These babes are ages 4 months, 2 years, 5 years, and 8 years and being in their own backyard for family portraits really allowed us to capture their amazing sibling personalities and interactions. It's so beautiful to have portraits that are more than just an image, but really show who your family is at a specific moment in time. 

1. Do a small light study. I ask clients to take a look around their home in the days leading up to an in home session, to see where the best light may occur. This can be so beneficial, because we don't need to be all over the house, we may just find one little corner of the living room that seems extra magical.  With the below session we found that the best places were in the front living room, which is where the children typically played so it was perfect, and there was a great pocket of light in the kitchen on the counter that framed mama and her baby girl per
2. Focus on an activity. This really helps relax clients so that we can capture the most natural and spontaneous moments. We may have families interact by cooking or coloring. Focusing on an activity rather than the camera really allows for personalities and relationships to shine. Around the holidays baking, decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, or drinking hot chocolate are great interactions. But, even something as simple as cuddling on the couch can really lighten the mood and allow your family's story to tell itself. Playing with a remote control car really helped these little guys relax at the beginning of our time together. 
3. Dress accordingly. In home sessions tend to have a more relaxed feel, but not sloppy. Coordinating outfits with complimentary color palettes are best; using a neutral base and adding a few accent colors, patterns, and texture. Because you will be in your home you should also take into consideration the color and style of your decor to achieve a cohesive look that does not distract form your beautiful family.  
4. Relax. In home lifestyle sessions produce some of my favorite images, because they're relaxed and allow families to interact organically.  

I was so moved by the energy of this event and brought to tears by the survivors circle. I was honored to be a part of such an amazing and inspirational event. 

Wishing this sweet couple all the best as they build their lives together. 

We were a little worried about the weather, it called for major storms, but we decided to go for it anyway and I'm so glad we did!

Lauren and Nick have two beautiful little girls and crazy schedules; Lauren runs a business from home with a 3 year old and 6 month (seriously, super mom!) and Nick has a busy work schedule, as well. It was just serendipitous that we got together days before Mother's Day, and I got to capture a lot of mothering moments. The beautiful moments that occur all the time and need to be celebrated more; nursing the baby while the toddler plays, preparing dinner with a special little helper, Dad's home coming the toddler and surprising Mom with flowers <3. 

Lauren is such a gorgeous mother and I'm so glad she let me be a fly on the wall in her home for a while. I hope these images serve as a permanent reminder of the beauty in the everyday. The nights are long, but the years are short.

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I've thought about how best to share this with you without being overwhelming. And, so I'm going to start a weekly blog series to go along with my project; just a place to share my journey

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I knew that these boys needed to get outside! The family just relocated to the area and I thought Kirby's Mill would give them plenty of space to just be boys. 

I loved capturing this sweet family and this awesome time in their lives. 

In home sessions are great for lifestyle sessions because it really allows for children to be comfortable and themselves and allows for me to really see little bits of their personalities that a formal portrait session may miss. This was a large extended family in home session... four grandparents, two families, three small children. I absolutely loved how this family interacted and got along. It was so beautiful to see such a close knit, large family and I feel so lucky that I got to capture their awesome relationships. 

If you have children who are not super into having portraits done or who get really shy in front of the camera then an in home lifestyle session may be exactly the thing for you to get beautiful images of your littles exactly as they are. Maybe you really want to remember the sweet relationship your children share as siblings or that special way it feels when you're all cuddled up together. In home lifestyle sessions just allow for a more intimate portrait experience and if that's something that you're looking for consider an in home session next time you're looking to update your family portraits. 

It was a pretty gray day, and had been raining on and off and the sky was still pretty ominous, but the stars aligned and we somehow made out with a gorgeous golden hour session on the beach in North Wildwood... before it started storming again, someone was definitely looking out for us. 

Summer is a pretty busy season for this family; with every member celebrating their birthday within 6 weeks, and mom and dad's anniversary as well. This year was an especially momentous occasion with the oldest starting her senior year of high school; even though she's still her mama's baby. It's always such an honor to be able to capture such amazing moments for families. 

We kind of kept Aviva up past her bedtime to catch the best light, but she was an amazing trooper. She was nothing but big smiles and the happiest blue eyes the whole time. It was so sweet to capture the love Alison and Ken have for their baby girl, they were such a treat to work with. It's so amazing to get to capture such an amazing chapter in a family's story. Happy birthday sweet girl!!

It was totally worth the wait; I couldn't be happier with the results of this rain delay. This sweet boy was just so much fun and really helped make this shoot special.

In spite of "life" (work, two kids, a dog who gave me a health scare this week) I've been keeping up with shooting. I've really enjoyed this project because the weekly prompts have really been pushing me out of my comfort zone and it's been a lot of fun. I'm so excited to finally share my favorites from January.

Week 1: "hello, this is me" a self portrait, which is so far outside of my comfort zone. I would much rather be behind the camera. This was a really hard week for me.

Week 2: "goals" during this week getting my Valentines Day photos done was my goal. I guess I tend to focus on short term goals and that's something I plan on addressing. I want to start getting some long term goals on paper. Being busy and being a mom makes it really hard to focus on ourselves and that's not fair to us or our families. I guess my revised goal for this year is to be more outspoken about my goals. 

Week 3: "guilty pleasure" Um... this is pretty self explanatory. I'm pretty sure that I'm addicted to truffles. I buy the big bag and keep them on our bar. I usually a few after bedtime as a night cap. The girls always ask for "one of mommy's chocolates", my dependence is pretty widely known.

Week 4: "selfless selfie" This is pretty much my life. All of my things always live at the coffee bar because that's where I spend a lot of my time. Almost everything in my house has been delivered by Amazon, and I would be lost without my planner because a phone calendar just doesn't cut it for me. I think a piece of me will always miss my "agenda" from high school. Oh, and that toy mouse, found him in my pocket. 

Week 5: "the light we hate" this photo was lit only by a blue LED kitty lamp. But, she was so stinking cute, I couldn't resist. Also, her dad was out of town and I had to share with him that one time she went to bed. ​​​​​​

A couple of others from January that I just love:

I've also realized since becoming a mom, something I entirely overlooked previously, is how few photos of mothers there tend to be. Moms put so much time and work into crafting their kids' childhood, we take tons of picture of out kids enjoying their lives. Social media accounts are full of these adultless children. But, what's left is not a true representation of what life really looks like. Moms and Grandmoms are suspiciously absent from photos... Do you believe that my three year old cut or baked those sweet Christmas cookies you see her decorating all by herself on Instagram? No, but someone has to document these memories, and that's just one of the job duties of being a mom; family historian. 

This becomes a problem later, when our kids don't have photos of us. I have so few photos of my mother and grandmother with us as kids, even though this are the women who did everything for us, these are the women who are so entwined in almost every memory of my childhood. However by the photographic record, it's as though they weren't super involved. 

Selfishly, I want it all;  I want time to stop, I want my babies just as they are right now, I want my girls to have photos of me to remember just how loved they are. Mother's Day is a great reminded to get mom in the frame, get photos with mom and grandmom. Let these amazing ladies see how absolutely beautiful they are and give your family chance to honor and appreciate these matriarchs. 

As a Mother's Day gift sessions shot before Saturday May 6th will include an upgraded 8x10 print. Because I believe the best thing to do with photos are to print them and the vest thing to do with any are is to display it. 

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Brynn was the most laid back baby, she wanted no part of sleeping while i worked with her, but she was just hanging out. Her laid back personality made my job super easy, which is always appreciated. And It was so funny, as soon as I handed her back to Mom for family shots she was ready to snuggle and Mom later text me that Brynn wound up falling asleep as soon as I left... Always glad to help ;)

I loved being able to capture this family at home, in their own space. I think it really helped Avery, who just turned 3, to relax and be more comfortable and I loved the family shots we were able to get. I'm so grateful that I get to capture such important moments in the lives of families. 

We decided on a mommy and me mini session to both capture the beauty of her pregnancy, but this special period in her journey as a mother, because it's crazy how a new baby makes your other children seem to grow up overnight. In a few short weeks this mama is going to have one full heart and some very full arms. But, she has two amazing helpers in big sisters Celeste and Pru.  Celeste was amazing at helping me get her little sister into pictures and was really good at finding awesome light, too! I know these girls are going to just adore their new baby bother, who they call "Soda Pop"... How cute is that?!

We headed to Pennington Park in Delanco to take a few birthday portraits. It was nice to have some space for my oldest to run around while she waited for her sister to be finished; always a consideration when photographing toddlers. It was a beautiful winter day that sure felt like spring and offered us a gorgeous sunset. I stopped to pick up a few balloons; I'm not always a fan of props, but when I asked Isla what she wanted for her birthday this year she only requested two thing; balloons and cake. 

I enjoy a nice clean birthday portrait, but I really love the candid shots that show who this kid is right now. Because I can assure you that this sweet girl smiling so nicely at the camera is not exactly who my wild Isla really is. I love images of children that express their curiosity and silliness. I want photos that show everything that children are; pure unadulterated joy that drive you to the edge of insanity. 

Happy Birthday Isla Valentine; you sweet, wild thing.

It was absolutely gorgeous this past weekend! So, we took advantage of our good fortune and headed to the Palmyra Nature Cove, jacket free, for a beautiful sunset session on the beach. Honestly, I love this location so much; woods, beach, city skyline, amazing light. 

Idyllic climate, sweet location, and a gorgeous family to work with, dream Sunday! 

Ashton's mama, Dayna, had asked me to take photos of Ashton when he arrived, she also wanted to capture her oldest, Peyton, meeting her baby brother for the first time. So this was more of a fresh 8 than a fresh 48. 

Dayna text me early in the morning on June 8th to let me know she was headed to the hospital. I knew I was going to be meeting this sweet boy soon, I have to say I was a little surprised when she got back to me by noon letting me know that he'd arrived and she wanted me to get there before big sister Peyton got to the hospital. I was so excited to have the opportunity to capture such an important moment for this little family. 

When Peyton came in the room her reaction to meeting baby Ashton was the sweetest thing, ever. She actually got in the bassinet with him, you could tell that it was love at first sight. These are the memories that can not be recreated and make first 48 and hospital newborn sessions so special. Those early days of parenthood are so fleeting and special.

Sisters, is there anything sweeter?!

You're probably wondering what exactly that looks like? The seniors chosen, from those who complete the Senior Questionnaire , will receive a full senior session and prom mini, online gallery of their downloadable images. I would like to really get rolling on this campaign with minis for Junior Prom 2017 and then follow up with full Senior Sessions in late summer for my seniors returning to school in the fall. 

If you are a senior who is outgoing, comfortable in front of the camera, interested in this opportunity please complete the Senior Questionnaire by March 12, 2017 and if you have any questions about this campaign don't hesitate to contact Jessica.  I'm looking forward to an exciting senior season!