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Posted on August 31, 2009
Whenever I book a session, usually the first thing my clients ask is, what should we wear? My advice for this is, whatever you want!
No, seriously, within certain guidelines, personalizing your clothing choices to reflect who you are as a family will result in images that allow your personalities to shine through. Do you want a formal portrait? Then I suggest going fairly neutral. Black and denim is nice. Khakis and black work well. Earth tones, like browns and tans, or greys, will also work for timeless, classic formal portraiture. But if you want fun, funky, full-of-pizzazz-n-personality, well, then I say, bring on the colors!
With that said, I do believe that family portraits look better if the subjects are coordinating. Not wearing identical matching outfits, because let’s face it, who does that in real life? But like color families, because it brings the family together as a unit.
So, since apparel for a photo session is such a hot topic, I’ve decided to devote one blog post a week to “what to wear”. I’m not going to tell you what to wear, but just give you some ideas to spark your imagination. The clothing ideas that I show you will hopefully give you a springboard to expand on. You can find the clothing that I post at Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic, for the most part. Or you can use the images to find your own choices at the shop of your choosing, or even your own closets.
Clothing choice doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful, nor does it need to be expensive. But it should be fun. Use your imagination! Let your own personal taste shine through!
And with that, I give you my first clothing idea set.
Thanks for looking!
Posted on August 24, 2009
My friend and fellow photographer asked me to take photos of her extended family while they were in town visiting. I am honored to be able to catch this group together. What a fun family!
Here are just a few… gotta love that the dog got in there too! I LOVE pets in family photos- they belong there whenever possible.
Posted on August 19, 2009
Okay, a couple posts back, I said I had done a session at the Botanic Garden, but that I couldn’t post any of the pictures.
Here’s the scoop: My friend Trish had been secretly teaching me and another friend, Barb, how to ride horses. It wasn’t a secret that I was learning, but Barb was doing it to surprise her husband on their anniversary. See, Barb was very much afraid of horses, but Tim was quite the rider. She thought a surprise trail ride on their anniversary would be fun. So for the past couple of months we have been covertly meeting at GGYR for riding lessons.
Now that the secret’s out and the anniversary is over, I can reveal that the secret session at the Botanic Garden was for the purpose of Barb and I surprising Trish with a beautiful portrait of her kids, as a thank you for all she had done for us. She had no idea that I whisked her kids off that day, even changing one of them into coordinating clothes. I felt so sneaky! The kids never told her a thing, either! I love it when you really pull something like that off. I am not the sneaky type, so I was consumed with fear that she knew all along.
Here are a few of the pics I got that day (we also gave her the whole session on CD and a print of each image):
Here’s the one we had put on a large float wrap. It turned out really nice. I wish I had taken a picture of it before we gave it to her.
Thank you so much, Trish! You are an amazing teacher. I really didn’t want to ride (fear) but you not only got me past that, you brought me to a place where I enjoy it! I really cannot repay you for the hours you have spent, after long hot days, when you could have gone home, but stayed instead.
Posted on August 14, 2009
First of all, Happy Birthday to Kelsey! She turned 5, and the week was marked with a fun bash with family and friends, a new puppy, and a free playhouse for the backyard! Not too many pictures to share, as the photographer aka mom was too busy with all the festivities, I actually took about 5 pictures during her party. Ack! I hate that I missed so many moments on film but the memories are great!
Here’s our new guy, Riley. We were all awed by the amount of sleeping he did in the first day or so. We all sat around that first afternoon with him and watched him sleep, posed with him sleeping for pictures, and laughed when he twitched with puppy dreams.
This picture is with Claire, the day we got him. She our official dog sitter and cuddler extraordinaire. The dog’s feet did not hit the ground the whole time she was here LOL! I have to mention that she has his big brother, and she told me she cried when her mom and dad brought him home, she was THAT happy to have a puppy. He has grown up into an awesome dog and everyone loves him. We are thrilled to have his little bro.
Here’s Riley at the park. He loves chasing the kids and a ball around in the grass. We go almost daily, and look forward to his leash training so we can walk there. For now we have to drive because he’s too little (and not friends with the leash).
I tried to model the birthday cake after Riley. It’s kind of funny, I think. Hey, it tasted good!
Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the playhouse but it is really cute, especially after a coat of paint. My sister’s boss was getting rid of it, and Jason rustled up some manly muscles to help him get it here (thanks sooo much to all the guys who helped us that night!). We are so thankful for the “clubhouse”. The kids love having their own special place to hang out.