Blog - Fifth and Chestnut

Twin Baby Portraits Reno Baby Photography

April 9, 2018 In Babies & Kids Get to Know Us No Comment

I’d love to introduce my beautiful and amazing twins, Indiana Mae and Oliver Harrison. Our family is now complete <3 It took about three weeks after their birth for me to feel like a human being (kind of)…at which point, I decided to try and take some 3-week twin baby portraits of my sweethearts.

It was hard.

Even AS a BABY PHOTOGRAPHER, getting two babies (who were ravenously hungry all the time) to lay down together in the same mood, was SO HARD. I was still very much recovering from my c-section. But I simply had to try.

I got some cute shots at this 3-week shoot. Although not perfect – I am happy with what I got…how could I not be? It’s impossible to dislike a photo of your own baby, isn’t it?!

Since I was asked a few times on social media, their cute onesies are from Carter’s, and their adorable teddy bears are from Cuddle & Kind. PS, what I LOVE about their bears are that each doll provided 10 meals (actually 20 because of a promotion I took advantage of) to children in need. And they are FANTASTIC top notch quality…true heirlooms for my own baby bears.

There will be many more baby photoshoots for my own sweet babies to come, so stay tuned!

Twin Gender Reveal | Reno Family Photographer

April 5, 2018 In Get to Know Us No Comment

Hey guys – it’s been a while since I blogged – because in January, we welcomed our twin babies into the world! They are playing on their play mat right now, so I thought I might have a few minutes to share our cute gender reveal from way back when.

In true hot-mess-mom fashion, I envisioned this quick little DIY photoshoot for several days, and then when it came time to put it together, everything went wrong. But, it worked out fine and we got the super cute little twin gender reveal photos I had been dreaming of 🙂

I had purchased the jumbo balloons at Party City and the cute little booties at Target the day after we found out we were having a boy and a girl at our Perinatologist appointment. A few days later, our regular OBGYN confirmed there is a boy and a girl up in mah belly, so that evening, we stopped at Safeway to get the balloons inflated. The Safeway employee had no idea how to inflate a jumbo balloon (after waiting 20 minutes for her to blow up some regular balloons for a customer ahead of us), so off to Smith’s we went, where it took another 15 minutes to get these dang balloons inflated….and of course they were only partially inflated…ugh! The frustrating part is that the light was fading fast because we were trying to do this little shoot after Matt got off work.

BUT – we rushed back home and caught the VERY last little bit of my favorite kind of light (about an hour before sunset), and had literally FIFTEEN minutes to do this before we had to pick up our youngest at pre-school. PHEW. Ben clicked the shutter for the photos of me and Matt together, and bam – here is our twin gender reveal!

We were absolutely thrilled to be having a boy and a girl. It’s my dream combo. It’s still very surreal to me that we even had twins – and now I get a little girl to share my Hello Kitty/My Little Pony/Sailor Moon obsessions with – YAY! I’m also extremely excited that we had another boy, because as I know from raising my step son, Ben, and my son, Cooper – boys are a ton of fun and bring an amazing sense of adventure to every day life.

I couldn’t wait to meet them and learn about their individual personalities. And now that they are here, we are having so much fun (as hard as it is). I love my sweet babies so much. Stay tuned…I’ll post pictures of them soon, too.

Sultry Glamour Anniversary Boudoir at Reno Boudoir Studio

January 5, 2018 In Boudoir No Comment

Allison chose the amazing gift of anniversary boudoir to give her husband for their 5-year anniversary. I was absolutely honored that she chose me to provide this incredible service!

Anniversary Boudoir with a glamorous feel

Hair and makeup was done by artist Rose Mercedes of La Di Da Beauty. This glamorous, sultry look on Allison was so gorgeous! Rosa totally nailed the look that Allison was going for, and that lip color is to die for!!

Allison now knows first-hand why I always tell my clients that glamour boudoir sessions are not just a gift for your partner, they are a gift to yourself! After our session together, she wrote me a wonderful note that said:

“I don’t think I have ever felt better about my body and what I look like, it gave me such a great confidence boost!”

Thank you, Allison, for trusting me with such intimate and important photographs! You are so beautiful – totally inside and out, and it’s been amazing working with you!

PS – isn’t my Reno boudoir studio absolutely dreamy? I love shooting in this space!!

Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co. is the Reno Boudoir Photographer who can provide timeless, romantic and remarkable boudoir photography as a gift for a loved one or just as a gift to yourself! Contact us today to chat about booking your comfortable boudoir session with Reno Boudoir Photographer Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co.

Professional Head Shots at UNR by Reno Head Shot Photographer

December 29, 2017 In Professional / Headshots / Editorial No Comment

I had the honor of creating professional Head Shots at UNR of Vic in November on a crisp, fall day. We couldn’t have asked for better weather! The sun was shining and it was a perfect day.

UNR was looking lovely as usual. Vic and I ventured around the UNR south quad and stopped in a few different locations.

UNR south quad head shots

This is one of my favorite parts of UNR, especially for professional head shots. The old buildings, brick and character of that part of campus is just awesome! I usually don’t feel a need to go further than the south quad for headshots, and you’ll see why below!

Adorable Reno Family Portraits at Bartley Ranch | Reno Family Photographer

December 22, 2017 In Family No Comment

The Delossantos family asked me to create their adorable Reno Family Portraits at Bartley Ranch this fall. Since I’m taking early maternity leave to rest (and nest) before my twins arrive, their session was my last of 2017!

Fall Family Portraits at Bartley Ranch

Vic and Megan’s sweet daughter, Brynn, wasn’t too sure about me at first. That’s how most of my sessions with kids begin, of course! But I am SO excited about the smiles and happy faces she gave me after I did everything imaginable to make her laugh.

At the end of our session, Brynn even gave me a hug! I LOVED ending my 2017 portrait season with this family.

Elegant Reno Family Portraits by Reno Family Photographer

December 21, 2017 In Family No Comment

It’s not often that I do indoor family portraits, but when the Pete family came to Reno for a wedding, we were able to use their beautiful hotel lobby for some warm indoor portraits on a chilly morning. And I truly love how these elegant Reno family portraits turned out!

Cozy Hotel Portraits

The hotel was kind enough to turn off their fluorescent lighting in the lobby so we could use the natural light from the windows – yes! And, Jessica’s beautiful sister, Cassie, was there to help me get some epic smiles from the kids. With the help of a dinosaur puppet, too! We also included Cassie in some special portraits, which I love.

After our hotel portraits, we ventured to the Caughlin Ranch ponds for as many outdoor portraits as the kids would cooperate for. They did truly amazing the entire time…even though it was a little cold and it was close to lunch time! The ponds are one of my favorite fall portrait locations and you can see why with the lovely fall colors!

Virginia City Extended Family Portraits

We then headed to historic Virginia City, where we created extended family portraits near Piper’s Opera House. And although the littlest Pete kid was very tired, he still pulled through as best as can be expected. And the older kids get an A+ from me on braving the cold and the MANY photos that were taken. They are seriously some troopers!

It was an honor to work with this amazing family and create memorable portraits for all of them to treasure throughout the years! Enjoy just a few of my favorites from the afternoon.

: …aaaaand here is one fantastic outtake from the day 🙂 Kids love me, I swear!!

Vibrant Fall Portraits at Mayberry Park by Reno Family Photographer

December 21, 2017 In Family No Comment

The Rau family came all the way to Reno from Hawaii and commissioned me to create vibrant fall portraits at Mayberry Park. We also included Faye’s parents and got some awesome shots of them with their grandkids. I always love when families bring grandparents and other family members into the mix. It’s not often that we get professional pictures as adults with our parents, right!? If you have the chance to include grandparents into your family photos – go for it!

Exploring Mayberry Park

We began our session at one of my favorite logs (yes, I have a favorite log) and then worked our way to the river. After that, we got some awesome portraits in a field full of grass and rabbitbrush. The golds in these areas are epic. We then made our way to the bridge at Mayberry Park and back to a pretty cool boulder. The Rau family is awesome and climbed up on a boulder together at the end of our session. It’s one of my favorite shots from the day!

Mayberry Park is one of my favorite locations in general for variety, and we had a great time exploring the park together. And to sum up the day, I just adore this whole family. I had so much fun trying to crack smiles from the brothers, Ethan and Jared. I’m excited to share my favorites from our session below!

Surprise, We’re Having Twins!

December 20, 2017 In Get to Know Us No Comment

Well, it’s about time that I update my blog with some personal news! Although…incredibly late. I am 32 weeks pregnant with TWINS. You may have noticed me mention my twins a few times in my recent posts, but I never made an official announcement on the blog. So here it is! This is me, my hubby and my then-2-year-old showing off our twin ultrasound when I was about 14 weeks along.

It’s hard to believe that, at the time, I didn’t know my babies’ genders. Now, we almost have our nursery ready and we are picking names. Time flies!

Needless to say, we are extremely excited to meet our babies at the end of January. It’s going to be a wild ride!

Tahoe Maternity Portraits and Family by Reno Maternity Photographer

December 20, 2017 In Family Maternity No Comment

I’m so happy that this mama asked me to create her Tahoe Maternity Portraits at Sand Harbor! She and her family wanted a rustic look to the photos, and even though Sand Harbor is a beautiful beach, it also has a great nature walk with a rustic feel.

Rustic and Fun Tahoe Maternity Portraits at Sand Harbor

This family chose a perfect warm summer day in Lake Tahoe for their Tahoe maternity portraits. I had so much fun wandering around the nature walk with this soon-to-be family of five. The boys were so much fun to photograph together as well. I LOVED their adorable cowboy boots and cowboy hats.

The light was so beautiful that we photographed until the sun went down completely! I am thrilled to share my favorites from their Tahoe maternity and family session with you today, and I’m so excited to meet their new baby soon for newborn portraits!

Fall Firefighter Themed Newborn Photos by Reno Newborn Photographer

December 20, 2017 In Newborn No Comment

These fall firefighter themed newborn photos are just so precious, I can’t stand it!! This baby boy was SUCH a good baby for us at the studio. Even through several set changes, he was a complete trooper! It was also exciting to do some warmer/darker tones with this little guy. Yay, fall babies!

In the Studio: Fall Firefighter Themed Newborn Photos

His parents are firefighters, so of course we had to do some shots with a helmet and their boots. *NOTE: pictures of him in the helmet are either composites (2 or more images combined together and heavily photoshopped) or pictures in which I photoshopped the arms out that were holding the helmet up. Do NOT attempt to take this style of photo without training & knowledge about baby safety and image compositing.*

His parents also wanted to incorporate aviation themes into the session as well, as you’ll see with their family portraits.

Big shout out to my studio mate, Elizabeth, for helping me with this shoot. I was 27 weeks along with my twins at this shoot, and my tummy was sooooo in the way. It was also very difficult for me to squat and hunch over this little guy for several hours. Her expertise and the extra set of hands was extremely helpful!

Congrats to this family on their new addition. Wishing you all a joyous holiday season together!

PS: Fall plaid blanket by the amazing Lavender Gray Designs