'Tis The Season

I will forever be a summer girl, something about the warmth, the beach and the long days just speak to my personality. But, I do love the change of pace brought about by the seasons. Once the leave start to fall, it signals the start of a wonderful chain of holiday events that make the ever-darkening days seem much brighter. Here are some of my favorite fall photos of 2013 to kick off the holiday season. I'm very much looking forward to all of my holiday sessions and sharing them with you after the new year!

As always, visit www.facebook.com/StephanieWaskeyPhotography for more information.

Lifestyle Session: What And Why?

What is a lifestyle session? Why is it different than my uncle taking our pictures for free? What do I need to do in order to prepare? Why should I pay you to take regular, everyday pictures?

Recently, these are some of the questions I have been asked about my lifestyle sessions. I appreciate the questions and will use this space to answer them as best I can. I want all of my clients to feel comfortable and prepared for the pictures, so I welcome all questions about your session and will be sure to answer them timely.

For a lifestyle session, I come to your home and photograph you in your everyday environment. We take portraits on you front porch, your stairs, your couch, your hearth. We take candid shots in your living space, your kitchen, etc. We include portraits of the whole family together and some with just kids, just parents, and then children individually. I am also certain to take candid shots of everyone interacting as we go through our session. Our time will last approximately 1-2 hours and take place during the day for best chances of natural light through your windows. (Please note: lifestyle sessions that include newborn photos will last about 3-4 hours.)

Why not have a family member take these photos at home for you? Well, besides having better equipment, I am better prepared to pose you properly, to optimize the lighting, and to make pictures of your everyday life look like artwork. My job is to represent your daily life in beautiful portraits, and I will do just that. I spend time arranging your family into poses that are flattering and eye-catching. I have an artistic eye to catch candid moments of your family enjoying their home and their everyday activities.

What do you do to be prepared for your session and make the most of your space? When I get to your home, I will do a brief overview of common areas to determine the best lighting and composition. I can work with all types of spaces, so don't worry about the lighting or size of the room. Besides picking out the clothes you will wear, the only thing you should do before the session is remove clutter. If we need to move things as we go, then we will. If it is holiday time, you may choose to have your decorations on display. Other than that, you'll be ready for your in-home session!

Everyday pictures can give you a gallery of images that surpass those of a regular studio portrait session, but why would you pay someone to come take them? First of all, you will still get professionally posed portraits, just in your own home. In addition, you will get candid photos that display laughing, playing, and lots of love; pictures that show the true nature of your family unit in a comfortable and welcoming environment. You will get images that far-exceed the quality and arrangement of your smartphone uploads to Instagram.  We can work together to customize the photos to your style and taste, and we can take as much or little time as we need to get everything you want out of your portraits. These sessions are especially great for families with newborns or young children as they eliminate travel and ensure that you have all the necessities to keep little ones happy.

Hopefully this gives some additional insight into lifestyle sessions. These sessions fit my personality and artistic genre giving you a photographer who is dedicated and excited about her work.

Landscapes

Just some of my landscape photography that I love.

Visit www.facebook.com/StephanieWaskeyPhotography for more information.