Mini Member Sessions: Fairport NY Family Portraits

In June, we called our Member Mini Session the “Pandemic Portraits.”

We asked our families to show us what or who kept them busy during their time at home together. Because as hard as it all is, it’s real at this moment in their lives. And man, did they ever deliver.

Our members showed us everything from gardening to their brand new puppies. It was the first time in months we’d seen them and it felt amazing to be able to capture their families again, even if it was only for a few minutes.

We don’t know what the coming months will bring, but we know that these families can handle anything, as long as they’re together.

Churchville Chili Senior Portraits: Angelina, Class of 2020

Meeting with Nina, we could tell that she has the kind of outgoing personality that would make her Rochester senior portrait session super fun. We weren’t wrong.

We met up at the U of R because it’s setting felt right for her love of reading and had great backdrops for what she was looking for. We were also nearby Genesee Valley Park where we incorporated her swim gear and a great natural setting.

But it was her sparkling eyes and adventurous side that really made her senior pictures stand out. What a pleasure it was to get to know her and capture her personality as she celebrates this time of her life. Congrats Nina!

~ Erin

McQuaid High School Senior Portraits

Kyle’s passion is lacrosse. He plays for the McQuaid Knights and so we spent about half of his session on the field. We created a variety of senior pictures capturing his skill and home turf.

For the second part of his session, he showed off his serious fashion sense at Cobbs Hill park. And just like his older brother, Spencer, we had to include Cocoa, the family dog as well.

Job perk: petting all the dogs!

I have loved working with Kyle and his family over the years. We always get to do some unique and fun things. Congrats Kyle and the Class of 2020 - it wasn’t the way you hoped, but we wish you the best nonetheless! Here’s to you!

-Lori

The KonMari Method for Pictures: Rochester NY Photographers

It started with Lori - Over the course of the past year she has been in a constant state of decluttering. She followed along the lessons from the book below.

She inspired me to get my own photographs (and well, my life) better organized. So I've also been in the process of getting my own little house, a little less cluttered. With a two year old, their toys, and boxes of hand me down clothes piling up, things get more cluttered with every passing day. The struggle is real.

In the end, the biggest hurdle for both of us has been what to do with the boxes of pictures that were scattered all over the house. 

I am my family's historian.  I know that as time passes, I will inherit even more photographs from family. And that's ok with me.

Except, I already had a ridiculous amount of old photo albums, most of which made no sense. When I was younger I would just take prints I had and stick them all in one book randomly. On the same page of a cheap plastic album, I would put my own baby pictures alongside high school pictures (bad fashion and all).

So clearly, there was work to do. Someday I'll be leaving all of my history in the hands of my son and I can't leave that it in shambles.

Here's some of what I did to cleanup and a few tips that might help you with your own photo organization:

• Gather. Start by collecting all of the pictures you find (from every room) and put them in one location.

• Get photo boxes. Or something that works for you. My preference was the basic storage boxes (like these) you find at any craft store.

• Start sorting. Use as simple or complex a timeline as you wish. Personally, I kept it simple as there were a lot of photos I couldn't be sure of their dates. So I sorted by "childhood, high school, college, etc."

• Consolidate. If you can. I did, mostly for space reasons. I removed photos from old torn apart albums with the sticky plastic pages, and sorted them into boxes. I discarded photos that were too blurry, duplicates, or if they were people I just didn't remember. I kept any family pictures, ones that held special memories, or told a story about who I was. My thought process was simple: If I can't explain why that photo is important to my son, is that particular image worth keeping?

• Don't dwell. So what happens if you just can't bring yourself to get rid of anything at all? Just organize them and move on. You'll drive yourself crazy wondering what to keep and what to toss. Don't let it get to that.

• In my world, done is most of the time better than perfect. My kids won't care if I was 11 or 12 or 14 in any particular series of photos. So if you can set aside any potential OCDs, it will go faster than you think.

My final tip? Take your time, take breaks and enjoy the process. I found that it was actually fun to go through them, reliving moments and fondly remembering days gone by.

So whatever your process is, enjoy it, because this is your life - literally.

~ Erin

Family Pictures at Hamlin Beach: Rochester NY Photographers

I’ve known Laurie since my high school softball days. So when she reached out to us to for a family portrait session at Hamlin Beach, it felt like coming home - but with a lot to catch up on and two cute littles.

And from the light to the playing with the kids, their session went perfectly. We even had time to play in the water together. There’s nothing like getting a big, wet hug from your subjects at the end of a family session.

It doesn’t have to be summer though to take your family pictures - snowmen, snowflakes and a great winter afternoon is just as fun and beautiful!

Victor Family Portrait Session at Cobblestone Creek

We love offering family sessions to our high school senior portrait clients, and more and more families are taking us up on it lately! We met up with this crew at Cobblestone Creek Country Club, AKA their backyard, on a beautiful summer evening.

It may have only been an hour, but we managed to get quite a variety of family portraits utilizing the scenic nature of the golf course. The iconic bridge and water fountains, of course, but also the paths and greenery are just stunning there.

Leave them some love if you know them, or reach out and schedule your family session today!

-Lori

In Between Portrait Membership: Tie Dye Night candid family portraits

Oh what a lovely, messy night we had! The threat of rain didn’t stop us from creating our new shirts with our member families. These candid family portrait moments are always different, each event changing with the season.

There are some events that are now traditions. Apple picking (which is coming up soon!) being one of them. But this was a new one for us. Tie dye is such a common “summer time with kids” activity, that it made sense to include it in this years lineup.

Big thanks to Dana Sharp (one of our awesome members) for leading the group and showing us all some tips and tricks in creating great tie dyed shirts for the whole family!

Curious as to what these “members” are that we’re always talking about? Check out our membership information, or come to our next event to find out more!

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

Candid Mini Session Family Pictures: 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

Home Based Family Portraits in Fairport, NY

The youngest just turned one, not that you need an excuse to celebrate your family! These guys invited me over, and we played inside while it snowed like crazy outside. Each of the kids showed me their favorite toy, they read me a book and played a little piano too.

I may not have kids of my own, but I sure feel blessed to be able to spend so much time with them anyway. Kids have this ability to take the mundane and make it magic. I hope they, and all of us adults too, hold on to that forever.

Say hello to some of my Fairport neighbors! Thanks for inviting us into your lives. We really do love it!

-Lori

The Playhouse, Swillburger Rochester NY Engagement Session: Helen and Tim

Their perfect evening is a good beer and sitting home together playing video games. Everyone has their thing together, and for these two it’s gaming. Naturally, the first idea that came to mind for their engagement session was heading downtown in Rochester for an engagement session at The Playhouse. Conveniently, this was also where they had their first date.

It was super perfect - from skee ball to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They laughed and played and fake pouted when the other person beat them in a game. Along the way, we photographed who they really are as a couple.

After a drink and some games, we headed outside to Highland Park for a quick outdoor portion to their session. It was cold, but the light was perfect and they kept each other warm. We’re loving these Rochester winter engagement sessions lately. It seems to be making a come back, and we’re all for it!

Enjoy!

Erin

Voluntourism: Why you won't see Lori in March

As I do the paperwork to validate our commitment to 1% for the Planet, I realize, we’re doing a heck of a lot more than donating 1% of our profits. We’re donating our time too! Lori here, and ya’ll know that the environment is important to me.

I’ve written about this before…once or twice.

• Earth Day 2018

• Earth Day 2017

• Green Practices in our Business

So this year, we’re taking it one step further.

My husband and I will be taking a few weeks in March to volunteer at Albufera Natural Park, near Valencia, Spain via GOAT Volunteers.

The journey is the destination

València’s Albufera Natural Park is one of the most ecologically important areas in all of Spain.  Its biodiversity and economic impact on the region are significant reasons to preserve this incredible collection of wetlands.  It has been declared as a place of special protection by the European Union due to the wide range of wildlife; specifically water, wading, and migratory birds including several in danger of extinction.  Albufera also supports intense agricultural (cultivation of rice), industrial, hunting, and touristic uses whose consequences have resulted in significant pollution and encroachment on the wildlife’s natural habitat.

The Environmental Conservation in Spain project focuses on helping the local teams with their recovery plan and park management & maintenance activities.  Natural “green” filters were planted to clean the water of Lake Albufera to help improve water quality and promote growth of aquatic plant and animal life.  Your days will be spent either in the water or along the trails that run through the park.  You’ll be tasked with clearing waterways, eradicating invasive plants, picking up rubbish, planting various plants to increase biodiversity, and assisting with research tasks performed by the local teams. -GOAT Volunteers

Olympic National Park

So if you need anything photographed in March, Erin will be here to help you. And if you want to follow along on my and John’s adventure in Spain, find me on instagram @adventureswithlori

People I have mentioned this to have been really interested, so I asked to be an ambassador with GOAT. If you are interested in this type of voluntourism, use my name when you apply and save $25 on your application fee!

So what do you think? Is this something you would do, or are you happy to follow along from the comfort of your home? I’d love to hear your feedback now, and during the trip, so chime in on social or in the comments below!

Cheers!
-Lori