Happy First Birthday Connor! We had a fun family photography session this past weekend with little Connor at George George Park. It was a cloudy morning which actually worked out perfectly for us because we could go anywhere we wanted without having to worry about the sun. So we had a great and rare opportunity to utilize the front fountain as a beautiful backdrop for his 1 year photographs. Mom and Dad love spending time outside as a family so they wanted to photography their little man in an outdoor environment. This park is a great park for that look and even in a 30 minute session, there are many places and backgrounds to choose from. They also wanted to show how “him and his dad love playing with legos together and wanted to incorporate that fun activity they share together. And lastly, we wanted to celebrate Connor’s first year and have great photos to remember how big he’s gotten!” With Connor and his mom and dad, it was easy to enjoy the park while Capturing his First Birthday Moments!
After years of photographing babies all the way to big kids in their senior years, outfits are always a big part of planning. With little ones, it is important to make sure they are comfortable and happy and that was mom and dad’s goal that day. They “wanted Connor to be comfortable but in an outfit that still stood out. Also the blue button up brings out his blue eyes!” We have learned over the years that the best outfit is the one they are comfortable in. Sometimes, with little ones, a diaper is the most comfortable option. Fortunately, Connor was good with the outfit mom picked. He did give us a run for our money when it came to getting a smile. He was so busy looking at the balloons, the cars, the people, the dogs, and just general park craziness that he forgot he was supposed to smile. We tried all the tricks, noises and mom and dad. He was a tough nut to crack but we did catch a few beautiful grins. But even so, he is such a handsome man, he was just showing us his serious/fierce side that morning!
As with so many shoots that we do, props can play a large part in making sure we are able to tell the story. And telling a story is what makes what we do so very important. When you look at Connor’s images, you know why he was there that day. We were able to Capture what is important to Connor, Mom and Dad during his first year with being outdoors and treasured time with Legos. Life changes and interests change, but we now have Captured a Moment that will always help mom and dad remember that Connor and Matt (Dad) love playing with legos together and mom wanted to incorporate that fun activity that they share together. The balloons were also nod to Connor’s upcoming first birthday and we were able to bring the number 1 and crate with us to finish off the look. As mom said, and we agree, “I would recommend bringing items that speak to your child’s personality or interests!” It takes team work to make the story happen and it turned out beautifully.
When planning a session with a young child, it is important to keep in mind that many children are at different stages with stranger danger fears. And no matter how friendly we are, we are often unfamiliar faces with big, black boxes that we put to our face. It can also be very overwhelming and very over stimulating for any child and even for adults. So it is important to remember that as you plan for your session. Your child may not be ready to smile, there is so much to see and hear. It also takes some time for the little ones to warm up to us as we are often unfamiliar. Heck, even when they know us, it takes time. Mom’s advice for other parents is spot on, “give your child a little more time to wake up from a nap before doing the shoot” as it is hard to get into the celebratory mood that mom and dad have planned for in hopes to have great pictures.
Mom also suggests letting your child get to know us a bit more to loosen them up and get them ready for smiles. If you know that your little babe is going to be shy or overwhelmed or have stranger fears with us, we often recommend outdoor shoots so that they can run freely and to also utilize the longer session that we have available. It will give everyone time to warm up and it will give us more time to get your sweet babe to share with us that smile we all want to see! It is important to pay attention to the cues of your children and plan your session accordingly. I always say, the youngest one rules!
We have recently started asking for feedback so that we can continuously work to improve our service to all of our clients. We are pleased to share with you some sentiments from Mom from Connor’s session: “Jen and Angela were great! They were very accommodating in answering my questions and prepping for the shoot, arrived to the location early, had a whole host of ideas about where and how to use the props and position the baby, and even stayed a bit later than they committed to so that we could get some shots of my son smiling after he got comfortable with them. Excited to see the final shots, I know there will be so many to choose from!” Thank you Mom for your feedback and kind words. We had a great time with all of you! It makes our hearts swell knowing we are doing what we have always hoped to do. Our goal has always been to is to make our clients happy and Capture Moments that will be cherished for a lifetime!
If you are looking to book a family photography session or your child is getting ready to reach a new birthday, give us a call at 586-646-8189. As always, you can also use our user friendly online booking system to book your session from the comfort of your own home. We hope to see you soon and we are looking forward to photographing this family for years to come!
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