Not your Momma's Maternity Portraits!

Donna is a colleague of mine, the creative mind behind Paper Dolls Photography. I was flattered when she asked if I'd be interested in shooting her maternity portraits!

She really went all out and had hair and makeup done-- snazzy wardrobe as well (heels! oh my, GREAT heels), but I suppose that's to be expected of someone who shoots boudoir on a regular basis... she knows what's fabulous. I think it's an incredibly meaningful gift to give your daughter... a little something for her to cherish years down the line if she should be blessed with a child of her own-- to know that Molly will perhaps see herself in her mother's eyes, and feel that same beauty and spirit within.

We shot in Donna's neighborhood park, on a wooded lot near her home, and in/around the house. The picturesque, gorgeous house. WOO HOO! Molly even has her own little Christmas tree at the foot of the stairs.

The resulting images are... well... not your mother's maternity portraits. Unless of course your mom climbed on playground equipment in espadrilles and a hot little lacy dress. I LOVE them. I'm even willing to attempt to block out the 5 seconds when I feared for my life and sanity as a giant wood spider landed on my arm (in the wooded lot) *shudder*. I'd do it all over again, even with the threat of giant friendly spiders.

Donna was beaming, confident, no-holds-barred adorable. Enjoy! Best wishes to you, Donna, through the remainder of the pregnancy... and thanks a million for the great bottle of wine : )

Heather and the baby on the way...

I joined Heather in her home for some comfy, artsy maternity portraits. It isn't a concept I've tried before, but I'm super-happy with the outcome. The fabric adds a timeless touch to the images, and Heather is just beautiful and naturally glowing... those eyes! I can't wait for the little one to arrive, so we can take tiny-baby-pics : )

Taking some time off...

Well, weddings have wound down for the year (though I do have one more Christmas-time wedding) so I'm taking the week off for a little private time. Enjoy your Christmas shopping and year-end-wrapping-up, everyone!

I leave you with a couple of recent favorites...

Boudoir & Glamour Portrait Weekend 2008

Friday through Sunday, October 3-5, I will be setting up shop in a fantastic suite at a fabulous Houston hotel and running a weekend marathon of Boudoir and Glamour portrait sessions.

Soooo... if you've been wondering what to surprise that special someone with this Christmas or Valentine's Day, I'm willing to bet this would do the trick! Here's the lowdown:


Upon arrival at the hotel, a female personal assistant will
Greet you and assist with arrival, preparation, dressing, and wardrobe management.

Your private-suite photography session with Kasey Marsh will begin, and last about 1 ½ hours. You may have as many wardrobe changes as you’d like within your session!
(we recommend 2-5 different looks… don’t forget shoes and jewelry!)

We’ll have beverages, fruits, and small snacks on hand to help keep you fresh.

Your personal assistant will escort you to the lobby at the end of your session,
assuring that your Valet Parking has been taken care of.

In 2-4 weeks, your discreet password-protected online gallery will be available for
viewing your final, edited pictures (minimum of 30 images).

A “Little Black Book” filled with twenty of your photos, engraved with your personal message on the front, will be sent to the address of your choice.

If you have other plans for the images, digital files may be purchased in bulk or individually. We can also arrange for larger albums, coffee table books, and other specialty items!

We’re happy to answer any questions, and are comfortable working with
women of all shapes, sizes, and modesty levels. Maternity clients welcome!

$450 per session

We have approximately 20 sessions available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please contact us for more information.
Signed contract and payment in full are due to reserve your session time.

The Inaugural Blog

So I hear all the cool kids have a blog these days, and I'm jumping right on the bandwagon. I figure this will be a fun and frisky way to showcase some of my favorites, and keep my clients, friends, relatives, and industry associates informed as to what I've been up to lately.

I'm Kasey Marsh, owner and photographer with Monkey Tree Photography. I am based out of Friendswood, Texas (a southeastern suburb of Houston) so you will find a generous amount of beach fare among my collective works. On the business end of things, I shoot weddings and "early family portraiture". I say "early" family because I really don't shoot many large formal family portraits, and keeping my number-o-subjects down to a minimum allows me to better capture candid moments and relationships.

I am a huge fan of natural light. I love variety and color. I love old churches, new dresses, antique jewelry... and hearing the stories behind all the little choices my brides and grooms have made in planning their big day! I take the responsibility of photographing a wedding very seriously, and enjoy getting to know my clients beforehand.


It's also quite a privilege to be chosen as baby's first photographer-- there is nothing like those little tiny baby feet in mom or dad's big hand to remind us all where we started; how sweet and innocent new life is. Often expectant mothers will consult me for maternity portraits or "belly pics".

Moving right along to the infant and toddler world... I'm not big on props and "things" and fake backgrounds. I prefer a simpler setup, a non-cluttered image space, and a portrait where the child is the main attraction. Often, I am working portrait sessions with the same low-light camera equipment and directional light I use to capture the candid moments between brides and grooms on their wedding day! You'll find that many of my children's portraits have a more intimate feel to them than traditional portraiture, and you'll see a much broader range of emotion than your garden variety "say cheese!" poses and forced smiles. My mode of operation involves more sitting, interacting, playing with the child and meanwhile capturing all of their little smiles, giggles, perplexed glances, and sometimes even a few little tears.