Kristie Serra Photography Blog »

I love my wonderful job. I love my clients. I love that I am able to stand back and capture the love that the families and couples that I work with feel for one another. It’s such an amazing thing!

  ”T” and “W” were no exception… they were adorable together and lots of fun to work with! If you haven’t noticed, I am fan of incorporating personal items into my sessions, so I was excited to see that “W” brought is guitar. Very cool! He was actually leaving today for a week long trip to promote his music. “W,” I wish you the best of luck and “T” enjoy your sneak peek… 

My “A” uses this phrase quite often (ex. are you kidding me, these chicken nuggets are so good!), so I thought I’d borrow it this evening because ARE YOU KIDDING ME, MY BOYS ARE IN PRE-K?? I’m not sure how this happened, but somehow it did and off they went today for their first day!

On the way to school this morning, I asked them what they wanted to learn about this year and “M’s” response was “bugs” and “A’s” response was “aliens.” “A” is my kiddo that is obsessed with E.T. and as a matter-of-fact, he wants to be E.T. for Halloween. Ummm, where might one get a costume 26 years after the movie?? He’s asked me on several occasions how we are going to get his head flat like E.T.’s. I’m not sure about that one, but I do know that they had a great first day at school!!

Oh, my babies are growing up, but like my mom always says your “baby” will always be your “baby,” even when they are grown and have “babies” of their own!

When chatting about the session with “D’s” mommy, we thought it would be fun to incorporate as many of his favorite things into the session. I don’t know if I’ve seen a one year old have so much fun! He had me laughing the entire session! This sweet little love is a ham in the making!! 

So, here is “D’s” top 6 list…  

1. Playing Peek-A-Boo!

2. Rides on the rocket ship!  

3. Being in Mommy’s arms! 

4. Bouncing in the crib!

5. Bath time! 

6. Hanging with Daddy! 

And for the proud mommy and daddy wanting to show off their sweet itty bitty bundle of joy!! I am thrilled to share a little sampling of my line of custom birth announcements. Would it be odd to send out birth announcements for 4 year olds (Ha-Ha) because I want one of every design!! Cards can be customized and are sold in quantities of 25 with envelope. I can’t think of a better way to announce your new little addition!! 

 

Speaking of baby, can you believe my handsome little  nephew is one month old? He spent a morning with us last week, so I couldn’t resist bringing the camera out for a few shots. Here are a couple of my favorites…

Sooooo sweet and snugly!! It was hard to put this little one down once he was in my arms. I was a little worried at the beginning of the session that he wasn’t going to sleep for us, but boy did he prove us wrong. Once he was asleep he stayed asleep and then we had all sorts of fun!! 

How much I love doing sessions in Ybor City? The colorful walls, the interesting architecture and the gorgeous brick… it’s a dream come true!! What makes it so much sweeter is getting to work with such a fun family like the “M” family! Minus the heat, we had such a great time! We were blessed with a small rain shower, which cooled things down for a minute or two and allowed us to play under cover. We just rolled with it, literally… on skate boards and Radio Flyer rockets! Fun! Fun! 

I can’t say enough about this little one. She is a total doll, full of life and has a smile that could light up a room. Seeing her today, you would never know that she had the rough start that she did. ”A” was born without a left ventricle in her heart and at 7 days old, she underwent her first open heart surgery. The surgery left her in the hospital for two months. During that time she needed surgery again, but this time is it was to have a G-tube inserted. When she turned 4-1/2 months old she had her 2nd open heart surgery. Five days later, she was home! It has been a month since her last surgery and she is doing fantastic!! She’ll undergo her 3rd (and hopefully her final) open heart surgery when she turns 2-1/2. 

Meeting “A” was such a reminder of life’s miracles. I feel so blessed to know her and her amazing family. The strength of her beautiful mommy was so inspiring. I just have to share something from one of her emails to me, “God is so good and we are reminded of His love for us every second we spend with “A”. He has healed her and given our family the most wonderful miracle of life and we are so blessed.” “A’s” mommy is truly an angel!

“A’s” mommy was given this shirt by one of her friends before one of A’s surgeries. I just loved it and thought it was so fitting…

This sweet little guy and his mommy met me at my car, the morning of their session. He was all smiles and I was in love immediately!! Oh, he has the most gorgeous eyes and the sweetest personality!! What a great sport too through his outfit changes… it must run in the family because his daddy was such a trooper as well, he moved furniture for us, time and time again and didn’t complain a bit! I probably won’t be invited back though, Ha-Ha!! 

She is everything girlie! I just loved working with her. She is so much fun and feisty and has the best jumps this side of the Bay! I was impressed with her love and compassion for animals too! She greeted every animal we encountered in the park… from squirrels to dogs, we made lots of friends! When she grows up she wants to become an ASPCA officer. What 8 year old says that? What an amazing heart she has!! 

…when I heard “R” talk about the connection she had with her daughter, “L” in our early conversations.  It was like I could see her beaming with love through the phone. Well, they totally had me tear up during the session and laugh and then laugh some more! So incredibly beautiful inside and out, it was such a pleasure to work with them and witness their bond!!
 

“R” mentioned having a favorite photo of when “L” was a baby, so I asked her to bring it along! I knew I wanted to work it into the session. I’m so glad I did because I just love this shot!