So, Jessica is my bestest friend and, to go along with that, she also married my brother in September. (See some of their wedding pictures – http://www.tirzahphotography.com/2009/09/samuel-and-jessica/ ) Now we are sisters!!! Jessica  and I spend just about every day together. I’m seriously over at her house every day, or she’s at mine. We eat a majority of meals together  and we share the deep places of our hearts with one another. It’s so good that my best friend is going to be my best friend FOREVER–she’s stuck!  haha….

Jessica and Samuel found out they were pregnant back in December, and it took us all by surprise. Brandon and I got to go see Jess’s 3D ultra sound a few weeks back. Pretty excited to find out that we are going to be an Aunt and an Uncle to a feisty little boy who looks just like my brother.

Now, I’m a little strange about maternity pictures. First of all, I have never been pregnant. Second of all, I feel like so many photographers make BEAUTIFUL pregnant ladies look horrible.  And… the bare-belly, half-naked maternity pictures often seem so tacky, and even cheesy.  I’m on a journey of trying to figure out how to take maternity pictures in a way that hasn’t been captured yet… where men who aren’t your husband feel comfortable looking through you’re photo album.  I definitely haven’t arrived in that journey of creativity, but two days ago, I took Jess to an old abandoned house and I shot pictures of her.  She is 24 weeks prego right now, and I’ll probably shoot more pictures of her when she gets closer to her due date in August.

I feel like so many photographers have seriously missed capturing the beauty of a mommy “with a baby in the oven.”  I like to look at it like this:

“I’m shooting a portrait session.

PS: She just so happens to be pregnant.”

Enjoy, and leave me some love!

These last two I think are my favorites…