Lifestyle Photo Session - Norfolk Newborn Photographer

Lifestyle Photo Session - Norfolk Newborn Photographer

Today I have a super sweet newborn lifestyle session to share with you! This baby girl and her family stole my heart and gave me a case of baby fever. And that pooch?! The sweetest!

Mallory contacted me a couple of months ago to schedule an at home newborn lifestyle session for late November. Her sweet baby girl, Penelope, would be a month old then, but it would be the first time her daddy was home to spend time with her. He was on deployment during her birth, so Mallory wanted to make sure they had some beautiful family photos to celebrate his homecoming, and their first days as a family of three. I am a huge baby lover, and have a soft spot for military families (I know the struggles first hand), so I couldn't wait for our session!

I spent an hour with them as they snuggled, soothed and loved all over sweet Miss P. My heart just melted over the way her daddy looked at her, and the way her mama soothed her cries. And their pup was so gentle and eager to be a part of it all - I fell in love with her too!

I honestly wish I shot more newborn lifestyle sessions. They always tug at my heart so. What is more precious than those first few days with a newborn?!

I adore this beautiful family and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. I am so happy that we were able to create these images so that they can hold onto these cherished fleeting moments for years to come.

Congrats on your new addition, Tassone family! Enjoy that sweet bundle of love!! - XO, Melissa 

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule a session, contact me today! melissablissphotography@gmail.com

Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer serving Hampton Roads, VA. Available for travel.

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

Virginia Beach Newborn Photographers, Norfolk Newborn Photographers, Chesapeake Newborn Photographer, Williamsburg Family Photographer, newborn lifestyle pictures

Newborn Lifestyle Pictures, Virginia Beach

Newborn Lifestyle Pictures, Virginia Beach 

Several weeks ago I shared this maternity beach session with you, along with my excitement over having a new nephew on the way. And today, I finally have some newborn baby pics to share! This sweet bundle of melt-your-heart goodness was born in late July.

He is absolute perfection, and has the best big sister any dude could ask for.

His parents are pretty rad too. 

Look how sweet! Big sis' likes to sing to him. 

It has been a few years since we've had a baby in the family. My own "babies" are all big kiddos now, so I am eating those baby snuggles up!

I am so happy for my sister and brother-in-law! It's wonderful to have a healthy new babe to smooch on, and I'm SO excited to watch him grow up. <3 

If you enjoyed this post, please share it! Your support is greatly appreciated.

PIN IT:

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule a session, contact me today! melissablissphotography@gmail.com

Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer serving Hampton Roads, VA. Available for travel.

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

Virginia Beach Newborn Photographers, Norfolk Newborn Photographers, Chesapeake Newborn Photographer, Williamsburg Family Photographer, newborn lifestyle pictures

Chick's Beach Family Maternity Session - Virginia Beach Photographer

Chick's Beach Family Maternity Session - Virginia Beach Photographer

I've got another gorgeous sunset beach session to share today. And these peeps are near and dear to my heart, in fact, they're family! We had a blast playing in the warm sunset light on Chick's Beach last weekend.

We selected the calm bay area for this session because of its kid-friendly atmosphere and its amazing sunset view. That soft, sweet glow just sets the perfect mood for these maternity portraits, don't you think?

It was a special treat to be able to do this session for my beautiful sister and her awesome family. I am SO crazy excited to meet our newest little family member very soon!

Please help support this small local business by sharing this post. Thank you!

PIN IT:

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique maternity portrait experience, contact us today: melissablissphotography@gmail.com

On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

Virginia Beach Maternity Photographers, Sandbridge Beach Photographers, maternity photos, beach session, Norfolk photographers, Chesapeake photographers

Lifestyle Photographers Hampton Roads - Gift Certificates

Lifestyle Photographers Hampton Roads - Gift Certificates

Mother's Day is May 14th! Are you still searching for the prefect gift for your mom, your wife or your mother-in-law? 

Why not give the gift of beautiful memories this Mother's Day? We offer lifestyle photography sessions that are sure to please any mom or grandma! All of our session packages include a client consultation, wardrobe assistance, location scouting and digital images with a print release. We make it easy for your gift recipient to have a wonderful experience. 

Our gift certificates may be used toward session fees or print products and come in increments of $25 so you can chose the right amount to suit your budget.

Plus, when you purchase a gift certificate by 5/14/17, we'll include a FREE set of prints just for mom!  Your gift will include two 5" x 7" and one 8" x 10" prints of her choice. Contact us for more information today!

If you enjoyed this post please share it!

Lifestyle Family and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Moments in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique portrait experience, contact us today!

Lifestyle Photographers Virginia Beach, Family Photographers Norfolk, Professional Photographers Sandbridge Beach, Photo Sessions in Hampton Roads, Gift Certificates, Mother's Day Gifts

Mom + Me Sessions - Hampton Roads Photographer

Mom + Me Sessions - Hampton Roads Photographer

If there is one thing that bothers me most about motherhood, it's that our mommy days are so fleeting. As a kid, I always heard grown ups say how time flies, but I didn't really give it much thought. After all, my only point of reference was that the school year seemed painfully long and cruel, while summer seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting whiff with freedom. 

Now that I've been at this mom thing for 15 years, I can say for certain that all of those "grown ups" were right. Time does fly. Just as I became infatuated with being a baby mom, my baby morphed into a toddler. And when I was bouncing between marveling with pride over my toddler's new discoveries and pulling my hair out over his strong-willed stubbornness, he suddenly became a kindergartener. As I had more children and the busyness of the school-aged years set in, with all the school projects, extra-curricular activities, career building, household running, meal-planning, chauffeuring, etc., etc. - life seemed to whiz by more quickly than ever. With each child the calendar pages seemed to slip by a little more swiftly.

While I am thrilled to watch them grown and mature, I also ache with the feeling that I was a bit too preoccupied with "life" and not quite as involved in "living" as I could have been. Let's face it, life throws all kinds of crap our way and while we juggle, dodge, and do our best to whack away at those curve balls, we sometimes, temporarily, lose our zest for the game. Like most moms, I have days when my mothering is on point, and even my hair seems to fall in line under the overwhelming weight of my supreme wisdom. Other days, I go to bed begging forgiveness for my short-sighted, short-tempered, preoccupied, sorry excuse for parenting. 

If you are at all like me, you have taken thousands of images of your children, but few of them include you in the frame. Of course, they'll know you were there; they'll remember many things you did together. And the wisdom you bestow on them and the love you plant in their hearts, well that can't be captured in a photo. Not really. That they will carry in their conscience. So is it really worth the effort to be in photos? Being in front of the camera is uncomfortable and I hate photos of me. So why bother?

The thing is, I'm not so much worried about them forgetting as I am about me. I don't want to forget the sweet smell of their freshly washed hair, or the silly names we make up for everyday things. I don't want to forget the warm snuggles while they are sick or the gut-wrenching tear at my heart when they get hurt. I don't even want to forget the arguments and sassy door slams of my hormone-laden teens. Why? Because it is all part of motherhood and motherhood is a gift. It may be a struggle at times, it may be full of chores, heartbreak and uncertainty, but it's still the most fulfilling part of my life. And frankly, I have a terrible memory. Blame it on genes or mommy-brain times 4, either way it is the sad but can't-find-my-car-keys-and-even-if-I-did-I'd-have-no-clue-where-I-parked truth.

For that reason, I need to have a few frames of us. Our togetherness. Our silliness. The way we connect and navigate our days in our own unique love language. Those are the images that will bring me back to the mother I was for them over the long haul. Yep, when I spend my days not only mixing up the names of my children but those of my grandchildren as well, I know I will be filled with gratitude for the images that help me remember that I wasn't perfect, but I was good and I loved with all my heart.

All of this to say that it's important to slow down every now and then to just enjoy the moment. To savor childhood, motherhood, and all the many-splendored experiences that come with it. If you don't have photos like that with your kids, or if it's been a while since you've gotten in the frame, schedule a session. Today. Don't wait, just do it. Call a photographer and put it on your calendar. Make it a priority.

If you feel uneasy about being on camera just throw on some lip gloss and mascara for a quick mini session. Of you could treat yourself to a full makeover, a flattering flowy dress and a sunset family session by the sea. You could even just throw on your favorite jeans, stick your hair in a messy bun and have a photographer come document you and your kids eating store bought donuts for breakfast and throwing down with a pillow fight. Heck, if the thought of your puffy eyes and post-baby pudge in broad daylight scares you (no judgement, we all have our battle scars) then wait 'til sunset, throw some logs on the firepit, wrap up in blankets and roast marshmallows.

The point is, you don't have to be a supermodel and it doesn't have to be epic. Just make the memories and have someone there to document it. Years from now, you will look back with a full heart and overwhelming gratitude that you were a mom who cared enough put the grind (and your ego) aside for a little while and document the best thing in your life.

To schedule your unique portrait experience in Hampton Roads, VA, contact me today: melissablissphotography@gmail.com

On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

Norfolk, VA Photographers, Virginia Beach, VA Photographers, Suffolk, VA Photographers, Chesapeake, VA Photographers, Portsmouth, VA Photographers, Sandbridge Photographers, Williamsburg, VA Photographers