I love gender reveals. I’m so glad they have caught on in such a big way (thank you, Pinterest), because I can’t think of a moment that has more anticipation or such a high level of surprise as the moment that a couple sees pink or blue. No matter how sure they are that they know what color icing, balloons, paint or confetti they are about to see- I’ve never participated in a gender reveal that didn’t show two faces full of surprise.
Kara contacted me through my website to find out if I would be willing to make a box of balloons for them to open. She had a few ideas for the shoot. She wanted a spot that paid homage to the Okinawan culture, she had a stuffed bunny that she wanted to incorporate, and she wanted the balloons to be shades of blue if it was a boy and shades of pink and purple if it was a girl. Immediately I knew I wanted to shoot this reveal! We picked Fukushen Gardens as the spot and emailed back and forth about details. I read and re-read every text and email before hitting send, terrified that I would slip and hint toward the color or accidentally use a pronoun. We’d never met before so the pressure was on!
The morning of the shoot, I got there early and found myself walking circles around the box searching for any stray ribbons or slight shadows that might give something away. The secret was safe. When we met I was even more excited about the shoot. Not only did we have a gorgeous location and fun props… now I had a fabulously good looking couple too! Anyone that can look this good in the middle of a 100 degree Okinawan summer should get a modeling contract on the spot.
After about 15 minutes of bunny pictures and chalk board predictions, I finally let them open the box. Pink and purple, sugar and spice. So excited to share pictures of these two discovering they have a little girl on the way!
