Tag: "crystal freemon photography"

Embracing the Rain – Nashville Family Portrait Session

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“I love the rain. I love how it softens the outlines of things. The world becomes softly blurred, and I feel like I might melt into it.” – Hanamoto Hagumi

It’s no secret that I love the sun, and obsessed with chasing light. But not everyone knows that I also love the rain. A couple years ago, I did a rain session with my friend Christy’s daughters. We planned it and then waited for the right weather to hit, and then I called her and said, “It’s go time.” We met at a park and I photographed her adorable kids playing in the rain. It was so much fun.

Last fall, one of my favorite sessions was for a couple who decided to go ahead with our planned time, even though we knew it would probably rain. To me, it was such a romantic session, and the rain just added to it. 

That wasn’t exactly the situation for this family portrait session at Harlinsdale Farms.  They were hoping to avoid the rain, but mother nature had other plans.  We were able to get in a few photos before the rain came, but then once it did, I couldn’t help but to wrap my camera in a poncho, hand these sweet kids some umbrellas (I always keep these in my car because they still let light in), and to keep shooting.

And I have to say, I’m not really sorry it rained. These two kids are just so perfectly adorable with the colorful little umbrellas and those smiles.  It’s just one more thing that I absolutely love about kids this age…they really know how to embrace the rain.  

You too can survive an outdoor summer portrait session

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Yes, it’s hot.  I admit it.  It’s summer in Tennessee. But it is possible to have a beautiful outdoor family portrait session in Summer, and to look as gorgeous as this family does, if you just follow a few easy tips.

1. Schedule your session for magic hour (the hour before sunset). 

I always prefer sessions to be booked at magic hour, because that is when you get the most beautiful light. But this is especially true in summer, because let’s face it…none of us are going to survive the mid day heat.

2. Choose a location with lots of shade.

This walking trail is one of my favorite spots for summer (and all year really) because it has gorgeous light, and plenty of shade to shelter us from the heat and scorching sun. 

3. Dress for the weather

If you try to make these look like fall portraits, you are going to end up a hot sweaty mess.  Shorts are wonderful, and light weight summer dresses are perfect for summer sessions. It won’t matter how pretty your clothes are if you or your children are uncomfortable during the session. And remember my style of photography, and expect your kids to be running, jumping and playing…all the more reason to make sure their clothes are comfortable. 

4. Stay hydrated. 

I’ve taken to carrying a few water bottles with me recently to help clients stay refreshed, but if you think to bring along a few, that’s always a good idea.

I am so glad this family chose to brave the weather for a summer session because it was such a joy to meet them and photograph them. The personality in these two boys just had me smiling throughout my time editing these. I cannot wait to work on the rest of them.

What is keeping you from booking family portraits?

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So many times, I meet families who have never had a professional family portrait session.  I feel very honored to have been chosen by Andra for her family’s first photo session, and I really loved photographing her beautiful family. Owen and William were so easy to work with and we had so much fun together. These are the type of clients that I so enjoy meeting and hope to be able to see again year after year.

For those of you who have not ever booked a family portrait session, I’m curious as to what holds you back. I know that family portraits are a real investment, and it could be that it’s just not in your budget, which is a valid reason (though often it may be more about priorities than actually budget constraints).  But I suspect that rather than the budget, it’s likely fear that the session will be difficult and stressful, or maybe even impossible, that holds many families back.

So maybe if I tell you a little more about how booking a session works, and what to expect at a session, it wont sound so overwhelming.

You can book a session either through my online calendar, or just email or message me to work out a date (Fall fills up fast though, and I will be releasing those dates soon, so don’t wait for those spots.)  I know lots of clients stress about what will happen if it rains on their session date…no worries. I won’t make you shoot indoors or in the rain if you don’t want to (though both of those is an option!)  Rescheduling if it rains is usually no big deal.

After you’ve booked, you will receive emails from me to help you through the process, such as tips on what to wear, but please don’t ever hesitate to ask if you have questions.

But I think the biggest part parents stress about, is what to expect at the session itself…and in particular, whether or not young kids will “cooperate” for a family portrait session.

So here is what I want to help you to understand: 

The only thing I expect / want kids to do at a family portrait session is to be themselves.

Really.  That’s it.  

At a session, I generally start with trying to get a quick family portrait of everyone.  This usually works pretty well to get a photo of everyone looking at the camera, as they have not yet become distracted.  But what I’m not going to do is stand there for 30 minutes trying to get everyone perfectly posed. That’s just going to result in everyone becoming bored and/or frustrated.  That’s not what beautiful memories are made of…and I want you and your kids to ENJOY the session.  Not just to have lovely pictures when it’s over. 

So we will only spend a couple minutes on any particular “pose”, and then will will take some time to play.  Yes, that’s right…there is a lot of playing at a session.  I don’t do a lot of posing, but I do a lot of guiding. Mostly what I’m trying to capture are interactions between your family because that’s what inspires me. 

So with this lovely family below, you will see one of my first shots of the session is the more posed family shot of everyone looking at the camera.

After that, we went for a little walk down the path as I spoke to the boys and got to know them a little. I took a few individual shots of Owen to work on my lighting while baby brother just chilled.  Then, since he seemed agreeable, I went for another family shot. My favorite below is one where I let mom and dad and Owen know that they didn’t need to look at me, but just asked if they could help get William to laugh. I love these kinds of shots because it shows the family interacting together, and not just with the camera…though I do occasionally ask everyone took look at me, as you can see in the third shot below.

Then we just had some play time where I worked on getting shots of Owen and William both together and individually as they played.  I guided them to race, play ring around the roses, jump (playing Simon Says), and generally just explore.  If there something the little one doesn’t want to do, that’s totally fine.  I don’t HAVE to have a photo of them jumping, or playing ring around the roses, or whatever.  I’m just working to get them having fun and acting natural. This is like the exact opposite of when you go to Sears Portraits or wherever ever and have to stand on the x.  There really is no x, and very little standing still…I promise.

After we played, we walked to another spot and I wanted to try to get some seated family portraits. At this point, it’s typical for a toddler especially to become bored and tired. No problem.  In this case, I offered William a sucker (with mom’s permission) and he happily sat down with his family. We have several shots of him holding the sucker, which I personally think is fine, and then at some point, I asked him if dad could hold his sucker for a minute. So now you know the secret that dad is hiding a sucker out of view in the last picture below.  So we were able to get the shot and keep William happy, but even if we hadn’t, that would have been fine too because I had lots of shots earlier in the session. 

After that, we headed to the playground. Lots of my favorite locations have playgrounds and I love including them at the end of a session because then the kids think they are “done” with the photos, but really sometimes I get my favorite shots there, while they are just being kids and enjoying themselves. 

So really that is all there is to it…a little bit of posing, but mostly talking and laughing and playing. And suckers at the end. 

So what is holding you back? Is there anything else you need to know in order to be ready to book a family photo session? 

Hannah’s Senior Portrait Session in Franklin, TN

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“And suddenly you know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

I’m a pretty strong extrovert.  This may or may not be obvious, depending on the circumstances of how you meet me, but I definitely prefer being around people and am not huge on quiet time. But for some reason, the exception to that is that I do enjoy the time before my sessions. I always show up to a location for a shoot pretty early. I’ve sometimes said that I do that to scope out the place, but that’s not completely accurate because I still show up early when it’s a location that I know like the back of my hand.  

Even if I’m very familiar, I still like to walk around and look at the light..light is always changing.  And since I consider light to be the most important element to my “backgrounds” it’s important to take a look. I’m a light chaser, always looking for interesting things the sun is doing. So a lot of the time on my walks around a location, I’m looking at the light. 

But also, I’m thinking about my session…who am I about to photograph? What part of him or her or them do I want to capture? What is important about this time period that the client wants to remember? For my family sessions, my goal is to capture interactions and emotion between family members. With senior sessions, that’s different because there is typically only one person. So the interaction is between me and my camera, and the subject. Hannah made that so easy because she was such a joy to talk to and get to know. She’s graduating next week from Independence High School, and even though this is the first time we met, I feel so proud of her and happy for her to begin this next stage in her life. Her parents can be very proud to have raised such a lovely young woman.  

So I guess that I enjoy this quiet time before the session because I don’t feel quite alone…I feel that it’s the first step in getting to know my client…imagining where they’ve been, where they are going and what these photos might mean to them.  I hope that these photos mark the beginning of a wonderful adventure for Hannah, wherever she may go.  Congrats to Hannah and to the entire class of 2018. 

Hadley’s Cake Smash and Family Portrait Session

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“A baby makes love stronger, the days shorter, the nights longer, savings smaller, and a home happier.”

I cannot believe it’s been a whole year since I met this sweet girl and her lovely family at her newborn session. It is such a blessing to be able to watch families grow as the years pass. I just fell in love with this family last year when I met them and was so excited to be able to photograph them again. 

The weather was absolutely perfect…the kind of day you dream about all winter long. Kelly wanted this session to be a cake smash for Hadley’s first birthday, but also to include some family and sibling photos. One thing I absolutely loved about our last session was the beautiful energy that big brother Harper brought, and he did not disappoint. It’s so obvious how much he adores his baby sister and watching him laugh and run and play just brought a smile to my face. 

And such a sweet birthday girl!  It’s always interesting to see how the baby reacts to her first bites of cake.  Some babies seem very hesitant and not sure what to do with it, but Hadley immediately dug in.  She didn’t even mind when her big brother crashed the party to help her finish up the treat.  

Family Portrait Session with Teen Boys in Spring Hill TN

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“The days are long, but the years are short.”

That is one of my friend Michelle’s favorite sayings and it’s so true. It comes to mind often. My girls are in those middle years of childhood now…ages 9 and 12…no longer little kids but not yet teens.  

Sometimes, I joke that photographing the babies makes my ovaries hurt.  Not that I want any more kids…that ship has sailed and I’m perfectly happy with my two girls.  But photographing babies does bring back memories of my own girls at that age and makes me all nostalgic.  

But you know what really gets me all teary eyed?  This came as a surprise to me, but it’s photographing the older teens.  It’s their mama’s that do it to me, because they always say something similar, just like Bonnie did.  Stuff like  “I want to remember…” and “might be the last one before college…”

No, no, no.  I’m not ready for that.  Time needs to slow down. 

And it makes me so badly want to give the mamas beautiful photos of their babies, because they will forever and always be our babies, no matter where they go.

Through the eyes of a child – Childhood photography

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“If we could all see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic of everything.”

The wind in her hair.

The feel of the grass between her toes, and the sun on her face. 

The feel and look of the dandelion her brother blows in her face.

The flowers, weeds, rocks, sticks to explore.

Feeling the bark on the tree, playing peekaboo.

Hugs.

Races.

Being taught by big brother to play airplane, ring around the roses.

Tiny hands, and feet, and eyelashes.

Bunny rabbits and puppies on the path.

Shadows. 

These are things we pass by almost every single day, mostly without thought.  But to view them through the eyes of a two year old suddenly turns them into magic.  And we think we are teaching them. 

What to do in case of rain at your family portrait session

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“A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.” – Marion Garretty

This session had to be rescheduled due to rain last week, but oh my goodness, did they get a beautiful day on Saturday.  There just isn’t more perfect weather than that.  Too bad it didn’t hold out for Sunday…when I had to reschedule another family session. I loved playing with these sweet sisters in the gorgeous sunshine for their family photo session. 

I often get the question about what happens if it rains on the day of a scheduled session, or if there is other types of bad weather.

First of all, if it’s just cold (or even snowy!), I would suggest we go ahead with the session as planned and you make sure you have warm clothes, toboggans, gloves, etc for your family.  These can be lovely in photos.

If it’s raining, there are a few options we can consider:

  • We can reschedule to the closest available session date convenient for both your family and myself. In the fall when it’s busiest, I usually have a few dates designated as rain dates.  Other times of the year, I can typically fit you in pretty close to your original date.
  • If it’s not raining horribly, I have been known to shoot in the rain.  I have lovely clear umbrellas and this can be a fun, different take on a session.
  • We can change the location from an outdoor spot, to somewhere indoor.  A great option is always your home, as that highlights your family’s life at this moment in time.  Another option is the Factory at Franklin, though they charge a $50 permit fee that you would be responsible for paying.

So there are a few options, but most clients end up rescheduling if there is rain and that’s perfectly fine.

The only thing I ask is that we wait fairly close to the day of the photo session to make a decision.  The weather around here can change so suddenly…I don’t want to reschedule a session too early just to have it turn into a beautiful day.  

Too bad the weather can’t always be as perfect as it was for this session.

Treat your photo session like a fun family outing

Posted in Big Kids, Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, Sarah Benson Park, (formerly known as Thompson's Station Park)Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I prefer children (and parents) to have fun and be carefree at our photo shoots….often thinking of them more like playdates than photo sessions.  I believe that the memory associated with family photos should be a fun one, and not a memory of a stressful experience.  To me, creating a pleasant experience is just as important as the final product. 

Lana understood this vision completely and decided to bring along a picnic basket to their family session, and I absolutely love that idea. 

My style is very candid and natural, and I’m not really into props in the traditional photography sense. I do bring a variety of blankets for clients to sit on, but you won’t find me with much more than that. 

But what I do love to include in sessions is anything that a family would naturally have or do at an outing.  As a lifestyle photographer, my goal is portray your family in everyday situations, being together as you naturally would.  So a picnic is a great idea of something to include.  To me, the difference between this and a “prop” is that the picnic basket is something you would truly do in your ordinary life.  Unlike, for example, an choreographed backdrop or scene.  

There are lots of ideas of things you could do to add some fun to your family session. I’m going to list some ideas below, but the big thing is that whatever it is, it is something that fits YOUR FAMILY….something you’d normally enjoy together.

Ideas to do during a family session:

  • Bring a picnic (like Lana did!)
  • Bring a cooler of popsicles to enjoy at the end of the session…perfect for summer fun.
  • Have me to your home at your outdoor pool for a fun family session. 
  • Invite me to your family farm to capture a day in the life.
  • Do an at home lifestyle session and bake Christmas Cookies (or your Grandma’s favorite recipe) together as a family
  • Decorate the Christmas Tree at an indoor session
  • Bring a football, or other sport you enjoy together, to an outdoor session
  • Have an indoor session in your game room 
  • Bring your bicycles to an outdoor family session

The options are endless.  And of course, you don’t have to bring anything at all other than an open attitude about having fun at the session and enjoying the time with your family. 

How to Choose a Photographer

Posted in Big Kids, Family, Portrait Sessions, Seniors & Teens, The Factory at FranklinTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I just love photographing this family so much.  They are friends, but also one of my oldest clients. I am always excited to photograph them.  When I think about my perfect clients, this is one of the families on my list.  

When I first started photographing people professionally, I thought that I was supposed to accept every client who inquired about a session.  I’ve come to learn over the past few years that not everyone who comes to me about a session is a good fit, and that is perfectly OK.  Part of my job is to help people to decide whether or not I’m the right choice for them.  I’ve realized that people don’t always know how to go about finding the right photographer for them.

Often, people find a photographer in one of two ways:  Google, or a friend’s referral.  Both of these are great resources, but they should really only be step one. You should also look through the website of the photographer you are considering and evaluate whether or not they are a really a good fit for you based upon a few things:

Specialization:

You generally want a photographer who specializes in the type of photography you are looking for.  Now, there is definitely some crossover here.  I consider myself a children & family photographer, but for me that also includes seniors, and newborns.  Toddlers are my passion, but I enjoy all types of families. 

But you would be surprised at the number of inquiries I get about wedding photography (also applies: head shots).  I always wonder where these come from…. my website is full of pictures of young children and families.  Could I do a better job than your Uncle Bob who just bought his first fancy camera?  I should hope so.  But do you know who would do the best job? A wedding photographer.  Think of it this way….would you go to an OBGYN for a problem with your broken foot?  I mean, she went to medical school and probably knows some, but it’s not really her thing. 

Style:

This is probably the most important thing, in my opinion.  

There are a couple different things I mean when I talk about style, and there are many, many things that go into making up a photographer’s style, from shooting to editing.  

Do you prefer perfectly posed photos or more candid, natural images?  Studio or outdoors? Natural light or studio lighting / flash?  Do you expect your photographer to give you lots of specific posing direction? How do you want the images to make you feel?  

Editing is another aspect of style… do you like light and airy photos, or dark and moody? What color tones draw you?  Each individual photographer has a very specific style.  You don’t really need to understand this, you just need to know it exists and decide whether you like the look of that photographer. (And don’t ask them to do something else….It’s like asking Monet to paint like Picasso.)

Consistency:

This is kind of related to style, but basically, just make sure that you are seeing enough consistency in what you see on a photographer’s website so that you know what to expect from your photos.  Every session is unique and different, but you also just want to see enough consistency in style to know what to expect. 

Price:

Yes, I put this last on purpose.  I understand that budget is important, and is definitely a consideration.  However, I just want to say that good photography takes a lot of time (a lot more than just what you see when you are in front of the camera), and education and money (equipment, taxes, insurance, website fees, etc).  So when you hire someone out there charging $50 for a session, just know that that person is working for WAAYYYY less than minimum wage. But of course, there is a wide range of pricing for photography in general, so just start with understanding what that includes, and what you are getting for your money.  

So that may all seem like a lot of work to choose a photographer, but it really comes down to one thing: does the photographer’s work embody what you want from your photos, or are you expecting something completely different?  If you are wanting something completely different, then you need to find a different artist. 

What a difference a year makes

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You might remember this gorgeous family from one of my most popular blog posts last year. Jenn had the adorable idea to announce her pregnancy to their daughters, Ella & Sol at our photo session.  It was such a fun and special moment to be able to capture as these girls found out that they were going to have a little brother or sister.  

So here they are one year later, and their secret gift from our last session has grown into the most beautiful baby boy imaginable.  It is so obvious how much the family is head over heels for baby Santi.  And who wouldn’t be…isn’t he just perfect?  

So lets talk for a minute about nursing at a photo session, in case you are curious about how that works.  If your baby needs to stop and take a break at a session to nurse, that is absolutely 100% fine, and what happens during that break is totally up to you.  If you prefer privacy, I can spend the time photographing your other children, or just relaxing. But if you’d like me to capture that special time with you and your little one, I would love to do that too. And it is your choice as to whether you would like those shared or if you’d like them to remain private, but I am so happy Jenn decided to share these gorgeous images of her with Santi, because that bond between mother and baby is just beautiful.  

Another Senior Session in Downtown Franklin

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“Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.” – Neil Gaiman

This was kind of an unusual week for me in having two senior guy sessions in one week, since I normally shoot more family sessions.  Both the guys chose downtown Franklin as their location, which works for me because I love this spot for Senior Portraits.  It’s not the best place for small kids, as I like to let the little ones roam free, without worrying about traffic, and sometimes downtown requires patience for waiting on other people or cars to move out of a scene.  But it’s perfect for seniors, and I adore all the colors, shapes and textures. 

I have to say, I wasn’t sure at first about senior sessions because photographing young children was my first passion.  But I truly enjoy the different opportunity that photographing these young men and women offer.  It’s fun to be able to plan a shot out in more detail, and to focus on the framing and perspective without fear of losing the moment.  With active toddlers, you don’t get much of a say so on the exact location and posing, so Seniors are a really fun change for me. 

There was one spot in a back alley that I came to at my first session this week and I took a few photos there. But I found myself wishing I had done more with the spot, so I was excited to go back for this session. I just love the perspectives and colors in the alley.  It was so much fun.

I enjoyed getting to know Jack.  It turns out, my daughter played Hockey with his younger brother last season, but I didn’t even realize that until we were chatting during the session. Such a small world!

Filled with Joy – Capturing Childhood in Portraits

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I photographed this family about a year and half ago, but it was an extended family session with grandparents, cousins, etc.  While I do enjoy extended family session and capturing that love, I honestly prefer smaller groups for the pure reason that it allows time for capturing more of the types of images that I love…the less posed candid shots.  In a large group, there are usually just so many combinations of people to try to photograph, that it definitely requires more directional posing time.  When it’s just immediate family, we can quickly get some posed, looking at the camera shots out of they way and then move on to what I really love…capturing a families true personality and creating memories together. 

Most of you know that two year olds are my favorite age to photograph, and how can you not look at these photos below to see why?  This kid is just PURE JOY.  You can’t even look at him without smiling.  I want to be Jace when I grow up because he is doing it right.  He so much reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

“Welcome each day with the joy & wonder of a child.”

That joy & wonder is something that I try to embody in my photography and are words that I strive to be associated with my work.  That’s why we play lots of games at family session, do lots of tickling, running, jumping, just being.  That’s why playgrounds are often included, because what is the wonder of childhood without playgrounds.  And it’s why I love capturing toddlers because they look at life with so much wonder. I want to capture some of that wonder and joy in my photographs.  Kids like Jace make that pretty easy.  He’s just being himself, enjoying life.  

I have to say that his big sister Karley did a fantastic job as well. She is such a beautiful young woman and was so easy to work with.  I loved watching her interact with her baby brother.  You can definitely feel the love between these two.  

Senior Session in Downtown Franklin

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“Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path then by all means you should follow that.” – Ellen Degeneres

I’m literally about to run out the door to go work some more on Cheetahfest 2018, but I just couldn’t help but share these photos of my senior session in downtown Franklin on Monday.  I was afraid it would get rained out, but it turned about to be a gorgeous day!  I am quite aware that my senior guys aren’t really into having their photos taken, and are generally just there because the love their mamas, but Drew was such a great sport, and I love the way his photos turned out. 

And its never a dull moment in Franklin.  During our session, we were cheered on by passing cars, offered a donut in exchange for a photo for a scavenger hunt, photobombed by a random stranger, and offered free popcorn from a very sweet attendant at the Franklin Theater who noticed us outside taking photos.  I love this town!  

Ok, I’m out the door, but if you don’t have any plans on Friday, please join me at my other “job” (PTO President) and come out to food trucks, bounce houses, a petting zoo, games and more on Friday at Chapman’s Retreat Elementary Cheetahfest from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.  There is also an AMAZING silent auction. You can also bid on a session from me!  If you were planning on booking a session before the end of summer, this is a great way to give back to a great cause. Hope to see you there!  

It sure looks like they had fun!

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“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

As I was editing some of these photos this morning on the couch while enjoying my morning coffee, my nine-year-old was snuggled up next to me watching TV.  She was looking at the photos as I scrolled through them picking my favorite ones. As she looked, she commented, “It sure looks like they had fun!”  I took it as the ultimate compliment because above all, I want kids to have fun at my family portrait sessions, and I want the photos to show that they had fun. 

For me, giving clients an enjoyable experience is as important as the photos themselves.  My reason for that is, if you get beautiful photos, but the experience in getting those photos was miserable, then what kind of memories are you going to have associated with those pictures?  And isn’t that what family photography should be about….capturing beautiful memories?  

Maddie & Reagan can certainly teach us all about having fun.  They were so full of joy at this session. It’s so fun to watch because it wasn’t too many years ago that Reagan was an extremely shy little girl who would barely look at me.  Now she’s dancing like nobody’s watching.  And how completely beautiful is that?  I mean, can you even look at these photos without smiling?  When I grow up, I want to be just like these little girls. 

Through the Years – Getting to Know my Clients and their Needs

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One of the things I absolutely love about my job is having the ability to experience my little clients growth each year through my photos.  This is one of the families that I’ve had the honor of photographing a couple times each year, for quite a few years.  In fact, I was there for the birth of two of these beautiful children.  Their most recent session was this past Fall, and I always enjoy seeing their beautiful smiling faces.

One thing that can be beneficial in keeping the same photographer from year to year, is that it can be helpful for the photographer to get to know your kids in order to get the most out of each photo session.  This can be especially true with a special needs child.  My buddy Zafer is autistic, and I’ve been photographing him for many years.  Having known him since birth, I’m able to understand how to make him most comfortable at each session.  I’m really pleased with the photos I captured of him this week that show his beautiful personality.  We do fist bumps a lot because I’ve found that helps to get him to look at me and he enjoys it.  I also have no issue with letting him to play on his IPAD during a session.  It brings him joy and I just love the photos below of him smiling from ear to ear while he watches it.  And if he needs a break, that is no problem and I can spend some time photographing his sweet sisters while he rests. 

It’s important to let your photographer know if you have any special concerns or needs during a photo session so that those needs can be met, no matter what those needs may be.

I believe strongly that EVERY family can have beautiful family portraits. The biggest concern I hear is that parents are concerned that their child, for whatever reason, won’t stand still and pose at a photo session.  I promise you…it will be fine.  There are ways to make it work.  I expect very little in the way of standing still and posing at a photo session anyway. The only real goal is to capture photographs of your family as they are now, and nothing is more beautiful than that. 

The In Betweens – which is not an alternate universe on an episode of Stranger Things

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I adore this photo of my friend Jenn and her husband Jonathan. I snapped it in what I refer to as “ the in-between”, which sounds like an alternate universe in an episode of Stranger Things, but it’s really just the moments between posing at one of my family sessions.

I love the in-between moments.

Posing is probably too strong of a word.  I don’t really pose.  I guide.  I may have you sit in the pretty light with your family, then when your feet look awkward, I’ll ask you to move them.  Then I’ll ask you to interact with your family. Or for kids, I’ll ask them to run, jump or play.   I don’t really consider it posing as I’m not looking for a super choreographed look with every arm and chin position carefully planned.  I’m more looking for interaction and emotion.  But still, it’s kind of posing because you are doing what I’m asking you to and you know I’m taking your picture.

Which is why some of my favorite photos are taken in the in-between…when you don’t think I’m gonna snap a picture.  You think you are just being, and not being photographed.  I’m tricky that way, because at a session, I’m almost always looking for the in-betweens.  Maybe I’m photographing Mom and the older sibling while Dad is off entertaining the younger sibling while they wait on me.  Sometimes I see that as the perfect opportunity to “sneak” a picture of dad and the youngest…because they are just having fun and not acting for the camera.  Or maybe your entire family thinks we are done with the session and we are just chatting and walking slowly back to the car….that’s the time when I sneak some of my favorite shots.  

That’s what happened here with this photo of Jenn & Jon.  You see the series of photos near the end where their adorable boys are laying on the quilt on their bellies and giggling? (Side note:  I almost named this blog post “Can they be any cuter?”)  Well I was laying in the grass in front of them taking their photos and they were being so ridiculously cute and adorable.  So when I took a second to look for the in-betweens, I caught mom and dad smiling admiringly at their precious babies, and captured this picture.  It only took a second, and they probably have no idea I took it.  But it’s one of my favorites from this session. I love how she’s standing kind of behind him, leaning into him naturally with her chin on his shoulder.  If I had told her to do it, it would probably looked forced and ridiculous, but when they fell into it naturally, it’s beautiful.  

What about you?  Do you prefer more posed photos, or do you like the in-between?  

Have you booked your family portrait session yet?  There are only a few spots left for spring, so don’t wait to book your session.

Light & Childhood: My Favorite Props

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“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” – Elizabeth Lawrence

These photos were taken at one of my favorite locations to shoot family portrait sessions. It’s nothing special really. There isn’t any fancy architecture or beautiful landscaping.  There are sometimes wildflowers, more often weeds.  There is a simple walking trail (with a painted bike path stripe that tortures me in my sleep because I’ve removed it in photoshop so many times.)  Often, when I suggest this spot to people, they don’t get too excited about it.  It doesn’t sound like much.  But it has lovely light and some variety for different seasons and weather, and that’s why I love it. 

Mostly I love the way the light filters through the trees and creates the loveliest bokeh.  

I’ve never been into a lot of props (unless it’s something meaningful to the child or family such as a lovie) or fancy backdrops.  I think the people should be the primary focus of a photograph.  Not that an interesting location can’t add to that story…it definitely can.  It’s just that I believe the most important elements of a family photo session are light, and an atmosphere that allows you to capture a little bit of that childhood.  

What lets you capture that childhood varies from session to session, but it might include running, skipping, jumping, twirling, blowing dandelions, silly jokes, telling secrets, and tickle fights.  For aren’t those the things that childhood is made of?

Have you booked your family portrait session yet?  There are only a few spots left for spring, so don’t wait to book your session.

The best thing you can do to help me at a Family Portrait Session

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You might be surprised when I tell you how you can best help me at your family portrait session….

Do Nothing. 

Yep, that’s right.  Most of the time, it would be best if you just didn’t do anything.

  • No yelling at the kids to smile. (Especially when you are standing 10 feet away from me. If you really want to help get a baby or toddler’s attention, be sure you are standing right behind me.)
  • No telling the kids that their smile looks fake. (Even if it does…it almost always does when their between the ages of like 5 and 99…at least at first. Just let me deal with that.)
  • No yelling at the kids to behave. (Behaving is over rated anyway…I’d rather have real.) 
  • No yelling at the kids to put the stick down. (It’s just a stick.)
  • No yelling at the kids to act like they love each other.  (They do love each other, they just don’t always like each other.  Both emotions are fun to photograph.)

You know rationally that none of these things will help.  But it’s so hard not to…I get it.  I do the same thing when trying to photograph my kids.  But they will just get annoyed with you and frustrated at the photo session and if they aren’t having fun, it will show.  

Michelle did an amazing job at this session with her two beautiful daughters.  You know what she did?  Absolutely nothing. I barely saw her, as she was on a bench chilling a ways from us during the session and that was 100% the best thing she could have done. (Sometimes it can be a great idea just to walk away and give the kids some space.)  If she had gotten too involved, she may have become frustrated when I took the first picture below.  But if she’d have said something, I may not have gotten the second photo. Both are genuine photos of her girls..taken only seconds a part.   

So when you have the overwhelming urge to direct your kids at a photo session, just try to give me a little time and little patience, and above all…remember that I take hundreds of photos.  Some may come out like the one on the left below, but some will most definitely come out like the one on the right.  It’s all good, and they are both beautiful.

What to wear to a family portrait session

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Confession time – I’m not very good at picking clothing for family photos.  I’ve never felt like I was very good at fashion, but I know what I like and what I don’t like to see in family portrait sessions.  And I know that several of my friends are REALLY good at picking family session clothing.  One of those friends is Christy – I am always so impressed with her wardrobe choices for her family photos, so I asked her how she goes about choosing photos for a session for herself, her husband, and their three adorable little girls.  She had some great advice to share:

“I typically start with one outfit I love.  One year I loved this purple sweater that Hannah had, it looked great on her.  That year purple was our color and everyone else’s outfit was picked to match.  Last year I had a floral dress I loved, so I pulled colors out of the dress for each of the girls to wear.  I try not to pick more than one or two patterns, or any pattern that is too small or busy.  Most of the time we have what we need in our closets already.  I usually only buy one or two outfits for a shoot.  Old Navy is a great place to get coordinated outfits. They sell lots of solids which always look great in photos!  Little touches like matching bows or denim jackets helps tie everything together.”

Here are a few more do’s and don’ts I have for choosing clothing for your family photos:

DO:

  • Do pick 2-3 colors & find outfits for those colors. 
  • Do shop your own closet first.  What do you love to wear that is your signature style?  
  • Do be yourself.  If you are a blue jeans kind of mom, then wear blue jeans.  Don’t feel like you have to be fancy.  Be you.
  • Do make sure everyone feels comfortable in what they are wearing.  
  • Do make sure everything fits appropriately….this is not the time for squeezing into something, or for buying clothes big so the kids can grow into them. 
  • Do consider scarves, jackets, accessories and other things that add texture & interest to the outfits.
  • Do avoid graphics and distracting logos.  That “Big Brother” shirt is cute, but unless he’s standing perfectly still, you won’t be able to read it well in photos. 
  • Do expect you child to run, jump and play at the session.

DON’T

  • Don’t force your kids (or husband) to wear something they hate.  We want them to be comfortable at the session. 
  • Don’t wear florescent colors.  They can reflect onto skin tones. (My favorite colors for sessions are jewel tones…blue, plum, teal, burgandy, mustard yellow, etc)
  • Don’t use giant bows…it distracts from your daughter’s beautiful face.  Smaller ones are great, BUT only if she wants to wear it. Let’s not spend the entire session trying to force her to put her bow back on.
  • Don’t be afraid to incorporate patterns, just don’t go overboard.
  • Don’t try to be too matched.  Coordinated (but not matched) looks best. 
  • Don’t wear a shirt that wrinkles super easily (I see this a lot on men’s dress shirts…it’s pretty impossible to photo shop out.)
  • Don’t forget about your nails. (I often see chipped nail polish on little girls.)
  • Don’t forget about shoes…especially for the little ones.  If the weather is appropriate, barefoot is a good option for the kids.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask me if you are unsure about something. 

And didn’t Christy do a fabulous job?  They look like they belong on the cover of a magazine. 

Bonus before and after editing shot below. Can you find it?  I kinda love the before.  😂

Have you booked your family portrait session yet?  There are only a few spots left for spring, so don’t wait to book your session.