Preparing for your session
Styling
A great wardrobe can highlight your individuality and help bring vibrancy and cohesion to your images. I provide a styling consultation with all custom sessions. You’ll share a bit about your style and personality and we’ll work together to create a look that makes you feel gorgeous and is authentic to your family! I also offer Style & Select, a great online outfit coordination service created especially for family photography.
To make it even more fun, I offer a thoughtfully curated collection of dresses for you and your girls! Dresses are available in nearly every size from Baltic Born, Free People, Reclamation, Jen’s Pirate Booty, Joyfolie, Noralee, Zara, Saylor, Nicholas, and more.
Skin and Nails
Mamas are absolutely gorgeous with or without makeup, but I always like to mention that if you’re going to wear make-up you may want to wear a touch more than usual, as the camera tones everything down a touch. I’m also a fan of false lashes (there are some great magnetic ones out there) to help your eyes pop if you like to wear them.
Also, I like to capture the small details when you’re holding or snuggling your little ones, so your fingernails will likely show. They certainly don’t need to be painted, but if you’re like me and your nails look like they’ve done 5 loads of dishes and pulled all the weeds (because mom life, right?) you may want to give them a little love.
"Nobody will ever love you as much as an artist can. On your worst days, they will find poetry in the knots of your hair."
– That Could Have Been Me (k.p.k)
Prepping the Kids
We often frame photo sessions as a bit of a chore for our kiddos. “Smile nicely, do what the photographer asks, and you can have ice cream after.” This is totally okay if it’s what works best for your family (if you could see my daughter running around today with matted hair and chocolate in her eyebrow, you’d know I don’t judge!), but I encourage you to talk about the session as a fun activity so kids arrive relaxed and happy. You can mention that we’ll play games, have piggy back rides, twirl, run, snuggle, etc. I like for sessions to feel like a fun bonding experience for the family. That said, sometimes no matter what we do to prep, kids can be fussy, hesitant, etc. If your little one is in a mood don’t worry, I’ve got you. I was a teacher for years and am comfortable helping shift the vibe!
The Session
I’ll absolutely capture photos of everyone looking and smiling at the camera (because who doesn’t love those bright smiles!), but my focus is on capturing the authentic connections between you and your family so I’ll offer lots of opportunities for interaction as well. I’ll guide you as we go! It brings me so much joy to document the giggles, twirls, quiet snuggles, moments of tender care, and love you share with your babies! I want you to remember not only how this season of life looked, but how it felt.
Gallery
You’ll receive your online gallery of 60+ artfully edited images within 4 weeks of your session along with a code to download your included images. You’ll also have the opportunity to order high quality printed products right from your gallery. So often our photos exist solely on our social media and I always encourage families to print your pics! They make gorgeous artwork for your home and gifts for your family.