I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and look back on my family's Christmas cards over the years.

Our first family Christmas Card.  We announced our little Ephraim with a post-it note.  It was an exciting year,  our second Christmas as a married couple and our first as expectant parents.

Of course, the following year we had to show off our perfect little bundle of joy!  Christmas cards are pretty easy with adorable babies :-)

Ephraim- 3 months old (almost)San Antonio, Texas

The next year I started to get more creative.  Inspired by Tiffany Feger (my sister-in-law and photographer at Fishy Face Photography) and her endlessly creative Christmas Cards, I decided to do a play on the classic "bubble-bath bubble-beard."  These were so much fun! ( I still have the bottom left picture hanging in my bathroom.)

I went straight-on "pun-y" for the next year and tried a play on the word season. 

The next year we expanded our family, so our card had double cuteness!  My sweet boys were very loving and willing models for our "kiss-mas" card.

Savannah, Texas

The next year we decided to use a favorite family past-time as inspiration.

And here is the back.

In 2017 we celebrated the year of the man bun, as well as our new baby buns.

2018 was a new move to a place with a warmer climate, so we used that as inspiration for our Christmas card.

The following year, we embraced the chaos that is having 3 children.

Here's the rest of that one.

And finally, we made a card this year to commemorate the roller coaster that is 2020.

Let us know some of your fun Christmas card ideas!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Phoenix Area Photographer

Sometimes it's all three!

Anthem, AZ

This set of portraits. I specifically designed to hang in a particular spot in our home. Having a specific vision can be difficult, especially when working with children. At first I felt frustrated because the portraits weren't turning out exactly as I had hoped. But as I looked at the portraits I did have, I realized that they could work, and now I am in love with them!

Anthem, AZ

Having a purpose in mind when doing portraits can really help guide the experience, but I have found it is equally as important to be flexible and willing to envision something new when given the opportunity

Anthem, AZ

-Stepheni Beckman-

Anthem, AZ Portrait Photographer

I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and look back on my family's Christmas cards over the years.

Our first family Christmas Card.  We announced our little Ephraim with a post-it note.  It was an exciting year,  our second Christmas as a married couple and our first as expectant parents.

Of course, the following year we had to show off our perfect little bundle of joy!  Christmas cards are pretty easy with adorable babies :-)

Ephraim- 3 months old (almost)San Antonio, Texas

The next year I started to get more creative.  Inspired by Tiffany Feger (my sister-in-law and photographer at Fishy Face Photography) and her endlessly creative Christmas Cards, I decided to do a play on the classic "bubble-bath bubble-beard."  These were so much fun! ( I still have the bottom left picture hanging in my bathroom.)

I went straight-on "pun-y" for the next year and tried a play on the word season. 

The next year we expanded our family, so our card had double cuteness!  My sweet boys were very loving and willing models for our "kiss-mas" card.

Savannah, Texas

The next year we decided to use a favorite family past-time as inspiration.

And here is the back.

Finally, here is our last Christmas Card.  This is probably my favorite one yet.

I'm currently working on this year's card, and pretty excited about it!  Let us know some of your fun Christmas card ideas!  And if you still need family photos done for your cards, please check us out!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Phoenix Area Photographer

It was so sweet to see the love and fun they were having with the chance to be all together.

Also, we found out that I went to high school with one of the family member's brother!  It's such a small world.  I'm so glad we had the opportunity to do these portraits.

It was also so much fun to work with them to select which portraits to hang in their home.  We were able to make custom sizes to fit their existing photo displays.

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Family Photographer

This family is seriously adorable!  Every single one of their proofs turned out beautifully. I love seeing these photos in print!

It was hard to decide which portraits to order, but after sitting down together we were able to figure out which portraits would be the best to display in their home.

I seriously love the satisfaction of helping people to print their photos.  It makes such a difference!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Providence Village Photographer
 

Family Portrait

We love this family, and I love the theme of this cute session.  This mama has been through a lot, and has a lot to show for it.  After six beautiful boys, she had a baby girl, and a rainbow baby.  This baby was such an answer to prayers and she wanted to incorporate that into the session.

It was fun working with her boys, and also a little crazy, as they all wanted to look in different directions, but in the end we were able to capture the portraits and her theme.

This baby girl is so loved and will never lack for attention and protection. Thanks so much for allowing us to capture this special time Danielle.

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Child Photographer

Baby BoyLegacy Trail, Plano, Texas

Everything is so green!

Savannah, Texas

The Texas tradition of taking portraits with bluebonnets is especially fun!

Plano, Texas

If you have been thinking about updating your family portraits (or even having professionally printed portraits for the first time), spring in Texas is an excellent time to do it!

-Stepheni Beckman-

North Dallas Family Portrait Photographer

Preschool portraits are a different experience than family portraits.  There is a little less time to help children warm up to you and the camera.

However, this is why working with a small in-home preschool was a great experience.  The teacher's relationship with her students really helped them warm up to us quickly and get those classic memorable images that parent's love.

I really love this age.  Smiles are so genuine and personalities shine through.

I am looking forward to our next session.

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Preschool Photographer

Father Daughter Dance

Since we are expecting our first baby girl, it got me thinking about the special relationship between fathers and their daughters.  Seeing all these men make time for these beautiful little girls is inspiring.

One of the best parts of attending these dances as an observer is noticing how much these daughters rely on and look up to their dads.

This bond is accomplished over much more than a one-a-year dance, but having the chance to dress up and celebrate it is so much fun!

Thanks to all the great Fathers and Father-figures out there.  You really make a difference.

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Event and Portrait Photographer

My little Asher is now a two-year-old.  I am forever grateful for the means we have to document my children's lives.

We need to take pictures, because someday, they are all we have left of our memories.  They can help us see how far we've come and be grateful for the times we have had.

I am especially fond of birthday pictures: catching a moment and hanging onto it in a formal way each year.  

Here are some of my milestones of my sweet baby.

Newborn

Medical Center of McKinney, McKinney, Texas

Six-Months-Old

Decatur, Illinois

One-Year-Old

Savannah, Texas

Eighteen-Months-Old

And now TWO-YEARS-OLD!!!!

There's something so special about these portraits and being able to see them side by side.  These are also the portraits I print and hang ALL over my home.  A snapshot, a moment, immortalized as art to look at every day.  It's pretty magical.

So take those pictures, and for those special moments hire that photographer!  You will only think about the cost of that special wall-art once, but you will cherish those memories forever!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Child Photographer

Extended Family Portrait

This past fall we had a great time photographing this fun family!  It's very often that such a large extended family can all get together, and it's always an honor to photograph them.

It's no small feat to corral so many children in a photoshoot, but these kids were seriously well behaved!

There are a lot of little boys in this family!  And we love little boys.

These parents certainly have a lot to be proud of and grateful for.  Their kids all have such sweet families.

We are so grateful we got to prepare portraits for and work with this sweet family.

-Stepheni Beckman-

Frisco Texas Family Photographer

Family PortraitProsper

Their boys were pros.  Like seriously, so well behaved and completely adorable!

Portrait of Brothers

Even when we meet our clients by chance we just get the best ones.  I was so excited when we got their proofs to go and review them with this sweet family.

We hope that they enjoy their printed wall art as much as we enjoyed creating it with them!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Prosper Texas Family Portrait Photographer

We got to do some Christmas-themed family portraits for this sweet family.

This sweet family donated to extra-life (a charity my husband works with), and got their session.  It was so much fun working with them, and we were so grateful for their support.

Their little girls are beautiful and were a breeze to photograph.

And of course the parents were a joy to photograph as well.

They had great ideas to bring in the Christmas theme, and baby-girl #3.

So much love!

It was wonderful getting in the Holiday spirit with this family.  Merry Christmas, and Congratulations on Baby #3!

-Stepheni Beckman-

North Dallas Texas Family Photographer

We live in a digital age and have become very accustomed to seeing our loved ones presented over the screen.

Like this.  

These memories are precious in their own right.  They capture a moment in time that can never return.  However, there is something fleeting about the digital image as well.  As technology changes, we scroll on, and the moment is forgotten.

This is where printed artwork comes in.  It is timeless.  When we adorn our walls, bookshelves, and desks with printed portraits we have a constant reminder of how fleeting time is, and how much we need to hang on to and love those around us.

I love visiting my Grandma's home.  All over her home she has portraits of my Mom and my aunts, uncles, and cousins from various stages of their lives.  I love looking at the portraits of my Grandpa and remembering the great times we had.  The home is filled with memories, only some of which are immortalized on the walls.

There really is no way to convey the beauty and power of print via digital media.

This canvas brings this portrait to life.

What are some of your favorite memories with printed portraits?  Share some in the comments.

I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and look back on my family's Christmas cards over the years.

Our first family Christmas Card.  We announced our little Ephraim with a post-it note.  It was an exciting year,  our second Christmas as a married couple and our first as expectant parents.

Of course, the following year we had to show off our perfect little bundle of joy!  Christmas cards are pretty easy with adorable babies :-)

Ephraim- 3 months old (almost)San Antonio, Texas

The next year I started to get more creative.  Inspired by Tiffany Feger (my sister-in-law and photographer at Fishy Face Photography) and her endlessly creative Christmas Cards, I decided to do a play on the classic "bubble-bath bubble-beard."  These were so much fun! ( I still have the bottom left picture hanging in my bathroom.)

I went straight-on "pun-y" for the next year and tried a play on the word season. 

The next year we expanded our family, so our card had double cuteness!  My sweet boys were very loving and willing models for our "kiss-mas" card.

Savannah, Texas

I'm currently working on this year's card, and pretty excited about it!  Let us know some of your fun Christmas card ideas!  And if you still need family photos done for your cards, please check us out!  We have a Christmas Card Special going on, click here to learn more.

-Stepheni Beckman-

North Dallas Texas Family Photographer

Baby C was a hungry little man during our photo session, but in between feedings he gave us moments of pure sweetness!

Over the weeks getting to see this sweet baby and work with his family it is so obvious how loved he is.  He is just the luckiest little man to be a part of this family!

We are so grateful to be a part of Little C's earliest days!  It's so much fun to help families get those portraits done and order the art that will decorate the walls of their home!  What is more important than the memories of your own sweet family?

Photo of Newborn Wall Art

I will leave with this sweet photo, because who doesn't need more newborn smiles in their life?

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Texas Newborn Photographer

We went to Little Elm Park and found a gorgeous field of snow-on-the-prairie.  I just knew I wanted to go back and do portraits there.  Luck would have it that my parents were visiting so that they could come help us take the pictures that Stephen would be in.

Family PhotoLittle Elm Park, Little Elm, Texas

Then Stephen got some sweet updated pictures of our boys.  Ephraim is starting preschool this year and Asher just turned 18 months, so it was a great time for updated portraits!

Child PortraitLittle Elm Park, Little Elm, Texas Child PortraitLittle Elm Park, Little Elm, Texas

Just today our printed portraits arrived!  I wish I could hand them to you through the computer.  There is something so special about quality printed art to hang on the walls of your home!

Printed Family Portraits

We'd love to help everyone get these printed family memories in their hands!  Contact us for more information!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Family Portrait Photographer 

We seriously had fun with this sweet family.  They are probably some of the most photogenic people on the planet.

Fall Family PhotosArbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas

I want to share some photos of their gorgeous kiddos.  I seriously love photographing families with young kids.  They are just the best!

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas

I'm getting so excited for fall and fall photoshoots again!  The families we get to photograph are seriously such a blast!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Plano Family Photographer

Kindergarten Back To School PictureStephen Beckman, Frisco Child Photographer

So exciting!  Big changes for C-girl and for her family!  She was so sweet and such a good listener.  I know she is doing great!

We brought in mom and dad in the shoot to help her warm up to the camera.  You can definitely tell how loved this little sweetie is!

Thanks for letting us capture these sweet memories for you little C.  You are such a joy!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Frisco Child Photographer

Asher's 18 Month portraitsToddler Portraits

I love photographing this age because they are so easy to get to smile!

We went out to a field of snow-on-the-prairie, which is definitely my favorite thing ever at the moment!  It's so beautiful!

Asher's 18-month PortraitsToddler Portraits

I seriously love having such beautiful keepsakes of my precious boys!  Happy 18 months Asher!!!

Asher's 18-month portraitstoddler portraits

-Stepheni Beckman-

Savannah Baby Photographer

Newborn PortraitBeckman Photography, North Dallas Newborn Photographer

First, this home and nursery were gorgeous!  I just loved their rustic/modern style!  Second, oh my goodness what a beautiful family!  They were a breeze to work with and so sweet.  The above photos are some of our favorites from the shoot.  This girlie is so loved and watched over by everyone in her family.

Baby A has just perfect hair.  Oh, and look at that little pouty lip!  Seriously, just too much.

Newborn PortraitBeckman Photography is a newborn photographer in North Dallas

I also love this pulled back shot.  I love doing in-home lifestyle newborn sessions because we get to incorporate the individual style of the families so seamlessly.  This master bed is gorgeous, and shows off how tiny their little angel is.

Newborn PortraitBeckman Photography is a newborn photographer in North Dallas

One last portrait just for fun!  Looks like baby A has some football in her future. 

Newborn PortraitBeckman Photography is a newborn photographer in North Dallas

Baby A, it was a pleasure to photograph you and your family.  It is just so obvious how loved you are!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Providence Village Newborn Photographer

It's especially fun when those photographs are one-year-old portraits!

I love how genuine babies are!  So expressive and full of emotion!

This little girl was an angel and a mover!  She was so sweet, but she did not want to sit still for her portraits.

Just look at those gorgeous blue eyes! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Girlie!

-Stepheni Beckman-

Frisco Baby Photographer

It's only better when it's your BFF from high school's baby girl.  I love how simple and sweet these photos are, taken right in her backyard.

The yellow blanket she is wrapped in used to be her daddy's when he was a baby.  I love when we can incorporate meaningful items into a photoshoot.

Also, I just love her sweet round face and chubby cheeks.  Check out those cute little lips! *swoons*

Of course, big brother was so sweet.  He was so excited to see how much she had grown in a week!

Sweet sweet baby.  I'm so glad I got to meet you and enjoy some of your newborn goodness.  You are so loved, and have such awesome parents! I'm so excited for your life. 

-Stepheni Beckman-

North Dallas Newborn Photographer

He also has Autism.

We are visiting home and I got to thinking about how this was his final year of high school, and realized that he should have some senior portraits.  He doesn't love posing for pictures (in all honesty, who does?), but he did so good.  He followed every direction!

He wore purple because it is his favorite color, and he brought Marie because she is one of his very favorite Disney characters.  Oh, and we can't forget his maps.  That wasn't a hard thing to remember because Nathan never goes anywhere without his map.

I just love how these senior pictures turned out because they represent him so well.

An example of his direction following skills.  We asked him to open his eyes and close his mouth for this picture.  He's a pro!

Nathan Senior PicturesAn example of his direction following skills. We asked him to open his eyes and close his mouth for this picture. He's a pro!

Nathan's picture smile.  "Say Cheeeeese!"

Nathan wanted to be sure to include Marie in his pictures.

Nathan's Senior PictureNathan wanted to be sure to include Marie in his pictures.

Of course, no session with Nathan would be complete without one of his maps.

Nathan's Senior PicturesOf course, no session with Nathan would be complete without one of his maps.

For those who aren't aware, I have a degree in Special education.  It's been awhile since I have had a chance to use that degree in education, but doing this session really got me thinking about how everyone deserves to have their memories preserved through professional photography.  Especially those who may walk a special path through life.  I really hope we have opportunities to photograph some people who have special needs again.

If you have a child who has special needs and have hesitated to have portraits done because of special needs and concerns please contact us to discuss.  We would love to work with you and help you accommodate those special needs.  We can meet at your home, and find a way to help you preserve those memories!

-Stepheni Beckman-

North Dallas Special Needs Photographer

I can't say enough about detail shots during the entire event.  They become my inspiration for the rest of the pictures and the day at large!  This was shot with my macro lens and done fairly quickly so as to not interrupt their own workflow.  As the photographer you have something of a carte blanche for everyone's time, if that is not the case, be very careful with your client and very explicit with their expectations.  Misunderstandings upfront can cause a lot of hassle down the road; you need to be aware of the entire day's schedule, not just the hour you will be there.  

As this vision that I had in my head came together I decided that I wanted to have some red and green in the pictures, and instead of a Santa hat, a red shower cap.  I knew what I wanted, and it wasn't easy to find, but after some searching I found a red kid's shower cap on amazon.  I decided to wrap some existing bottles that we had in red and green paper, and use some red and green ball pit balls in the tub to add some splashes of color.

The photo shoot took some patience and persistence (as photo shoots with toddlers always do).  Ephraim did not like having the bubbles on his face and kept rubbing his face as soon as I put the bubbles on his chin, and took off the shower cap several times.  It definitely took some team work.  I would quickly set up pictures and Stephen would try and make Ephraim laugh and snap pictures at the same time.  

Stephen used an external flash bouncing it off the ceiling to light the shot, and we kept the other ambient light in the room very low.  He used his 50mm lens, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/250 at f/3.5.

Basic editing and corrections were done using Lightroom, and then I put the card together using the collage maker in Picasa and Photoshop.

I am very happy with the end result.

When you're out and about, you have to remember that all you are doing with your camera is capturing light on a little flat piece of silicon, if less light is around, less light goes in.  

In this case, it was after sunset and the light was fading fast, and there were cars whizzing by us on the street.  By dialing down my aperture and using the bulb setting I could handhold this shot and have my lovely assistant hit him with a burst of the flash at my command.  In this situation you are at the mercy of the cars going by, and how many go by at once, and in which lane, etc.  That's okay, because it gives you something different to work with in each shot.  

Be sure that your subject understands what you are doing and to try and be still, otherwise you will get light trails going through them as their superimposed image on the light trails will not be as bright as they are.  

Tons of fun!  =)

The better you know them, the better you can serve them.  

In this case it came out that he was a sponsored long-boarder.  Perfect!

We went around a local park and found some great backdrops and put him in his element.  

I've written about it before, but one of the best pieces of advice that I've received was to put something in their hands, anything.  Having something there will help to put your subject at ease and more into their natural state of being, this is especially true if the object is something they would normally carry around.  (Cell phone!)  

Another one of Stepheni's very favorite things about Easter is all the cute Easter outfits for the little ones.

So, Stepheni + Adorable Baby Boy + Photographer Husband + Easter + Pinterest =

Now, I know this is a photography blog, but I thought I'd mix things up a bit and explain how I made this cute outfit for my little man.

I made the hat, the bow tie, and the shorts.  The shirt is just an oshkosh b'gosh shirt that I got at sears and the adorable sandals were a gift.

For the whole outfit I ended up using approximately 1 yard of the argyle fabric, and about 1/4 yard of a coordinating fabric (for the lining of the hat).  Other supplies included: Freezer paper (for tracing patterns), 1/2 inch elastic (for the waistband of the pants), 1/8 inch elastic (for putting on the bow tie), and thread (I used brown).  The only equipment I used was my sewing machine, a hot glue gun, pinking shears, and my iron.

The Hat

Let's start at the top.  I made the hat following this pattern and these instructions.  It's actually called a welder's cap and it worked perfectly for my little man's head.  I am no expert seamstress (as you can probably tell if you look too closely at my crooked topstitching), so it wasn't the easiest thing to make, but after one failed attempt, I think this second one turned out swell.

Here are some tips that I have (especially since I made the hat twice):

• I actually sized the pattern directly on my computer screen, then I traced the pattern from my screen onto freezer paper.  I found this to be more precise than trying to print it to scale.
• FREEZER PAPER! I love the stuff.  I traced my pattern onto the uncoated side and then I cut it out and ironed it (coated side down) directly onto my fabric.  This way, while I was cutting out my pattern the paper didn't move.  It peels right off when you are done.
• The reason I had to make the hat twice is because the first one turned out too small.  I followed the scale bar on the pattern, but the problem is that the scaling doesn't take into account that when you shrink the pattern, you also shrink the seam allowance (which is only 1/4" to begin with).  So when sizing your pattern, if you are going to scale it down to a smaller size, I recommend shooting for something a little larger than what you actually need.  A hat that is a little too big is still wearable, but a hat that is too small won't work. For example:  I needed my hat to be at least 19.5" around, so I sized the pattern for 21" using the scaling bar.  My finished hat is actually 20" around.  This leads me to my second tip.
• I didn't measure or cut out my hat band until after I finished the bowl of the cap and the bill.  The hat band needs to be the exact same circumference as the bowl of the hat or it won't work.  Because the sizing is a little bit tricky, I found it much easier to measure the circumference of the bowl after it was finished and then use that measurement as I proceeded with the hat band and the rest of the hat.
• I used a little bit of fusible interfacing in the bill of my cap instead of batting.  It just was more convenient for me, although either would work fine.
• I trimmed all my seams with pinking shears as I went along.  I don't know if it made any difference, but the fabric frayed less while I was working with it.

The Bow Tie

The bow tie was definitely the simplest part of this outfit.  I also made one for my husband.  Aren't they the cutest boys? (I may be biased, but that's okay).  Anyways, I made the bow tie following this tutorial.  The tie that I made from the tutorial is actually the one that Stephen (my husband) is wearing, so it was a little bit too big for my little man.  To make the baby one I just adapted the size, but followed the exact same steps.

I did do one thing different.  I tried using that clip on earrings to make a little clip on tie, like in the tutorial, but they clip wasn't strong enough to hold on the tie and it just fell off.  So instead of making a clip on tie, I used some 1/8" elastic that I attached to the back of the tie using hot glue.  I looped that around the neck of the shirt under the collar and then attached the other end behind the bow tie using hot glue again.  This way I could just stretch the elastic around my boys head and then put it under his collar and the bow tie stayed on like a necklace.  I did the same with both of the ties that I made.

The Shorts

I followed this tutorial to make the shorts.  It was super simple.  Obviously, I left off the cuff, and I shortened the length.  I traced my pattern on freezer paper and ironed it on to make cutting the fabric super simple.  I also used 1/2" elastic instead of 1" elastic.  That's it.  The only tip I have is to make sure to leave room for the elastic waistband.  I forgot to make the waist wide enough to allow for some stretch the first time, so I had redo these pants.  I also trimmed all my seams with pinking shears, and that seemed to help with any fraying.

After I was finished I washed the pants and the hat.  They washed beautifully!  The hat came out a little misshapen, but after a quick run under the iron it was good as new.  I love things that are washable, especially with babies.

That's it!  I hope this will be useful for someone.  If nothing else, I know I enjoyed sharing more pictures of my adorable little man.  Please leave a comment if you have any questions or comments.

Little moments like these are the ones I photograph for.  This was behind the chapel and it was blessedly overcast that day.  Harsh lighting can make for very dramatic and exciting images, but I tend to prefer the softness that this type of lighting can offer. 

This was one of the first times covering such a ceremony.  In LDS Sealings, photographers aren't allowed inside the Temple.  It was beautiful and sweet and everyone was very happy for Sally and Hector.  This was just after the ceremony and outside of the chapel near their home.  

One of the things that I was complimented on was coming early enough to chat with the pastor about his rules for photographing the ceremony.  It was a good thing I did as well, because I would have been tempted to light the place up as it was pretty dark inside.  His only request was that we not use flashes come to find out.  

I really liked this shot, Hector smiling and Sally very much enjoying her new husband =)

Looking back it is interesting how much more I got into character as the shots progressed.  These are in chronological order and the first few are of me just sitting in front of the camera, but by the last two there is a character that has developed. 

Fun times. 

Note:  Give your subjects a prop, it helps!

Most one-year-olds only have one thing in mind, and that is moving!  Moving and pictures don't always mix, but trying to get a mover to sit still is not the ideal answer (unless you want pictures of very grumpy babies).

The solution:

Go with it.  Pick a location where the child has room to move and go to town.  Take opportunities to catch them when they are resting, and still shoot some moving shots to capture the moment.

Some of the perks of this approach include more natural smiles, and a low stress environment.

We had an opportunity to photograph this adorable one-year-old this past weekend.

A resting moment

A more playful shot

The set up was pretty simple.  We got out some of Stephen's math books and set Ephraim on our table in front of the bookcase.  The lighting was accomplished with the use of some natural light and one strobe that was bounced off the wall.

Then we set Ephraim down and let him go to town (under our watchful eye of course).

What follows are some precious pictures that tell quite a story about our future mathematician (at least Stephen hopes for him to catch a bit of the math bug).

We took a couple of our favorites and made some "math memes" out of them.

I hope that you enjoy these photos as much as we do!  Also, feel free to take the memes and share them.  After all, isn't that what memes are for?

-Stepheni Beckman

Ephraim- 3 months old (almost)

One note here, as Stepheni was picking out pictures to edit later, her criteria were two-fold:  

1.  Is it sharp?

2.  Is the baby looking at the camera?

Now, neither are necessary to take a great picture of a baby.  But here, it was important to us.  Why?  Well, look at the picture, that's what we were going for.  

When you are taking pictures, ask yourself that, "What would I like to see?", "What am I going for here?"  

Sometimes we just take pictures because we want to record the moment.  Why?  That's not a rhetorical question, nor am I saying it is wrong.  By all means photograph to your hearts content.  But why do you want to remember that moment?  What is it about that moment that is so special, and how can you capture that part of it most effectively?  

For me, and I think for Stepheni, getting a look from Ephraim always means a precious connection with him.  Sometimes he smiles too, and that's awesome, but just getting to see him look back and really look at you, is just fantastic.  

Being a dad is great.  =)

If you want to get a shot like this you have to drag the shutter and add in an outside light source that you can pop, preferably an off-camera flash.  I had one on camera that I would shoot off the (blessedly) white-draped ceiling and two others behind the curtains that were set up.  What you are seeing is the pop off the ceiling and the shutter dragging out for another fraction of a second.  

Events like this are so special for everyone involved and I feel like I get a back stage pass to all the proceedings, because I really do.  So many moments happen in a single day, where two families are forever joined together.  What an awesome time!  I'm not a poet, just a photographer.  But I think pictures like this sum up the whole day.  

For those that want to know, there is an umbrella and strobe off camera left, with either a 1/4 or 1/2 cut of CTO.  I wanted to help match the couple's coloring with the warmth of the fall colors, and pop them off the cloud cover as well.  Love this time of year!

At the local Target

Finally caught up on taking some maternities with Stepheni, we liked this one.  I love going to contrasting places and taking some neat pictures.  Yes, that's my baby-momma!