May 2022

Shipe Newborn Session

I cannot begin to put into words how incredible my session was with Stephanie & Kevin & their extended family. Everyone was so warm & loving.

Kevin's Momma told me all about what Kevin was like as a child, how he went to West Point, & how intelligent he is. She told me all about his service in Afghanistan, how he's a chemical engineer, the technology he built at a previous job in the States, & how his nickname is "Batman". Which I, of course, asked for the backstory. Kevin & Stephanie love comics. Their entire house is filled with comic book prints & figurines. Which by the way is SO cool! Kevin showed me up to the attic where he asked his computer to turn on the "bat cave". *jaw on the floor* The computer said, "Welcome home, Batman" & turned on all the lights & fans. INSANE!! The attic is every comic book enthusiasts dream come true. There were board games, light sabers, pinball machines (that Kevin built himself), comic books, & posters (floor to ceiling). This was Kevin & Stephanie's joint collection & boy was I impressed.

After this I learned that Stephanie is a paralegal, and she was a ballerina for 23 years. 🩰 Wild!! I also found our that Stephanie loves doing their makeup when they cosplay at comic-cons. I mean, how can you not fall in love with these two? They recently moved back to the area to be closer to family. Stephanie's entire family is located in & around the Marlton, NJ area. I met her Mom, who's sister knows my Mom (small world, right?). Stephanie & her sister had a moment with baby Abby, which basically made my heart explode. As many of you know, I have a soft spot for sisters because I have such a close bond with mine.

In addition to all of that, Stephanie & Kevin have 2 incredible loving dogs. When their dogs were younger, they would foster dogs & train them before adopting them out. I believe Kevin told me they fostered upwards of 13 dogs when they were living in Texas. Once these two pass, they hope to find another pair of dogs & start fostering again. If I hadn't become best friends with this family before this moment, I definitely did at this moment 😍 .

Baby Abby was an amazing subject to photograph. She was peaceful & sleeping during the entire first & second parts of her session. We were able to get some really lovely shots in the nursery & some incredible photographs by herself on my special platform. I was able to capture both dogs loving on her, which was so special to me.

I cannot wait to work with the Shipe family, again. They reminded me why I opened my business & why I want to work with clients like them. It was such a gift to spend the afternoon with them & I'm so excited to be apart of telling another baby's story.