Many people often come to us asking for suggestions about what their family should wear for their family photo shoot.  We always say that it is a good idea to coordinate the outfits but to steer away from completely matching.  When creating the ‘What to Wear’ posts, I usually pick a color or two and then find items and outfits that accent each other well.

The colors in this skirt are playful and lovely.  For a relaxed look you can pair it with a sweater and sandals.  With this outfit, mom can be comfortable and trendy.  :)

This super cute dress is also a good option for a mom.  It is versatile and can be dressed up or dressed down.  Make it playful by replacing the blue sash with a bright pink belt.  Also add a wood bracelet to complete the look.   Another way to go is to dress it up with heels and metal bangles.  The breezy make of the dress is still fun and is balanced out with the sophisticated accessories.

I realize that you can only dress up a little boy to a certain point.  I think I have a good start here with two outfits that he won’t discard right away.  The cargo shorts are already a part of his everyday attire so getting him into the plaid shirt should be the only semi challenging part of this experience.

This first outfit for the dad subtlety ties in the purple from the mom’s skirt from above. We’re coordinating, but thank goodness we’re not matching!

If the mom decides to wear the blue sweater with the skirt or if she decides to wear a colorful dress, i would suggest that the dad stick with jeans and a brown shirt to tie in the calmer side of the family.  The brown shirt will make hidden accessories stand out and serve as a very important part of making the portrait complete.

A little girl is so much easier to imagine outfits for.  All of these outfits go perfectly with the flow that was demonstrated with the rest of the family.  With these shirts and shorts it is simple to mix and match them to create the look you want.  I have a feeling that the dress and the sparkly shoes might just be the favorite.

All of these amazing styles can be easily found at http://www.oldnavy.com.  I hope they help you when planning your next family session!

Cheers  :)

Life seems to have moved quickly and I hardly get to see Val these days so I was thrilled to get the chance to spend time with her and her {adorable} daughter {T}.  As usual, Valerie kept me cracking up.

Could {T} be any more precious?  Check out those eyes.  And that look of mischief?  She gets that from her mom.

We played a little peek-a-boo.

More peek-a-boo.

This next one all out cracks me up.  After little {T} got a bit tired of our session and the smiles started to fade, Valerie said, “Don’t think I’m a bad mom but I’m going to throw a shoe at her.”

Did you catch that?  A second before she gets hit…

No worries though.  {T} can hold her own.

It worked too.  Check out these giggles we got after the shoe battle.

Thanks so much Valerie for bringing {T} by.  She makes me laugh almost as much as you do.

But after some drinks, he warmed up a bit.

I couldn’t resist.  :)

You may recall Little Miss {M} here is Dave’s granddaughter.  She and this little guy shared a birthday party last weekend.  There have been four babies born in 2009 amongst their friends.  Here they are with one big brother {L}.  Have you ever put five kids (four being age one and under) in one photograph?  You can’t imagine the sweat that was involved here.

Below is a compilation of four different photographs of the cuties.  Dave shot most of these while I pulled out my tricks.  {Basically making a fool of myself, doing anything I can to make a one year old smile.}

All five breathed a sigh of relief when the mommies jumped in.  Aren’t they a beautiful bunch?  And this is after the photo workout.

You might remember this little guy from here…look how he’s grown!

Little {I} is no stranger to the blog either.  See her here.

Loved this shot of {L} with his mommy.

And now for the families:

Not a bad looking group, huh?

See…I told you she was sweet.

…and happy…

O.K.  Get ready for this.  I am in love with these next two.

Look at those toes!

Thanks again {S} family.  Give her lots of kisses for me.

I have been going through images all day.  I think you’ll agree these kids are just adorable but they were all as sweet as can be as well.  I am so lucky to have a job where I get to meet kiddos like these.

How precious is this?

A big shout out to this last little girl’s brothers.  She came in with her mom, dad, and three brothers.  Those three (all five and under!) were so polite and sweet the entire time she was getting her pictures taken.  She’s a lucky girl to have these three looking out for her.

Thanks again to all the parents!  I am looking forward to meeting with all of you again.

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Have you seen the contest for March?  Nominate a deserving family or couple and you can win too.  Information can be found here.

Also, are you signed up for our mailing list?  Be the first to hear of contest, specials, and other information by signing up below:

So, in between sips of a White Mocha, I met some of the cutest little munchkins I’ve ever seen.    I swear every kiddo I photographed could sign up for modeling.  Here’s a quick sneak peek of some of the adorableness:

Thanks to all the parents (and grandparents) from this shoot.  It was a blast working with all of your little ones.

and {Baby V} is no different.

Ten tiny fingers…

…and ten tiny toes…

…one pouty mouth and an adorable nose.

Check out that hair…

And his smile…so sweet…

…good night and sleep tight {Baby V}.

Thanks {S} & {M}.  I loved meeting your little guy and look forward to watching him grow up.

{All images will link to gap.com for online purchasing.  All images are copyrighted by gap.com.}

The combination of the tough jacket and slender jeans creates a modern look that is pretty and practical.  (=

This sweater paired with the “cadet khaki” pants is a great simple look.  Tie in the green jacket if you want a more layered feel.

These green Capri’s matched with a cute sweater shows a softer side of the army theme for a little girl .  Also, these leather sandals complete the comfy and stylish outfit.  (=

Outfit number two for a little girl is a little less sweet and has a slight edge to it.  The interesting design on the bermuda shorts will stand out with the plain tee and will go perfectly with these slip on  converse.

These aviator pants are perfect for a little boy.  Choose a shade of gray for the shirt and you’re done! It’s that simple!

Another way to go could be tan pants and  navy blue or green shirts to tie in with the rest of the family. =)

I hope you like my ideas!

Peace.

On Saturday, February 27 we will be holding mini sessions for Haiti.  All session fees will be donated directly to Compassion International.  (You will make checks payable to Compassion so that your donation will be tax deductible.)

Family and Child Mini Sessions

• Cost: $75 (check written directly to Compassion International)
• When: Saturday, February 27
• Where: Heritage Studio (2381 Locust Street #3, Canal Fulton, Ohio 44614)
• What: a 20-25 minute session and 2-5x7s are included in the mini session price that will be donated
• What else: You will be able to choose from 10-15 retouched images.  50% of all sales from any other products purchased will be donated by Heritage.
• GOAL: $1000 for Haiti (Will you help us make it possible?)

The winner of our January contest prize (a 16×20 Gallery wrapped canvas) is…drumroll please….Brian.  Congratulations Brian.  We will be in touch to let you know the details.

And, since a blog post without a picture is like popcorn without butter, here’s one of my favorite landscapes that Dave has taken.