Sweet Owen: Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Newborn Photographer

I think my biggest challenge when I photograph newborns is that I would rather sit on a couch cuddling them than photographing them.  I want to gaze at their sleepy little faces, to listen to their heavy breathing and let them hold one of my fingers in their teeny tiny hands.  My little girl will be two years old next month (holy cow!) and the days of snuggling up with her tiny body in my arms are long gone.  Sigh...

I digress, this precious little boy was only a handful of days old when I photographed him and he was so chill and easy.  His parents have been such a blessing to me and my family and it was such an honor to take pictures for them.  I will say that it was a crack up to pose this little guy because he has such a strong neck and body already.  He wasn't interested in having his head or arms pinned into a position and he made sure to readjust himself as often as possible no matter how long I held him.  It was cracking me up!  I was quietly cracking up of course as I didn't want to disturb the baby:).  I could tell that he loved the space heater that I brought because he relaxed best when the warm air was blasting right on him.  Mom and Dad were so laid back and awesome.  I absolutely love seeing first time parents soaking up their new child.  It's priceless to be a part of that as a photographer!  Isn't Owen just the cutest little chub a dub newborn!  Congrats again Caswell Family!  Owen is so perfect.

Sweet Little Girl - Holly Springs, Apex, Cary Kids Photographer

This picture is one of my favorites from my daughter's 22 month session that I did with her this week.  She is such a vibrant and spirited little girl and I just loved this quote when placed beside this picture.  My daughter really has taught me so much about love, patience, sacrifice and how to appreciate the little things in life all over again.  I just adore her!

Friendship Session - Holly Springs, Apex, Cary Photographer

I was itching to do a creative session towards the latter part of 2011.  I have always wanted to do a friendship themed photography session for fun so I asked a few of the girls that I used to co-lead a high school bible study for, if they would be my models for an afternoon.  They were happy to help! I had them wear bright colors so that they would pop against the drab winter landscape and their colors really did pop perfectly!  Our only obstacle of the session was the rainy weather, which we decided to use to our advantage as you will see towards the end of this post.  I love creative sessions, because there is no pressure whatsoever and I get to edit how I want and at my leisure as there is no one waiting on a deadline for their pictures.  I branched away from the usual style that I process my images and went with more of a haze for this session.  I really like how they turned out.  All in all I had a blast and these girls were SO much fun to work with.  Aren't they just beautiful!! Thanks so much ladies!  Can't wait to do this again.

Under normal circumstances it would be a big bummer when the rain starts to fall on a session but, this session was a creative session so we stood under a tarp when it rained too hard and ran out to snap pictures when it was raining softly.  These might quite possibly be some of my favorite pictures ever to date.  They just feel so cute and in the moment! Aren't these girls beautiful!

Valentine's Day Mini Sessions

Last year as Valentine's Day was approaching, I began to think about all the people in my family that I love.  Some were part of a big lively family but, others were single at the time and some were widowed.  Valentine's Day can be so romantic and sweet for many but, for others the day can be a bit lonely so I thought, what better way to brighten someone's day than to send them a precious picture of my little girl with a giant smile on her face, wishing them a Happy Valentine's Day.  The card was such a hit last with our families that I had to do it again this year.  The above picture is my little girl and she will be two in just a couple of months.  Isn't she adorable.  I was only able to get her to sit still because I promised her a candy afterwards.  Bad Mommy...I know but, I think the end result was quite worth it don't you?:).

If you would like to shower your family and friends with a little Valentine's Day mini session sweetness (which will last a lot longer than chocolate might I add hehe), please contact me at: caseymartinezphotography@hotmail.com for more information.   

Brittany and Jeremy's Wedding at Bass Lake | Holly Springs, Apex, Cary Wedding Photographer

It was such a beautiful November day in North Carolina and a perfect day for an outdoor wedding ceremony.  Brittany and Jeremy kept their wedding very simple and laid back and the setting they chose was gorgeous!  Ever since I moved to North Carolina I have always told my hubby that Bass Lake would be such a tranquil place to get married.  So you can imagine how excited I was to photograph a wedding there.  I got to fulfill a little dream of mine so thank you Brittany and Jeremy.  These two are so sweet together and it really was such a joy to photograph their special day.  I got all choked up during the father daughter dance and I laughed until my face hurt when the Groom and groomsman preformed for the guests.  Such a fun bunch of folks!  Congrats to the beautiful couple and best wishes on your journey together as one.  Here is a little overview of their sweet wedding...

I always love seeing the Groom's smile when he sees his bride for the first time. 

Then everyone joined in and began to dance.  I have to say this bunch was quite entertaining to photograph and to watch for that matter as they all knew the moves to different songs.  I was very impressed!

And then after all that dancing it was time for cake and it was pretty cool that the Groom cut the cake with his sword! 

I love photographing kids!  I was tempted to take pictures of this little guy all morning but, I decided that the Bride and Groom would probably prefer me to capture their special day.  ;)