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Foster Park Evening Session April 2018 My brother has been in the military and deployed so I haven’t been able to see him or his kids in 3 WHOLE YEARS. The reunion was far sweeter than I could have ever imagined. The Daddy- he’s my baby brother. He is strong and gentle- much like he was when he was younger, only way better.  The Daughter- my first niece, the angel that made me an aunt. I can still remember the day she was born. She is kind and smart and funny. A true daughter of a King! The Son- my nephew. He is quite a tablet whisperer. Kids these days and their electronics! Not to mention his silly faces, tickle wars, and giggles…  The Family- just like the rest of us- they are far stronger together than apart. What more can I say...   I made jokes and noises and would have even stood on my head .. just to see them smile. And now we all have memories that will never fade.
-Yvette Cherie
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Location: Mesquite, Nevada Date: January 2018 You all are probably thinking I titled this post because of the rather beautiful trees and uncharacteristically lush vegetation found in these pictures. And by the word’s primary definition, you’d be entirely correct. 1. a fertile spot in a desert where water (in this case a river) is found. But- where you see pretty trees- I see my imperfectly perfect best friend. And in my life, she is MY OASIS. 2. something (and in my case, someone) serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc.   In order to see her the way I see her, you have to first know a bit of our story. May 2013 My husband had just graduated from college and we took a year off to apply to physical therapy school. So we packed up our small apartment’s worth of belongings and moved in with his parents in Mesquite, Nevada. What I didn’t know is that I was pregnant with our first child… So- I was in a new (old to my husband, it’s where he grew up) city, assistant managing a movie theatre, pregnant, with a cabinet-installing fool of a husband when I realized how truly lonely I was. I had to go to the hospital to take the big-bad glucose test when I realized that I didn’t want to go to another appointment or test alone- especially not one that involved a needle. I called none other than my brother-in-law’s ex-high school girlfriend- who was also pregnant with her first at the time- to tag along. (It sounds funny/awkward when I put it into words but it’s something our minds rarely turn to now- 4 years later.) She was so kind to say yes that day. The test ended up being neither big nor bad because she was by my side. I know it sounds sappy but it’s also very true.  January 2014 We continued on very much the way we began. We found comfort and relief in each other. Even after our babies were born, we were always breastfeeding side by side by day and texting about our new-motherhood worries and woes by night. Little did we know that my husband would get accepted to a physical therapy school half way across the country. August 2014 This was one of the hardest months of my life. We were packing U-Haul pods intermingled with giving 2-week notices at our jobs and making last minute visits to family- all the while I was never able to think about having to leave her. (You know what her I’m talking about.)   Fast forward 4 years- or this post is going to take you all days to read.
All you need to know if that somewhere in between then and now she helped me to happily and sanely raise my daughter, love and support my husband through graduate school, and start my very own photography business. January 2018 I found myself behind my camera- not unusual- taking pictures for the Hughes Family. Oh yeah- “her” name is Carmina HUGHES. I was a little nervous but mostly excited because it really was a dream come true to take her family pictures. She had grown and changed so much since I last saw her (December 2016). My favorite thing about my time with this family was being able to see all the parts and pieces of her that I love the most in her adorable kids. I am lucky and blessed to call her my best friend- my oasis- as I have made it through so many triumphant and turbulent times with her by my side. -Yvette Cherie Session: Family, Early November Location: Foster Park All throughout my teenage years I noted "being a good friend" as my only true talent. Okay- don't be going on thinking that I pitied myself in the slightest. Because I didn't! I loved being a friend because being a friend- I mean a true friend- meant I got to associate with some of the best women this world has ever known. And by knowing them, serving them, and- even better yet- loving them allowed me to become like them. I am definitely the wife, mother, daughter, and photographer I am today because of each and all of these amazingly strong and amazingly good influences in my life. And for this, I am truly grateful.  And- these ladies have been no exception.  Livvy & Emmy- I’m pretty sure this poem was written for friends like you, who are in situations like yours. Dental school is hard but hard things are the perfect circumstance for breeding lifelong friendships.  “Most people in your life Were only meant For dreams, And summer laughter. They stay till the wind changes, The tides turn, Or disappear With the first snow. And then there are some That were forged To weather blizzards And pain with you. There were cast in iron Set in gold And never ever leave you To face anything alone. Know who those people are. And love them the way they deserve. Not everyone in your life is temporary. A few are as permanent as love is old.” -Nikita Gill  I love you both- and your beautiful families. Thank you so much for coming up to Fort Wayne so I could witness and capture your lives- growing and changing in chub and cuteness by the day (of course I'm talking about their babies, folks. :) ).
-Yvette Cherie Location: Foster Park Date: October 3, 2017 I have been taking a lot of time lately to try to improve myself- which is all encompassing of my relationship with my family and others, my faith, and, of course, my business. I love being able to see where each of these areas of my life intersect and lend to the building up or breaking down of the other. The most recent example of this happened just this week. I read a talk to uplift and nourish myself spiritually. Just a day later, a family reached out to me to take their family pictures. That very family showed me- through their story and by their smiles- how to use the concepts- gratitude and finding joy in the journey- I had learned from reading the talk. So- I thought the only way to properly document my time with this beautiful family would be to share bits of the talk along with a few pictures from our session together. “Nothing is as constant as change.” “The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.” “I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not.”  “…There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.” “Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us.” “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”  “Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.” “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”  I am feel both blessed and grateful to know this family. Thank you for choosing me and for teaching me- even though you probably only set out to do the former.
- Yvette Cherie I was so happy when I got the chance to photograph these two. (See! I have a daughter of my own so I'm pretty partial to mother-daughter duos.) All the while I couldn't get the words to one of my favorite children's books out of my head. "I wish you more ups than downs. I wish you more give than take. I wish you more tippy toes than deep. I wish you more we than me. I wish you more hugs than ughs. I wish you more woo-hoo than whoa. I wish you more will than hill. I wish you more can than not. I wish you more snowflakes than tongue. I wish you more pause than fast-forward. I wish you more umbrella than rain. I wish you more bubbles than bath. I wish you more treasures than pockets. I wish you more stories than stars."  And, It wasn't until I had remembered my way through the entire text that I realized why... It's all the because of the last line of the book. It reads... "I wish all of this for you because you are everything I could wish for… and more."  I could plainly feel that Addison was as the book says- everything Kristen could have wished for.. and more!
So much love! So many adventures ahead! And, I can't wait to see how Addison grows up and these two continue to grow together. -Yvette Cherie P.S. Oh! Oops.. I completely forgot to give the title and author credit. The book is called "I Wish You More" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld. In my heart there is definitely a special place marked “especially for newborns”. But as much as I love them I find it quite the painstaking process to attempt to blog about them… Because, as you know, it's almost impossible to do them justice. If only they weren't so darn ...cute... soft... sweet-smelling...cuddly... and (well, insert basically any and every adoring adjective in the English language here)... Luckily for me, what a word cannot capture a photograph can! Meet Levi! He is loved beyond words.  Favorite moment featured in the picture on the right of Mom and Levi together. And the story behind it is this- Mom and Levi just came back from a feeding. Levi was milk drunk but was still fairly alert. I asked Mom to try to put him to sleep while I set up for the next shot. I was about to do just that when I had the feeling to look over at the two of them together. As I lifted my camera to my eye I was able to witness the most precious moment in history. Levi spread his fingers apart and shot his hand into the air just in time to grasp a lock of Mom's beautiful (even goddess- like) hair. Within that same instant he pulled her hair close to his face and took a deep breath- of what I can only imagine to be his most favorite smell. His eyes closed and were not to be seen again for the remainder of the session. Pretty perfect, huh? Well- I think so too!  Thank you Shawn & Livvy for letting me be part of your journey to parenthood. You are every bit the parents I thought you would be. And more... Love, Yvette Cherie Location: Southeastway Park What does abundance mean to you? Does it mean…All that you own?? or All that you have?? or All that you give??  To me- abundance is a combination and perfect balance of all that you have and all that you give. To me- the Klein family is abundance! And to me- they have been blessed to have because they were first blessed to know what it truly means to give.  It is my hope that these photographs give you a glimpse into the beautiful and blessed life of the Klein Family.  Thank you for choosing me to capture your moments, Maria & Kyle. And- more importantly- thank you for teaching me about abundance. I love each of you and all of you!
-Yvette Cherie Location: Southeastway Park It has long since been my belief that if we replaced hate with love all the world’s problems would be solved and until yesterday this was purely a theory. But because of this mother and the love she has for her son, I have no doubt in my mind- and heart- that I have been right all along.  I am blessed to know the source of such love and light. It was a pleasure working with you and your family, Heather. Thank you!
-Yvette Cherie I feel very blessed and excited to have celebrated the one-year anniversary of Yvette Cherie Photography this past month.
And this year has brought a lot of fun, laughter, and learning. I have loved being part in your memories and milestones. So- thank you! Because of your support and love I have been able to:
This post was intended to celebrate what I have done but also to inform you of what I plan on doing. I plan to continue on this year much as I did last year. I want to push myself and my business forward- trying new things, in new places. My relocation to Fort Wayne in May is just one of the many adventures I look forward to this year. In order to fund these advancements, you will notice that my prices will be going up this year- changes made effective May 2017. Rest assured- when I profit, you profit as I fully intend to put much of what I earn back into my business. Some of my investment goals include- a studio space within my own home which will simplify access for all session types during the winter months, photography lighting, newborn posing bag and props, a second camera, etc. I hope you can join me to celebrate and support the evolution of my business. Again- I would like to thank all of you. I take a lot of pride in being able to say- I love what I do AND who I work with! Here’s to another inspiring and moment-capturing year here at Yvette Cherie Photography. -Yvette Cherie “Is it hard to take newborn pictures?” This is a question I get asked all the time. I’m sure you’d like to know the answer now wouldn’t you?? Truth be told- Newborns are the HARDEST clients to work with. I can't plan on or visualize about how a session is going to go because, well, every baby is different. Some like to be swaddled others do not. Some are sleepy heads others are not. Babies spit up, they pee and poop on props, and on top of it all they have little to no control over their head and extremities. Call me crazy- especially because the variables are inevitably against me- but I love newborn photography. And instead of focusing on the abilities that newborns lack or can use to complicate things, I like to get to know each baby- for who they are- and make special notice of their unique strengths. Nixon was born into one of the best families there is. And as such it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that he was going to have pure greatness born into him. So, here are a few of my favorite things… about Nixon. First off- he has a great grip. When I got there, Nixon had just finished eating. I picked him up to formally introduce myself and as I did he took a strong hold on my t-shirt. His grasp was so magnetic that I never wanted to put him down. But- alas I had to, well- so, I could take pictures of him.  I just know that his firm grasp on life will bring closeness to his family- mostly because I witnessed that it already has. And now- so have you. Check them out! (insert adoring noises here)  Second- he is so expressive. He can make anyone laugh, smile, and or want to cry- all depending on what his face is telling you about how he feeling. But- by the off chance you don’t properly read the expression on his face, he will begin grunting. These grunts are precursory to what will follow if you don’t stop or change what you are doing. :) Needless to say, I had so much fun reading his expressions and being warned by his grunts.  And third, last the best of all the game- he is a light seeker. Sunflowers are also light seekers. As young plants, they know what they are destined to become- tall, elegant flowers. But in order to reach their potential they must track the sun as a way to build strength in their stem. And as they do they are able to grow- grow upward toward the source of their energy and fortitude. As I watched Nixon bask in the light streaming in through the window, I couldn’t help but think about his unique potential and the growth that will come about in his life as he chooses to remain in the light. This newborn session marks the end of an Inside & Out Package with the Frost Family.
Thank you for inviting me to be part of your journey. You are a great family that will do great things together. I have seen it and felt over the last couple months as I have had the pleasure of capturing your moments. I love you all. -Yvette Cherie |
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