I told Amy I wanted two things for our session - a scenic background and awesome backlight.  Mission Accomplished. 

Julie is the latest of the BHS Class of 2002 ladies to have a maternity session! I'm absolutely loving working with old classmates, it has been so fun seeing where our lives have changed since we last saw each other, but still catching up on great memories as the same time.  Julie and Carlo recently moved back to Bergen county after spending some time in Seattle.  I was really determined to find a great natural area without driving too far.  I was so happy that we settled on Celery Farms, although I'd never had a session there before, I was excited to scope it out.  It absolutely lived up to my expectations.  There were different things to see all around the preserve and it made for great background for so many shots.  My favorite part of all was the white barn we found that made Julie and Carlo's attire just pop!  I can't thank them enough for hiking the train with me, climbing over tree limbs, and taking risks.  You guys are the best!

Chelsea and I went to high school together many moons ago and after seeing Kat's maternity session, Chelsea decided she couldn't pass up the opportunity, and I'm so glad she didn't! For our session we decided to head back to where Chelsea and Ryan had their wedding photos done.  I loved the nostalgia behind it, but also really wanted our session to show the progress and change made in their lives.  We spent a good amount of the time in a section of Cooper's Pond that isn't visited as much and got the best sunset at the end of the session.  Thank you so much Chelsea and Ryan for being so patient and willing to do anything during our session! Can't wait to meet little Ms. Hicken in a few weeks!

I can't believe it's been over five years since I met Melissa and Bobby.  Joe and I had been dating for only a few weeks when he took me down to the town lodge for Super Bowl (classy, I know.)  Joe introduced me to the two and it really was the corny cliche that I felt as though I'd known them forever.  A few months ago Melissa called me telling me her friend wanted to set up an engagement session.  I was a little confused that the bride wasn't the one contacting me but I went with it.  We confirmed the date a week before when I noticed I had an e-mail about a booked session from Melissa.  It took about a minute and the word maternity to make everything click.  We immediately started sharing details and pinterest inspirations to have the session really come together.  Melissa is super crafty and Bobby is such a great husband he'll help with everything. I can't wait to not only photograph this little cutie (pretty much for the rest of their life) but for Colton to have a new playmate!  These are a few of my favorites from the session.  

Back in January I launched my Valentine's Day contest where I asked FB fans to nominate someone they felt deserved a free session.  The heartfelt messages I received blew me away, but none as much as Jeanne's.  Jeanne nominated her sister Kathleen and husband to be Freddie who were expecting their little girl Lucy Caroline in May.  She described them with so much love I knew they would be perfect.  Little did I know that Kathleen was actually Kat, who I went to high school with! We spent the last few months trading pinterest inspirations while waiting for the snow to go away.  On the day of our session of course with it looking like rain.  We decided to go ahead and just shoot indoors if needed.  Luck was on our side as the rain held off for most of the time.  I LOVED shooting with these two.  They were so fun, kept me laughing, and had some of the best candid shots I've had to date.  They were willing to do anything and never complained in the surprise cold temps. We even started off the session with a few appearances from their awesome pup Dougie. 

Kat brought along her own pink baby Nike's, I love them!

We ended the day back at their home, hoping to get some silhouette shots in Lucy's nursery.  I had no idea what to expect as it was my first time doing them, but I was elated when I got done editing them.

Thank you for letting capture this awesome and surreal time in your lives!

If you're anything like me, you keep checking the weather flabbergasted at the thought of more frigid temps this week.  Where's the sunshine, warmth, and color??  I must say when I decided to launch this business in December, I wasn't really sure what I was getting into.  Not many people want to be out in the cold taking pictures (keep in mind this was before I even knew about the insane snow headed our way.)  I was absolutely blown away by the amount willing to put themselves out there.   I never knew just how much you could do with a dull gray sky and I really think the color and warmth of the people I photographed really spoke louder than any background.  On the eve of (hopefully) our last cold front, I decided to take the time to reflect on my favorite photos of this winter.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)  

I started at the end of November with what I considered one of my first "real" shoots.  Liz and Brian were going to cut down their Christmas tree so the fam tagged along.  It wasn't easy finding the perfect tree, but the adventure to do so was worth the wait.

Oh, and there were ring shots, and I just love a good ring shot.

I was able to get some of my favorite kid shots (including a few of my own) on two of the very rare warm days this season.

If you made it this far, you deserve a big THANK YOU! The support I've received the past few months has been so amazing.  I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for my amazing family, friends, and clients.  Big things are happening for Kristen Maus Photography in the next few months, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.  
Much love - Kristen