Happy Fall y’all!  Well, not QUITE yet, but it’s definitely on its way!  Now that my family has returned from a wonderful month in Michigan spending time with grandparents and cousins, and school has once again started, it feels like things are back to normal again.  And for me, that means back to working full time at SLP!  And it just so happens that my favorite season is upon us:  Fall Family Portraits!  Fall is, by far, the most popular time for families to book family portrait sessions.  Why?  Beautiful fall colors… crisp, cool weather… less humidity to mess with Mama’s hairdo… Fall’s the best!  I was lucky enough to capture this adorable Maryland family this summer, and I can’t begin to tell you the joy it brought me to create these images for them.  This session made me so excited to think about the amazing fall portraits that will be happening soon!

Tips for timeless family photos…

On another more practical note, this session was an ideal example of WHAT TO WEAR for your family photos.  Momma here did an amazing job of styling her family! I might be biased (because blue is my favorite color) but I truly love how the family’s wardrobe finished off their images in the most beautiful way. It took what could have been nice photographs and made them amazing.

What did Mom do that works so well??  She chose similar tones for everyone. (Or is it intensities?)  You know, everyone was in light colors- a combination of whites, creams, and blues.  Everyone’s clothing complemented everyone else’s beautifully.  There wasn’t a bold or dark color stuck in somewhere.  (Not that you can’t do “bold” colors for portraits… you absolutely can!  See our Pinterest board, or our next blog post on Wardrobe tips for family portraits!)  But here, the soft, neutral tones are a never-fail no-brainer for pulled-together portraits.   😉

I hope you enjoy this sweet family’s session as much as I did shooting it!  I cannot help but smile when I see those adorable innocent little faces and their toothy grins.  And they’re not even mine!  I can just imagine the joy that Mom and Dad get from these.  And what an honor that is for ME to be a part of that- I am so blessed to do what I do!

For more details and info about our on-location family sessions, visit our pricing page here.

Alternatives to a “cakesmash”

There is little more exciting to new parents than celebrating their child’s very first birthday.  Their baby is not quite a baby anymore and is beginning to look more and more like a little boy or little girl- it’s wonderful and bittersweet all at the same time.   Those of you who have been through this milestone know exactly what I’m talking about!  Little Luke- the happiest little boy you’ll ever see- visited the studio to celebrate his first birthday!  And given that he was challenged with various different food allergies, mom decided to commemorate his birthday with his favorite thing- books!  And more specifically, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I absolutely LOVED this idea!!!  And it wasn’t just because it was easier to clean up.  😉  When mom looks back on these photos, she’ll be reminded of how much he loved to look at books, and his fuzzy caterpillar, and how children can- even at such a young age- have their own unique likes and dislikes, favorite toys, favorites pastimes. It’s so amazing to watch kids grow and to learn all of these idiosyncrasies about them.

Look at him looking at his toes!!!  Too sweet!One of my favorite of Luke’s little idiosyncrasies was his tongue twirling!  When I was shooting his session, I was grinning from ear-to-ear just watching his smiles and laughter and happy faces!  But it wasn’t until I began editing his gallery on the computer that I noticed the most adorable thing- he twists his tongue when he has that big smile! Mom loved that this was captured in a photo.  Because most likely, he’ll outgrow that little habit, but she’ll always be able to see that sweet silly smile in a photograph.

As alway, Pinterest is THE place for inspiration on sessions like these.  There are so many brilliant photographers that have created some absolutely amazing and totally unique sessions to celebrate baby’s first year!  To check out some of these awesome sessions- many of which are NOT the traditional “cakesmash”- check out my Pinterest board!  Be sure too share any awesome ideas of your own in the comment below!

Cheers!

I’m not sure how long the term “rainbow baby” has been around, but for those unfamiliar…. just as a rainbow appears after a storm, a “rainbow baby” is the loving term for a baby born after a miscarriage or infant loss.  Unfortunately, this sweet family endured such a loss the year before.  This brand new baby- whose gender was left as a surprise!- was certainly a rainbow for them.  A dear friend- the amazing birth photographer April Kraus (aprilkrausphotography.com)-  referred them to me for their classic newborn portraits. April photographed sweet Aurora’s birth, and then I captured the family in my studio- we were two lucky girls to be a part of her arrival this way! There were a lot of people waiting excitedly to see her… Not the least of which being her parents and big sisters!  🙂   This session took place at our previous home, and looking back on it brings me all the warm fuzzies.  I loved all of the families I worked with there, and this family was no exception.  It was a honor to make these portraits for this sweet Momma. What a gracious and kind person she- and her whole family- are!

Enjoy this celebration of “Rainbow Baby” Aurora’s arrival!

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Before our family moved cross-country, my husband and I flew out here for an extra long weekend of house hunting.  This was back in September, actually.  And we had the pleasure of meeting the nicest realtor at an open house we attended.  He mentioned that his wife was expecting (yay! Music to my ears!) and I mentioned that I would also be moving my newborn photography studio with us when we moved a few months later!  As they say, the rest is history!  I kept in touch with Chris and was so excited to hear when their precious baby boy was born just before Christmas.  Their first baby!  I know from experience what an amazing time it is when you meet your child for the very first time.  It’s incredible.  It’s also exhausting, exhilarating, joyful, stressful, and abundantly full of love.  I was so very honored that they chose me to capture this amazing time for their brand new family.  They are amazing people and will be amazing parents.  And their little guy was the sweetest little bundle to cuddle.  Here is the gorgeous gallery of baby Blake’s photographic debut!  Enjoy!

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