"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

I don't know about you, but that quote rings very true to me. And I think it rings equally true for these clients! Extended family photography sessions aren't just for blood relatives - they're also for the family you chose for yourself. 
These ladies became friends in college, and now, over a decade later, they along with their significant others and children, gather together each year to celebrate their continued friendship. As someone who only sees her closest friends at most once a year, I was tickled that they wanted commemorate their vacation with a family photography session in front of their Gulf Shores condo.

We wrapped up the session with a picture of the four girls who started this whole thing.

I've been wanting to revamp my current Portrait Referral Program for quite some time, but I wasn't sure exactly what to offer. I wanted a new program that really reflects what my clients are looking for and would appreciate. Let's be honest, if the referral credit isn't worth it, you're not going to remember to make sure your friend lets me know YOU sent them my way.

The two most important things I want the updated referral program to do are
1.  benefit clients no matter what type of session they booked including birth photography and Watch Me Grow Baby Plans 
2. benefit my local Pensacola, Orange Beach, etc clients as well as my awesome vacation booking clients
I think this system will benefit everyone!

So, without further ado, my new and improved Client Referral Program:​

3 credits = 1 free 30 minute Mini Session with your choice of 5 digital images and print release (session must take place in Perdido Key or Southwest Pensacola)
5 credits = 1 free full Family, Newborn, or Maternity session of your choice (all normal session perks included)

The fine print:
*Your referral must be a new client of Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography and they must let me know that YOU referred them.
**Credits can accumulate over multiple years.
***You can choose to turn in your 5 credits into a gift card that you can give to someone. (Not available for 3 credit mini sessions.)

Mom-to-be,  Kyleigh, hired me to take baby boy E's Newborn Portraits before they even moved to Pensacola. Moving at 34+ weeks is stressful enough, so being able to book her session early with me took one thing off her plate! 
Every newborn client receives a little questionnaire from me upon booking where clients can let me know preferred colors and make any specific session requests. Kyleigh's only request was that their standard poodles be included in some of the pictures. I love dogs (well, pretty much all animals) so I was excited to tackle her request!

In my life I've owned a lot of animals and worked with even more - I was actually a vet tech in high school. But, I have never had the pleasure of working with a more laid back pair of dogs than these two!

Of course, I also took some photographs of baby boy E by himself as well as parent pictures.

The other request mom had was a picture with daddy in his U.S. Navy uniform.

Each year from the end of December through mid-January, you can't surf the internet without seeing a "Best of" post or blog. So,thanks to the title of this blog post, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes at me already. Well, this isn't going to be one of those "my best pictures of 2018" posts - for one thing, if you follow me on social media or ever glance at my website, you've already seen my best work, and for another thing, that's boring.

So, what's this post the "Best of"? This is actually going to be my favorite unplanned moments of 2018 sessions!

And I leave you with a behind the scenes photo of me in action doing what I love!

I hope you enjoyed this silly "Best of 2018"!
Going forward I plan to keep an archive of these funny moments for more posts just like this one.

Understand of course, that these are merely a small sampling of the displays and scenes they have for you to enjoy. From the website itself:

*Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography is in no way affiliated with Bellingrath Gardens - I just think everyone should go see the Christmas lights. :) 

One of the things I've been working this year is adding more maternity gowns to my client closet. I want my Pensacola, FL, Orange Beach, AL, and surrounding areas photography sessions to be a wonderful experience for my clients. Providing moms-to-be with access to stunning maternity dresses for use in their Pensacola area Maternity Sessions is just one of the ways I'm doing that.

I've received nothing but glowing reviews from every client who's had the pleasure of wearing one of these dresses. Not only do they fit a variety of body sizes and shapes, they're just plain comfortable to wear!
I've received SUCH positive reviews that I'm looking to add more dresses in a variety of styles and colors so that every mom has the opportunity to be photographed in the dress that perfectly suits her.

This is an amazing new program that benefits both the client and the photographer!

I have a Wish List of fabulous, affordable Maternity Gowns that I would love to add to my collection.  How does that benefit you? I'm glad you asked!

​Click here to see the dresses on my Wish List.
Order the gown from my list that you'd LOVE to use during your Maternity session.
Wear that gown during your Pensacola, Orange Beach, Perdido Key, etc Maternity Portrait Photography session, and afterwards, turn it and the receipt in to me for credit towards your session fee!
Any questions?

It's been 4 weeks since I photographed the birth of the Roderick family's third and final child at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL. It's taken me 4 weeks to blog about this birth not because the pictures weren't ready and not because anything went wrong. In fact, it was the opposite - this was a beautiful birth filled with love and support. The reason it's taken me so long to make this post is that I have been struggling to come up with the right words. And you know what? I still don't have them. So I'm going to use the mother's own words that she wrote to describe her final birth experience.

Isn't that lovely and true? You can't really plan your birth but that you can prepare.
Now I'm going to share some of the pictures highlighting baby A's birth and the amazing support system that Lindsey had in her husband, her doula, her midwife, and her nurses.
*Pictures below will contain moderately graphic images showcasing how incredible women's bodies are at bringing new life into the world but sensitive areas will be covered.

Mama, Lindsey said it best when she described their new addition as their caboose who made their family complete.

​Doula | Amber with Belly to Cradle, LLC
​Hospital | Baptist Hospital

​

Please follow this link to sign up for your Christmas Mini Session Time Slot. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f49afab2da5f85-christmas1
NOTE: Time slots are denoted either BEACH or PARK.
Make sure you pick the location you want. After I receive your requested time slot, I’ll email your contract as well as the invoice for your session fee to the email address you signed up with.
*The session fee MUST be paid within 24 hours of receipt or you will lose your time slot.*​

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Family Photography in northwest Florida that captures your family’s connections, emotions, and moments in a fun, natural way. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, newborn, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Family portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!
 
Pensacola Photographer | Pensacola Family Photographer | Northwest Florida Photographer | Pensacola Newborn Photographer| Gulf Shores Newborn Photographer |Pensacola Maternity Photographer | Pensacola Newborn Photography | Gulf Shores Maternity Photographer| Pensacola Birth Photographer | Pensacola Birth Photography| Orange Beach Family Photographer 

The G family came to me looking for something different for Levi's one-year old portraits and cake smash. It was also important that we include Junior, the four-legged member of their family in the family portraits I'd also be taking during their photography session. Together, we designed the perfect session for them. In order to stay within ordinances, we planned Levi's cake smash session for the Pensacola dog beach. This is a beautiful stretch of sand at Pensacola Beach where families and their dogs can enjoy the beach together.

We started with family pictures because once baby gets into the frosting, it's all over.

Once the family pictures were finished, it was time for Levi's Pensacola Beach cake smash!

One of my favorite parts was when Levi shared his cake with Junior.

What's a cake smash without a little cleanup afterwards?
​It was such fun bringing my little tub out onto the beach for Levi's post cake smash bath!

Whether you're looking for an indoor, traditional cake smash for your little one's one-year old pictures or you'd prefer something outdoors or out-of-the-ordinary, I'm sure we can come up with something perfect!

I have known the Moore family for years... in fact, I've known Mrs. Moore since we were toddlers! Therefore, you can imagine how happy I was to have the opportunity to capture their family portraits on the beach at the Gulf State Park when they came down for an Orange Beach, AL vacation.

The last time I saw these kiddos, that handsome young man was still a baby! Now he's old enough to request I not "photoshop" his hair, and that beautiful young lady is a teenager.

Of course, when having family pictures taken, a picture of JUST mom and dad is a must in my book! 

​Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Family Photography in northwest Florida that captures your family’s connections, emotions, and moments in a fun, natural way. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, newborn, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Family portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!
 
Pensacola Photographer | Pensacola Family Photographer | Northwest Florida Photographer | Pensacola Newborn Photographer| Gulf Shores Newborn Photographer |Pensacola Maternity Photographer | Pensacola Newborn Photography | Gulf Shores Maternity Photographer| Pensacola Birth Photographer | Pensacola Birth Photography| Orange Beach Family Photographer