Hayden Howell Photography

Today is wedding day for my brother!

I realized after I got pregnant there was a chance I might miss it because of the timing, but I assumed it would be because I still felt awful and not up to traveling. At 3 weeks postpartum after the two c-sections, I may not have been up for getting on a plane and going to NYC.

This time though, I feel so good at 3 weeks postpartum I’m still in shock, so then I had to debate if it was worth traveling with a 3 week old with the thread of Covid (and RSV right now for that matter!). In the end I decided not to risk it.

In the grand scheme of things, if this is the big thing Covid takes away from me, I’m extremely lucky. My family has all remained healthy, and all got their vaccinations as soon as they were able. While I’m impossibly sad to be missing this event, I feel like I made the right decision for us right now.

Jake and Lauren, I’m so incredibly excited for you two! I love you both and am excited to officially add Lauren to the Piscal family!

Thanks to modern technology, I’ll get to watch via FaceTime today (the one cell phone that will be allowed out at the ceremony 🙌🏻).

Don’t worry Lauren, I’ll make sure I mute myself so the chaos of my 3 children in the background doesn’t interrupt the ceremony. 🤣

I hope today is wonderful for you guys, and wish I was there to celebrate with you. ❤️

This may be my very last session before this baby arrives, and it was a good one!

We were originally going to do a whole family session, but I knew she also planned on doing some newborn pictures with the entire family so I suggested that we just do pictures with just her (less people, less kid and husband meltdowns, less outfit coordination…basically less stress 🤣).

Sarah is due about a week after I am, so it was the pregnant leading the pregnant for this session, but man did she crush it!

I only wish I had HALF the confidence and grace in front of a camera that she does! I barely had to tell her what to do and she gave me magic!

Can’t wait to meet baby girl once we are both out of our mesh underwear! 🙌🏻

This was a very special newborn session I was extremely excited to photograph recently.

Emma and Matthew contacted me asking if I could do newborn photos, and Emma’s mother also happens to be one of my mother’s good friends dating all the way back to 7th grade! For those of you who live near where you grew up, this may not be that cool, but for an Army brat like myself, these random connections made across the country (my mom is from NJ) always give me the warm and fuzzies and a sense of home!

With both of Emma’s parent’s there, as well as her brother, there was lots of love showered on baby Oliver.

Here are just a few of the many I loved (the ones by the piano are some of my absolute faves!)

Sickness and pregnancy have really been kicking my butt in getting galleries done, but I JUST sent this one off.

This is the second time I have photographed this beautiful family. I’m fortunate to personally know most of my clients, but Theresa is always one of my favorites because all of her favorite photos tend to also be my favorite photos (B&W detail shots anyone?!). Also, her husband Max may be at the top of my list of most cooperative dads for pictures…so an overall delightful experience always!

I was thrilled when she asked me to come take photos after Leonie was born, and I was even more giddy when she told me that the house they had recently moved into was the same one Max grew up in!

Thank you again Watts family, for allowing me to be the one freeze these moments for you.

Here are just a few of my favorites from the session!

I’ve been in Savannah for a few days and met up with my wonderful friend Julie to do a fun shoot downtown. Her husband had just bought the new Army uniform and she wanted to do a 1940’s style photo shoot of the two of them. I am a lover of all things Army and World War 2 (you don’t want to know how many times I’ve seen the Band of Brothers series), so I was definitely on board!

Julie has been my photography mentor and friend since I picked up my camera last April, but she had already moved from Clarksville so our friendship grew from afar. I was both nervous and excited to do these for her, because, well, she is an absolutely amazing photographer.

Thankfully, (with her doing most of the posing herself 🤣) I got some that I know I love, and I hope she does too! Julie you guys look amazing and I’ll always appreciate how you stuck with me and encouraged me as I sent you entirely too many boring, poorly exposed, and horribly edited pictures of my children as I got started!

Also I miss living in Savannah always. ❤️

Almost one year ago exactly I asked a good friend if I could practice taking pictures of her family. They were the very first subjects other than my kids I was using as models, but I figured there was nothing to lose.

I was an absolute nervous wreck, made lots of mistakes, but even looking back at those photos now, still see so many I love and am proud of for my very first session!

I asked them if I could do photos for them before they move, partially as a farewell gift, but selfishly also to see my growth over the last year. 🤣

My pregnant brain (and body at this point) make me feel a lot slower than usual during sessions, but I can still see the tremendous difference a year makes and I continue to be thankful for everyone who has asked me to do photos over the last year.

You will be greatly missed Berger Family! I plan on making at least one trip down to Florida while you are down there!

Hiding in my room while Andy parents the children and really hoping I’m just having a rough few days and not the beginning of a brutal third trimester.

Trying not to wonder what it would be like if I had been done having kids by 30 instead of just starting. 🤣

Hope the rest of you are feeling much much more energized this Sunday!

Ok so newborn sessions may be turning into my absolute favorite now.

This one was extra fun since they are friends and neighbors (I could have walked, but my lazy butt drove around the corner to their house!). Kyle and Caroline welcomed baby Clark while I was vacationing in Hawaii, which was a bummer for me because our original plan was to try and do a fresh 48 session in the hospital (or “freshly hatched” as Caroline called it 🤣). I’m pretty sure Caroline was ready for him to be out though, so it all worked out in the end and I was able to go into their beautiful home and capture not only their love for Clark, but also both grandmothers were in town so I was able to get them in some photos as well!

I was in love with quite a few of these, so be prepared for a photo overload!

Basically everyone I know needs to have babies so I can take newborn photos. Ok? Deal!

Mamas...please get maternity photos!

This beautiful friend of mine was not planning on doing photos and I essentially forced her into it...and I mean, just look at her! Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe her. 😍😍😍

I know pregnancy is rough. Your body feels strange, and large, and uncomfortable, and not your own, but it is truly doing something wonderful. No matter your journey to get there, it is worth celebrating!

Do not be me. I have nothing but underwear bathroom selfies from my first two pregnancies because I was too lazy to get photos done. Find yourself a beautiful dress (or a photographer with a killer client closet!), and document this time. You will not regret it, I promise.

Also...super excited because baby boy is here and I get to do newborn photos for them tomorrow! ❤️

I usually share my sneak peeks on Instagram and keep forgetting I finally made a page!

I have to admit, I was nervous to photograph this beautiful family. I think most photographers have a genre or age group they are most comfortable photographing, and for me, that tends to be the chaos of toddlers and small children. They are my daily life, and what I am used to dealing with.

Hudson and Harper Kate are 9 and 12, and Lord knows I have no idea how to relate to older kids, so I was not quite sure how this would go. I imagined making jokes and them just basically staring at me. 🤣 Fortunately for me, they are two of the sweetest and easiest kids, who cuddled with their parents just like the toddlers I’m used to. Harper Kate even forgave me for continuing to call her “Harper Grace” (can I blame pregnancy brain?!), and Hudson gave me hope when he said he was still not too cool for his mother. (Charlie claims he will never be too old to Boo snuggle with me, but I know it will end sometime 😭). I need to increase my bag of tricks and older kid humor, but they made my job extremely easy!

Harless Family, thank you for letting me capture these! I was jet-lagged and felt about 34 steps behind, but you were beautiful and wonderful to work with!

Here are a few of my favorites so far from their session!

I shared this on my personal page at the beginning of the month, but as the month comes to a close, I wanted to highlight it again on this page as well. It’s a big part of who am and what I do.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

April is the month we celebrate the military child. It is something near and dear to my heart, not only because of the tiny loves of my life, but also because it's the only life I have ever known. I'll admit I have found myself frustrated occasionally when hearing parents lament about the things their children may be missing in this lifestyle, because it's a life I have always loved.

So I would like to offer you a few of the things that I believe our children gain as they grow within this community we call the military:

They learn service and sacrifice. No matter the rank or branch of their Soldier, they will see what it means to serve their country, and to serve others. Often I forget just how small the percentage is of Americans who sign their name on the dotted line. Your children call these people Mom and Dad.

They learn strength and independence. Whether it is mom or dad who remains at home when their Soldier is training or deployed, your children see your strength when you take on all of those duties at home by yourself. They will learn self-reliance, and that they can do hard things.

They will learn the true meaning of community. They will see that sometimes life is hard, and that when it's hard, not only is it ok to rely on others, but it's imperative. I grew up watching my mother and her friends help each other without a second thought. Their example is why I never hesitate to call on my own "sister wives" when I need help. From you they will see that there is no weakness in getting help from those who care about you.

They will learn to bloom where they are planted, that home is wherever you happen to be. They will see, through your example, that whether you are somewhere for 6 months or 4 years, that you can always put down some roots and make the best of where the military sends you.

Yes, they will learn much earlier and more frequently than most, how to say goodbye to friends. With these goodbyes though, they will learn that you can not only maintain, but continue to grow friendships even if you no longer live in the same place. They will make friends that will last a lifetime.

They will experience different cultures and environments. Even if you never get stationed overseas, your military children will see more parts of the United States then most children. They will see different schools, different climates, different demographics. Their nomadic lifestyle gives them the opportunity to become individuals more open and accepting of those with different customs and belief systems.

They will see love. They will see that no matter how long their Soldier is gone, that when they return, the family comes together again, that the heart becomes whole.

So Mama, when you lay down at night and worry about the toll that this military life has on your babies, I ask you to think back to this list. I know it may be different from the way you grew up, but I promise, despite the hardships, goodbyes, and constant uncertainty, you have given them something wonderful. Your military brats will grow up to be amazing humans...adults who are resilient, and adaptable, and ready to take on whatever life gives them.

Another newborn gallery delivered last night! I do believe they are turning into some of my favorite sessions, and there truly is something special about families welcoming you into their home during this special time.

It's a time full of transitions, sleepless nights, naps (hopefully for all!), adjustments, chaos, and so much love.

Thank you Blakemore family for allowing me to capture this wonderful time in your life.

Almost one year ago exactly, I decided to learn how to use a camera. We were about a month into quarantine and my children were driving me crazy. I decided if I was going to be stuck at home with them all day for a while, I should pull out the Canon rebel that had been collecting dust since purchased, and give it a whirl.

And so began something I never saw coming. Poor Julie Igo was immediately bombarded with lots of questions and mediocre photos (continuing to this day, though hopefully my photos are at least a little beyond mediocre now 🤣)

Photography has brought me a challenge I desperately needed. I may have wholeheartedly taken off my uniform to stay at home with the kids, but I can’t pretend I have not missed being valued for my brain. Photography has brought me some intellectual and creative stimulation to use within, as well as outside my role as mom.

It has provided a manifestation of my sentimentality. First and foremost I picked up my camera to capture my children. They are growing and changing every day and my heart can’t handle how quickly time passing. Photography has now given me a tool to freeze time in the most beautiful and real way possible. While I didn’t expect to go down the business route (no matter how much Julie told me otherwise), I also love that I now am able to freeze time for others as well. Capturing all of your smiles, laughs, hugs, hands, feet, and little faces brings me so much joy!

So to everyone who has supported, encouraged, modeled for me, hired me, or just commented on my photos over this last year, thank you! It means the world to me, and I still don’t quite believe sometimes that these pictures are actually mine!

I was trying to decide which photos to use for this post, and in the end, I’m going with these from last July. Even though I’ve grown since then, they remain some of my favorite photos of my children, and remind me how happy I am to be able to look back at them from a simple summer day at home. ❤️

I had high hopes for what I was going to accomplish at the beginning of the year. I was going to organize my life, update my website, and start blogging. Aaaaaaand none of those things have happened yet.

One of my ideas for a blog entry was to talk about how to choose the right photographer. I still want to get to that at some point, but wanted to at least do one post along that line right now...a mini blog entry if you will!

I think we all know that most cities have A LOT of photographers to choose from, and while there are several things you will probably consider, what I want to focus on for this is style. Photography is an art, and as weird as it is for me to label myself as an artist (I mean, I hated art class, loved math, and flew helicopters for 9 years so it doesn’t quite fit 🤣) I have realized I definitely have a particular style to my photos.

Here is what I want you to remember when you are looking for a family photographer. Most of us display pictures we love and are proud of. Our social media and websites are going to be full of the photos we want to take; photos and moments that fill our creative cup. They are photos that we hope draw in people who value the type of photos we take.

What I hope you see in my photos is that I crave capturing connection and emotion. That I love the sentimental details...the little hands fitting in big hands, the little faces, legs, and arms that won’t always be so chubby and baby like. My goal is for photos to capture elements of your real, perfect, and beautiful life and family (just dressed a little bit better in a location with beautiful light obviously 😉).

What you won’t see from me are photos of everyone looking at the camera. Will I take one or two? Yes, of course. Will that be my focus, absolutely 100% not. If lots of photos of everyone looking at the camera is what you want out of a session, then I am not your ideal photographer, and that is ok!! Heck, I’ll even help you find someone who fits you better!

So take a good hard look at photographers’ portfolios when shopping for one. They are showing you exactly what they love to capture, what means the most to them. Make sure their photos match your vision, because I promise, there is a photographer out there for everyone!

I finally delivered this session to my friend Christine after sitting on it for entirely too long! As much as I love taking photos, it was a good reminder of why I'm taking it slow right now, because has left me with minimal editing energy!

This is the third time I've photographed this beautiful family, and I was so honored to be able to help them welcome Max with some newborn photos!

Also funny story, I brought some fruit snacks for bribery if needed, and I thought I whispered such to Christine before we got started. Turns out my whisper wasn't quite soft enough and Graham's little ears immediately picked up on it. So fruit snacks were used to get most photos in this session. It was a good throwback to my own newborn session two years ago when Charlie would only stay on the bed with a bag of fruit snacks!

Here are a few I really loved from the session!

I figured it was about time to start a photography page on here, and what better for a first post than a homecoming!

I was a little nervous that this was in the middle of the night, and really kept hoping that the Army wouldn't let me down and follow the trend of pushing times to the right until we got some sunrise action. Unfortunately it didn't happen, but I was soooo happy I went and was able to capture these moments for the Sattler Family!

I know Erin from SLAM and it was extra special being able to see their family reunite. You could see and feel the joy from her and the boys as they hugged him for the first time in over 9 months.