PLACE AND TIME

You choose the setting. Your kitchen, backyard swing set or pool. Downtown. The park or beach. Wherever you and your family are most comfortable. I will utilize the natural mise en scene of the setting you choose. This means natural light whenever possible and snaring the essence of the very things that make the setting important to you. Life happens everywhere. The most familiar places are usually overlooked. These places often make the best shoots. The hopscotch court the kids drew in chalk on the driveway or a plastic tea set in a tree house. Early mornings or early evenings provide the best natural lighting for outdoor shoots.

I like to schedule our shoots a half an hour before I pull out my camera. This will allow me the opportunity to meet you and check out your home, garden or the location we choose. Show me around, or—better yet—let the kids show me around while you finish getting ready. I will find the best natural light in your home and check out your furniture and the best accessories to compliment your photos. Don't be surprised or alarmed when I ask to move furniture (I am pretty strong). I want to utilize the best light in your house, your windows. This is crucial to a successful shoot. Sometimes this means angling a sofa differently or moving it into your yard! (Don’t worry…I’ll help you move it back!) Let me take over for an hour or so. You won’t be sorry. I have a million crazy ideas in this head of mine that could make for the photos of a lifetime.

Once we get started, I’ll be a fly on the wall. You and your family do what you usually do, play, tickle, laugh. These are the photos you'll treasure for a lifetime, not the stiff formal photo from Aunt Betsy's 80th birthday get-together. Don't look at me, look at each other, the way you do everyday, the way you do when I'm not around! I may suggest a spot for you to hang out in or an activity to do while I sit patiently and watch for the silliest face or sweetest moment.

If I ask you to take a walk with me around the neighborhood or jump into the car, come with me. It isn't to scare you with my driving, but to maximize our time together and find the best hidden spots for photos. This may mean an abandoned canoe I spotted up the road or a little patch of overlooked wildflowers in your neighborhood. The more adventurous we are, the better your pictures will be.

Be prepared to have fun!