger-smudged pages.  It's well-used and well-loved, as you can see...

And this is how I cooked dinner.  This child loves the Moby Wrap.  Thank goodness for it, too.  We decided to forgo the bulky infant car seat this time around, because I really didn't want to schlep that heavy thing all over town.  Plus, germ-infested strangers are a lot less apt to try and touch your cute little baby when you're wearing her.  :)  She rides in this, this or this for now.  (Another post to come soon about baby-carriers!)  :)

After dinner and bath time, I put Charlotte to bed and the older two continued to be their goofy selves in the kitchen.  Pardon the way they're dressed.  This is real life, is it not?  This is the preferred weekend attire for my two, and is more than typical if you knock on my door on a lazy weekend afternoon.

*Sidenote: If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that Lila wears this purple Rapunzel costume just about every day.  She wears it around the house, she plays catch with Parker in the backyard in it, she wears it to Target and to the grocery store.  I pick my battles with this one, and I choose not to fight over this!  The Rapunzel dress has been mended twice, and this week I'll have to stitch it up again because it's unraveling in two more places.  But that is to be expected with a garment that is worn everywhere, everyday, for a month.

Anyhow, I love these photos partially because she's wearing that funny little dress.  It will always remind me of this stage in her childhood.

Then the four of us played Sorry on the coffee table.  Parker won, as usual, and Lila made up her own rules, as usual.  Some snuggling, two sweet bedtime prayers, one more drink of water, a few tears... and our lazy rainy day was confirmed a success.  Can't wait for the next one.

What would you choose to remember from YOUR rainy afternoons?  I'd love it if you posted about it on your own blog!  Include a photo of course, and please link back here in the comments.  I would love to see how others spend their rainy weekends.  Do you bake cobbler and play board games?  Do laundry and read magazines?  Or do you grab an umbrella and run outside in the middle of it all?

The Chic Critique Forum

I remember participating in a popular photography forum several years ago when I first began shooting.  It was a wonderfully helpful forum filled with photographers of all skill levels; lots of people participated and shared their images and gave/received feedback and critique.  A lot of the feedback was really helpful, and forced me to open my eyes and view my images on a more technical level instead of an artistic one (ya gotta know the rules in order to break them, right?).

After awhile, as my work improved, I began to get comments like "Great shot!", "So stinkin' cute!" or "Love it!", or the ever-popular "I lurrrrve it!" (anyone remember that one?!).  While sweet words like that were (and still are) wonderful to hear (and so good for the ego, lol)... I felt that these compliments weren't necessarily the truth.  I longed for honest critique again.  Someone to tell me flat-out that my highlights were blown to smithereens and my shadows were completely blocked.  Or to offer helpful advice, for instance, if I had turned my subject a few degrees more toward the light, I could have brightened up her eyes or lightened the shadows alongside her cheek.  Give it to me straight!  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt hat I could have improved my technique faster if someone had simply told me the truth about my work.

Well, enter the Chic Critique Forum!  It's a wonderful new resource that focuses on giving photographers HONEST critique on their work.  What's it really worth to you, to have honest and helpful feedback on your photography?  To have another set of eyes to view your work, someone help you figure out what your images might be lacking.  What could make them a little bit better, what could make them stand out and shine?  I say $59 is a steal for something as valuable as the future of your art and your business.

I'm thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of "Celebrity" Photographers who are offering our honest critique to help your images improve.  Sign up HERE for my 4-Week Critique, and also become a part of a fabulous forum that will continue to help you and your photography business blossom and grow!  My class is only $59 and begins on Monday, October 3.  I can't wait to chat with you and help your images become better than ever.  See you soon!

Lifestyle: Your Style Mini-Workshop is Back on the Bloom Forum!

I'm slowly easing into work again.  I'm not yet ready to leave my tiny baby girl behind and begin shooting just yet... but I am offering my third installment of Lifestyle: Your Style, a Mini-Workshop for Photographers, over on The Bloom Forum from Monday October 3 to Friday October 14.  You must be a member of The Bloom Forum to participate, and you must live/shoot at least 120 miles away from Tampa Bay in order to be eligible to take the course.  This will be the last mini-workshop I offer in 2011, so jump in now if you're interested! Thirty (30) Active Memberships and ten (10) Silent Memberships will be offered this time around.  Active Members will receive a beautiful ebook filled with the course material, my philosophy on the lifestyle approach, an explanation of my own shooting methods and session techniques, two assignments to complete at your own pace during the course, a client questionnaire sample to help you prequalify your clients, and a couple of other goodies to help you integrate this lifestyle approach into your own work.  Active members can fully participate in the course, submit images for critique and feedback within our private area of the forum, and receive feedback (from myself and the other students) on the assignments submitted.  Each Active Membership is just $200.

Silent Members pay $150, and receive all of the above EXCEPT feedback and critique on images and assignments.  Silent memberships are read-only, no active participation is allowed at this level.  You're still welcome to read and follow along with the class in the forum area, however.

Lifestyle: Your Style is held online and is truly a work-at-your-own-pace opportunity.  You need not be online or logged into the forum every night; nor do I ask you to submit any of your assignments by a certain deadline.  You're free to do the course work at your own leisure during the two weeks we have together.

Seats always fill quickly, so don't wait!  Take the Lifestyle: Your Style Mini-Workshop if you want to discover new techniques to use during your Holiday Family Sessions this Fall.  (We all know you're tired of those forced-smile posed images on the Holiday cards, right?)  We're going to have a blast together.

SO HEAD ON OVER TO THE BLOOM FORUM!  You'll love it... the women there are beyond helpful and so inspiring!  Once you're a member of Bloom, you can register for the mini-workshop right there within the forum.  If you have any questions about the forum itself or about the mini-workshop, let me know.  See you there!

*Affiliate links are utilized in this post.

What Three Looks Like

I long to have what you have, dear clients.  Photographs of my family hugging and loving and laughing and being together.  ON MY WALLS.  Not just on my hard drive.  It's what spurred my interest in photography back in 2005, and what inspired me to create this business of mine.  Sadly, I don't have nearly as many of those sweet photographs on my walls as I ought to, being a professional photographer and all.  You know the story of the cobbler's children who had no shoes?  Well, this cobbler has made many shoes for her children, but they're all in boxes instead of on their feet.  Or rather, they are sitting on hard drives instead of in albums and gracing the walls of our home.  

photo courtesy of my fabulous midwife, Vikki Bennett at Breath of Life (thank you for grabbing my big "scary" camera and snapping this for me!!  xo)

I’ve been lucky to have met so many incredibly talented and wonderful photographers during this journey.  People who share the same desire to capture their own families in a real and beautiful way.  I’m teaming up with eleven of these women on a very personal and meaningful project called, “What ________ Looks Like.”

Our goal is to capture our own families in a real and beautiful way.  Some people call it “lifestyle”, some call it “real life”, "documentary", and some call it “unposed”.  No matter what you call it, our desire is to snatch the moments that represent the relationships, the dynamics, the reality, the beauty, the truth, and the life of our families and record them here on our blogs as well as in print at the end of the project.

Each month we will each choose to fill in the blank with our word of choice.  Some of us may choose to use the same word all year and some may choose to change it up each month.  We will each link to the next photographer until our circle of 12 is complete.

We hope this project inspires you to take more pictures of your own families so that those unique moments that make your family unique will never be lost or forgotten.

xoxo

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What THREE Looks Like...

Lila is home with me now, instead of in daycare, throughout the remainder of my maternity leave.  This is her, for most of the hours of the day.  She calls to Charlotte in her singsong voice, she cups her sister's tiny face with her chubby hands, and she says so sweetly... "Hellooo Sweet Honey!  Hi baby-guhl (girl).  How's my tiny baby?"  And other little nicknames she picks up from me from day to day.  She's so truly interested in this little one, and it blesses my heart to see her showing her love in this delicate way.  She kisses her head and cheeks no fewer than 50 times per day.  Every day.  Charlotte is so lucky.  So blessed.

My first little love, holding my last little love.  This is Parker's routine as soon as he comes home from school: put backpack away, wash hands, hold Charlotte.  He pats her little head when he gets off the bus and into the car, and always comments on how cute she looks.  He really adores her.  He's been interested in all things baby since I found out I was expecting again... which proves both rewarding and uncomfortable (on my part) due to some very curious questions during this time!  (Lord give me strength to explain these details in a way he can understand at his level!)  But he's the sweetest big brother, and has vowed to protect "both of his girls" from here on out.  Mean kids, you've been warned.

He's had quite the transition this week... he was supposed to begin second grade on the morning his littlest sister was born.  Sadly, we skipped the first day (we had yet to be released from the birthing center), so he started a day late.  New sister, new teacher, new classes, new friends.  All in the span of a day.  A bit scattered and unfocused this week, with a few naughty spells thrown in, but that is to be expected, I suppose, with all of these changes happening at once.

And this, why, this is my view at any given time.  Every two to three hours I look down and see this.  Charlotte's teeny outstretched legs on my lap as I nurse her.  Sweet, curled-up baby toes.  Little white t-shirts, bare bellies and the tiniest of newborn diapers.  The beginnings of chubby fat rolls on her thighs and knees.  My own legs outstretched on the ottoman to relieve the last bit of swelling in my ankles.  This is reality.

This is what THREE looks like.

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I strongly encourage you to visit the next photographer's blog in our very talented circle of women.  I have the pleasure of introducing Gina Oh  |  Arroyo Grande, CA Photographer and her beautiful photos of her sweet children (one of whom is named Charlotte as well!).  I hope you enjoy her words and images as much as I do.  At the end of her blog post, you'll discover another link to a new photographer and her perspective on "What ____ Looks Like", and so the circle continues.  Visit them all, and soak up the beauty of this project and our pride in it.

Enjoy the journey, friends.  Be blessed,

Stacey

Introducing... Charlotte Marin Woods

She's here.  And positively adored.

Welcome to the world,

~ Charlotte Marin ~ 

Our baby girl arrived into this world at 2:35am on Monday, August 22, 2011.  She weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces, and is 19 inches long.  She surprised us by being almost two weeks early (my guess date was September 3, which has been a running joke throughout this pregnancy... since that's "Labor Day" weekend.)  ;)

big sister Lila, three years old //  baby Charlotte, one day old

Her name is very special because, to us, it represents where Chris and I began, and where we are now.  He and I met in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1998.  We fell in love and began our life together there.  Marin (pronounced "Mare uhn") literally means "from the sea", which represents our life here now.  One of our favorite things about living in Florida is how close we are to the Gulf, and how much our kids love the beach (especially Parker right now).  Chris and I also were married on the beach a little over twelve years ago, and it's just weaved itself into our lives.

I promise to post Charlotte's wonderful birth story soon (and lots more photos).  Her birth was absolutely amazing for us.  And true to her name, she was actually born in water.  For now, let me just say that the amazing ladies at Breath of Life Birth Center in Largo are the most caring, attentive and supportive midwives and birthing team I've ever seen and known.  They have been so sweet to our family, so welcoming of our other children, and so prayerful and supportive of our entire journey toward Charlotte's arrival.  I can't recommend them highly enough, Mamas.  And a less-than-five-hour labor?  What a blessing.

Thank you so much to everyone for the well wishes, emails, Facebook greetings and sweet phone calls we've received.  We are really enjoying our first week at home together with Charlotte, finding our routine and getting to know each other.  We're all completely smitten with this sweet darling girl, so everything else has been put on hold for a short while.  I know a few clients are waiting on a print here and there, and those will go out soon (thanks to my fabulous husband and his help with matting and packaging!).  I go back to shooting in late October, so if you'd like us to put you down for a fall/winter session, please just send an email to stacey {at} staceywoodsphoto {dot} com, and we'll contact you back at our earliest convenience.  We greatly appreciate your love and patience during this precious time for our family, and I promise to keep you updated during my maternity leave with lots of photographs of this little one and her big brother and big sister!

xxoo,

Stacey

Workshop Seat Giveaway

If you follow The Creative Mama, then you already know that we are knee-deep in our Creative Photographer Series this month.  We've hosted an average of two giveaways per day and have interviewed an amazing photographer every day, and we are still running our Series through the end of July.  It's been crazy, fabulous, and such a fun time!  We have so much talent still lined up to showcase, and have seen such wonderful feedback to our artists and sponsors that I'm positively giddy! Anyhow, I thought I'd mention that today on TCM I'm giving away a Silent Seat (read-along) to my upcoming Lifestyle: Your Style mini-workshop over on The Bloom Forum.  It's an online course, so you can take it at your own pace, and it's focused solely on creating lifestyle images for your own family and for your clients.  Silent Seats are valued at $150.

If you haven't entered yet, there are 8 possible ways to win!  Just click on THIS POST (or the image below) and follow the instructions.  A winner will be chosen at random, and the contest ends at 3:59 CST today.  So don't wait!  Get on over there and enter.

AND.... if you would like more information on the Mini-Workshop, or on my soon-to-be-released Mentoring Program, just scroll all the way down to the bottom of this blog and sign up to receive my newsletter, and I'll put you on the list.  This entitles you to early registration for the Lifestyle MWS when possible, and keeps you up to date on how my Mentoring Program is coming along.  With your feedback, it should be pretty amazing.  ;)

Thanks so much, friends!  xo

Welcoming Ryder | St. Petersburg Maternity and Newborn Photography

When I first met Amy, I was amazed at her strength.  She and her husband were expecting a child in a few weeks, and they were in the middle of a move to a new house as well.  So many changes happening at once, but she handled them all beautifully. We had a wonderful time at her maternity session, held at her home and then at one of the gorgeous local beaches close by.

And just a few short weeks later... I got to visit her again.  Only this time, Amy had a beautiful baby boy in her arms.

Ahh.  Sweet boy.  Don't I have the greatest job in the entire world?

The Newborn I've Never Held

When I first met my nephew, this is what he looked like.

Tiny and sweet in my sister's arms.  Barely five pounds.  Couldn't eat on his own, couldn't stabilize his heart rate (due to bradychardia).  He was born at 34 weeks gestation... coincidentally, the same progression I'm currently at with this pregnancy.

I flew to Kentucky just after he was born and visited him in the NICU.  I took this photo through the thick paned glass because I was not allowed to go inside and visit him.  I held my own two babies up to the window and introduced them to their newest little friend.  Parker was thrilled to have another boy cousin on my side...finally!

I left a lot of kisses, smudges, and salty tears on that slab of window glass.  I wished desperately to hold him, to smell his sweet little head, to touch his soft skin and trace his hairline with my finger.  To welcome this new little boy to our family.  But we were separated by the window.  He had to stay in the NICU for several more weeks, long after I had to return home to Florida.  I didn't get to hold him.

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The last time I saw him (last night), it was just past midnight and he had just turned ONE.  Alas, we were again separated by a window.  He was wearing my son's shark pajamas, and he was smiling again in his mama's arms.  Only he was a lot bigger.  He has come such a long way in a year!

Although I'm thankful for these "windows" through which I get to see him smile, hear him laugh, and watch him snuggle his mama... I can't wait for the day when no screen separates us.  I want to grab him up and give him all these hugs and kisses that I've been saving just for him, for the past year.

Happy 1st Birthday, "Baby Finn".  We love you to the moon and back, little man.  XOXO (and even more smudgy kisses through the window).

Bedtime at our House

I read this quote just a few minutes ago and bowed my head in shame.  I often get so frustrated with my kids at bedtime... the opposite of this very sage piece of advice above.  You see, the last fifteen minutes before bedtime is often the most stressful of my entire day.  I believe my kids are in some sort of contest to see how rotten they can be and how quickly they can make Mama frustrated before she loses her cool.  Are your kids like that too?  There are always a dozen reasons to get out of bed... another request for water, someone's too hot, someone's too cold, he needs another potty trip, Lila needs Bitty Baby, where's Parker's blanket, please turn off the fan, can you find my favorite song?  One wants the door open and one wants it closed, he has his nightlight so Lila wants hers too, please one more book, scratch my back, etc.  Plus, my kids seem to bicker and pester each other until one of them is frustrated and the other is in tears.  And I am both frustrated AND in tears.

But something magical happens once they settle into bed.  As much as they fuss and fight during their waking hours, they refuse to sleep apart from one another.  We have a toddler bed plus a full-size bed in Lila's room, and Parker has a twin plus a trundle in his own.  They can spread their arms and legs out, have their respective bed all to themselves... but no.  Somehow they always migrate to one another before they fall asleep.  Lila begs to sleep in "da big bed" in her room with her brother, and Parker calls to us from his room until we give up and send him in to sleep with his sister.  Girly bedding and all, he could care less.  He's snuggled up with his built-in friend, and that's all that matters.

Tonight when I went in to peek at them (after all was quiet), this is what I saw.  I kissed them both, silently thanked God for these precious angels of ours, asked for forgiveness for being so short with them as I tucked them in tonight... and then I grabbed my phone to take a quick photo.  I couldn't help but share my two sweet babies with you here.

And no, the photo isn't sideways.  They were actually lying crosswise in the bed just like this.  Lila often has her leg thrown over Parker's hip just as she did tonight, and he usually has his arm around her tummy.

Parker spent a week at his grandparents' house in North Carolina last month.  He told me he slept with a pillow behind his back to compensate for Lila not being there with him.  And Lila slept with Chris and me, because she couldn't bear to sleep alone either.  It reminds me of sharing a room with my sisters years ago... when I moved away, we all slept with pillows behind us to fill the space in the bed left by the other sister.

I pray that they always stay this close as they grow up.  And that God will give me the patience to hold on during the frustrating evenings... because these sweet blessings come afterward.

xo, friends.  Sleep tight.