Elizabeth and Charlie are Expecting a Baby Girl

Elizabeth and Charlie are such a perfect couple! They were so easy going and relaxed in front of the camera. Renee, my assistant, and I enjoyed every minute with this couple for their maternity session and we can't wait to meet their baby girl! It was so hard to narrow down my favorites.

What should you wear?

The answer would depend on many factors such as weather, location, emotion, message and purpose of the portrait. We suggest to our clients that we want to focus on the face and emotion of the portrait for years to come. We don't want our clients to dress in a manner that distracts from that as a general rule. We tell our clients that long sleeves, darker jewel tones (navy, hunter green, charcoal) and similar colors work the best as a general rule. We try to stay away from black and white as well as distracting patterns or mismatched groupings if at all possible. Try to make the family look great together, but not uniforms. However, you know that any rule can always be broken! Make sure it is something somewhat comfortable. We don't want to be constantly adjusting your outfit. Check your accessories - look polished, but not overdone! Makeup should be daily wear to slightly heavier. Definitely check your nails and toes if they will be showing or your shoes and socks. Don't get your haircut or colored the week of your portrait.

Of course, most clients want to know what is slimming and it is exactly what we suggest as our general rule. Darker colors recede and make thing appear smaller. Clothing is only one of the elements that makes the final image. Custom photographers have studied a great deal on posing and that can really make or break your perception of the final image.

Next week: How often do you need custom photography?

Find the Frames that fit your Unique Style

From Classic to Colorful to Charming

Traditional Yet Modern

Let your images speak for themselves with frames in classic black, silver, gold, or dark or light woodworks. These frames are perfect for family and wedding portraits. Pair them with black and white images and white matting for a formal presentation. Add class to any setting with the clean, crisp look of our traditional frames.

A Pop of Color

Are you looking for something fun? These fun shaped and colored frames come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. These frames bring a fresh look into any room, especially kids rooms, nurseries, and living rooms. Mix and match colors and shapes in a wall collage for more fun!

Shabby Chic

Add a rustic charm to your images with Toffee Crunch, Rum Raisin, or Barnwood Frames. These frames bring character and warmth into the home. Pair them with vintage-themed weddings, outdoor family sessions, picturesque scenery, and any image that's a little bit country! Mix with other frames in a display to add dimension and even more charm!

Why are you scheduling and what do you want to do with your portraits?

Building on what questions you have answered two weeks ago,  if you've missed these you may want to go back and read:
Why does custom photography cost so much?
How do you choose your custom photographer?
Why choose custom photography?

There must be a purpose for you to schedule a session. A new baby has arrived! You might be redecorating your home and in need of a new portrait. Maybe it has been a few years since your last family portrait. Your family may have grown in numbers and size. The holidays may be around the corner.

Whatever the reason, please convey this to your photographer before your session, so they have an idea of a certain portrait they will need to take. You may think you want a certain product, but in working with your custom photographer, they will look at your needs and suggest ideas or other products that are available.

Ask yourself, "how do you want to record your family legacy?" Do you want a canvas on the wall or a storybook album to tell the story of your family's interactions?

Next week: What should you wear?

Amelia's Newborn Album

Amelia's beautiful keepsake album from her newborn session has arrived and I'm so excited to share a glimpse of it with you. Of course, there's nothing like actually holding this heirloom album, feeling the purple leather and the white stitching, and the beautiful watercolor paper with sweet newborn Amelia's face.

Why does custom photography cost so much?

Custom photography provides a highly personalized experience in which the client gets to pick many pieces of the puzzle that creates a wonderful piece of artwork they can cherish for years to come. That being said, the amount of time and cost to put this together drives the price of this experience.

Chain stores bring in a lot of people for a short cookie cutter experience which creates a product with their artistic stamp. You, as the client, have very little say in what they can actually do with your short period of time and then they go on to the next client.

When you decide on a custom photography experience, the photographer goes through the entire experience with you to bring your vision to life. To do this requires a lot more time and effort from the photographer. Your actual photo session may only take an hour, but your photographer has probably invested around 12-18 hours for a session per client. They do this to create the stellar customer service you may have come to know. They really want to focus on quality and not quantity. They also have the ability to offer different high-quality products.

You have also selected your photographer based on their artistic abilities. Like many other professions, there is a great deal of education and artistic exploration to create their vision. Unfortunately, the professional equipment is not cheap either. Have you wondered how much time or expense your photographer has invested to accumulate their props?

Next week: Why are you scheduling and what do you want to do with your portraits?

Pierce, 8 month baby plan session

Pierce was such a champ for his 8-month baby plan photography session. He even got a little boo-boo, but he just kept on going with no tears. Check out these with his cute suspenders and the last one with his first cowboy hat!

 Gotta love that BIG smile! It makes me smile!

Carter's Urban Portrait Session

Carter is just a 4 year old boy, but he rocked his portrait session. He amazed me with his ideas and I was thrilled that he was such a great model.  The location was one I had been wanting to experiment with more and it was perfect for my sweet boy. Here are just a few of my favorites from his creative photography session.

The Power of Print

I was recently reminded of the power a photographer has to affect people's legacies and it has reinforced the meaning of what I do as a photographer, and what we do here at Jenny Lee's Photography as we strive to create the best creative photography experience possible. Prints last hundreds of years and get re-discovered generations later.

Your Family's Legacy
Whenever I'm photographing for clients I try to remind myself that the photos are not only for the clients. Often times the portraits will have more meaning for the parents, the grandparents, the children, or the grandchildren that aren't even born yet. One of my favorite photographs is of my grandparents' wedding. There is just one black and white portrait, and it's them, frozen in a moment in time. It's a version of them, that I will never get to meet. It was before I was born. Photography gives us those slices of time, that allows our imagination to fill in the story. For me, it's even more powerful than video.

The portrait below is of my grandfather and grandmother on their wedding day.

As we watch our loved ones pull out albums and look through them, pointing out photographs that made history - their family history - we begin to understand in a much deeper way, the power of photography. And the power of a printed photo. The fact that we can reach out and physically touch something that represents people we love, frozen in time, makes all the difference.

My Family Memories

Every year, I print two family albums. One is just for our professional family portraits and the other one is filled with the normal, everyday events. I also print albums for each of my children on their birthdays. I absolutely love albums and so do my children. 

Create Albums, Create Fine Art Prints

Part of my duty as a photographer is to relay the importance of print. Our phones will die. Hard drives will die. The cloud will never be looked at. Books and prints will be picked up and looked at by generations to come. When I'm gone, our family albums and even this print of my grandparents will be looked at. 

Allow me to design an album and create fine art prints for you and your family. It may take some time and investment, but your family will cherish it forever. 

Jenny Lee's New Photography Studio: Come take the Tour

It has been a long time waiting, but it was well worth the wait to introduce to you my NEW photography studio! The studio is fully stocked and ready for you and your family! The studio is stocked with everything that you will desire for a creative session for your babies from backdrops, floors, fabrics, wraps, baskets, buckets, boxes, hats, hair pretties, and outfits! You get to come and relax and let me and my assistant take care of the rest!

This is the resting area for parents! Get a drink from our mini fridge, read a book, take a nap - simply relax while we work with your little one! 

 This is also the area to browse the fine art products: albums, cards, image boxes, canvases, standouts, frames of all colors and styles. So much fun to feel and touch and see! 

 The studio area! So many backdrops and flooring options that simply roll out and can be easily changed, which makes for more options for you - the client!

 Changing area with wipes and of course hand sanitizer! Keeping germs away is always important while working with babies. Oh, and the mini fridge. Thirsty? Grab a flavored sparkling or still water.

Have you ever wondered how much I invest for photography sessions? Not only do I invest tons of time for your session, but I invest money for props, backdrops, hats, and many other items so that you don't have to.  This is a sneak peek into my storage prop closet which also gives you a sneak peek into how much investment has been made for you, my dear loyal clients!  

 I am in love with this closet that my dear husband put together for me! I must say it is incredible to be able to finally see all the photography props that I have and be able to easily and quickly access them for a portrait session.

Are you ready to come and experience a creative portrait session by Jenny Lee's Photography? Contact Jenny Lee three07-six70-zero747

How do you choose your custom photographer?

Here are a few questions you might want to answer first to make the process easier.

• Who is going to be in the portrait? your immediate family, extended family, just the children? Are there groupings you want taken such as mother and son, just the kids, as well as the entire family?
• Where do you want it taken? Inside the studio, at your home, an outdoor location of your choice?
• Do you want it more posed and formal or journalistic showing how you interact with your family?
• What final products do you want? A large wall portrait, a few gift prints to give, a storyboard depicting a few moments, or a custom album telling about the family and interactions?

Start you search on the internet. First, you need to see who is available to you in your area or as far as you are willing to travel. Then take a look at their web site and see what style they photograph. If you don't know what style you are looking for then look at everyone's portfolio and see what you like. If you are looking for newborn portraits in the studio, do not choose a photographer that only displays senior photography on their web site. 

We suggest that you talk to a few photographers and see if you like the way they interact with you and your family. Ideally, we would love to meet all of our clients in person before the session to build a rapport and get comfortable. This also allows for us to show off some of the products we offer that you may not even know are available.

Ultimately, you will pick your photographer based on their style, relationship, price, and product offering. The hard part if finding someone who meets all of these criteria. So, you will have to prioritize what you want.

Next week: Why does custom photography cost so much?