What to Wear - 5 Awesome Wardrobe Tips for Your Family Session

December 19, 2017

Wardrobe is always a sticking point for my clients and I want you all to know I AM RIGHT HERE WITH YOU. I absolutely LOVE being a part of your styling process, and that's why I also keep key pieces in my own client wardrobe to help you out.

Each member of your family deserves their very own intentional wardrobe pieces to bring out the beauty of each individual as well as add to the general artistry of your final product. Here are a few tips that you might not think about on your own to get the MOST out of your family aesthetic.

1. Vary colors of jeans/pants.

In a family session full of boys, for example, you might have several individuals wearing jeans. I love it when grey, khaki, light and dark denims are varied. It is easier to tell whose legs are whose and gives texture and depth to an otherwise often neglected aspect of of composition. When I end up layering subjects everyone still stands out on their own.

And speaking of standing out....

2. SHINE LIKE THE MAMA DIAMOND YOU ARE

Wear something that makes you feel so lovely you can hardly handle yourself. I am a mama, and I know the struggle is real when it comes to looking easy -breezy beautiful after getting all the kids put together but this really should be more about you than them. Wear the prettiest dress you can find. (I have a bunch of things available as well.) Flow like an ethereal angel. Get your make up done. Get your hair all extra. Put on a statement necklace that makes statements you wouldn't normally make. Wear pink in a sea of boys. Be the bling. Don't hold back. GET YOUR SHOOT, GIRL.

3. Keep it Natural

I love skin. Any chance you can just show a little is always good on camera. Whether it is a slit in your maxi dress, a short dress with your boots, or bare chested blond boys on the beach, a little skin is always in. I love a hint of bare shoulder or back or leg. Just a little something extra to add a casual beauty to your compositions.

4. Vary Shirt Colors and Textures

If you are both wearing the same color blue, you are going to look like a big blue blob THERE I SAID IT. If someone is wearing a blue shirt with grey pants, someone else can wear a gray top and blue jeans and the whole thing just looks so much cleaner. So, I say pick a color scheme that also works with your home decor (for prints!) and stay in line with that style guide. I love how the hug in the above image is highlighted by the texture and color (and SKIN!) and everybody has their own unique look yet they still look great together. SIGH. PERFECTION. This will look beautiful in any room in the house.

5) Think in Terms of Texture

Your black and whites are going to shine with more texture in your wardrobe. when you wrap yourself in a yummy blanket scarf or snuggle the baby up in gorgeous cable knits and sweater textures, more layers of beauty show up in your final product. Hugs seem warmer, hand holds stand out more, and you can vary the color scheme only slightly to get beautiful tones and texture. Texture is so rich in itself and layering textures in a composition is just SO DANG LOVELY.

So there you have it. I plan to discuss your wardrobe ideas at length, and as I said , I am also happy to consult, point you in the direction of great items online, raid your closet, or bring my own stuff to make sure that your whole family looks amazing. I want you to love (and PRINT!) your pictures. And I think this is key to a lasting kind of love.

Newborn Session: In-home and in love with this baby girl in Port Orange, Florida

October 15, 2017

This rosy little face was just the sweetest!
Nothing I love better than a good in-home snuggle session with a brand new baby.
The house was full of hustle and bustle and lots of pink and even more love.
No wonder I caught this itty bitty baby smile.

wrapped up tight or showing all that baby skin?
I can't decide.
I love her every way!

This big sister was the proudest of all!
She was so content to sit for a minute and love on her new baby sister for a pic.

She also made some cute cheeky faces and licked the baby.

PERFECTION.
#thisissisterhood

It was such a pleasure to connect and capture these lovely ladies in their beautiful home.
Everybody is so much more comfortable in their natural environment.

in home newborn photography ormond beach florida

Beauty.

Never been so big.

My favorite moment.
Quiet little outtakes with the pupper in the room they live and love in.
SO loved.

Newborn Sessions - Let's stay home

August 1, 2017

YOU JUST HAD A BABY!

Or you are about to. And you know you want pictures but THIS IS YOUR FIRST ONE or maybe it's YOUR 4TH, either way, we talked and decided to do it at your house, because YES MA'AM I ABSOLUTELY MAKE HOUSE CALLS. I prefer to get to your baby between 4-10 days after they are born but circumstances certainly sometimes prevent that. You just have me come the soonest moment you are comfortable.

I love capturing the lifestyle side of a new family, and although I try so hard to replicate that in the studio, there is just something so much more intimate at home.

So yes, I will pack up my SUV like a gypsy and bring all kinds of blankies and fabrics and headwraps and hats and bowls and baskets and what have you for the baby (and also some things for you because you will want to wear them and get in the frame) and this is why it is SO IMPORTANT that we talk about this first so YOU can get JUST AS EXCITED AS ME.

THE INTRODUCTION AND WALK THROUGH

When I first get there, I will basically look like I am moving in and I will bring in all my things and then I will wash my hands AGAIN because at first I will just want to hold your baby.

It's been a while since mine were little, and they weren't even little long.

Your baby is a little person and as I hold this precious little subject I will get a much better idea of how they move, bend and what makes them comfy. Generally babies get VERY EXCITED about how FUNNY I am, even if they were just asleep, so baby and I will find our artistic groove and you can show me all the cute things you have to choose from for wardrobe and pretty little spots and we will find some pretty pockets of light in the house. We will go to the nursery.

It doesn't really take that long to do but I feel like it took forever to type it.

POSED SHOTS

I will wrap the baby in something soft and lay the baby on something full of texture or or color or fuzz and I will get to business. It takes a bit to get baby both visible and comfortable so I will be basically molding the baby to relax fingers and faces and you will stand right behind me oohing and ahhing because it really is just the cutest thing ever.

I love to give you tips as I go so that as you try to capture pictures daily on your phone you can get the very best pictures of your baby as they grow and do new things.

I will totally stop and snap a phone pic of your baby for my Instagram and maybe do a little social story behind the scenes and I will encourage you to grab your phone as well. YOUR MOM IS GONNA FREAK WHEN SHE SEES HOW CUTE I MADE YOUR BABY.

And then, if like, Easter is that weekend or something, I MAY DO SOMETHING SILLY.

Ugh. I cannot EVEN with this guy.

Just blogging this makes me miss him like crazy!

LIFESTYLE SHOTS

But HEY! Don't think it is all posey posey cute in a basket. While I have been doing THIS, you have been trying on clothes I brought and you have finished pulling together that new mom gorgeousness so we can get some sweet dreamy environmental portraits of your new baby's new world.

I come to your house so I can capture the world you are in right now. In 10 years when you look back and get emotional over the beautiful moments we have captured, you will feel your heart tug as you remember that old couch and the how young the dog was and that sweet home that was just a starter version of the beautiful family that has grown and changed.

These little details mark time, show history, build a legacy of heirloom images for your children to cherish, and your children's children. You will value these images over so many other tangible items as you grow older, and so will they.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

ONE THING THOUGH: I may not have mentioned a whole lot of the WORK involved or the ATTITUDE of your baby yet, I've made this whole process sounds peachy keen but when I get there, and your baby is having their first OFF DAY and you didn't sleep last night, and the baby won't stop nursing/fussing/whatever other skills your baby was blessed with at birth, DO NOT FREAK OUT - THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT *I* EXPECT. (That's a whole separate blog topic. ;P)

I don't expect anything to be perfect when I get there, and have (more than once) struggled through getting a baby to cooperate to the 9th hour when Mom, and Dad and Grandma and I were all just going to throw in the towel but then BOOM THE BABY GIVES UP and gives us 20 minutes of sweet dreamy newborn sleep and I TAKE IT FOR ALL IT IS WORTH AND WE GET THE SHOTS.

So that's it. After 2 hours we are all exhausted and I am sweaty and I pack up my car and sprinkle you with glitter and drive off into the noon day sun to get working on making magic with what I have just captured and you all go take a nap.

I send a few sneak peeks right away and you will ooh and ahh and then 2 weeks later when I deliver your gorgeous gallery you will already see the changes in your growing baby and you will be SO GLAD we got in there early and made it all happen.

Wonder how much it costs? Click here.
Want to see more examples? Click here.

A Baby Baptism Party - Apopka, Florida

May 15, 2017

I was super excited to attend and photograph this little one's baptism in Orlando last month. His parents were actually one of my first weddings, and it had been years since I had seen or photographed them, though we kept in touch on Facebook.

I had been wanting to get my hands on this little guy for sometime, to say the least.

This was my first baptism session, and it was absolutely lovely and so touching. It was a private event and therefore I was able to move and photograph freely during the ceremony, capturing all the sweetness and this beautiful light.

This handsome guy.
He has the sweetest little face.

orlando florida baptism event photographer

Baptism Day is a huge day for a baby.
So much family and so much party.
So much celebrating of life.

After the ceremony we headed back to the house for a family party and pictures with every grandparent, auntie, uncle, cousin and family friend.

And of course my session wouldn't be complete without a little getaway with mom and dad.
We sneaked a couple of quiet minutes in the living room for some cuddly family goodness.

I am so in love with their little family.
Only thing missing is their gorgeous dog.

So I guess I will have to go back.
Because family isn't complete without puppers!

Triple Threat - Daytona Beach Baby Photographer - Triplets

May 2, 2017

I once had a dog and if you threw 3 balls, he would try to fit all 3 in his mouth.
That's how these three little people make me feel!

Here is a session that is proof that the best part of a session are the outtakes!
(SPOILER Lifestyle Photography IS basically outtakes.)

I can't really begin to quantify my job as a photographer, because it is so fun and awesome, yet also it isn't as easy as I make it seem! I have 1 hour to try and reveal the souls and connection between how ever many people I have in front of my camera and so often, I will encounter a subject or two who may even have been brought to the session against their will!

But this is how my job is wonderfully easy:

Life is beautiful.
Life is magical.
Life is REAL.
As long as I keep snapping up
little bits and pieces of REAL life,
I will capture a magic that only truly yours.

It's so hard to make all three of them happy at the same time! I can't imagine what these adorable parents have been going through, but watching them just love on these babies and let them be themselves and soak in the moments was such an amazing process.

And mom had the best attitude. "Everybody loves the ones where they are crying!"
GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. :)

Life so real I can't even handle the cuteness!

Oh, NOW YOU'RE HAPPY. :P

Things I learned about tiny adorable gangs:
They do what they want.
They go where they want.
They eat cheerios.

After a little warming up, all 3 are almost happy. :)

identical triplets - daytona beach family photographer

The one in the middle KNOWS.

identical triplets - ormond beach family photographer

Finally the right mixture of cheerios, fan wind and me acting a fool.

I MEAN COME ONNNNNNNN.
How are they supposed to deals with this manner of cuteness all day and night?

You have no idea the amount of weird noises and exaggerated motions it takes to keep these three anywhere near THE ZONE. Of course with this level of content we had to try and throw the parents back into the mix!