Birth is one of those miraculous events in this world - it changes us. Baby R's birth even changed me, and I was only the photographer! Her birth forever changed the lives of her mommy, daddy, grandparents and all the loved ones around her.
I am having such a difficult time to write about it, I think I'm still processing it all. And even though I made the video above, and have seen it many times as I tweaked it, it still makes the tears flow down my face. I am so thankful Baby R's parents invited me to document this special day in their lives.
I was in awe of how calm, collected both mom and dad were. Dad and Baby R's grandmother were so supportive, too. It was very peaceful in this hectic setting. Does that make sense?
Congratulations to Baby R's family, and welcome to the world, baby girl!!
If you are interested in having me document your baby's birth, I am offering 50% off of three Birth Story Sessions in 2018. Let me know when your due date is, and let's see if you can be one of the three families.
Fall Update/Coming Up for Air
I don't know how it is possible for it to be November, and my last blog post was in August. Wait, I guess I do know how. That 50% off special was so popular it left me no time for blogging (or much else, for that matter!).
Now I have quite a bit of catching up to do to share some of the beautiful and fun and funny and touching images I've been making. But first I decided to start with an update.
Last month I found out I was a finalist in Clickin 2017 Voice Collection - a highly competitive photo contest. From over 45 000 entries about 200 were chosen, and mine was included in Joyfulness category! The image is the one above, taken during a Disney Day in Life Session at Epcot this past January. (So when you sign that model release, you never know what might happen!) That was definitely one of the highlights of my photography career. To see all the amazing winners and finalists, click here.
Another highlight was this week as I had a Birth Story Session and documented the birth of Baby R. I will make a separate blog post of that session, so stay tuned! What a miracle birth is...
I feel so fortunate to have my own business, where I can set my own hours. Despite the busy fall photography season we have made time to go to Disney with our own family, and my little girls and I had a fun homeschool field trip to Seaworld last month. First time for us! It happened to be on a cool quiet day, so we really enjoyed our visit.
It is an interesting balance to be a working mom - and a working homeschool mom, at that. There have been days I have felt like a Supermom, only to realize something really important didn't get done. I know my house will need to get a deep cleaning soon (please send any cleaning people's contact info to my husband... ;-).
Despite the busyness this fall really has been so incredible. I have loved meeting new families and capturing special moments with repeat clients. I find it so satisfying to create meaningful images for families for their walls, for photo books and for Christmas cards. Images that will be treasured for years to come. Seasons change so fast - too fast! I am honored I get to help preserve what life is like right now.
Fall 2017 season is wrapping up, but stay tuned - I will release a few available dates for January and February soon.
And of course, if you're a planner or if you'd like a head start on scheduling, contact me asap:)
**** Fall 2017 Special ****
50% off all fall sessions!?
Say what??
While there has been no recent newsletters, and only a couple of blog posts, I have had a busy summer with my camera.
My little business turned one (yay!!!), so there has been some necessary tweaking. I have been working on a new price list, which I am so excited to kick off with this amazing Fall special. I am offering 50% off all local fall 2017 sessions booked in August and September (or until all available sessions are booked).
Which means discounted sessions start at $250!!
This Special is perfect for your Christmas photos! Think Christmas cards and Christmas gifts. Right now is the time to book your photo session. Fall is the busiest season for most photographers. I already have some prime weekend spots booked, and a busy fall ahead.
Sessions can always be customized to fit your needs, for example the One and Two Hour Sessions can be Senior Sessions, Documentary Newborn Sessions or Adoption Homecoming Sessions. Just let me know how I can help you.
Here are my most popular sessions:
ONE HOUR FAMILY SESSION
TWO HOUR DOCUMENTARY (FRESH 48)
HALF DAY IN THE LIFE (5 hrs)
DISNEY DAY IN THE LIFE (5 hrs)
DAY IN THE LIFE (12+ hrs)
BIRTH STORIES & WEDDINGS
$200 non-refundable deposit required to book a date, and will be subtracted from the total amount of your package. Full payment is required at the time of your session.
Contact me to book your session!
One Hour Session in Virrat, Finland
While visiting my parents and family in Finland I was able to squeeze in a few family photo sessions, too. Finland is such a beautiful country, and full of amazing locations, and one of these was really close to my parents' summer cabin in Virrat. I met Family V at Perinnekylä for a fun hour of family photos, documenting and visiting.
Mom and dad V celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year! Congratulations to you two!
Their family is a wonderful legacy to the parents' love and hard work in keeping their marriage together. I so enjoyed the conversation, loving teasing and the apparent affection as they interacted together and with me. Well done, mom and dad!
Rain was on the forecast for the entire day of our photo shoot, but it was actually gorgeous for our entire hour, and then started raining as we were leaving. Mom sent me a message afterward: "I was surprised how much we all enjoyed our photo session, including our 13-year old son!"
If you are interested in securing a photo session with me next summer in Finland, send me a message! I plan to offer a handful of sessions in Perinnekylä in Virrat, but also in Seinäjoki and in Helsinki.
And to my US clients - I have sent off a newsletter with Fall 2017 pricing and an amazing special offer. One and Two Hour Documentary Sessions are a great way to get Christmas pictures done, too. Full and Half Day in the Life Sessions are also available, as well as Birth and Fresh 48 Sessions.
Contact me for details and to book your session!
Costco Shopping with Five Children
Our military families deserve so much honor and respect. Their entire families. In June I had a chance to shadow mom (my sister) and her five children as they live their everyday life while dad is deployed overseas, and it is hard. So hard. It probably requires a post of its own, but here is a story in photos of how a shopping trip to Costco requires packing up all the children and managing the shopping list, superstore and the children - while making it fun (because that's a great way to survive an outing such as this).
Of course the littlest (2.5 years) fell asleep on the way there.
These kids are amazing!! You can tell it's not their first time shopping with mom. But, of course there were some tears, too. After all, the youngest is two.
Mom says she tries to be intentional to make these outings fun, but I do wonder if the children were being a bit more mischievous in case mom would let them get away with a little more this time, since a photographer was following them.
Always stop and smell the roses. Always. And feel the breeze.
We value your opinion. Tell us what you think!
And the shopping is done. Another circus awaits at home in bringing the groceries in and putting them away. While one needs help going potty, one spills something, and one needs food right now.
But there is plenty of food again. Until next week.
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As you can see, family photo sessions can be as different as there are families. During a typical one hour session we get a mix of photos, traditional posed ones as well as documentary style of the family interacting. But the session can also be purely documentary. A documentary family photographer can tag along to your most typical outings, whether they are to the store, to the pool, to the park or beach (really anywhere). Or the session can be held at home to capture meaningful routines and fun activities. It really is up to you, and if you need help brainstorming, I'm happy to help.
Contact me to schedule your documentary session!