Family of Three/First Birthday Portrait Session
Celebrate your first year of surviving motherhood with a Portrait Session! Feel free to schedule it in the afternoon if you’ve been up all night. 🥰🥱😁
Family Photos on the Farm
Let Calotype travel to your territory and take pictures!
(Pets are welcome at our place, but some are larger than others and it just makes sense to take the studio to the saddle horse).
These outdoor images honor the land that feeds our bodies with food- and the people that work hard to make it happen. Photographed in the late evening of early summer, in Barton County, Missouri;
Family of Six In the Studio: Winter/Dressy
This family has waited a long time for family portraits. Why do you think they waited?
Couldn’t find coordinating outfits in everyone’s sizes…
Dad works every evening and kids have school in the daytime so there was no time for an appointment…
The youngest cut her bangs down to the root and unless she wore a sock hat, there were NO FAMILY PICTURES taking place until the hair grew out…
Of course, it’s number three!!
The hair is growing out, and this family went with dressy clothes for portraits. Scroll down close to the end- NOBODY was as proud to wear his suit as child #3… can you tell by looking??
Doesn’t every man feel like this when he knows he’s looking fine? :)
Dancing to a tune only she can hear… (This pose is her idea, FYI)
You can watch this Portrait Session on IGTV on Instagram. This is my sister-in-law’s family and they graciously allowed me to film the whole session, unedited and as-is, so others can get an idea what a Family Portrait Session in the studio might be like. Enjoy!
Extended Family In The Park/Late Fall, Early Stages of Winter
Are you wanting to get the family together for outdoor portraits, but concerned how it will look now that leaves are off the trees?
This family was photographed on November 16th. The previous weekend, Neosho experienced a cold, heavy rain storm that stripped the final fall leaves from trees. No matter- there’s a beautiful bluff in Big Spring Park that never changes. Its deep gray/brown colors look great with skin tones and clothing. Plus- when the finished pieces of wall art hang on the client’s walls, the natural gray backdrop will blend well with most current home color schemes.
At Big Spring, there’s frequently an occasional duck that wanders by. Can you find it?
Nine-Month-Old Baby Boy/Christmas Portraits
DON’T MISS baby’s first Christmas!
These images provide solid support to the theory that the six/nine month range is a WONDERFUL stage for professional portraits. This age looks great in all the outfits- and they can’t go anywhere yet so they HAVE to stay there and grin at you. Merry Christmas!
First Birthday/Family Portraits In Studio
This mom combined a first birthday Portrait Session with family portraits. We were initially scheduled for outdoor fall portraits, but an unexpected all-day rain and 33° temperature changed our minds. In the warm studio, this little guy’s eyes were full large and full of light. Which one is your favorite?
Family of Five Photographed in the Studio- Three Boys/Muted Colors
If you’re looking for ideas on how to dress three boys for fall portraits, glance through these portraits. Their mom chose simple neutrals- cream sweaters and jeans. It keeps the focus on the eyes- keep scrolling until you see their closeups.
Note: I don’t recommend cream/white/ivory or anything light colored for grownups because it’s much larger splash of white- proclaiming “Look at this!” Most adults don’t want their chest or belly to be the first thing you see when you look at their family portrait!
But for small children, little highlights of cream/white/light colors can be pleasing.
What do you think about these colors? Send me an email with comments or questions!
Family of Five in Studio/Fall Colors
When weather turns bad, we always have the studio as an option. Full of sets and backdrops, it’s fun to piece together a family portrait with props, stools, backgrounds… just like working a puzzle. Who fits where? Can we see your eyes full of light when I put you there? Do you look natural or uncomfortable? Sometimes I arrange and change a few times before it feels right.
Lately, I’ve made it a point to spend most of the session time on family groups, so moms have plenty of options to choose from when they come back to order. If people have gone to significant effort to get ready for family portraits, it’s my responsibility to make the most of their time and make sure they have great choices for wall portraits.
Edited 11-9-20 to add this thoughtful review from the dad: “We are so pleased with the pictures. Even our 15 year old commented on how talented you are, not only in the pictures but how you engage and make people comfortable with your requests to change posture, position, etc. Thank you for making it a great experience and for amazing photos.”
Family of Four (In Studio) With Older Children
If you have very young children, it may seem hard to get everyone together for a family portrait. But parents with adult children tell me it’s even more challenging to schedule a Portrait Session with older kids.
As increasing responsibilities tighten everyone’s schedule, the feeling of overwhelm can make you want to push off family pictures until a more convenient time. But “when things slow down” is a catchphrase for wishing thinking, and the best time is always the time you have right now in your hands.
When Covid-19 brought these grown daughters home for the summer, they asked their parents to schedule family pictures at Calotype. I have been photographing their family since the girls were very small- here are a few of the earlier images we created for them, starting in 2008:
Now the girls are grown. Here is the family in 2020, photographed in the studio.
