Rochester NY Lifestyle Newborn Photography at Home

You saw them in their announcement photographs, and then again in their maternity pictures. So naturally we’re thrilled to share with you the newest members in to our candid mini session event series - Laura, Kevin and their beautiful baby, Luna.

Her first family portrait session was perfect. She slept and ate her way through her debut appearance in front of our lenses. We look forward to capturing her growth at every milestone, as well as so many little moments in between.

Welcome to the world Luna, we are so glad to finally meet your little face.

What Type of Family Portrait Fits you Best?

Fairport NY Family Pictures

You sit down and google “family pictures in Rochester NY.” 

The results come back with a list filled with different descriptions by different family picture photographers. Do you want family portraiture? Candid family pictures? Documentary photography? What is a lifestyle family portrait?

You get so overwhelmed by this decision that you give up your search for a family photographer, again. 

So how do you know what style of family pictures you like best?

We can help you out here. Most photographers will describe themselves using at least one of three main family portrait styles:

 Traditional Family Pictures:

This is essentially an all encompassing title for a photographer who takes family pictures. But there’s a little bit more to it. 

A traditionally trained portrait photographer often focuses their efforts on quality posing and controlled lighting in their family portraits. This often happens in a studio setting with lights, backdrops and perhaps props or sets. However, not every traditional or fine art family photographer uses a studio. 

Oftentimes an extended family portrait falls into this style of family photography. The resulting images tend to focus on the family smiling and looking at the camera.

This may be the simplest category to explain, but it is often one of the hardest to master.

A posed, smiley family portrait is considered most traditional.

Candid Family Portraits in Rochester NY:

If you’re looking for the opposite, or real, authentic, unposed images, then you are looking for a documentary family photographer. Strict photographers in this realm won’t add any light to a scene, but rather evaluate what is available and use it to show emotion. These sessions are usually longer and allow for the most freedom of movement. They can surround an event, or just capture a “day in the life” at home. This is a newer, but growing genre of family portrait photography.

Real life, real play and letting moments unfold are what the documentary side of our membership is all about.

Lifestyle Family Portraits in Rochester NY:

If you want something in between the two, then perhaps you’d best enjoy a lifestyle family portrait session. Lifestyle photographers enjoy a bit more freedom in their sessions. They’ll often choose the location and general position of a group, but then they give they family a little freedom to play using prompts.

This allows for natural moments to occur, such as laughter, hugs, and play, while still controlling the situation in terms of light and background.

Typically lifestyle family pictures are taken in a natural environment (whether inside or outside) rather than a studio. This type of photographer may opt to use lighting, or not!

Lifestyle family portraits are the best way to describe our Signature Family Sessions.

We gave her the location and gave her some ideas - she created the lifestyle portrait.

And Then There’s Us: Lori & Erin Photography

When you love all three options, and you just have to have all of the above - you join our family. Our candid mini session events are part of a membership that essentially uses all three of these family portrait styles. How, you ask?

We plan a variety of fun events, at the perfect times for your family. Then we photograph them. It’s that simple.

We do our best to plan these events to optimize the lighting and space while you come and enjoy a real life event, in a real world setting.

Sometimes we step in and interact with your family to get a posed portrait. Other times we give you a prompt for a something that feels more like lifestyle family pictures.

Sometimes the events are specifically planned to create a more posed portrait, such as our Pandemic Portrait themed event.

In the end, we give all of these family moments back to you. Consider us your personal, “all in one’ shop for family photography in Rochester NY.

So if you can’t figure out which category a photographer falls into by peeping their portfolio, just ask them. They should be happy to give you a better idea of who they are and how they photograph a family portrait.

Find out why our membership makes sense for your family here.

If you’re ready to learn more about the Lori & Erin Family, we can’t wait to welcome you.

Fairport Family Pictures in the Fall

There’s a general feeling that families should hire a photographer only when their children are little for family portraits.

I understand the reasoning. Families get busier when the kids are teenagers, and tend to forget that these moments are passing at a rapid pace. But yet, so much growth happens in those tween and teen years that deserves to be photographed.

Take this family for example. Before the youngest, Hannah (we took her senior pictures too!), heads off to college, this family of five was due for some fun and an updated family portrait. I love this hidden boardwalk in the heart of Fairport, and the flowers that night did not disappoint.

So yes, right now IS a good time to take your family pictures. Especially when one of those grown up kids is now a high school senior and they’ll soon be leaving home for college. This time is important, and deserves its own family portrait session to remember it by.

Family Pictures in Honeoye: Rochester NY Family Photographers

One 5 year old, two dogs, their parents and tons of room to run. Which is exactly what was necessary to photograph this five year old at his yearly family portrait session. They’ve been one of our amazing member families involved in our candid mini session events for all five years of his life. (What is this membership?)

After all this time, we know that playing is the way to his adorable smile. He also knows what to expect from us, and very rarely hides his face from our cameras. It’s one of the reasons that taking advantage of the candid mini session events makes sense.

We let the silliness happen, and we photograph their family pictures as they really are. That’s the side of him that his family wants to remember when he’s grown, so we capture it while we can. Enjoy this glimpse into their family!

PS - If you feel so inclined to check out that big inn behind them in the last photo, that’s Greenwoods Bed & Breakfast, and they’re the newest owners. Check it out, I promise you’ll want to want to take a little getaway after you see it!

Maternity Sessions in Rochester NY: Laura and Kevin

If you know them, you know that I’m very far behind on publishing Laura and Kevin’s George Eastman Museum maternity session here on the blog.

If you don’t know them, the snow on the ground in Rochester NY might give you a clue as to how far behind I am. A winter maternity session isn’t an easy thing to plan, but it can be very pretty.

Even though it’s late, we still wanted to share their beautiful maternity portraits. This little one is already so loved. Keep an eye out to meet her here on the blog soon! (And look closely for a few fun clues!)

Harry Potter Themed Birth Announcement Photos

We are super behind on these blog posts, because by now these two have already had their maternity photos taken with us. But, we’re still going to share the news that these muggles are expecting! And SOON!

With their matching Hogwarts shirts and onesie, we got together for some socially distanced announcement photos. Taken right on their front step, the fall decor was a perfect compliment to the Harry Potter theme.

Life is a crazy journey, and some (highly anticipated) moments deserve their time in the spotlight. We simply CANNOT wait to meet your little one!

Candid Family Mini Sessions: St. Patricks' Day Scavenger Hunt

One thing’s for sure - the family pictures we take at our candid mini session events are nothing if they’re not real. We plan the events, and essentially hope for nice weather. While it was sunny for our Pot of Gold Scavenger hunt, it was also pretty windy.

But that didn’t stop our family portrait members from bringing their “A” game to the Leprechaun Trap contest.

One of the values behind the portrait membership program centers on the idea of doing something together.
While we couldn’t photograph each family at home making these amazing traps, we know it was an activity they’ll remember doing together. Especially when they look back at their family pictures with their trap, and on the scavenger hunt as a family.

Time spent together is more important to us than the perfect family picture. This is why we believe that our candid mini sessions make sense for your next family portrait session. You can actually read more about that here!

Congrats to the winners of our contest - The Miller family!

Check out our next event here, we’re going to give back for Earth Day and we’d love to have you join us!

Family Pictures in Victor NY: Rochester NY Photographers

How do you adequately say thank you to one of the families who started your photography career?

Follow up question, why are they all grown up? I swear, these kids were little just last week. Over the years, I’ve worked hard at getting them to smile. I’ve made silly jokes, I’ve acted a little crazy, I’ve gotten them to play games, all in an effort to get them to show their real smiles.

This time, all I had to do was say the word “fart” (or some other similar word) and they would crack up.

Ahhh the joys of older kids. Though, I guess it could probably work on the younger kids too. I’ll give it a try at my next session.

Pandemic Reflections: Fairport NY Photographers

One year ago, he left his Kindergarten classroom and everything he knew about life changed.

We were already knee deep in learning so much about him, things that before the end of 2019, we never fully realized. Then toss a global pandemic in like a hand grenade, and everything we thought we knew blew up.

Our first days at home, March 2020.

We fought every day about doing “school” together. We fought about which parent would be the “teacher.” We each battled our own emotions, stormed out of the house, took long walks apart, yelled, cried and fought some more.

I fought with myself, while trying to keep working, and simultaneously creating STEM activities and art projects for a confused, frustrated and bored 5 year old. We made hard decisions on a daily basis, which at times, were paralyzing in ways I’d never felt before.

Don’t get me wrong, our family’s challenges were (and still are) minimal compared to many, but they were still felt to our very core.

Fast forward to now - vaccinations are happening, and there’s buzz that school might go from 2 days, back to 5 days a week. We can soon visit our vaccinated friends and family inside their homes. At long last, that ever distant light at the end of the tunnel is growing closer.

But the difference is, now I’m sitting next to my child, who is doing his school work independently. There have been no tears or fights over school in a long time. And not only that, he’s getting all the answers right. He’s risen to the challenges with a strength that most adults are still struggling with.

And I know, he’s going to be ok.

I’ve learned more about myself, and have found strength to both keep fighting, and also to let go.

And I know, I am going to be ok.

I’m so proud of him, and of us. We’re a team, and we are stronger together.

Maybe that’s why it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that when he goes back, I will miss him.

I’ll miss midday walks in the woods, and going out for ice cream on a random Tuesday afternoon. I’ll miss reading with him on the couch him during the middle of the day. I’ll miss his hugs while I work at my computer. The desk, the art wall, and the space we created for him will be eventually changed back into the office it was before.

Before - a lifetime ago, yet gone so fast.

It’s weird that the thing we’ve complained about all this time, is now the thing I’m going to miss the most. Going forward, my hope and prayer is that not everything goes back to what it was “before.” 

At least, not in our home.

I know my feelings aren’t felt by everyone, but that’s the thing about feelings - they don’t have to be. So tell us, how are you doing one year into pandemic life?

School in progress, March 2021

Why Candid Family Picture Mini Sessions Make Sense for Your Family Portraits

Recently I shared a blog post full of tips for family portraits. As I wrote it I noticed, that many of the reasons parents dread family pictures, are the exact same reasons we formed our portrait membership program / candid mini session events.

So - below are my thoughts on why our candid event sessions a PERFECT fit for family pictures.

1) Your kids aren’t always “on” for the camera.

If you child has a bad day on the day of your once a year family portrait - that’s your memory of that day. With candid member events, you have chances all year long.

2) Your children get to know your family photographer.

When you book a different photographer for every session, it’s not a surprise that your kids won’t be their real self with them. The kids in our membership get to know us and our silly sides. They trust us more each time we see them, which allows us to capture amazing moments.

3) Real life happens all year long.

And it doesn’t happen in poses either. Sure, it’s nice to have a posed family picture once in a while. But that’s not real life. Our events are different every month, changing with the seasons. They give you a way to play, but also a way to remember that play.

4) Get in front of the camera.

Be honest, which parent spends more time taking pictures with their phone, and which parent is in more of the pictures? Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the moment without the pressure of capturing it? See? We’re solving a problem you didn’t realize you had! Be in the pictures!

5) Variety is the spice of life.

Did I mention you can get photos in all seasons? Prefer fall family fun to winter family fun? That’s fine, but you can have both. Heck, you can even have spring and summer fun too.

There’s no wrong answer when it comes to the kind of family portrait you like, and we offer more than one option. We just really believe in these candid mini session events. We have families that have been with us for years, and it’s amazing to see them grow. So if you want to know more about it - take a peek here.

And if you want to talk more? Hit that cute little button below.

Tips for Family Portraits with Kids: Rochester NY Family Pictures

Do you dread booking your family pictures? Is it overwhelming, and your kids will never behave? We get it. We’ve been there, both as parents and as photographers. It can be hard and frustrating.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Here are six tips for family pictures that might help your portrait session be less stress inducing:

Outfits for Family Pictures:

Your child has never worn a bow tie? Today is not the day to give that look a try. Uncomfortable kids, can be unhappy kids in family pictures. Everyone should feel comfortable in their clothes. So if your child only wears leggings and tutus, let them be themselves.

Food and Sleep:

Make sure your kids are full and rested before your session. Don’t plan your session for right before or during nap times. If you your kids need a full night’s sleep to function, don’t let your kids stay up late the night before.

Also make sure they’re not hangry. Bring snacks (or bribes) as needed. This also goes for adults… you know who you are.

Plan for Enough Time With your Family Photographer:

If your children take a while to warm up to a new face, don’t book a 15 minute mini session with a stranger. Your kids aren’t going to magically turn on real smiles for someone they don’t know that quickly.

Relax:

Don’t ask them to smile in a frustrated tone, unless you want forced, cheesy smiles. Let your photographer do their job and follow their lead. Let go and relax. It’s a family portrait session, not brain surgery.

Do Something Fun:

Pick a location, or an activity that your children love. Have a few minutes of group photos, then let them play! Let them be kids and let us capture that real relationship you have with them.

Find the Right Family Session for You:

Find the right path for you - whether it’s quick and easy or more in depth.

We built a membership to help you with ALL of the tips above. We know what works, and have created our family sessions options based on them.

Find out more about how this could make sense for your family here.

Or, if you’re ready to talk more about it, we’re ready too.

Family Pictures at Webster Arboretum: Rochester NY Family Portraits

As I sit writing this, I’m grinning because this session was so much fun.

This little lady kept me on my toes the entire session. By the end of it, we had played hide and seek, Simon Says, and raced around Webster Arboretum together. She found me the most perfect fallen leaves, and picked dandelion flowers for us all.

Oh, and we took some family pictures along the way too. If that little smile doesn’t light up your day too, I don’t know what will.