Indie’s Third BEE-Day Portraits by The Deerwood Co!

I thought it pertinent to give these portraits their own blog post and their own special little corner of the internet. A few weeks ago, with our BEE-Day theme in mind, we traveled down to South Jersey to pay a visit to our pal Jess, owner of The Deerwood Co! She always captures the most gorgeously jawdropping photos and I wanted some professional shots to snap Indie at this precious age, because let’s be real… it’s all going way too fast! Read on for details about our shoot and to see the finished product – two looks, and two spins on the same theme.

I knew the party was going to be lots of bubbly fun, so Jess gave these pictures more of a whimsical twist – first capturing portraits of Indie in front of a backdrop made with hanging, dried florals. In her hand, she held a custom bouquet to match – done flawlessly by HopeLyss Romantics – and she wore a beautiful ivory dress by Joyfolie. She’s such a wiggle worm that it was nearly impossible to capture her hair clips – which were actually two sweet golden bumblebees! In the second set, I pulled her hair into a pony, put her in a tutu, and Jess used some understated bumblebee props which really got Indie’s attention! We ended the session by letting her dig into some cake, of course.

I asked Jess if she would take a moment to capture a few artistic shots of Indie’s scar and she really delivered – they are some of my favorites from this shoot – a reminder that inside this quirky three year old lives a fierce warrior who adapts and thrives amidst every curveball she’s been thrown – far too many in just three short years. She amazes us every day, and if it wasn’t obvious, we’ll absolutely be framing one of these in particular.

I left this shoot feeling very bittersweet… because Indie cooperated so beautifully. It was the first time she’s ever fully participated in one of my crazy photoshoots. Usually I spend the entire time chasing after her and trying to redirect her back into the shot – but this time, she knew what we came for, and as relieved as I was, it also sunk in that she’s growing up and she’s really turning into such a big girl right before my eyes. And no better person to capture her transformation than Jess. Now I have 365 days or less to figure out next year’s theme! Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet, funny, VERY silly, EXTRAORDINARILY brave, beautiful hammy girl. You make me smile every single day, and I am honored to call you mine.