This month has seemingly revolved around all things birth related! I have feverishly been working on several birth photography related projects for my own business but more on that later. Right now I want to mention something really exciting happening for birth photographers everywhere. You may have noticed that it is a growing trend for parents to hire a photographer to capture their birth experience. This is no surprise to me, the birth of a child is one of life’s most significant events and it is worth documenting. More and more photographers are stepping up to the challenge that this exciting  style of documentary photography presents.  Not a week goes by that I don’t get questions about what lens I use or what one should  know before photographing a birth. So I am honored to be a charter member of The Birth Experience – Lyndsay Stradtner’s guide and mentoring program for birth photographers.

Lyndsay Stradtner is one of the most accomplished birth photographers in the industry. Her birth photographs capture the energy and emotion surrounding the growth of families – in short she is no less than amazing.

Not only has Lyndsay laid out all the details in her written guide but she has also created a forum for birth photographers to connect and share their images and ideas. In addition The Birth Experience will also provide a Member Directory to aid expecting parents in finding a birth photographer in their area. So, if you are an expectant parent looking for a birth photographer this part is for you. Likewise, if you are a birth photographer or  interested in becoming one please check out The Birth Experience! I look forward to seeing you there.

sorry for the long break in blogging. As most people know January/February is usually a pretty slow time for most photographers. For that reason I save up all the projects and maintenance that I need to do for those months. So I have been working on a ton of projects. A new dispaly at the Puget Sound Birth Center, a new website just for birth photography, and several other photography projects that I can’t wait to share. I will resume posting shortly but in the mean time here is my new profile photo. I was planning on just taking a photo of myself but Simon really wanted in on the action and who am I to refuse him?

Have you guys seen the January/February edition of Mothering magazine?  Check out page 47 for a photo of my boys!

The story is about how fathers make great story tellers.

When I was putting together that slide show I realized that it has been forever since I took photos of Simon in the bath. He really hammed it up this time.

he is almost 2 and just looks like a little boy now – where did my baby go?

Beautiful baby who had a hard time shaking the hiccups.

yes, this is her little foot under her chin! Babies are such natural yogis.

Her fuss face was to cute to leave out!

The hiccups were seriously cute because she squeaked every time. I couldn’t help myself I had to take a video.

baby squeak toy from Emily Weaver Brown on Vimeo.

I guess I am a few days late on that! We have been enjoying time off, going skiing, and just hanging out with no where to be. Today I complied a 2009 in review sideshow. I always like it when others create these so I thought I would make one too. It was really fun to go back through all the photos and look as just how much Simon has grown. You can really track his growth by the amount of hair he has (or doesn’t). 2009 was very good to us! Truly we are very blessed!

2009 in review! from Emily Weaver Brown on Vimeo.

I know that everyone thinks that Simon is the most photographed kid ever, (he’s not!) I realized that when I was making this that I need to pull out my camera lot more and take snapshots more often. I plan out my photos too much and rarely let spontaneity just grab me. So that is going to be my resolution for 2010 – take more candid photos!

2010 is already shaping up to be a pretty good year. Since Simon will be turning 2 next month we will be traveling a lot less this year but we have some fun stuff planed!

Peace Love and Happiness in 2010!
-Emily, Myles, and Simon

P.S. If you have created an end of the year sideshow please link it in the comments I would love to watch it!