in honor of mother’s day, i thought it’d be appropriate to post this recent maternity session and the beginnings of motherhood.

i was introduced to this gorgeous mom-to-be through a couple mutual friends earlier last year.  at the time, O was looking for a photographer for her wedding reception in Shanghai. unfortunately, i wasn’t available, but in our conversations, she hoped we would have another chance to work together.

well, that opportunity came sooner than i expected, as O became pregnant very soon after getting married. so i happily had the privilege to photograph this lovely couple as they prepare to go from newlyweds to new parents!

O&H, i had a great time during our session. thanks for being willing and open to try anything. looking forward to meeting SJ at our newborn session!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there – new and seasoned.  And to Popo, Waipo, and A-ma — thank you for being such wonderful mothers and grandmothers to us.

i had the privilege of having back-to-back newborn sessions this past weekend, and am loving getting my fill of these newbies. this handsome boy just turned one month old on the day of our session. i usually recommend photographing newborns within the first two weeks after birth, but mom did not hear about me until he was almost a month old.  so we decided to give it a try anyways, and he did wonderfully.  staying asleep through different poses, and even breaking into a couple smiles.
being born the year of the dragon, his nickname is 龙龙.

it was so nice to meet you and your family, 龙龙.  congratulations on your one month milestone!

this lovely girl arrived smoothly and swiftly into the world. at just five days old during our session this past weekend, she was equally easy and a natural model. enjoyed trying different setups with her and incorporating many small meaningful items into the shots.

l+b, congratulations again on your beautiful girl.  here is just a small sneak peek for now.

when the mom of this good-natured boy filled out my pre-session questionnaire, she mentioned a few times that he liked insects. so i was thrilled to find out he had real live ones at home. the scorpion and the cricket didn’t seem like real viable options to be let out for a photo shoot, so we settled for these charming silkworms. (yes, charming. i’ve mentioned that i used to love digging up worms, right?)

it was such a pleasure to meet your family!  thanks for letting me play with you and see your whole collection of insects.

recently dug out this image for printing from a while back. love the baby-ness.

in loving memory of a-gong.

though normally more quiet and serious in demeanor, his face would light up and he always had the biggest smiles when he was around his granddaughters.

this past week, my father-in-law passed peacefully to be with the Lord. we will miss him.  and this Easter Sunday, we are indeed thankful that He is risen and given us Life beyond this one.

spent a lovely afternoon with this beautiful family. their enjoyment of each other was so apparent, and i felt privileged to capture it.  even as i was editing the images, i was filled with warm fuzzies, uplifted by how they exemplified love as a family.

as they have recently relocated to Shanghai, mom wanted to be able share a glimpse of their life with family back home, just in time for her grandmother’s 85th birthday.  thinking about this, it added another dimension to the meaningfulness of my work.  for many expat families here, i know relatives back home miss them tons and always want to see how the kids are growing and changing.  i feel privileged once again that i can create these images to share with extended family and friends overseas.

this precious girl came as a surprise to her parents.
yet her life is a testimony of the change He makes in our lives.  and His faithfulness and abundant blessings – no wonder her nickname is 多多 (much).

just got back from a trip to Yangshuo, China – which is near Guilin.  we had a wonderful time taking in the charming countryside – bamboo rafting, biking, caving.  it’s been a while since we had such an active outdoorsy vacation, but we all loved it and it makes me look forward to being able to do more with the girls as they are getting older. it was forecast to rain for our entire stay, but the rains miraculously held back the entire time.

these couple shots were taken at the Outside Inn, where we stayed.  we were surrounded by the karst mountains, greeted by chickens and cows each day, and taken care of by a wonderful staff.

was truly lovely to see the countryside of China, chat with some of the local residents, and gain another perspective of this country.

love these rockin’ shots.  the headphones were actually mom’s idea.  another thing that i love – clients who get into the creative process and are also willing to let me try anything!