Fairbanks Children's Museum GRAND OPENING

On January 31 of this year, something remarkable happened: the Fairbanks Children’s Museum opened its doors. The museum is the product of almost ten years of work and dedication, but you don’t even need to know that backstory to see what a remarkable addition to the Fairbanks community it is. I’m already giddy at how positively it will affect my sanity next winter when we just NEED to get out of the house (at-home parents, I’m sure you know what I mean…). Every single bit of the museum is curated with love and care, and it is committed to providing kids the chance to explore, learn, and play. It’s only been open a few months, but it’s already an irreplaceable part of our day-to-day life; my kids beg to go on a daily basis – and we go frequently (a family membership is TOTALLY worth it, btw… for several years in a row, my aunt has given our family a membership as our Christmas gift, and it’s pretty much the best present ever – talk about the gift that keeps on giving!!).

The day of the grand opening was spectacular (and FULL!) – and of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take photos! Capturing kids in action – especially such giddy, joyous action as they were when unleashed into the brand-new facility full of TOYS – is, after all, one of my favorite things to do. I was fortunate enough to have two colleagues in the Fairbanks photographic community volunteer to help provide coverage of the whole day: Annie Enderle of Enderle Photography and Jenn Williams of Arctic Flair Photography both came and spent a couple hours snapping away.

Here are some of the shots the three of us took during the opening day! (SO. MUCH. FUN.) For more information about FCM – or their story times, birthday parties, summer camps, and other programming – I highly recommend you connect with them on the web or on Facebook. And I hope you have as much fun as we do!

The Birth of Raleigh - Fairbanks Birth Photographer

As I have written in recent entries, I am way behind on blogging. Way. And I’ve found myself in the quintessential procrastinator’s bind with this story: I wanted to sit on this birth story until I had the time and mental peace of mind to do it justice. But at the same time, I can’t justify sitting on it any longer because it’s too beautiful not to share.

So, here we are!

I was thrilled when Heather asked me to document the story of her third child’s birth. Heather and her husband Ben are in Fairbanks with the military, and this birth held a lot of weight for them: Ben had been deployed for the birth of their second child, and he was scheduled to deploy again just a few weeks after her due date with this baby. They were so looking forward to experiencing this birth and welcoming their baby boy earthside together.

Heather had a history of fairly fast labors, so I was posed to jump on my phone pretty much every second of every day leading up to her EDD. After one false alarm, early one morning the real deal arrived and we all flew into action. I joined Heather and Ben at Bassett Army Community Hospital. Though it soon became clear that Heather wouldn’t be able to have the water birth she had hoped for (the tub simply wasn’t available that day), she was able to rely on her plan for a natural birth and the hypnobirth techniques she had studied.

The connection between Heather and Ben was an amazing thing to watch. I have to tell you, it broke my heart into a million pieces – in the best possible way – to hear Heather whisper, “I’m so glad you’re here” to Ben in between contractions. They danced through labor together, literally: Ben took Heather’s lead and supported her while they swayed and leaned into the intensity of her surges. The staff at the hospital was amazingly supportive and did their best to provide the experience Heather wanted, offering her the shower (and even preparing to catch a baby in there, should it be necessary!) so she could have the relief of the water. Eventually, she ended up back in bed, and I watched her enter the “trance” so often described in hypnobirthing. She completely relaxed her body, her hands open and loose, and let transition wash over her. There’s simply no way to do it justice with words.

I typed a few notes on my phone during the quiet moments about what I wanted to write about this birth, and the main musing I had was that it’s really no mystery why the terminology and visual imagery of goddess gets used so frequently in the realm of birth. Heather was simply a goddess, radiant through the steepest climes. It was incredible to witness, and again grounded me in what an honor it is to be able to attend births.

And then, he was here. Raleigh was born with a sweet squawking cry. There was meconium in the amniotic fluid, so he had a quick little exam before he was received into the loving arms of his parents, but once he was there, it was clear their hearts were full.

Oh, Raleigh. I get a little choked up going back through these images!

Tristan's Maternity Session - Fairbanks Maternity Photographer

Oh, these photos make me ache for summer! And I REALLY can’t believe the little bump in the these pictures is going to be a year old in no time at all.

Tristan is – well, Tristan is stunning, inside and out. As a former doula and now a labor and delivery RN, she has long been a staple in the Fairbanks birth community, and I’ve previously had the honor of working alongside her at a birth – making it an especially joyful announcement when she told me she was expecting her first child. When we met to discuss what she had in mind for her maternity photos, she told me she just wanted to capture the beauty of pregnancy and how wonderful it was that her body was experiencing such a transformation. She encouraged me to be creative and welcomed any ideas I offered.

I have to admit, it was kind of music to my ears…and my lens. I mean, it’d be hard to go wrong with a beautiful mama like Tristan, but I still can’t help feeling like our session was magic. I had such a good time that beautiful sunny evening (making Tristan sit in a swarm of mosquitoes – sorry, Tristan!!).

Enjoy – and check back soon to see the Fresh 48 session that shortly followed this session. It’s worth it. 

Vivian's Fresh 48 - Fairbanks Newborn Photographer

Oh, sweet little Vivian: such a gleefully squawky, spunky itty bitty bit of a peanut. Funny story: the pictures you see below were actually supposed to be maternity pictures – but SOMEONE decided to make her entrance a whole five weeks early, on the very weekend we had photos scheduled! So goes the wonderfully unpredictable world of birth and babies. It was a bit of a no-lose situation, though, because we got to take these incredible lifestyle newborn images instead, shortly after Vivian was welcomed home by her loving parents and her fur sibling, Sadie. I have to tell you – I have never seen a dog more enamored with a newborn. It was HILARIOUS.

Enjoy! And be sure you check back soon to see the family photos we did later in the fall (I’ll link to that post here once it’s published).

Christina + LeRoy: Love - Fairbanks Wedding Photographer

It’s only very rarely that I shoot a wedding (most of the time, I can’t, because I’m on call for births!). But Christina happened to call me right during the period of time when my “assistant” (read: my baby daughter) was old enough to be left with daddy for a few hours, but wasn’t really old enough yet to be left for indeterminate hours on end while mama attends births. And so it was that I was able to photograph the tremendously special, tender, and beautiful elopement ceremony of Christina and Leroy.

Leroy is originally from the east coast and is here in Fairbanks with the military, and Christina came here from California to join him. As Leroy said moments before their marriage, they just couldn’t bear to be apart any longer. They have a “cross country tour” planned later in the year so they can celebrate their union with family on both coasts, but in the meantime, they wanted start their lives as two.

They were married in a short and sweet ceremony at the University of Alaska Museum of the North by one of Leroy’s fellow soldiers, and were witnessed by another soldier and his wife. Both before and after the ceremony, we roamed the museum taking couples portraits. (Which was a real treat, because look at these two – ridiculously good looking, both of them.) Christina and Leroy were eager to document the day as it was, complete with the quirks and nuances of having a wedding ceremony, however small, on a weekend in a busy museum, which happened to be having – surprise – a dance and drumming demonstration in the atrium. Several times, they joked what a fabulous memory getting married in Alaska within a few hundred feet of a ginormous (taxidermied) grizzly would be. I love the love that shines through these photographs. I hope you do, too.

Matthew's Herbal Bath - Fairbanks Newborn Photographer

As I wrote in my post on Lucy Sue’s herbal bath…I love herbal baths.  I think they’re such a sweet opportunity for bonding – and oh so soothing to tender tissues, for both mama and baby.

So I was thrilled when I got to prepare and photograph this very special Fresh 48 session. Matthew Dale wasn’t even twelve hours old when I joined his newly minted family of three at the Alaska Family Health and Birth Center for this lovely bath.

There is nothing better than fresh babies. Please join me in welcoming sweet little Matthew earthside.

Micah's Fresh 48 - Fairbanks Newborn Photographer

I’ve been staring at the screen for a while now, and I think I’ve finally decided that no words can really do this session justice…so I’m going to let the pictures do the talking for me. I’ll just say this: there is absolutely NOTHING sweeter than a new baby in the loving gaze of his parents. I just love being invited to capture those moments.

As an aside, a funny story: I really do love how “small” Alaska is. I met Kyla several years ago at a mutual friend’s blessingway, but it wasn’t until we sat down to talk about photos that we realized I had gone to high school (in Anchorage) with her husband. It all came full circle when David’s parents – I also knew his mother in high school – were in town at the time of our session, and we got to hug and say hi in between mutually admiring her new grandson.

Please welcome Micah, brand-new human.

The Ranson Family - Fairbanks Lifestyle Family Photographer

This winter, I had some time to really reflect on what it was I wanted to pursue with indoor, lifestyle family sessions – how to capture the essence I was really after. How to be more confident in the vision as I designed it, and how to ensure that vision was coming through to others. It meant a lot of thinking, and ultimately challenging myself in a slightly new way.

As is the case with most growth, it was challenging, but rewarding tenfold. I was so excited to design and shoot this session I could hardly wait.

And this family did not disappoint. These three girls and their parents are such an amazing family, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to document the bits and pieces that make up their everyday. So much speaks through these pictures: the strong, strong, and remarkably unique relationship each parent has with each child; their gentle voices; the girls’ vibrant personalities; and a very down-to-earth confidence and self-reliance. (This is a family that makes not only its own bread and root beer, but also gymnastics leotards, miniature hockey tables, and jungle gyms!) It was such great fun to be a part of their lives for a few short hours. I hope they feel I captured their hearts well.

Lucy Sue's Herbal Bath - Fairbanks Newborn Photographer

In the interest of full disclosure, let it be known that I LOVE herbal baths.

LOVE.

I will admit, I first fell in love with them for reasons that were other than pure. I mean – they’re beautiful, visually. There’s pretty much nothing better than a serene little baby floating in mama’s hands. But after I had my second baby, I came to love them for much more practical reasons. I won’t go into them all here, but my oh my, they are wonderful.  (Let's just say - VERY soothing for tender tissues!)

Mostly due to my profound love of herbal baths, I’ve long wanted to incorporate them into my Fresh 48 sessions for families who were interested – after all, I feel they’re a “productive” use of postpartum time, since they are so soothing and promote healing, but also because they’re a visually stunning skin-to-skin cuddlefest.

I’m thrilled to have finally had the chance to photograph a few herbal baths, and I’m so excited to share the first with you. Lucy Sue was only a few days old when we took these pictures – and, as you can see, her older siblings were so in love with her, they couldn’t help but climb into the bath themselves.

For more information about Fresh 48 Sessions, check out this post!

The Tate Family - Fairbanks Lifestyle Family, Maternity Photographer

I know, I know. If I say “I love this session!” on every single post, it might start to sound a little less than genuine – or, at the very least, trite. The truth is, I have been so very fortunate to really enjoy all of my clients and to love the images which result from their sessions. They challenge me, force me to grow and hone my gaze, and all the while appreciate the absolute beauty in front of my camera.

All of that said, I will admit that within my universal admiration for my clients, there is a particularly special thrill that occurs when I’m contacted by someone who shares the same excitement and sense of creativity and exploration about a lifestyle session as I do. (I get that it can be kind of a weird thing to get excited about, I do.) But when it happens, it’s magic of the best kind.

This was one of those times. This session was a gift (what a sweet birthday gift!), but the entire family was on board with the mission: to capture this sweet, special time in their life, which was just a few short months before they welcomed their beautiful second child earthside.

These pictures are more than just pictures. In its own way, each is a time capsule. There’s one in particular of Gabe with his LEGOs that I end up staring at whenever I come across it, because I can’t help but see more than a boy and his toys. It seems to sum up everything – the look on his face, his single-minded focus and determination, the soft curve of his cheeks and the last hints of baby roundness about his fingers: this is Gabe at three.

It’s a powerful thing to have in a photograph. And I am so, so glad this family chose me to capture this time in their lives for them.