As a pregnancy announcement photographer Spokane families come back to for these kinds of moments, I have to say this session is one of my favorites — partly because of who it was for. Aeriell is one of my best friends. We met in a photography Facebook group back in August 2024, and it turned into a real friendship fast — the kind where when she found out she was pregnant with her second, there was no question I’d be the one there for it.

Aeriell and Sam already had their daughter Kaiya, who was two at the time. When it came time to find out if she was getting a brother or a sister, I went along to the ultrasound with Aeriell, her Grammy, and Kaiya — and the tech handed the envelope to me instead of Aeriell. Which meant I knew the answer before she did.

I took that envelope and built a bouquet out of flowers in the color that matched, and just a few hours later we met at Studio Coeur Creative Studio here in Spokane (a beautiful little studio space that’s since closed) to actually do the reveal. We kept the setup simple — just a clothesline backdrop — because the moment itself was the whole point. Nothing needed to compete with it.

Sam held the bouquet behind his back the entire time, and when he finally pulled it out and handed it to Aeriell, that was it — the moment she found out she was having a girl.

What to Expect from a Pregnancy Announcement Photographer Spokane Couples Can Trust

If you’re thinking about doing something like this yourself, the biggest thing I’d say is: keep the reveal itself simple, and let the buildup carry the weight. Aeriell and Sam didn’t need a big production — a bouquet, a clothesline, and a handful of people who mattered was enough, because the actual news was doing all the work. I’d rather photograph a real reaction in a plain room than a staged one in a fancy setup any day. It’s also worth thinking about who you want in the room. Aeriell brought her Grammy and Kaiya along to the ultrasound that same day, so by the time we got to the studio a few hours later, the excitement was already real and close to the surface — that kind of anticipation is hard to fake in front of a camera, so building it in naturally ahead of time is worth planning for.

That baby girl is Yumi-ko — a name that comes from Japanese kanji often translated as “beautiful child” or “arrow child,” depending on the characters used. She arrived on December 14, 2025. In between the announcement and her arrival, I also got to photograph Aeriell’s studio maternity session — you can see that here: archandelm.com/aeriell-sam-studio-maternity-session-afterglow-spokane. And I got to be there for Yumi-ko’s arrival too — you can read about her Fresh 48 session here: archandelm.com/yumiko-fresh-48-session-sacred-heart-spokane

If you’re expecting and want your announcement to feel like an actual moment instead of a staged photo op, I’d love to help you plan one. archandelm.com/contact