Spring Family Lifestyle Mini Sessions - Announced! | Southern Maryland Family Photographer

How exciting is this?!?  I know I'm super stoked!  

This years spring family mini sessions are going to be AMAZING.  Do you want to know how I know that?  Because I've been blessed to team up with Southern Comfort Berry Farm located in Bushwood, MD - who have so graciously agreed to allow us to use their farm as the location for these sessions. 

When you think of Spring's arrival, what comes to mind?  Warmer weather, the shining sun, new life, fresh air.  That's what I think about!  And this year I plan on welcoming Spring with open arms.  So offering a family mini session while picking fresh, locally grown strawberries and enjoying the farm animal petting zoo was my way of opening my arms to usher Spring our way.  Not only will you be allowing me to capture special memories for you and your loved ones, but you'll also be supporting a local farm.  And I'm definitely a strong believer in supporting our local small businesses.  :)

The date we chose for this years mini sessions was chosen for two separate reasons.  1 - It'll fall during the peak time of year to pick local strawberries (YUM!).  And, 2 - it's around Mother's Day!  So bringing mom out to pick strawberries, make memories with her family and have a beautiful keepsake of her special weekend will ensure that she feels the day was made to celebrate her.  

Here are the details: 

Where:  Southern Comfort Berry Farm, Bushwood, MD 
When:  Saturday May 11 & Sunday May 12
What you'll receive:  a 30 minute family lifestyle mini session featuring strawberry picking and enjoying the farm animal petting zoo, images burned to a custom designed DVD and a FREE 16x20 canvas print featuring an image of your choice from your session (canvas print is a $90 retail value!), and a custom designed Facebook Timeline Cover image
How much:  Only $150!  
How do I book:  booking is accepted through contacting me at aadamsphotography@yahoo.com 
Additional information:  A Facebook sneak peek of your images will be made available so you can share them with friends and family almost instantly.  Feel free to tag friends and family on your images and use as your Facebook profile photos!  Any berries that are picked by you during your session will be your responsibility to purchase.  Your images will be edited and burned to a custom designed DVD and then delivered to your home by mail within a week of your session.  Once you decide which image you would like as your canvas print image, please contact me ASAP so I can place your order.  Please arrive promptly to your session.  If you have to cancel, please give me no less than 24 hours notice.  A $50 retainer is collected to book your time slot.  If your retainer is not paid in 24 hours after booking, your slot will be given to someone else.  The remaining payment due on your session is to be paid at the time of the session.  Retainer can be paid online at www.aadamsphotographblog.blogspot.com under the 'Payment' tab.  No payment information is collected or shared, as this is a secured site.  All major debit and credit cards are accepted. 

Availability:  (please check here often, as this page will be updated as slots get filled) 

Saturday, May 11 - 

2:00pm - Dallachiesa/Bonasera Family
2:30pm - open
3:00pm - open
3:30pm - open
4:00pm - open
4:30pm - open

Sunday, May 12 - 

2:00pm - open
2:30pm - open
3:00pm - Stephanie Robertson
3:30pm - open
4:00pm - open
4:30pm - open

 *Southern Comfort Berry Farm closes at 5pm, the last session will end at 5pm.*

SEE YOU ALL THERE!!!!  

Mrs. C. Alicea | Southern Maryland Portrait Photographer

When Cami got in touch with me a couple weeks ago to tell me that her birthday was coming up and she wanted some portraits done for herself, I knew we needed to start planning her session right away!  Cami has become a friend of mine and I had the honor of having coffee with her right after our session.  The planning was in the works and knowing we had a short amount of time to work with (her birthday was coming up, after all) we decided that a sunrise session on the water at Solomons Island would be more than perfect.  And after freezing our butts off at 6am in what felt like 20 degree weather, that coffee we grabbed was much needed!  Hahaha.  

Happy birthday to a woman who is beautiful inside and out!  

I had such a great time taking your portraits, Cami!  Thank you so much for spending your morning with me. 

Wall Displays | Southern Maryland Family Child Photographer

So, you've invested a lot of time and money into your recent photo shoot with your family and you receive a custom made disk with your loving memories.  Now what?  Do you do what most people do and put the disk in storage and forget about them?  Maybe you share a few of the images on Facebook with friends and family.  But beyond that, what happens?  The images sit on the disk or USB drive and collect dust.  You think about the blank wall space you have above your couch but you have no idea how to fill it stylishly.  Or the walls in the nursery or hallway that desperately need to be decorated.  

Instead of filling your walls with decorations from Target or Pier 1 Imports that don't have any special meaning to your family, why not fill them with prints and canvas of the memories you captured during your photo shoot of your family!  By all means, I'm definitely not saying to fill every corner and inch of wall space from basement to bathrooms.  But strategically placed, well styled prints in frames and canvas prints of your family will not only fill your walls and add some style and pizazz, but they will also make your house feel more like home.

Take it from someone who has painted her walls 6 different times in the 4 years I've lived in my house...the thought of choosing prints and canvas can definitely be a daunting and scary experience.  And if I have any advice for someone seeking out prints and canvas for their home it would be to sit down with your photographer and speak about your options.  There are many different types of printed products, paper options, finishes, sizes, frames, and grouping options.  No wonder someone can look at a blank wall and get so frazzled that they decide it's much easier to leave it blank!  

Three canvas print grouping.  Large 20x30 canvas print, framed by 2 smaller 10x20 canvas prints.

  
When choosing canvas or prints for your home, trust your photographer when they say 'bigger IS better'! Because it really and truly is much, much better. Can you imagine a lonely little 8x10 print on this wall? Neither can I.

Choosing to frame prints is also a great option!  Large 20x24 print with 4" mat and 1.5" frame molding, with three smaller 5x7 prints in 1.5" mat with 1" frame molding.

My prices for canvas and professional prints are highly competitive. And the professional quality of the print is 100% guaranteed!

Happy First Birthday, Darling | Southern Maryland Child Photographer

Happy first birthday, sweet girl!!  You've brought an unbelievable amount of love and joy to our family this year.  You are THE most important person in your brother's life and I love watching him take such good care of you.  And your little personality is beautiful and raises the spirits of anyone near you.  You're a little sassy too, like your mama.  And you know I love that!!  

Styling for Your Session | Southern Maryland Family Photographer

So, your family's photography session is coming up and you've dug through everything your family owns and you STILL can't come up with something for them to wear.  You want them to look adorable in their photos, but not too stuffy.  And you definitely want them to look like themselves.

thechildrensplace.com

Here are a few tips to get the creative juices flowing:

1) Dress in layers.  During the colder months, you don't want your little ones with blue lips and chattering teeth.  Layering clothing gives images texture and color, and serves an even better purpose with keeping the babes warm.  

2) Think pattern/texture.  Cable knits, furs, linens, denim.  They all have different texture.  And each type of fabric photographs differently and picks up or reflects light differently.  Don't be afraid to mix and match.  You don't want things too matchy-matchy anyway.  (Remember those 1990-ish images where everyone's wearing a white shirt and jeans?  Stay away from that!)  Everyone has their own personality and sense of style.  Show it! 

3) Don't be afraid of color!  Green and yellow go great with deep purples.  Red goes well with purple too!  Brown and pink.  Yellow and grey is super popular these days.  Find a piece that you love that has multiple colors in it and use that key piece as inspiration for the rest of your styling.  If you have a red scarf you're in love with, then pair that with red pants and a sweater to match, for baby boy.  

gap.com

 4) Choose timeless pieces.  Your images will last forever.  After the children have grown and left for college, your photo will remain the same.  Trends and fads fade away and are replaced quickly.  (Do you ever cringe when you look back on the 80's white washed jeans, shoulder pads, and poofed bangs? I do!)  Stay away from Dora the Explorer and Mickey Mouse prints.  Solid colors always look great layered with prints of stripes or plaid or gingham.  For little girls, tasteful flowers or lace is always beautiful and timeless.  

gap.com

5) If you've hit a road block, ask for help.  The people who work at the Gap or the Children's Place are always willing to offer up suggestions when you ask.  And the clothes they have for kids are ADORABLE and you can almost always find great sales.  Walk around the mall and window shop.  The mannequins are styled in ways that are perfect for inspiration.  Check the web!  My Pinterest Board is always being updated with ideas for your sessions.  

Hopefully, these ideas will help point you in the right direction!  And remember, your family photo session is the best representation of YOU.  So don't lose your style in someone elses details.  Go with what makes you comfortable and I'll help you showcase it!    

Laundromat Lifestyle Family Fun | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Family Photographer

Lifestyle photography is quickly taking over the market.  Ask any mother who owns a camera (whether they're a 'photographer' or not) and you'll discover that this style of photography has been around for a long, long time!  Of course everyone wants to have a few posed shots of everyone looking at the camera and smiling.  But lifestyle photography captures your life as it is at this very moment!  That's whats so exciting about it!! 

Amber and I have been talking about planning a little lifestyle session for her and the kids for about a month.  I was really excited when our schedules synced up and we were able to put this idea into action. 

It's always an honor to photograph a friend!  And it's even more of an honor when she's also a fellow photographer.  ;)  A couple hours of doing laundry, running around an empty laundromat and pushing the kids around in the little carts was a great way to spend our afternoon.

PHEW!!!  With over 400 images to choose from, blogging a post like this was tough.  And so many of the images were perfect.  So be prepared for a larger-than-normal share.  Enjoy!!!

 

 

Where's My Baby Boy?! | Southern Maryland Child Photographer

Me: "Ethan.  I hardly have any pictures of you!  Let's get dressed and head out to take some pictures."
Ethan: *face in the DS - slowly looks up at me* "Moooooom.  Do we HAVE to?"
Me: "Yep! Let's get out of this house!"

It took quite a bit of coaxing on my part.  He HATES any reason to 'have' to fix his hair.  But after several minutes of begging on my part, he complied.  I'm glad he did because I captured THESE! 

About an hour after leaving the house I sat down to edit them and my mouth dropped open.  WHERE did my baby boy go?!?!  Seriously!  Just last year he was still holding on to some child-like features.  And now, even though his shoes are untied, his jeans have holes in the knees, he laughs at talking muffin jokes and farts...he's clearly growing up.  And these pictures of him are evidence that I no longer have a baby on my hands.  I have a young man!  This scares me.  

And it also means that I absolutely HAVE to take more pictures of him.  As he is.  RIGHT. NOW.  Because I seriously feel like I blinked, and he was grown.  

This Is Our Life: I Wish I Could Freeze Time | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

So far, this Lifestyle Project 52 has started off strong!  We're now already into week 3 and freezing time - as it is at this very moment - was the inspiration for this week's entry.  Since I've been following my kids around all day long with my camera not too far behind me, I was lucky enough to snap this shot.  Thea was playing in her room while I sat in the hallway watching her.  She's so little.  She's so curious.  She's soooo brutally honest!  ("Thea, can you give mama kisses?" *Thea violently shakes her head no*)  EVERYTHING about her at this very moment makes me want to freeze time, as it is right now.  

Within seconds of me capturing this, she looked up just a teeny bit too far and ended up toppling over.  Hahaha.  She's so funny to watch! 

This is Our Life: This Makes Me Laugh | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

This week I've been working hard (with my little helper, of course) to try to get out from under this huge, growing, massive pile of laundry that seems to be never ending.  I usually take the baby into the laundry room with me, sit her down on the floor and begin sorting and loading and drying.  Once the washing machine is started and it fills up with water she'll usually start pawing at me and climbing up my legs.  She's actually deathly afraid of the washer.  But for some reason, this day was different.  

I sat her down, started another load and turned away to sort the rest of the laundry.  The next thing I know I turn to pick her up and find her with her face pressed against the machine watching the clothes tumbling around.  She was hopping up and down excitedly and since this was the first time she wasn't crying for me...I HAD to grab my camera.  

I laughed pretty good while I watched her being a little curious.  

This is Our Life - Project 52 | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

2012 brought along a ton of challenges.  But I'm happy to say that 2013 is here and I'm tired of looking behind me thinking of what I could have done better.  This year I've committed myself to participating in two 52 week projects.  One of them is a lifestyle project documenting our lives, as they are right in this moment.  This project is near and dear to my heart.  My family is growing and the years seem to slip past me way too fast.  So with the help from Paint the Moon Photography I'll be doing my best to make sure I capture something - at least once a week for a whole year.  

This past week's prompt was "nightly rituals".  This is my take...

 Bath time.

Use What You Have! | Southern Maryland Photographer

The holidays have come to a close.  The new year has just started.  And with that, people are probably running on tight budgets.  I know I am!  

If you're like me and would love to still take a variety of images of your kids and you don't want to spend any extra money on backdrops, then keep reading.  I hope that I can help offer up a few tips that inspire you to look everywhere for new ideas.  

Aside from being a photographer, I'm also a mom.  My husband has blessed me with the opportunity to stay home with our daughter while she's still young.  And these moments are fleeting!  I always have my camera within reach (even if it's my phone's camera) and looking for backdrops in my home that we already have on hand has become a necessity.  Here are a few examples of images I've taken of my children using items I had laying around.  

If you have blankets around your home that are special to you in some way, use them!  Choose fabrics that have texture to them.  Or use a patchwork quilt that has lots of color to add interest.  Here's a tip: when using a patchwork quilt, have your subject wear a solid color shirt so the patterns or colors aren't distracting.

In the image above I used my yoga mat!  This actually happened by total accident.  My daughter was playing with it and I just happened to notice that her shirt matched with the color of the mat.  Because my camera is always within reach, I snatched it up, rolled her on her back and started dancing around and making faces.  It turned out to be the perfect backdrop for this photo!  Not only does it offer a nice pop of color, but the mat has added texture. 

This is a holiday photo that I did of my daughter, inspired by my door wreath.  Yep!  That's a wreath that I purchased at Lowe's two years ago!  I took the wreath off of my front door, grabbed a furry rug that we had and I set her in in the wreath in front of a blank wall.  The lights you see as the background were added digitally in Photoshop.  I didn't even have to have a set of lights laying around!  You can find the digital lights at Modern Baby Photography's store.

This last image was taken using the same rug I used in the holiday photo, above.  And I did actually use a seamless paper backdrop for this.  However, something like this can EASILY be recreated using other items in your home.  Think of using a solid wall you have at home.  Do you have a solid colored sheet you can tape to a wall?  Use that!  (Make sure you iron it first though.  Editing out wrinkles are a PAIN!) 

Take a few minutes to look around your home and take note of what you've already got.  Be inspired to try new things!  Once you get bitten by the creativity bug, you might find that it's tough to see things the way you used to.  :)

A Day at the Park | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

I needed to run some errands today and since I've been working hard at shooting my kids more (I know...sounds horrible - LOL!) I thought we'd stop by our local neighborhood park for about an hour.  It gave Thea some fresh air and time to chew on the dirty swing and eat leaves.  All kids need to do that, right?  Hahahah.  

If it wasn't 38* outside today and breezy, we could have stayed there longer!  The sun has finally decided to pop out from behind those rainy clouds and it was nice getting out of the house for a change.