i feel connected to babies when i watch them come into the world.  nova's birth story was beautiful and it was an honor to be there as she took her first breath.  here she is at 4 weeks old and cute as a button.  i just love her.
     

blogging these days has been the last thing on my mind and it's so hard to add it to my list of things to do even though i enjoy creating them.  i also like that you stop by to see what's going on!  seems like my list piles up more during this time of year due to the holiday season but i've got to start somewhere.  back in october i photographed my friend kelly's family.  i love getting to shoot families, especially ones that i get to photograph every year. clothes have been passed down, teeth may have come out, and they love each other more than the last.  it's pure joy.
 

smilebooth is looking for someone to join our team here in houston.  we are in need of a graphic designer / assistant to help out around the studio.

as of now the position would be part-time.

if everything above sounds like something that you'd be interested in, then we'd love to hear from you. please email me at brooke@smilebooth.com with your resume.

people often ask me what why people would want me to photograph their labor and delivery and usually i  tell them that it is a beautiful event. if you are one of those who can't stomach this life event then i would skip over this post now! :) little did i know that home births were even more reason to photograph your child's birth- it was magical. i was not quite sure what to expect when aaron told me they were having a home birth with a midwife.  i had never photographed one at home so I was not quite sure what to expect.  i can say that so many more emotions occur outside of the sterile hospital walls and it was fun seeing the difference between the two.  i had both of my children in the hospital where i felt safe, both experiences were great but there is something to be said about having your baby in your home with your family.
i arrived after aaron texted me around 2:30 p.m. saying she was "in transistion" which had me  worried i was going to miss it because i had left my phone in the car during a shoot.  turns out she was "in transition" when i got there so things did not come quite as quickly. :) i was happy to be there during this phase and watch rachel move gracefully through each contraction.
the birthing ball ---> moved to the swaying back and forth ---> moved to the shower ---> moved to the floor ---> moved to the chair and you get the point.  rachel was strong and beautiful and gave birth to a healthy baby girl at 6:53 p.m.. little nova was a hefty 9 lb 12 oz and 21 inches long. she is perfect and mom and dad are doing well!

i photograph births because you are only born once. /////// visit their family to see some pre-nova pictures and baby ones too if they get time to blog!
 

aaron is an amazing videographer at 31 films so he had to grab some shots of nova as she had heart checked. she was so alert and interested in everything going on.
i was even there for novas first bath (it was an herbal bath that the midwives made for them).