Jaime Val Photography

I could never photograph mothers if I weren’t one.
I would never notice moments the way I do.
And when you become a mother,
You also join a sisterhood.

So you book a poetry session.

Poetry sessions are designed with emotion at their core. There is no plan, no shot list, no session flow. The only thing I follow in these shoots is the narrative that unfolds in front of me- purely documentary and unposed. If I could make an entire living off of one type of shoot, this would absolutely be it. If I could just find a mom who wants to design a package around these kinds of sessions… imagine 2-4 of these in a year. All of them totally different and completely authentic to what the favorite activities of that season were. Those little-one years, bottled and kept forever. If this sounds like you, I would love to chat.

Mama requested no-face social posts of her littles, and look at all the treasure I dug up from this evening to share. I am so happy that cover shot could be included because it was my personal favorite.

I interrupt your scroll for a MANDATORY swipe/ double tap/ share/ save. 🔥✨

Just days after these photos happened, baby girl made an early entrance and surprised her mom and dad. Tomorrow, I finally get to meet her Earthside, so I had to bring these online beforehand. It was a gorgeous evening with a beautiful blue hour and these two couldn’t be more crazy in love, which pulled this all together. Mama is fully styled by my client closet and she sure WORE 👏 IT 👏 WELL 👏

I have so much summer work to share, it’s embarrassing. I was thinking to myself the other day- you know what? Fall sessions begin this weekend and I have close to 35 summertime sessions that still haven’t had their moment. I thought I would start here, given that this belly’s newborn session is coming up in just a couple of short weeks. I know I shared some beautiful posts from this session already, specifically highlighting and honoring their angel baby, Liam. Truly, there were just so many images from this shoot that I loved. Picking a favorite is impossible.

Two piece Trista Smith set is in my closet!

The fourth wall.
The acknowledgment of the camera.
The less you allow your families to do that, the more meaningful their gallery becomes.

Do we get that everyone-smiling-at-me Christmas card photo? Yep. We start with it, in fact. But a good, dynamic documentary gallery will be 30% eyes on me, 70% eyes on each other. Connection that is felt and joy that is not forced- that is the heart of a photoshoot.

I was the lucky girl who got to meet and work with this crew on their visit from Colorado. Between crazy storms and the Canadian wildfire smoke, we had to be extra flexible, but my goodness was it worth it.

I actually love that he’s missing a shoe in the first photo. It really is such an ism of this little guy, and it had to be the cover of this post for that reason.

I’ve known this family since they were high school sweethearts, and getting to see them on my trip home this summer made it that much sweeter. The only thing I miss about California are the people, and this family is certainly part of that.

I have one opening left for a golden hour session in September! 9/24. Click the link to snag the perfect late summer, early fall vibes for your family or maternity photos!

https://book.usesession.com/i/_tSgnAK7l/session-type/57603