Laura Marchbanks Photography: Seattle Wedding Photography, Seattle Wedding Photographer, Portland Wedding Photography, and San Francisco Commercial and Lifestyle Photography » ANYTIME

Hello World! Meet Charlotte – Seattle Newborn Photography

Laura — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:01:11 +0000

Hello world, meet Charlotte, a 5 day old little darling who belongs to our good friends Erica and Regan, you might remember their maternity session we did a few weeks ago! Charlotte looks like a healthy blend of both mom and dad, and apparently must be a really good night sleeper because she really wasn’t into snoozing for her photoshoot! It’s lucky for us though because she has the most gorgeous big eyes and we were able to catch her with them open.

Congrats Erica and Regan! You’re going to be the best parents! Can’t wait for all of your adventures in the future! PS> Love the name ;-)

This one reminds me of Photos by Deb….

This modeling stuff is hard work huh Char?

We even got Miss Marty McFly in for a few ;-)

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PARENTHOOD, MILESTONES AND GIVING BACK – SEATTLE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

Laura — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:39:08 +0000

Being a parent is tough work. I’m not one, but I’m remembering what I put my mother through in middle school…. AND I watched a friends baby the other day while she ran to the grocery store for 30 minutes. By the time she came back, I was ready for a massage and a NAP. Someday I’ll be a parent, but holding Kaia the other day made me realize how incredibly selfless you have to be when you become a parent. I’m not quite there yet… As a parent, you develop these intense feelings of love for your child. A sense of unconditional love, love that would make you deny your own senses to protect theirs. (I sort of have that for Ladybug, weird I know). It’s a powerful thing, and I don’t think you ever really grow out of that as a parent. Your children grow up, begin their own lives, start their own families, but you’re still the rock. The one who supports in those tough moments, the same way your parents did for you.

Back in January, I shared with all of you that one of my major goals for this year was to give back to you! I challenged readers to nominate someone here on the blog, who you thought deserved to be recognized for their giving spirit! I received so many great nominations and absolutely couldn’t decide who should win the free session. So Billy and I kinda cheated. We chose three…. here is the nomination for one of the winners we chose!

“Dearest Laura,
I’d like to nominate my mom. She is nothing short of amazing, and is completely selfless. Aside from being an amazing and strong figure in mine and my sister’s lives, she is a fun, inspiring, and adventurous spirit. She doesn’t take no for an answer and doesn’t back down from a challenge. (All qualities I hope I’ve picked up from her!) Despite several difficult years, she made sure both my sister and I went to college, and were taken care of. This past year was a difficult one for me. Anything and everything that could have gone wrong or fallen apart did. At points I wasn’t sure how to keep moving forward, but no matter what came up, she was always there to support and love me. I hope everyone out there is as lucky as I am to have such a wonderful mom.

This year is her 50th birthday, and I can’t think of anything better than some family photos. I hope she wins!

xoxo,

Justine”

As a photographer, I’m all about celebrating milestones, and as a daughter I can really relate to that feeling of support and wanting to say thank you.

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Erica and Regan – Seattle Maternity Session

Laura — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:23:58 +0000

I’m not sure what’s going on, but all of our friends decided to get pregnant this year. They’re all conspiring to leave us in the dust, or it’s in the water. Either way, I’m trying to drink bottled water in case it’s something that was slipped in the local water supply.

Thankfully, most of our friends are ridiculously good looking smart people, so I have no doubt they’re going to create socially acceptable children and we’re really excited for them!

Regan and Erica are two of our great friends and they’re expecting their first baby in about three weeks! I was thrilled to have them in front of my lens.We braved the unpredictable Seattle weather and headed out to get some fun shots of their growing family before the big day!

Here are just a few from their session, it was SO hard to narrow them down.

Erica has the BEST laugh…

Their little girl already has her very first pair of Chucky-T’s!

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Incredible Women

Laura — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:26:39 +0000

There is nothing in this world that can compare to the relationships we women have with each other. Yes at times, women are competitive and catty. Our friendships take constant work and dedication and care. But what you give of yourself to the women in your life can build you up, sustain you in hard times, and bring you joy in a connection that goes beyond words. It’s why sororities work, it’s a sisterhood. Women just get each other, we are from Venus, we speak a common language.

I’m lucky enough to be marrying into a family full of incredible women. Every year these women gather for a girls weekend. For 3 full days we fill each other up with hugging, pee-your-pants-laughter, long walks on the beach, cooking amazing food (OH THE FOOD!), American Idol worthy singing, and lots of other activities that are so sacred – if I told you I’d have to off you. This year we had a couple of special projects in the works, and I want to share with you a few quick portraits I took of some of the incredible women in my life, and a few words that come to mind about them.

Mama Mel. Generosity and wisdom.

Auntie Amy. Light.

Auntie Jo. Strength.

Aunt Lolly. Humor and laughter.

Aunt Aleta. Fearlessness.

My Sisters. Rachel and Leah.

Radiant Rachel.

Amy Lynn. Talent and Laughter.

Heidi. Beauty and Grace.

Leah. Warmth.

Hayley. Passion.

Brooke. Ease.

Olivia. Inspiration.

I’m incredibly blessed. I think you’ll agree!

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Baby Kaia – Seattle Newborn Photography

Laura — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:51:54 +0000

Hello big beautiful world! Welcome 7 day old baby Kaia! Don’t you love her name? Jenna and Tim kept this little nugget’s name a secret almost her entire baking time. I spent almost the whole day with them while we rocked and fed and coaxed Kaia to sleep for these shots. She’s angelically beautiful, sigh….. I hope you enjoy these!

Jenna’s sister surprised her for the weekend so I got a chance to snap a few of her 2 year old niece too! How cute is this curly top?

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Jenna and Tim – Seattle Maternity Session

Laura — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:31:58 +0000

Sometimes life doesn’t fit a mold. So many of us have a plan and vision of what our life will look like, expectations of how our lives will be lived out. Some call them dreams, some call them goals, visions, expectations, or paths. We all have them, our families have them, our friends even have them for us, expectations. What happens when love comes into the picture? Are you brave enough to abandon your expectations? Your safe vision of what comes next? Or do you blaze a trail, a life UNordinary?

It’s possible that for Jenna and Tim, their existence together was fated from the beginning of time. Two people, caught in a holding pattern. Their love story is something out of a romance novel, but I’ll save that for their engagement session post ;-)

What matters most in this love story is that love came first, COMES first. Their little one, who should be here any day now, will be the most loved baby this world has yet to encounter. With two parents like hers, it is the only outcome. PS, they’re keeping the name of the baby a secret, which I think is pretty cute. Life has so few surprises in it.

Congratulations Jenna and Tim, I can’t wait for the adventures in your future!

Sorry Tim, couldn’t help it!

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Knox – Seattle Newborn Photographer

Laura — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:11:24 +0000

You might remember a couple of weeks ago, the proud parents of this little gem when we did their maternity session around Redmond. Welcome into the equation their own little slice of heaven, Knox. Ryan and Liz are already in the full swing of parenting and doing an awesome job. It kinda helps that this is the easiest baby, already sleeping on a schedule, and simply happy just to be held and fed. Not a big crier, and not a big fusser. We did his newborn photos on the 8th day of his life and he was already back up to birth weight! He’s going to be a little tank. So adorable.

My fave…. melts my heart right into a puddle.

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Matt and Breanne – Las Vegas Maternity Session!

Laura — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:04:25 +0000

It’s been a whirlwind of a week because I’ve been out of town for my annual trip to WPPI. It’s been a long 5 days of shooting and learning and tradeshow walking, I can’t wait to share with you how CHARGED up and inspired I am about photography in this moment. But until my brain has a chance to process, I’m taking advantage of the free wifi in the Las Vegas airport on my way out of town to share with you a session I did with Matt and Breanne in Las Vegas! Matt and Breanne are long time friends of ours and we couldn’t be more excited for them to start their family! They’re having a boy!!! I’m so honored that they drove all the way from Ventura for this session. We braved the frigid cold and played in the desert. Breanne is a very talented portrait photographer herself, so I was a bit intimidated walking into this. Best thing about shooting Breanne and Matt = they laugh so easily! And they already know my dumb jokes, still…. they laugh.

Love you guys!

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Elizabeth, Ryan and Mystery Baby – Seattle Maternity Photography

Laura — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:52:53 +0000

I’ve always thought that it’s a terribly romantic idea to keep the sex of your baby a surprise. Information is so accessible these days, it’s refreshing to relish in on of life’s most rewarding mysteries. I’m so excited for them I can hardly stand it. I know you are too, so you’ll be glad to hear that as soon as this baby is born we’re doing a newborn session! We met in Redmond and headed to Marymoor Park. Such an awesome place for a Saturday in the sun!

Liz and Ryan are actually one of my all time FAVORITE romantic wedding memories, so I’ll share with you that little tid bit. They met at Oregon State (boooo…. go Ducks! Just kidding, kind of), and were married on a blustery fall day in Oregon 5 years ago. I remember watching in awe as Ryan and Liz swayed back and forth in the middle of the room during their first dance. Ryan is hearing impaired but didn’t miss a beat, and as they stared into each others eyes, Ryan asked Liz what the song was. She glanced up, mouthed “unforgettable” and then laid her head back on his shoulder. It truly was. I’ve never forgotten that moment, or how hot my tears were, or how full my heart was. Liz and Ryan define what a true partnership is.

I’m so excited to see their family grow, and can’t wait to meet this little one. I just love babies. Especially the part where other people have them. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to document this amazing time in your lives!

Ok I know I have a thing for flare, but I can’t help it… we’ve had the MOST amazing weather here in Seattle the last few weeks. Warm, and full of light.

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Higgins Family – Portland Family Portraits

Laura — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:59:09 +0000

The Higgins Family, well… they’re like family to me. Amy is the cousin of my bestie Marie, and when I planned a trip tto visit Marie I knew I had to get them in front of my lens. Their adorable daughter Ella is one of the most unique captivating babies I’ve ever seen. I’ve taken a few snapshots of her over the years, from 3 weeks to now, and she remains one of my favorite subjects.

We headed to this beautiful little farm tucked in the hills of Portland, unsure of whether or not we’d be able to shoot there. The property owners weren’t home, but the sheep were! Funny thing about trespassing, somehow it always ends in lots of fun and beautiful images. My motto is “it’s always easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission”. Although I always attempt to ask permission before I kamikaze a location.

Amy and Brennan! Thanks for being outlaws with me, seriously…. ANYTIME!

No babies were actually hurt during the making of this photograph, just a little spill… and some of the most beautiful giant tears ever.

STUNNA! For reals.

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