Boy, Girl or ?

When Kristin Lovell family contacted me about taking portraits, I was so excited about what we were going to be doing.  

 
This wasn't your usual portrait session - we took individual portraits, family portraits, maternity portraits and lots of different variations of family members together.  Two hours later, we were successful and took care of all the Lovell family's needs!  

I had suggested taking portraits at Living History Park, a park where you have to make a reservation to use the grounds - there is no cost, but you have to get on their schedule.  The lush, green outdoor setting was perfect for the Lovell family!  

Since this is Kristin and Steven's 5th child and they hadn't found out if they were having a boy or a girl, we painted a blue and pink footprint on Kristin's belly, along with a question mark.  It was so much fun listening to their other children discuss if they thought their family's newest addition would be a boy or a girl.  

 

Despite the heat, the children were troopers and I enjoyed taking portraits of the Lovell family during the first outdoor portrait session!  www.MaryBethsPhotography.info
 

Wednesdays Words of Wisdom

When planning to have portraits taken of you and your family, have you ever considered stepping outside?

Right around the corner in Aiken, North Augusta and Augusta, you can find lots of great woodsy areas for beautiful, natural backgrounds for capturing special moments with your family.  
 

Throughout my photography career, I have found quite a few outdoor locations to meet my photography needs - rivers, covered bridges, cool outdoor structures that provide great texture for portraits, railroad tracks, lakes, wooded paths, waterfalls, streams and rocks.  

 

Of course, there are lots of ways I recommend to structure your outdoor portraits session to make the most out of the location and your time.  

Time of Day.  A successful portrait session does not take place in the bright sunlight!  Since I am familiar with so many different locations, I am also familiar with the best time of day to provide wonderful natural light to enhance your portraits.   

 

 Arriving Promptly.  Generally speaking, and especially if you are looking to have portraits taken of children, I recommend arriving promptly for your appointment.  Outdoor sessions rely so heavily on the perfect time of day that even a 15 minute late start could affect location, shadows and bright areas.

 

Special Touches.  Depending on your family, I sometimes like to bring indoor items outside, to add texture to locations, such as luggage or baskets.  I also always bring bug spray and drinks to outdoor portrait sessions.  Prior to the session, I can give advice as to what your family should wear to compliment each other and the location. 

If you are interested in a portrait session, either indoor or outside, contact me to discuss your needs or visit my website for more examples www.MaryBethsPhotography.info.

The Twin to Twin Tour

What do you think of when I say NJ, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, NC and SC?  I think of a wonderful family vacation - visiting family!!

 

Over the 4th of July weekend this year, my family and I hopped in our car, armed with DS games, chips, lemonade, fruit, music and lots of excitement.  You could consider our trip "The Twin to Twin Tour", as we started our trip by visiting my sister in Washington, D.C. area.

 

She and her husband Mark had twins in January, adding to their family of three.  Joining us (by plane) was my mother and her husband.  It was a fun start to the weekend, with a bus tour of D.C. and a visit to see the Washington Nationals play!
 

Then, we continued "The Twin to Twin Tour" along with my sister and her family and drove to NJ to visit my cousin and her husband, who also had twins this year! 
 

It was a beautiful day for BBQ and swimming in their pool.  We were sad to leave all the fun, but happy to be heading home!  

 

Our seven state tour over the 4th of July weekend made me realize how lucky we are to have each other and to live in the United States of America!  www.MaryBethsPhotography.info

Capturing Wedding Day Memories

Fun, fun, fun and hot are the words I would use to describe Van and Shannon's wedding!  

In true Southern fashion, Van and Shannon's wedding day weather was blazing hot, but thankfully, and also in true Southern fashion, the tea was cold!  Their wedding took place at Hopeland Gardens and their reception was held at the Rye Patch.

 

With an outdoor ceremony and an indoor/outdoor reception, we were all very happy that it wasn't raining!  And I was so happy to have such beautiful locations for some creative pictures.

I couldn't help but feel the tears in my eyes when I saw the Remembrance/Memorial chair for Shannon's Dad.  He passed away suddenly when she was younger.  It was a beautiful tribute to a very special person.

Shannon and Van, thank you for letting me be part of your special day!  www.MaryBethsPhotography.info