I'M BACK!!

Okay, it's official! No more mama leave...yay!! And we're giving stuff away...check this out!!

Grand Reopening Coming Soon!!

Get ready...Mariah Smith Photography is getting a face lift...new site, new blog, new boutique items, new logo (ok, I'm the only one really excited about the logo)! I'm also spending my last few weeks of Mama Leave learning and tweaking some new techniques...I'm bringing back the color and making those black and whites even crisper. I'm so excited to share all this cool new stuff with you guys! Stay tuned and hopefully I'll reopen by April 1st :)

Dylan's Birth Story

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to photograph a beautiful birth. When we knew Dylan was coming, the wonderful mother I photographed, offered to be there for Dylan's birth. The images she captured were instantly more precious to me than any other images.

Dylan's birth was harder for me than my daughter's. Active labor started at 1 am and he was born 6 hrs later...he was 10 1/2 lbs and needed a lot of help coming out. His birth was very quick and there was a little complication. After, I only had memories of the pain and the fear. I absolutely hated that that was what I came away with.

When I saw these pictures, all the beauty of this miraculous event flooded back to me and I cried. I cried for hours. I relived the unwavering support of my amazing birth team. I felt the full impact of the moment he was laid on my chest. I remembered the excitement at the beginning of labor and the unmatched relief at the end. I completely felt all the warmth and love that surrounded me and my baby as we brought him into this world.

I write this urging every single mother to have the births of her children photographed. I can't emphasis how much these gorgeous images impact me every single time I look at them. They bring the love, strength, beauty and miracle of my son's birth back to me. They are a precious precious gift and I share them with you in hopes that this type of photography will become more mainstream. I don't believe there is anything on this earth more beautiful than the birth of a child.

I just can't leave 'em yet!

As many of you know, we welcomed little Dylan into the world on may 29th. I have a wonderful birth story that I will share when I get the pics from our amazing photographer. But, first I wanted to let everyone know that my plan to open up bookings in September is no longer the plan. :(

This time is so precious and so fleeting that I have decided to spend it all with my little ones. As much as I love photography, I know it will always be there for me. These special moments with my kids won't. As hard as this decision was, I know it's what's best for me and my family.

I have so enjoyed building by business and working with all of you and am excited to start back up when my babies aren't babies anymore. I'm thinking another year or so. I'll definitely let all of you know when I'm ready to start booking again!

By the way, meet little (well, not so little...boy's almost 20 lbs already :) Dylan:

Thank you for letting me photograph your beautiful families and weddings! Hope to see you all again soon!

Adorable Ashley!

Talk about a fun and busy little girl! Ashley was so sweet and loved to play. Whatever toy she picked up, she was ready to play with it for hours. It was like you could just watch her little mind figuring out how everything was working. She'd get so focused and it was great to watch (and photograph). She also liked "focusing" on being silly too :) This girl could laugh! What a special little family...I thoroughly enjoyed working with them and can't wait to do it again! To view her show larger, click HERE

The K Boys!

Oh my goodness...these boys were so much fun! Drew was all over the place and was really excited to have me there. I think he showed me every single game he liked to play (peek a boo being a definite favorite). Little Cooper was the smiliest baby I'd ever seen! He woke up, looked around and didn't stop smiling until it was time to eat. This was such a sweet family to photograph...they obviously have so much fun together and I was honored to be asked to capture some of their special moments! To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Marvelous Meher!

I can't believe how fast the last year went! I've been lucky enough to photograph this beautiful little girl and her wonderful parents since before she was even born. It's been such a joy to watch her grow up and just get more fun and more beautiful each session. She's such a talker and I can't wait until I actually know what she's saying :). It's always so fun to work with this family and I look forward to capturing her precious moments as she grows! To view her show larger, click HERE

Wonderful Reese!

Some kids I'd photograph for free just to hang out with them for awhile....not really, but close :) Reese is one of those girls that is just so much fun to be around. She's always so friendly and ready to play! I think I was laughing the whole entire shoot. I got to photograph her about a year ago, when she was crawling and discovering the outdoors. She was on the move then and hasn't slowed down a bit! Her little personality is so joyful and engaging and I love getting to watch (and photograph) her as she grows.

To enjoy her show larger, click HERE



And, for fun, her show from last year, click HERE

A Birthday Party fit for a Princess

My favorite children's boutique and party place, Teapot has thrown another wonderful party for a lucky little girl. Lauren invited all her friends to a Royal Tea Party and they had a great time stirring their little sugar cubes in their teacups, choosing their favorite fruit from the deliciously beautiful bouquet and selecting their favorite little finger sandwich. But first, all the girls got to pick out a fancy princess dress to wear for the festivities...their little eyes got so big when they heard they got to wear any one they wanted :). They had so much fun picking out royal capes and crowns! The girls also got to decorate these super cute little frames with fluffy stickers and lots of pens. What a perfect little day for Lauren and her friends!

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Because Getting a New Baby Wasn't Enough...

We decided we need a new dog, too :) We brought Biscuit (Ani named home :) home on Sunday morning and couldn't haven chosen a better dog for our family. We adopted him from a local rescue and can't encourage people enough to do the same. He's 2 yrs old, totally trained, way laid back and the cutest guy ever (he even "smiles"). He loves playing with Ani and I think we've worn him out a bit already...beach, bike paths, princess dress up...this guy didn't know what he was getting into! He seems extremely happy with his new home and we're very excited to have him!

Happy Birthday!

These gorgeous twins, Samantha and Sophia had a wonderful Princess birthday! It was such a sweet little party where the girls actually got a real Princess visitor! They were so cute and in such awe of this real life Princess! They spent the first 20 minutes just staring at her with their little mouths dropped. Then they got to get their beautiful little faces painted and, of course, get all dolled up in tiaras and jewels. I'm sure these girls will remember this special birthday forever!

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Mama Leave!

As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting are second little one in Spring...yay! Because this time is very precious to us, I will not be accepting any bookings from
MARCH 1ST to SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2009.
I will occasionally be available for reprints, albums, dvd’s, etc. Also, if you’re having a little one and need to get those newborn images before they change, let me know and I’ll try to work something out :)

Collections
Starting, 9/1/09, there will be exciting new portrait
collections available! This will also include an increase in rates. To have portraits done at the current $275 rate, you can book your session for January and February 2009. GIFT CERTIFICATES are also available at the current price, but the session must take place before March 1, 2009.

Thank you for your understanding and I hope to see you soon!
Happy Holidays,
Mariah

Scarlett's 1 Already!

Some of you may remember this beautiful little girl from her debut show, here on my blog, called "A Birth Story". Yep, that little perfect peanut has grown up into a spirited, sweet, funny and curious little toddler. I pretty much fall in love with all my kids but this one definitely has a special place in my heart...that's why there are so many dang pictures in her show :) I absolutely love watching all the things she's learning and seeing her play with her parents. They have so much fun together and I know she's going to grow up with an awesome sense of humor. Just for fun, I'll post the story of her birth after her big one year old girl session...just because they're so cool to watch together (I'd watch the birth first :)!

To view her 1 yr old. show larger, click HERE

Beautiful Family!

This definitely had to be one of the greatest family's to photograph! Their wonderful kids were so sweet, polite and fun. They had so many things that they loved to do together as a family and all I really had to do was follow them around. The best part was definitely the baking...my daughter loves to help in the kitchen and it's always great to see other families enjoying that time together also...even if a few egg shells end up in the cupcakes ;)

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

The Cutest Sisters Ever!

Okay, I may be a little biased...these precious little girls are my nieces :) But still, I don't think they get much cuter! My brother's family lives a couple hours away so instead of using their home, we used another one that means a lot to our family...our kid's Yaya's and Boppa's home. It's definitely a place full of memories and our kids have the best time there. I absolutely love the images of each girl with their mom and dad...they obviously have such a special relationship with each of them and that always makes for a beautiful portrait. I know I'm going to watch this show over and over again :)

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Dylan's Always on the Go!

This wonderful little family invites me to do portraits of Dylan every year around his birthday. It's so fun to see him grow up and watch all the little changes. One thing is always to same...he never stops moving :) This boy is definitely busy and always on to the next thing...good thing I remembered my comfy shoes this time! We had a lot of fun having him show us his favorite things..ringing the doorbell, playing with the antique clock and the gorgeous upstairs play room. I can't wait to see what he'll be like next year (gotta remember to get new running shoes :).

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Fabulous Finnegan!

What a fun little boy! And a great name...I just might steal it if I have a boy :). Finn and his mom had such a great time together and it was wonderful to photograph. I love when little ones are just so sweet mannered and completely in love with their parents. Our session was so easy and relaxed and I can't wait to do it again!

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

Spencer & Rachel

What a beautiful couple and wonderful day! The day before, we all ran out and bought huge umbrellas, reception tents and mud boots..it was pouring and threatening to continue through the picturesque outdoor wedding Rachel and Spencer had planned. Luckily, the sun came out right before the ceremony and we had a gorgeous day...although I was a little disappointed not to be able to use my cool new polka dot umbrella :). I've had a great time working with this couple and the wedding day was even better! Their family and guests were all so friendly and fun, my team and I didn't want to leave :) Rachel and Spencer are absolutely gorgeous together and so full of love for each other...I really was honored to get to capture this day for them.

Thank you, Rachel and Spencer...enjoy your show! To view larger, click HERE

MaBelleLune Pregnancy Resource Directory

Another thing I love! I just picked up the 08-09 copy at my favorite coffee place (shhh...don't tell my midwife I had a latte this morning :) and highly recommend it to anyone expecting. It's got a great pregnancy journal/calender and is full of wonderful local resources for us preggos...from Acupuncture to Massage to Photography :) You can check out their site HERE

Adorable Jake

This little guy was more intrigued by my camera than any other child I've worked with. I got there right as it was time for him to wake up and he was such a sweet little cuddler, I had to take a couple shots. As soon as he heard my shutter, he spun around and from that point on, thought my camera was the coolest thing in the world. It was great! I had such a wonderful time with this family. We got to hang out at Jake's grandparents home and the family winery, Arista, which was absolutely beautiful and full of fun toys (the home, not the winery ;)...although they did have a pretty cool Alligator.). You can tell that they all really enjoy each other and there's nothing better than that!

Enjoy the show!