Alison’s immediate family was traveling to Alys Beach to celebrate her parent’s 40th wedding anniversary. It was a time that everyone was going to be in one place together, celebrating an important milestone. What made this trip even more special is that a recent health scare had them thinking that their dad might not be making this trip. Luckily he was okay, but this was a big reason behind the need for making sure they had tangible memories from their trip. During the session Alison and I talked about how scared they had all been. How her dad was such a key part of their family and how much these photographs were going to mean to all of them. Not only for the kids, but as the grandchildren got older.
Read Morefamily photographer west palm beach
Why I choose a lifestyle approach for family sessions
It comes down to something so fundamentally simple; you have a story to tell and I’m here to help tell it through photographs.
Lifestyle sessions let everyone breathe easier. I had a session where the child didn't want to be in any of the photos. The mom was stressed and kept apologizing. I told her to breathe and that this was a time in their lives. It's so natural for kids to not want to be in photos, or to be over it within a few moments. This is how her son was feeling at this time and that's okay. We thought of ways that would be fun and natural for him. I had dad pick him up and hold him upside down. I had mom spin him and tickle him. Brother played with toy trucks with him. These are the moments that we remember. We remember storytime, bathtime, putting baby to bed, nursing, playing airplane (where you are on your back and you fly your child through the air using your feet), pillow fights, and just being a family.
Lifestyle sessions allow me to be a quiet presence in your family’s life. They allow me to capture moments that you are never going to want to forget. There are no rules when I show up to a session. I just want to tell your story perfectly.
Read MoreLet's Finally Get Those Photographs onto Your Walls
How long have you been saying, “I really need to print these photographs and put them up”?
Be honest. You know it’s been a while, probably entirely too long.
Do you know why you haven’t done it yet? It’s too overwhelming. Let’s look at some possible reasons as to why you haven’t done it:
You don’t have the time.
You don’t know which photos will look good next to each other.
You don’t know where to have your photographs printed.
You don’t know where to purchase museum quality frames.
You don’t know where the digital files are.
You don’t know how to put a gallery wall together.
You don’t know how to get custom sized prints and frames for your unique space.
You don’t know where to start.
That's where a professional comes in. When I first started photography I just wanted to photograph the session, hand over the digital files, and be done with it. I started to notice that a lot of my couples, families, and boudoir clients had no clue what to do with these files. I would talk to them a year later and the files would still be sitting on their computer. This broke my heart and it was my job to come up with a solution. It's not fair to call myself a professional photographer if I'm not putting in the work.
Read MoreYour computer crashed and you lost all of your photographs
Yes, I’ve heard clients say this.
Yes, it makes my heart drop into my stomach.
Yes, this is your photographer’s job to make sure this never happens to you.
I would highly recommend that you use an online storage, while also backing up to an external hard drive. Here are my recommendations:
Read MoreWhat You've Taught Me
I love looking at the “Top Nine” most liked photos of the year. It’s a way to not only reflect on moments captured and memories made, but it also shows me what YOU connect with the most. I used to be so afraid to put myself out there. I was afraid of rejection and possibly, even more so, connection.
Connection meant that you were actually engaged. It meant that you cared about what I was putting out there and that also meant that I had an obligation. It was no longer about me and my work. Putting myself out there meant that every time I posted a photograph or to my blog, you were reading my words.
Read More