Family of Three at Big Spring Park (or... Following the Toddler)

When mom booked this Session, she told me she had four requests:

• the family of three together

• baby girl with daddy

• baby girl with mommy

• baby girl by herself

No problem. But baby girl had other plans. 😬 Here’s one of our first images.

After a while, she decided she could get into this.

What do you think? Did we get the four requests that mom had? It may not have been exactly what she envisioned, but she loved them all.

I’d like to do this for your family, too! Kids love the attention they get during a Family Session. Please email me (Julie) with questions or ideas you may have about scheduling your Family Portrait Session!

Family of Three (Baby Girl) In Studio

Have you heard you shouldn’t wear stripes for family pictures? That rule of thumb does NOT apply when you’re five months old with nice chunky legs.

Enjoy these late summer/early fall portraits of a young family in the studio.

Here’s some info about Family Portrait Sessions you might want to know:

I love to know what you’re wearing in advance, if we’re going to be in the studio. A secret ingredient of professional photography is color harmony. It doesn’t just happen- I plan for it. If you text or email me a picture or description of your outfit, I have plenty of time to pull out backgrounds/sets that suit your clothing color.

In this case, I knew ahead what baby was wearing so I dug out this hand-painted canvas backdrop I hadn’t used in a while. For portrait art that will be displayed on a client’s wall, I currently like a neutral background that draws attention to the eyes and skin tones. How can someone not be charmed by this face?

Six Month Baby Boy (Studio)

Six/nine-month-olds are in a picture-perfect stage. A six-month-old usually:

• smiles constantly

• looks great in their outfits

• can’t crawl away from me

See for yourself.

Eleven Year Old Boy (Annual Portrait Session) With Parents (and Thunderstorm)

I’ve been photographing this young man for eleven years now. Every year his parents bring him for a Portrait Session and an updated Wall Portrait, so I get to build on what we did the previous year and my goal (as always) is to make it even better. He likes to be outside for portraits, but just as he arrived for his Session that morning, dark clouds were gathering in the west and the wind was gusting impatiently. We decided to risk it, and ended up with some of the (fastest) most distinctive images we’ve ever taken of him.

Eventually the wind made it dangerous to stay outside, so we went back inside the studio for the last few minutes. We included family- because moms and dads are the glue that hold the family together! Happy birthday to this young man- I look forward to seeing what we’ll create next year!

Highlights from the Annual School Picture Event

We just finished our yearly School Picture Event at the studio.  It started over a decade ago when I saw someone post some truly TERRIBLE back-to-school photos 🙈and I thought- “That poor child deserves a better picture than that!” 

It’s probably a rite of passage to have some cringy school pictures to look back on, but shouldn’t there also be quality portraits in a child’s life to mark these milestones for them? 

As parents, we are the historians for our child.  We document their shot records, put their social security cards in a safe place, and save their construction paper artwork.  I want to help parents add yearly professional photos to this growing timeline of their lives. That’s why we’ve consistently offered this event- - - so parents can update their photos annually with physical and digital images.

This year we had the largest turnout we’ve ever had, and I thank every parent who participated.  2020 will definitely hold some crazy memories, but you can bet these kids are going to look back at their photos from this event and smile!

If you’re not on our email list to hear about events like this, email me and I’ll add you.

Please enjoy some of my favorites from the event!

Family of Four (In Studio) With Older Children

If you have very young children, it may seem hard to get everyone together for a family portrait. But parents with adult children tell me it’s even more challenging to schedule a Portrait Session with older kids.

As increasing responsibilities tighten everyone’s schedule, the feeling of overwhelm can make you want to push off family pictures until a more convenient time. But “when things slow down” is a catchphrase for wishing thinking, and the best time is always the time you have right now in your hands.

When Covid-19 brought these grown daughters home for the summer, they asked their parents to schedule family pictures at Calotype. I have been photographing their family since the girls were very small- here are a few of the earlier images we created for them, starting in 2008:

Now the girls are grown. Here is the family in 2020, photographed in the studio.

“I’m Worried About How My 2-Year-Old Will Act For Portraits”

Don’t be. I’m prepared for the liveliest of toddlers. I specifically design sets in my studio to contain and entertain these energetic subjects!

Here’s a real-life example to look over. For this toddler’s 2nd birthday, her Mimi booked a Portrait Session to celebrate.

As you know, a two-year-old will not be still. How do you keep them in the same place, long enough to create a few photographs?

One solution: a ladder! This age loves to climb, so a ladder positioned just right keeps them in the sweet spot of lighting and sets me up for a series of great shots while they climb around. (Mom and Mimi were inches away on either side for safety).

It was pouring down rain that morning, and Mimi had brought in an umbrella that her granddaughter kept wanting to play with. Rather than discourage her, I thought it would be cute if we let her play with it for pictures. This unplanned photograph ended up being one of Mimi’s favorites!

After a few minutes of active play, she grew tired and wanted her momma. Momma ended up choosing this sweet photograph as a favorite in her Collage.

With so many good photographs to choose from, Mimi and Momma decided to go with a Signature Canvas Collage. Mimi chose her favorite images:

And Momma chose her favorites:

Displaying photographs of your children in your home helps children feel loved and valued. Being two is such a sweet stage, and these Signature Canvas Collages will only grow more precious to Mom and Mimi over the years. Don’t worry about how your toddler will act; worry about missing this precious part of childhood!

Outdoor Summer Portraits at The Park

Studio portraits are timeless, but sometimes a family wants something a little more seasonal.

I have photographed this family several times over the years, and each time we alternate studio vs. outdoor to keep things looking different. This time, we met at Big Spring Park in Neosho.

If you have young children with short attention spans, keep in mind that outdoor sessions always take longer than studio portraits because:

• every time the light changes I need to change my settings

• we fight the breeze that blows hair in the eyes and billows shirts & dresses

• children wander toward water and the ducks (and the playground…)

Big Spring Park is a beautiful part of Neosho. It has stood for over 150 years; however, childhood does not! If you’ve been meaning to update your family portraits, consider this your reminder. Whether in the studio or the park, don’t wait until they won’t fit in your arms anymore.

More old photos of Big Spring Park. If you love local history, follow the Big Spring Park page on Facebook. They post interesting tidbits and old photos as they surface. (You can also join Friends of the Parks Neosho and help keep these beautiful places thriving into the future!)

Date unknown

This image of the stone bridge was taken in the 1940’s