baby season

Whew! It has been a whirlwind month of newborn sessions!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an absolute baby fanatic, so these sessions are always a little treat for me.

Introducing:

Ben (on left), who had a fabulous head of hair. My two-year old watched as I edited part of Ben's session, and is enamored with Ben's "caterpillar" belly button (the cord stump that had not yet fallen off), and ever since has requested to see Ben's pictures whenever I'm on the computer. Ben is now famous in the Mathison house:-)

Mollie, below, who was so calm for the whole session. She was just a tiny, adorable little peanut who also had a great head of hair (and a very sweet big brother.)



Graham, who had the most scrumptious cheeks. His little smile here makes me smile every time I see this picture!


Will's little brother, Charlie, a mere 15 hours old. It was very hard for me to hand him back to his mommy... he had that unmistakeable newborn scent that I love so much!


Owen, my newest client ever at about 2 minutes old.


And Courtney, who was about 6 weeks old here and gave me the sleepy newborn curl (a little miracle for babies over a few weeks old!)

walking for Allie

This is Allie, and she is in my son Gray's kindergarten class. Allie has Cystic Fibrosis.

This Saturday, April 19th, is the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk in Chapel Hill, and their kindergarten class will comprise part of Allie's team, "Allie's Gators." If you don't know much about Cystic Fibrosis, it is a disease that affects both the lungs and digestive systems, and causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucus. Allie has to do daily lung treatments to keep her lungs clear and free of infection. The current life expectancy of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 36.5 years, and hopefully by the time that Allie is in her 30's, the life expectancy of those with CF will be much, much longer!

I encourage you to get out and walk on Saturday morning, or to make a donation to help with CF research. For my clients (or future clients!) who make a donation by clicking the link below, I will give you a photography gift certificate in a matching amount of your donation, up to $150.

You can donate by clicking this link: CFF Great Strides walk

celebrating spring... with mini-sessions!

(click image for larger version)

Spring is my favorite time of year, and I'd like to ring it in with a day of outdoor mini-sessions at my studio! These will be smaller versions of my regular sessions and will take place within walking distance of my studio on April 17th. The cost is $125 (plus tax), and a $50 print credit is included in that! This is the perfect Mother's or Father's Day gift, or just a good way to fit in a quick session between regular sessions.

The other nitty gritty:

* good for up to 2 kids (mom/dad always welcome to hop in a few!)
* sessions are for 20 minutes, and you'll receive an online web gallery with 10-15 proofs
* if you'd like to schedule a session for your baby, this type of session is best for a baby who is sitting independently
* feel free to bring any props you'd like - tricycles, wagons, bubbles, that special lovey, etc.
* rain date is the following Thursday

Times will fill up fast, so send me an email (gretchen@gretchenmathison.com) to schedule your session. Your session fee is due at the time of booking.

Can't wait to see you there!

urban maternity

It's baby season! I've had an incredible amount of maternity and newborn sessions lately, and I just love it. So many gorgeous bellies and babies!

Erica and Dave were so fun and nice, and we had a great time at our session in downtown Durham. It was their last chance to have a maternity session before Dave leaves for training, so I was glad to be able to get them on my schedule just in the nick of time. I made them kiss about 759 times during the session, but they didn't seem to mind:-) (Thanks for obliging me!)

Erica had the coolest wardrobe... how cute is this dress? I want one for myself!

Congratulations to all of the mamas-to-be!

recent cuties!

Just wanted to take a minute to share some of my most recent adorable clients!


Liza and Greta, who invited me to "stay and play house" after our session:


Lila, whose smile could light up a room:


Nora, who was just starting to sit up and was a cute as a button:


The ever-darling Kailey. This was my 5th time photographing her since she was a teeny tiny new baby:


James, who had also just learned to sit up and was such a happy, precious boy:


Jacob, who had changed so much since I saw him over a year ago. This was Jacob's 4th session:


Cute little man Jack, who was showing off his abilities to stand in his crib:


Greyson. She was just a doll and so cooperative at our session:


Ben, who was seriously one of the happiest kids I have EVER photographed:


Eliza and little brother Jake. Eliza entertained us by catching frogs (in her dress) at our session:


And last but not least, Nora's big brother Will. I loved this one of him playing peek-a-boo with me:

adored

I recently made a return trip to Wilmington to photograph baby Maddox. He was only a week old... a tiny little package of perfection at only a little over five pounds when I photographed him. I loved this shot in particular, with his tiny little hand wrapped around daddy's finger.

new tunes

I live in a house filled with music. When I married my husband nearly 12 years ago, along with him came his love (and huge collection) of music. Over the years my musical taste expanded (something for which my husband is eternally grateful), and if you walk into our home on any given day, there will most certainly be music playing. Rather than Raffi and The Wiggles, our children have been raised on everything from Emmylou Harris to the Beatles, Pink Floyd to Thelonius Monk. Music is part of who we are.

One evening in December on my way to do some much-dreaded Christmas shopping, I was listening to an NPR broadcast of the best children's music of 2007. Whenever I hear kid's music that is also palatable to adults, my ears perk up. I listened and enjoyed, and then went back to the hustle and bustle of the list of things I needed to do, making a mental note to remember the name of the artist I'd heard. Of course, my memory is that of most mothers of three children: terrible.

So once the insanity of the holidays had died down I did an internet search to see if I could find out who I'd listened to on NPR that night. It took a good 20 minutes or so, but I found him. His name is Dean Jones, and his CD is (so adorably) named "Napper's Delight." Knowing I needed a good new song on my website, I contacted him and am now excited to be using his terrific music on my site.

Please check out his music and share it with your kids - you will be glad you did!

Napper's Delight

twin bond

I just love how the girls are each holding their brothers in these....

Camille and Johnny, 7 months:

Sean and Kate, 15 months:

first snow

When you've lived in NC for awhile, you know that snow is no guarantee, even in the coldest winter months. I think it has been a few years since we've gotten snow (ie: not ice) of any consequence.

My kids have been DYING for some snow. The look of sheer delight on my 5 year old's face when he looked out the window today to see the huge, wet flakes coming down... well, it was priceless.

We bundled 'em up, I grabbed my cheapest camera and lens, and outside we went. We just moved a week ago, so some playtime outside was a welcome break from the unpacking and the other delightful tasks associated with moving your family of five.

It was my 2 year old's first real experience with snow, and despite the fact that he kept falling in his completely inappropriate footwear (um, Crocs), he loved it. And my 5 year old is completely convinced that by the time we wake up in the morning, there will be enough snow for a snowman and plenty of snowballs with which to pelt his 9-year old brother. Ah, to be a kid again:-)

If you have an extra minute, here is a short slideshow of our snow day:

snow day

one lucky baby

On a recent weekend, I traveled to Wilmington, NC for several sessions. One of those sessions was a maternity shoot with Michelle and Bruce, who are getting ready to welcome their new baby boy in just a few weeks. It is hard to imagine two people more in love or excited to meet their new baby... his nursery is perfect, his tiny little clothes are washed and hung - all they need is him!

The picture above is a pier right across the street from their home. I told them that it would feel like being on vacation all of the time!

Michelle and Bruce, thanks for letting me capture a little snippet of your lives before your little guy's arrival... I know you're going to be amazing parents!

three little santas

Are your homes as filled with anticipation right now as mine is? There is nothing quite like the wait for Santa... normally sleepy children all over the world are turned into tiny insomniacs waiting for the big guy to make his way down the chimney. I remember as a kid thinking how awful it would be to be an ADULT at Christmas, because adult presents are so boring! But what I didn't factor in is how unbelievably fantastic it is to watch your own kids' faces that first second they see the goodies under the tree. Truly priceless.

The picture above is from my Christmas card this year (Miller, 8, Gray, 5, and Everett, very, very 2). I knew my best shot at a successful card was to throw a bribe in there, so lollipops it was. They were a total mess by the end, but it was all worth it.

So to all of my clients from this past year... may you have a wonderful holiday season, filled with happy kids and yummy food and the company of friends and family. I'll see you again in 2008!

holiday madness!!

This is always the busiest time of year for photographers. My holiday season starts in August and doesn't end until the week or so before Christmas. Whew! I'm tired! To make life more complicated, we decided to buy a new house this fall... a house that required lots of work (and time to coordinate the people doing that work.) Add into that the regular mom stuff, and I'm pretty much exhausted and ready to be in my PJ's watching my kids open their presents on Christmas morning! Until then, I'll be at my messy desk surrounded by a collection of empty Diet Coke cans.

Here are a few dates to keep in mind:

Dec. 1 (this Saturday): HOLIDAY ORDERING DEADLINE. If there is anything you need by the holidays, please place your order by this date. I will also need payment for all of these orders ASAP, as I do not order anything with my lab until payment is made

Dec. 17th: This is my target date for having all prints and cards out to clients. Please consider picking up your order in person at my Durham studio to avoid any potential lost/damaged package issues with shipping. I do ship all of the time and will still gladly do it at the holidays, but it is always fun to get to chat with my clients one more time and give them their orders is a nice shopping bag instead of a boring ol' shipping box!

If you need your envelopes early, you are welcome to come by my studio to pick them up in advance. Also, if you have multiple family members ordering, please consider putting everything into one larger family order... I will love you for it!

I'm currently booking sessions for January and February. If you missed out on a pre-holiday session, please call or email to set up your session for the beginning of 2008. Can't wait to see you then!

brrr!!

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Finn on an especially chilly morning. It was one of those days where lots of things weren't going right... I couldn't find a place to park, my cell phone died, and then once into the session, my fully charged batteries kept dying. But I left just knowing we'd gotten lots of fun pictures of Finn and his almost-3 personality. He was full of spunk and cuteness... the perfect combination for a great session!

This time of year, I field a lot of questions from clients about what to dress their kids in for outdoor sessions. LAYERS are the key if you'd like to avoid having them bundled up in a coat for every picture. Fall and winter can be so much fun with sweaters, hats and scarves (and perfect for that holiday card!) Usually a long-sleeved t-shirt under a thick sweater keeps them warm enough... especially combined with the considerable amount of time we all spend running around during a session! Another warm change of clothes is always a good thing to have on hand, and clothes that are easily washed are the best choice. A key element to a good session is lots of playing, and playing is dirty work!

I'll be back later this week with an update on holiday ordering deadlines, so stay tuned:-)

jack the dragon

The first time I photographed Jack, he was about 5 or 6 months old and I was about 8 months and 29 days pregnant with my 3rd baby. I'm sure I was quite a sight rolling around, hugely pregnant, trying to get him to smile at me. I've now had five sessions with this little cutie, and he amazed me the other day by speaking to me. In complete, real sentences! Like a big kid, not that same little baby from a few years ago. Sniff, sniff.

Each fall his mom brings his halloween costume to wear for part of the session. This dragon (from Pottery Barn Kids, so you know it is cute) was so adorable and none of us could stop laughing at him running around in it. The best part was when he went running, little green dragon arms flapping in the air, towards a group of middle schoolers on a field trip, who were all looking at him with faces that words just really cannot describe.

The second best part was when Jack REALLY got into character, and decided to take a little bite out of my leg (no worries: it was more like a firm nibble and it didn't even leave a bruise.) His mom and I joked that we were glad my inaugural being-bitten-by-a-kid-other-than-my-own experience could be with Jack.

Jack turns three this week. Happy birthday, little man!

I don't do weddings, but...

I love doing engagement sessions! Lucia and Brad are high school sweethearts and I had so much fun photographing them. Their love for each other is so apparent, and I predict they have many happy years ahead of them.

Here is the first picture I pulled from their session... this is at the top of a parking lot in downtown Durham, and the light coming in was just unbelievable. This image is really cool in black and white, also, but I just had to share that amazing pre-dusk sky.

the tiniest ones

Last week I took part in a project to photograph babies in the NICU at UNC Hospitals. Fellow photographer Dana Atkins and I spent about four hours documenting families with their beautiful babies in the NICU, with the eventual goal being a series of portraits that will adorn the walls of the unit.

This was an entirely new experience for me, as my own babies were full term and home within a few days. It amazed me to see these perfect, tiny babies - some only a few pounds and born several months before their due dates - and witness modern medicine in action. Almost everyone has seen pictures of premature babies, but until you actually see dad's wedding band slip over the hand onto the arm, like a tiny little gold bracelet, it is hard to grasp just how small they are.

It was a pleasure to volunteer my time to this project, and I am really looking forward to seeing the finished result!

baby's best friend

I've seen this look before. I've seen it each of the three times I've brought one of my own sweet baby boys home from the hospital for the first time... if only we could read dogs' minds!

It seems like almost every one of my clients has a "first baby" they'd like to have in a photo or two, but not all pets are as cooperative as Monet (posing here with baby Dylan, the adorable newest member of this family.) She was so sweet and careful while lying next to Dylan, and let me get a few great shots before going in for the lick:-)

I've been tagged!

Today I was "tagged" by the awesome Corey Civetta. In this new spin on a chain letter (photographer-style!), I'm supposed to list 8 interesting facts about myself and then tag 8 other photographers to do the same. I'm not really sure if I can think up that many interesting facts, but I'm going to give it a whirl!

1). My heart bleeds Carolina blue. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill more years ago than I'd really like to admit. However, my heart still flutters a little faster as I drive past the "welcome to Chapel Hill" sign. On more than one occasion I've shown up at a session only to realize I recognize one (or more!) of my clients from my time in Chapel Hill.

2). My husband is a fantastic stay-at-home-dad to our three little wild men. Okay, so that is not a fact about me per se, but I seriously could not do what I do without his support. (And his amazing ability to keep up with the laundry... a task I never quite mastered doing in any sort of timely manner.)

3). I grew up in a tiny town in Iowa. It was the idyllic place to grow up... my mom would shove us out the door on summer mornings, only to see us again at lunch and dinner. I spent my days riding my bike and swimming at the pool with my friends. I moved to NC when I was 12, so I feel like my roots are deeply planted in both places. We went back to Iowa this summer to spend some time with my grandparents and it was so great. If you hear me talk, it will be hard to peg my midwestern/southern hybrid accent!

4). Bad drivers are my pet peeve.

5). When I was a kid I wanted to be an architect. I kept a little notebook of my pretend houses and floorplans. Then I got into all of the high-level math classes in high school and realized that unless I wanted to do a whole lot more of that, I had better change plans QUICKLY.

6). In college I waited tables at Lone Star Steakhouse, where I wore short shorts and where, on Friday and Saturday nights, I had to take part in an all-waitress presentation of a song whose starting lyrics were "I was drunk the night my mom got out of prison." Or something along those lines. It's pretty easy to sell your soul singing country songs in a smoky restaurant when you're only 21 and need rent money.

7). My favorite treat is chocolate-covered strawberries, and I make them regularly. Too regularly.

8). If I could meet any celebrity in person (or better yet, photograph them), it would be Michael Vartan. In case you aren't familiar with the lovely Mr. Vartan, he played Agent Michael Vaughn on "Alias" and has another show coming on this fall called "Big Shots." A coincidence that my youngest son's middle name is Vaughn? I think not. I admit it proudly.

Here are the photographers I'm tagging:

Ann-Marie Hensley
Val Godwin
Jennifer Simpson
Cari Long
Bethann Frillman
Erica Ledrowski
Marie Cox
Jen Lane

itty bitty elle

The past few weeks have been FILLED with newborns! I am so excited to have photographed so many of these new little people lately... no matter how many I see, it never ceases to amaze me how absolutely perfect they are.

I promised Elle's mommy that I would give her a sneak peek of Elle on my blog. No matter how many times we tried to tuck her leg in, she kept kicking it back out. And actually, it looks pretty darn cute just like that... her own little pose:-)

one moment he was sitting there so nicely

If you are a parent reading this, you know where this is going, don't you?

Luckily I'd photographed Nate two other times, and LUCKILY he has very cool parents. Do you see dad in the picture below, about to catch him as he went into the fish pond? Well, Nate was faster. Nate ended up in the pond. And notice his proud grin after his dad pulled him out.

We all had a good laugh, and continued the session with a wet Nate. He didn't seem to mind a bit.