Miss M | Marietta GA, Holiday Mini Session Portraits

I've known Miss M for the last 3 years. I didn't get to shoot her holiday session last year because I had a newborn babe (little A) of my own and had taken a break to spend some quality snuggle time with him. So this year when I saw her, I was pleasantly surprised to see she was all grown up - even taller than me (yeah yeah I'm not tall only 5' 6") ! Here are a few of my favorite images from the session. I think the one I liked the most was where she gets kisses from Jack. You can find the rest of the session here.

Pickard Family | Marietta Family Portrait Session

This was the first time I had the opportunity of taking pictures of this sweet family. They bid on a gift voucher (and won !!)  I had donated to my little girl's school for their scholarship auction.

Below are a few of my favorite sneak peaks from the session. You can find the complete gallery here 

Capturing the essence | Favorites from Baby B's session

When I do newborn portraits, I try to capture the essence of being all little and new to the world. Amongst other things, its the little fingers,

cute little piggies,

the head full of hair !!

If I'm lucky I get to capture sweet little yawns

And my absolute favorite from the session - this little peekaboo with one eye open and the other shut !

And every time I come away from a newborn session, it makes me wish I had taken more pictures when my little munchkin was a baby. I do make up for their lack now by taking a few styled sessions every few months so I have a ton of printed portraits !! Digital pictures just don't make the cut for me !

Yikes its been a month !

I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a month. To compensate, I have two posts to add today. Yay ! First, a Belated Happy Valentine's Day to all my followers.

Watch for the next blog post about the upcoming easter minis.

Custom portrait photography and why consider it | Woodstock GA | Children's & Newborn Photographer

We have all been to the picture store at the mall or within our favorite discount store. Myself included. We have all Ooh-ed and Aah-ed at the portraits the first time. Not so much the second time. By the third time, they have started looking boring and posed. To top it, if you have kids who just don't want anything to do with getting pictures taken and won't smile or even look at the camera, you come away without liking any of the forced smiley pictures. I recently had the good fortune of photographing a family who were very disappointed with their experience at a mall studio. Good fortune because I got a chance to introduce them to the wonderful world of custom portraiture. Portraiture thats not forced. Portraiture thats done out in the open where the children can continue being children. Portraiture not done with the standard boring backdrop. At the end of the session, they were very apprehensive and didn't think I had managed to capture anything worthwhile (from their viewpoint where they felt the kids didn't want to do anything in front of my camera). When it was time for the in-person demo, I met with the dad and he was blown away. So much so that he had a hard time narrowing the pictures he wanted. In his words "we want them all !"

If you haven't ever considered custom portraits, give it a try. The difference in the pictures will speak for itself.

Defining my style - "Capturing Memories" | Woodstock / Holly Springs Family Photographer

As a photographer, it is so important to have a niche that differentiates you from the gazillion other togs out there. One of the ways, is, as many before me have said, to define one's own style. Do you shoot vintage shoots, do you "style" your shoots, do you go for the modern look, do you use props, or zany outfits or accessories ? The options are limitless and each client is interested in a particular kind of look and will want to hire a photog who has that look defined. 

I still haven't been in the photography biz too long and even though I do not own a studio, I do have a sizeable amount of daily expenses to pay - telephone, internet, insurance, hosting the list goes on ! So I  sure would like to monetize on every single client who approaches me. However, in the long run, I know it will hurt the image I would like to build. So yes I have had to turn away two clients in the very recent past because the sessions they were looking for were just not something I do or wanted to do in the near or medium future. I like to shoot mostly non-styled  and non posed sessions with very few props that help capture the essence of the person or family. 

I have been known to get carried away on time and shoot for longer because a subject might have been shy earlier in the session and might have taken a while to open up or the subject may have just been a natural with the camera and loved posing for me. My husband knows to keep anti-allergy meds ready for me in spring and fall on the days I come home from children's shoots thanks to all the laying, rolling and playing in the grass that I do when I'm out shooting. But thats me. Thats what I like to do.

My shoots are mostly about having fun, with lots of smiles and giggles. And yes sometimes goofiness too.

However, If I do have an opportunity to capture a tender moment or a few sobs, I go ahead and take those shots. 

So, while I haven't been in the photography business very long, when I do get asked by a client that dreaded question "What is your style?" I can truthfully say it is Capturing Memories. Period.

Baby C 3 Month Pictures {Woodstock Baby Photographer}

I have had the excellent fortune to capture Baby C's journey from being a grapefruit - when he was inside his mom's belly for the maternity shoot, a precious little newborn and now as a 3 month old ! I am lucky his older sister and my daughter are good buddies who love playing together so I get to see him inbetween the "scheduled" shoots as well. He was a very cooperative baby for most of the session other than a little while in between when he got a little mad - probably from being sleepy. Best of all? He loved the feeling of my shaggy throw/blanket that I laid him down on his belly !