The R Family | Rocky River, Ohio Newborn Photographer

It was bitter cold when this momma invited me into her home to capture her newest addition. Baby B was bright eyed nearly the entire time I was there. She was heavenly. Calm, snuggly, wrinkly, sweet, just... amazing.  I am in love with newborn photography. It's probably one of my very favorite subjects to capture.  I adore capturing all the sweet little details of new life... how a mother holds her newborn and seeing how gentle new dads are when giving little kisses to their child. Having a baby is so life chaning, so magical and should be captured. There is so much that you forget about those first few days at home with a new baby. In fact I'm a little foggy for the first 3 months after bringing home a new one. (Should I have admitted that seeing as though my newest still isn't quite 3 months?!) 

Can you handle how tiny she is in daddy's hands?

Everyone knows I adore the baby feet. How can anyone NOT love them?!?

Seriously... she's perfection.

Did I mention that this little lady has THREE older sisters? Three very loving, adoring, and funny big sisters.

She  finally fell asleep so we slipped on this sweet little knit hat from Lil Owl Knitts.

Congratulations, "R" family. I hope you enjoy this little peek from our session. Again, thank you SO much for inviting me over. I adore your family.



Madeline is FOUR and very very fancy | Cleveland Children's Photographer

My sweet Madeline turned four yesterday. She walked downstairs in the morning and she asked me if she was four yet. I replied with "yes. how does it feel?" to which she said "it feels amaaaaazing."

Madeline asked for a Fancy Nancy party. Feathers, glitter, sequins, flowers, sparkles... I could do this. I cleared out the Christmas stuff and started decorating straight away. We've been living amongst pink and sparkles for weeks now. I have a 2 month old and I really wanted Madeline to feel special. Her birthday party is SO close to Christmas and she has 2 younger siblings, I didn't want her birthday to get swept away in all the craziness we've been going through. I felt that decorating early would be a good idea so I could accomplish everything I wanted to. It wasn't just a good idea it was a GREAT idea.

Also pictured on the table are wallflowers created using a tutorial on MADE. 

Each little lady had a butterfly mask, Glittery crowns, a giant diamond ring, a pink feather boa, a sweet little tutu and ring pops.

I made bakerella's cake pops. They were a big hit. Candy coated cake? Yes, please! I made Meg's rainbow cupcakes. Except they weren't exactly rainbow. They were pink, lavender and turquoise. I don't think I captured a photo of them but they were YUMMY!

I wish I could have invited all my friends. But again, I wanted this party to be special for Madeline so the guest list was entirely her creation. She invited all of her very best friends. It just so happens that all of her friends have great parents so we all had a good time.

 The little girls (and Madeline's little brother... sorry Jack) all dressed up and listened to Madeline's grandma read Fancy Nancy.

 All the little ones then had their nails and make-up done. Sparkly pink lip gloss, blush, and sparkly pink nail polish. Very Fancy.

Then they sat down for a special tea time. Without tea. I just wasn't sure if her friends would enjoy tea. So we had pink lemonade with heart ice cubes in fancy wine glasses. (How cute is Jack up there sitting with all the ladies in his hot pink bow tie. He's such a stud. And his birthday party will be ALL boy. Poor little guy.)

Doesn't Jack look super cute in his bowtie? I had a custom order through Dooties Booties on etsy.

 Next... came PRESENTS!!! Her friends were VERY generous. And they all seem to know her so well. Each gift was PERFECT for her. She has an amazing time.

Below is Miss Chloe. It was also her birthday. Her momma is my very dear friend Carrie. She's ever so crafty and makes THE COOLEST baby and momma goodies over at Maternal Nest.

And lastly my sweet little Felicity. She's sportin a super cute headband I made before the party started using THIS tutorial. She needed to get fancy, too.

MINI SESSIONS {Northeast Ohio Family and Children's Photographer}

I'm offering several dates this year for mini sessions. I'm so excited about this. I love mini sessions. They are shorter and more efficient  than a typical family or portrait session and will result in about 10-15 fully edited photo's. All Mini-Sessions on any given day will take place in a designated spot (different days, different locations). These sessions are really great for just about anyone that wants to:

      update their family portraits

      plan ahead for holiday gifts

     have hassle free holiday card designing

     do not have a lot of time to commit to a full session

The Dates:

• January 16, 2011. This date will be focused around Valentine's Day and have a lovey dovey feel.
• April 3, 2011. This date will have an Easter theme and/or Mother's Day.
• July 3, 2011. This date will not have any sort of theme. But, I felt a nice warm day for a mini session would be perfect.
• October 2, 2011. This date will have a halloween-y feel. I'm MOST excited about this date. It would be great to gather all the kids and their friends in their costumes for a great shoot.

Each session comes with a disc of fully edited images for you to use anyhwere you'd like. There is no limit or max to the amount of photo's taken and or edited. I do ask that you are on time and ready for the camera so I can complete each session on time.

Message me at tesssmithphotography@yahoo.com for more details and to reserve your spot.

Happy New Year!

my sweet felicity { Cleveland Photographer}

I love how she adores her siblings. You should see the way she looks at her brother.    melts.     my.     heart.

"your camera takes nice pictures!"

When I started taking pictures I had heard from multiple people that my camera took really great photo's. While my camera does indeed take some nice shots, I'm pretty sure I'm the one behind the camera making sure it does what I want it to do. The picture on the left was taken with my camera on full auto. The one on the right was taken in manual. I'm working really hard at taking great photo's. It doesn't exactly come easy and it's something that I've become really passionate about. I put my heart into a photo session.  My camera is not doing it for me. Would you tell a Baker that their ovens are amazing at making the most perfect cupcakes? I hope not. 

best friends

I love to hear my kids playing together. There is nothing more joyous than the sound of them laughing. And laughing together? Amazing. I love that they have the ability to make each other laugh until their little bitty bellies are aching. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "You've got your hands full"  or "wow, so close together in age!". I can't imagine my kids any further apart. I love that they have a built in best friend. I can remember the first time my daughter stuck up for her little brother. My kids were having a rough week at home. Everything had turned into fights and I think we spent more time in timeouts than playing. That Sunday at church Madeline was playing with a little boy who was not being very nice to Jack. I suppose she had decided enough was enough and stood up, took one of the toys and handed it to Jack and said "Hey, you have to share with MY brother. Here you go little buddy." It was then that their friendship really took off. That was a year ago and we've since added another child. I'm so blessed, and my hands are indeed, very full.

These pictures describe them perfectly.

what should i wear? | Cleveland Family Photographer

I get lots of questions before a photo session. But, the main question I get is "What should we wear?!" In a way I'm thankful for this. I'd rather give a few pointers on how my clients can get the best from their session. COLOR is the answer. Colors and textures add so much drama to a photo. It gives clients a way for them to express themselves. If you’ve got your sweet little heart  set on everyone in white button downs and khaki's, I’m probably not your girl. My style is a little more fresh and a little more modern.

When it comes to portrait photography, clothing plays a huge role in the results of your images. Your outfits do not need to be brand new. You should feel comfortable on the day of your session in clothing that you feel good about. Believe me, you're already going to be a little nervous while standing in front of my lens... don't make yourself even more stressed by wearing something that you don't feel "YOU" in. If you’re not normally a dress-up kind of person, don’t feel like you have to be one for your session.
During your shoot you'll most likely be laying in the grass,  throwing your kids in the air, playing catch in the water, or snuggling with your honey in a field of tall grasses. Wear something that lets you do all that (and more) comfortably and without worry. I want to be able to capture you in the moment and if you're stressed about getting your pants a little dirty it's going to show in the pictures.

And lastly, bring LOTS of outfits. Change your clothes and accessories. It'll seem like you had a photographer following you for weeks. You'll have lots of great shots of you in several outfits. I'm so excited to take your picture I can barely stand it.