Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony + Mommy and Me Photo Session - Denver

Partners, take note. Something a lot of mothers want for a special occasion (either Mother’s Day, a birthday, or just plain Saturday), is a set of nice photos of the children with her IN the photo. This is really hard for a lot of parents who are behind the camera. Most of the photos we have with our rapidly growing children are filtered selfies (don’t get me wrong, those are super fun and have their place!). I had the pleasure of shooting this Mother’s Day set for a beautiful mama and her 1.5 year old baby girl, arranged in (almost) secret by her husband (you go, Christopher!).

Jerusalem & Christopher brought over goods for a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and I paired the set with outdoor boho decor, hanging a macrame garland (designed by Woven Will) on sheer panels and layered textured rugs. I’d say it was a success! A studio session followed with an amazing wardrobe change, and I set up some speedlight gels to compliment Jerusalem’s gorgeous head wrap.

This outdoor set is available through the summer. To book, email: stephanie@marilee.co

April: The Month Where My Kids Have Birthdays and We're Not Done Unpacking Yet

My daughter, Alex turned 2 this week, and earlier, my oldest child, Noah turned 5! It’s hard to believe my husband and I have been parents this long. I’ve had dreams of finding room for a mini-studio, and though we’re totally up and running in our new home, there always seems to be that ONE ROOM that has all the boxes we haven’t unpacked yet. The “I am not sure where this stuff goes” room. It’s the office/photography equipment storage/LEGO organization/unopened boxes for our new baby arriving in 1.5 months/unhung framed photos room.

But hey, to make it at least a little cozy in one direction, we have a new teal couch and awesome cushy rug and some furniture that bodes well for portraits. So as a momtographer (that’s a word, right?) we did some annual birthday portraits. I really love this corner of our home — I hope we can transform it the way we wish soon!

Some technical notes —
I lit these Sony A7RII 35mm shots with a Godox 120cm / 47.2in Portable Octagon Softbox Umbrella with a constant light source: LimoStudio Full Spectrum Lighting Bulb 85W Photography Photo CFL 6500K. There are two windows for natural light in this room, with one to camera-right. But I like to light my subjects up inside just a tad more for their birthday faces. :)

The couch is from Overstock and our 8x10 rug is from Target. Tutu from Honeyskull.

Baby, It's Cold Outside! Indoor Portrait Fun

Denver has been experiencing some solid winter weather, with lows in the single digits at times, and many “indoor days” at school due to snow or ice. Our family has been figuring out ways to have fun in the cold weather instead of being afraid of the chill. Sometimes that means getting creative indoors!

As a California girl, I never knew I’d miss Eucalyptus. Though not a native species to CA, it’s plentiful all over and a staple in foliage decor. Farmer’s Markets every week in San Francisco had bunches and bunches for all to take home. I can’t wait for the Spring, when the weather stabilizes a little more for the markets to start in Denver. <3 I’ll report what beauties I find!

In the meantime, I headed to Trader Joe’s upon the recommendation of some friends, and found bunches on the CHEAP at $2.99 a pop. So my baby girl and I picked up two sets of greens, hijacked one of the brightly lit rooms in our new home, busted open a pack of gummy bears, set up our Godox lights, and went to town on some photos. :) Who says you need an occasion for portraits? Granted, there are gummy bears in all these photos (either in our hands or in our mouth, haha) — we still wanted to share.

Enjoy!

Jeel's Portraits at Sloan's Lake in Denver

Exploring my new hometown has been great. We aren’t in California anymore with this weather! It’s so beautiful — a true winter wonderland. :) Here is beautiful Jeel showing off the neighborhood in Sloan’s Lake, Denver. I’d love to do more of this!

Happy 1st Birthday, Austin!

A year ago today, Austin came into this world to join his parents and big brother, Hudson. Check out his newborn pics... he was so teeny tiny! He's grown into one of the most expressive, funny (yet chill) babies I've ever known.

We opted for a light and bright session at home in just a plain diaper, a traditional Korean outfit, followed by a little backyard sunset playtime in his "formal wear". Happy birthday, buddy! Thanks Judy and Anthony for inviting me to capture another milestone. xo