i think that there are certain moments in life that wrap you up and spit you out and suddenly you’re 100% changed forever.

thus was my experience working with the non-profit orphanage open arms malawi in africa last year. it has been exactly a year since i first set foot in malawi, ready to take in the people and the culture and photograph billions of adorable babies. but i really don’t think i was ready for the transformation i’d go through as an individual.

these sweet children wanted nothing more than to loved. every time i would enter a room, three or four of them would run up to me, arms completely outstretched, just wanting to be held. oh, how i wished that i had about four more sets of arms to snuggle them all at once! i had the opportunity to spend my mornings with the babies, feeding, snuggling, and photographing them, and i also got to spend my afternoons in small villages in the bush and with the foster homes.

it really was the perfect adventure. i got to use a little bit of my public health knowledge, play with the cutest children, meet some of the most wonderful individuals, take in a brand new culture, + of course do what i love most– photograph beautiful souls!

photographing non-profits has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of my career as a professional photographer. and i especially loved photographing these sweet orphans because it reminded me of my other love– my passion for infant/maternal healthcare and my future career as a medical midwife.

which got me thinking…

how much i would love to do a birth story (or two… or five!) so to kick on this new piece of my portfolio, i am giving away a free birth story (or maybe two… or five!)  i only have a few months left in the colorado/utah area before i move out east, so expectant mothers must be due before may 1st. due to the unpredictable nature of a live birth, if i’m unable to make it to your birth, every effort to reschedule in the form of a newborn/family shoot will be made.

to enter, e-mail me at amgleave@gmail.com and share this post on your facebook page.

i hope to be photographing lots of gorgeous, fresh new babies in the future! lots of your gorgeous, fresh new babies!!

XO,

anna