When we think photoshoots, especially with young kids, many people bristle at the idea. The thought of wrangling a screaming toddler, holding them down and waving a sucker in their face just for once forced smile doesn’t really sound fun. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that, and it won’t be! If you show up to your session with the mindset I talk about in this blog post, you will have an amazing experience, and your kids will love you more for it.
How often do you get in pictures with your kids? I’m guessing the answer is “not often enough”. I know that’s mine! But why? What holds us back from capturing those precious memories with our children? I could rattle off a slew of different answers because I always have an excuse. It’s hard to see myself in pictures. I’m a little more fluffy than I’d like to be, I hardly ever fix my hair, I’m usually in clothes I wouldn’t want to be seen in outside of my own house, my teeth are crooked, I could go on and on. But guess what? My kids could not care less. I don’t think they notice any of these things about me. When they look at me, they see a loving caretaker (they also see their cook, chauffer, maid, and nurse, but you know how it goes). They see someone who has literally been with them from the beginning of time. Someone who makes them feels safe, someone who looks at them with a twinkle in their eye because they can’t express in words how much they love their children. They don’t see my flaws, they see me for me.
Society has really influenced the way we, as women and mothers, view ourselves. Don’t gain more than 45lbs during pregnancy, but don’t lose weight either. Get back to pre-baby weight as fast as you can, but make sure you’re still eating enough to be able to nourish your baby. Work out every day, but don’t take too much time for yourself so you can bond with your baby. Cook healthy dinners every night, but don’t get too overwhelmed by screaming children, crying babies, or a messy house. Who comes up with this stuff? Motherhood is HARD. The last thing we should be worrying about is how we look in a picture. I don’t want to look back on my life in 20 years and regret not taking enough pictures with my kids. We can’t get this time back, and as slowly as it feels like it’s moving, it goes by so fast.
When I ask my kids to take a picture with me, they almost always oblige. I don’t do it as often as I should, but I think it feels special to them. They feel included, and I think it makes them feel loved. My youngest daughter likes to look through old pictures on my phone. When she gets to photos with her and I both in them, she lingers just a little bit longer. She doesn’t know it yet, but she will cherish those photos so much when she is an adult. She will look back on them and hopefully remember the way mommy hugged her, kissed her all over, and squeezed her tight. We’re not just taking pictures of people, we’re taking pictures of feelings and of memories. And that is what is truly important.
With Mother’s Day coming up in a couple months, I challenge you to get in the picture. Stop sitting on the sidelines taking photos of your children and significant other. Join the fun, don’t worry about the way you look. Allow those memories to be captured, and think about the less important things later. Maybe even put them in a separate folder that can be saved for your kids when they’re old enough to hold onto them (you don’t even have to look at them). Remember that you are so much more than the skin on your body. You have a whole story to tell. Don’t leave your loved ones out of it.
For more information on booking a Mommy and Me Mini Session, click here.
Can you believe September is basically over already?! Family sessions are in full swing this fall, and one of my favorite parts of planning these sessions is helping my clients pick out outfits for their family. Whether you want to go traditional, simple, trendy, etc., here are my top tips for dressing your family!
Patterns are great here and there, but if multiple people are wearing patterns it can draw attention away from what is really important. The more patterns involved, the more you may clash with the environment as well depending on the location you choose. Here is a good example of smart pattern choices (c. 2018)! The patterns are simple, and don’t draw attention to one individual person or outfit. With that being said, I do think well thought out pattern choices can enhance your photos if done right. Keep them a small part of the overall outfit choices and you’re on your way to a well balanced photo.
We have all seen it— the classic white t-shirt and jeans family photograph. A sea of white and navy blue where it’s hard to tell where one person ends and another one begins. While it is a good idea to have everyone generally matching, individuality is key. Two people wearing the same color next to each other may blend together. Look for specific color palettes for outfits on Pinterest. There are a lot of great ideas, even specific options for each season. I personally think neutral tones are best with the occasional pop of color.
I have many clients show up to sessions with cute shirts that have special sayings on them, for example, “mama bear” and “papa bear”. While I do think these shirts are adorable, they are best left at home and worn for other occasions. If you are really hoping for a picture in these shirts, we can do a quick outfit change and take a couple shots of everyone in them. However, it can be hard to read what is written on the shirts, especially in a photograph. For the words to be readable in a picture, everyone has to stand straight, stiff, and still. This is not quite my style! I am always asking my clients to move or interact with each other. Also, steer clear of shirts with brand names or characters. These can be a cause for distraction as well.
A lot of my locations require a good amount of walking, so make sure to wear something you would be comfortable walking around in. Wear shoes that you wouldn’t mind getting a little bit dirty (and make sure you can walk in them!), and pants you might not mind kneeling down or sitting in. Have the kids wear something they feel comfortable in as well and not something you have to convince them to wear. If they feel comfortable, the higher chance they will look and act comfortable in the photos as well. Simple, plain dresses and shirts are the way to go, in my opinion. Neutral color palettes are also a plus. Try to steer clear from anything too trendy that may go out of style in a couple years.
A good necklace, scarf, or jacket can add some great layering to your outfits. This helps create depth within the outfit and the photo. Textured items can also make the photos more interesting. For guys, try rolling the sleeves up 3/4 length, adding a casual jacket, or a vest. For kids, bows in the hair, textured pants or shirts, and cute shoes are also great ways to add points of interest to your photos.
This might seem a bit odd to some, but if you plan on displaying your photos in your home, you may want it to match your overall color scheme and styling of your home. If you like neutral colors, for example, or have a pop of color you decorate with, consider matching your outfits to these types of things. It’s really the little things that make such a big difference once it’s all said and done!
With all of that being said, choosing outfits can be one of the most overwhelming parts of planning your photoshoot, which is why I am here to help! I absolutely love helping clients dress their families, and eagerly welcome any photos or outfit examples you want to send my way. At the end of the day, there isn’t one perfect color palette or style that I can recommend. It all boils down to who you are as a family, what you feel good in, and what you want to look at when your images are displayed on your wall or printed in a keepsake album.
I can’t wait to help you plan your family session! If you haven’t booked one already, fill out my contact form to get the process going. Happy Fall!
When I was a kid, my goal in life was not to become a photographer. It was actually never even a thought in my mind growing up. I was artistic, and creative, but photography really didn’t fall into that specific skill set for me. When I became a mom in 2013, my life changed a little bit. Okay, a lot a bit. My son was (and is) my pride and joy and life revolved around him. I spent most of my days chasing him around and relishing in the moments of this new experience for me. I wished I could document his life in a way that would stop time, so to speak. Enter: photography. It sounds cliché, but I started photography because I wanted to document my son and our life together.
Oh my goodness, I am so behind on these blog posts! Life has been crazy busy lately with clients, my family, basic chores, school starting, and much more. A few updates on our life if you care to listen; if not, feel free to skip this part ;) My son had his 4th birthday at the end of August-- Batman themed, so I'm sure you can guess he got a ton of Batman toys, which he could not have been happier about! Also on his birthday, we adopted a little kitten (only 8 weeks old!!)! Her name is Athena, and she is just the cutest thing ever. I have never really been a cat person, but she has changed my whole perspective on cats. My babies may be growing up, but at least I still have something little that wants to cuddle with me 😭
Good evening! I am here to share with you a gorgeous maternity session that I did a few weeks ago! I am so thankful that the rain held off for our session and we were able to get some beautiful shots because this momma welcomed a baby girl just one week later! This is also my first photoshoot where a family brought their bunny ;)
I am SO excited to share this session with you all! I put so much time and effort into this session from the moment Sophia's mom said she wanted a Beauty and the Beast theme. I've never done a "themed" session like this before and I could not wait! I got to do some thrift shopping and found some great stuff to use. I found the vintage chair on the Facebook Marketplace and thought it was perfect for the theme. The owner of the chair said it was hand embossed by her grandmother who was born in the late 1800's. How cool is that?! I found the candlesticks at Goodwill, and I actually already had the clock. I found the dome from Walmart, carved out the bottom, and glued a fake rose on the inside. Overall, I feel like all of my props came together quite well! Now, everyone meet Sophia! She just turned three, and was so well behaved! I am so lucky to have such adorable and charming little clients!
So cute!!
Little beauty <3
I love this one of her walking into the woods!
Isn't her dress gorgeous? Her mom had it custom made for her birthday!
Every princess needs to be silly every now and then ;)
Posing with Mrs. Potts!
Love the little roses in her hair!
If you loved viewing these photos and are interested in booking a session like this for you or someone you love, head over to the "contact" section of my website and shoot me an email! I can't wait to hear from you!
Samantha and Paisley participated in my Mom and Me sessions last year and I could not believe how big Paisley has gotten! She did so well for her session, too! Her and her mom wore matching shirts and they could not have looked cuter. Here are some of my favorites from our mini session in Dekalb:
Paisley's eyes are so gorgeous!
Love this!
Paisley really enjoyed sitting on the swing! Definitely made my job easier ;)
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and are interested in booking a session for you or someone you love, head over to my contact form and shoot me an email! Also, please consider following me on Facebook and subscribing to my newsletter for more info on mini sessions, promotions, and much more!
I am so excited to share these mini sessions with you! I love this setup, and am already looking forward to next year! Mom and me Mini Sessions featured a wooden tree swing wrapped in flowers and pink flower crowns for the mothers and daughters. I have my awesome assistant, Autumn, to thank for putting the flowers and flower crowns together for me! They turned out so beautifully! My husband help me put up the swing at the Afton Forest Preserve in Dekalb. Such a beautiful location! Yasmine and Ariella were my first clients and they rocked their session together! I have been photographing Ariella since she was four months old, and it is so great to see how much she's grown every time she comes back. Her and her mom looked so cute in their matching skirts!
So cute!!
Such a happy girl!
Beautiful girls!
Although I love a good smiling photo as much as the next person, candid shots like these really steal my heart! <3 Someday Yasmine will look back on this photo and think, "Wow, it's hard to believe my baby girl was ever this little." It's so important to capture moments like these. As a mom myself, it really takes some extra effort to be in as many photos as I take. It is so worth it, though, to have photos like these for our children to look back on! It's hard to believe that 10-15 years from now, these babies could be reading these exact blog posts about them when they were little. And hopefully they will bring back fond memories of their childhood and the precious time their parents have spent with them. :)
If you enjoyed looking at these photos and are interested in booking a session for you or someone you love, head on over to my contact form and shoot me an email! Also, please consider liking my page on Facebook and subscribing to my newsletter for more info on mini sessions, promotions, and much more!
Another maternity session has come and gone and these two were so great to work with! Shaina and Ben chose the Ellwood House in Dekalb as the location for their session. I love photographing my clients there because there is so much variety! Shaina and Ben actually welcomed their baby boy just a few weeks after our session. I am so happy for them! They will be great parents! Here are some of my favorites from my session with them last month:
Love this one! They look so happy together :)
Gorgeous momma-to-be!
Like I said, so much variety!!
<3
They wanted to recreate a photo they took here for their engagement photos and I think it turned out really cute!
Spring is such a beautiful time of year! That purple tree in the background is so pretty!
Congrats to Shaina and Ben on their baby boy! If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and are interested in booking a session for you or someone you love, head over to the "contact" portion of my website and shoot me an email!
I have another sweet, newborn baby boy to share with you all. ♥️ Everyone, meet baby Henry! Henry has the best hair and he smiled for me MULTIPLE times during our session! His mom picked one of my favorite color schemes for boys-- grey and navy! Simple with a pop of color! The session went very well, and I got some great shots of this sweet baby and his family. There were a few messes to clean up, but what's a newborn session without a few stains? ;) Take a look at some of the adorable pictures I captured during my afternoon with Henry! This is going to be a longer post because I have way too many favorites! Also, shoutout to my awesome assistant who played a big part in keeping this little guy asleep and happy!
Isn't his hair amazing?! Also, I like how his little leg is hanging out of the wrap :)
I love how he is looking right at me in this shot!
Sweet baby boy ♥️ This bonnet is the cutest.
😍😍😍
I mentioned to Henry's mom about how comfortable he seemed to be on his tummy. She said, "That's funny, because he usually doesn't like laying on his tummy." And just like that, he woke up.
Baby in a bucket!! This hat is special because Henry's grandmother made it for him :)
I found this wooden truck at an antique store! Such a cute find, and it goes so well with this setup!
:)
What a beautiful family!!
Henry's momma is so gorgeous!
And last but not least... how cute is this?! Baby Henry is so happy to snuggle with his daddy 😍
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and are interested in booking a session for you or someone you love, head on over to my "Contact" form and shoot me an email!
I met Melissa and her family a few weeks ago for her maternity session. She had told me I could come photograph them on their property and I was blown away by the amount of variety it offered! We were able to do photos in the woods, next to their barn, in an open field, and even on a dock leading out to a little pond. It was such an adventure, and so much fun to photograph them! Melissa and Lucas have a little girl named Hadley, who was only 2 years old. She did so wonderfully during the session! She stood next to me when I was photographing her parents together, and followed all of my directions. I should have her teach my kids a thing or two about listening ;). The best part, though, was finding out that Melissa is naming her little boy SAWYER! My son's name! It's not a name you hear very often, so to hear that really made my day. It was meant to be :D Here are some of my favorites from their session:
What a cute little family!!
This is one of my favorites because it's completely candid. We were trying to get little Hadley to look up at her parents and she was just smiling away at the camera for me :D
This has got to be one of my all-time favorites. The reflection in the pond was absolutely beautiful. As soon as I saw it, I could see this shot in my head. So happy with how it turned out!
I did not even pose Hadley in this spot! She stood there all by herself looking adorable so I told her to smile for me. She is so cute!!
Mother and daughter ♥️
I love this!! The sun was in the perfect spot for this shot, and the sky was gorgeous!
And that's a wrap!
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and are interested in booking a session for you or someone you love, head on over to my "Contact" form and shoot me an email!
I got to meet this sweet baby girl last month and she is such a little cutie! I met her mom through church, and when she told me she was expecting, I was so excited for her! Nora has two older siblings who I'm sure are great helpers to their baby sister ;) Nora's session took place in her home, which most of my newborn sessions do. I love doing in-home sessions because it is so much more relaxing for the families. Nora's parents were able to relax and her siblings played quietly on their tablets the entire time (which was pretty impressive). Nora was a little unsettled towards the beginning, which is quite normal, but she relaxed pretty well once we wrapped her up like a burrito!
Look at that sweet face!! I think she definitely looks like her siblings in this photo :)
I love this color combination!
Sleepy baby girl...
And then she woke up! I actually love it when they wake up for a little bit because it's so rare to see them with their eyes open during the first few weeks :)
I was so happy when Nora's mom picked the white backdrop. Part of who I am as a business is simplicity, and this photo definitely represents that.
Sleep tight, little one ♥️
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and would like more information on booking a session for you or someone you love, head on over to the "Contact" portion of my website and shoot me an email!
Everyone meet Lawson, the six month old boy who stole my heart ♥️. Seriously though, this kid is the cutest! And he has the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes! Lawson came to see me last month, and he wasn't so sure about being put under the spotlight, but we ended up with some really cute shots that accentuate his personality well! We started with a simple setup, because like I said in my last post, it is usually best as to not overwhelm the baby right off the bat. I had Lawson's mom bring a special blanket from home and we let him cuddle with it against a simple backdrop. He is definitely a momma's boy, and you could tell that he was a little unsure of the experience, but I think that just adds to the innocence of the photos. I love how these turned out, and I think Lawson's mom is going to love having these to look back on in a few years :).
He was unsure at first, but I was able to get some smiles out of him :)
I absolutely love this photo. That face, those eyes!!
I kind of love that he has his pacifier in this one, because it is so natural, and something that he uses probably every day.
Sooo cute!! What a handsome smile!
And this was the last setup that we did! Oh man, I wish I would have started with this one because this color combination is amazing. I'm definitely going to have to try this for future setups. This is another outfit that I made myself :)
If you enjoyed looking at these photos, and would like more information on booking a session for you or someone you love, head on over to my "Contact" form and shoot me an email!
Hey everyone! I'm back again, and this time with a gorgeous baby girl! Sweet baby Ava came to see me last month and she is such a little doll. I had no problem getting some big smiles out of her, even towards the end of the session. She was such a trooper, and the best little model! We started with a simple setup for Ava. I like starting with something simple because I have found that it's best not to overwhelm the baby. It's already a different experience for them-- with big lights, props, reflectors, and someone holding a strange black object making weird noises-- it can be a little much at first. Starting with a simple setup lets the baby relax and get the feel of what it's like to be photographed. I also love that with these setups I can focus more on the baby and capturing their real, budding personalities. You can already tell just by looking at these photos that Ava is growing up to be such a spunky, happy little lady. Have a look for yourself!
This was one of the very first shots I took. We literally just set her down, and she started smiling like that at me!
Look at that face!! So happy!!
She kept sticking her fingers in her mouth and it was the cutest thing!
I love a good smiling photo as much as the next person, but I'm a sucker for this face too. Ava is such a beauty!
At this point she was getting a little tired, but not too tired to smile for me! Also, I made this outfit. So happy with how it turned out!
I have titled this photo "Mondays" because seriously...
If you loved looking at these photos, and would like more information on booking a session for you or someone you love, please head on over to my "Contact" form and shoot me a message!
Summer has been a returning client for over a year now, and it has been so wonderful watching her grow up and capturing each new milestone. When her mom came to me wanting a mermaid/ocean theme for her cake smash, I was so excited! But let me tell you, I did not anticipate the amount of time it would take to make those little pinwheels! Haha! Regardless, I love the way this turned out, and I think Summer enjoyed it too :) After her cake smash, we ended the session with a little sink bath! I can't get over how awesome the lighting from that kitchen window was!
Summer rocked her cake smash and was not at all shy about digging in! Here are some of my favorites:
This is definitely one of my favorite shots of all time. Look at the mischievous little smile she has going on!
Taking "cake smash" literally! :D
Go big or go home, right?
Me after the kids go to bed as I try to make up for all of the food I didn't have time to eat during the day haha!
Me when my husband gets home... "Don't judge."
She did not care one bit that she was covered in cake and frosting!
I love, love, LOVE this photo! The connection between these two is incredible, and I think this shows off Summer's personality so well.
When I met Eliana, she weighed almost 11 pounds, but she felt so tiny in my arms! It's amazing how quickly we forget the feeling of our own newborn little ones in our arms. It's something I wish I could re-experience every day of my life. I remember when my daughter was born, she weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Almost all of the nurses and the doctor commented on on how she was such a big baby. But compared to my toddler, who weighed over 30 pounds at the time, she felt weightless in my arms. It's so funny because that is probably my most vivid memory of her as a newborn. Even the little babies that come to me for a newborn session feel so tiny and fragile compared to my rambunctious toddler and preschooler. I know it's cliche, but it's crazy how fast they grow up!
Anyway, introducing Eliana!
Her hair was incredible! I was seriously so excited when I met her.
Those cheeks!! Could she be any cuter?!
I love me a good eyelash shot!
I love how her lip is all scrunched up :D I think this purple wrap goes perfectly with her skin tone, too.
This is one of my favorite angles!
This sibling shot, though! Big brother was having fun playing, but didn't mind taking a break to admire his new little sister :)
