Shanna Chess Photography

 Wow, what a week it’s been! I hope you were all able to stay cool in the crazy hot weather that hit Eugene over the weekend. I love summer, but I’m happy to have temperatures down to a more manageable level. Way more comfortable for me and all the sweet babies out there! Speaking of which, it was so much fun to do this newborn photography session a few weeks ago! Amber, Alex, and big brother Jax brought new baby Archer (nicknamed Archie) to see me. I hadn’t seen this cute family since Jax’s one-year cake smash session (I also did his Fresh 48 and newborn photos), and they have since moved to Portland. So I was super happy that they made the drive down to my Eugene, Oregon photography studio for newborn pics. Archie was absolutely perfect for me! He slept great and was a natural with all of the poses we tried. I also loved the colors mom requested! The mix of rusts and browns with clean whites and greenery turned out so beautifully. I remember when I did big brother Jax’s newbo...

 It was so fun to travel to Washington in April for my sister Lindsey’s baby shower! Of course, being a maternity photographer, I had to get some photos too. My sisters know that’s part of the package whenever we get together. And hey, there are worse things than being forced to have professional pictures of the big moments of your life, right? Lindsey is always such a good sport about modeling for me. I really wanted someone to model a couple of new maternity gowns I’d recently purchased for the studio (a white tulle and a gold sequined dress) so the first evening I was there we went to the beach so Lindsey could show them off against a gorgeous sunset. That part of the session was for me, and I appreciate my little sis being willing to let me do my thing! I love being able to use new dresses in photos right away so that clients can get a good idea of how they look. (Yes, I provide TONS of maternity gown options at my Eugene, Oregon photography studio. You don’t have to worry abou...

 It was wonderful to see one of my favorite families in my Eugene, Oregon photography studio again in April. I first met Ashley and Eric shortly after their oldest daughter, Merida was born and I did newborn photos for her. They’ve come back a couple of times since then, for Merida’s one-year baby pictures and more recently for Ashley’s maternity pictures as they got ready to welcome new baby Lowynn! I was so glad the entire family was able to make it the studio for Lowynn’s newborn photography session. It’s always fun to get some sibling images if you have other kiddos, and I loved being able to do that with Merida and her new sis. Lowynn was adorable and looked a lot like her older sister did as a newborn. Lowynn also had tons of hair! Merida had a lot of hair as a baby too, but not as much as Lowynn! Since she had such a gorgeous mane, I thought it was totally appropriate that Lowynn’s name means Lion. Mom decided to play it up by bringing a cute lion hat and tail to tie in...

 It was so fun to see one of my favorite families again back at the beginning of April. Samantha and Christopher brought both of their boys, Ozzy and Zeplin, for some baby and child photography , since they were both celebrating milestones! Zeplin was turning two years old and Ozzy had just hit his 6-month milestone. Seriously, where does the time go? I first met this family when they brought Zeplin to see me for his 6-month baby pictures, and I’ve been photographing them ever since! Once you find a photographer you love, it’s a great idea to stick with them for all of your portraits, if possible. It gives your photos consistency in style, so they’ll always look wonderful displayed together in frames or an album. And it can also make kiddos more comfortable going to a photographer they’re familiar with and have gotten to know. I love seeing my repeat clients year after year—or even more frequently! These boys are always so happy and smiley—I loved working with them again. And it ...

 Does anybody else feel like they’re going to melt in this heat wave we’re having in Eugene, Oregon? Feels like summer already. If you want to melt in a good way though, just take a look at the photos from this cutie’s six-month milestone photography session! The weather was still pretty gray when we did this shoot back at the beginning of April, but Maverick brought the sunshine right in to my Eugene, Oregon photo studio ! I know Maverick’s mom, Kelly, through Junior League of Eugene, where we both serve on the board. But with COVID, we’ve only been meeting virtually since last year. So it was great to see her in person and finally meet her little guy! Sometimes when I first meet these little ones it seems like the pleasure’s all mine—at least until they warm up—but not so with Maverick! He seemed happy to see me right from the get-go and was super smiley and adorable. Made me feel awesome, and we had a great time together! We kept things pretty simple as far as props—just want...