Over the last few months I've gotten over my weird phobia of photographing people in public (it's mostly I hate people watching me work) which was awesome because otherwise we wouldn't have been able to take these outdoor newborn photos at one of Nashvilles biggest tourist hot spots! We at CMP had the privilege of documenting our friend & fellow photographer Jessica Elvir's gender reveal, pregnancy, birth, and of course newborn photos over the last several months and though Ms. M is almost two months old now it feels good to finally be able to share some of them! Despite the wind Baby M did awesome for her outdoor newborn session, her photos also have the same color scheme and style I'd want with my daughter if I ever had one! Yellow and red are my two favorite colors, I love florals and bright vivid colors, ANDDDD, we were able to reflect her Mamas love for photography in some of her photos with one of my vintage cameras (my spy camera as I call it). Baby M's Papa was also a firefighter and the only piece of his uniform that Mama J had was his firefighter helmet so I was more than happy to include that!
Chelsea meadows
G Family Gender Reveal
I always feel super special when someone does a gender reveal with me because normally I am Just one of three people who knows what they're having and I LOVE THE POWERRRR. But seriously, gender reveals are the best, especially when the mother is super creative and plans out the most awesome session you could ask for! It was so wonderful getting to meet the beautiful Mama B after talking for so long! It was like seeing someone I had known forever and though her husband couldn't make it to the session he was there in spirit! Mr. G was such a good sport and was all about sharing all of his sweets with me and everyone there! He's going to be an awesome big brother to his little sister!
Ms. I Six Month Session
Little Miss I was so incredibly animated her whole session, she made me fall in love with shooting babies all over again! I think I've decided that 6 month olds are my favorite age to shoot because they have enough of a personality to have great interactions with, they're growing into their unique facial features, AND they can't run away from you (which is half the battle most the time!!!) This little lady came for a mini session and was SO good I made her and her Mama stay much longer. She did all the things you hope your babies would do while having their photos taken and her outfits were just to die for! Her Mama was stressing a little bit on what to wear but Auntie came in and saved the day and provided us with some of the cutest dresses ever!!! Do they make these in Adult Size? Doesn't it seem like kids have the cutest clothes? Step your game up old navy!!!
J Gender Reveal
This pretty Mama just COULDN'T keep the fact that she was pregnant a secret, she did however manage to keep it private just what she was having and I was lucky enough to be the lady to help her share that info!!! After two handsome boys this Lady is FINALLY getting a girl!!!! We couldn't settle on how we'd exactly be revealing that info so we ended up doing about 3 different things, even though we had more planned!
R's Second Birthday
Today Baby R turns 2!!!!!!!!!!
One of my most asked about newborn photos is that of the little baby in the monkey hat with the big lips, which is by far still one of my favorites, and I was lucky enough to get to get to see that little booger again just the other day!!! To no surprise he has grown into an incredibly handsome and devilishly stylish young man that I'm sure all the girls at daycare are constantly fighting over! He's still got those lips that Kylie Jenner pays top dollar for too.
R is Turing 2 going on 16 and pronounced the word sunglasses in the most adorable way, there were way too many syllables for me to even remember how to pronounce it but by golly was it cute!!! In every blog I've ever covered on this family I always gloat about how amazed at how stylish and beautiful this young lady is, despite having a crazy hyper active two year old. I don't have any kids and have never been as collective mentally or physically she is! Definitely Mom Goals (as all the hip kids say). She's also just an all around kind and wonderful woman and is always such a pleasure to be around. Working with her and R was literally a day at the park, where I've taken some of my most favorite family photos! I even wore my sneakers to this shoot instead of my flats because I was expected to have to chase R down this whole session however he was such a treat and actually ran towards me quite a few times (with large rocks in his hand, not sure if it was a threat or not). I can't get enough of how cute these two were and how much I appreciate them allowing me to once again capture such a special part of their lives! Happy Birthday R, hope you and your family have a great one!!!
Thanks to Mama T again for providing Balloons not once, but twice!!! (they got away from us at some point the first time!) Also big thanks to 100 Acre Boutique for providing me with this adorable little beanie for this guys shoot! I didn't think he could look anymore like a rock star than he already did!!!
Baby DW III Newborn Session
The Saga of the DW family continues with their most recent installment Baby M, who is also my God Son!!! Just going into his birth knowing that made the moment so much more special when I was able to witness his birth and be one of the first few people to hold him! I'm hoping these guys will make another dozen babies because gosh dang they are awfully cute! Big Brother M & Big Sister R wanted so badly to hold M and to help with him however they could it was so cute! Mama & Papa have said that Big Sister R has repeatedly taken M out of his rocker and brought him to one of the, crying, sleeping, whatever! They both want so badly to hold their new baby it makes me hopeful that since I'm waiting so long to have kids if I have them close together they'll be this loving!!!
I so wish I could share some of photos from M's birth. We had waited and waited for what seemed like weeks for M to make his big debut, I had made sure to keep my schedule relatively open so I could leave at a moments notice but of course as soon as I started a newborn session (which typically last 4 hours) I got a call from Mama T that she was in labor... SOMEHOW, I still managed to do the newborn session and drive the hour and a half up to Kentucky to see this little guy come into the world! I even got to cut the cord which was one of the most special moments I've ever gotten to share with a family, or just in general!!! M was also kind enough to be born around 3pm instead of 3am like his big sister!
Even though he looks like he was awake in a few of the photos I posted he slept like a rock. I don't think I can express enough how hard he slept no matter how much I loved him or changed him or wrapped him he just slept and gave me some of the best faces! I can only imagine what he was dreaming about, it was probably me... or the booby.
Baby P Cake Smash
This little lady has graduated from the baby plan and oh my goodness she grew about 2 feet from the time we did her family session to the time we did her cake smash!!! She's so long and beautiful just like her sisters, I hate it for Mama J & Papa R! They're going to have it rough with three beautiful little girls... I feel like these little ladies are now my nieces I've gotten so close to all them! They're always so kind, well behaved, and engaging and I look for any excuse to go see them! Anyways, just a few weeks back Baby P had her cake smash and oh my goodness I can not tell you how many images are in their gallery that are just of the cake smash!!! (It's somewhere around 50!) Because there were so many photos I am so in love with just from the CS I'm doing a blog exclusively on this portion of the session and another one for the family! Her Mama & I share a love for all things Shabby & Frilly, which I guess you have to when you have 3 girls, and I loveeee outdoor sessions so this made for a perfect combination! Little Ms. P has so much self control too, we learned from her birthday that she is not a huge fan of icing so I made a nude cake covered in lots of yummy fruit for her! It was still surprising though when she didn't even break into the cake, she spent her session munching on the strawberries and dodging the blueberries. You can tell in some of the photos too where she hit a bitter one an was not pleased but overall she loved it just as much as we did!
A & T Anniversary Session
As T & A make a quick stop in Nashville after a 20 hour car ride from RI (eclipse traffic!) and we were able to do a really quick session before the rain really started coming down! Literally, as we were leaving it started to pour, we were able to make it to the cars and I was able to make it home, which was about 3 minutes away! I'm happy we didn't do the 25 minute drive to the location we were originally wanting to shoot at because we would have never made it!
Working on such a short time frame wasn't a problem with these two as interacting with one another came so incredibly easily and the jokes flowed like honey. I would start a pose and they would completely make it there own, which is what every photographer wants in a couple! These two were celebrating 15 years of marriage and I was informed at their wedding they actually ran in jumped in the ocean after the ceremony so this was a bit of a cake walk for them! The session is short and for now the blog is short as we are in the process of helping my brother move!!!
The wonderful woman in the photos is also the owner of SweetSouthernBabies and makes the cutest outfits!!! https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetSouthernBabies?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Baby P Newborn Session
I've recently discovered that little boys sleep ten times better than letter girls... It last their whole lives for that matter! Little Ms. P was so good for her newborn session, even though she hadn't been feeling well for the last few days and was spitting up lots! I thought she wouldn't be comfy on her tummy because of how upset it was and shows going to spit up the whole session but I was wrong on both counts! Despite being over the 10 day marker she did some amazing poses, on her tummy and back, and to my pleasure didn't spit up once (she did get the hiccups a ton though)! This lady rocked some of my favorite props, some of which I've never used before, and gave me the chance to showcase the fabric to one of my favorite swaddle wraps!
Just like her sister in law too Mama C had a better figure post baby then I have after months of running and looked like a super model despite what I assume was only 4 hours of sleep (I look and feel dead after sleeping 6 hours, so unfair!) Papa J was such a good helper during the session too and despite having worked a ton the day before Mama C told me he was always overly excited to get home and hold this little lady all night (Dad goals ladies). This awesome family had the best color scheme/theme picked out as well. I LOVEEEE all things frilly and pink (I talk about it all the time) but they also wanted to include some of my cat props into the session! I'm saving those photos for their gallery, even though I'm dying to show them off! After spending most the morning indoors, while it was nice and cool outside, we decided to head outside and do family photos on a day where there was about 70% humidity, or that's what it felt like at least. Based on the weather the last few days you wouldn't know just two weeks ago it was miserably hot outside! Mama & Papa were so patient outside during family photos and somehow little Ms. P stayed asleep for a few photos in the garden (but even she was sweating!) My mom always strives to keep the garden up too, for this very reason. She's always tickled to death to see her flowers in my photos.
P & A Maternity Session
I made a statement the other day on FB about how my ladies need to go ahead and have their babies anddddd I guess I'm getting what I wished for! Within two days of posting one of my pretty Mama's went into labor and just a few days later my beautiful cousin looked like she was about to have a baby fall out of her during her shower! Sadly Papa A had to go to work before the Baby Shower ended and before Mama P could escape I made her come out back and let me get a few photos of her! Thankfully she was model ready and so very happy to accept!!!
Our family is so incredibly happy for her and her awesome guy, they're going to be fabulous parents when we allow them to have their little guy! Thankfully he's being born into two big loving and very family oriented families.
C Graduation Photos
I have a huge problem when it comes to photoshoots, I get carried wayyyyyyy too easily, which isn't a bad problem I suppose! For those of you who can't tell I'm a huge fan of bright colors. My whole business palette is just a giant blob of shabby chic inspiration/explosion of florals so when C agreed to shoot at one of my favorite locations and gave my creative control I can not tell you how ecstatic I was!!! I did a session similar to this some time ago but wasn't able to capture the feeling I was wanting the photos to represent. Though the original model did a stupendous job, it turned out that I was missing one key element... a handsome boyfriend to share the excitement and ice cream with! These two played off each other so well and were just so happy in the moment I really didn't have to do anything except try and keep up with them!
I might have taken like 100 photos in about 3 minutes. Though we spent a good amount of time at another location, shooting other outfits, I am madly in love with these photos because they represent the excitement and dramatic flair I want my photos and business to portray!
Also, it was an extra special session because it was Panda's first birthday!!! She might have been the best listener and most responsive one year old I've ever worked with ;)
DW Maternity Session
Baby DW number 3 is almost here!!! This means at any given moment I can be driving up to KY to witness this little monster to make her/his big debut! Lets hope unlike his/her sister, they decide to arrive at a hard noon! Hopefully this isn't the last of the DW children, I know if Mama can help it she'll get two more out of Papa K, because they make the most adorable kids! Check out this beauty rockin one of my maternity dresses & her adorable munchkins (& handsome hubby) giving her some serious love!
P Family Session
You don't realize just how long two years has been until you see a family you haven't seen in ages and they have one child running around and another who is just starting to sit up (that you had no clue they even had)! Two years ago I had amazing photo session with Baby C, who is now Big Brother C, and his amazing Mama & Papa! Nashville weather, as much as I love it, I hate it all the same. We had to reschedule twice to do rain and sickness caused by allergies, so the third time was definitely the charm! We did however end up finishing right before it started to storm, the storm that brought all this awful Nashville humidity, & I'm so thankful we had such a beautiful and cool morning to shoot! It's definitely not going to be like that again till fall!
Baby C had such a big personality, she was well beyond her years and such an incredibly happy baby!!! She was nothing but smiles (& tongue) her whole session and was reaching for her brother every time he was close enough to grab him. Big Brother C was a little ball of fire & despite what the photos might show he wouldn't sit still! There were so many exciting things going on around us, he was such an adventurer and was so incredibly fearless! (Hence why Baby C was reaching for him, she was trying to get him to hold still so she could get home & take a nap!) I don't know how Mama C & Papa R keep up with them!
To see just how much this family has changed check out BB C's 6 month session with me! Still the cutest pumpkin I think I've ever seen!!! http://www.chelseameadowsphotography.com/blog/2015/11/13/fe2dqbzud2e3tsnywfwfd1jvpu7fya
Ms. Nadie R
Now that I've got a fancy computer where I can actually see what I'm doing I've been going through lots and lots of old files and I have to toot my own horn a bit and say I'm still amazed at some of my old work! It's so easy to be hypercritical of yourself and compare your work to others but stumbling across galleries like this really make me incredibly proud of my work and even more eager for every shoot I have! One of my most wonderful and imaginative models to date! I look forward to the day I can work with Ms. Nadia again!
Moms 29th Birthday
You only turn 29 once (maybe twice) and I can see no better way to commemorate her beauty and youth then in some awesome beach photos! Everyone on the beach watched mom in awe and lots of people took photos! We're pretty sure they thought she was a famous movie star or something to that caliber.
I owe my success and devilishly good looks to this woman and hope that one day I am half as good a mother to my children as she has been to us. This woman inspires me to be better and I'm so lucky to have her there to guide me through all my problems no matter how small they may be! I did however draw the short end on the awesome hair though. At 29 my mom still has the thickest hair I've ever seen and I'm pretty sure every time I brush mine it's all going to fall out.
Happy very late birthday to the most wonderful woman I know!
Lady N Maternity Session
I think it's still pretty bad that I'm catching up on blogs from last year, but that's okay (is what I keep telling myself!) at least everyone has their photos!
I had a brief visit from my very lovely friend Ms. N late last year & though she was only 4 or so months along in her pregnancy we faked it by eating lots of burritos and double stuffed Oreos before our session. I didn't need to, but I wanted to be there for support.
The beautiful N modeling one of my favorite maternity dresses! Hopefully I get to meet her little lady at some point this year, even if it means I have to go to California!!!
This is the second time I've gotten to shoot N & her little stinker J, who is always so well behaved & so very photogenic! As soon as he saw his mama in her form fitting dress he laughed at her with a huge grin on his face & said 'Your belly is so much bigger!' He was happy to show off his muscles & hold the pumpkin but he was definitely struggling! It was the cutest thing ever! J is going to be an awesome big brother & I'm so happy I got to work with these (3) the short time they were visiting Nashville!