Just a quick share of one of my favorite families! Have a beautiful weekend! Enjoy.
There are many fun ways to stay creative as a family portrait photographer. One of my favorites, is to plan a styled session. This goes beyond cute clothing and fun locations! It begins with a story!
1. Ship Wreck
I am inspired by so many things. Looking at beautiful advertising campaigns, art work and music videos provide me with tons of ideas. Over time, I became inspired by the ocean, vintage clothes and being stranded. What would that look like as an editorial session? So, I asked my good friend Denyse to help me come up with some fun clothing and props and the perfect models for a ship wrecked session. We ended up at sunrise on the beach with all of our props and clothing. The session was amazing. (See more photos from the shoot)
2. Princesses
Styled sessions are often inspired by my client’s kids. Young girls so often go through the phase of being obsessed with Disney Princesses. This gorgeous gal wanted to wear a different princess outfit every day… she literally owned them all. In order to capture this fleeting time in her young life, we decided to do a style session with a Princess hanging her laundry up to dry.
3. Vintage
Vintage nostalgia often provide a fun, classic look. As most of you know, I am obsessed with vintage cars and clothing! Here is both a family vintage portrait and beautiful high school senior photo. In both cases props, styling, and wardrobe is key. We can help with all of it.
4. The Art of Memory
Other sessions have been motivated by a family memory. One of my clients who is an artist wanted to paint a picture of her grandmother hanging her laundry (don’t know why laundry has been a theme)… We created a set to look like her grandma’s house and took lots of great images. She then turned them into a painting.
5. Classic Childhood
These are some of the most fun sessions! The kids get to be themselves and pretend all at the same time. The result is relaxed, unique shots.
6. Natural Beauties.
Juxtaposing classic, vintage indoor furniture, beautiful gowns and the beauty of nature creates stunning results.
Inspiration can come from anywhere! A favorite book, a painting, a song… you name it. These portraits are amazing because they are unique to your family. I love for the client to be really involved in telling their story through images, so we capture exactly what they imagined.
I am so excited to share with you this beautiful video of the Blue Sky’s Experience created by @connerbrashier! He is absolutely amazing! Hope you enjoy the video. And a big thanks to the wonderful families who starred in this production.
We know how important your family photos are. They capture a special time in your family’s life story. So I’ve compiled some of my favorite tips to help make your family portrait session the best ever! Use these tips as a checklist as you prepare for your family photography session.
1. Decide What to Wear, Ahead of Time.
Make sure that you go through your closet and decide what everyone will be wearing prior to the day of your session. Try on all the clothing and make sure it fits everyone well. Also, if you have older children, make sure everyone is on board for the clothing choices. We want everyone to look AND feel their best.
2. Save the Sweets for Later.
For the littles…please don’t give the kids candy prior to the session. We want to offer them a sweet treat as an incentive to do their best and have fun during the session. If they have already had their fill, this won’t work very well. Also we really want to avoid that “sugar crash” that happens about an hour after eating sweets. Finally, blue, red, orange or green candy stained mouths are really hard to fix in PhotoShop!
3. Relax, No Cheese Please.
We know that family photography can be stressful for Mom and Dad, but the best thing you can do is relax and have fun. We want to tell the story of your family at this stage in your life. While giant smiles are amazing, the soft thoughtful looks, as well as belly laughs and everything in between are great as well! We kindly request that you make your family session a “Cheese Free zone”!
4. Decide on a Goal.
It is helpful to have a clear vision of what you would like to accomplish with the photography session. Do you want a beautiful art piece for your wall, a custom designed album, gift prints for loved ones, etc.? Let us know! We love to be able to shoot with the finished product in mind.
5. Get Your Rest.
Make sure everyone is well rested on the day of the session. If you have small children, try to plan your session around the best time of day for them. We find that for kiddos under 3, early morning works best. For the best lighting for outdoor sessions, we typically book 1 to 2 hours after sunrise or 1-2 hours before sunset. Or we can book your session in our studio for beautiful lighting at any time of day.
6. Get Personal.
Bring something that is uniquely personal to your family. Does your child have a favorite blanket? Bring it! Is your dog an important member of the family? Bring her along. We really want these images to resonate with you for years to come.
7. A Favorite Location.
Pick a location that is meaningful to your family. Are your fondest memories sitting under an umbrella on the beach, or spending time at the Fun Zone? Maybe your family loves to go antique shopping in downtown Orange? Where ever the location, you should incorporated it into your photography session.
It’s been a month since our Christmas in July special began and boy have we been having fun with these family shoots. I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful feedback we’ve been getting from families who’ve participated in family shoots.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have a session with us, here’s what just a few of our clients are saying. We are honored to help create lasting memories for each family we serve!
“In past years, it was truly like pulling teeth (a small joke as my husband is a dentist) to get our two adult children and my husband to a family portrait session. After our session with Kristin, they each said that the entire experience was fun and easy, and asked for prints for themselves. Home run!”
-Allison Karahadain
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“For the past 12 years, I have been blessed to have Kristin photograph my children. Each year, we take a family photo that is used in our Christmas cards. Kristin is amazing. With gentle guidance and complete control, she is able to showcase my family in a way that brings out each of our unique personalities while creating an overall setting that is both picturesque and timeless. I especially appreciate the opportunity to get my Christmas cards ordered early so that I can sit back and relish the holiday season.”
-Gina Hartigan
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“Thank you SO MUCH… It was the first time I was part of anything like that. It was so fun and you all were amazing–so professional, so nice, so fun, SO PATIENT, and so talented.”
-JoAnna Hutchison
A big thank you to our clients!
Is it time to treat your family to a new photo session? See my Christmas in July Special below and book today, before all the spots are full. Email me at kristin@blueskysstudio.com or call 949-510-3862
