The holidays are always a time that I look forward to spending with family – especially when family is 1,500 miles away!  This year for Thanksgiving, some of our family flew in from Oklahoma, and that included our sister, Becca, who just happened to be around 5 months pregnant. I had not had a chance to see her since our wedding a few months earlier, so it was a very exciting time!

During the trip, we decided it would be fun to have an impromptu maternity shoot on the oceanfront.  This was the first time I ever attempted to take photos for someone else (selfies, I had down), so I was extremely nervous about what the end product would look like.  The moment we stepped out on to the beach, I knew the models were at least going to be good!  Becca is an incredible model, and I have to admit, she was amazing at posing.  With such natural beauty, how could the photos not be awesome?

So, here they are… the products of my first photoshoot EVER.  I can’t believe how beautiful they are – it’s been seven months and I’m still in love with them! Thank you so much, Becca and William, for sharing such a special time with me.  I’m so honored to have captured these images for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  This is my first blog post EVER.  Yep, that’s right.  I have never even attempted blogging before, but I’m so excited to have a place to share my work with you!  Photography has been my passion for years, but I just recently began to take it seriously.  Last November, one of my sisters, who happened to be around five months pregnant, came to visit and we got the idea to take some maternity photos on the beach.  With relatively little preparation, we set out for the oceanfront.  The result was stunning.  I was absolutely in love with the way her photos turned out and so glad we decided to capture such a meaningful and important time in her life.  The entire impromptu experience helped me to realize that my passion for photography could have a greater purpose – helping people preserve their most treasured moments. It wasn’t for a few months and many more photoshoots that Mandalyn Renee Photography actually began to materialize.

My hope for this blog is to not only share my most recent work and favorite images with you, but to provide one of my personal favorite things – education.  From what to wear on camera to answering some of the questions photographers get asked most frequently (e.g. camera, lighting, locations, etc.), I will be posting some intentional pieces to share the things I struggled so hard to learn.  In addition to my recent work, styling, and photography tips, I’m sure you’ll see a few personal posts as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.  I’ll leave you with a photo from my sister’s maternity shoot.  Look for the full blog post featuring her maternity session soon!