I am so excited to get your sweet family in front of my camera!  Below, I’ve outlined helpful information for your upcoming session with me.

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LOCATION and timing:​ If we haven't already nailed down a location, check out my most popular locations here​. Outdoor sessions typically occur within an hour to and hour and a half of sunrise or sunset to take advantage of that pretty golden light.  An in home session is always an option too!  I usually start these around 10am.  If I am coming to your home, I will take a few minutes when I get there, to open up windows and explore the natural light throughout your house.  No need to deep clean before I get there, but please tidy any rooms you'd like to use.  Have a pretty yard too?  We can always grab a few shots in your yard or on your porch. 

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WARDROBE: This can seem like the most daunting part of family photos.  Don't stress!  Sometimes it's easiest to start with one outfit and build from there.  Have a new dress you want to showcase? Start with that and pick one or two coordinating colors as a base for all the other outfits. 

Things to keep in mind:

• Comfort is key! We'll be moving around a lot, so make sure you put yourself and the kids in something that moves with you and isn't itchy or too tight. 

• Accessorize it: hats, scarves, jewelry, blankets, headbands, suspenders, etc. All these things are a great way to add another layer of your style into your session.

• Patterns: I love fun patterns! Mixing patterns is a great way to add interest to your photos.  Just don't do everyone in a crazy pattern.

• Color: make sure the colors you choose compliment each other. Colors that will stand out best are muted, earthy tones. Some examples are: mustard yellow, mauve pink, browns or khaki, dark blue, hunter green, dark reds/oranges

• MAKE IT YOUR OWN: this session is about you! And it's so important to make sure that your family's personality shines through. 

Things to avoid:

• giant logos and graphic tees.  Words are often very hard to read, especially when you are moving around.

• neon colors.  These can cause a weird color cast onto the face. 

• matchy-matchy. Having everyone dress the same might seems like a good idea, but it in fact can be very boring on camera.

 

 WHAT TO EXPECT:​ My main focus is to capture your family in this season of your lives! I want to capture moments and not poses. Children grow so quickly.  I want to capture not only their smiles, but the little details like their small hands on yours. We'll start off our session by getting that perfect posed "Christmas Card Photo" out of the way. I usually like to do one standing and one sitting pose. Most of the session, though, will be spent playing, snuggling, running, jumping, and tickling.  Your most genuine smiles always come from interacting with one another.

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Prep the family:​ Tell the kids that I am going to take some photos of them having fun and that's it! Don't worry about your kids behaving like little angels the entire time.  I have three kids of my own and used to be a teacher, I know how they are, trust me.  Moms and dads, relax!  You also don't need to worry about what they are doing at all times.  Let me take the lead.  I will tell them what to do and when to look at the camera.

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No CHEESE PLEASE:​  One thing you will NOT hear me say to your child is “say cheese."  I never force a child to sit still and smile at the camera. Every child is different, so I try to do what works best for each one. Some children take some time to warm up and some are ready to go. I am more than happy to give a shy child the time that they need. Some children want to held by mom the whole time and that is perfectly ok too!  There is also time to run, play games, or have a mess free snack, if needed. This session is a time to relax and just be with your children and partner. Trust me when I say, the chaos brings emotion and movement to your images. I will guide you and your family in poses but it also ok for you to just be natural with your spouse and children. Sing, talk, or play with family just as you would if I was not present. Being yourselves is what will create the images you love. There are no rules or expectations! I will guide you and the rest will go from there, I promise!

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PAYMENT: If you haven't completed payment for your session, please contact Sarah.

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After the session: After our session together, expect an email from me in 2-3 weeks with a link to your gallery.  I don't limit the number of images I give out. Because my sessions are moment based, I just pick the best moments to edit and share with you.  From your gallery, you can download digital images and order prints.  

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Want to see a full gallery?  View one here.

 

Feel free to email with any questions you might have. Thank you, and I look forward to capturing you soon!

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