Allison- Littleton Senior Pictures

I love this season of the year.  It is time for back to school and my 

other favorite....senior pictures.  I love spending time getting to know 

these amazing kids who are starting the best year of their life!  

A year that is full of frivolity and also a year 

full of life changing decisions.

This young lady is a beautiful combination of loveliness,

 kindness, smarts and beauty.  Not fair!  I loved hearing about all of her 

accomplishments and the fact that she is most excited 

that she is taking TWO math classes this year.  Who is excited about such a thing?  

Perhaps someone with a pocket protector.  Nope!  It is a beautiful and 

accomplished young lady.

 Smart, pretty and yet this was my favorite conversation with her.  

Me:  What has been your favorite thing about high school so far?

Allison:  Last year I was able to tutor a 1st grader through a program

 called Whiz Kidz.  I loved spending time with her 

and helping her learn.

Me: Awwww.  (Inside I was thinking "please Lord......

let my boys marry a girl just like this").

Don't you just love her?

Black and whites are my favorite.

She is also on the softball team at D'Eveyln (GO JAGS!).  

So naturally we had to take some pictures in the dugout.

Allison's one request was wildflowers.  They were a bit tough to find, 

but when I did they were perfect.  

These little purple flowers were beautiful!

Frantz family:  You are doing something right.  

This girls has so much going for her.  

It was a pleasure to spend time with her.

For more pictures visit my website or my Facebook page.

Dom- Littleton Senior Pictures

My Kids are growing up.  There is no stopping them.  The older they get, 

the more I picture their little faces as I am doing photo shoots.  

I realize that I am going to blink and I am doing to be doing their senior pictures.  

It also helps me to relate to the moms (mostly) that tag along and carry the 

multiple clothing changes that happen during a senior session.  

I can picture myself doing that in just a few years.  It scares me, 

but then I see how these kids (especially the boys- probably because I have boys) 

relate to their mamas.  These kids are awesome.  They love their mamas.  

Granted I always get to see them on their best behavior, 

but I love hanging out with these seniors.

I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes.  I love to hear their excitement and 

hope for what is to come.  It is a joy!

This young man was no exception!  His mom works at the

 preschool that my kids all attended.  And while my kids never had the pleasure 

of having her in their classroom, we share a common love and bond for the school!

 

I am pretty sure that Dom has been practing his looks in front of the mirror.  

He had it down!  This kid could be a model.  He always did a serious look, 

half smile and a full smile for every picture without me even having to ask.  

It was amazing.  Because of that, I have about a

 million that are my FAVORITE.  

Not many people can pull off the "serious" look.  Most kids just laugh when 

I try to get them to do the serious look.  Not Dom.  

He just gave me the smoulder.  Check it out.

This kid also has mad skills.  He plays basketball and football and 

just reminds me of an all-round good American kid.  Love it.

The clouds rolled in for our session which meant that we could shoot

 almost anywhere.  It was fun to explore places I have never been able to shoot.  

I found tons of fun, new (to me) nooks and crannies 

with great texture and variety.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with this session.  

Sorry for the overload. I just couldn't narrow it down.

For more pictures visit my website or my Facebook page.

How to Take Great Back To School Photos

It's that time of year.  Teachers and students are lamenting, but moms

 (and dads too) everywhere are secretly rejoicing!  

The fighting, constant noise and whining will soon be over 

(at least from 8-2:45).

It is time to return to school.  The supplies have been purchased 

(after taking out a loan to pay for 700 SHARPENED pencils),

 the clothes have been bought and it is time for the last piece of the puzzle.  

Photos!

Everyone loves taking those pictures as you are in a mad dash to get 

out the door on the first day of school. 

 It is such a great way to document the beginning of a new season and it is always 

fun to look back at on the last day of school to see how much they have grown.

Usually these photos are taken with your phone and are hurriedly done.  

Unless you are a Pinterest mom and over achiever.  If you are that person, congratulations! 

 But you are probably not the one reading this blog.  

This is for the moms and dads who are just trying to get everyone to school 

on-time with most of the supplies that were required (because there is always 

something on the list that you swear does not exist- at least not for 100 miles).

Just because you are in a hurry doesn't mean your pictures have to be terrible!  

It is just knowing a few basic guidelines.  I am here to help you!  

No more full sun pictures where your kids are squinting into the camera.  Don't do it!

Here are 5 things to remember when taking back to school pictures.

1.  Get close.  So often we stand too far away from our kids and you can't see the 

details of their little faces.  You will want to see their face and the excitement in their eyes.  

So take 5 steps forward and take the picture.  Aim to have them from the chest up in the picture.  

You want to be able to see the sparkle in their eyes.

2. Take more than one picture.  Maybe do a close up so you can see their new braces.  

But then back up (or have them sit on the front porch stairs) so you can see their whole outfit.  

Spent money on new shoes and backpack?  Document it! Also, if you have more than one kid,

 take one of each kid individually and then do a group shot.

3.  Shade, shade shade!  DO NOT have your kids stand with their face squinting

 into the sun.  Go around the house and stand by the siding that is in the shade.  

Shade pictures have very even lighting and the kids don't have to squint.  

You can see the eyes!

4.  Background.  Take the extra 10 seconds to make sure you are setting 

yourself up for success.  Find a background that isn't distracting.  

You don't want laundry, dirty dishes and pets running around in the background.  

Take the kids outside and find the side of your house that is in the shade.  

The siding or brick will make for an excellent background! 

 Professionals do it all the time (trust me)!  Do not, I repeat do not do these

 inside (if your house looks like mine does at the end of the summer, 

people might think your house has been condemned).  

Outside lighting so much prettier and easier to work with.

5.  If you want to be an over achiever (or pretend to be) use a white board, 

chalk board or even a plain piece of paper.  Have your KIDS write their 

name and the grade they are starting.  It is fun to see their handwriting progress as they 

get older (if you manage to do this year after year).  

It doesn't have to look like an artist did it.  Just quickly grab a piece of paper,

 a Sharpie and let them at it.  Trust me, you won't regret the extra 30 seconds it

 takes to do this step.  And the teacher won't notice an extra 30 seconds of tardiness.

Here are my Back To School Pictures from last year.  

Because we don't start school for another few days.

And the last day of school in May 2016

And now you can do a before and after picture.

Good luck!  I can't wait to Facebook stalk all of my friends and see if they are 

following the rules for good pictures!  

Happy last few days of summer everyone.

If you want to see my back to school pictures, check out my Facebook page!

The Lindsey Family

I work at D'Evelyn with this lovely lady.   

I was so excited earlier this year to hear that they were 

expecting their second baby.  I was able to sub for her the day she found 

out the gender of their baby and was happy to hear the 

next day that they were expecting a little girl!

I was overjoyed when she contacted me to do maternity and family pictures.  

This is Grant.  He is almost 2 and is about to be a big brother.

He was remarkable.  I have never seen a little boy at this age 

who is so smart and vocal!  He was very curious and it was almost as though 

you could see the wheels turning inside of his mind.

Isn't Emily just glowing?  She has such a natural beauty.

She is a heck of a math teacher too. 

 I have had the pleasure of doing some senior pictures of students who

 have had her as a teacher and they always have nice things to say about her.

And this dress.  I LOVE the bright color.  Beautiful!

She is also lucky enough to be able to take this school year off 

so she can be first and foremost a mom to her two babies.  

It is such a blessing to be able to be a stay-at-home-mom!

 This family is so cute.  

I loved spending the afternoon with them.

I can hardly wait to snuggle little baby Lindsey 

when she maker her appearance.  

I have the best job EVER!

For more pictures visit my website or my Facebook page.