The Birth of Tristan (my nephew!) - Birth Photography Coverage

My little sister is officially all grown up. A few weeks after my sister Janine got married last year (see pics here) I received a phone call from her. She told me that she had some big news and I was instantly curious. "You're going to be an aunt!" she said excitedly into the phone. To understand my response to this you must first understand that my sister and her husband have a little pomeranian dog, Odie, that literally goes everywhere with them and they have spoiled like a child since the day that they brought him home. When Janine informed me that I was going to be an aunt I automatically assumed that they were getting another dog because Odie is often referred to jokingly as my nephew. "Oh my god! Are you getting another puppy?!" was definitely not the reaction that my sister was expecting from me. Once she explained that she was pregnant I was flooded with emotions. The reality that my little sister was going to be a mother took a few days to sink in. The excitement that I was going to be a first time aunt hit me right away!

Tristan James Creelman was born at 6:35am on May 8th 2009. He weighed 6lbs 8oz and I fell in love with him as soon as I layed eyes on him (even though he was born with quite the cone head!). All joking aside, I absolutely love this little guy and look forward to watching him grow and spoiling him like crazy.

I wasn't lying! He really did have a big cone head!

Checking out his grammie.

My dad...such a proud grandpa. He can't wait until this kid is old enough to go for drives with him on the Harley Davidson!

The proud papa!

Winking at his mommy :)

The proud parents :)

I will be sharing photos from Janine's maternity session in the next few days and also a few newborn pics of Tristan that I took when he was three days old so stay tuned for more photos!

Love Patricia

The Miracle of Life - Birth Photography Coverage

"Do you have any children?" I am asked this question on a regular basis. My response is usually "No. But I have three fur babies (referring to my cats). Does that count?"

I am 30 years old and feel my maternal clock ticking, especially every time that I photograph an adorable child. I photograph newborns, toddlers, school aged children...I am basically surrounded by kids all the time. I love their innocence, their honesty and their energy. They are untouched by the harshness that the world can throw at us. There is such beauty in their purity and the way that they seem to view the world.

The day that my good friend Christina found out that she was expecting her second child, she phoned me right away. Her excitement was contagious! She asked if I would photograph the birth of her baby. and without hesitation I said, "Yes. Definitely!" It was later that the realities of this request really started to sink in. I had never witnessed the actual birth of a child. I had watched TLC's "A Baby Story" with fascination from time to time, but that was the closest that I had ever come to witnessing the miracle of life. I knew that I was in for an experience that I would never forget.

In the months leading up to the due date, Christina and I discussed the logistics of my presence during the birth. We decided that during the birth I would position myself next to Christina and photograph everything from her bedside. We both agreed that I would document the moments and emotions surrounding the birth of her baby, not the "actual" birth.

On the big day, I received the call that I had been preparing for. It was go time! I met Christina and her husband, Tim, at the hospital and began to document the birth of their child. It took a little while for things to really get going but once everything was underway I was busy snapping away with my camera.

I feel like I do not have the right words to describe what it was like to be present for the birth of a child. Watching "A Baby Story" does not even begin to come close to the real thing. One minute there were six of us in the room and the next second there were seven. It was the most amazing thing that I have ever witnessed. The air in the room was thick with so many different emotions and everything seemed to be happening at warp speed. I had to remind myself a few times to keep shooting! I was in such awe of everything that was happening. I wiped tears away from behind my camera as I witnessed Tim's tears at the first sight of his new daughter. I smiled as I captured images of this brand new life with her parents.

I am so glad that I was able to document such an extraordinary event for Christina and Tim. I will never forget the moment that baby Clara came into this world. Being present for such an amazing moment has reminded me of the beauty that life has to offer.

Love Patricia