She's finally here! I feel like I've been talking about this little lady for ever! We've come along way since Bobby and Melissa's announcement session and maternity session. But now it's her time to shine, and that she did! I drove down to their home in south Jersey, where we spent sometime trying to get her into a nice sleep, but with no avail! I swear my non-sleeping newborns must be a record by now ;) We moved first into family shots before getting her into a few poses in the end.  I can't wait to watch her grow up, I'm pretty sure daddy's going to be chasing off the boys once this little one gets older! Enjoy every minute with her, it goes fast!

Even though Rudy was a little older than typical newborns, he was still perfection during his shoot.  No he didn't sleep throughout it or even for most of it (we did a pretty good job of making it seem like he did, didn't we?)  But the look and even a little smile he gave his mom and dad were so worth it.  It was such a pleasure hanging out with Kathleen, Matt, and of course Rudy for the day.  Thank you for having me!

I struggle with newborns. I really do.  And I've had a lot of trouble admitting that.  Who wants to acknowledge they just aren't that good at something and don't really like it that much either.  I slowly realized the past few months that posed newborns are not for me and I think it took me reflecting on my own experience for a newborn to come to that realization.  Colton would have had the worst newborn session.  He stirred all the time when he slept, was always wide awaken, and his arms were permanently glued to the sides of his head.  I am not Anne Geddes and I don't have to be. I'm Kristen Maus, and I photograph lifestyle newborns.  There I said it, and it felt good :)

Anyway, back to Nathan's session.  Theresa contacted me a few weeks ago that she wanted a newborn session but her son Nathan was already a week old.  We realized we had limited time to work so I managed to squeeze her in at the end of a busy work week.  I was so excited when Theresa said she wanted mainly lifestyle with a few posed.  When I arrived and met Theresa you would have never known she just gave birth, seriously.  I got to meet little Nathan and right away got to experienced not just the connection between Theresa and him, but Theresa's mom as well.  It was so sweet watching her not just with Nathan, but Theresa as well.  I truly believe there's no time you need your mom than after childbirth.  Nathan's dad Jackson joined us at the end of our session for some super sweet family shots.  Did I mention the gorgeous lighting in their home? Seriously I wish I could rent it out for all my newborn sessions! 

If I could describe Harper in one word, it would be "feisty!" The little Miss had her own agenda when it came to coming into the world and her newborn shoot.  Did I get every sleepy pose that I would have hoped for? Of course not.  But I did get so many sweet shots of my favorite style of newborn shoots, lifestyle.  Thank you Ryan and Chelsea for being so accommodating, it's tough being brand new parents and having a girl bring a ton of equipment into your home and practically rearrange your house, but you both took everything in stride and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

After I had such a great time shooting Kat and Freddie's maternity session, I hoped I would get the chance to work with them again.  When Kat messaged me about setting up a newborn session for Lucy I was so excited.  I decided to step out of my comfort zone and really incorporate posed newborn as well as my favorite lifestyle shots.  Photographing with them is more laughs and jokes than anything.  Lucy was a perfect sleepy newborn and a joy to work with.  I can't wait to see her as she gets older!

When Jen contacted me about setting up a session, I couldn't wait to hear all about her family .  And then she told me about the kids - 4 year old Finn, 2 year old Addie, and 8 week old twins Fiona and Artie.  My jaw hit the floor.  Not because I had no idea how I was going to pull it off (totally true) but because I couldn't believe how Jen pulled it off.  I figured she must be supermom.  

When I showed up to their home last Sunday, it all made sense as soon as I walked in.  She wasn't supermom, she was just mom.  Super laid back, go with the flow, up for anything, whatever we could get, she was happy with mom.  And it was so refreshing!  It was great having the extra hands of dad Art and Aunt Laura, especially when it came to the singing, dancing, tricks, and of course bribery :) 

Kids are just that, kids.  They are unpredictable, fun, silly, sweet, and did I mention unpredictable?  I went into this session hoping for the best, and what I got was more.  No it is not all smiles, perfect chins up, and sleeping babies.  But it's real, and a reflection of their daily lives.  I don't think there's any better session out there.

Thank you Bryne Family for letting me spend your Sunday afternoon with you.  I loved every minute!

Much love,
Kristen

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