Sarah & Ben's Maternity Lifestyle Session, Seattle
I am always humbled when a family invites me into their lives to help style and curate their precious moments. Sarah and Ben envisioned a cozy at-home session doing some of their favorite things: baking Irish soda bread, sharing tea and breakfast, dancing, snuggling, and setting up their daughter's room.
Ben and Sarah have been together since high school! They went to Texas A&M together and Ben proposed towards the end of their time there. They got married, moved across the country, then back to Texas, and finally to the Seattle area in 2015 when Ben took a job working in product development at Microsoft. Talk about a sweet love story! I don't know many high school sweethearts of our generation, which makes their story even sweeter. You can tell that they've been together for a long time by the depth of their understanding of each other.
During the lifestyle session, it was almost like they moved as one. As Ben was mixing up the Irish soda bread, Sarah was there to hand him what he needed without any ask or suggestion. Some orange zest, a sprinkle of flour for the dough, a handful of currants. What I loved about this is that their in home maternity session was created around something they do all the time together, and their comfort level and intimacy with that ritual shows in the photographs. This method of styling or "curating" a lifestyle session, with a focus on authenticity and movement, allows the couple to relax and be themselves. There isn't any posing or formal portraits, just natural movements. The resulting photographs feel raw and authentic and carry a depth of emotion that is unparalleled. Lora Grady Photography stepped behind the lens and captured this beautifully!
This "real life" styling doesn't mean that these types of sessions aren't styled though! This is where we come in. As a lifestyle stylist, we work with you to come up with a series of actions that feel very "you". Maybe that's cooking together, maybe it's a picnic outside, maybe it's taking a drive up the coast. Whatever it is, we help narrow it down into a series of manageable parts for you to move through the day of the shoot. And then, before the photographer arrives, we come in and style the space to make it a more aesthetically pleasing version of your space. The goal isn't to make your space look drastically different; rather, we aim to remove any distractions so that the focus can be on you. Sometimes that means clearing counters, moving cords, and tucking away dirty sponges. Sometimes it means bringing in beautifully handcrafted pieces to use as serving dishes or hand towels, to give the session a feel of depth and realness. Hiring us as your lifestyle stylist will ensure that you are able to just be you and let us take care of all the details.
