When Maryjane first contacted me about doing her Syracuse maternity pictures, I was so excited.  It was the dead of winter (I mean it was March, but here in NY that basically IS the dead of winter) and the COVID-19 shutdown hadn’t really even begun.  As Maryjane and I continued to chat and plan their maternity pictures in Syracuse over the next few months, we had no idea how long it would take before we were able to do their photos.  The other thing we were keeping an eye on is the weather!  As she is expecting a sweet little girl in July, Maryjane wanted a soft and romantic feel for their photos.  I encouraged her that their pictures would have a much more “soft” feel if there were leaves on the trees instead of doing their session during “stick season”!  It continued to snow and snow here in Syracuse but low and behold, the week before their maternity pictures it stopped snowing and some of the trees started to bud!

When we had chatted about a location for their session, I suggested a few places in Syracuse that would give them a soft and romantic feel for their maternity pictures.  One of these locations was Upper Onondaga Park designed around the turn of the century.  As we looked at Hiawatha Lake and the bridge over it, the three of us figured that the lake had been bigger at one time.  I learned that the lake itself used to provide swimming for the public but now a pool stands at one end of the park instead.  If you’re interested in the history of a place like I am, check out the link above and/or this Wikipedia article. They’re both quick reads! (though I cannot guarantee the accuracy of Wikipedia! 🙂

I also love that they brought their “first child” with them for the session!  Their sweet rescue Ember was a good girl during their session!

And check out these ADORABLE little shoes!

When we were planning their session, Maryjane sent me a picture of this dress that she had bought from Lulus for the session.  When I saw her in it, I thought that she could be a model for them!  It is SO perfect for the soft and romantic feel she was going for!  Even better, she told me it wasn’t a maternity dress (though it does wrap around) so she hopes to be able to wear it after their little girl is born!

This may not surprise you considering my profession, but one element of a movie that has to be there for me to love it is the visual!  One of the reasons that I LOVE the new Disney Maleficent movies is because of the warm, glowy light and whimsical elements used throughout the movies!  I admit that I even said out loud to Maryjane that I thought she looked like Aurora in these pictures!

 

I was so honored to be able to capture these sweet memories for Matt and Maryjane as they wait excitedly for their little girl to arrive!  I can’t wait to see pictures of her and hear what she’ll be named!

If you’re looking for someone to take your maternity or family pictures, I’d love to chat with you!  Check out more of my family work here and then shoot me an email here!

So tell me, which picture(s) do you like the best?  Do you like the wide angle shots with lots of bridge, trees and glowy light showing? Or the pictures that are shot closer up and you can see more expression and emotion?  Or the detail shots of the sweet little shoes, outfit and sonogram?