Kelly & Mark's Maternity Shoot

July 23rd, 2023

I was so excited to take maternity photos for one of my oldest friends, Kelly who I have known since grade school. This is Kelly & Mark's first baby, and they had a tough go of things the first half of her pregnancy. So mostly I was just happy to know she was baking a healthy baby boy and wanted to do everything I could to help her celebrate all the things that should be celebrated when having a baby. They had a super cute shower a week or two prior with amazing DIY decorations done by her sister- in- law Ginger where the theme was "Here Comes the Son" with bars of soap as party favors that people (myself included because I think with my stomach) thought were white chocolate at first (oops!) and Mark convinced his Dad to take a bite out of one.

I knew I wanted to do a golden hour shoot with her, and when she said she wanted the beach, I was like "you know I know a perfect place!" My Grandparents and Aunt had houses down by the CT shore and I spent every summer going to White Sands Beach in Old Lyme. It is a private beach so unless it is off-season, it does require a parking pass FYI :( I had my wedding there in 2021, it's where we've scattered a few dear family members ashes, and it holds a really special place in my heart. To the right of the jetty there is an "uninhabited" beach called Griswold Beach with lots of large pieces of driftwood, and grassy alcoves leading up to a rocky point that if you climb up, opens up into a beautiful field. You can see the lighthouse in the distance, and the direction the sun sets over the water is just perfect. In typical Kelly fashion she brought like 3 bags worth of attire and baby accessories/props which was great because it gave me lots to work with. I know I am a little biased but she looked like an ethereal goddess in her off the shoulder, flowy, nude colored lace gown. And Mark looked fabulous too as the designated bag holder. The sun was hitting just right the whole time, and she was more than willing to be a good sport and get sandy and wade into the water towards the end when it got to be low tide. The day prior she was feeling like she didn't look or feel her best, but I told her to trust me. I know that she came away from the session feeling wonderful and grateful that she decided to have these moments captured.

Even if I didn't know them personally, it was evident to see how much they love and adore each other. As a friend it was moving to witness the stress of the last couple months come off their shoulders, and instead see the joy fill them both up as a couple and expectant parents getting ready to welcome their baby. It is being able to capture moments like those that mean everything to a photographer and is why we love what we do.