Portraits

I have SO many parents who feel like their children need to stand still, smile, and not move for an hour. They bribe them with a fun activity for after pictures. I LOVE all my clients and they are trying to do their best! I am all about BRIBE’s... but let’s rework it. The FUN activity should be the Family Session! Hey, we get to go see Jen! Remember she is funny? She runs around with you? She takes a few pictures, she plays some fun music? You get to have some candy during and after and she lets you use her camera? I have been working with kids forever and pick up on their cues immediately. I know when we should switch it up with a piggy-back ride, “let’s go pick a flower”, or “hey, can you help me move this rock?” I have one for every kid, every time. We want to keep the kids moving and engaged. The biggest misconception: I never want any little one saying "cheese." Most children can not form what we see as a correct smile until they are a bit older. So we want real joy on their little faces!

Quite a few photographers only shoot at Golden Hour, a specific time before sunset that creates a dreamy soft light. However, there are many types of natural light that are beautiful, and I specialize in making the light we have work for our session. This is key for families since we usually have small children and evenings may not be available to us. Harsh sunlight is not fun for small children so I (typically) do not schedule your session between 11am-2pm, but I have countless locations that offer shade should this time work best for you. We will discuss all these details when we chat so that I can guide the timing and session that best fits your needs and vision.

I will admit that I have been in this same situation... wanting to wait until feeling my best. For every five families I book, I hear this worry from a parent (both male and female). There have been many studies on the emotional wellbeing of our kids today. In addition to higher confidence and self-esteem, family photos in the home help children develop their identity and sense of self. Even if you are feeling a little less than great about your appearance, please know that my main goal is for you to feel gorgeous. I have an effortless professional process that is designed to make you look like the best version of yourself - from easy-to-wear dresses and clothes for the entire family, hair and makeup recommendations, to polished posing while you interact with your family...all that will make the biggest difference.

Absolutely not! My job is to offer you any and all suggestions to make this process as easy as possible for you.

I do not like to book my clients back to back and always buffer in extra time, which means I'm only able to take on a limited amount of clients each month. My suggestion is always the same: as soon as you know you want to be lifelong friends with me (!), go ahead and book with me. You can always change your session date if needed (see cancellation policy), but then you are on my calendar. Weekend and fall months sell out months in advance, so I do recommend booking as early as possible so that you can get your specific time.

I do! Please follow me on Instagram to see when they are posted. Mini Sessions are held on specific days and at specific locations where families are photographed back to back. I will have my assistant with me to have the day run smoothly.

You will receive your gallery of high res images approximately 3 weeks after your session. You always have the option to add a rush fee, and I can send your images out to an editor instead of editing them myself. I always edit my sessions in order of photographing them.