Austin Photographer Texas Baby, Child and Family Photographer

[full]

of life.....that's exactly what Fallon is.  Pregnant women are so breathtakingly stunning to me.  There is a peace and a joy so obvious in them that it brings a smile to my face whenever I see someone blossoming with life.  Fallon was no exception.  She is one of those people you would see on the street looking glorious and beautiful and even if you didn't know her, you would be compelled to smile at her and nod as if to say "I see you.  You are beautiful.  And your belly is a glorious, amazing gift."  You may even whisper as you hold the door open for her words of congratulations for the life that is coming and for all of the hopes and dreams we can think of for another human being.  I left my time with Fallon feeling like somehow, someday, I wanted needed to be pregnant again.  To feel that anticipation, that hope, that longing to meet this person who lives within and beneath your heart. 

You know how sometimes you hear of these women that didn't even know they were pregnant and one day felt a bit odd in their tummies and had a baby like an hour later?!?  I always feel SO sorry for them because I feel like they got robbed of one of the greatest gifts of pregnancy, the anticipation.  I knew 9 days after my Kennedy was conceived that I was pregnant because of this website.  So I had literally 10 months of praying and dreaming and waiting.  And I loved.  every.  second.  of.  it.  People everywhere I went gave me looks of love and approval....words of congratulations and encouragement.

:::insert sound of record scratching::::

All of this being said, I trust you know this, but I think it never can be said enough times.  You must never ever EVER give your smiling approval over someone's bulging belly....pat it accordingly...or offer words of congratulations....if you are not 100% certain and I mean FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAIN that the woman is, indeed, pregnant.  Just trust me on this one if you've never pondered this before.  Unless you see the head actually coming out, just don't do it.  After I had Averi, I held onto quite a bit of extra weight and I had someone ask me if I was expecting when I wasn't.  "No," I said.  "But now...thanks to you, I AM EXPECTING one thing....and that's to go to the gym on Monday." 

But sweet Fallon IS pregnant.  And she.....is beautiful.  Here are my favorites from her session.

[bundle]

Whew!  Thanks for your patience as I took an immediate sabbatical after coming off maternity leave!  I have also appreciated all of the "where's cheryl?" emails I have received.  I promise I am back to blogging on a regular basis and I have lots and lots of images to share since coming off maternity leave.

What a whirlwind of excitement this last month and a half has been.  I returned home from teaching two photography workshops thinking that I had a 2 week break before leaving again.  Little did I realized that my sense of time was completely warped and I actually had 3 DAYS home before leaving again.  Why was I leaving again you ask?  Well, I was leaving to shoot a wedding.  WHAT?!?!?!  Yes, it's true, I have gone completely nuts folks...I do NOT shoot weddings.  No.  I do not.  I do not.  (Stay tuned to the blog over the next few weeks as I proof for evidence that may or may not support that theory.)

Austin sessions:  I am now booking sessions the last two weeks in July.  Please email for availability. 

And last but certainly not least, my friend and fellow photography Lesley Dykes recently gave birth to this bundle -- a sweet baby girl.  I was blessed to be able to photograph her.  Here is Addison Kennedi -- 6 days old.  Look at the cheeks...and her button nose....and her rosebud lips....

I'm [back]. I've missed you!

I am officially off my extended maternity leave starting right NOW!  I'm currently booking a limited amount of photoshoots for newborns, children and families in North Carolina and I also have openings in Austin for sessions taking place the first week in May.  It feels WONDERFUL to be working again.  I have missed you!

My first session back:  Meet Adriana....five days old here.  She is one of the prettiest babies I have ever laid eyes on.  Here's a sneak peek for mom and dad.

[picasso]

My four-year-old....amazes me every day.  Watching her paint with both hands is like watching a fireplace.  I could do it all day.

[diapers]

I have received a ton of emails asking me about Kennedy's diapers.  These are homemade all-in-one diapers you can purchase on ebay or make yourself by purchasing the pattern here at Honey Boy Diapers.

baby eats [hand]

or at least gets an A+ for effort.

What is [this]?

Oh, that's right.  It's the CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD.

is everything really [bigger]??

So, we have a For Sale sign in our front yard.  We are moving.  To Austin, Texas.  I couldn't be happier.  I feel like the mothership is calling me home.   Anyone wanna come visit? 

Public Service Announcement

WARNING:  it's now been shown that a diet consisting solely of breastmilk can result in a bit of a......errrrrmmm......weight condition!!!   That....and a SEVERE case of cuteness.   Don't believe me?  See for yourself. 

Workshops for [photographers]

Every day, I get emails from people asking me questions.  How do I get my pictures to look the way that they do?  How do I post process my images?  How do I do the "business" part of my business?  How did I get into the commercial and editorial markets?  How do I (insert your question here)?

Now you can get the answers to all of your questions and more in a weekend workshop that is touring the USA in 2008.  The secret is out.  Come learn with me.

The Secret Workshop

[survivor]

Here's the current issue of Woman's Day Magazine featuring my work.  What a wonderful assignment this was!  Their feature health article this issue was about Carolyn, a woman got breast cancer shortly after giving birth to her daughter.  I got the privilege of peeking into her life for a day with her family for a beautiful story about her triumph over cancer.  I'm telling you what...this just makes me count my blessings extra lots and lots and tons today.  And you know what else?  I love my job. 

 

baby [model] needed

I am in need of a baby somewhere between 12-18 months for a commercial assignment I have coming up.  You must be able to bring your baby to Eden sometime the week of November 5th and spend about 1 hour with me having photos taken of him/her.  Please send snapshots of your baby to cheryl@cherylmuhr.com for consideration.  You will receive prints in exchange for your time! 

all kinds of [cute]

I get lots of emails asking to see pictures of my baby.  Apparently, I need to let you all in on a secret....children of photographers run shrieking hysterically like I'm chasing them with hot pokers at the very thought of having yet another endless photo session  don't really think having their pictures taken by their mom is their idea of a good time.  In fact, I think that Averi, my four-year-old, would rather eat a salad than look at me when I am wielding a camera. 

But I did manage to snap this of my littlest ladybug the other day.  She's 3 months old now and the chubbiest, happiest, cutest little bunny I've ever seen.

And although I quite enjoy taking boring pictures of my house, I'm excited to start shooting real people again.  Trust me.  I know you all aren't really interested in my fall kitchen table but I just can't stop myself from showing you.  Ya like the sprinkling of fall leaves that I have carefully strewn about the center of the table?!?!  It's as if the fall trees were inside my home when a gentle wind blew and they carefully dropped their red, yellow and orange gifts right there for me.  The brown nasty leaves...well...apparently they missed the table.   

 

Also, in breaking news....I heard Cheryl Muhr Photography is relocating half-way across the country?  Say WHA?!?!?!  Can it really be true????

what's for [lunch]?

When you are four, you don't have any proconceived ideas of which foods do or do not go together.  So when my daughter proposed her idea for lunch, who was I to say no?  I'm not Julia Child.  I'm not Martha Stewart.  I didn't write the food rule book.  Heck, I don't even know which kind of wine you are supposed to serve with chicken and which kind goes with beef. 

So today, for lunch, Averi had a ham and strawberry sandwich.  She thought it was divine.

i've missed you my long lost [blog]

In between nursings, diaper changes, loads of wash, naptime and baths, I get approximately 3 and a half minutes to myself each day since Kennedy was born.  I usually spend that time showering, but today I decided....hey, who needs to shower?  Especially when they have a blog that needs updating.  Priorities people.  It's all about priorities.  So in lieu of showering, I am going to start blogging again. 

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for me to return to work, I am going to be offering a few sessions probably beginning in November on a VERY limited basis.  Stay tuned for more information about that.

pure [love]

Here's my baby girl and her daddy.

 

my [girl]

One more I thought was cute. Have I mentioned I am in love?

more [baby]

Kennedy Arin Muhr...that's her name. I am in love. We did a quick 5 minute photo session yesterday. Here are a couple of my favorites. Many, many more to come because we are shooting again today!

baby [kennedy]

Here she is...my little firecracker...Kennedy no-middle-name-yet Muhr

.

it's a [girl]

I gave birth at home this morning, July 4th, to a 7 pound 9 ounce baby girl. I know I have a million people refreshing to see when the baby was coming! Wait no longer. She's here. She's beautiful. She's healthy. Pics to follow. Oh, and hopefully a name too. She's currently "baby" Muhr.

computer [crash]

I have lost my main computer. If you are waiting on images, do NOT worry. I have all of your images. What I do NOT have are any emails that I have received in the last weeks. So if you have emailed me in the recent past and you have NOT heard back from me, PLEASE resend your email and I will reply promptly.

I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience!

[cruise]-ing

I'm officially on maternity leave, but I have several shoots from the last few weeks that I haven't shared yet. So while we wait on my new baby which should be making his or her arrival in the next few weeks, I'll just keep sharing some recent sessions.

This is little Cruise.  It seems I'm often photographing fast little guys, but Cruise breaks the mold.  He did not stop once during our shoot.  Not ONCE!  Usually I'll just trap the kids in something if they are this fast, but we were shooting downtown and there was nowhere to trap.  So what did we do?  We played peek-a-boo and I chased him and we jumped and we played some lame fun games.  (I thought my baby might fall out right there on a street a couple of times from all the antics....but no, I'm still pregnant!!!)  Here are my favorite shots of Cruise.

Few recent sessions....

I am officially on maternity leave, but not officially done working yet. I'm a bit behind in sharing recent sessions and I know I have parents who are checking the blog to see their children. Here are my favorites from a few recents.   Please meet Nick, Abbie and Justin! 

My maternity REALLY starts tomorrow.

Really, it does.  And this time it's for real.  It was supposed to start two weeks ago, but I am ridiculous still had some projects I had left to complete.  I am OFFICALLY done shooting now until after my wee one is born.  I'm up early this morning because I have a commercial shoot first thing and some kids this afternoon.

Also, in case you haven't heard, I am now doing photography workshops for other photographers who are interested in learning to do what I do.  There is one in July that is already sold out, but another in the works for August.  If you are a photographer (professional or just starting out) who is interested in learning how I work, please email me for more information.

And I can't write a post without showing some images.  Here is Deji.  Is he not beautiful?!?!?!? He showed up in this outfit and I thought he was just the cutest little thing.

Savannah [smiles]

And BOY does she smile.  What a happy kiddo.  This is honestly one of my favorite sessions of all time and my favorite part was that this was done practically in my back yard!  I only had to commute 4 minutes to this location!!  Here are my favorites from her session. 

i always ask [moms]

what their kids are like before we start to shoot.  Well, with Brian, I think the word his mom used was
"tough".  Tough!  Grrrrrrreat.  Every photographer's nightmare challenge! 

But ya know what?  She was totally and completely WRONG.  Brian was wonderful.  Unless it was just me and I'm the "preschooler whisperer".   LOL

And again here I go with my streak of little boys that just melt my heart.  What a sweetheart he is.  Here are my favs from his shoot...

[cutie] patootie

So HE is one of the reasons that I would love having a boy.  Kyle.  He's a little spitfire and has WAY more energy than I could ever imagine.  He's curious and playful and funny and silly and I just loved him.

Here are my favorite images from his session.

[daria]

This sweet little lady is Daria.  What a joy she was!!!  Her mom is a wedding photographer, so I knew she'd be an easy one to photograph.  And I was not wrong.  Have I mentioned that 6-year-olds are wonderful??

[dream]

The lengths I go to in order to get the shot I want....wow.  I was shooting pictures of this little beauty Noel in downtown Greensboro.  All of a sudden, I see someone walking down the sidewalk towards us carrying something big that looked like it was made out of metal.  It kept catching my eye as I was taking her picture and when the woman got close enough, I could finally see what it was - a light blue metal sign that said "DREAM".  Oh how I loved the sign.  I want one for my house.  I knew right away that I NEEDED to take a picture of it, so being the crazy outgoing person I am, I proceeded to ask a complete stranger on the street if she'd be okay letting Noel hold her sign while I photographed her and then asked Noel if she'd hold it for me.  So thank you lady-with-the-sign wherever you are and thanks Noel for doing this for me!!!  Here's that shot and Noel's best ones from the session. 

[beau] and his cute hair

This cute little blondie is Beau. I've spent quite a bit of time unsure about this new haircut boys are wearing with the long and shaggy thing going on. I guess I'm getting old. HA! I felt this same way when capri pants came back into fashion a few years back. I also felt this way about ballet flats for quite some time and now I am the proud owner of several pairs. I guess it just takes time for things to grow on me. So anyway, back to Beau's hair. Beau's hair is cute. There, I said it. It's cute. I admit it. I love it. And I loved HIM. He was sweet and funny and so stinking cute. Have I mentioned I love his hair??