This year's 4th of July was extra special for me, as I was lucky enough to photograph our family's first pregnancy in a very long time! My beautiful cousins Ariana and Dave are expecting their first baby in September, and I can't wait to meet him (yes, it's a boy!); there's even a good chance his birthday might fall on either mine (the 27th) or my cousin Sophia (the 16th), which would be a fun family coincidence.
Ari has been like a big sister over the last few years, especially when I made the big move to New York City (she was already a veteran transplant New Yorker by then); she taught me the ways of subway navigation, avoiding the bed bug plagues, and the key to a perfect resume. Without her, I'm not sure I would have survived my first year in the big city, and am thrilled to be there and return the favor as best I can once our newest family member arrives.
When Ari and Dave asked me to do their maternity photos, I was over the moon with excitement. I knew it would be much more my kind of shoot, as Ari, graphic designer by trade, and has a strong personal aesthetic that I knew would blend beautifully with my style as a photographer. She wanted something much more back to basics, with a mother earthy kind of vibe. We chose to shoot in New Jersey, near Dave's family, and I couldn't have asked for a better location. There were picturesque fields, beautiful bridges, and romantic park paths, perfect for our maternity shoot.
While we may have treated the shoot as professionally as possible, we couldn't help but get a little goofy. As career oriented as this power couple is, they know how to have fun, and their playfulness was a wonderful addition to the time we spent shooting. While none of the more silly photos made it into the final selection, this is one of my favorite outtakes of the day.
Not only was it a great day for producing some fabulous images, it also was a lovely excuse to spend time with the rest of the family I don't get to see as often as I like. My beautiful cousin Sophia was a wonderful makeup artist, while Jay was the perfect photo assistant. I even let him rock my spare camera for a little while to get some behind the scenes shots for me. Dare I say he's beginning to develop a photographic eye!
Overall, it was a wonderful day I got to spend with family and friends, and I wouldn't trade that afternoon for the world. It was easily one of my favorite memories this summer, and I can't wait to meet the newest addition of our family come this fall. I couldn't be happier for Ari and Dave to expand their sweet family as Pico, the sweetest of pups, will make a perfectly protective big brother (he was also a great poser when it came to taking the family photo!). Below are some of ones that made the final cut, I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do!
