The St. Louis weather is absolutely perfect right now. It was a gorgeous evening catching up with this beautiful family at Drace Park. They have some big milestones this year, and it was fun to document this special time in their lives. One high school senior class of 2021, one high school freshman, and one new middle school student. All starting new adventures during 2020.

The silver lining in all of the craziness of 2020 has been the interactions I have had with new and old clients. I always ask them what is one good thing that has resulted from Covid. For them, the time for family dinners has been a highlight. The perfect way to slow down and spend time with busy teenagers during this year!

I loved working with this family so much! They wanted to schedule a family session downtown St. Louis and incorporate our beautiful city into their shoot. We worked our way through Kiener Plaza, the Capitol building, the St. Louis Arch grounds…and it was so much fun. It was great to catch up with all of you [W] Family! I hope you enjoy all of these images of your beautiful family.

The cutest family! It was so good to catch up with this sweet crew during their family mini session at Queeny Park. I always love seeing how much the kids grow each year, and I got to meet their new addition. Lots of quarantine puppies in 2020. Enjoy a peek…they are adorable!

There is a lot of planning that goes into a professional photo shoot to document your authentic story. The images that are created are so important for your children and grandchildren to have memories of their family. Before each photo session I send a “Family Session Guide” and customized client questionnaire to each client. This allows us to plan for the best experience so that we can capture images that matter to you.

Below is a peek at what is included in the planning guide…

Timing

It is recommended that outdoor sessions are booked in the morning or evening (before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM depending on the time of year) when the sun is lower in the sky and the light is most flattering. I typically book sessions Saturday – Sunday around 9:00 - 10:00 AM, or 5:00 – 7:00 PM. Sunset times vary throughout the year, you can find the exact sunset times for St. Louis, MO in this link Sunset Times St. Louis. One hour before sunset is my absolute favorite time of day for family sessions.

Location

You can choose to do the session at your home, or I am happy to provide location suggestions based on what you are looking for. I have photographed families and individuals all over St. Louis and I am familiar with several great locations – and always looking for new ones! A few of my favorite locations include Drace Park, Queeny Park, Downtown Kirkwood, Kirkwood Park, Larson Park and Forest Park.

Children

Every child is different, so I try to follow their lead and go with the flow. Some children take time to warm up and some are ready to go! I have a few tricks to help them relax and play; during this time I will also capture the natural candid moments. If you are stressed, the kids will be stressed. I will casually guide you through natural poses and some movement. Being yourselves will create authentic images of your family that you will love!

What To Wear

• Start with a palette of 3-4 colors. Think in terms of tones: blues, neutrals, pastels, etc. Everyone in the family can express their own sense of style within the chosen color palette. (Mixing up the colors is much more interesting photographically than everyone in the same color!)

• Stick to more solid colors than busy patterns.

• Clothing styles should be as timeless as possible.

• Also consider comfort – if you are comfortable in your clothing then you will appear comfortable in your photographs.

• If it’s a trend you may dislike in a few years, avoid the trend.

• Layers work very well, as well as accessories such as scarves, necklaces, and hats.

• Adding texture provides visual interest, but definitely avoid heavy textures or patterns that may appear bulky.

After the Session

Once your session is complete, I share a peek on social media if you would like. You are welcome to share this post with family and friends! The proofs from your session will be uploaded to a private on-line gallery for viewing and ordering within 7-14 days following your session. I am also available for in person ordering consultations. I highly recommend printing your images through me, or a high quality printer. A few of my favorite vendors include MPIX and Artifact Uprising.

This beautiful family was so much fun to work with. We captured a few special milestones for this crew. The baby just turned 1, the toddler just turned 3, and we documented so many sweet family memories.

My outdoor family photography sessions are very relaxed. I always go with the flow of the little ones, and try to capture a few portraits plus all of the in between moments. Enjoy a peek of this sweet family!

Lovely evening catching up with this sweet family in the sunflower fields at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. This was my second shoot out there this summer, and I had not visited in previous years. It is beautiful!!!

These kids have some big milestones coming up, one starting high school and one starting 8th grade year. It is so important to capture your family at every stage of life. I am so happy we could document this special time for all of them. Enjoy your peek!

Welcome to the world Caroline! I was so happy to finally meet this sweet girl. Born during the week everything shut down in St. Louis due to Covid-19. We were scheduled to shoot a fresh 48 after delivery, but just when she arrived visitors were no longer allowed in the hospitals. Now 4 months old, and the cutest baby! I am so happy we finally got to spend time documenting your family.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the awesome dads out there. Some of my favorite photos are dads interacting with their kids. Always jumping in to make them laugh, or ready to swing them around and toss them up in the air! Enjoy your special day today.

As St. Louis county began to open up after two months of staying at home, I decided to jump in with front porch mini sessions like many of my fellow photographers were doing. It has been a wonderful way to connect with many clients again. Documenting each family in front of their home, where they had just spent so much time together. The simplicity of pulling up in front of their house and shooting in their front yard, driveway, front porch and some backyards was wonderful. I love these sessions, and their children will cherish these photos when they look back on this crazy time!

Enjoy a peek of some of my favorite images captured!

It was wonderful to meet this sweet family! They just moved to St. Louis; right before the coronavirus stay at home order here in Missouri. It felt really good to get outside and shoot again with them.

Expecting baby #2 very soon, this gorgeous mom wanted to document her growing belly and her sweet daughter in their new hometown. Welcome to St. Louis!

What an incredible year! Looking back and feeling grateful for all of the families and friends that supported this small business of mine. 2019 was very busy and full of fun events, new and old clients! 95 family, newborn and events documented! An afternoon with the Vitale family and the Stanley Cup, my 5th annual Tri My Best Adaptive Triathlon and 2nd Shoot for Seamus. THANK YOU to all of my 2019 clients!

Gorgeous family at Lafayette Square Park in St. Louis, MO! This is the second session of 2019 for this sweet family, documenting all of the milestones during the first year.

Beautiful family on the blog! It was so much fun to meet this crew, and what a gorgeous fall afternoon we had for this session at Queeny Park! Enjoy the peek!

Boys! It was so much fun working with these cute brothers. There was a lot of giggling during this gorgeous afternoon at Queeny Park with this family. Enjoy the peek!

What an afternoon! On September 25, 2019 I had the opportunity to tag along with Joe Vitale and the Stanley Cup! Knowing Joe and his beautiful family, it was no surprise that he decided to spend his 2 hours with his kids, community and family.

First stop was St. Peter Catholic School in Kirkwood where 500 students got the best surprise! Second stop was the Kirkwood Fire Department to take photos with all of the crew. And final stop was Joe’s home, where 60 of his family members were waiting to celebrate!

Congratulations to Joe and the St. Louis Blues on their Stanley Cup win this year! What a fun ride it has been for this city and all of the fans.