The Katz Family 2011

I must admit…I get attached.

It’s bound to happen when you watch a family grow over the years and have the immense pleasure of capturing those changes in pictures. I grow fond of the people, the moments I get to share with them, and the hope that I will get to see them again in the future to further document their family over the years.

So the photos I am about to share are emotional to me, because after several years of capturing this beautiful family, this will be our last shoot together. They are leaving the area and moving to a new home, a new school, and a new life. I am happy for them but sad that I am saying goodbye to a family that I adore and will miss very much. Before leaving they asked me to capture their beautiful family one more time and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. We chose a lovely orchard in Sunnyvale and spent the evening together soaking up the delicious Bay Area light and warmth. Sydney and Austin were darling, as usual, and Emery stole my heart with her wide open grins. Seriously…Kristen…your children are STUNNING!

As I edited the images later I smiled to myself often. It’s so clear in every photo how gorgeous, loving, and joyful this family is. I feel so grateful to have spent so many amazing moments with them over the last few years and that I was able to provide them with so many photos of this precious time in their life.

Kristen and David- your children are so darling! I am so grateful for your friendship and kindness. Good luck as you start out in your new life but keep in touch!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Meghan MacAskill Photography is going through some changes that I can’t wait to share with you all! I am really enjoying making some minor updates right now that will hopefully lead to major updates in the future. For now, it may seem small but we are changing up some colors on the website…

Hello grey! I am loving how you make the photos in my website pop and how classic and elegant you are. Love.

Sneak Peek: The Katz Family

I’m swimming in gorgeous photos from this shoot with the Katz Family last night but I had to come up for air just for a moment to share this perfect moment. So many more to come!

Alive and Kicking!

Once again I fell off the face of the planet. I have an excuse! It has something to do with this little one…

Yes, that’s right. Our third girl and second baby in less than two years! Are we crazy? I’ll let you be the judge…

Her name is Penny Rose MacAskill and she was born on May 21st, 2011. We simply adore her and all her delicious chunkiness. While she has been keeping my hands more busy than my camera these days I have enjoyed the time I have had to focus on my family.

But now that she’s here and almost 7 weeks old I am back in business and taking photo sittings again. My how I have missed you all!

Stay tuned because there are many exciting things to come for Meghan MacAskill Photography this year!!!!

A Lakeside Wedding

Anna smiles a special smile when she talks about Nick. A smile full all the memories of the years they have shared, the times they held fast to each other during the rough patches, and love for the man who helped her reach for her dreams. They’ve had good times, and hard times, but through it all they always came back to each other more in love than ever before.

In the end, they chose to be together. They chose to love one another. In July, on the shore of Lake Almanor, they chose to love each other for the rest of their lives. They promised forever. Amidst the sound of the water, the smell of pine in the air, and the sunlight filtering through the trees, they sealed that promise with a kiss.

It was a beautiful day. One I was honored to take part in. Anna and Nick, thank you for inviting me into your life to capture the love you share. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it.

Some of my favorites…

My amazing assistant, Jackie, got these two:











I’ll end with one of the first dance that makes me smile every time I look at it. It says it all.

Hadley

I met Hadley’s Mommy when we were both expecting. Six months ago we sat for a little while after church exclaiming over the many difficulties of pregnancy and childbirth. She was expecting her first, and me; my second. We hit it off and I found myself driving home thinking about what a beautiful pregnant woman she was. I watched her grow and get more anxious as the time grew near. First babies are always so special, and I couldn’t wait to meet this one. I was so thrilled when these first-time parents invited me into their home to capture their sweet first daughter. Baby girls are so near and dear to my heart since I have two.

She wears a bump on her tender little head. A reminder of a not-so-long-ago arrival into this world that was not so easy. She slept willingly for a little while, just long enough for us to get a few perfect shots, then she decided that she has to know what is going on, and she fought sleep the rest of the shoot. We didn’t mind. We held her and wrapped her up, and took pictures anyways.

Babies don’t have an off switch. You have to go with the flow in a newborn shoot, and if things don’t go perfectly- hey, that’s real life! I like to remember things as they really were, not as I want them to be. I revel in the imperfections. They make the best photos and the best memories.

Hadley, I love your little bump, your wide open mouth when you sleep, and your stubbornness. You made my heart smile.

Sydney & Austin

Their names match two locations on opposite ends of the map. Two beautiful places very far apart, but with many similarities. Accordingly, these two beautiful children couldn’t be more similar, and more different at the same time. Sydney was obliging and grinned generously. Austin pouted and smiled only for gummy bears.

Sydney and Austin are not twins, though people think so all the time. They are brother and sister with an age gap of less than a year and a half. Now Mom and Dad are expecting baby #3, and I can only imagine how beautiful their new addition will be!

Mom wanted some photos of just the kids, but when the time came the location and light were so beautiful, Mom and Dad hopped in for some of the shots as well. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Hello gorgeous family in gorgeous light! Yes please!

I strongly feel that a child portraiture session is not complete without the parents. Children are so intrinsically linked to their family, to their Mommy and Daddy, that you just can’t capture the true fullness of a child in a session where the parents are not there too. I’m so glad I got to capture the fullness of these two dynamic and stunning children with their stunning parents.

Maisie

She’s got style. She’s only 5 months old and already, she’s got style. Between her round perfectly rosy cheeks and the stylish headband across her brow she totally works it. Boy are this first-time Mom and Dad in trouble. Their little girl is so full of style and beauty they should have their hands very full by the time this little lady reaches her teens!

She isn’t technically sitting up yet on her own, yet somehow she managed it just for our shoot. What a feat! I’m so glad I got to capture such a big moment for such a little girl. It was one of those times when you could feel the change and growth in the air. Filling the room.  Almost as if time was speeding up. I watched her grow before my eyes in that hour we were shooting as suddenly she went from an infant to a fully-sitting baby. It was miraculous. Just one of the many perks of photographing children. Every once and awhile you get to witness a miracle.
Thanks Lenessa, for having me over to take photos of your sweet girl. I can’t wait to take some more in a few months!

Tommy

He is perfect.

His daddy holds him tenderly and his mommy laughs at how much they look alike. He endures the position changes, the barely-there onesie, and the constant clicking of the camera. He sleeps through it all and even graces us with a few smiles. His head is perfectly round with the smallest bit of fuzzy dark hair. His toes are just the right size. He is the first son to this beautiful couple, and he is perfect.

When Peter and Cathrine asked me to photograph their new baby boy I was so thrilled. You see, I enjoyed another newborn shoot just a few weeks ago with his cousin- Gretta. Tommy is only the second of three cousins due to join this family this spring! What a fun time for this family to be having babies together!

Peter and Cathrine, your son is beautiful. He will grow so fast. I hope you live in the moment and enjoy every bit of him.

Beginning at the Beginning

The month of February was filled with sorrow. Death came unexpectedly and repeatedly into my blissfully unruffled daily life. My world crumbled just a bit each time. I felt like a small child, with eyes wide wondering how this could happen. How the lives of two small children with so much ahead of them could be snatched away so quickly. A rude awakening. I closed my eyes and waited. Waited for the sadness to abate. Waited for life to return to normal. The truth is, nothing will ever be the same again.

How strange it is that with the loss of two little ones so dear, two new babies were the first to be captured by my camera with my return to photography. They will never replace the babies that were lost. Life ends, and begins again. Still, how sweet it is to be there for the beginning.

Baby Caleb was the first. What a character! He refused to give in to the overwhelming sleepiness he so obviously felt. He knew we were watching and waiting for him to drift off and he was too stubborn to let us have our way. It wasn’t until we put him to sleep in his bassinet and left the room for a few minutes that he finally drifted off. I was reminded once again that babies come with their own personalities right from the start. This guys likes things a certain way, but in the end I got the shots I wanted, and he got the sleep he needed, making it all the more worth it.

Baby Gretta was a sweet chubby little girl. She was so compliant and slept through nearly the entire shoot. She grinned multiple times in her sleep and allowed me to move her around without cracking an eye. What a darling! Funnily enough, my favorite shot from this session (the first one below) is the one she happened to open her eyes for. Go figure!

Thanks to Elaine and Lindsay for inviting me into their homes to capture these sweet babies as they begin their journeys. I hope I have the opportunity to capture many more moments with them in the years to come!