The Birth of Oliver Kai - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

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I’ve been sitting on this beautiful birth story for far too long – it’s time to share!

I was thrilled when Alison and Manny first asked me about shooting the birth of their second child. And just I suspected it would be, it was a great birth to be a part of. Earlier in her pregnancy, Alison invited me to her blessingway (if you’re unfamiliar with blessingways – sometimes called Mother Blessings – this is a good link here) because she considered me an important part of her birth team. It was a lovely thought at the time, and it came to the forefront of my mind again when I arrived at the hospital to meet them on the very, very early morning of the birth. I was greeted by a spartan, and yet entire, community of birthing support, from her magnificent doula Tristan of Loving Lotus Doula Services, to her friend and babysitter, tasked with keeping an eye on the two-year-olds, to, of course, Manny, dad-to-be, who was eminently tuned in to Alison’s progress. In a way, it felt like we were simply picking up the blessingway where it left off – and very much like we were witnessing it come to its natural and intended conclusion! The mood was overwhelmingly calm and sure; Alison was amazing, and seemed completely in control the entire time.

Alison suspected her labor might be a quick one, and she was right: not long after 8 am, Ian got to witness the birth of his surprise little brother, who was quickly passed up into his mother’s elated embrace. It’s hard to say which part of any birth was ‘my favorite’ – for obvious reasons – but I will say that I just loved capturing this new family of four’s first few hours together.

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this birth. Welcome earthside, Oliver Kai!

Espen - Fairbanks Lifestyle Family Photographer

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As you might have noticed, I’ve been behind on blogging lately. Shamefully so, and you have my sincerest apologies. As a lifelong Alaskan, you’d think I’d know better, but it seems that as every winter approaches, I think about the long, dark indoor months ahead and start to pile on activity after activity, task after task, onto my calendar to fill those winter months… forgetting that it’s still possible to overdo it! At any rate, however, the daylight is steadily increasing and I’m re-dedicating myself to getting caught up before spring strikes us full force.

Which is all to say that I’ve waited way too long to get this particular session up and featured on the blog, because I love it. Macinsey originally contacted me about doing a Fresh 48 session for their first child, but little Espen had other plans and arrived before we’d managed to get plans in place! Since their first few weeks went not-quite-as-expected, Macinsey asked if I would instead be able to do a lifestyle baby session with them later in the fall, so they’d have recent pictures of the baby to gift to their family for the holidays.

And so that’s exactly what we did. Macinsey and I met briefly for coffee in order to design a lifestyle session to take place in their home on Fort Wainwright, and I just love the results – and I hope you do, too. These photographs exemplify why lifestyle photography is my passion: I love capturing those slice-of-life images, freezing the moment when two people glance at each other or gaze at their new baby; the authentic smiles, unconscious caresses, and gently intimate moments that occur between a family in love.

The Birth of Jacob - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

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Well, it’s a day to celebrate – the sun is (finally) out, the snow is (finally) beginning to melt, mud is (finally) beginning to make an appearance… and I finally have a second to sit down and share this beautiful birth story!

This was such a peaceful, powerful birth. (And as a side note, whenever I refer to a birth as “peaceful,” I am by no means trying to deny the extraordinary intensity or power of birth, or to minimize the gamut of physical and emotional trials experienced by the mother…rather, I speak to the overall atmosphere of quiet, confidence, and, for lack of a better word, tranquility that is somehow achieved even in the presence of such raw travail.) Both maternal grandparents were present, and the arrival of Jacob was very much a joyous family event.

Instead of yammering on and on like usual, I’m going to let the pictures tell most of the story for once! But there one is other thing I have to note, of course: one of the things that made this birth extra special was that it was the second-ever birth to take place at the Alaska Family Health & Birth Center’s brand-new facility. (I, for one, can’t wait to go back!)

Welcome earthside, Jacob John-Michael!

The Birth of Ezra - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

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Earlier this spring (and I’m using the word “spring” liberally here…), I had the pleasure of photographing the birth of Keturah and Mark’s third child at Bassett Army Community Hospital, located on Fort Wainwright.
Keturah spent months carefully planning her first all-natural childbirth with the help of Bassett’s amazing midwives. And I have to say – when the moment of truth arrived, it certainly seemed that all her preparations had paid off. The morning of birth started off mellow enough – enough that though Keturah had woken up with contractions, Mark still went to work because they weren’t sure if it was “the real thing” or not (only to be called home an hour later, of course). At that point, things began to pick up pretty quickly, and we made arrangements to meet at Bassett. When I got there, it was clear that things were progressing in earnest, but Keturah and Mark met every stage of labor with calm, premeditated grace. The labor ended up moving fast (much faster than the under-manned staff on the maternity ward initially anticipated – there were some expressions of surprise), but even through the intense moments, Keturah remained centered with Mark’s steady support. Their connection was palpable, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to capture some of their shared moments on film.

Ezra Nehemiah was born not too long after the sun finally came up, directly into the arms of his mother. It seemed like the sun was just pouring through the windows…the morning certainly didn’t need the weather to make it any more beautiful, but I will at the same time admit that it did seem appropriate.  

Welcome earthside, Ezra Nehemiah, and thank you, Mark and Keturah, for having me there at your birth.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation (2012)

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This past summer went by in a blur, as it always does up here.  We’ve already had our first snow this year (though it didn’t stick, thank goodness), and more is coming soon.  I’m already feeling a bit nostalgic for summer, so when I had a few moments last night I went through my backlog to make sure I had all my personal photos from the summer edited and ready for relatives.  This post is really for them – but in case you want to know some of what we were up to this summer as well, read on!

Some of our featured activities: balloon wars with friends; playgrounds and watering friends’ gardens; painting canvases; berry picking; camping on the Denali Highway; more berry picking; and visiting the critters over at LARS with visiting friends and family.

Tricia's Maternity Sessions - Fairbanks Maternity Photographer

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First of all: have you ever SEEN such an adorable bump?

The true basketball-like quality of this little womb alone made this a really fun session. And add to that the timing: we wanted an evening session, but one thing led to another and we ended up in full-on dusk, and we decided to go ahead and keep shooting, embracing the the dusky mood. But what really, really made this session special was that when we shot it, Tricia was a mere 12 hours away from being 38 weeks pregnant and thereby, I was a mere 12 hours away from going on call to photograph the birth of that selfsame bump. 

Tricia and her family hired me to photograph the birth of their second child this October. And I am patiently – oh so patiently! – waiting for The Call. Luckily, though, we got to spend a bit of time together before all of this will transpire: all of my Birth Story Collections include complimentary maternity sessions. I essentially stole this idea from my friend Rebecca Kurber, wedding photographer extraordinaire, who includes complimentary engagement shoots in all of her wedding collections. The reasoning is the same: both weddings and births are live, documentary, once-in-a-lifetime events that cannot be re-created or re-staged (no pressure!), and having a session ahead of time gives the photographer and the client time to get to know each other, chat, and get comfortable in front of the camera.

Nothing has affirmed my belief in the importance of this practice like getting to spend some time with Tricia, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though we didn’t address many things of substance as we chatted while we posed and walked around the Georgeson Botanical Gardens, I definitely feel like I know her a little bit better. And – if such a thing is even possible – I’m even more excited be there to document the arrival of her little one.

Here are a few from our dusk session. And – yes – I did put a pregnant lady in a tree.  (WE WERE CAREFUL, I PROMISE!)  We also met up again just today to do some sunny pictures and added soon-to-be big brother to the mix.  You would never guess it was actually technically below freezing on this particular late afternoon… poor Aiden was such a trooper!  He totally got a hot chocolate out of the deal, so I feel a bit better about sticking him in front of the camera when he would’ve rather been doing…anything else, lol!

Summer Means U-Pick Raspberries - Fairbanks Lifestyle Photographer

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It’s only November – and the very beginning of November, at that – but I already find myself ready for a bit of a vacation. Some sun, some green, maybe even some flowers. This is, of course, a long way off, but I do have access to virtual, visual vacations by way of revising some summer photographs not yet blogged. Even though I just took a break from writing this to go load the woodstove, it was surprisingly refreshing to spend an hour in early August. It turns out the backlog of personal photos from this summer and fall sitting on my harddrive is not the result of disorganization or too little free time, as I had thought, but rather – a stroke of genius! I may have just enough to keep me in visual vacations all winter long.

Today’s vacation is brought to you by the U-Pick Raspberry farm and the month of August. My friend Jeanine and I met out there with a collective four kids and picked for a solid two hours, resulting in a full gallon of berries each – which, given the kid-wrangling (and kid-snacking) that took place, I thought was pretty impressive! They (the berries) currently reside in my pantry in the form of Raspberry-Cilantro-Jalapeno Jam and Raspberry-Plum-Almond Jam – tastes of summer to last me all winter long.

The Birth of Atticus - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

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Right from the start, Atticus seemed determined to let everyone know that while he may be small, he has OPINIONS. For example, he decided at the last moment that he didn’t feel like being born at the birth center, as his parents had carefully planned. He didn’t want any midwives at home, either, and he didn’t really care for the idea of having a photographer present. And so, ten minutes before midnight, on his due date, Atticus was born, at home, into the sure, calm hands of his father.

Tricia had been in early labor for a good part of the day, but she wasn’t really convinced it was leading to anything; around 9 pm she texted me to say that she thought things might be slowing down a bit, and she was hoping to sleep through the night and try to get things going the next day.

Atticus had other plans.

When things picked up, they picked up FAST. Just before ten-thirty pm, Tricia texted me and told me to put on a pot of coffee after all, because her water had just broken! She would let me know when they were headed to the birth center, and I would meet them there. I proceeded to “watch” tv with my husband while I had a cup of coffee and fiddled with my phone until just before midnight – at which point I got a text from Tricia’s mom saying they had decided there wasn’t time to head to the birth center, and they were having the baby at home. I flew down the stairs, got directions from Tricia’s mom, and was out the door. Tricia’s mom wasn’t actually with them – but she’d been talking to Adam, Tricia’s husband. (And little did we know, but Atticus had actually made his appearance mere moments before I even got Tricia’s mom’s first text.) I met her at the bank of mailboxes along the side of road and followed her the rest of the way to their home. We were both slightly giddy and mildly frantic – we burst into the house just as Adam was coming down the stairs to get something, and we asked him, “Did we get here in time?!?”

And then we heard Atticus’ sweet voice from upstairs.

It turns out he’d been born about forty minutes before we got there – which was also twenty minutes before their midwife, Dana, arrived, though she had been consulting with them on the phone as she drove once it became apparent this baby thing was HAPPENING. And so his was a complete surprise, unassisted (daddy-caught, that is) home birth. I’m told his big brother slept peacefully through the birth and groggily emerged when baby noises penetrated his dreams. He got some quick cuddles in and then went to spend the rest of the night with his grandma and grandpa before I got there.

Tricia and Adam were basking the glow of their new baby, trace amounts amazed and almost bewildered by the tiny person with opinions so big. To his great credit, Adam was decidedly unfazed by the whole experience; Tricia said that since he was never scared or shocked or panicked about what was happening, she too was able to stay calm and grounded. To be present in that room after such a momentous event was a beautiful thing, and these photographs take me right back that moment.

Congratulations, Tricia, Adam, and Aiden, and welcome, Atticus! The world is so glad you are here.

To more of Atticus at a ripe old 18 hours old, please see Atticus’ Fresh 48 Session.

The Birth of Jozannah Maria - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

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I feel very fortunate to have met Tamara and Devon as they made their last preparations before becoming parents for the first time. They contacted me about birth photography because they are extremely new to the Fairbanks area; they only moved to Eielson about six weeks before I met them. Devon is originally from the South, but his wife has him beat: she’s from Australia! Since they are both so far away from home and from all their family, they wanted someone there to capture the moment for them so they would be able to share it with everyone, ’round the other side of the world. Tamara actually also made one of my very favorite points about birth photography: since I would be there, Devon was free to focus on and participate fully in the birth of his child, without having to worry about taking pictures (or forgetting to take pictures!).

I was immediately extremely excited to shoot the birth. Well – I’m super excited to shoot every birth. But this one held some firsts for me: it was to be the first birth I’ve ever attended at the military hospital. Also, Tamara and Devon both simply glowed about their baby – Tamara told me, “We’re just so honored to be parents.” (A few eyes may have teared up at this point.)

We did not know it at the time, but this ultimately would also be the first c-section I have photographed. Tamara meticulously researched natural childbirth during her pregnancy, and she had a beautiful waterbirth planned, and I truly feel honored to have been there to see how her care providers attended to and fulfilled her wishes in every way they possibly could. Everyone in that room gave it all they possibly could – no one more than Tamara. Every time I look through these pictures, I am again amazed (and, admittedly, a little choked up) at her strength and dedication, her refusal to give up, and her joy that she was at the precipice of meeting her baby.

Ultimately, however, baby made it clear that this bath thing was not happening, and after hours of pushing and a second trial of pitocin, the decision was finally made that a c-section was necessary. Later, both parents recounted to me the audible “POP!” they heard when the baby – whose sex was a surprise (it’s a girl!)- was finally dislodged from mom’s pelvis, where she was firmly stuck, her little head cocked ever-so-slightly (and ever-so-sassily) to the side. Devon was able to wheel tiny baby Jozannah right back to their room while Tamara was still in the OR, joining us shortly thereafter.

When Tamara held her baby for the first time, she said, “Oh, baby, you are the love of my life.”

The love in the room was palpable. I’ll let you see for yourself.

Welcome earthside, Jozannah Maria!