Children

Baby girl turned 10 months old while we were up in Michigan at the beginning of this month. I took a few 6-month-old photos of my nephew in an old chair my mom had and they turned out so adorable! No, I’m not biased, they really are super cute!

I knew I wanted to take advantage of my parent’s backyard while in Michigan for some photos of Sadie. My mom pulled out this old rocking chair that was her’s from when she was a baby. I loved it. I actually didn’t bring anything to put Sadie in for the pictures, so I shopped at the local Child Again consignment store and came up with this bright and colorful dress for Sadie to wear.

It’s important to choose the right colors and outfit for your sessions. I knew I would have a dark green background and the chair was dark when I was looking for a dress. I also knew Sadie looks good in orange, pink, and purple, so those were the colors I was keeping an eye out for. Thankfully, I found the perfect little summer dress for her. It’s not too girlie or frilly, because I’m so not a frilly-girl!

I had my mom act as my assistant for the pictures. She kept Sadie upright in the chair and helped to keep her attention while I frantically took pictures. With young kids, it’s so hard to get their attention, and when you do have it, you must act fast because a bug or cousin, or dog or grandpa might take their attention away. I think I took close to 200 pictures of Sadie in about 15 minutes time! That’s ridiculous! I normally don’t take that many photos, but with Sadie, I was going for a very specific look so I shot a lot in hopes of getting it, which I think I did.

I love the way she crinkles her nose when she smiles and she is so proud of herself when she claps her hands! She’s always smiling and always wiggling!

Here’s my favorites from her fast and furious session a few weeks ago!

My grandparent’s farm in Niles, Michigan holds so many memories for my brother, sister, and I growing up. We grew our prize-winning vegetables to take to the county fair every year there. My sister and I showed our horses from this barn, starting out in 4-H and progressing all the way up to the Paint Horse World Show and Quarter Horse Congress. My brother still has tractor stored there.

It’s only natural that we’d all want pictures of our kids there. While in town over the recent holiday, we took some time to take a few pictures out to ‘the farm’, as it’s been called for as long as I can remember.

My nephew, Logan, turned 5 this year and the farm is the perfect place for a 5-year-old to play. . . while I try and take pictures.

I love doing photo shoots with my sister. 99% of the time we are both on the same page, especially with the pictures. She has a few ideas in her head and I have a few ideas in mine, so we usually move very quickly when taking pictures of her kids. We know what will work and what probably won’t work. I’m not afraid to try a particular shot, even if I know I will struggle with it. It helps me get better, which helps her get better pictures in the long run, so it’s a win-win.

Because we shot these pictures outside, at the farm, in the dirt, we really didn’t want to go with the pressed pants and button up, collared shirt. My sister put Logan in some torn jeans and t-shirt and we made it work. He even went barefoot, which made it seem even more like he’s a farm boy growing up in the cornfields of Michigan.

Of course, as with most photo shoots between my sister and I, we had all of our kids. Well, my mom kept Sadie at home this time, so we only had 4 boys 5 and under running around 13 acres. All the boys jumped in and out of the picture frame throughout Logan’s entire session. Occasionally the dog, Daisy, would photo bomb us as she tore around the pasture, trying to find something to chase.

We shot these around 7:30 PM, since it doesn’t really get dark until 9 in the summers up north. The lighting was a bit bright when we first started, but towards the end of our time, the light was really pretty. Shooting later in the evening makes for a softer glow and more flattering lighting on your subjects. This is always my preferred time to shoot a session.

Here’s a few of the birthday boy that are my absolute favorite!

Over the fourth of July, my family had the opportunity to travel to Michigan. My sister and brother, along with their families, also made the trip north. While my sister lives in Greenville, my brother and his wife are a little farther north, so we don’t always get to see each other as often as we’d like. 

While home over the holiday, we were able to photograph Ryan’s 6 month old pictures. We took a few photos at the house his mom grew up in and then a few at the house his dad grew up in. 

Katie picked out the cutest pair of suspenders and jeans for Ryan’s pictures! They looked so good on him and he totally pulled the look off! 

We used an old rocking chair that my mom had in the living room and Ryan sat up in it like the little champ he is. 

I absolutely love shooting outside and it helps when everything is so green. We had great shade for Ryan’s pictures, which allowed us to take them early afternoon. Normally, I’d suggest waiting until later in the evening for pictures. However, trees that provide a nice open shade area are perfect for pictures when timing is an issue. 

Ryan has gorgeous blue eyes and such a big smile! Watch out ladies, this little guy is growing up quick! Interested in a session for your little heart breaker? Don’t hesitate to send me a message at [email protected]. 

At the end of April, my son, Wyatt, turned 3 years old, so of course we had to document it and take some photos.

I had an idea in my head of how I wanted the session to go, but was struggling with a location that wasn’t over used.  Because I couldn’t come up with a decent location, his session got put off and eventually it was the first of June before we made it out.

I finally decided on a subdivision directly behind my sister’s house. It was the perfect rural location that I was looking for and it had been right under my nose the whole time.

Last summer Jon was in Wyoming on a mission’s work trip to Camp Grace. He came home with a cowboy hat for Wyatt. Which he refused to wear of course. But since that time he’s worn it off and on and I really wanted a few pictures of him in it for his pictures.

I always tell my clients to pick out an outfit that has your personality, but has some color to it. I took half of my own advice for Wyatt’s session. We went with cowboy boots, jeans, belt and belt buckle, gray shirt, and cowboy hat.

I also did something that I hear a lot of parents do with their children during pictures and have always tried to avoid it with my kids. I gave in this time. I bribed Wyatt with ice cream after his session if he was a good boy. Since it was just him and I, I knew I would need all the help on my side I could get. That, and it was about 93 degrees out so the ice cream sounded really good.

We started off with the cowboy hat since I figured he would be happiest at the beginning of the session versus the end when he was hot and tired.

Low and behold, miracles do happen.

Wyatt wore his hat. He did try to pull the sides down, which of course drove me nuts, because that misshapes the hat. But I quickly got over that and he gave up trying to make his cowboy hat a sombrero.

After a few pictures with his hat, we changed shirts and pulled out a prop, an old chair. I haven’t used the chair before, so Wyatt was the first one to break that one in.

I’d like to do some more while we’re up in Michigan, perhaps at my grandparent’s farm. But for now, here are my favorites of Wyatt’s 3-year-old-session.

Do you have a little cowboy or cowgirl of your own? I’d love to photograph them for you! If you are interested, please send me an email at [email protected] or use the contact page at the top to send me a request. 

Time has flown by and Miss Sadie has changed so much since her 3 month old pictures.

For her newborn, 3 month, and 6 month old pictures, I took inside pictures of Sadie. So, for her 9 month old pictures, I was definitely ready for some outside shots.

A few days prior to actually taking Sadie’s pictures, I had been up in the attic, putting our luggage away. I spotted an old galvanized tub that Jon had picked up several years ago, thinking I could use it for a prop. I had completely forgotten about it, but upon seeing it, an idea jumped into my head.

I pulled it down, cleaned it out and patiently waited for Sadie to wake up from her morning nap, so I could photograph her in it. So many of our photoshoots are impromptu and spur-of-the moment, and this one was no different. Sometimes when I get an idea in my head, I have to do it, right then and there or else I get antsy.

I filled the tub up a little less than half way with water and dumped some Dawn dish soap in while it was filling up, to get those nice suds.

I drug the tub over to the fence and made sure it was in the shade to get that nice lighting. Getting it over there without spilling it all over me was a feat in and of itself. I’m sure the neighbors thought I was crazy (as if they haven’t thought that yet).

Sadie finally woke up and we ventured outside in the blazing heat for our bath tub pictures. I loved the session and I think Sadie did too. In hindsight, had I planned it out a little better, I would have filled the tub up and let it sit in the sun for a little bit. I did feel bad that the water was a bit cold, but Sadie’s tough.

We spent maybe 20 minutes playing in the tub outside. My 3-year-old son thought he wanted to play in the tub too, but after he stripped down and tested out the waters, changed his mind. I guess his tub session will have to be another day.

Here’s my favorites from the session. If you are interested in a tub session for your little one, please let me know! I’d love to get the tub out again and play, so don’t be shy! You can contact me through my website on the contact page at the top or send me an email [email protected].