Enjoy!

I met Miss Baby C when her mother approached me in late of last year for Maternity photos. So after the maternity session we waited to hear back from Mom to know when Miss C would be born. Finally I got the email that she was born so we planned for a day to make it happen!

Shooting women and families in general for the last few years has given me the experience to see not only how I perceive myself, but also how we perceive ourselves in front of the camera. To be honest, a lot of us (thanks to Ads, branding, marketing..etc) of thin muscular very photoshopped women puts us at a disadvantage as it creates an image of a flawless world.

As a mother I rarely have photos of me alone or with my son because I stop myself from being in them. There are things I’d love to change that I feel would be better if changed….arms not so flabby and stomach a little more tight..however at the end of the day I have to remember the photos are there for remembering in 20 years what happened today vs how I feel about myself. My son doesn’t care about how my arms look, just that they hold him. He doesn’t care that my stomach is flabby, just that he can lay there when he’s sick or tired.

When we are in front of the camera it’s easy to think of things we don’t like. Unfortunately those things become apparent if we let them. What are the features you love about yourself? Think beyond just physical traits..think about what matters most and what it means to the family.
Imagine standing in front of the camera with your family. What are the main reasons you want to have the portraits taken…is it for the family album, gifts for others..canvas’s to hang on the walls?  Then, are the portraits there to show the love of a family, or the relationship of father and son? There are many ways we can do a session to show what really matters through posing and having fun.

When I walk past my portraits on the wall I feel secure knowing I had a good time when I took the portrait, my son had fun playing with his stick, and my husband had some bonding time with him. My flabby arms don’t define my session- I made them by eating my way through pregnancy with a supportive husband to give birth to our first son…it created a family which we are proud of…

What do your flabby arms or could be tighter stomach say about your family? What path did you take to have happiness?

It’s the life path and what your family stands for that makes a session beautiful and unique. Photoshop is a tool to help smooth things out like lighting and color and sure..maybe a inch off the waist – but what made the session beautiful is you.

Simple.Authentic.You.

(okok…I actually almost panicked but we’ll pretend I’m good at navigating)

When I pulled in I expected something smaller. It was a nice surprise to see winding roads, cabins, and lakes. It was a few weeks before Halloween. The roads had decorations alongside of ghosts. The leaves turned yellow, red and shades of brown. It was partly cloudy and warm so it was a great day and location to shoot.

During the session I learned of an engagement which happened a week prior. Congrats!

I walked in to this session with no expectations and the mindset to get the shot by having fun. It was important to capture the large family shot, but also each immediate family as well. With this session I felt more prepared than ones in the past. While I hadn’t done anything more to prepare myself, by letting things be as they are I was able to let go and just capture what was there by creating the moment vs. waiting for it. With each session I learn and experience new things. After meeting this family I learned it’s ok to have fun, but work at the same time

The family was comfortable and making jokes within minutes. After 20 minutes some were even jumping in to the background.

Enjoy!

I admire the spontaneity of children. They have the ability to use their imaginations with confidence. Walking in to this session we have a theme of stars hanging from the tree in mind however with the location, and the wind, the stars weren’t as apparent in the images as I had hoped. Because I relied so much on using a theme (this was the first time too) I didn’t have a backup plan in case it didn’t work.

Well..hmpf..go me!

As the session unfolded I tried giving her poses that looked relaxed but as we all know, they generally don’t. Finally I gave up. When I gave up the session began. Because I was putting so much pressure on myself to create, I didn’t allow what was there to flourish. We danced, we laughed, and we had fun.

I learned in this session, we photographers, are enough. We have a talent to capture what is in front of us to create art.Everyone and everything around us has something special to showcase. Nothing is better than just being yourself.

Mr. and Mrs. R have gone from newly weds to old pro’s in their marriage.

Their son has grown from a child to a young man (sniffle)

It was a great feeling when Mrs. R. called to have family portraits taken. We’ve scheduled them in the past. In fact, before we found I was pregnant we scheduled her session last year for photos on my due date!

This year when the hustle and bustle of going back to school settled we took the chance to visit the Adam’s Nature preserve to run around in the fields and take advantage of the great buildings.

A big thanks goes to the Robert’s family allowing me to have the creative freedom and letting us run around in a field!