Bye, Bye Blogspot!

I have finally moved my blog over to a Wordpress blog. Hooray! Bigger, prettier photos, and a promise of more of me...blogging. Sure--I know.

If you subscribe to feeds (yeah, like anyone does) please make sure you change it up and subscribe here. You won't be sorry! The new blog is still a work in progress, as is everything in my life, so expect to see it change every now and then. I like to mix it up a bit.

My next trick is to retro-blog all of the shoots I've done since July 2008. If you are bold enough, become a fan on Facebook and take a peak before I get to blogging it.

Coming Clean

Hello 2010
In case there are actually people out there that follow this blog, a few things:

1. There is a new blog in the works, so stay tuned.

2. I'm down, but I'm not out.

3. Two years ago in June, I stopped writing in this blog. That day changed everything. My oldest daughter, then 3 1/2 years old, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The road has been a long one, and I am now a different person to say the least.

Her name is Emma and she's the light of my life. Since then, she has been through two brain surgeries, countless therapies, and six weeks of radiation. She is a cancer survivor...at age five. She is my inspiration.

What I have learned from her, I share with others. Emma has taught me strength and thoughtfulness, and has shown me God's grace. I have learned that life cannot be taken for granted. Not a single day.

I put my photography business away for a while, fulfilling only a very few previously booked commitments for the remainder of 2008. I contemplated closing up shop and only taking photos for my personal use for the next year. But in January 2009, I was contacted by a family with a 2 year old boy who was going into battle with leukemia. They asked me to photograph their little boy before he underwent treatment, as their cancer journey would be a long one too.

I think that was a sign of what I was supposed to do; to continue documenting families in their everyday lives. To not stop, but to go on. Bigger and better, wearing your courage, and showing your strength. I now go into shoots with more heart than I had before. Taking nothing for granted. Not a single day in their lives, because you just never know.

Late last year, as Emma was recovering from her second tumor resection, I delivered my third child, a son named Joshua. Our family is doing very well. Here is Emma's story if you are so inclined.



All About Amy
When I saw a blog post about photographer Amy Wenzel's workshop giveaway at I Heart Faces, it made me sad. I realized that I had been slacking for too long. Not giving people an explanation of what had happened in my previous post.

You see, the irony is I have been a HUGE Amy Wenzel fan for years, reading her blog, being inspired by her work. So when her husband David was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, I was surprised to learn that she didn't hide. Not like me. She took the Lord's hand and He gave her the strength to continue. Now that's inspiring.

This made me realize that though I had made my cancer journey public, it wasn't exactly "public" in my work life. But now it is. Amy Wenzel has made me come clean. Thanks for that. Will I be a chosen for her workshop? I doubt it. One thing is for sure though, I have gotten it off my chest. Like it or not, I won't hide anymore.

That said, look who's back. :)

Regret to Inform

Due to a family medical emergency, I will only be able to take limited portrait sessions for the months of July and August. Please email me directly to inquire about sessions at jayne@jaynemaltbie.com. Please note, the contact form on my website is NOT working. Please email me directly instead.

Thanks for your understanding and please keep us in your prayers.

Little Cowboy

Sweet JT. It's so crazy how his face looks so much like a grown child instead of a 16 day old newborn. He was such a good baby; I love it when they pose for me.

He loved his family blanket that had been passed down from generations. So cool to have a piece of history to wrap yourself in.

He has the coolest "cowboy" bedroom.

Tots and Taters

Look how big Max got! He's such a big yummy baby now. Nothing better than a chubby little baby face. Remember when he was only 6 days old? I love watching them grow. And I know you've never met his awesome big sister. She was such a dream to work with! We had so much fun running around. I don't know who was more tired by the end of the session, me, them or Mommy. I hope Daddy loved his Father's Day gift.

The Newness of Being a Mom

You have a new baby and you just stare, and watch her. Every second, every move. At what point did you just fall so head over heels you started to cry? That surge of pure emotion because you've never loved any one thing more? The amazement that this little thing was inside you for so long. And she's all yours.

Yeah, I remember when I did that with my two. And everyday I look at them and still can't believe they're mine. You'd think I'd get over it by now, 3 years later. Nope, they never cease to amaze you.

This is Hanna when she was 3 weeks old; so fresh and new...and little. I remember her Mommy and I on the phone preparing for her maternity session and me asking what she was going to name her. I was so floored when I found that we have the exact same first and middle name for our daughters! Crazy, huh? Same names but different spellings. My Hannah is 15 months older; I told her giving your girl the name Hannah means she will be fiesty (in my experience). So far at 3 weeks she was an angel.

PS, I will put Mommy's awesome maternity session in another post.

Note to Self

Never go to bed at 4 am. With kids in the house, it's like waking up totally hung over. But without ever having the fun of an adult beverage--bummer. I should probably nap sometime today, but naps never happen at this house. Especially for me anyway. But the good news is that I was able to get some work done. Yes, I was working until 4 am. (Shh...don't tell anyone; makes me sound so dull.)



This big boy is Grant. So sweet. His was probably one of the easiest newborn portrait sessions I've done in a long time. He was so good, and perfectly asleep for most of the shoot. Grant was a total life-size doll, and poseable too! If you've never seen a new Mommy so in love with her child, it's worth just standing in the room to watch.

Once a Month

Yeah, so I average about one blog post a month! Ha! That is so sad. Please don't think I've just been sitting around. Oh no! I WISH I could just hang out and do nothing. Truth is, I am so thankful to be so busy, just a little too busy sometimes. A good problem, yes. And the lack of blogging...well, it's not that I don't have anything to share. On the contrary, I have so much, I don't really know where to begin. But I'll start here...



Meet the best 22 month old ever! Ava was so fun and easy to work with. She and her folks met up with me at Memorial Park (when it was still bearable outside), and we had so much fun. SO much fun I ripped my pants (not a joke)! Mom and Dad were so in love with their little girl; she hammed it up for the camera perfectly. She was all smiles, even between mouthfuls of Goldfish crackers.

For Pete's Sake!

ARGH!!! Sorry folks. Adding to my website issues, the email contact form is down on my current site. Please do not use it. If you have sent me a message in the last couple of weeks using this form and have heard from me, then I probably did not get your message.

Please email inquiries directly to jayne@jaynemaltbie.com or call me at 281.650.4580. Sorry for the inconvenience. Just know there will be a new site very soon and we will all be happy campers!