Here’s a Fall wedding full of warmth to cheer you on this dreary December day. And it’s at one of my favorite venues, Oak Lodge, in Donegal, Pa. I’m happy to be one of their preferred vendors, so I get to go there often. I’m sharing some of my favorite shots from their portraits after the ceremony and I gotta say, I love this bride’s style!
When it comes to your wedding photography, you want to ensure that you have ample time to get all of the shots you want during you big day. Having your church and reception venues close together can help with that!
What better location for some fall portraits to document your baby’s first Halloween than Sorgel Orchards in Wexford? It takes some timing to find the right light and fewer crowds, but it’s worth it! And this little boy has some of the most adoring parents I’ve ever met. Of course, he’s pretty charming so it makes perfect sense that they’re so smitten.
When we arrived, it was still pretty crowded and the sun was harsh, so we ducked into the apple orchards for some shade and the beautiful long lines of the orchard rows.
And this little guy looked so big sitting up in the cart!
They also had rows of sunflowers that we couldn’t resist.
And hay bales!
I love the face he’s making here, just look at those cheeks and lips!
Highland Park has been a long-time favorite of mine for photo shoot locations, so when I was contacted by this precious family about doing a session there, it was a match made in Heaven. Their little ones are all charmers and even though it was a chilly morning in October, they were such troopers throughout the whole session!
We had originally scheduled for a date in September, but had to postpone due to the rain. I’m so glad the flowers were still in bloom, because I love this shot of mama and her baby girl.
And here’s a proud papa and his little gents.
And of course, we switched it up and got father/daughter and mother/sons shots too!
And now for some close-up goodness. Each one of them melts my heart!
These kiddos are so happy! What a great way to start the day!
A good friend of mine wanted to plan a photoshoot as a gift for her mom’s birthday. We had a beautiful fall day and four little ones ages 2 and under. This sweet family has really grown in the last few years!
We met in her parent’s backyard in Beaver County and stood in the shade of the setting sun.
Before the shoot we talked about the groupings of portraits for the whole family, individual families and some candids of the kids, because while it would be great to capture everyone smiling at the same time, it was not likely with a group this big and children so small.
I know the stress of wanting to get your children to smile for their photos. And I feel it keenly because my sons are some tough subjects to photograph being that they’re little boys who are constantly on the move.
This photoshoot didn’t produce that one shot with everyone smiling, but there are a few where everyone is looking at the camera. We’re documenting that day with the kids at those given ages and as moms and dads, we can recall when our child bumped his head fifteen minutes before the shoot or how our toddler would not budge on smiling for the camera. I remember my parents and grandparents reminiscing over the challenges of photographing me and my sister and cousins when we were little. It sweetens the memory and we have a lot more to talk about than perfect smiles on cue.
Aren’t these two above adorable? They were playing with sticks and I just really liked this moment as they were looking off to the side at their parents.
Such a sweet mama and baby!
For parents wanting to know how to coax some smiles out of their kids, I suggest three things: limiting the chaos behind the camera (for anyone not being photographed in the current shot, it’s best to be out of sight and not calling for the kids to smile – only one designated person should do that—which brings me to my next suggestion), having one dedicated person located at the side of your photographer to make funny faces and encourage the kids (although not necessary, your photographer can do this on his/her own as well), and lastly treats! I use candy with my kids. I figure that a photo shoot is an important enough event that having a little positive reinforcement to get my kids to cooperate is never bad. I even give them candy throughout the shoot. I don’t mind seeing my boys’ with lollipops in their photos. When my second son was born, I gave my oldest Smarties to chew on while our photographer did our newborn/family photos. You couldn’t see the Smarties, but you could see his smile! And that’s saying something even just a week after the huge adjustment of becoming a big brother! He’s probably smiling mostly because he was happily crunching on candy and I was happy to give him that reward for his cooperation.
Captivating Imagery