5 Things to Consider when choosing a location

"Location, location, location" is the famed mantra, and it is an important factor when considering WHERE To have your photo session!  

Here are 5 things I recommend considering when picking a location.

1. Is there a place with special significance to the people in the photo?

Doing an engagement session at the place where he proposed or your first date adds more significance to the photos and adds another memory to cherish in the photos.  Or having a family session in a frequently loved park or place that meant something to the parents.  

2. Does location has a good variety of textures, architecture, environments – a place that’s visually interesting.  

To avoid the same looking backdrop in each photo, it's nice to have a place where there is something different and visually interesting to work with- a bridge, garden, stone wall, pathway, body of water, etc that just adds a little variety and personality to the photos.

3. Time of year– what will be in bloom, what will the trees be like is all depending on the season!  

For example, if you want to capitalize on spring tulips in the spring, find a location where they will be in bloom!  Or if you're looking for beautiful fall foliage, avoid someplace with mostly evergreen trees that don't turn.

4. Make sure it works well for the age of your kids.  

If your kids need a lot of room to run, look for a place with open space that won’t disturb others around them.  We want it to a be fun and not stressful experience!

5. Do we need a permit or reservations?  

DC is a tricky city with a lot of restrictions around commercial photography.  So is completely prohibited, while other places just require an additional fee and advanced reservations.  I'm happy to advise and talk through those options and comparable "free" locations! :)

Be sure to check out some of my favorite locations here!

How to Prepare for a Posed Newborn Session

You just had a baby.  You’re probably not sleeping.  And it’s time for a photo session…!  What?

I know, it can be a lot when life is already a chaotic blur. But you want to capture that newborn sweetness before it’s just a memory.  

Here are some tips on how to prepare and make everything go as smoothly as possible!

1. Raise the temperature in your home a few degrees

The goal is to get the baby asleep and naked, so a warm environment is very conducive to getting those sleepy newborn photos!  We might be sweating it out a bit, but it’s worth it to get baby relaxed and comfortable.  

2. Time a feeding right before I come

We'll want the baby to be nice and sleepy, so if you can try timing a feeding before I come, that will hopefully induce a nice milk coma!  

3. Wrap the baby in just a swaddle or simple blanket

Keep the baby in a diaper and just swaddled in a blanket is great to get started.  As we get the baby relaxed and sleepy, the less we have to pull off to get to naked the better.  It’s much easier to slowly unwrap a swaddle then finagle arm holes and getting things over their heads!

4. Props- I’ve got you covered

I'll be bringing a lot of stuff for setup and various blankets, hats etc to choose from.  If you have anything special you'd like to use, feel free to have it available.  

5. Setup Location

I'll want to setup in a place that has a lot of natural light.  No need to have your whole home home perfect and straightened. Large windows, sky lights or glass doors work really well. I can do a lot in a small space, so if you don’t mind me rearranging some furniture as necessary once I get there and see the light, I can pretty much make anything work!  If you have a nursery setup, have that space straightened and ready as that's also a great spot for photos.

6. What to wear?

If mom and dad have dark, solid shirts, that always photographs well against bare baby skin! But the most important thing is that you are comfortable with what you are wearing, so please wear what you feel good in!  I get that you just had a baby and not everything may be fitting just right!

7. Bring your patience and flexibility

This is all about patience.  The baby will rule the session and if they are awake, we’ll get some awake family photos. If they are ready to sleep, we’ll start with the sleepy photos.  If we need to take a break to feed or change, we’ll do that.  But as you know we can’t force anything, so going with the flow is essential.  We'll do our best to get the sleepy, naked newborn shots, but also understand these are not guaranteed as it will all depend on how the baby is feeling. 

Regardless we'll get some great shots that capture this very sweet beginning stage of life which is the most important goal above all!

Want to see more behind the scenes of a posed newborn session?  You can view it here!

More stock photo fun- the lovely Jenese!

I am having SO much fun meeting such wonderful local model talent and getting some stock photography!  Every single person I met has been so fun to work with, and Jenese is part of that bunch!  We just took a little bit of the early evening light to get some photos of this gorgeous gal!