As a severely pregnant photographer, I thought I was done with shoots before the baby. But then this happened.

I took a phone call, and the conversation went roughly like this…

Katie: I know this is last-minute, but I’m due in less than two weeks and would like to schedule a maternity session.

Me: Congratulations! I’m due soon myself. What is your due date?

Katie: March 10th. You?

Me. March 10th.

Katie: Wow.

Me: Wow. (Pause. Silence.) Any chance you’re free this Friday?

Katie: Absolutely! Unless the baby comes first, of course.

I could not have known she would deliver a beautiful baby boy less than 48 hours after we met.

That Friday, we were both just eight days shy of d-day, but ready to channel our inner Tim Gunn and make it work. And it turns out that Katie was an absolute rock star. We started with some shots at her home, then went to two different locations. She was up and down – sitting, standing, sitting, standing – all the while with a soon-to-be-mama glow about her.

And what about dad? I instantly felt the excitement that was running through Glenn, and I really think you can see it in the photos. His love for Katie and the baby couldn’t be clearer. I absolutely loved photographing them, especially on the eve of the start of Katie’s labor.

Think about that for a moment.

The very NEXT DAY I received word from Glenn that Katie was in labor! Talk about going down to the wire. While I don’t have any pics to share, I can tell you all that Katie and Glenn welcomed William into their lives on March 11th. Hugs and congrats to you both!

katie and glenn maternity session image 1 katie and glenn maternity session image 2 katie and glenn maternity session image 3

It’s hard enough trying to figure out how to dress a family of four – but what about a family of eight! The easy out would be to dress everyone in the same colors, but don’t worry – a coordinated clothing ensemble is easier to pull together than you think. Here, Jennifer Minor shows us just how to do it!

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Last week, we had a special request from a mom who has a photo session with FIVE boys, one girl, and a hubby to round out a happy family of eight. It’s not an easy task to put together a wardrobe with so many kiddos, so we thought we would try to help. As I commonly like to suggest, I started with the 11-year-old daughter, and gave her an outfit with multiple colors with which to coordinate. Following the blues and yellows scheme, I added in five boy shirts choosing a different color for each. With all of these shirts, the boys can wear either khakis or blue jeans. Mix in a couple of outfits for mom and dad, and you have a family that makes mom look like she has everything under control!

It’s not easy to always find everything in one store, so the best advice I can give in this situation is to go for colors that are trending for the season. Follow that rule, and you should have multiple choices at various stores.

wardrobe ideas for a family with five boys and one girl

SHOPPING LIST

Girl’s skinny jeans – $14 JCP
Girl’s Shirt – $22.80 (on sale) Kohls
Girl’s Shoe – $30 JCP

Boy’s 5 mos Striped Polo – $6 (on sale) The Children’s Place
Boy’s 5 yrs Navy Polo – $6 (on sale) The Children’s Place
Boy’s 6 yrs shirt – $14 JCP
Boy’s Navy Button-Up Shirt – $12 JCP
Boy’s 7 yrs Yellow Polo – $24 JCP
Boy’s 5 mos Jeans – $15 (on sale) The Children’s Place
Boy’s 5 yrs Khakis – $11.21 (on sale) The Children’s Place

Mom’s Shirt – $23.99 (on sale) Kohls
Mom’s Pants – $49.99 Kohls
Mom’s Shoe – $55.99 (on sale) Kohls

Dad’s Shirt – $25 JCP
Dad’s T-Shirt – $15 JCP
Dad’s Pants – $35 JCP

Last week you met PY Rep Nicole – this week I’d like to introduce you to Abby!

Abby is a ridiculously talented junior who just finished up her role as Urleen in the school production of Footloose. Since I could never in a million years be an actress or singer, this blows my mind.

While Abby will tell you a bit more about herself below, I’ll add that she made the mistake of telling me she’s a fan of polka dots. As a result, the poor girl has suffered months of me randomly sending her links to various polka dot clothing pieces I’ve found online. I just can’t help it! I think the pieces looks great, and will definitely look fab on her.

Abby, you’re the best – can’t wait to work with you this year!

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“I’m Abby Arnold and I’m a junior at Penn Yan Academy, part of the Class of 2013. I take interest in many different hobbies & activities, one of them being photography! That’s only part of the reason I’m so excited to be a Representative for Morgan Dawson Photography Class of 2013. Morgan Dawson is an amazing photographer, and soooo much fun! She really takes your personality and interests and lets your pictures really be yours. Back in November I had the chance to go on a mini-shoot with Morgan and was able to bring along my cousin Nicole, as well as my best friend Dana. Morgan made the mini-shoot a very fun experience for all of us and I can’t wait to do my senior pictures with Morgan this upcoming year! Be sure to check out MDP Seniors for Morgan’s amazing talent!”

{For more information on booking your own senior portrait session, visit MDPSeniors.com.}

After having a great year with Erica – Penn Yan’s Class of 2012 Senior Rep – I was excited to find my PY 2013 Rep. Well…it turns out I found TWO amazing girls. (Why stop at one?) Today I’m introducing Nicole – and next week you’ll meet Abby.

Nicole has already been a huge promoter of MDP Seniors and is someone who I can bounce ideas off of. She’s been such a help so far – and it’s only March!

For our mini-shoot we met at one of my favorite Rochester-area locations. Nicole even brought friends Ashley and Alex so they could enjoy a little photo shoot fun (pics of them to come!). Nicole is a natural in front of the camera, and quickly nailed the serious look. {Note to all future senior clients – you can never go wrong with a killer leather jacket!}

Here’s how she describes her Rep experience…

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“I’m Nicole Gleason. I’m a junior at Penn Yan Academy and one of the Class of 2013 representatives for Morgan Dawson Photography Seniors! I heard about Morgan from the Class of 2012 representative from Penn Yan, Erica Lyte. She told me all about Morgan and I thought she sounded like so much fun to work with. I looked at some of the work Morgan had done and that just made up my mind there. The photos she takes are amazing.

I was so excited for the mini-shoot with her and my friends, Ashley and Alex. We had so much fun with Morgan at our mini-shoot! We couldn’t believe how much Morgan interacted with us and made it fun. I’m excited for the things to come this year with MDP Seniors and hope you all take some time to check out the new things she’ll have to offer!”

{For more information on booking your own senior portrait session, visit MDPSeniors.com.}

With senior season just around the corner, this post from Erica May is perfectly timed. I’m a huge fan of Ruche, and highly suggest all my senior girls check them out! They carry some of the most unique pieces, but they do come in limited quantities – so don’t wait if you see something you love. The good news is that they are constantly adding new items, so bookmark the site and check in often!

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A few weeks ago we featured some new senior fashions for guys so I decided we needed to highlight some of the new senior fashions for girls too! April is my busiest month for seniors and I love all the Spring looks! Whenever I need some new ideas for senior fashion I love browsing through the latest Lookbook from Ruche.  Ruche is one of my favorite fashion stores for young women. They have so many awesome outfits, dresses, shoes, jewelry, and more! Their vintage style is so in right now and their patterns and textures are unique and fun. I am a fan of one-stop shopping so all of the outfits seen below come from Ruche. Don’t forget the accessories – they have some awesome headbands and jewelry too!

SHOPPING GUIDE

All fashions from Ruche!

glowing sensation beaded necklace – $24.99

happiness is a virtue dress – $44.99

shared moment floral dress – $44.99

fresh mint polka dot shorts – $32.99

love bouquet tee  – $32.99

hey there leather heels by Seychelles – $99.99

sunshine stroll bow flats – $28.99

hello dolly cowboy boots  – $96.99

keely mint flower hair clip by Petit Plume – $19.99

sweet melodies leather ring by Nakamol – $17.99

 

I’m thrilled to announce the first of my Class of 2013 MDP Senior Reps: Mariel! I’ve been lucky enough to photograph Mariel a few times over the years with the rest of her family, but this was the first one-on-one shoot.

One of the main goals in my work with seniors is to allow them to see themselves as the adult they are becoming, while capturing the youth and energy of their teenage years. Mariel is a perfect example: She’s beautiful, and I’ve seen her become the person she is now. But she’s not afraid to have fun and show off her personality. For a photographer, it’s ideal!

As you can tell, she was a blast to photograph – and not just because of the killer outfits she brought. We laughed and smiled through the entire shoot! Here’s what Mariel has to say…

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“I’m Mariel Brinkerhoff and I am part of Avon Central School’s class of 2013. I’m a dancer, musician, and a very artistic and unique person, which is one of the reasons I love being a Rep for Morgan Dawson photography. Morgan’s pictures are so different from any other senior portraits I’ve seen because of the variety of unique locations for her photos, which ensures that your pictures will be true to your style. I am also a fashion addict, and I was very excited when Morgan told me I should bring as many outfits as I wanted!

My rep shoot was in November. I brought my friend Shannon along with me and we had an awesome time picking outfits, finding great locations, and channeling America’s Next Top Model…or attempting to. It was so much fun because Morgan is so great to work with, and the locations we chose in Rochester were super cool and unique (like that awesome graffiti wall!). Being a Rep for Morgan Dawson Photography has been such a wonderful experience so far, and will definitely be a fun way to remember my senior year!”

{For more information on booking your own senior portrait session, visit MDPSeniors.com.}

I’m so glad Shannon decided to change things up this week and focus on pairing your photo shoot wardrobe with the SPACE where you’ll display your portraits. Not only does it make sense to do so, it can help you narrow down the potential color palate. Her family is also crazy adorable, so any chance to sneak pics of them is fine by me 🙂
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When planning your shoot, whether you are the photographer or the client, you likely discuss the following: prices, products, location and wardrobe. Am I right? Shake your head yes, please. 😀  Location and wardrobe are SO important to a photoshoot. They are both essentially what MAKES the shoot. I don’t care whether the location is a bedroom, the beach or a downtown area…I bet most clients have a specific “look” in mind when booking their session. But sometimes it’s difficult to actually coordinate all of that. Enter Wardrobe Wednesday.

I was thinking it was about time for something a bit different around here, so we Wardrobe Wednesday girls collaborated and came up with the following concept. Photographers, make sure you share this with your clients!

When planning your session, think about where you are going to display their photos. I am an advocate of getting your photos printed HUGE and hung on your wall. It’s all about the wall art, and what better wall art to hang than your beautiful family? I see far too many people purchasing the “disc” and doing nothing with it. Get those gorgeous photos printed and HANG THEM, mkay?!?!?

So now that we’ve got that settled, think about where you’d like to hang them. Would you prefer a display in your living room? Bedroom? Dining room? Wherever you choose, consider your decor and colors. Is your decor contemporary and colorful? Is it shabby chic? Traditional? You’ll want to take these things into account when planning your wardrobe. If your decor is traditional, you’ll likely enjoy a more traditional look to your shoot. Chances are you won’t choose a colorful and trendy look. Are you following me yet? Ok good.

I do best explaining things while using my hands, but since they are busy typing and you can’t see me, I will have to use examples.  Here’s a personal story: I was a client a year and a half ago, when I booked the lovely and talented Jean Smith of Jean Smith Photography.  I was going to be on the other side of the lens and I was FREAKING.OUT. What should we wear? Where should we do our shoot? I decided to start with location first. I had seen Jean’s work time and time again, and I really enjoyed a combo of some urban/downtown shots and some grassy areas. So Jean suggested a downtown location. Phew. Now that was out of the way. Next up? Wardrobe of course!

I viewed some samples of where we’d be shooting and saw lots of greens, red brick, grays and blacks and other splashes of color.  So…where to start? FIRST, I thought about where we’d proudly be displaying the art of US. We have high ceilings and lots of wall space so we would be hanging HUGE enlargements, of course. I looked around at my house. I LOVE lots of color and therefore have several different colors throughout my open floor plan. If you stand in the living room, you can see the kitchen, breakfast nook and dining room. One thing that is consistent is RED. I have pops of red everywhere. I heart it, as you can see.



I KNEW somewhere in our clothing choices for our shoot I would incorporate red. I always tell clients to start your choices with the girl in your family. IF you have a daughter, start with her outfit, then branch out from there (if not, start with the mom) . I decided to take my own advice. One day I walked past The Gap. I saw an adorable dress in the window. The colors were different shades of blue with a bit of rust in it. It totally reminded me of fireworks. Our session was in the summer, a few weeks before the 4th of July. How appropriate! I thought HEY, I can pair up something RED with this dress. And so I did. I found a red dress for myself but it was sleeveless. GASP! Did I really want to see my flabby arms in every photo? NOPE. So I thought and OOOH, solution! I had a jean jacket to go over the dress. I finished it off with a cute necklace with pops of color in it and neutral colored shoes. I dressed my little guy in red, blue and khaki and my big guy in blue and khaki. VOILA! We were coordinated, but not matchy-matchy. ANDwhen I hung Jean’s art of US, it would coordinate with our home as well.

Here is the final wardrobe compilation!



Aaaaaand, the art on our walls!


Let’s review:
1. When booking your custom photography session, think about where you’d like your session to be held.
2. When compiling wardrobe ideas, make sure it goes with the location AND your home decor. If you are hanging your photos in your bedroom, perhaps you’d like a “soft” look? Light blues and whites at the beach perhaps?
3. Get those gorgeous photos ON YOUR WALLS! You’ve invested time and money in the photoshoot…what good is it doing you to keep them on a disc? 🙂
We’d love to hear from you…has this post helped you at all? Would you like to see more of this in the future? Please feel free to post on the Wardrobe Wednesday {where fashion meets photography} wall on Facebook!

SJDxo

Once again, Rebecca Keeling has assembled an adorable collection of outfits and props for a photo shoot. Her latest target: Easter! She also introduced me to two stores I hadn’t been familiar with — Wooden Soldier and CWDkids.

If you’d like to see the easter outfits we put together last year, check out this post from last year!

Cheers!

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Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner.  I’m sure lots of you are planning, planning, and planning some more for Easter family sessions, mini sessions, sibling sessions, or just trying to figure out how to get your kiddos looking great for church on Easter Sunday!  Here’s a little bit of bunny inspiration, from totally matching outfits, to coordinating colors, right down to bright, personalized Easter tee shirts.  Whatever your style, you’re sure to find something to get your Easter creativity flowing.  I’ve even thrown in a few ideas for styling a cute Easter portrait session with some fun props, whether it’s in your own backyard or with your favorite professional photographer.  So, “hop” to it, and capture those sweet memories of your babies while they are still little!  Happy Spring!

Where to shop:

Carrot Cuties: Wooden Soldier

Born Kids Little Flower Sandal: Zappos

Musical Peter Rabbit: Wooden Soldier

Turquoise Ruffle Dress & Headband: CWDKids

Flower Sandals: CWDKids

Boys White Shorts: CWDKids

Boys Turquoise Polo: CWDKids

Peter Rabbit Easter Garland: Chasing Fireflies

Peter Rabbit Cake Stand: Chasing Fireflies

Pink Polka Dots Monogrammed Bucket: Chasing Fireflies

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit book: Chasing Fireflies

Bunny Basket Tea Set: Chasing Fireflies

Personalized Bright Eggs Tee: Chasing Fireflies

Pink Polka Dot Sneakers: Chasing Fireflies

Girls Smocked Flower Dress: Gymboree

Bunny Flower Two Piece Set: Gymboree

Flower Crochet Cardigan: Gymboree

Flower Crib Shoe: Gymboree

Seersucker Hat: Gymboree

Stripe Necktie: Gymboree

Diamond Sweater Vest: Gymboree

Roll Cuff Gingham Shirt: Gymboree

Belted Linen Blend Shorts: Gymboree

Boat Shoe: Gymboree