kristen hassell photog blog

Frame Maternity Shoot

This session took place at the end of November 2011.

This mama was 37 1/2 weeks pregnant when we took these pictures…

….and looking absolutely beautiful!!

Beautiful Mama is just teeny tiny & had this big baby-basketball under her dress!!

Her sweet baby (not actually a basketball) was a wiggly little peanut & it was funny to see her whole belly move from side to side as the baby moved.

I’m still trying to figure out the ins-and-outs of wordpress & how to make the pictures best for your viewing pleasure….

and I can’t figure it out. But this post is SOOO overdue, so I will post it as it is for now & try to figure out this here new blog format another day.

Click on the images below to scroll through them larger:

the whole gallery can be seen here

Frame Maternity – preview!

there are more of these where this one came from!

Aric + Sally Fam

meet Aric + Sally.

they are pretty awesome & have such a beautiful familia.

We shot these a couple Saturdays ago in their beautiful backyard….

Wow on the awesome photo location!

Their sweet kids were so much fun to photograph -

even if I had to work hard to win over Littlest Sister’s heart.

Little brother is just barely walking & was trying to keep up with his sisters -

he kept me running & focusing like crazy.

What a fun family – swinging with dad, eating cookie dough batter & cereal, playing with mama.

And the best time was hearing about the Sally’s Family Pictures vs. Aric’s Gun(s) purchase.

Looks like this time they both won:

Guns for shooting & shot Pictures.

Wow, I’m pretty hilarious. Ah-Ah-Ah.

you can view all proofs/order prints from here

Dusti welcomes Ryan home

Dusti & Ryan have done 3 deployments in the 4 years they have been in the Marine Corps.

This time, their little one was just teeny when daddy left.

August 8th was a HOT & HUMID night

but one filled with anticipation & happiness

as everyone welcomed home the 2nd Batallion 8th Marines from their tour in Afghanistan.

Ryan’s sister (USAF), brother in law & niece were also there

along with his wife Dusti & sweet baby girl.

Ryan’s niece made a sign on the iPad, it was pretty awesome!

I’m pretty sure the 2hours while the Marines turn in their weapons at the armory

felt

almost

as long

as the previous 7 months.

And the butterflies were almost visible as those big buses drove in

& the Marines poured out looking for their loved ones.

Welcome home, Ryan & thanks for your service!!

And good job, Dusti, you’re truly a hero!!

Full Gallery for viewing & print orders available here

Baby Madison

This little one decided she wanted to make her world debut about 6 weeks early!

We did these photos on her actual due date…

and she was weighing in at 6 weeks old at 8lbs 3oz.

Such a little peanut!!

Her mama is a proud Navy wife & I loved capturing their tender mama/bebe bond.

Madison was a trooper being held all kinds of crazy ways &

being awake so long (all in the name of good light!) & conked out by the last few shots.

Mmmmm, newborns are the sweetest.

So teeny. So precious. So new.

I love that she was still a little fuzzy:

this next one is my absolute favorite image from the session -
can’t you just hear mama saying “shhhhhh?”

Maggie

{ meet Miss Maggie! }

her mom is the famous blogger/quilter extraordinaire AmyLouWho

MamaLouWho really likes fabric… it’s a wonder Maggie’s name isn’t AmyButler LouWho.

Maggie is such a little cutie & we wanted to capture her littleness as much as possible.

She loves mama, milk, tickles & her big siblings.

She was barely learning to stand when we took these pictures.

We made a day of it & just hung out at my house & played

& of course took lots of pictures.

Amylouwho is such a great friend-

one you can just talk for hours with & laugh & be yourself & feel so loved!

We both love dentists, wegmans, ikea, photography & baba ganoujh

& playing that blasted words with friends scrabble game on our iThings.

meanwhile, this is going on behind the scenes.
2 harmonicas, 5 kids, 2 moms, a bed & a camera (and a whole lot of crazy!):

after a couple milk breaks for Maggie & some lunch for everyone else, we relocated & re-costumed for some more shots. It was a long day for such a little model, but she was sweet as ever, even past naptime.

you can see the whole shoot & order prints here

Welcome Home, VMM-266

Last week I had the honor of photographing another USMC homecoming from Afghanistan.

This cute family had made it through their first deployment

& they were so excited to welcome daddy/hubs home!

The weather was perfect & the Marines showed up right on time.

We stood outside on the tarmac & waited for VMM-266

We cheered as 10 osprey flew in formation over us, followed by 4 helicopters.

They circled around & landed… the Marines got out of their aircraft,

lined up for a short speech from their CO & then they cut the ropes separating us from them.

The mama & kids held up their signs & flags & watched & waited -

their Marine found his family quickly & came running in for hugs & kisses.

The kids were so excited & probably still haven’t stopped smiling/putting their sunglasses on their daddy!

Such a sweet family, such a sweet reunion.

The hugs & kisses & teary eyes mean so much

- I can only imagine how long the past 7 months have been for this family (wife!).

I’m so lucky that I get to share these tender moments.

(you can see the whole gallery here)

Family Vacation: disneyworld

We took our little family to Orlando to see ~~Mickey Mouse~~ Lightning McQueen! It was such a fun trip & now I want to move there & get a season pass so we can go all the time (& avoid the crowds). I took this picture just as we were leaving Magic Kingdom just after sunset.

Photo Recipe: 0.4sec at f/3.5, ISO 100