I always like to hear the stories behind the names of new babies. Keyani Alannah has a good one. Her mother, Jasmyn, is an infant teacher and once had a student named Keyani. She always loved the name, but when she looked up it's meaning, Goddess of Beauty, she knew it was perfect for her baby girl. Jasymn and her husband, Dondia, were struggling with a middle name and debating between a family name and another one they liked, Alannah. When they told Dondia's mother about Alannah, they were surprised to find out it was actually what she was going to name Dondia if he would have been a girl. I guess it's kind of a family name after all and definitely meant to be!
I was excited for this newborn session because I hadn't met Jasmyn or Dondia yet. Jasmyn received a gift certificate for the session from a friend and client of mine. Jasmyn taught her twins and it was the perfect way to thank and congratulate her.
Newborn sessions are fun because you just never know what you're going to get. A happy, sleepy baby, an alert baby, a fussy one or one who only wants to be held by momma. That's why sessions require patience, planning and quick thinking. I always walk into a house with an open mind. When I walked into Jasmyn and Dondia's home, I was first in awe by their beautiful baby girl, but quickly realized she was awake, alert and nowhere near sleeping. That's totally fine for family photos, but Jasmyn really wanted some posed ones too and I needed a sleeping baby for that. After I made a quick assessment of the house and picked out the items we wanted to use, we went outside for some family photos. They live in a pretty area and Keyani was loving the change of scenery. She took it all in with bright eyes and no fuss.
My plan worked out perfectly because after some lifestyle photos in her room, a feeding and diaper change, she fell asleep. This was the perfect time to capture all of her beautiful goddess features from her long lashes, to sweet lips, little nose and ears. I just know that Keyani is going to grow up to not only be beatiuful, but smart, sweet, easy going and nice like her parents.
Lots of love,
Courtney
