Beautiful Birth Story | Leila Photography | Waco, TX Photographer

It was an amazing experience.  This young couple had decided that outside of themselves and medical staff, no one would attend their birth, except the photographer.   It would be an intimate experience, just for them, as they welcomed their first child.  My goal as birth photographer was to stay as inconspicuous as possible and capture their birth story.  So that, when time tried to steal their memories, they could look back and relive the miracle of the moment.

As my first birth photography experience, this night will ever be etched in my memory.   I had done my best to research and seek advice from those with experience in birth photography. When that phone call came at 11:30 p.m., I knew I wouldn't sleep a wink as they kept me posted on their labor.  Their daughter was born at 3:59 a.m.

When I drove away from the hospital that night,  my excitement was palpable.  A miracle had taken place, and I'd witnessed it through my lens.  A child entered this word.  A husband and wife became parents.  A family was born.

The parents were elated with their photos.  Mom, was grateful to see things that had been clouded from her awareness during labor.  Dad, who had been a little on the fence about the whole idea of having a photographer, expressed how very glad he was that they had chosen to have me there.  It was absolutely my joy, that they entrusted this particular photographer with their birth story.

I had a total misconception about birth photography when I gave birth to my first son.  How I wish I could go back and have his birth story captured. While I can't turn back time for myself, it would be an honor to meet with you and answer any questions you might have about capturing your child's birth story.

Blessings!

Heather

Most Precious Waco Newborn| Leila Photography | Waco, TX Photographer

A new life is born, and then all-too-quickly, it seems that those fleeting moments of newborn days are hazy memories.  It is so much fun to capture this time for the families, so that they can gaze at their newborn photos and remember those tiny fingers and toes. They can inhale the newborn scent into their memory once again, and remember the moments, even as they relish the adventures of their little one's growth.

This ladybug one was a perfect angel and it was truly a joy to be entrusted with her session.  Her mommy and daddy are smitten, and let me tell you...I think she is spoiling them rotten with her little, perfect self.  I enjoyed her wide-eyed wonder, perfect little rose-bud lips and her sweet snuggles.  We even captured the most adorable Christmas images. So, stay tuned...and I'll share them after mom and dad have had a chance to send out Christmas cards.  Be sure to "Like" my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/leilaphotography so you don't miss the Christmas images and other fun sessions.

Maternity Session | Leila Photography | Waco, TX Photographer

I'm so excited, because this baby-bump session marks only the beginning of my journey with this sweet couple.  I eagerly anticipate capturing the birth and newborn session of their precious awaited daughter.  By following this mommy-to-be on Pinterest, I was able to get a great feel for planning their maternity session.  I have to say, this session just makes my soul happy.  Mom brought some great pose ideas of her own, and when they leaned into each other, as if in prayer, we got a sunflare rainbow flair at the bottom.  Knowing that this couple will continue in prayer for their daughter and believe God to keep his promises in their lives, it took on huge significance to me.  Even though mom was radiant and beautiful in all of the images, that image became my absolute favorite.  They also brought the first outfit that they picked out for their daughter when they found out she would be a little girl.  Such a sweet remembrance for the future.  I loved, loved, loved Mommy's outfit selection.  If you want her to hook you up with some great session outfits, visit her or her friends at Ameilia's Fashion Exchange. 

Super Fun Wedding Party | Carpenter-Dodds Wedding | Leila Photography

My computer has rebelled.  In fact it has decided to process things painfully slow, when more than ever, I need it to move at lightning speed.  My wonderful hubby has been doing all he can to fix the problem, but it has yet to succumb to our desires.  However, as my editing takes me much longer than usual, I'm so thankful for this super fun wedding party.  At least I get to giggle along the way...which totally makes the process more bearable.  Special thanks to Hip Pixel Photography for teaming up with me to capture this wedding.  As for more wedding previews.  I promise they are coming.  Slowly....but surely!!!

Beautiful Bride

Now that the we've celebrated the Carpenter-Dodds wedding, I can share these beautiful bridal shots of sweet Amanda.  We met out at Airport Park to capture some moments with this bride-to-be.  Her Maid-of-honor and Matron-of-honor were both on hand, along with one of the cutest flower girls, EVER.  The August heat was daunting, but she managed to look absolutely gorgeous anyway.  Congratulations to this precious bride and her new hubby! 

Stripling Newborn | 2 Months | Leila Photography | Waco, TX Photographer

This sweet family wanted to recreate some shots they'd done with their daughter's 2 month photo session.  We went about getting similar shots, and some special individual shots to complement his nursery.  The result: An absolutely beautiful session.  At two months new, this little guy was super-duper amazing.  He couldn't have done better, and I enjoyed the opportunity to snuggle with him a little.  The Stripling family is super proud of their new addition; big sister couldn't be more excited about her new role. 

One Year Cake Smash | Leila Photography | Waco, TX Photographer

A one-year session is such a fun celebration.  It was incredibly hot, but we laughed so hard while capturing this little one happily devouring her smash cake.  She thought it was great!  It has been so fun catching her first year milestones.  I'm so thankful to her family for entrusting me to photograph her special times.  She is just TOO precious!

Mini-Cupcake Butterfly: Tips & Tricks

First off, this post has absolutely Nothing, Nada, Zilch to do with Leila Photography, or even photography in general.  But, after a project like this, you just feel like sharing.  So, my friends, just in case you ever have the whim to create a huge butterfly out of mini-cupcakes, here are a few tips to help you along. (If you are one who eats clean and despises pre-packaged food products, please stop now!  Spare yourself the pain from reading further.)

#1.  CAKE MIXES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
I've made a cake from scratch very few times in my life.  Cake mixes just seem way too handy. However, even with the same brand of cake-mix there is obviously a huge difference.  My chocolate cake mix whipped up awesome, but the golden cake mix was very meringue-y.  It didn't bake as well, and seemed to be more dry.  Hmmm, go figure.  At least it was only a bite.  Fingers crossed that the preschool set won't really notice.

(Phone pic)  I taped two large pieces of cardboard together.  I Googled for a butterfly pattern and then eye-balled the basic shape and used a sharpie to draw it onto the cardboard.  I then covered the cardboard with Parchment paper.  The outline of the butterfly was still visible as a guide, but I could put the cupcakes on a clean surface.

#2.  WILTON IS MY FRIEND!
 I totally used pre-bought decorator icing.   Now, I don't really like the taste of it, but with about 140 cupcakes to ice, it's the easiest route. (See #3).  I did whip in a package of cream cheese with the decorator icing.  My 7 year old gave the taste a thumbs up. I personally thought it improved the taste, while still giving you the easy to use stiffness of decorator icing.  I bought the BIG tub and used about 85% of it to ice these cupcakes.

#3. BE LAZY
When I was buying my icing, I saw the Wilton Color Mist Food Spray.  A light bulb went off.  I thought, wow if that stuff works, I won't have to color separate batches of icing.  I can ice all of those puppies white and then just go to town. So, that is exactly what I did.  Laziness totally paid off. It kind of gives it a cool air-brushed look, plus it was lots of fun.

#4. NO FIREARMS
Even if you have declared the kitchen completely OFF-LIMITS to anyone under 18, you might want to know that a Nerf bullet, shot from the living room, can knock three (thankfully un-iced) cupcakes completely off the table.  Okay, so maybe the real tip is always bake extras to replace any casualties of war. This will help for #5 as well. 

#5. FROM HERE TO THERE
Transporting a ginormous butterfly made out of cupcakes from point A to point B, ended up being the most difficult part of the project. I packed the cupcakes in the car on a blanket with towels rolled around it. I drove with more caution than new parents leaving the hospital with their first-born.  However, There were still some mis-haps.  Thankfully, I had thought to take a trusty repair kit of extra icing, the Wilton sprays and even an extra cup-cake to try to beautify any mis-haps.  Good idea!

#6. THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE
I'm thinking in the future, it would totally make sense to use a cool-temp hot glue gun to glue the bottoms of the cupcake wrappers on the parchment.  It would keep them in place, but they should still pop off easily enough when you wanted to eat them, right?  I don't know.  Let me know if you have any great ideas.

#7.  ALWAYS TAKE PICTURES
I actually made a mini-cupcake butterfly last year for the  Noah's Ark Preschool butterfly release.  However, I didn't take one picture of it.  We made sure this year's butterfly project was well documented.  (This little man kind-of melted my heart when he grabbed the old Kodak Hawkeye and started taking "pictures.")

To my clients, with love....

To my wonderful, terrific, very amazing clients.  I can't be in business without you.

I recently went through some photography business training.  As the instructor provided advice about improving pricing and business structure, she indicated that you might not be cut out for a "Boutique" photography business, if telling a client that their product total comes to $4000-$7000 is uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable?  I think I'd have a stroke.  A deliriously happy stroke, but still, I start to hyperventilate at the thought.  So, I'm not a "Boutique" photographer.  Does that surprise me?  Ummmm, no.  I'm not doing life with Gucci and Versace.  In fact, if Kate Spade and Michael Kors are your BFFs, I might not be the photographer for you.

However, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate quality. When I married, I was accustomed to pinching pennies.  I always bought the cheapest thing, just because it was well, the cheapest thing.  It was actually my husband who taught me about quality.  He introduced the concept of paying for what you get. I remember the first time he took me shoe shopping and I got my not-bargain-store-shoes.  We spent more on those shoes than my previous five pairs combined, but my feet were oh-so-grateful. Good shoes rocked my world.  So many times, I've learned the hard lesson that just because something was 75% off (Oh yeah, I can sniff out clearance like a blood-hound) it doesn't necessarily mean you are saving money.

I may not be a boutique photographer, but dollar store strategies aren't my way, either.  Providing high quality products and services is extremely important to me.  I followed photography for long enough to know I didn't want to go into business offering low-end quality services, even if I am new in the business.

So, back to that business training.  It was eye-opening. I realized that I hadn't been realistic about my costs in business.  I had to re-evaluate my pricing structure.  I also re-evaluated what I was actually offering my clients. There are some exciting changes that I think you'll love.  (Like the fact that the most popular product with my clients, the Accordion Mini, is now included with the Life, Love or Legacy session!) 

Some other exciting changes: I'm still a fan of sales and discounts and honoring loyalty.  So, from now on, Return Clients will always receive 15% off their prints or products order. I'm also determined that all clients feel like their money is well spent.  Satisfaction Guarantee! If we do your viewing session and you are unhappy with your images, I will offer you the choice of a re-shoot or return your session fee*. Living within a budget is also a quality I admire.  If you know you want to invest in a session, I will gladly work out a payment plan.

Changes are in play, exciting and growing changes.  I'm committed to providing high quality services and products to help you document the most valuable treasures in your life.  Your family. I don't want to discriminate, though.  If you long for a Boutique experience and want to spend $4000-$7000 on your portrait session products I can totally customize my services just for you.  I'm flexible like that.

Many Blessings,

Heather Sullivan

www.leilaphotography.com

 Have some great ideas about products or session ideas, you'd like to see offered? E-mail me or message me on Facebook.  I'd love to hear from you.

*If you are unhappy with your session images and your session fee is returned, no products, digital or print will be exchanged.*

Wynne One Year|Waco, TX Photographer

To say that I LOVED this session, might be a bit of an understatement.  A seriously precious little girl and a vintage tea party. I die! Meet Wynne at her very own one-year tea party!  I expected huge smiles out of her, because she is just a delight to be around, but she wasn't quite sure about the whole situation at first.  (She warmed up, though.)  Although we haven't known this little one long, she has pretty much wormed her way into our hearts, and our family adores her!  I was so delighted to be chosen to capture this special occasion.

 Her cake smash was SO much fun!

 

And the best smile we got all day was when daddy came to pick up her high chair. The minute she saw him, she lit up!