Fall 2013

There's something for everyone at Alexis Ryan Photography! Please feel free to like or share any of these photos on your own page to spread the word.

Now through the end of 2013, any 1-hour photo session also comes with an additional free 8x10 print, when you bring the promotional poster (found on the Alexis Ryan Photography facebook page) to your session!

 

Playgrounds and Growing Up

On the first day of Spring, Nathaniel and I took our son to Rita's for his very first taste of water ice. As the cool, lemony-sweet crystals dissolved on his tongue, he looked up at us with a beaming smile. It's the little things in life. Watching the world through his eyes is such a beautiful reminder of all the things we easily take for granted. Everything is new for him. Every bus that drives by is a "Bus! Bus! Bus!!!! Bye, bus." Every dog is an "Oof, oof!" When he is sad, he wants "Mum mum mum" and when he's hungry he wants "Mur" food. It's so much fun to watch.

The weather has been just beautiful recently, so we broke out the shorts today and walked over to the playground for an adventure. At first, I tried putting him on the slide by himself and holding him as he went down, but he was a little nervous about that. So I climbed up and went down the slide with him on my lap, and he liked that. After a few times going down the slide together, he was feeling brave enough to go by himself (while I held onto him). By the end, he was getting to the bottom and giggling, going "Wowwww!"


If there's one thing I'm learning, it's that these moments really do go by so quickly. I can't believe how big he's getting and how quickly he is learning things. It seems like he's learning at least one new word a day, and even how to put words together. And the photos I have of him when he was younger are so precious to me now that he's getting big. With each new day, I look back at the memories those photos provide and cherish this incredible life that we have.

Christmas angels

Christmas is a time for joy and celebration, but for a lot of people, Christmas is a very difficult season. For a few friends in particular, these past few weeks have been a struggle to get through. For others, these days remind them of people who aren't here to celebrate anymore, and no matter how much time goes by, you never stop missing them.

At Christmastime, I miss my great-grandmother more than ever. The festive lights always remind me of how we used to drive around and rate houses together, always deciding that although we loved the decked-out gaudy one for its daring, we like the simple white lights best. These should be happy memories, and mostly they are, but I can't recall them without feeling the aching longing for her to be here again and to relive those moments. I'm grateful to have been as close with her as I was, she was an incredible woman.

My beautiful little man is always smiling, laughing, finding something new to explore. His new curiosities are the stuff of professional comic relief and he's recently started giving me kisses - wet, open mouth, protruding tongue kisses on the cheek - and there is nothing in the world that compares with the love that they make me feel for him. He is my Christmas angel. He reminds me of all the beautiful good in this world. Amidst chaos, uncertainty, fear, loss, there is this boy playing in the tub and smiling up at me as though everything is ok. And as strange as it may sound, that gives me hope.

Here we are, we're still here.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

--- Psalm 43:5

I remembered this verse a few days ago. It was good timing.

This is one of the last photos I took before we moved from the farm. This boy is my sunshine.

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...

Into the future.

Calendar Boy

January: Caesar

February: Painter

March: Irishman

April: Caterpillar

May: Farmer

June: Barber

July: Rocket

August: Pool Boy

September: Tom Sawyer

October: Buddhist Monk

November: Soldier

December: Shepherd

Part-time photographer; Full-time mama.

Yesterday I bundled my son up and put him in the moby my sister made for me. The entire time I was out taking photos for the gallery in March, he slept curled up against me. It was nice to get out and stretch my photography fingers, so to speak.

Waiting.

Less than two weeks until my due date and every day feels like its own eternity. I can't wait to meet our little man - and on top of that, I can't wait to not be carrying around a beach ball with me everywhere I go! Skinny jeans, I will fit in you again!!!!

While I'm waiting for Constantine's arrival, I did have a lot of fun taking baby pictures a little while ago. What an adorable little girl!!! Have I mentioned I love taking baby pictures?

Well, me and my beach ball belly have been making use of the wireless internet at a diner down the road from the cottage but they're about to close, so it's time for me to head out. It's a lovely day for a walk - maybe I'll give birth on the side of the road next to some cows.... ha!

Baby Portraits, Misty Days and Tiny Hats.

 I am falling completely in love with our new home in Oley. Every morning when I wake up I am blown away by the incredible beauty surrounding us. Yesterday I took some photos of the house and the land around it to show the folks back home - but seriously, it is like this every day. I feel like I'm in a fairy tale.

Today I am very excited to be doing some baby portraits for one of my dad's co-workers. I absolutely love baby portraits - and it'll be fun, so close to the birth of my own son, to get some ideas.

A woman from an online writing community I go to took it upon herself to knit several hats for Constantine. I am constantly amazed at how kind and thoughtful people can be - these hats are so sweet and they're different sizes, so he'll be warm as he grows! I bundled them all up in my arms when I got them and just spent a moment thinking about how adorable he'll be. I'll be 37 weeks on Monday - time is going by so quickly. I can't wait to meet him...

Milestones

A lot has happened since I last wrote. I'm 34 weeks pregnant today - which means Constantine is going to be making his debut appearance very, very soon!

Nathaniel and I just signed the lease for our absolute dream home - a stone cottage on a 200-acre organic farm. The owners of the farm rent out the cottage and the *enormous* garden next to it for an unbelievable price, and since Nathaniel found work in the area, we are officially moving to Berks County!

I also confirmed today with an old friend of mine that I will be shooting her wedding next summer. I'm honestly so happy - weddings are such a happy occasion to begin with, but this particular couple is so perfect for each other, I'm just so excited that they're getting married and that I get to be there!

In a week and a half I've got a baby-pictures session with one of my dad's co-workers. I'm really excited about this too, because as you've all probably figured out by now, I think babies are pretty much the most wonderful people ever.

On top of all of that, I just picked out paint colors with my sister for the new house and we've got to start moving in and making sure we're all ready for Constantine's home birth. 34 weeks is a good milestone, but it also means that he could really come any time now and we want to be prepared!

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P.S. I don't know why the color is desaturated in these photos but they look much better on my Facebook.

Constantine is 24-and-a-half weeks big!

It's been a little while since I've done a professional shoot, but I'm keeping my skills nice and practiced with a ton of Temple assignments and every-day life. School has kept me pretty busy, but this semester shouldn't be too bad and then in August I am DONE!

Now that we have finally found out the gender of our baby and seen his perfect, sweet little face, I am so impatient to meet him. I couldn't believe how breathtakingly beautiful he is. I know every mother must feel this way, but I am convinced there has never been a more amazing baby. I want to meet him so badly!

Nathaniel jokes that I have to remember to take care of the baby in between all the inevitable photos I will be taking of him. Oh man, that baby will be used to the sight of a camera, that's for sure!

Constantine, we love you so much. We can't wait to hold you and give you kisses!

Baby Gallery!

A friend of mine from Temple has an awesome gallery up at Cafe Twelve right now called Images of Cambodia.  The photos are really lovely - and I'm pretty sure they'll be up for about 2 more weeks, so if you want to check them out, be sure to go! (I bought one to hang in our new house!)

This got me thinking, though.  Maybe I should do a gallery of pregnancy and baby-themed photos to help raise money for our home birth.  The only downfall of home birth in many parts of the US is that it isn't covered by health insurance - can you believe that???  Women are practically forced to have their babies in hospitals!  Ok, I'll get off my soap box. =P

But anyway, paying for this birth is our biggest challenge right now.  We're looking into buying a little house for the three of us and have been putting away most of our income for our down-payment.  Little Smoosh is going to cost us roughly $3000, which is actually very inexpensive, but when it's all out of pocket and you're trying to buy a house, it's still a little difficult!  Every extra dollar that we make beyond what's already budgeted goes toward our darling little one.  Plus, we're planning to ask for donations instead of gifts at our baby shower (with a few exceptions) since so many people have generously offered us car seats, baby carriers, bassinets, furniture, clothing, etc. and there really isn't much else we need!

But what better way to raise money for our natural home birth than to have a gallery of pregnancy and baby pictures?  What do you think?  I think I'll start planning!

Newborns and Natural Environments

The shoot on Saturday went really well!  I have to admit, I got distracted a few times just watching this beautiful, newborn baby - she was absolutely wonderful.

It's always a gamble taking pictures of smaller children.  If they're having a bad day or they're shy, getting that beaming smile they're known for can be a little challenging.  That's partially why I prefer to come to people's homes to work - it's the same principle as home-birth, really.  I want everyone to be as comfortable as they can be, and I want to be on their turf, not mine.

Fortunately, the two adorable little boys weren't shy at all.  They were giggling, smiling and showing off the whole time.  In the end, I had a really enjoyable experience just being around three such sweet children and spending some time with their parents, who both I and my husband love, before they move out of Philly.

It was a good day!
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P.S.  To see more photos from this shoot and others, be sure to check out (and Like!) my FaceBook Page!!!

Everything is new.

Today I get to do something I really enjoy - baby pictures!  I love weddings, I love documenting the joy of that day for two people.  But really, one of my favorite things in the world is baby pictures.  (I am so impatient to start taking pictures of our Smoosh!!!)

Everything is new to babies.  It's such an amazing part of life, when you're tiny and experiencing everything for the first time.  I just can't get over how awesome that is.

I'm glad to be able to take these pictures for friends of ours from church.  They're leaving Philly soon and I'll miss their family a lot.  Both parents have been so encouraging and friendly to us and have even given a lot of valuable advice to Nathaniel as he's studying in paramedic school.  And, needless to say, their children are absolutely adorable.

Well, I'll be heading out in a minute so I've got to go.  Have a lovely day, everyone!

This is what I want.

This is what I want.  No lights.  No backdrop.  No poses.  Just people the way they are - which is more than enough.

I have fallen completely and hopelessly in love with this part of life.  Pregnancy is beautiful, birth is empowering, children are innocent.


I want to show this.  Nothing staged. Nothing fake.  Just honest reality, which is more breathtaking than anything else in the world.

I love this baby more than I can express.

Teddy.

I've known Alyssa almost all my life.  When we were little, I used to go to her house and sneak soda because we weren't allowed to have any at my house (sorry, Mom!).  Over the years we've been in and out of touch, so I was excited to hear just over a year ago that Alyssa was going to be a mommy!


Last Friday I had the joy of catching up and meeting both Teddy and his dad.  Teddy is such a sweet, happy baby, and both of his parents are obviously head over heels in love with the new addition to their family.  It was a pleasure to work with them, and to see how much Alyssa has grown up since the days of soda espionage.


The more happy moms with happy babies I take pictures of, the more I know that this is what I want to do.