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Stuff in the ‘family photography’ Category

Family sessions outdoors

— 08/04/2016 by Monika Wertman —

Over the last few weeks I had the chance to work with several families, many of them with little children and new babies on the way.  All of the session took place outdoors because the weather was nice and these families chose to be photographed outdoors.

family interaction

Working with young families is always fun and I love shooting in a pretty location.  Being outside gives me a chance to propose great locations that give us plenty of options and scenery changes.  Here in Hagerstown, we have many such locations.  We have parks galore and within a short driving distance we have great little and big waterways that add to the variety I can offer my clients with an outdoor session.

little boy by water

During the initial phone call I ask if they have a favorite spot that means something to them as a family. Most of the time the answer is:”no”  If this is the case, I then propose one or two locations I think will work well and let my families decide from there.  We generally settle on mid-afternoon and many times it has to be on a weekend day.  Occasionally I am asked if we can do the session at the families’ home.  We offer this option as it turns it into more of a lifestyle session.  Indoor or out, a home location offers it’s own challenges that we love to rise to.

family session

At Wertman Photography we are also willing to travel a distance if that is what it takes to make our clients happy.  Within a 25 mile radius from he studio, we travel for no additional charge, outside of this radius, the additional rate depends on the distance we need to cover and how long it will take us to get there.  Personally, I love to go to new places a bit of a distance away.  It allows me to be creative and meet challenges I may not have here in town.

family

One such session was held on family land, on a rainy day.  We walked through softened areas to get to water ways, used tree cover when it started raining and utilized umbrellas when it got a bit worse.  In the images you can not tell that it was overcast, because we where in wooded areas and only emerged when it was not raining.  It was a fun session and produced fun images the family loves!

family interaction photo

Call us today if you want a unique session in an outdoor location of your choice or recommended by us.  We will be happy to work with you and create memorable images that you will be proud to hang on your walls.  301-693-3021

Halloween Pictures

— 11/11/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Halloween Pictures

 

October 30, the night of trick or treating, our studio did something new. We sat up a tent right outside of our doors and partnering with our State Farm agent Lauren Kolberg, we offered free Halloween micro sessions.

 

Parents had the option of ordering one 4×5 print that night, but everyone would be able to receive one free digital copy, chosen by us.

Below are some of our favorites of that night.

Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-51  Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-42

 

Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-38   Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-17

 

 

Please contact us to find out if we have more than one for you and how you can see the others and order more prints.

Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-24   Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-15  Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-1

 

For the complete list of the downloadable images please go to the facebook event page of the night and grab your image.

Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-6  Wertman Photography Halloween 2015-20

 

Emails will also go out over the next day or two with instructions.

Successful Pictures for a Family of Eight

— 04/02/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Family-Photography-13

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of capturing images for a family of eight. Mom and Dad plus 6 children. I met the three youngest at our consultation earlier in the day and they were very well behaved. I looked forward to our session and when the time came that evening, I was not disappointed. This lovely family of eight, was well organized and came to the session well prepared and arrived on time, even a bit early.

We got some great shots that night with three clothing changes for all and were done within 1.5 hours, including the clothing changes. You may say, well, that sounds easy. Trust me when I say, it was not. I have had family sessions in which I had to remind them that they only had me for an hour and that we needed to get started.   The session that comes to mind took place a few years back with 15 people and was staged at the family’s home. Let’s just say that it did not go smoothly and made me change the way I approach family sessions.

So let’s look at what makes a large family session successful:

  • I have a consultation with the respective family before we have our session. This may be over the phone or in person, though I prefer in person.
  • One of the first questions I ask is: “How many people are in your family and what are the ages of the children?”
  • We discuss how much time I have allotted and what they should expect from me and the session.
  • We discuss the color schemes they have in mind and I make recommendations based on the skin tone of my clients.
  • I ask if they would like to have different groupings, i.e. the whole group, just the girls, just the boys, the kids by themselves, etc. You get the idea.
  • If clothing changes are involved, I show the area they will change in and where they can park purses and bags.

When little ones are in the family, I remain conscious of how rapidly they run out of steam and patience and I work quickly and remind all of the big kids and the parents that they need to remember that they are in the picture as well. It seems obvious , but I often have at least a few shots in which mom is too busy to make the littlest one happy to remember to look up and smile. I catch it and help her remember.

My best advise to you is: Ask me about what to expect, agree to an in person consultation to see the studio and know what space we will be working with both for clothing changes and the session itself. If we meet on location, be prepared to walk a bit, I will find several spots to get pictures at to give you variety.

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