Tag: "Pinkerton Park"

Repeat Portrait clients are my favorite

Posted in Aspen Grove Park, Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about my job as a family portrait photographer is getting to know families, especially when they come back for repeat sessions.  I photographed this beautiful family around this time last year and just loved getting to know these three beautiful sisters, so I was so excited to see them again this year. 

Last year I wrote: “They are totally my happy place. So much energy, and wonder and joy.  They were just perfect.”  I would say exactly the same thing about our session this year.  Only one thing was different…

Last year for their session, I wrote about how important it is to tell me if one of your children is particularly shy before the session. That lets me know that I need to maybe approach that child a little differently and give her time to warm up to me.  

But you know what’s great about being able to see client again and again?  This time, the children remembered me, and they knew that the session wouldn’t be scary or boring.  They came into it knowing we’d play and have fun.  This makes it especially easier for kids who may be a little shy.  Knowing me coming it to it, they feel more at ease and have an easier time getting into the session.

And I got the chance to see how much they’d grown over the year, and hear about their new interests and what brings them joy.  (New Harry Potter fans are the BEST.)  

How I fell in love with Photography

Posted in Family, Newborns & Babies, Pinkerton Park, Portrait SessionsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I first fell in love with photography when my youngest was a baby.  That’s when I got my first DSLR.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to capture those precious moments with my girls when they were so little.

With my oldest, we had routinely taken her to Sears portrait studio, because that’s what I thought you were supposed to do….I didn’t know any better.  Every few months, I would take her there, and they would prop her up on a table with some cheesy backdrops, maybe throw her in a fake bathtub, or lay her buck naked on a mirror with some fake flowers around her and take her picture.  The photos were beautiful, because they were of my beautiful baby girl, but something was lacking.  

Then, once she passed that baby stage and became a toddler, it just no longer worked at all.  They would expect her to stand on an “X” on the ground and look them and say cheese.  Well, I just haven’t met many toddlers who will do that.  

Then when my youngest was born, a friend from work recommended a “real” photographer named Lauren Gill. I just loved the photos my friend had, so I hired her.  The cost was quite a bit more than the Sears portrait studio, but as soon as I saw the results, I fell in love.  The photos captured so much more than those fake posed photos we had gotten before.  She captured all those little things about the girls that I wanted to remember…Kayla’s adorable giggles, or the way Megan did (and still does) twirl her hair…all those funny little expressions or gestures that you want to remember always. 

I wanted to learn to do that too.  So I bought a camera and slowly learned as much as I could.  I took photos everywhere…at playdates, birthday parties, and every day moments at home.  Those early photos are SOOOO bad, but I am so thankful for them, as they are moments in time frozen.  

That was about 10 years ago, but that’s the time that I feel taken back too each time a photograph a family with a baby. I want so badly to create something special for those parents, because I know that it all goes by so quickly. I want to capture those silly expressions, that fascination with the world around them, and the pure joy at just being.  

This sweet girl made that job so easy and I absolutely fell in love with her (and her sweet parents) during our shoot.  How blessed am I to have a job where I can do what I love while meeting wonderful new people.