Spring Fling! | Wichita Portrait Photographer

This time of the year seriously gets me all giddy! My eldest child will be 8 in just three short days (yes, he's an April Fool's Day baby!)and I can vividly remember watching Spring do her thing that week after he was born. Three days of 80 degree temps in St. Louis meant that trees exploded and flowers poked their heads up and the air was warm with the scent of growing. Ahhhh....memories.

I'm so carried away by the beauty of Spring this year that I've decided to open my April calendar to family and children's portrait sessions as well as my usual newborns and babies! I know how fun it is to get children dressed in beautiful spring clothes and force them to sit still and smile for the camera. HA! I know this because I'm going to torture my own children next weekend as we'll be visiting my best friend and business partner Elizabeth Boyce in Dallas (E and I are running The Birth Retreat for professional photographers in Red Oak, Texas in June). Thankfully for you, Breathtaking is a laid back, easy going business and I do NOT torture other people's children nearly so much as my own. ;)

I expect my limited dates next month to go quickly so contact me sooner rather than later!

Much love,
Chantel

A Darling One Year Old | Wichita Baby Photographer

Do you remember Giving is Awesome? Tiny Mr. E. is out of the hospital and home with his family though he's still a long way from being "well". Continued prayers for his family.

Today it came time to visit Christie and her daughter Ivy. Christie was my sole Giving is Awesome nominator (hey, next year you people need to get on the ball, you hear me!?). She put Heather up for the award and in turn won a free session for herself! Now, I've shot Ivy and her big sister Mia before and they are seriously cute girls! I haven't seen Ivy since I dropped off Christie's prints (yes, I'm a full service photographer!) and she was a chubby 6 month old. Today she's a walking, talking 14 month old beauty! And she's still terrified of my camera. :/ We did have some luck getting her to warm up but our images are mostly Serious Ivy. I hope Mama still loves them anyway.... ;)



Not sure about this photographer.....



Her eyes are beautiful pools of dark brown. They're so deep and rich they are almost black. BEAUTIFUL!



Hmmmm, maybe warming up just a little bit.... ;)



Thanks again Christie for nominating Heather. I know she appreciates having a lasting memory of sweet Mr. E during what is turning out to be a challenging year. Hanging out with you girls this morning certainly cheered me up! I will have the rest of these to you shortly. :)

Love,
Chantel

The Easiest Newborn-EVER! | Wichita Newborn Photography

It's funny how small the world is, isn't it? I rely solely on word-of-mouth advertising. I am a small photographer (at the moment) and I just don't have a budget for lots of splashy ad pages. Because of the nature of newborn photography, it's just really neat to have friends of friends of past clients book me for a session. First one baby, then another, then another, until we've grown a family tree of interconnected babies who grow up in front of my lens. I love that organic process. It's one of my favorite parts of Breathtaking. Not to say that I don't enjoy fresh clients who have no prior connection, either. ;) They can just start their own "client tree". :)

Today was one of those days that I got to meet another baby related to my friend Chloe, who is the 'face' of Breathtaking. This little baby boy was the. easiest. baby. ever. Literally the most easily posable, most laid back, sleepiest baby I've ever, ever, ever shot. A total delight. I'm afraid that his parents are going to have a heck of a time choosing their final images from the LOAD we took! I spent 3 hours just shooting. The kid only took ONE break.

Ok, enough of my blabbering. I know you only log on to see the cute babies. ;)



Yum? Yes? More? Ok......



Dude! Does it get any better than that? Feet up by face, smooshy sweet newborn baby, COMPLETELY asleep! A newborn photographer's dream I tell ya.....



I did. not. pose. those. hands.



oh my. tiny baby heiny.



That's Mama, smiling in the background. And goodness she has a lot to smile about. Enjoy. :)

Love,
Chantel

Another Breathtaking Baby | Wichita Baby Photographer

Remember P? I haven't seen her since she was a tiny newborn last fall! I got an email from her Mom last week that Sweet P was 4 months old already! Unbelievable. Time flies! We got her scheduled up and today I went to see them. She's so big! And I've got the pictures to prove it:



Look at those bright eyes! Gosh, I love 4 month olds....



So interactive and fun at this age!





And yet, so irresistably soft and sweet and yummy and oh my goodness do they SMELL GOOD!



Yes indeed, I do so love my four month olds.



See you guys in a few more months!
Blessings,
Chantel

Breathtaking Baby Club-6 Month Old Twins! | Wichita Baby Photographer

I love my Breathtaking Babies! It's so fun to watch them grow up in front of my lens. I've seen M and E three times now. First when they were just a few weeks old and then again at 3 months. We had another session this past weekend at my home. It was non-stop fun! Having twins myself, I'm used to the insanity that ensues with the joy of two babies. And let's just say, sticking two curious six month olds with bows on their heads next to each other and then expecting them to smile and look pretty leads to some interesting outtakes! But first, the cute!



I call this "Hello Sister"-"Hello bow I'd like to eat!"



Let the bow eating begin!



And oh, while we're at it, my feet sound quite tasty as well....



And a fist.....



These girls have the. most. gorgeous. eyes. EVER!







Thank you Emy for letting me catch your girls and their fun personalities yet again. And thanks to my tireless assistant Chelle who is a twin wrangler extrodinare (both personally and professionally!)

Much love,
Chantel

A Visit With A Baby Cousin | Wichita Newborn Photographer

I had the pleasure of breaking my long streak of "off" days by meeting the baby cousin of a past client, Chloe. Chloe, I should mention, is really the "face" of Breathtaking:



Her beautiful face graces my advertising and my website. Today, Baby Cora gave her older cousin a run for her money:



They look so similar they could be sisters rather than cousins! Both darling "C" babies. *swoon*



Isn't that sweet? I really loved how the blue 'pops'!

And of course, it wouldn't be a Breathtaking Newborn Shoot if I didn't get one or two naked baby pics....



These shoes came from a loving family member and we worked hard to get this shot. It was the last one I took before Cora was just d.o.n.e. with me! SO glad I was able to capture it!



And of course, I had to get Mom and Dad in on the action. Beautiful family, in my very humble opinion.





I enjoyed my afternoon so much Jill! Thank you for the opportunity to get 'back to work' with you guys. Cora is just as sweet and adorable as Chloe! :)

With Love,
Chantel

The Winner! | Wichita Giving Is Awesome Photographer

Computer viruses stink! I'm sorry that I'm late posting the winner to the Giving is Awesome give-away. My computer has been on the outs for the past week. In fact, I'm not sure I'll even get through typing this before it freezes again. BOO! Thankfully I'm a smart photog and I back up all my images. ;)

The winner of the Giving is Awesome giveaway is Heather, mother of little Mr. E! And really, the timing could not be more perfect for this family. Heather and her partner Bob have been in the hospital for nearly two weeks with tiny Mr. E. He has some pretty serious health problems and has had many set backs. What a blessing that they were able to be home for Christmas! The year ahead may very well be a difficult one for them and I am excited to bless them with a little joy through photography. They've already had their newborn session when E was 5 days old and we'll get to see him throughout 2010 as he grows up!

E will have another session at 6 months and then again on his first birthday! A full set of 4x6 prints, one mounted wall print up to size 11x14, and a full resolution CD of images will be presented at each session. And at the end of this year Heather will receive a beautiful, custom made (by me!) coffee table book of images.

In addition, Christie, who nominated Heather, will get a free cake smash and portrait session for her darling baby girl I!

Thank you everyone and congratulations Heather, Bob, Mr. E, and Christie!