Posts in Category: Photography
Atlantic Beach Florida Family Photographer
This family session took place in Atlantic Beach. Atlantic Beach has been voted one of the top beaches in Florida. The longer I live here the more discerning of beaches I am becoming. The beach is soft, white and sandy. The homes are darling to look at.
There was a storm about to roll in. We finished just as the rain started to come down. This family is awesome and so busy. They’ve had to spend a lot of time apart. The thought all that I do, I do for you kept going through my head while editing this session. All the sacrifices that are made are done for this little handsome guy right here. He just turned one and starting to walking around. It’s such a fun age to see a huge accomplishment.
Both parent’s were enthusiastic during the photo-session. They were so engaged with their little man. The happy smiles and the laughter from all made the session so fun.
Jacksonville, Florida Home Newborn Session
This in home newborn session took place in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Newborns grow so quickly in the first few weeks so it is awesome to photograph them when they are little and cuddly. This little guy completes their family. What a wonderful feeling to know your family is perfectly completed.
Every time I photograph in someone’s home I am honored the family allows me into their private living space. It’s wonderful and I get to learn so much about the family. I was warmly greeted at the door by the dad and toddler.
Once I entered the home, to the left was a shadowbox with photos of their home under construction and first house key. I was told it was a house warming gift. What a great idea. To the right was a table filled with lots of photos of their family through the years. I can’t help it but I loved looking at all the old photos and learning some of the stories behind them.
Then I got to meet the mom and the handsome new addition. This newborn came a little early. The family looked great – they chose navy with a pop of red. The nursery is nautical themed so the photos will complement the room perfectly. The nursery was really cool. They showed me their oldest son’s name written in nautical flags on the wall. They were going to do the same with the new baby.
First, we photographed the entire family and then got all the photos with the two brothers. The big brother was energetic, playful, and so loving. After he was done with photos he went to play at a friend’s house. Then we were able to focus on mom, dad, and baby.
Both of the boys’ names start with the letter “H”. The mom looked beautiful and wore a necklace with the letter “H” on it. A newborn snuggled up close to mom’s heart is one of my favorite photos to capture.
I always count on needing to take a break to feed a newborn during a session. Holding the baby in different positions is a work out for the little guy so we stopped and he got fed. Then we finished up our session. It was fun to catch a smile and yawn on camera. They were such a pleasant family to be around.
To see more of this cute family continue after the jump.
Summer Family Pictures
These summer family pictures were actually taken last year but they are too good not to share. All of the pictures were taken by Butterfly Chaser Photography. I have to give a give a shout out to my husband because the circumstances of taking these pictures were a little crazy. We were in the middle of a move when we took these pictures. Literally, in the middle of a move. We were moving from West Texas to Jacksonville Florida and stopped in College Station, Texas to take these pictures. Why would anyone do such a thing? Here’s how our little conversation went.
“Hi Honey, we need new family pictures. Can we take some?”
“Ok.”
“Can we take some soon. I mean I’ve always wanted Butterfly Chaser Photography to take family pictures for us (she did both of our kids newborn photos).”
“How will that work? We live in West Texas. She’s 7 hours away.”
“Well, we are moving back east. Can’t we stop there on the way?”
“You mean with all of our stuff?”
Pause “Yes.”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
College Station was the first city we lived in Texas. So, it had some sentimental value. We had used the photographer before and love her work. We ended up getting our pictures done. Getting outfits together and bringing some props with us while we were moving was a bit crazy but I just love the pictures & Butterfly Chaser Photography. We finished outfits and props about 12 hours before we took the pictures. These were all taken at the George Bush Library.
Outfit Details
Mom- White Eyelet Dress: Old Navy, Cardigan: Macy’s, Necklace & Earrings: Francesca’s, Shoes: DSW, Lipstick: Lady Danger MAC
Dad- Shirt: Ralph Lauren, Shorts: Old Navy, Shoes: Sperry
Girl- Dress: JC Penny, Shoes: Old Navy, Necklace: Gymboree, Bow: Made by me
Boy- Shirt & Shoes: Old Navy, Shorts: Janie & Jack
My thought process on the kids and I’s clothes: I had this idea in my head that I wanted the colors mint & coral. They were popular colors at the time so there were quite a few options. I found my daughter’s dress first then built everyone else’s clothes around hers. The color mint was hard to find in the styles I wanted so it transformed a little bit more to a sea green. I told my husband our color scheme and he is left to fend for himself (his choice)! One of the most thorough suggestions of what to wear is from Paint the Moon.
1) Wear Comfortable Clothes: East Texas in June is really hot even at 9am. It was especially humid and muggy that day. So, I knew I had to dress everyone in the least amount of clothing as possible. I chose clothes that everyone could play in and not feel restricted. We all wore clothes that we felt beautiful and handsome in. If you feel like you are wearing something nice then you are more likely to be confident in your photos. If you don’t want to follow posted suggestions for pictures- don’t. The most important thing is for you to feel comfortable with what you are wearing.
2) Make Every Article of Clothing Count: I liked how my dress had texture. The cardigan and necklace added some layers. I also added some extra details and layers by a bold lipstick color and Sally Hansen nail polish strips. Even though I knew they were such a small detail, they made me feel prepared for the photo session. I had my son wear colored shorts because he didn’t have any other layers. His shirt and shoes had color and texture to them . My husband had texture in his shoes. His neutral shorts balanced out the color every where else. My daughter had a fun textured necklace and shoes. Her necklace also added a little gold and yellow to the pictures which complemented the lemons. I chose not to give my daughter a bracelet because I didn’t want her to fiddle with it during the photosession.
3) Stay Hydrated: Bring snacks and cold drinks. I brought snacks for the kids (and wipes) to eat half way through the session. It was worked out timing wise because we had a ten minute down pour. So, the kids ate during the down pour. I knew it was going to be hot so I had this idea of a little lemonade drinking to add a lifestyle element. It was perfect timing. After we had taken some portraits we did a few lifestyle things. We set up the lemonade, lemons and blanket and let the kids drink. No one had to look at the camera. Everyone was just having fun drinking cold lemonade! And boy was it welcome on that hot morning.
4) Choose Fun Activities: Try to make the photosession fun so your kids and hubby will do it again! We did lemonade, a bubble machine & a water balloon fight to cool off at the end of the session. I discussed these activities with our photographer ahead of time. This way she knew timing wise how long to allot for different activities. None of these activities took long but they took planning. I brought some of the props (and our photographer brought part of the props). Side comment: remember my collection of glass jars? Well, turning them into lemonade glasses is another use of glass jars.
5) Have Fun: My kids had so much fun. Since we had things planned for them to do (and eat) they were good sports and entertained the majority of the time. I asked my husband if he thought I was calm during the photosession (because they can be stressful- will we get a good family picture? will I have lipstick on my teeth? will my kids behave/cooperate?). He said I was calm during it but getting ready that morning I was a little crazy (I’ll go for that). While Butterfly Chaser Photography was taking individual pictures of the kids, I remember just taking a step back and sitting down and just enjoying being outside. I could see her and the children but I didn’t even watch. I did everything I could do to prepare so I just accepted how everything went. I embraced the tears we had after someone got nailed with a water balloon. It only lasted a few minutes and I actually love that picture. This was my family at this time and I love them.
What have you done or worn for summer family pictures?
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