So people are always telling me that I don’t post enough pictures of my own kids (mostly those people are their grandparents). Anyway, Zoe just turned 2 last Saturday so we took her and Zane out for a photo shoot this week to commemorate the big 02. Photographers across the country will tell you that your own children are the hardest ones to photograph. I’m here to tell you it’s absolutely true. Here are a few favorites of my kiddos!
Do I sound like a proud papa or what? Yeah Zoe is exactly 3 months old today so of course we took some 3-month pictures. It’s amazing how much she’s changed in just a short time.
Most of the time, Rachel and I both just stare at her and can hardly believe how beautiful she is (good thing she got her mama’s looks eh?)
Well, we came home from the hospital on Friday, I shot a wedding on Saturday, we shot Zoe’s official newborn session on Sunday and today I’m finally getting around to giving you all an update on how things are going in the Zahner house . . . pretty good actually.
First of all, Zoe and momma and both doing great. They are indeed the two most beautiful ladies I know. In fact, I was looking at Zoe the other night and I told Rachel, “I think you’re gonna have to do the discipline on this one. I don’t know that I could ever scold her”. My mother assures me I’ll change my tune as soon as she hits toddler-hood. But for now, I’ll stick to my assertion that my daughter is the most beautiful newborn ever created and that she can do no wrong.
As far as Zane goes, everybody has been asking how he’s doing with his new little sister. Actually . . . he’s doing unbelievably well! Seriously, Rachel and I never expected him to be sooo sweet and accepting (knocking on wood right now). We really thought he’d see her as a threat to how much attention he gets and it hasn’t been that way AT ALL (It probably didn’t hurt that the first time Zane came to the hospital to see Zoe, “she” gave him a present to open. I’m sure the new train set probably helped a little bit to win him over). But honestly, he’s been very helpful around the house. He went and got wipes and a diaper today while we were changing her. He’s been holding Zoe and “petting” her and giving little kisses. It has been really really sweet (see some of the video and pictures below if you don’t believe me)
Anyway, here is the video I put together today (to view it, you’ll have to visit the blog directly . . . just in case you’re reading this in your e-mail inbox because it won’t show up there). And then below that are a few pictures from her newborn photo session.
***DISCLAIMER*** there is a small bit of somewhat graphic content at 1minute 50seconds into the video. If you are squeamish, you may want to close your eyes for about 10 seconds when it gets to that spot.
This was the 2nd of two family sessions that we shot on Saturday. It was early afternoon and the sun was blaring high in the sky. This would typically be a nightmare scenario for most photographers (I know it would have been a nightmare for me when I first started shooting). But . . . if you learn how to harness the sun and use it to your advantage as a photographer, you can really create some unique images. Here are a few shots that we took of Julie Lohr and her family (John, Luke and Sasha).
Don and Donna and their kids, Hunter and Lauren (and their dog, Sport), came in for a family session this past weekend. We had such a great time with them. Super neat family. Here are a few images from their session.
I know I haven’t posted much personal/family stuff recently so here’s a chance to catch you up a bit. I won’t bore you with all the details but Zane has just been too cute lately. Something tells me he’s going to be the class clown and the star of the school play.
Every night when we go to bed, Zane has his routine that he must follow. It involves brushing his teeth first and then saying his prayers which starts with “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” and then progresses into praying for all our family and friends (by the way, daddy put the pillow on his lap one night several months ago and now everyone MUST pray with a pillow on their lap. Don’ t you know it’s the only correct way to talk to God? – just watch the video below and you’ll see what I’m talking about), and then he lays in bed with mommy and daddy for a little bit and then finally going to his own “big-boy” bed (his 2nd birthday gift from mom and dad which he’s quite proud of).
The video below is just a little glimpse into our nighttime routine. Enjoy!
. . . . well family sessions for example. This is the Dawes family. Lindsey, Adrian, and Ashlyn. What a good looking bunch. We shot their session back at the end of August and the whole bunch was so photogenic, it made my job quite easy.