Hi guys! This is Cristel’s husband, Joe, stepping in to blog this Duke Gardens maternity session for Cristel. This was a fun shoot I did with my friend Steph back in February. Steph is a brilliant wedding planner here in the Raleigh-area working with Southern Oak Events, so when she told me she was expecting, I really hoped I’d be given the opportunity to photograph her maternity session and Cristel her baby’s newborn session. So I was really pleased when I got a message from Steph asking me if I would be willing to do this shoot for her.
For this session, we met up as the sun set and went for a short walk to some of my favourite and most easily-accessible spots at Duke Gardens. Being January, it was pretty cold and, with Steph being well into her third trimester, I didn’t want to take too long or make her walk too far. So we made a quick lap in about an hour and, once we found a spot, I did most of the moving around to try and get as much variety as possible to the photos.
In order to keep things as fun as possible and give a bit of variety to the shoot, I also shot both digital and film (35mm and medium format). This, combined with the setting and Steph’s wardrobe, gives a nice organic feel to the images.
I think you’ll agree with me that, despite the chilly temperatures, Steph looked absolutely radiant. I am so happy for her and her husband!
Just a few short weeks after this shoot, Steph came into the studio for her newborn session. Cristel will be blogging that very soon. Can’t wait to share!
If you’re interested in scheduling a maternity session with us, please do feel free to contact us to chat through things. We’d love to photograph this special time in your life!
Stay safe everyone!
