Okinawa Newborn Photography - stork

The Stork

Last night the Stork came stalking,

And, Stork, beneath your wing

Lay, lapped in dreamless slumber,

The tiniest little thing!

From Babyland, out yonder

Beside a silver sea,

You brought a priceless treasure

As a gift to mine and me! ...

- Eugene Field

Model | 4 day new Baby G

Newborn Sling | Keri Meyers Photography 

Okinawa Newborn Photography - grown up

Walk A Little Slower Daddy

I'm following in your footsteps

and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,

Sometimes they're hard to see;

So walk a little slower, Daddy,

For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up,

You're what I want to be;

Then I will have a child

Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,

And know that I was true;

So, walk a little slower, Daddy,

For I must follow you.

-unknown

Welcome Little B to your loving family!

Okinawa Vintage Newborn- tattered lace

Journey's, like artist, are born and not made.

A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them,

Few of them willed or determined by the will-whatever we may think.

- Lawrence Durrell

The Making Of A Vintage Newborn Session -


Ms. Jennifer, owner of The Fabric Girl, explained during her pre-session consultation that she desired a vintage styling for her newborn session. I was excited as I'm always open to new styling ideas. At the same time I did not have any vintage props. The biggest factor that made this a success was that Ms. Jennifer booked her newborn session months in advance from her EDD.  This enable me to be able to find the props to style her vintage session.


Hmmm.... planning????
Those of you who live on Okinawa know that it is very difficult to get items here. Especially if you are looking for something particular. That's why it was so important to make sure that Ms. Jennifer and I worked as a team. I find it that the clients really enjoy being a part of the creative side. This gives me the ability to share where I am going with my vision with always taking into account what the client also envisions. 


Props????
I had no vintage items. Nothing...I was starting with a clean canvas.
So as a photographer what do you do when a client request a certain style and you don't have any props?


You beg, borrow, and steal! Well not the last one really but you get what I'm saying.


That's when I sent out an email to all my friends that I was on the look out for vintage or antique items. I was open to anything. Doing this allowed me not to narrow my ideas. You just never know what someone might have if you only ask for certain items.


To my rescue came two friends.  
Mrs. Nikole, allowed me to go thru her entire house including the kitchen looking for items that would inspired me. I collected items from the living room, kitchen and the children's toy box. See inspiration can get you in the least likely place. 


Mrs. Danielle, a fellow photographer here on Okinawa, allowed me to borrow her pleated fabric that I used to cover the changing pad, the vinyl barn wood floor from Photo Prop Floors and Backdrops and a baby scale.


Thank you Ladies!!!!
With theses items and a few items I had here at the house I was able to style the vintage newborn session without spending a fortune. Yes, I did make the tattered lace outfit and headband which cost me approx $25.  One item I didn't get to use was a beautiful bed but it did not arrive in time. MPS is not always reliable with delivery times.


Things I learned.....
I had never used a vinyl photo prop before. I was really amazed at how well it photographed. Two things concerned me in ref to purchasing one. The fact I do not have the space to store one. I would prefer to store it hanging so that it lays flat instead of storing it in the rolls. Two it damages very easily. I am pretty rough. If I had the choice between a wood floor and a vinyl floor. I would take the wood one.


If you can't buy it make it!!!
During my research for vintage inspired props I came across this BEAUTIFUL lace outfit. The lace outfit was a bit out of my budget. After some thought I knew that I wouldn't be able to make the exact item but I could make my own version for a fraction of the cost to include my time. BTW I do NOT know how to sew. So this was a very interesting experience for me but in the end it was a lot of FUN! 


Things I would like the readers to walk away with...
Don't wait til the last minute to schedule your sessions. This allows the photographer time to deliver the product or vision you have for your session. Had I not had time, it would  have been very difficult to make the props or acquire the props for this session.


Thank you everyone for stopping by and sitting a spell!


Have a wonderful weekend!!!


Please make sure to leave Miss L some FB or blog LOVE!!!







   

Okinawa Natural Light Newborn Photographer- blooms

Spring, spring is coming soon,

Grass is green and flowers bloom,

Birds returning from the south.

Bees are buzzing al about,

Leaves are budding everywhere,

Spring,spring is finally here!!

sung to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Okinawa Natural Light Newborn Photographer- a link

A babe in a house

is a well-spring of pleasure,

a messenger of peace and love,

a resting place for innocence on earth,

a link between angels and men.

Martin Faruhar Tupper

Okinawa Natural Light Newborn Photographer- you're one of us now

As an egg, you were a beauty

but now you're a really cutie

and we brought you to our valley somehow

Though ya look like you

we think you'll like us too

'cause we're a family and you're one of us now

We're a family and you're one of us now

We're a family and you're one of us now

Though you look like you

we think you'll like us too

'cause we're a family and you're one of us now

- song lyrics from The Land Before Time

Okinawa Newborn Photography - honor

Ke Ao Nani

I luna lâ i luna

Nä manu oka lewa

I lalo lua i lalo

Nâ pua o ka honua

I uka lâ i uka Nâ ulu lâ`auI kai lâ i kai

Nâ i`a o ka moana

Ha`ina mai ka puana

A he nani ka ao nei

He inoa no nâ kamalii.

The Beautiful World

(english translation)

Up, up above

Birds fly in the sky

Down, down

Flowers on earth

Upland, upland

The grove of trees

In the sea, the sea

The fishes of the ocean

Tell the refrain

Of this beautiful world

In honor of the children

Okinawa Infant Photographer - the gift

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven.

The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from 

the Father of Light.

James 1:17

THE MESSAGE

Okinawa Lifestyle Photographer - daddy's hands

"I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.

There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,

But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love in Daddy´s hands."
- Dunn Holly - Milestones

WoW, I can't believe that this year has almost come to an end. It's been full of many blessing! One of which has been having the BEST clients on Okinawa. My dream became a reality because of you and for this I am truly thankful.

Today was my last session before starting my winter vacation =) I had the pleasure of meeting Miss "E" and her Mami and Daddy in November but she was a little under the weather. We decided to reschedule Miss "E's" photography session for today. 

Today, we meet over at the Southeast Botanical Gardens and Little Miss "E" was definitely feeling a lot better. She was full of smiles and was talking up a storm. During the session she sounded like she was trying to say "dada" which was too cute. Little Miss "E" turned 6 months old today. It was a perfect day to capture a wonderful milestone for Mami and Daddy!

Today was a perfect session to start off my vacation. Thank you so much Little Miss "E"! We are booking photography sessions for 2011. This next year is going to be full of FUN mini sessions! Keep an eye out here for announcements on the SPECIALS. Make sure to book your sessions a few weeks in advance to guarantee your session date. Our first Special for January is here. It's not to soon to be thinking about Valentine's Day gift ;) *hint*hint*

During December 11th 2010 to January 7th 2011 RSM will be on vacation. We will be booking a limited amount of NEWBORN sessions during this time frame. Make sure to book those ASAP. Baby due in January??? Please make sure to contact me now to book your session.

Even though we will be on vacation don't forget to stop by and check out some post about Typhoon Trio!

Happy Holidays! 

May you be blessed today and always

Okinawa Newborn Photography - shisa シーサー

Discovering Okinawa

Shīsā シーサー (lion dog) can be seen on top of roofs or at gates of Okinawan homes and businesses, and even  on street corners. From small to large, old and new, shisa lion help ward off evil. How they come to be used as protectors is a story told and retold over the centuries so often that many different stories resulted.

Here is one of the more popular ones...

Long ago on the Japanese island of Okinawa lived a young boy named Chiga-san. The small village that Chiga-san lived in was terrorized by an angry dragon. The dragon would suddenly appear from the sea to attack the village and it's unlucky villagers. One day, after another attack, the king of Okinawa came to the village and approached Chiga-san.

"I saw the dragon and the troubles it is causing you," the king said and pulled out a piece of rope with a small statue attached to it. " Here, take this shisa lion and place it in front of the village. It will protect all of you from now on."

Chiga-san took the small statue and looked at it. It was a boring brown color. The face of the shisa looked like a lion, except much fiercer, with a snarl on its lips. Chiga-san bowed to the king and placed the shisa on the beach in front of the village, then went back to playing with his friends.

The next day the villagers heard huge waves crash on the beach -- the dragon was approaching. They ran out of their homes, their eyes on the beach where the shisa statue sat. The dragon leaped out of the ocean and swung its head from side to side, then stopped. 

The small staue of the shisa lion began to tremble. A loud sound came from it, like a muffled lions roar, and suddenly the statue cracked open. A huge shisa lion sprang out and attacked the dragon. They disappeared under  the ocean and the villagers feared the shisa lion was dead.

Suddenly, far out in the ocean, what looked like a fountain of water rose into the air. The villagers and Chiga-san held their breath. They heard the roars of the shisalion and the bellows of the dragon, then all was quiet and the water slowly fell back to the ocean. The villagers gasped in surprise. A small island was now where there had been none.

Chiga-san frantically looked and looked at the ocean fro the shisa lion, but it didn't reappear. Then, when he looked down at the sand, Chiga-san jumped back -- the shisa statue was there, all in one piece and not a crack on it.

The village was never bothered by the dragon again. Word soon spread around Okinawa of the shisa lion's bravery and protection of the village. Soon, other villages made their own shisa lions, and the shisa became known as the protector of the islands.

I hope that you like this shisa story as much as I did. Click here to learn more about Shisa.

This story appeared in December 1998 issue of Kidnaround Magazine.

Okinawa Newborn Photography - butterfly kisses

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.

- Vincent Van Gogh

Okinawa Newborn Photographer - Reflections

Reflections of Motherhood

Great video for all the Mami's out there... soon to be, hoping to be, or already are!!

What would you tell yourself if you could go back to before you had your first baby???

I would tell myself... "live in the moment. Nothing matters but what is happening right now. Take it in. Remember all the details. they grow up so fast"

Okinawa Newborn Photographer- a living spirit

When you look at a baby, it's just that:

a body you can look at and touch.

But the person who takes shape within is 

formed by something you can't see and

touch - the Spirit - and becomes a living spirit.

John 3:6 The Message

Okinawa Newborn Photographer- the link

A babe in a house is a well-spring of pleasure,

a messenger of peace and love,

a resting place for innocence on earth, 

a link between angels and men.

- Martin Farquhar Tupper

Daily Snaps - Routines

When you thought I wasn't looking

When you thought I wasn't looking,

I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,

and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat,

and thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me,

and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer,

and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes,

and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared

and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked...

and wanted to say thanks for all the things

I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

-unknown author

Hello!!! It's great to be here again sitting talking to you for our 5th Daily Snaps post.

Today's Daily Snap is a look into a small part of our quiet time routine before bed. My DH has a couple of applications for his iphone. The two applications that Typhoon Trio love the most is Tap Fish and Angry Birds. Typhoon Trio love taking turns helping clean and feed the fishes in the aquarium. Milk Monster loves the turtles, Mr. K loves the sharks and Miss R loves the clown fish. Due to Papi's job he is gone quite a bit. Quiet time with Papi is very special  for him and Typhoon Trio. I love it when I'm able to observe them without them noticing me. It's great being the fly on the wall every once in a while =)

My DH has me addicted to Angry Birds so I finally caved and uploaded it to my iphone. I usually like playing it before going to sleep.

What kind of night time routine do you have????

Make sure to check out Kristi and Kristi's sister Jessica's Photo-A-Day challenge too!!

Please leave us some blog love too!!! That will make our day ;)  

Okinawa Newborn Photographer - You can't buy

You can't buy loyalty they say;

we bought it though the other day.

You can't buy friendship, tried and true;

well just the same, we bought that too.

We made our bid, and on the spot;

bought love and faith and a whole lot

of happiness; so all in all

the purchase price was pretty small.

We bought a simple trusting heart;

that gave devotion from the start.

If you think these things are for sale,

buy a brown eyed pup with a waggily tail.


- author unknown