Month: October 2018

Lifestyle photography is a kind of portrait photography where I’ll join your family for a fun activity and capture candid moments that your family shares together. 

I encourage all my clients to try a lifestyle photography session at least once. The results usually have them coming back for more. 

There are some real benefits to having a session like this, especially if you have family portraits done regularly.

They are unique. Even when you change up the location every year, the photos tend to have a lot of similarities. You are still documenting your family’s growth over the years which I highly encourage, but they start to look a little same-y. A lifestyle shoot is always unique.

You’ll preserve real moments and emotions. Even for a more classic family portrait shoot, I encourage families to plan some activities. Especially with younger children, that really brings out authentic reactions, real emotions, and true personality. Even adults are usually pleasantly surprised at the authenticity of how they look in the photos compared to posed shots.

They are easy. I enjoy planning out a styled shoot, setting up professional lighting, creating a theme, and giving my clients something truly epic. But that take time and can get costly depending on what you have in mind. A lifestyle session is all about being real, doing something fun that your family would do anyway, and capturing the moments. You’ll have amazing photos without much planning needed.

Lifestyle Shoot Ideas In New Jersey

• A day at the beach
• A night at the boardwalk
• Apple picking
• Excitement at an amusement park
• Sunday brunch at home
• Family game night
• Hiking at the park

Who Is A Lifestyle Shoot For?

Honestly, every family should try a lifestyle shoot at least once. But here are some examples of when it’s a really good fit. 

Families with younger kids. If you are always telling your kids to sit down, look at the camera or having to bribe them to sit still and cooperate, then a lifestyle session is perfect. Just let them be themselves and have fun and I’ll be there to capture the moment. 

Families that are active together. Does your family go hiking, play sports, go to the boardwalk, or even have game night at home? You may not realize it but those are the moment you are going to cherish years from now. Think about having a small album to look back and enjoy those ordinary moments that have become extraordinary memories. 

Families that get portraits done every year. Having great images every year to tell your family’s story is something you’ll never regret. Having some of those images be about a unique experience that you and your family had together is something you’ll never forget.

Do you think a lifestyle shoot may be a good fit? 

A little kid with easy access to an entire cake is always a fun time for everyone involved!

If you are looking for a cake smash photographer in NJ, I can help.

This little guy was one year old when he got to dig into his cake. 

When I get the occasion to be a cake smash photographer for a family, it’s exciting. Let’s face it, the kid is going to put on a show and it’s my job to capture that. The initial uncertainty, testing the boundaries a little by just touching the cake, and then finally the unbridled joy when they realize no one is stopping them from diving in headfirst. These sessions are always photography gold. 

But my favorite part of being able to capture a cake smash is helping families preserve these fleeting moments in their child’s life before they grow up. 

Whether you want to do the cake smash in the middle of a birthday party like the one above or set up a custom individual portrait session, I’ll walk you through designing the shoot exactly the way you envision it. No pre-made backgrounds that are the same for everyone.

You’ll get a bespoke photography experience tailored to your creative vision.

Whether it’s in the form of a canvas, a cluster of metal prints, or a beautiful album showing your little one as they tear through the cake, I want to help you create family heirloom pieces that you can use to decorate your home and pass them down to future generations. 

PRO TIP: Invest in a high quality cake smash wall art piece and it will still be in amazing condition to hang up at your child’s wedding so you can really embarrass them!

What better way to capture the feeling and memories of the holiday season than with Christmas or holiday-themed family portraits?

You don’t even have to wait until the end of the year to have holiday photos taken. In fact, if you want to use them in your Christmas or holiday cards then Summer or Fall is the perfect time to take holiday photos. 

Christmas Tree Photos

For many families, heading out to pick a Christmas tree is an exciting and fun adventure. Documenting it with professionally shot photos can preserve those memories for many years to come. 

Too frequently, someone in the family ends up being the photographer. By the time you get home and everyone looks at the photos, you realize that they aren’t in any of the photos. As far as the photos show, they weren’t even there. Having someone there to document the event might be worth it for that reason alone. Add in the high-quality images and skill with proper lighting and now you’ll have incredible images with the whole family in it that you will be happy to display on your wall!

After a few years of documenting your Christmas tree search, you can even create an album or image collage showing how your family has grown over the years. 

But the tree photos don’t have to stop there. Once you get it all decorated, it can be a great place for taking portraits right in your home…

Home Holiday Photos

Taking photos in your home that show off the beauty of your lights and decorations is a great way to capture the holiday spirit.

But getting properly exposed holiday lights as well as properly lighting any people’s faces in the image can be tricky! But that’s where a skilled photographer will excel. 

One of the best things about having your holiday photo shoot in your home is that no one else is going to have photos just like yours. It’s not a studio set that 100 families are sitting in for photos. It is uniquely your own and evokes memories of years of family experiences during the holiday season. 

Remember though, there are only so many days available when your decorations are all up and looking great, so make sure you book early to reserve your spot. 

On Location Holiday Themed Photos

This is a great way to get two kinds of family photos at one session. Plan a regular family portrait session and bring some props or outfit change to make a few of the photos holiday themed. Whether you’re having your family portrait in a park with Fall colors or even in the middle of the Summer on the beach, it doesn’t take much to add a little holiday flair to your portrait session. 

I’m always happy to work with families to make the most out of their family sessions. So adding an extra theme to the shoot is just about always allowed.