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South Mountain, Arizona Motherhood Family Session
South Mountain, Arizona Motherhood Family Session
February 2024
Love For Arizona
Arizona holds a special place in my heart. There are many reasons why I am constantly going back, exploring and making Tempe, Arizona my home base. You will always find me in Arizona for February & March. I find it so refreshing to go to Arizona when I have had enough of the Colorado snow and just want to see something green and lively. Don’t get me wrong, I love the snow and doing winter activities but there comes a part in the winter, right before spring that I am just impatient and need to see some plants and act like a complicated plant myself and get some nice warm sunshine.
I love how Tempe is such a little hippy college city that has many vibes from the night life to cozy local eateries and breweries surrounded by the beautiful desert. Tempe is a test city for new and upcoming ideas such as self driving cars & an upscaled apartment living with no parking lots but more space for social lives, people have their local businesses and live above their shop and the works. It is like a college dorm but more sustainable! I never experienced college dorms but none the less I feel right at home in this city where you can ride scooters, drive or walk to your destination. I have plans in the near future to write a blog all about Tempe. It is a little hippy city and I just adore it. All the foods and places to go with nature right in you back door. May just add it all on this blog but for now….let’s get to my motherhood sesh!
Shay & Her Motherhood Session
Our sunset session was extremely special & one for the books. Not only do Shay & I go way back and I knew her before she was a mother & to see her thriving makes my heart so happy! We had planned to have a session for years and finally the stars aligned. We were in the same state at the same time and made time to create some magic!
The Outfits
I knew she would bring the heat & I was all for it! The mood board I had was a cowgirl aesthetic & I was not disappointed with the multiple outfits she brought and seamlessly changed into throughout our time together.
Outfit One: Boho cowgirl dress with black boots. We started with this outfit when we had the kiddos all fresh and ready to be in front of the camera.
Outfit Two: Crop top that said “Cowboys can ride anything horny.” with shorts & a baseball cap and rockin’ the same boots. OBSESSED with that shirt, I would ware it for sure! I love how it shows that you can simply really mix up the vibes in your session.
Outfit Three: T-shirt, baseball cap, shorts & boots. All of which could intermingle and twine and still go with the desert cowgirl aesthetic that we were going for!
Family Session Advice
I advise all my family sessions to just let your kids be kids. Don’t strive for perfection & we will get magical photos and that is exactly what happened. We got special moments of her breast feeding and just being her motherly self when the moment called for it. That is what I love to create and capture with my photography. Real & raw moments and those moments don’t come from perfection. They come from going with the flow and letting the kids be kids and I will guide you through the entire process with posing as the moments unfold and aren’t forced.
There was a point in our sunset session when we checked all the boxes of the family photos desired so transitioned into a little portrait session. The kids were entertained and this was an extremely special & rare occasion where all three of my dogs were on site. My dogs are trained well and before I was a photographer I have always been an animal whisperer and trainer. Nanuk, Mazikeen & U’Vali all stayed right next to her kids as they played with their toys and just Mother Nature while we spent 5-10 minutes squeezing in a portrait session.
Little background on Shay & I…I have always been training dogs and when Shay walked into my life I took in a beautiful Pitbull, Huckleberry that was going to be put down for aggression and she witnessed first hand what he was like when I became his handler to the dog he was in the end. I have been proving to the world since day one that training your dog & and being a good leader is everything. Naturally, she trusted my three dogs to sit there with her kids as we did our thing. (photo proof below!) Just like all moms, we wear many hats and dog training has always been one of under mine! I love when I get to mix the two worlds together harmoniously.
Thanks for being here !
March 9, 2024
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meet marissa
As an empathetic soul, I not only feel my own emotions but also pick up on those of others in the room, and I artistically portray them from the start, all the way to your final gallery, in a documentary fashion. I help all my clients feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera with action-based and emotion-provoking prompts, so you can feel and relive the moments from the day in your head.
hey, i'm marissa
