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Stuff in the ‘family photos’ Category
Anniversary Photos
— 09/14/2015 by Monika Wertman —With the arrival of the digital camera and the addition of the camera to cell phones, the need for a professional photographer seems to be less pressing. After all, we all carry a camera with us everywhere we go and can snap away to our hearts delight whenever we feel like it. We can ask strangers if they could snap a quick shot in front of a tourist spot to commemorate the moment and we don’t miss a thing when our children and grand children take that first step or utter that first word.
There are, however still moments and milestones that need to be documented professionally; newborn pictures, that first birthday, Sweet Sixteens, Quinceaneras, Bar Mitzvahs, senior photos, engagement and wedding photos, special anniversaries and maternity shots to bring it full circle. Of course there are other offerings I will not mention in this blog, as they do not really fit here.
It is one of those special moments that I was asked to commemorate the other week. A husband came to me who wanted to do something special for his wife of almost ten years. He mentioned that they did not have a photographer when they got married and he wanted to surprise her with an anniversary session that would celebrate their love for each other in a similar fashion. After some discussion, I suggested that we could also include their three sons in the pictures toward the end of the session and he got excited.
We set a date and he stopped by to purchase the session as a gift certificate to give to his wife on their anniversary, and told me that she would probably call me to discuss details.
Sure enough, a few days later, the very excited other half called me and we discussed wardrobe, location and how the session would run. At the appointed date we met and while her mom watched the boys, we took off to get the couple shots they were both looking for.
Elvin and Tania are a very sweet and funny couple. I had a lot of fun capturing their personalities and their love for each other. They were up to exploring different spots within our location, resulting in some wonderful images.
Halfway through our session, we returned to the cars, my couple changed their clothes and the boys were unloaded. We now took off to the other side of our location and created some family photos of all five of them, some of just the boys who were somewhat reluctant to cooperate, but were persuaded with the promise of ice-cream, and a few shots that included grandma as well.
All in all it was a great session and I am happy to share it with you. Back to the point I was making at the beginning of this blog, even with the constant access to a camera, the need for a professional session still arises and when you book with us, we will guide you from the first moment we pick up the phone to the last minute of the session. This care continues into our sales session, when you return to the studio about 2 weeks after your session to choose your images. We make it easy for you to select your favorites and discard the ones you can do without and guide you in choosing the right materials for your wall art that we have created for you.
So browse our offerings on our site, call us with questions and to book a session. Whatever you want us to cover, we will take care to do it well and make it fun for you.
First Birthday Fun
— 09/03/2015 by Monika Wertman —Working with little ones is both fun and challenging. This is never more true than when I am asked to capture a little one year old at her first birthday party. Little Brielle was no exception. The party was set up outdoors, older children and family members were all around and everything was new to her. One of the saving graces with a one year old is that they generally do not move as fast as on older child yet, as they have just learned how to walk, and Brielle was just finding her speed the day of her birthday.
Minnie Mouse was the theme, so pink, black and white and zebra stripes were prominent in the decorations, which made for a colorful backdrop.
A little play area was set up for the birthday girl, which kept her mostly in one area. She liked the colors, so getting shots in that spot was easy.
One of the funniest things was getting her to try her birthday cupcake. She just did not know what to make of it.
She carefully touched the little Oreos that adorned the top of each cupcake, acting as Minnie’s ears. She pulled one off and licked the icing, made a face and looked away.
The texture of the icing drew her back though and it was played with. After much coaxing, she took a bite of the cake and again made a face and finally proceeded to take the cup cake and flung it off her high chair tray.
This cuteness extracted much laughter with exclamations of: “she takes after her daddy!”
Little children are among our favorite clients, especially between the ages of 6 months to 2 years, as they are natural in front of the camera and even if they do not smile much, are cute as buttons. They have not learned that they have to smile yet, so when they do, it is a natural, heart felt smile that comes from within, showing their personality in a way that is briefly hidden around the ages of 3-5. At that age they start smiling in a more forced way, making our job a bit more challenging in trying to get them back to forgetting that a camera is present.
Sometimes getting a family picture with a little one and her own agenda can create the sweetest moments like in the picture above, a favorite of the family.
Please explore our galleries and stay tuned to find out about our fall mini sessions coming soon. We would love to hear from you and receive feedback on images we post. Let us know what makes your favorites list and by doing so, you will be entered to win a 1 hour session for up to 5 people, a $150 value. Please mention any image from the children ‘s gallery including this blog.
A fun couple’s session at the C&O Canal at Williamsport
— 07/09/2015 by Monika Wertman —Lately we have had several couples come through the studio and while most of them have been engagement pictures, I had a session with one couple who do not fall into that category. In this case, the session was a Valentines present from him to her and it just took us a while to find the perfect date to execute the session.
Gabe and Melissa are a lovely couple who were up for an adventure. We set out to our local stretch at the C&O Canal in Williamsport, MD and because they were both open to ideas that pushed the typical location a little, we found a few spots to create pictures at that I had not previously been able to utilize.
One such spot was on top of a taller base of a bridge. Gabe gave Melissa a leg up, then jumped up behind her and Voila, we had a background that looked urban enough to rival any inner city location.
We also found a wall covered in lots of ivy, lending a romantic feel to the image that was also different than what I had utilized before with other clients in the same general location.
After a quick clothing change I asked if they minded crossing the water basin for me and upon an enthusiastic “we don’t mind at all” I gave them instructions as to what I wanted them to do, as the distance was too far to give the instructions once they were in place. This situation led to some wonderful impromptu images that look fun, relaxed and non-posed.
Now it was time to head in the opposite direction and explore what we may find as we were heading down the path leading into the wooded area of the canal. We found little hidden clearings, spots where the sun peeked through the trees just enough to light Melissa’s dress in a romantic way and gnarly tree trunks that made wonderful props.
The samples within this post illustrate some of the locations described above. Here at Wertman Photography we love to discover new spots, even if we have been to the general location before and each time we take a client to that area, something new happens, as each client is inclined to a different adventure.
Please check out our galleries, in particular the wedding gallery, as we are busy with weddings and are updating that gallery as our couples come in to choose their images.
Please vote on your favorite image in this post by leaving a comment below, leaving your contact information and sharing your comment on facebook. You may win a 1 hour family session for up to 5 people, a $150 value, by doing so. The winner will be announced July 20 on our facebook page.
Successful Pictures for a Family of Eight
— 04/02/2015 by Monika Wertman —
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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