Shanna Chess Photography

I’m excited to show off these gorgeous maternity pictures! Affinity and her husband Shawn came in last month for a session. They are expecting their 5 th child and this will also be their last baby, so they wanted to do something extra special. Since they hadn’t done maternity photos when Affinity was pregnant with any of their other kiddos, they decided a maternity photography session would be the perfect way to remember this special time of growing their family. I couldn’t agree more! One of many clients’ favorite things about their maternity photo shoot is the pampering that happens beforehand! As an expecting mother—especially if you have other children—it is so nice to get the spa treatment every once in a while. Moms, you know what I’m talking about! That’s why my maternity sessions include professional hair and makeup, so you can not only look your best for pictures, but really feel like you’re doing something special for yourself. Affinity told me she loved the pampering and...

I am extra excited to share the pictures from this newborn photography session. Why? Because this little cutie is my niece! I’ve been looking forward to meeting her for what feels like ages, and doing my sister’s maternity photos only increased the anticipation. My sister Lindsey, brother-in-law Nainoa, and niece Harbor made the drive down from Washington to my Eugene, Oregon newborn photo studio with the brand new addition to the family towards the middle of May. They stayed the whole weekend so I got to have lots of baby cuddles with Oaklee Rae (same middle name as her auntie—me)! She was absolutely perfect. Oaklee was born a little early and was a touch jaundiced. Not a problem! Jaundice is common in newborns and actually tends to make them extra sleepy, which is perfect for photos. I barely saw Oaklee’s eyes all weekend! And since jaundice is easy to correct in pictures during the editing process, it really doesn’t influence your finished images at all—as you can see! I realize ...

 Happy Wednesday, everybody! Halfway through the week—we got this! I hope your week is going great, but if not, here’s a little something to brighten it up. Because baby pictures make everything better! Ashley, Heath, and big sister Shelby brought beautiful new baby Shaylee to see me for a newborn photography session. They made the drive to my Eugene, Oregon photography studio all the way from Drain, and I’m so glad they did! It was a pleasure to meet this sweet family and spend a couple of hours with them capturing memories of this special time. When I said Shaylee was beautiful, I meant it! Okay, okay, as a newborn photographer I admit, I think every baby I get to photograph is adorable. But with her milk white skin, blonde hair, and big gorgeous lips, Shaylee was seriously perfect and it was a joy to take pictures of her. Plus, she was an amazing sleeper to boot. I couldn’t have asked for better! Since Shaylee was so cooperative, our session went really smoothly. I have lot...

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4 th of July weekend! I don’t know about you, but for me it feels like the summer is going by way too fast. So many fun things to do (including outdoor mini sessions!) and not enough time! I’m loving the sunshine while it’s here though. Speaking of—this little guy certainly brought a ray of sunshine to my Eugene, Oregon newborn photo studio back in April when the weather was still being gray. Can’t wait to share his pictures with you! Brisa and Kishon brought gorgeous Ezra in for baby’s first photoshoot . This is their first little one and they are totally in love with him. I’ll admit I fell pretty hard myself! Ezra had the squishiest little face and did wonderfully for me from start to finish. Mom and Dad liked the neutral colors, so we did lots of creams and grays. It ended up being a great color scheme for mixing with some black-and-white photos. (Black-and-white shots go great with any colors, but they just blend in so seamlessly with the neutral ...

 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...