Maternity Session in Highland Park: Rochester NY

Margaret knew that if this session included only one picture that it would be of them together, focused on her belly, holding onto a pair of baby shoes.

Well, mission accomplished.

The world around them at Highland Park in Rochester NY may have been crowded with families, other photographers and flower enthusiasts, but Margaret and Jacobus were quiet and peaceful together as we captured this moment in time for them.

There’s a moment in time when everything becomes real for new parents, and sometimes that happens when they see these maternity portraits. It’s an honor and privilege for us when it does.

Congratulations in advance Margaret and Jacobus - we can’t wait to meet your little bundle of joy!

Garden Party with the In Between Portrait Membership, Fairport NY

At Lucas Greenhouses, soil is not considered dirt until it falls to the ground. Well, with ten families in attendance at our planting party there was no shortfall of dirt. There was also no shortfall of fun and real life moments with family - my own included.

My own arrived in full super hero attire…to plant flowers. You guys, this is my real life. When your four year old insists on wearing a cape in public, you let him. And we captured it, because someday that tiny, every day moment will mean everything to me.

This is what our membership does. If this moment resonates with you at all, then please come talk more with us - your family is worth it. Your memories are worth it.

~ Erin

Four Tips for Great Senior Pictures in Rochester NY

Since our high school senior portraits are coming up quick, we thought it might help if we offered up a few tips for some great senior pictures. After all, these photos will live on the pages of the high school yearbook and on your walls for years to come. The experience you have should be fun, memorable and unique!

So here's a few tips to get you thinking...

1) Clothing - Do your best to avoid clothing with words, stripes and plaids. Solid colors tend to photograph much better, especially in a busy background like a park or among colorful flowers. Make sure you're comfortable in your choices, and that they are flattering to you. If there's a part of you that you're self-conscious about, like your arms - simple solution, wear sleeves! Be comfortable in your clothes, so that it shows in your photographs! Also, keep your jewelry simple so it doesn't distract from what we're really capturing - you!

If you have questions on what to wear, bring a variety of options - from dressy to casual! We can help you pick the right outfit for the right setting.

2) Makeup - Ladies, don't feel like this is an opportunity to layer on the makeup. We want the natural you, not someone that no one will recognize! Your makeup should only be slightly heavier than usual. And please...don't use sparkles, they only make you look shiny in all the wrong places. Don't worry too much about blemishes either, we have ways to help diminish those!

3) Shaving - Guys, unless you're into the bearded look, shave prior to the session to avoid unwanted stubble. If you're face gets irritated easily, leave enough time for it to return to normal. Plan ahead!

4) Props, pets and activities - Here's the fun part. What is it that makes you, you? Do you have a cat, dog or pet iguana to include? We're game, just make sure you bring treats for motivation, and someone to keep watch over Fluffy the Lizard while he's not in the photographs.

We encourage you to bring items that reveal your personality and hobbies. For example, an instrument, sporting equipment, vehicle, collectible, or whatever it is you enjoy.

Most important of all - this should be a memorable experience, so have fun!

AJ's first days: Family Pictures Rochester, NY

This little guy is such a sweetheart! He was alert, calm and watchful at only a week old. We think he got used to the sound of 4 dogs while in the belly - so noise definitely didn’t bother him. And his fur siblings are very protective of the new little one in the house!

I couldn’t be happier for this family, some of the nicest people I have met. Do they look familiar? Well, you’ll be seeing more of them, and so will we! We can’t wait to watch little AJ grow up!

Say hello to our newest portrait membership family: AJ with mom and dad, Laura and TJ!

-Lori

Personal Brand Photography: Megabolt Digital

When it comes to the glamorous world of SEO and being found in a google search, I tend to think of very technical people sitting in a dark office scanning computer screens like crazy.

Meg, from Megabolt Digital is not one of those people.

She’s amazing at creating an SEO strategy in ways that you’ll understand. She’ll tell you herself, she’s more technical that a web designer, but more people oriented than your typical SEO consultant. She’s relatable, funny, friendly and a fantastic mom to her boys.

She rebranded her whole business not too long ago, and ever since has been growing like the Hulk when he’s angry. (Except, she’s not angry and green).

The only thing that didn’t change in her super hero sized rebrand, were her photographs. And while those old photographs worked, they no longer fit her brand like they should.

So we helped to give her some new looks to choose from when she’s posting on social media, updating her website, or teaching her wealth of wisdom online.

If you haven’t met her yet, you should!

Check out Megabolt Digital online:
Megaboltdigital.com
Facebook / Instagram: @megaboltdigital

Portrait Membership Program: Earth Day at the Zoo

Well from what I’ve gathered, the earth doesn’t much care if the weather is cold on Earth Day. Thankfully, a few of our members weren’t worried too much about it either.

The perk of a chilly day for our Zoo event though? The zoo wasn’t all that crowded. :)

As a mom, it’s one of the places we regularly visit throughout the year. It only made sense that one day our membership program would wind up there too! It just seems right that one of the places you enjoy time together as a family would be the zoo.

So we had our fill of the elephants and the giraffes at the Seneca Park Zoo. Because it was the Zoo’s Earth Day event we also had the opportunity to have a tree to plant or some wildflower seeds to start a butterfly garden.

So even though the weather didn’t want to be sunshine and rainbows, we made the best of a gray day.

Join us next month for a return of one of our favorite events - a planting party at Lucas Greenhouses!

Highlights from Valencia & Barcelona, Spain

There was a request for photos from our trip to Spain, and well, twist my arm!

Most of our trip was spent in Valencia - the Tancat de la Pipa to be exact. That’s where we volunteered, working to restore Lake Albufera and it’s surrounding areas. Our group was specifically working to clean up the lagoons, which supply lake with clean water.

Every day, we traveled down the bumpy dirt road to our project site. Each day we received a different assignment which brought us all around the lagoons. We moved plants, weeded, monitored water levels and waded in to plant aquatic grasses, and it felt great to be making a difference. There are only three full time staffers working this large area, and without volunteers, they simply wouldn’t be able to get it all done.

We weren’t alone. We met volunteers from California, and also local college students getting hands on experience. We traded stories about our cultures while we worked, learned new words and developed friendships. If we had traveled from place to place on a tour bus, we never would have made these genuine connections. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. We got to make an ecological difference while enjoying the sunshine and making friends.

While we were there, Valencia was celebrating Las Fallas. This festival, dedicated to St. Joseph, is several days long. While I had read about this in advance, I truly had no idea how BIG it was. Our volunteer hosts going out of town for the long weekend should have thrown up some red flags, but we had no idea.

Las Fallas is not just a four day festival like I had read - but a month long one. We arrived the week before the festival officially began and were greeted with daily fireworks in the streets. We saw hundreds of ninots (large sculptures) get assembled. And as the festival drew near, we were treated to concerts outside of our window from 12-4am. And on the last day, they burn down all the sculptures!

Despite the noise and festival crowds, I always felt safe. We walked or took the subway around the historic city. We saw mile-long parades of people in traditional dress, carrying flowers to a create a several story tall living monument. (Think Rose Bowl Parade.) We saw the holy grail, the beach, and the largest aquarium in Europe. In Valencia, we were both travelers and volunteers.

Leaving Valencia, we spent a weekend in Barcelona before coming home. Here, we did a 180 and became tourists, taking the open top bus to see all the city highlights. We took a day trip to Montserrat in the mountains and finished with a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. If you aren’t familiar with Gaudi’s famous structure, go Google it right now. Seriously. I have been in the Vatican, and I would say this church is far more stunning.

We certainly enjoyed our time in Spain and the Tancat de la Pipa! If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about volunteering abroad, I highly recommend you check out Goat Volunteers. They have over 60 projects to choose from in 14 countries. And, if you mention my name when you apply, you can save $25!

So, if you have been to Spain, what was your favorite part? And if not, where should we go next!?

Talk to you soon,
Lori

Portrait Membership Program: Swim Time in Fairport NY

So yes, technically spring is here. Technically we should have been soaking in the sunshine and warmth.

Technically.

I’m so glad we planned a swimming event for our portrait members in March, because technically - it snowed that day. So rather than complain about the snow, we hopped into the pool and captured our families splashing around.

The best part of this event, was that some of our families were at our last swimming event two years ago, when their littles - were super little. We’ve captured their growth for years. Even my own little has grown. In two years, he’s changed from a nervous toddler who wouldn’t go past his ankles in the water, to finding the deepest spot where he can still touch the ground on his tip toes.

I may not have been soaking in the sunshine, but I was soaking in the memories while my fingers got wrinkly.

We’ve grown together as a group, always welcoming new members with arms open. The kids are all becoming friends and forming bonds. Towards the end, they were playing water basketball as one big group. It’s becoming the thing we hoped it would be - a community.

If you’re still wondering why we keep talking about this membership - stop wondering, and start asking. We want to capture your family throughout the year! We promise, you won’t regret it.

~ Erin

Congratulations Class of 2019: Rochester NY High School Senior Portraits

First, I want to wish the Class of 2019 happiness and success. Second, I want to say thank you! Thank you for sharing your smiles, your stories and your laughter with us.

It has been our pleasure to get to know each of you over the last year, and to document your personality, style, and interests.

This year, we worked with dancers, golfers, baseball and volleyball players. We also worked with musicians, animal lovers, and even some with political ambitions. We visited parks, beaches, schools and farms. We played in the flowers, the rain and even in Rochester City Hall.

Yes, it was a fun year and one for the record books. Thank you to each high school senior and their family for taking us along on the ride! If you want to relive it with us, you can find blog recaps for each student below.

Please join me in congratulating the Rochester NY Area Class of 2019!

-Lori and Erin

Now Booking: Personal Brand Photography in Rochester NY

Hey there friend! Erin and I are super excited to announce the launch of a new area within Lori and Erin Photography: Personal Brand Photography!

You asked for it, and we are finally ready to fully deliver. This may seem like something we’ve always offered. You’re not wrong.

We’ve just made the process better, clearer and tailored to growing businesses and their owners. We didn’t realize until now that we could actually give it the name and category it should rightfully have.

We have always placed on emphasis on showcasing your personality, whether it’s a family, senior or business portrait. When folks come to us for headshots, we ask the question:

“What do you want people to see when they look at this?” And I then tell them, we don’t do boring head shots here.

Ok so what’s NEW about Personal BRAND Photography? It takes commercial headshots and business portraits to a new level.

If you are an entrepreneur, chances are yours is the face of your business in a fast paced online world. With the importance of social media to a consumers buying behavior, and whether they realize it or not, customers want to know who you and your brand are.

That’s where we come in. We’ll work together to really discover the essence of your brand, then create a library of images for you to use on your website and social media pages. Whether it’s 10 images, or 50, you’ll elevate your brand with quality images that speak to YOUR client in a way that selfies and snapshots cannot.

When we decided to step into this new space, we did our homework. Lots of it. As business owners ourselves, we have real, every day experience with social media. And while our business revolves around creating images every day, we know that most businesses do not. So how do you have a presence on Instagram, an image heavy platform, when you don’t have a steady stream of new images?

We’re going to help with that!

If you’d like to learn more, click here to read on. We’ve created a whole magazine full of information to help you determine if Personal Brand Photography is what you need to grow your business.

And if you’re ready to jump in with both feet, contact us now and let’s get you on the path to a thriving, relatable brand in your community!

Cheers!
Lori

Joe: Class of 2019 Senior Portrait

His mother told me that it’s rare to see Joe without a hat on. She just wanted some simple photos to remember her son at this stage, before he heads off into college and then the real world.

For Joe’s senior photos, we returned to the same location where we photographed his sister just a few years earlier: the always beautiful Eastman Museum.

It was one of those mornings where I drove through a passing rain shower on the way to the session. Uh oh.

But it held off for us to make some images. Joe chose the very first portrait for his yearbook photo, a nice casual close up. Then we had fun using some of the different backdrops and textures available to us on the grounds. Rochester NY has so many great options for senior portraits.

Here are a few of my favorites. Say congrats to Joe in the comments!  

Have a great year!
 -Lori

Fairport NY Senior Pictures: Kristen in the Sunflowers

Kristen came to us all the way from Rome, New York for her senior portrait experience! She had read all about the Sunflower Festival at Wickham Farms and knew that was what she wanted for her senior photos. We hit up the Thomas Creek Boardwalk first to fit her barefoot country vibe, then enjoyed a sunset in the sunflowers. 

Who knew there were so many varieties of sunflowers? I sure didn’t. Tall, short, yellow, orange. They were all beautiful and fun to play in. Kristen was fun to work with and up for anything. I hope you enjoy her Fairport senior portrait session as much as we enjoyed capturing it!

Thanks for choosing Lori and Erin Photography, hope you’re having an awesome Senior year! 

-Lori