South Bend Birth, Newborn and Family Photographer - Fusion Film from "Boy Mom" Session

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In case you missed the announcement: In 2017 I will be offering fusion films to my product menu! In order to sharpen my skills, the next few bookings I get will have the option to add this to their session for free.

Fushion Video - Boy Mom

Granger Birth, Newborn and Family Photographer - Stanger "Boy Mom" Session

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While I love full family sessions, I also have a soft spot for mommy and mini's sessions! As moms, we are so frequently the ones behind the camera and rarely in the frame. Then, when we do get in the frame, we are so self critical that we instantly delete the images or let them be buried at the bottom of our hard drives, never to be seen again. What a shame that is! Think of our own mothers now that we are adults; don't you love seeing images of yourself as a child with your mom? Don't you want the chance to give that to your children down the road? Trust me, they won't notice your messy hair or extra holiday fluff, they will just notice how much you loved them and remember what a great mom you were (and are). Ok, rant over. 

So when Momma S scheduled this awesome session with her and her two adorable boys, I was thrilled! I was lucky enough to meet this sweet family through church and our kiddos ended up befriending each other (in fact, we decided to betroth them - we joke about this frequently). Anyway, Momma S is "that mom." The one that makes you want to be a better mom because she just rocks at momming so much. She balances her two boys, who are just over a year apart in age, with grace and poise and unlimited smiles. During this session, it was so fun to watch her interact with her sons and to see them absolutely adore her in return. Their bright, welcoming home was just the frosting on an already great cake. I am so excited to share this session with you and hope that this inspires any of you moms who have never considered a mom and minis session!  

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South Bend Indiana Newborn Fresh 48 Photographer - Hospital Fresh 48

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It had been entirely too long since my last Fresh 48 session! While I will always love family sessions, Fresh 48 and birth photography is my where my heart is. I always love walking through the quiet halls of the mother baby unit knowing that I am getting a little sneak peek of a tiny person's first hours on earth. It's kind of humbling!

This session was unique for a few reasons: first, because it was super last minute! Secondly, because it was for the son of one of the amazing office managers/nurse's who worked with my husband and I during our pregnancy and birth. I was so excited to be able to give back to her family after the amazing experience our midwife group gave to us. Third, because it was the first session I've done where baby didn't have a name yet! It made it a little exciting ha ha. 

From the minute I walked into the room, it was obvious how loved this new baby boy was. Despite him being the umpteenth grandson and having multiple older siblings (his next closest being 9 years older), the excitement was unparalleled. In fact, mom stated that she "made the babysitters first," just for this little guy! And lets just pause to talk about the guest of honor. Baby boy was probably one of the most laid back newborns I have ever seen. I always have some sympathy for newborns; imagine living your life day in and day out exactly the same way for nine months and then suddenly...BOOM! Big, bright, loud new world. But this little guy seemed to have slid right into "our world" with no problem. He took everything in stride and hardly gave a wimper. It is my sincerest hope that his calm disposition continues (for mom and dad's sake) and that they share his surely epic name when it is official. What a great family!

Update: His name is Kyler :) :) :)

Michiana Birth, Fresh 48 and Family Documentary Photographer - Introducing a New Product for 2017!

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I fell in love with photography about two years ago. Having the ability to freeze moments in time and instantly bring back all the feels of that exact second is just an awesome power to have. During this time of falling in love, I joined about 101 online groups and forums so that I could learn from all of the amazing documentary photographers out there and that is when I stumbled across something so unique and special. It was a total accident that I found this amazing woman and her business but after reading a blog post she wrote and then spending entirely too long drooling over her work, I was hooked. Francesca Russell Photography opened my eyes to documentary films.

Since then, I have been toying around with video and films through "One Second a Day" personal projects and then secretly taking some footage during a few of my more recent family sessions. In 2017, I plan to add fusion films to my product list! 

"Huh?"

A fusion film is a compilation video that includes both stills and video to tell your story. I am head over heals in love with them and can't wait to offer them to my future families. For the first few months, upon a signed film model release, I will be working on building my video skills and so, if you book soon, you will essentially get a bonus fusion film for no extra cost. These films are truly priceless and both families that I presented fusion films to so far have ended up in happy tears and big smiles. Just check out this awesome tea party - 

Please note: Most videos presented to clients are approximately 2+ minutes. This film has been condensed for your viewing convenience. 

 

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Granger Newborn Baby and Family Documentary Photographer - Why Storytelling and Documentary Photography?

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HAPPY 2017 EVERYONE!!! I hope that you all had a safe and great end to 2016 and are looking forward to the new year as much as I am. So, lets start the year off right and answer the ever nagging question...

"Why documentary photography???"

This is a question that I am certain crosses just about everyone's mind. When we are surrounded by beautiful portraits and stylized lifestyle images, it is very hard, maybe even uncomfortable, to think about stepping away from this genre. Especially when most of it is so beautifully done! So let me share my own personal experience that flipped the switch for me:

When my daughter was about 7 months old, we decided to do a family shoot. The photographer picked a beautiful location at a state park and we headed out for our session. Right when we got there, while carrying Baby F to the woods, I tripped and we both fell. Thankfully, neither of us were hurt, but we were both REALLY shaken. My normally happy, never-cries baby would not stop crying and wanted nothing to do with anyone except me. I wanted to just reschedule and call it quits, but at the encouragement of our photographer, we pressed on. I was sure we wouldn't get any usable images through the sobs and tears!

But we did. The images turned out adorable. Because the photographer was just that good.

Not a single one of those photos hangs on my walls.

 Why? Because it was a horrible experience! It was unnatural. It was uncomfortable. It was, well, fake. None of those images represented what I wanted to remember about my daughter! Where was her sweet personality? Our REAL baby smiles? Where was OUR honest story?

I started to think back on previous sessions and while all of the images were great, they just weren't real. I mean, I don't know about you, but I rarely put my baby in a bucket with a bow as big as her head at home! I realized that what I loved about photography is the ability to freeze reality; in my mind, there was nothing more beautiful than our every day, messy hair, baby spit up, chaotic days. That is what I wanted on my walls. That is what I wanted on my social media. That is what I wanted for our albums. And THAT is why I decided to offer that to you. I want you to have the every day beauty at your fingertips, to look back on whenever your heart aches for those moments and milestones. Real is so much better than ideal.

Storytelling and documentary photography is so much more than just pictures. It is a direct representation of your story; of the steps you're taking to get where you're going. Whether that means a messy house, or a pony tail and no makeup, or a baby in a t-shirt and diaper, if that's your story then that is what I want to capture for you! 

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Granger Newborn Baby and Family Photographer - A Look at BBP's 2016

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When I first decided to take this leap into documentary photography in 2016, it was one of the most terrifying and exciting things I have done (besides getting married and becoming a mom). I am not one to make myself feel vulnerable and this jump was the epitome of becoming vulnerable. But looking back, I am SO glad that I did it! This week, I have been cleaning up my hard drive (partially for sentimental reasons and to see growth but also because I managed to max out my Macbook's hard drive space) and I have come across so many amazing images. Not just of my own family, but the families of my clients!

It is so humbling to look back at this year's families and babies and know that these awesome people invited me into their lives and with a new type of photography to boot. To be a part of the stories of others is a really awesome experience; to see how they love each other and work together and spend their days. I genuinely enjoy looking back at these images and remembering each session and each family member. Knowing that these families will have images they can look back on together and remember all of the real, honest moments that they represent makes my heart happy, both as a photographer and a momma. I am so so excited to see what 2017 brings for BBP! 

Here's a look back at my favorite images of 2016. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do...

 

 

South Bend Documentary Family Photographer - Our Holidays!

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A belated Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you all had a fantastic holiday with family and friends and that you made memories that you will cherish forever. 

This year, my daughter is just shy of two and I knew it was going to a pretty epic Christmas for her. She was able to grasp a basic understanding of Santa and many of the other magical elements of the holiday which had her all kinds of excited for the big day. She loved opening her gifts and getting to play with her family all weekend! Sadly though, we realized something: we are going to need a bigger house for all of her new stuff. Holy cow. It looks like someone ransacked Toys R' Us around her - and for a somewhat montessori inspired home, this was complicated to figure out what she got first. But what a blessed problem to have, right?

It was so fun seeing the kids' different personalities showing through in their favorite gifts. One tried out just about everything, one went straight to the cars and mine wandered around singing "Let it Go" with her new Elsa doll. She pretty much hit the jackpot of princesses and baby doll accessories and she was more than ok with that. Getting to document these moment in photo form was so much fun and I am also proud to say that I DID set aside the camera and just enjoyed the moments, too. Here's a sample of some of our fun family memories...

South Bend Indiana Family Documentary Photography - How to Take Your Own Great Holiday Photos

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Some of the biggest, most joyful, meaningful days of the year happen during the holidays. Filled with events, family and friends there are so many reasons to pull out your personal camera and make sure those moments live on forever. Just think of the laughs and smiles you will share with your kids years down the road when you look back at the fun memories you managed to capture!

But how do you take average, un-inspired images up to the next level and turn them into something beautiful AND priceless? How do you use the camera you have easy access to (say a phone) and use it to create high quality, artistic images? Here are a few tips and tricks to turning your blah holiday pictures into fun, appealing, priceless images...

1). Get the "safe shot"

I always encourage folks to take the "safe shot" first. Kids move FAST and sometimes, if you think too much, you miss the moment. It might not be the best quality shot, but at least you have the feels on your screen to relish down the road. 

Safe shot. 

The good shot. 

2) Do. Not. Say. "Cheese."

For the love of Christmas, do NOT tell your subjects to say "cheese!" Maybe this is just the documentary photographer coming out in me, but whoever decided to tell people to say "cheese" during a picture needs a quick kick to the shins (nothing like a little violence for the holiday spirit). In all seriousness though...the best pictures you will take are the ones in the moment. By telling your kids or the photo's subject to stop what they are doing, focus on you and the camera and say "cheese" completely deflates the scene. And if you're dealing with small children or (shudder) toddlers, we all know that the moment they realize you want them to smile...HAHAHAHA. Right. So fight that instinct to get them to focus on the camera and just get the amazing pictures that can come from being in the moment. You won't regret it.

And if you just can't fight it and you really want that look-and-smile picture, just tell them to smile. Young children are still learning phonetics and saying words, especially words that end in consonants, often forces their mouths and cheeks to do funny things and is counterproductive to getting them to smile. 

3) Angles, angles, angles!

When we take photos with our camera phones or point-and-shoots, we tend to take them right where we stand. We see a cute moment like our kids bonding with their cousins or hugging the family dog and we whip out that camera and snap the picture. That's fine! Like I mentioned above, get the safe shot first. But once you've secured that, get out of your comfort zone and think about your angles. The absolute best and most simple thing you can do to improve your photos are to get on the same level as your subject. If you're photographing kids, prepare to get your squat quota maxed out pretty quickly. Get down on their level and suddenly the picture feels much more real and in-the-moment.

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Another fun angle is from above. People tend to focus on faces when they take pictures but that's not always what tells the best story. Sometimes getting directly above your kiddos really changes the perspective and tells a stronger story.

4) Use your camera's focal point.

Have you ever had the perfect picture opportunity in front of a bright window and you take the photo and it's completely blown out? How frustrating! Cameras are designed to focus on the light and then balance the settings accordingly. Having a big, bright window is great but it tricks your camera into thinking that the entire room is also that bright which just isn't the case. So how do you we fix this? On most cameras and phones, its as simple as tapping the face or subject that you want to focus on. The camera then says, "Oh, you want to focus on this darker subject? Got it!" (Because, you know, cameras talk now). It still might not be the best picture you'll ever take, but it will salvage the shot.

5) Avoid mixed lighting.

It is easier said than done, but if you can, avoid "mixed lighting." This means, try not to take pictures where a window and lamp is influencing the light in the same photo. Most people assume that all light is good light but that is just wildly untrue. Here's the basic breakdown: window light is the best light. Its natural, pretty and neutral. 

See photos below for an example of mixed lighting. 

6) Consider your surroundings.

Holidays can be such a tough time to photograph even for a seasoned professional because there are usually 100 brightly colored decorations and 101 distractions. Both of these things make for some challenges but if you're aware of them, it is (slightly) easier to avoid them. Quickly consider your subject (say your child), squat down to their level, tap your focal point and then look past them. If they are sitting in front of 10 boxes and three cousins, try to move yourself left or right so that you can either hide or minimize the distractions. I'm all for embracing the clutter and chaos, after all, that's what documentary photography is all about. But there's a difference between adding to the story and just being distracting. 

Distracting red shelving and mixed lighting. 

Still a busy background but not directly behind the family AND it helps tell the story.

I hope that these quick and easy tips help you get some great holiday photos this weekend! But most importantly, don't forget to put down the phone and camera and just enjoy the moment. Not even the best picture can replace the memories you have of getting in on the holiday chaos.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE :) 

 

Granger Indiana Family Documentary Photographer - "Boy Mom" Sneak Peek

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When people see the beauty and value in the everyday, it turns a session into a memory making experience. When this "boy mom" (who also happens to be a close friend and amazing person), invited me into her home to capture a typical day with her boys, I was thrilled. Not only are her boys absolutely adorable but her house is just saturated with rich colors and lots of natural light. Basically, this session made my job easy! Can't wait to share the full gallery...

South Bend Newborn Fresh 48 Photography - Sneak Peek

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It has been WAY too long since my last Fresh 48 session! Every time I do one, I am reminded how much I love newborns in their first hours on this earth with their new families. It is such a humbling and blessed experience. 

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Michiana Documentary Photographer - Personal Project: The Windy City

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I like to concentrate my website and blog on client photos and let me tell you...that can be hard. You see, photography isn't just a "job" for me. It is a passion. I have firmly been converted into a believer in the priceless value of documenting both major and minor moments of my family's life. I know that in the years to come, I am going to love sitting down with Baby F and sharing these adventures with her that she's too young to remember. I will get all of the feels from these days and she will see how loved she was by so many people in her life!

This project is especially special to me because it includes the one, the only, grandma. None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow and being able to build memories with those around us is so, so invaluable. As a young girl, my mom and I would go to Chicago to look at the Christmas lights every year but as I got older and life happened, we stopped going. This year, I wanted to revive the tradition and throw in a third generation! And so, without further ado...I give you the first annual girl's only Chicago lights adventure:

Osceola Indiana Family Documentary Photographer - Reed Sister Session

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Being a girl mom always seems so sweet to me; maybe it's because I have a little girl or maybe its just the cute factor but no matter the reason, this session totally won me over! Normally, sessions include mom and dad so when Momma Reed decided to have a session primarily focused on her two daughters and her fur baby, I was nervous to make it work but excited for the challenge.

From the moment I walked through the door, Miss P was SO excited to be in front of the camera. I'm convinced this girl is going to be a star. She's got the spunk, the sweetness, the looks; she's pretty much the whole package. Where most kiddos like to ignore me or feel intimidated by the camera, Miss P had to be reminded NOT to say cheese! 

Miss H might be one of the most laid back, go-with-the-flow three year olds I've yet to meet. She was up for whatever big sister wanted to do and could make each situation fun and happy. Her idolization of her sister and her love for her fur baby was so apparent and heart warming it made me think MY Baby F might need a sister...(just kidding). But sereously, these girls were a total blast and between the dressing up, tea party and playing with babies, there was almost too much cute for one session! Thank you Reed girls for letting me into your sparkly little world.