What to Wear: Fall Kids Fashion 2017

It’s that time of year again where the weather begins to cool down (well, maybe not so much in Orange County). The kids are getting ready to start a new school year. We’ve been prepping for one of our favorite family portrait seasons: autumn.

Fall is a beautiful time of year to have a family photo session in Orange County, not only is the more neutral, earthy color palette a gorgeous backdrop for your family, but the cooler(ish) temperatures make accessorizing and layering even more fun and feasible.

Here are some children’s fashion trends to help you dress your little munchkins in fall fashion for their photography session.

Denim is In

Check out these cuties in their indigo: childrens-photographer-orange-county

Ballerina Skirts

Not just for dancing anymore, these adorable frilly skirts aren’t just fun to wear, they bring a playful beauty to your child’s photos:

Layer up

Layers and accessories are a great way to add texture to your child’s fall portraits. Plus it really brings home the seasonal feel.

Classic Black with a Little Texture

If you want to keep your wardrobe low key, but still interesting, classic black with a touch of modern texture will really show fall colors and your child’s beautiful features. This sweet little girl looks stunning as she plays in the fall leaves.

Speaking of Classic

Traditional styles are always in fashion and give children’s photography a timeless look. Dress your children in varying shades of the same color palette to produce a family photo that is simultaneously interesting, yet focused on your children’s faces.

Boho Babies

Layered, accessorized Boho is still in and especially fun for fall children’s portraits as it ties in to the feel of the season.

No matter what your adorable children wear for their family photo session in Orange County, we’ll help you choose the right themes and looks. We are honored to help you capture those precious fleeting years of childhood.

Book an Orange County Family Photography session today!

At the Beach, Family Photography, Kids Photography, Mother Daughter Photography, Orange County Photography

How to Prepare Kids for the Best Portrait Session

Photographing kids in Orange County can be fun and a little stressful. Here are some helpful hints to make sure your Orange County Family Photography session is the best it can possibly be. Here’s how to prepare kids for the best portrait session.

We understand that sometimes children can be unpredictable when it comes to photography sessions. Maybe they are nervous, anxious or just having an off day. It happens, and rest assured that we are able to handle just about any situation. However, there are things that you can do to help ensure a smooth and happy photography session for your child, so please read our suggestions below and apply them at your child’s Blue Sky’s Studio shoot.

1) If your child is at all shy, please be patient.

We give them as much time as they (not you or I) need to warm up to me and my camera. It is very rare that even the most apprehensive child doesn’t become my buddy after 20-30 minutes. Eager to please, many parents urge their child(ren) on, and this rarely ever helps. Please allow us to create a bond with your child at their pace. Giive us a little space with your child so they do not feel as though they have to “perform” for you with us.

2) Please do not answer for your child when we ask him or her a question.

We try to bond with them by getting them to talk to us. Often times, we will reach out to “test” your child(ren) to see how they will respond. Depending on their reaction (if they reach back to hold a hand/finger), we will know how to proceed. We like to take time to get to know your child and let them get used to us before we start shooting.

3) Please please please do not tell your child(ren) to “smile” or say “cheese.”

That’s our job. Besides, “cheese” or “smile” is almost always a fake or forced smile. We will get your child(ren) to smile by other measures that create real smiles such as goofy faces, funny stories, talking up their interests, etc…you know, kid stuff!! We’re great at kid stuff (we’re kids at heart)!

4) We encourage any ideas or props in your session, so have fun with it and get creative!

Many parents bring in 1-3 outfits and various accessories such as hats, scarves and jewelry. However, it’s important to keep in mind that changing multiple outfits on younger children usually changes their moods too. We recommend keeping it simple for the younger subjects. They grow up so fast! little-princess

5) Prioritize outfits and props!

Depending our your child’s age, they may not be able to stay happy and positive through an entire session. For toddlers, usually 45 minutes is the maximum amount of time that they will be able to be photographed. So, make sure you let us know the most important shots, and outfits so we get those done at the beginning of the session. That way, we make sure that if the session ends early, you still got the best shots that you will love an cherish for a lifetime. adorable-family-portraits playing-in-sand

Taking the time to prepare for your child’s photo shoot will not only make the experience enjoyable for you and your child, but will also help create an environment for amazing photographs for you to treasure forever. We are so excited to work with you!

The photos in this post are from one of our recent mother daughter beach photography sessions, in Laguna Beach. We decided, with input from her mom, to stick with two outfits and get lots of candid and interactive portraits. These will be cherished for a lifetime. family-photography

Family Photography, kids modeling, Kids Photography

Kids Photography in Orange County

Orange County Family Photography, Individual Kiddos

I have been an Orange County Photographer for more than 15 years and have learned that to get the absolute best images of your kids, sometimes the best thing to do is an individual session.

It is really fun to get the entire family together for a family portrait, but you have a lot of different things happening to make it really difficult to focus specifically on one child’s personality. Sibling rivalry, showing off for Mom and Dad, and seeking approval from me or from his parents, can all make it difficult to have a kid’s true personality shine through.

So, if you book a family session, and want to add additional kids sessions on to the shoot, we offer a reduced session fee. You can contact us for more details.

Here is one of my favorite recent sessions with Connor. He is a total doll and we had so much fun focusing all our attention on him. He has a brother and a sister and tends to be a little more quiet than his siblings. Not on this day! Enjoy.

Kids Photography, Kids Photography, Newborn Photography, Studio photo session

Baby Portrait Plan

I am a storyteller at heart. Maybe that is why I love to get lost in a book or a great movie. I feel like photography has allowed me to tell the story of my clients year after year. When does the story actually begin? I guess that depends on when we begin to work together.

I met many of my clients when working with them on their wedding day. The biggest compliment to me is when those brides and grooms later become family photography clients. I think the family story best begins with a maternity session. To show your child how much you adored them, even before they were born. That is why we put together a Baby Photography plan, so you can get your maternity, newborn, six months and one year sessions in one complete collection. To learn more about these baby plans you can click here: baby plan. It is easy in the craziness of the first year of your child’s life, to put off a photo session, but believe me, it is so worth it. They change so fast that first year, from sleeping, to smiling for the first time, lifting their head, to sitting up and finally to taking their first steps. This time is flies by, but the baby plan keeps you informed and reminds you to book your session and capture all of these moments forever.

Here is a recent newborn session with a beautiful little girl and her new baby brother. While I did not photograph their wedding, I did photograph her cousin’s wedding (who is also our very talented makeup artist Brittany Norton). Enjoy!