“Pregnancy always brings with it the sweetest kind of anticipation, but there’s nothing quite like the anticipation that comes with awaiting your first child. You’re on the cusp of a new life stage – unlike anything you’ve ever known – full of hope, full of expectation. I wanted to capture some of that sweetness in this in-home session. Photographing Mark and Jordan was a privilege for me. They graciously welcomed me into their home for a simple Saturday morning session as they anticipated the arrival of their firstborn daughter. Immediately upon entering their home, I noticed the peace-filled atmosphere. Their home felt like a sanctuary, a refuge, for the two of them and anyone who walked through their doors. It only seemed natural to capture this sweet season of anticipation before the birth of their daughter in their home – the place that they would soon bring her home to.

My favorite photographs from this session are the ones that we created in the nursery. Watching Jordan, sitting in the rocking chair she would soon use to rock her newborn daughter, I could sense her joyful anticipation. This session took place at the end of winter, right before the start of spring. Here in Minnesota, the winters are long and cold but the spring brings with it such a sense of hope and expectation. In the same way, the long days of nausea and fatigue brought on by pregnancy quickly give way to hope and new life (quite literally). I know that pregnancy is rarely an easy journey, but the end result is so worth it.

There is nothing that compares to photographing the quiet beauty of motherhood. For me, it took having children of my own to realize this. Photographing mothers fills me up and renews my vision for my own motherhood; as I photograph other mothers and capture their ordinary but oh-so-significant moments, I am vividly reminded of what an important role I’ve been given as a mother. I have been given the privilege of capturing so many beautiful in-between moments – the ones that so often go unnoticed but make up so much of life: a gentle touch, a quiet whisper, a loving glance. I photograph these moments for my clients and get to take home the profound reminder of how meaningful my own job as a mother to my three children is.” Photographer, Elise

ELISE SCHMITTER PHOTOGRAPHY