{Colored Powder Sessions} MN Photographer

Here is an idea for your next session...colored powder sessions! Think color run meets photography for these colorful and fun sessions! Here are a few tips before booking this type of session: 

~Prepare to HAVE FUN!
~You WILL get messy!

~Wear white and wear something you will not be heartbroken over if gets stained

~This would be great for families with older kiddos who would normally not enjoy having family photos done, just tell them that they get to throw stuff at their parents and siblings and I am guessing you wont have to work to hard to get them to join in the fun :)

~This would also be great for engagements, seniors and gender reveal sessions!

~Bring towels or a change of clothes for the ride home so the powder does not get all over your car!
~We will do some regular photos before we bust out the powder

To book this type of session (or any session) email me at alyssa.francis@outlook.com! 

{Frozen} Marshall, MN Photographer

My sons and I were invited to a Frozen themed Birthday party for my friends' little girl this past weekend. Little lady was dressed like Elsa (of course!) and we did an impromptu Frozen session as a keepsake of her party. I think I only shot for a total of 10 minutes but I got some super cute shots of the big four year old! I love capturing these moments of a childhood, when their imaginations are endless and they don't have a care in the world! Here are a few of my favorites!

{Your session...what to expect} MN Photography

A lot of planning goes into custom photography--I put in a lot of time and energy into learning the technical side of my art, researching new techniques in posing, shooting as well as editing and scouting locations. The other part of my job is trying to find ways to make my client comfortable in front of the camera as well as trust me with their most treasured moments and most precious little people in their lives. Here is a little insight into what to expect from your session and a couple tips on preparing for a session with me. 

1. My biggest piece of advice for sessions involving kiddos is patience and allow for plenty of time! For many kiddos it takes time to warm up to a new person especially when that person is following them around with a camera. I allow for one to two hours for a session involving families and small children. Newborns are a different kind of session altogether. Most newborn sessions take upwards of three to four hours as we usually have to stop for changing, feedings and comforting time order to ensure those really sleepy shots and keep baby comfortable.

2. Prepare your child before the session just by telling them that you are going to go and play and a woman is going to photograph your family interacting. I try my hardest to capture natural expressions and the best way I know to get those natural smiles is to let kids be kids and play. I try not to get them to smile by saying "cheese"--usually I will use a made up phrase or word, make funny sounds or try to get to know your kiddos once they are old enough to talk by asking them questions about what they like (favorite foods, colors, TV shows, etc). While I will still do a few posed family shots, I like to mix in some play time as well and let the kids run, throw grass or blow bubbles. A lot of the time these are my clients favorite shots anyways and they provide a great keepsake for years down the road.

 3. I like to capture your family as it is, a photograph is a record of a relationship--and if I can capture the love a family has for each other, that is what makes a perfect image in my eyes. A photograph is a legacy we leave behind for generations to come and there is no better way to look back on your time together then to actually get images of your family interacting. These are my favorite images to shoot and what separate custom photography from other types of photography. Whether your session takes place in your home, a park, zoo, etc I always try to get a few of these types of images. Whether I capture a quiet moment between a mom and a child or catch a dad rough housing with his kids, it is those moments that make my job so worthwhile. 

 4. Pinterest is great and I often times will ask my clients if they have seen any images that they have liked online. However, I usually will not replicate a image completely more often than not I will put my own touch on it to make it unique to your family and your experience. Before each session I have a list in mind of poses or settings that I want to do. But I try to not marry myself to those ideas because for the most part that list goes to the wayside at some point during the session. I try to incorporate your ideas as much as I can but my disclaimer is that we may or may not get everything you want from our session. Kids are unpredictable, sometimes they want to listen and will do what I ask, other times they have a completely different idea of what they want to do--the end result is that I get images that bring out the personality of your child in the phase of life they are currently in.

 5. Clothing...this is my biggest question "what should we wear!?" My answer to this almost 100% of the time is go for comfort. Wear what you are comfortable in and what you think looks good on you. Of course you want to look nicely dressed, but you also want to allow for a little activity (walking, chasing kids, etc). Nothing too restrictive or short because if you are uncomfortable your face will show it in a photo and if it limits your movement that also limits how I can pose you. As far as color pallet goes, you and your family should wear colors that compliment each other. If a couple of people are in patterns, make sure others are in solids so the patterns don't take too much away from the faces of the people. I think jewel tones and neutrals photograph the best. I also suggest that my clients stay away from shirts with large logos or brand names on them as they tend to distract from the image as a whole. 

6. Try to schedule your session when you know your child is at his or her best. So after nap or a meal may work best. The best times for an outdoor session are early in the morning (before 9 a.m.) or in the evening time (summer hours that means after 6:30)--that is when the light is the prettiest and they are optimal times for photography--however, that doesn't mean that we cannot do a session at a different time during the day. If your child is not feeling great physically you may want to consider rescheduling your session for when he or she is feeling better. 

 7. Editing and USB images, each image is edited with a particular look in mind. A lot of times when I shoot an image I know immediately that I am going to convert it into black and white or keep it color. If you choose to purchase the USB, I will usually include an image in both black and white and color if I like the image a whole bunch. Other times I will just include the black and white image because that is how I think it looks best. I will include 15-20 images on your USB, and it will contain a mixture of color and black and white images.

8. What should you bring? wipes for any spills, dirt, etc. Bug spray! Mosquitoes are fierce this year, bug spray may help keep you a bit more comfortable! A non messy snack to keep the kiddos happy (crackers, water, puffs, etc) try to stay away from anything that may leave a noticeable stain on clothing or faces (juice, chocolate, suckers). A change of clothes in case of an accident or spill! Your childs' comforting item (blankie, stuffed animal, etc.).

To book a session or ask me any questions regarding pricing, sessions or photography you can contact me via email at alyssa.francis@outlook.com! 

{One Year Old} St. Paul Park Lifestyle Photography

Sweet baby J turned one! I was lucky enough to photograph this little guys big day. His family is just the sweetest, they are so welcoming and kind so I had no hesitation--I wanted to be there on this special day! Here are a few pics of this little ones first big blow out! :) 

Myles: A Birth Day

A baby. A blessing. Our miracle. So much promise in such a little package, how lucky am I to be the mom of two beautiful boys!

I love documenting every aspect of life, I love the legacy photos leave behind for future generations, most importantly I love the memories and feelings images evoke for the viewer. With our first son we barely got any pictures of the "process" so with this one I wanted to make sure I (or someone else since I was otherwise preoccupied) captured the day...especially when our oldest son came to the hospital to meet his brother for the first time.  So when my doctor asked me if my bags were packed, the most important one, the camera bag had been packed for weeks leading up to the big day.
I asked my girlfriend to come and take some pictures before, during and after our son was born. This was also meaningful because my husband and I asked her to be our sons' Godmother when she arrived at he hospital that morning as well-she ended up not being allowed in the delivery room but she did get some shots immediately following surgery of our new little man. The rest of the photos I took from my hospital bed and once I was able to move around.
Here are a few pictures documenting Myles first 48 hours, I treasure these images.

Photo By: JS Edited by: Lil' Sprout Memories

 

 

Photos by: JS Edited by: Lil' Sprout Memories OR Photo by: The Nurse Anesthetist who was directed by another nurse "the patient is a photographer, just keep taking pictures..."



My main goal before the arrival of Myles was to make sure Masyn did not feel left out. The morning of my surgery I set up a quick little session with Masyn in order to pair it with some images in the hospital and make sure he knew how important his big brother role was. The images I got of Masyn seeing Myles for the first time are absolutely priceless. I shot the image from my hospital bed and was so glad I always had my camera nearby, otherwise I would have missed this!

 

 

 

I have been spending my leave learning how to be an attentive mom of two beautiful boys, I have a lot to learn, sleep to catch when I can and am soaking up every minute of this time with them before returning back to sessions, editing and a different kind of busy-ness...one thing is certain, it is going to be VERY hard to leave these little faces when I return for my first session.

 

New for 2014 I will be offering first 48 sessions, these are sessions that will take place within the first 48 hours of baby's arrival, whether it is the birthing process you want captured, first family photos or immediately following as family and friends meet your little one they are images you are sure to love and treasure for years. Call or email me at Alyssa.Francis@outlook.com to inquire about scheduling and pricing. 

Tips for photographing your kiddos!

Most of the time, my little guy is a pretty willing subject; however, there are times when I would love to snap some fun shots of him and he gives me a look like this:

 I have heard this called: PCS or photographer child syndrome :); as a mom and photographer I love to capture every little detail of his life so we can both remember this time, he is only this age once and I do not want to forget a minute of the time we spend together. Here are a few tips I have found work with my little guy in order to capture his personality or moment in his life:

1. I bring my camera pretty much everywhere we go--but especially if it is a place my little guy has never been to before, I never know when a special moment may happen and since I do not have a cell phone (my husband and I share one and I rarely carry it with me, shocker I know!) I haul around my DSLR--which is bulky but I love it. With the popularity of camera phones most parents have a camera with them at all times anyways!

2. I do my best to make a photo shoot with my little one as FUN as I can (as I do with my client sessions). I let him run around, play and be himself. When I want some close up shots of him games help tremendously--my son loves to play Simon Says and that has worked wonders to get him into poses or freeze when I want to snap a shot of him!

3. I am training myself to omit the word SMILE and CHEESE from my vocabulary--I try to not use it with clients either, when someone is told to smile on command, the smile is usually stiff, forced and fake. Instead I will have my son say something silly or ask him a silly question in order to get a real response from him, usually these words have something to do with bathroom humor or are made up rhyming words--the trick is to make sure I have the camera ready to catch that response!

4. If I am trying to capture everyday life with him I try to not give him too much direction as to what I expect, I would rather sit back and observe him in an activity and capture that than try to force a moment to happen. These are usually some of my favorite images of my son...especially when I catch a moment between him and my husband--two of my favorite guys :)

5. I know when to take my photographer hat off and put my mom hat on. In my mind I may have a perfect shot all planned out--rarely does it happen that way and I have to adapt to it. Usually if I push too hard to try for too long, frustration sets in for both my son and myself--it is at that time that I put the camera down for awhile and we both reset ourselves to hopefully try again another time. Before I know it he usually is asking for a picture to be taken of him and I get to try again.  

6. I let him lead, I ask him what he wants a picture taken of. I am lucky in that my son is very interested in looking at photos (especially of himself or an event we went to as a family). Sometimes he will want a stuffed animal in the picture with him, sometimes he will want to do a funny pose and sometimes he will make a funny face. I take these too because all these little things make up my sons personality and are little insights into his childhood--plus some of these photos turn out really well. After we take it then I ask if he is ok with doing a pose mom wants him to do and I usually get him to humor me for a little bit longer.

 

Hopefully some of these tips can help you too when trying to capture those moments of your little ones lives that turn the picture at the beginning of this blog into something more like this:

Do you have some tips on how you get great shots of your little ones? I would love to hear them especially since I have number 2 on the way in a matter of days :)



{Frozen Class of 2014} St. Paul Senior Photographer

I had the pleasure of photographing my last senior of 2013 this past weekend. It was beyond cold {I think it was maybe 5 degrees or so out?!} and this young man was a trooper! We started out at the Conservatory and then headed over to Harriet Island for a few shots with some of his friends and brother. Here are a few of my favorites from that session!