Central Mississippi Wedding and Portrait Photography

So, without a doubt, their is far less supreme than getting your kiddos to cuddle up for a kiss, let alone actually get that kiss on camera.  As parents of three dueling kiddos, we know all about how challenging it is to garner a shot of our spunkie lil’ ones puckering up for a shot.  In fact, we are so thankful for one shot of our oldest two hugging that we proudly display it in the front window of our studio (we refer to it as “the only time they hugged in their first three years of life”).
What we have found is that it takes far more than the talents of your photography team and parents….it takes some darn cooperative kiddos!

Usually it takes a series of attempts to land the shot and many times it isn’t always what you have in your minds eye, however, it’s worth a frame when you can actually achieve a believable kiss on camera.

Kids aren’t always opposed to the idea of kissing a sibling.  It is usually pretty simple to get them to do it – especially if the younger is a baby.  However, in order to get a shot with both faces, you have to come up with a helpful strategy for the older sibling…..

Naturally, kids want to kiss on the lips or the cheek.  Sounds legit, except for the fact that both the lips AND the cheeks usually end up blocking at least one of the kids face.  So, we have learned to ask kiddos to kiss their little brothers or sisters on the ear or back of the head…sounds funny, I know, but it works!

Cute and animated – but out of focus!

Nobody’s looking at the camera – ….

Heehee!

Usually we get at least one attempt for the nose!  Love it!

Loved his face in this one, but we fired off before she was ready –

Got it!  Even though neither child is looking at the camera the lighting contrast ended up looking really nice in the final color and black and white version of this one.

I stumbled across this when I was culling photos for a proofing yesterday.  It made me smile.

This is our every day.

We have the honor of capturing smiles for a living – from newborn babes to great-great grandparents.

It’s what we do.

And we love every second of it.

About a month ago I received a phone call from an expectant mother of twins.  She was due to have them in about 5 weeks and was interested in doing a few shots of them as newborns.  I immediately was super-excited about getting the opportunity to shoot newborn twins!

Knowing that most moms of multiples go early, I told her to give us a ring whenever they came knocking…I was dismayed when weeks went by and we hadn’t heard back.

Well, the phone call came about a week ago and that sweet little mom had indeed gone early, like a couple of days after we spoke!  Although they were technically a month old when we shot them, they were 3 days shy of their due date ringing in at 5 1/2 and 6 pounds.  Thankfully, they came out healthy and happy and were released to go home after only spending 5 days in the hospital!  How about them apples, eh?!

We’ve shot twinkles before, but not newborns, so we were thrilled to get to work with this little guy and gal.

They did just great.  LOTS of hand-holding and cuddling – just what you would hope for as a parent (and photographer)!

Thanks for being our very first newborn twins, Ellie and Ramsey!

I just love it when the time “Springs Forward” and we can reclaim our long days and stretch out activities late into the evening!  There is  a sense of renewal that puts energy into everyone and everything!

Spring is also a great time to capture children and families enjoying one of the BEST signs of Spring – flowers blossoming everywhere.  Some photographers prefer to do chick and bunny shots during this time of year.  We lean towards showcasing the beautiful blooms and greenery of Mississippi Spring.  During the Spring months we tend to spend our days shooting outdoors at the historical Mynelle Gardens in Jackson and on parts of the historical Natchez Trace.

Mynelle Gardens is a seven acre collage of several distinct gardens, with winding pathways, cascading pools, and distinctive bridges which lead you across the pond to an island oasis.  It’s Spring blooms are brilliant during the months of March and April.  It is beaming with bright yellows, pinks, purples, and blues!

The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates an ancient trail used by animals and people that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River, through Alabama, to salt licks in today’s central Tennessee.  We like to focus our attention on the area at and around the Reservoir Overlook.  The Natchez trace lends a magnificent earthy beauty to our shots.

We have found that Spring is a time for more formal shots.  If you are thinking about doing Spring Portraits consider dressing your child/family in a light, pastel or muted color so that their outfit does not distract from the vibrance of their surroundings. Cream or white outfits shoot very nicely during the Spring months.

If you prefer less formal outdoor shots consider dressing your child in a simple outfit – shorts and a solid color shirt, overalls, or a simple spring dress.

Helpful hint -

Barefoot pictures are great during the Spring, however, if your child does not like to go barefoot in normal circumstances, you might want to avoid testing the waters during your shoot.  Sometimes something as small as taking their shoes off can cause a child to turn their happy switch off for the rest of the shoot.  If you have a child that does not like to go barefoot but have been dreaming of a shot of their little toesies -  you might want to wait until the very end of the shoot to try to attempt the shot – .

Hollie

Life gets completely flipped upside-down with the arrival of a new little one!  Although Birth Announcements are of high priority, not everyone has the time to devote to scrolling through hundreds of announcements online trying to pick out the perfect one.   Sometimes you only have to go so far as your photographer!  Now that photography has merged with the digital age, most photographers are well equipped with digital editing know how, so don’t forget to lean on them when it is time to talk Birth Announcements!

One of the many benefits to having your photographer design your birth announcement is that you have the option of having a completely custom made announcement.

A couple of things to keep in mind when moving forward with your announcement:

1)  Be sure to be SOLD on the image that you select.  This is where the photographer comes in handy.  Since he/she will be overseeing the design of the announcement, they will help add a critical eye to the selection of the best image for your announcement.   Many of our clients use their favorite shot, but not always.  Although your favorite shot of the session might be the one that holds sentimental value, it might not hold the same.  Be sure to pick a shot that either focuses on the face or the full body of your newborn.

2)  If there is a particular saying/scripture that you would like to use – come prepared!  Don’t worry!   It only takes a moment or two to find the exact/complete saying using the wonderful world wide web, so if you “kind of” know what you are looking for it should only take a few moments to find!

3)  Traditional / Contemporary – Let the photographer know what style you lean towards.  In the announcement we did for our latest arrival, we used an artsy, contemporary style.