Our favorite type of client is the bride and groom that comes back to us when their family is growing. It’s so special to be a part of each stage of their life together! When Karen contacted us about doing a maternity shoot for them, I was quick to let her know that we don’t ACTUALLY offer those, but what we DO offer is a couple’s shoot when one of the two happens to be with child. Hahaha! See, sometimes I feel like maternity shoots get a little cheesy. And while I’m all for capturing that stage, I’d rather do it in a way that still focuses on the couple. This season is really about THEM… their last bit of time alone before the baby arrives, as well as their first hint of what it’s like to love each other for a different reason… the joy of sharing parenthood together.

Jeff headed out with Karen and Shaun one chilly day and came away with some beautiful captures!

And, yes… Karen is the pregnant girl we all love to hate. There are angles where she still looks TINY!!!

What happens when you take two hip kids and add in a bit of Jeff Mansfield? Awesome pictures, that’s what. I absolutely LOVE this set! You can tell the kids are totally full of life and personality. And let me tell you, this ain’t the HALF of it! I had to narrow down so I could post already and then get to bed! Haha!

A huge thanks to April for driving all the way from GEORGIA just for this shoot! Can you believe it?!?!

Welcome, Journey Lineberger

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The reality of a growing family… hahaha!

Sometimes you come across a person that you just KNOW is in love with the Lord. It radiates from their face and you can’t help but want to cheer them on as they follow in His steps. That’s how I feel about Lindsay. I don’t know her very well at all, but in the few moments I’ve been able to watch her through Parker’s youth group the past three years, it’s so clear where her heart lies. This is her senior year… and while I’m disappointed that won’t have the opportunity to become really acquainted with her before she leaves, I’m thankful that she allowed us to pour something into her life… even if it’s just a handful of pictures.

Lindsay’s little sister, Kelly came along for moral support. How cute is she???

This is what happens when you ask her to be serious.

They were trying to play and sing together… but I think we were making them too nervous. Haha.

  Thanks, girls! You were fun to hang out with for an evening. I can’t wait to get to know you both more!

Would it scare you if I said I wanted to eat this little girl’s cheeks? Seriously, she is just delectable. And her expressions are just over-the-top! Shoots with her always make me smile. And her mom and dad? Come on. One of our FAVORITE past wedding couples. Of course, now they’re also amazing friends.

How big is Harper? SO BIG!!!!!

I’m not!! Haha! It is SO fun to have them come back and see us! Vickie is hysterical and has been SO encouraging to me as I’ve dealt with having the new baby around. Gotta hang on to those praying clients! Especially the ones with daughters as pretty as these! And let’s not forget Glenn, one of the most PATIENT dads! He’s always willing to go with the flow. We LOVE that!

Jeff was SO lucky! He got to hang out with the Johnson family at the stables! They have SUCH fun kids. And to be able to go somewhere special for the shoot makes it all the better! This was right as Fall was starting and the light was so luscious! I hope we can go there again!

We ran into Lindsey and Tyler at Starbucks a few weeks back. She was sweet enough to come up and ask if I was Melanie. We’ve shot so many of their friends and relatives weddings and her face has become really familiar. It turns out that they had just gotten engaged. Since their cousins and siblings had been so great to us over the years, we couldn’t help but ask them if we could do an engagement shoot as a gift. They were happy, WE were happy, all God’s children were happy!

When the time came, Jeff met up with them here in Kinston. He LOVES doing engagement shoots and they were up for anything. Talk about great “serious” expressions. They’re like models! Congratulations, guys!! We pray all the best blessings on you two!!

When Stacey booked Timothy’s one year shoot, she asked if we could do it at their house and use their yard. Of course, I love getting out of the “normal” locations, so we were all over the opportunity. Add a sweet little rocking chair and some awesome grandparents and you can’t go wrong! We love us some Wiggins!