St. Edward’s Park in Austin, Texas is easily one of my favorite places for maternity sessions. It seems as though the park changes from week to week and it always looks so different to me so it doesn’t feel like I’m editing the same things every time. This is so helpful because I shoot a couple of maternity sessions each week and they are always different.
Meet Sovattey and her husband, Michael. Their journey to parenthood hasn’t been the easiest so they were really excited to be able to celebrate this milestone in a big way with a few different dresses, and they also really wanted to include their three furry children in the photos.
St. Edward’s Park was the perfect location for this because they do allow dogs. They brought her brother and his girlfriend along to help out with the dogs- I highly recommend this! This field location was close enough to the parking lot so it was easy to bring the dogs out there for pics and then the handlers could whisk them away when we were finished!
I have to be honest- I was SUPER nervous about capturing THREE dogs in these photos. We kept them on their leashes and I was able to edit out the leashes during the editing process. It was a quiet morning in the park and there weren’t a lot of people there yet so things went smoother than I was expecting. These pups were THE BEST and believe it or not, there were NO head swaps done on these photos. Trust me, I felt like a total wizard for pulling this one off!
Aren’t they the cutest? They were so excited about being the big brother/sisters!
I have to say that this is one incredible looking couple and it was so sweet to hear their story and spend some time with them.
We put Sovattey in this rainbow train to document this part of her journey of having a rainbow baby. “A rainbow baby is a name coined for a healthy baby born after losing a baby due to miscarriage, infant loss, stillbirth, or neonatal death. The name “rainbow baby” comes from the idea of a rainbow appearing in the sky after a storm, or after a dark and turbulent time.”
This rainbow train is huge so anytime someone chooses it from my client closet I make sure that the location can handle such an epic dress. This section of St. Edward’s Park was absolutely PERFECT for this shot.
How sweet are these two?
I really loved this angle and how it shows her reflection in the water!
One of the reasons why I love shooting here so much is because this spot right here. The light coming through this “tunnel” is just so pretty and I love all of the different greens you capture in the background.
I have been shooting at this park for years but hadn’t really done many morning sessions here until recently and I have to say- I am a HUGE fan. The lighting is perfect and you can push the session out a little later in the morning if you need to. You can see another morning session from this same location HERE.
Belly shots are my fave!
I love when there’s a really long flowing train on the dresses. It allows for some really creative, and dramatic images. I tried something new and had Michael toss this dress in front of her vs. behind her. and I love how her baby belly just peeks out in the front.
When we are shooting in the middle of the summer at a creek why wouldn’t you get in the water to cool off? It makes for some really beautiful images and some super fun splash pics! Michael was super excited about splashing his wife! hahaha.
Hey there! My name is Jen Rizy and I am an Austin-area maternity and newborn photographer. My studio is located in Cedar Park, in the Lakeline/1431 area. I love working with expectant mothers and I have a special place in my heart for my rainbow baby mommas. You can browse more of my maternity work HERE. If you are interested in a session, please contact me at: jen@hellophotographyaustin.com
