Shanna Chess Photography

I haven’t seen Ryder since I did his newborn session – two years ago! As a Eugene, Oregon photographer I get to see lots of my little clients as they grow up, and it’s always so much fun! It was great to see him again, although I can’t believe how much he’s grown. Although he’s getting so big, he is just as adorable now as he was when he was a baby. Love those brown eyes, the dimples in his hands, and that cheeky smile of his!

Mom Kristen and big sister Brytnee brought Liam in to the studio in September for his one year cake smash photography session. I did this little guy’s six month baby pictures back in April and he’s already grown and changed so much since then. He was still just as cute and smiley as I remember him though! I remember that he did great at our last session and didn’t stop smiling from beginning to end. I was happy that he had the same great experience this time around! A lot of times babies and toddlers can be a bit uncertain in the studio, and I have to pull out my bag of baby photographer tricks to coax a smile out of them, but Liam was so happy the whole time. Just like last time, he smiled almost nonstop, was incredibly easygoing, and made it easy to get amazing pictures!

I loved seeing this adorable little guy again—this time for a six-month mini baby photography session. I did Austin’s newborn photos when he first arrived and I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. He has gotten so big and is such a cutie! It was fun to see him and catch up with his mom, Dana. Austin’s dad, Josh, had to work on the day we did this photo session, so no catching up with one of my favorite realtors, but hopefully I’ll get the whole family into my Eugene, Oregon photography studio again at some point. Dana and Austin and I had a great time together!

This sweet little guy, Bear, came into my photography studio in Eugene, Oregon last month with his mom for a newborn photography session, and I was so excited to meet him! His mom, Bethany, and her fiancé, Paul, are good friends of my husband and I. My husband used to work with Bethany and the four of us started to hang out together at Oregon football tailgates and games and quickly became friends. They are great people and so much fun to be around. We were thrilled when we heard that Bethany and Paul were expecting, and I’ve been looking forward to having their little one in the studio ever since I heard he was on his way! I’m also looking forward to Bethany and Paul’s wedding, which is planned for next summer.

My younger sister Lea was induced on September 17 th and I blocked out a few days in my schedule so I could travel up to Aberdeen, Washington to be with her and do Fresh 48 photos . Lea was almost 42 weeks pregnant with Harrison and she was definitely ready for him to arrive! I think we all were! I mentioned in Lea’s maternity photography post that this is my first nephew—I am mom to two beautiful daughters and aunt to three amazing nieces, all of whom I love to bits, but the first little boy in the family was pretty exciting! Labor was slow at first: I think Harrison was way too comfy in mama’s belly and not too anxious to face the world, but once things got going it was fast and furious! My little nephew was born at 4:14 a.m. on the morning of September 18 th and we were all thrilled to welcome him to the world and to our family!

Had a great family photography session last month with Kim, JD, and their two boys, Tyler and Eric! I’ve known Kim and her family for a while now, ever since Tyler was six months old and I became their family photographer . After their first session I found out that Kim and JD own Modern Nail Salon and Spa here in Eugene, and that Kim has some pretty amazing nail skills! I’ve been going to her for my manicures ever since and have been so happy with the results. If you’re looking for a great nail job, Kim is your gal!

This little guy is Wolfgang, and he was an absolute angel for me during his newborn photography session! He slept like a dream, he was awesome about posing, and he is just so handsome! His parents, Hang and Matthew, brought him in to my photography studio in Eugene, Oregon a little over a month ago, and I loved meeting this sweet little man. His dad is German, hence Wolfgang’s name, which is an unusual one over here but very traditional in Germany. (I found out that it means “wolf path” or “wolf journey.” Pretty cool, huh?) I think it’s great when names hark back to a kiddo’s family or heritage in some way! It just connects the generations in a way that is really special. 

I haven’t seen Maya since she was a newborn, so it was great to have her in my Eugene, Oregon photography studio again for her one year birthday photography session! We decided to do a cake smash to celebrate, and we had such a lot of fun together! Maya did an awesome job for me and the whole session went so smoothly. She is a real cutie, and my goodness, I can’t believe how fast she’s growing up!

Braylon is getting to be such a big boy—one year old already! You may remember him from when I did his newborn session last year (he was the baby with the most amazing hair!) His hair is still super soft and thick, but it’s calmed down a little as it’s gotten longer. Yes, I am a little disappointed that he’s not still rocking the ‘fro, but I’ll get over it. He is still such a cutie and I loved being able to welcome him back to my photography studio in Eugene, Oregon to celebrate this milestone with him!