Last weekend we took a trip away to Northern Arizona with our pups.   We stayed in Flagstaff and started our first hiking/photography excursion on Weatherford trail in the Coconino National Forest.  We did a little over 3 miles round trip for this hike.  We wanted to get pictures with the pine and aspen trees in the area.  The weather was fantastic all weekend.  We really couldn’t have asked for better weather.  We brought our water, snacks, camera, light stand, speedlight and Softlighter II with us.  Everyone we met on the trail was very nice and we even met a couple of horses.  Lilly of course thought that she could take them out but you know Chihuahua’s.

Day two we started out on the Route 66 trail in the Kaibab National Forest.  This trail called “ghost road” is made up of the 1931 section of Route 66.   For this hike we wanted to get to the old Forest Service spring house that was a little over a half mile in.

Lilly and Gatsby were awesome all weekend.  We were so proud of them.   They waited patiently while we took photos [mostly ].

My belly is really starting to pop out to make more room for our growing baby boy!

Not only did the pups champion the trails…Lilly conquered the Williams, AZ bear.  We had a great time walking around main street of the town known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon…

…Checking out the train…

…And taking a moment to refuel before heading back to the 100 degree Phoenix weather that was awaiting us.

Clothes:

Grey striped shirt from Target

Jeans from a pea in the pod

White shirt from Ingrid and Isabel

We found out eight weeks ago that I have marginal placenta previa and we’re hoping we’d recover from it but it’s being stubborn.  So we’ll see in another four weeks where we stand at our next ultrasound appointment.  Outside of the marginal placenta previa, I’ve had a pretty successful second trimester and was interested to see what the third trimester had in store for me.  ;p  I’d like to say this week has been peaches but it’s the first time I’ve felt truly exhausted for no reason.  All that being said, it was time for the weekly photograph and here’s what we did…

This week we tried a high key lighting technique.  If you haven’t heard of this before here’s a link to a good description.  Since I knew we were lighting for a more blown out look I made sure my makeup would be able to handle the extra light being thrown at it.

For the first set of photos above I was standing between four lights.  A Paul C Buff strobe with Beauty Dish in front, above me and slightly off to my left, a Westcott medium softbox in front of me centered on the floor and two Paul C Buff strobes with strip boxes pointed at the wall behind me.

For the photos below you’ll notice there is more light.  This is because I took a step back and was leaning against the wall where I was being lit by all four lights directly.  The two center lights played more of a fill role in this scenario while the strip boxes off to the side became mains.

Clothes:

• Old Navy Perfect Tank
• Random pair of leggings that still fit
• Coach slide heels I’ve had forever

Makeup:

• Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
• Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer SX03 (concealer)
• Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation in Fair
• Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
• Tarte modernEYES liner and shadow in plum brown
• Urban Decay Naked2 shadow in Busted
• Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara
• Kevyn Aucoin The Pure Powder Glow in Apricot
• MAC lip liner in Spice
• Lancome Rouge Sensation in Nude 4
• Smashbox gloss in Luster

Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend!  This is the time when most of the country is prepping to get in the last of their summer trips before school starts.  It’s the first physical sign we have before we actually start to see and feel the changes of the seasons from Summer to Fall.  [Even better we know football season is about to officially kickoff! ]

This weeks idea was to incorporate a soft look and feel to the images.  The good thing about photography is that it’s such a creative medium you can try pretty much anything you can imagine.  For this first photograph we actually used two strobes to light me, both with Stripbox modifiers.  Then Sean took one of the sheer curtains we have in our studio and covered the lens with it.  We were really liking the sheer but wanted to push it a little farther.  To do that we used Nik Software to introduce film noise grain and change it to black and white.  I kind of feel like it gives the image more mystery.  When was it taken? Is it a photograph or from a newspaper?

Dress is from a pea in the pod.

For our second concept we wanted it to be a bit more stripped down, more ethereal.  As a pregnant woman you can’t help but be in awe and wonder most days.  You’re grounded in a way that you may have never been before in your life.  The idea of nine months seemed long to me when we found out we were first pregnant but now we are passed the halfway point and I just want to make sure I’m really enjoying the beauty of each stage and each week.

Dress is from Anthropologie.  I’ve had this dress for years and have always loved it.  Luckily it’s made from a jersey material that stretches right along with me and Peppercorn. :p

Over the last couple of weeks Peppercorn has continued to grow and with that I’ve started feeling him move predominantly on my left side instead of my right side.  His movements are a little more frequent now and for what feels like longer periods of time.

We are loving taking our weekly Peppercorn and me pictures and look forward to the different ideas we can come up with.  If you have any you’d like to see definitely let us know and we’ll try to work them into the mix.

This week was fun and sexy.  It is incredible what the human body can do, especially the female human body.  We wanted to embrace the pregnant silhouette for it’s strength and beauty with a feminine touch.

This week I got my hair done by my dream team Blue Campio (cut) and Audra Zaggia (color) at Steven Paul Salon in Scottsdale, AZ.  My goal is to grow my hair out to about my shoulder blades.  We’ll see if I can make it.  ;p  I’m still sporting my Ingrid & Isabel Ruched top.  It’s just soo comfortable and looks great to accentuate my baby bump.  For this series we went from playful to introspective and dramatic.

This weekend I turn 38 and it feels a little more special now that I am pregnant with our first baby.  I’m thinking about soo many things as I’m sure most mom’s (and dad’s) do with their first child.  I chose the below photo for this post because it signifies journey, exploration, fun, wonder and excitement to me.  I can look back at my past and say I’m happy with my growth and progress as a person, friend, sister, child, and wife.  In retrospect it’s what’s gotten me here to today, but that’s just one part of my story.  I want to embrace my present by living more in each days moments which will help mold my future.  Remember to give yourself permission to live your best life.  Thanks to all of the people in my life…sending you all a big virtual hug!!

This was taken by Sean in Sedona, AZ in 2007.

Sean and I really love the TV shows that embody a point in time with subject matter that just grabs you.  They don’t spare on the details.  You see it on the actors from the hair, makeup, outfits and jewelry to how they talk and carry themselves but it doesn’t stop there.  The sets are so well thought out and detailed they become characters themselves that thicken and enrich our experience.  We love MadMen, Boardwalk Empire and the unfortunately canceled PanAm shows specifically for all of the items I just mentioned.

We were inspired to do a styled shoot that we could have all our own and knew the perfect people to model for us; meet Blair, Missy and David.  These three brought all of the clothing and jewelry and rocked their hair and makeup.  We had such a great time bringing this photoshoot to life.  Be sure to let us know which ones are your favorites.

Seriously, how awesome did their lashes turn out?  Gorgeous!

This week was very exciting.  We received a good bill of health for peppercorn’s (code name for our baby boy) progress and my Ingrid & Isabel shirt arrived just in time for this weeks photos!  Peppercorn is starting to feel right at home and is moving around throughout the day and night.  He seems partial to the 3pm – 5pm and 8pm – 9pm time frames.  For me, what I’ve noticed most over the passed couple of weeks has been the swelling in my lower legs, feet and hands.  To help combat this in the evenings you’ll find me on the couch with my feet kicked up watching some boob tube with Sean and the pups.  :)

Sean and I took to the studio for some different lighting setups.  Here are some of our favorites from the session.

For this photo we used our Paul C Buff AB 800 strobe with the 64″ PLM modifier as the main light and an AB 800 behind me with a standard 7″ reflector.

For this photo we used our Paul C Buff AB 800 strobe with the PhotoFlex LiteDome medium SoftBox as the only light source.

The baby bump dance!

For this photo, specifically the left side, Sean moved the AB 800 with a standard 7″ reflector to the side to highlight my belly and we were still using the AB 800 strobe with the 64″ PLM modifier as the main light.

Vicki and Bayani celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago & their son Keith and daughter-in-law Wei gifted to them a photography session to celebrate and commemorate this amazing day.  They were troopers on a sunny and hot, 106 degree Arizona day.  It’s possible the heat may have added a little of it’s own inspiration to their session.  We raise our virtual glass to this beautiful couple and wish them well for the next 30 years.

Come, let’s be a comfortable couple and take care of each other!  How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with.  ~Charles Dickens

A year ago we photographed our niece Ella for her newborn session which was such a special and sweet time.  This Memorial Day week we flew out to New Jersey to be there for her first birthday.  It was something I told Sean I didn’t want to miss for anything.  Turning one is such a great birthday.  Just the unbelievable transformation that takes place in the first year is magnificent.  Prepare to feast your eyes on a seriously cute and expressive little girl that might just steal your heart.

Ella loves books.  Colleen is a super mom who does a great job keeping up with Ella’s insatiable appetite for learning.

This is one of her favorite toys.

Look at that cheese!  She has the best expressions.

Having fun opening birthday presents with Grandma and Grandpa.

Watching her discover new things is precious.

Having fun with mom and dad and showing off…beware of incredible cuteness.

Take time to stop and smell the flowers.

After all of that fun it was time to cool down and rehydrate.

Birthday party time!!

I’m the champ of the tunnel crawl. Oh yeah, that’s right.

Playtime with friends is the best.

This little guy is already talking with his hands Jersey style.

Time for a recharge with Grandma and Daddy.

Photo bombs – oh yeah, we’ve got ‘em.

Relax…

Eat cupcakes…

and celebrate with family and friends!

Sean and I were soo happy to be able to celebrate and capture these awesome moments.  We had an absolute blast.

Here’s a little stop motion video we put together to explain.

Feeney Family Video