We had yet another perfect January day on Sunday for photos at their home in Rockville, MD. I was thrilled that they chose to do this session at their home.  Last time I was there, they had at least a foot of snow on the ground, so I can’t say I realized quite how beautiful it was, but this time, we had the perfect setting for some great photos!  Some of my favorite photo sessions lately have been those that took place at my clients’ homes.  While it definitely didn’t hurt to have a spacious back yard, it really wasn’t necessary.  I love that we were able to capture some moments of intimacy and true joy by photographing the family in their own space doing the things that they love best.

While Mr. D tolerated us long enough to give me a few posed photos, he really wanted to get down to action!  So we shot some hoops – complete with a cheering section to give hugs after good shots!

After the hoops, we got chilly, so we headed back inside to read some stories.  Caillou is his favorite – apparently Mom even made a Caillou cake for the big birthday party!

We even got in a little coloring with Lightning and Mater.

Then we headed back outside to run around and play some more once we were all warm again!

This might be my favorite photo of the morning.  Of course he didn’t want to be in the photos, so I decided to take a few of Mom and Dad together.  When he realized that we were carrying on without him, he came racing back to be in the photo again!

Mr. D worked hard at keeping his smiles for himself the whole time I was there, but at the last minute we played for a bit on his swing-set, and I finally managed to catch a few!

B family – it was wonderful to see you again, and to see how much D has grown.  Thank you for choosing me to document this special occasion!  Enjoy 2!  XOXO ~ K

Santa was very good to us this year, as you can see from the stash he left under the tree!

There were two prevailing themes at our house this holiday.  The first was Monster Jam Monster Trucks.  We went from having 5 trucks on Christmas Eve to having 22 trucks by Christmas Night…  The best worst thing about Monster Trucks is that there is a perpetual “freestyle course” set up all over our family room, which consists of boxes, ramps, and random cars.

The other gift which was a major success was Lego Trains.  These are basically the model trains you remember, made out of Legos.  Much easier for little hands to control and redesign and rebuild.  Our Engineers still need some work, but these have been a huge hit.  If you have little ones who like trains AND Legos, keep this idea in your back pocket for next year.

No Christmas post would be complete without the obligatory photos of the boys in front of the tree.  They didn’t really want to cooperate and pose together, so I had to settle for these shots.

The other super-exciting thing that happened since I’ve last posted is that Little Man turned 4.  I find it hard to believe I have a 4 year old in the house now, although he actually acts like he’s going on 8 like his big brother.  He surprised us this year by asking to go see trains rather than having a party, so this weekend we are off to see a layout with 8 miles of model train track.  Wish us luck.  :)

With the holidays finally behind us, I’m starting to get back to a normal routine.  I’m am loving that I’m already starting to hear from clients who are thinking about booking sessions this spring!  I’m headed up to my hometown to photograph my best friend from high school and her family this weekend and can’t wait.  I’ve promised her for two years that I’d do these photos the next time I was in town!  Think warm thoughts for us!

When my client contacted me to schedule this session last fall, she wanted to schedule something the week between Christmas and New Years, when her brother and nephew would be home for the holidays.  We discussed several options but settled on shooting the session at her childhood home with her parents on what unfortunately was the only rainy day of the entire week.  While it was gray and dreary outside, the whole family was bright and cheery inside.  Photographing inside a smaller home filled with mementos and memories certainly presented it’s share of challenges, but I love that we were able to incorporate so many aspects of life and family togetherness into our session.

Let me start with this photo.  The family didn’t want to make the holidays the focus of the session, but they had a beautiful tree, (and the best part is that it can be seen from two different rooms!) I couldn’t resist taking at least a few in front of it.  I loved this photo the minute I snapped it, because of the joy on both of their faces.  I hope that when my children are grown and have kids of their own, my husband can still make me laugh like this.

Three generations of beautiful women.

For the three cousins, these stairs were the focal point of the house, every time I turned around someone was hanging upside down and asking me to take a photo.

This photo was a recreation of a treasured one that their grandmother has held onto since they were toddlers.  I think they take up a bit more of the stairs than they did last time!

Love this one of the men playing chess.  During the session someone would occasionally scurry out of the room and make a move.  Here there is a bit of instruction going on.  What a great family bond to have.

The rains broke for about 5 minutes and I dragged everyone outside.  You can’t tell from this photo, but it was drizzling a bit.  They were all annoyed at me because I was standing under the overhang of the garage staying dry while they were getting wet.  :)

Apparently there is a long-standing family photo tradition of these two jumping off the front steps.  I hear there is even one of Missy in her wedding gown.  When they asked for one I was happy to oblige!

One of the beautiful things about this home was the abundance of unique furnishings and decor items.  These chairs were fantastic and I can imagine spending many hours curled up with a blanket and a book in them.  I love this moment between the ladies.

One of the best things about photographing a family in their natural environment is the ability to capture snippets of the things that mean the most to them.  Whether it’s a particular piece of furniture, or a hobby that they love the most.  While many clients worry that their homes are too cluttered or too messy for photographs, the most meaningful moments can be preserved when we shoot in a home, and it’s easy to rearrange things!

I’m going to end with this final photo.  When I was packing up to leave Mrs C. presented me with a gorgeous book of photographs called Wise Women by Joyce Tenneson. At that moment I realized I hadn’t taken a photo of her alone, so we scurried to find her favorite spot in the house and give her a few moments alone in front of the camera.  Of all of the photos we took I think this image is my favorite.

M and C families, I hope you enjoy these photos.  There are still many more to come, but I wanted to get your preview to you today.  You were a joy to work with even on a dreary day.  Happy New Year!  

Merry Christmas friends.  Thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to stop by and visit each day – those who leave comments, and those who simply read.  I’ve been so blessed to be able to stay at home with my boys and to build this little business to keep myself busy doing what I love.  Stay tuned next week for a few of my favorites from this year. Until then, enjoy this week with your loved ones, and celebrate the magic of the season.

On Sunday I had the pleasure of hanging out with the H family and their adorable new puppy.  You might recognize this family from their backyard fire-pit session with me when I roped them into volunteering for my class last winter.  They still hold the record for coldest session ever!  Fortunately, this time around we lucked into some warmer weather and were able to play around a bit more before the rain started to fall!

Their new puppy is apparently a huge fan of the leaves, so we took a bunch of shots of her and the kids in action!

This adorable family certainly has their hands full with 18 month old twin boys!   It was fun to see the different personalities coming out in each of them, and especially fun to meet Big Sister S.  I’m going to keep this short and sweet, because I think the photos tell you everything you need to know about this family and our time together.

 S Family – I hope you like the photos.  It was great to meet you all!  G – thank you for setting this up.  It was truly my pleasure.

I was very excited to meet this family after reading their pre-session get-to-know-you questionnaire.  Each of them has such different interests, and I was thrilled to be able to incorporate some of their hobbies into our session to showcase their unique personalities.

As you can see they were quite a fun bunch to work with!

L family, it was great to meet all of you!  Huge thanks to Dar for getting us together!

This session was gifted to the L family by Dad’s sister who happens to be a high school classmate of mine.  I’m currently working on creating gift certificates in time for the holidays. If you’d like to gift a session of your own, or if you’re someone who would like to receive a session and need to send a hint, Like my Photography Page on Facebook where I’ll be posting the announcement first when the gift certificates are available for purchase.

I started the morning with the W family, whom you may recognize from their session last summer.  I love that we did this session in the same location as last year, but with totally different lighting and of course, the fall colors!

My second session of the day was with the F family.  When Mom called she told me that Little Man was super shy around new people, so she was a little nervous about how I would make a connection and get him to open up to me in such a short time frame.  It turned out we had nothing to worry about, because me and three year old boys?  We’re like peas and carrots.

I had one more session this past weekend.  Make sure you check the blog on Thursday to see the sneak peek from that one.  It was my first time photographing three kids and three dogs!  Phew!  They gave me a run for my money!

Today I wanted to share a couple of quick tips to help keep your photos from looking like this:

Or this…

Rather than dragging everyone kicking and screaming out to the driveway, lining them up in the bright sun and yelling until they smile, let’s take a few minutes and plan for success before we take those photos!

I asked my friend Beryl Young to share a few of her favorite tips for taking your own perfect photograph for your holiday card this year.

1.  Have a Plan - Planning is key to a positive photo experience. Are Mom and Dad going to be in the photo? Do you need to set a timer and get a tripod ready in order to make that happen? Will you be calling on a friend to push the shutter for you? Or maybe you just want to focus on your kiddos this year while you rock your camera skills. Make sure you have a location, time of day, and ”smile-maker” plan in mind BEFORE you start shooting. More on my “smile-maker” plan below.
2.  When the Kids are Happy the Camera is Happy - Think through the time of day your kids are going to be the most cooperative and the happiest. Happy kids = Smiling kids = Beautiful photos. Bribes can work wonders too. Plan a trip to their favorite ice cream shop when the photo taking is over. Or let them stay up past their bedtime that night to watch their favorite movie with you. Remind them of that special activity while you are taking the pictures.
3. Creativity is key to having a ”smile-maker” plan - Use this time to work your creative magic!! Set up a tea party in your backyard and capture photos of your little girl serving hot cocoa and candy canes to her stuffed animal friends. Light a fire outside in the fire-pit and take a photo of everyone snuggled together under a blanket.  Do you lack creative inspiration? Check out pinterest.com and explore a world of inspirational ideas for how to style an activity.  Get those creative juices flowing and your kids will be having so much fun playing and using their imagination that getting them to turn your way and give a smile or two for the camera will be a breeze.
4. Turn off the flash and find the light - Keep in mind these are holiday photos and not Halloween photos. The pop-up flash on your camera can leave your kids looking ghostly. The best times of day for outdoor photos will be early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun isn’t directly overhead. Before you click, check their faces and make sure you don’t see any hard sun or shadows. If you decide to do photos indoors enlist your kids to help you find the room in your home where natural light is best. Find the places where you have sunlight streaming in and use those places to your advantage.
5. Know when to call it quits - When the kids start throwing a tantrum or are getting bored and running you ragged it’s time to call it a day. Remember there’s always tomorrow if something doesn’t quite go as anticipated.
6. Have Fun!

What makes this photo so different from the others?  I turned him around to put his face in even shade,  I eliminated the distracting background of the house, and moved him out of the squinty harsh sun.  Voila!  The perfect Holiday Photo!  

Make this year’s holiday photos a magical moment the whole family can enjoy and then come back here to tell me all about it! I can’t wait to see your awesome holiday cards this season!

Beryl Young is a photographer, mentor and teacher of “photography classes for the mind, body and soul”.  Visit her new online home at berylaynyoung.com and download a free quick guide – Top 5 Momtographer Tips and Tricks - for more ideas on documenting your picture perfect moments.

Did it snow where you live this weekend?  We had quite an interesting weekend of weather as Saturday was a snowy slushy mess.  Fortunately the sun broke through on Sunday morning just in time for my family photo session with the P family in Leesburg.  We had a few adventures dodging the snow sliding off of roofs, and I had to think more creatively to find dry locations for seated photos, but it was a beautiful day and this family was a blast to photograph. Each of them had me laughing at various times throughout the morning, and each had such fun personalities.  I don’t think I’ve ever talked so much about myself at a photo session, but they were all so warm and engaging despite the cold temperatures. I know I’m going to love my photos when I drive home thinking to myself “I’d love to be friends with those people – they seem like such a fun family!”.

P Family – I’m so glad that the weather cooperated and we got to spend a sunny Sunday morning together.  I’ll see you on the ball-field! ~K