With the snow outside today making driving out of the question, I figured it was a good day to stay inside, sit by the fireplace with a cup of coffee, and get caught up on sharing sessions.
First up is this gorgeous expecting mom who had her heart set on outdoor snow pictures and thankfully Mother Nature delivered! We were able to hop outside in the yard for a few quick pictures and then back in for the warmer portion! Maternity sessions aren't something I do a lot of, but I wish I did more. I know many moms, like myself, didn't feel pretty or comfortable while pregnant, but I'm here to tell you that you are glowing! Pregnancy is such an amazing milestone to capture - your body is doing a miracle - it's growing a new life! The studio is filled with a variety of dresses for your use (all 4 of the dresses this mom is wearing are from the client closet here at the studio) and we can even arrange hair and make up to be done on site if you wish. Considering getting maternity pictures done? Here are some frequently asked questions regarding sessions: When should I have maternity pictures done? Maternity pictures are best done between 30-35 weeks when a woman has a nice round belly, without feeling too uncomfortable yet. However, this date could be earlier for those expecting multiples or who are anticipating an early delivery. When should I book my maternity session? Please contact me at least three months ahead of time. I can occasionally accommodate a last minute session, but typically I book up at least a month in advance. How long will the session last? Maternity sessions can be done as simple 30 minute sessions in the studio or outdoors. If you want to do both indoor and outdoor, we can arrange a time, or times, to do both! Where will my session take place? Maternity sessions can take place indoors year-round as well as outdoors from March-November. Yes, snow pictures can be taken in the winter too! When will my session take place? Maternity sessions are scheduled Monday-Friday. Outdoor maternity sessions are scheduled ~1 hour before sunset. What should I wear? I have a variety of different maternity dresses (pale blue, blush pink, white/cream, gray, black, navy, red, and champagne colored) for you to wear for your session. You will be able to see them in person when you come in for your pre-session consultation. However, if you choose to wear your own outfit or pose nude, that is fine too!
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Finally all wrapped up with my 2017 limited edition sunflower field sessions! We had amazing, although hot and humid, weather. Here are some more sneak peeks of all the beautiful families and adorable kiddos that came out. I already can't wait for next year! And, a special thanks to the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance in West Chester, PA for allowing me to photograph at this gorgeous location. If you aren't already a member of the BRC, please please please consider joining. The BRC is committed to conserving our watersheds, protecting natural resources, and inspiring and teaching the next generation. They host many programs and events as well as summer camps too! The M family is doubly blessed - they are welcoming twin boys into their family this fall! Little Maddie is soon going to be a big sister, and what a fabulous one she will be. She's already giving them kisses and cannot wait to cuddle them. I only wish my (soon-to-be) 3 year old was as gentle as Maddie! We will miss this family as they move out-of-state, but I'm so glad I got a chance to capture these memories for them. My last post wasn't as upbeat about taking my children's pictures, but this time was a different story. Gummy bears after every pose for the win! (Hey, I am totally not above bribery, especially when it works...) These are the images that make my heart melt as a mom - seeing my kids together and being nice to one another (ok ok, so there were some hitting and angry faces involve, but those don't get edited). They don't even need to be looking at the camera, as long as I can tell they are in the moment and enjoying themselves. These were also taken at my FAVORITE place to photograph in West Chester, such background diversity, and an overcast day, which made for the perfect, soft lighting. My schedule is filling up quickly (VERY limited spots left in June and July and October, like 1 or 2 spots each) so if you are planning on outdoor family sessions, please get in touch with me asap so we can starting making memories and creating beautiful art for your home! I feel like there are few things in life more unpredictable than toddlers. And, I can say this because we've lived through toddlerhood once and are currently in the midst of it again. They are seriously fickle creatures, and you just never know what you're going to get, including when you photograph them! My beautiful, sweet 2.5year old daughter is no longer interested in being agreeable or smiling for pictures. She will sit for a second, but she wants a toy, or a flower, or a treat, or then is crying she doesn't want those but rather something else indecipherable, and her "cheese" face has now turned into a fake smile while looking the other direction. Then, she's up and running away as fast as she can. Being able to capture these couple of gems was a struggle and took a whole lot of patience. I think we are going to skip family pictures for a few more years, year 4 or 5 seems to be when they can at least follow directions better, well for most kids anyway. ;) These toddler years full of whining, tantrums, and wanting independence are tough, man! Also, I thought it would be fun to share with you some painfully honest before pictures and the afters. Normally I only shoot outdoors during the golden hour (the dreamy light is unbeatable!), but when you have a cranky toddler and are trying to scope out locations, you learn to make lemonade from the lemons you get (hello neon grass - yuck!). Seriously. Do not look at these images if you don't want to smile. I'm warning you. Little Luke's smile is completely contagious!! And I LOVE it!! <3 <3 <3 He may have been a bit grumpy for the first 5 minutes after we woke him up for pictures this morning, but that was it. As soon as he warmed up, Luke was all smiles and such a ham! I can't believe this little guy was in the studio a mere 7 months ago. Now look at him! I am so happy to call this family, friends! I love everything about them and am so thankful they drove hours to come see me this morning for a shoot. They are all beautiful, inside and out, and tons of fun! I hope our kids can grow up close despite the distance between us. I'm also glad both sets of grandparents were involved because when Eli and Owen are older, they will cherish each and every picture they have with their family members. Although our session was rained out last Thursday due to the weather, we were able to reschedule this for Labor Day, and it definitely made for a fun morning! Little Charlie is celebrating turning 3, and preparing to be a big sister! Her brother Jack is due at the end of the month. We met at Springton Manor farm, which really has some gorgeous land, and a variety of animals for the kids. The goats were SUPER friendly, one even smiled right at the camera! Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful couple from Philadelphia as they prepare for their baby girl. The golden hour light (<3 those natural sun flares!!) was simply perfect, and they were so easy-going and sweet, that it just made for amazing and enjoyable session! I cannot wait to photograph their little girl, who is due in about 4 weeks! I know she will be as beautiful as her momma and surrounded with love! Amelia is off to new adventures! She is celebrating her official adoption, moving to Maine, and becoming a teenager shortly. She is smart, kind, beautiful both inside and out, and will do amazing things in her life - I just know it. I wish you all the best Amelia and I hope to see you and your wonderful family again in the future! The day I was headed down for vacation with my family, I got a call from a local photog/friend in distraught. The mommy-and-me mini session she was supposed to have that evening got cancelled due to the overcast weather. So, after loading up the car, we booked it to the beach in torrential downpours, and got there before any rain made it. Although it was still overcast and no pretty sunset, I was greeted by these happy, smiling faces and knew it was going to be an awesome session. Just look how beautiful Megan is with her two adorable boys!! And their coordinating, not matchy-matchy, outfits were perfect! Being in landlocked PA, I have never done a shoot at the beach, but boy am I glad I did. The sand brings out the best in skin tones as there's no green color cast to content with. Hallelujah!! The beach has always been my happy place, and maybe we'll have to start taking extra long vacations just so I can book sessions down there. Anyone up for it next year?! ;) Photographers don't like to shoot mid-day unless it's overcast because the light is so harsh. Instead, we prefer what is known as the golden hour (an hour before sunset or an hour after sunrise). This time, however, is not always ideal when you have children that have early bedtimes or need help getting ready in the morning. So, I try to tweak it a bit and pretend that golden hour stretches for about 2-3 hours ;) On Sunday morning though, I couldn't have asked for a better "golden hour." My session with this sweet family started at 8am at a local nature preserve and converted barn. The sun provided us with enough light, without being too harsh. Combine that with 3 adorable kiddos and their parents and we ended up with a fabulous family session! Little Emily just turned a year old and has officially "graduated" from my baby plan. I've so enjoyed watching her grow and I hope to see her again in the future. Happy first birthday, Emily, and thank you to her parents for allowing me to capture all these special memories! I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet family at a new (for me) outdoor location in Glenmoore, PA yesterday evening. The weathermen couldn't make up their mind, first it was 40% chance of rain, then 0%, then 70%, then back to zero, so I was a bit worried we would get there and it would start raining, but boy am I glad that was not the case! Their little girl, Delaney, has the absolute best head of red hair and is beyond adorable! I would be happy to take this wonderful family's photographs any day and I will definitely be returning back to this location. Red barn doors, stone walls, tree lined paths, and goats - yes please! Parenting is hard. I don't think anything can prepare you for the sleepless nights or how hard it is to watch your child be sick and can't do anything to help except give Tylenol. Disciplining a child is tough, as is sending your child to daycare or school for the first time. Being completely responsible for a tiny human, making sure they stay alive, and thrive, and grow up to be a kind, smart, responsible adult is a big task! It is by far the hardest job in the world!! However, it is also the most rewarding. Watching that tiny human grow, learn at an astonishing rate, and have their own personality, there's just nothing like it. My children are my world and even though I love watching them thrive, I really do want to freeze time. We are done having kids, and I will miss seeing a smile for the first time, hearing my baby's first laugh, being excited over their first words and steps. Today, Lila turned 19 months old, which means she is closer to 2 years than 1, and it makes me so sad to realize that I really don't have a "baby" anymore. That's hard. Blake is now 4, and he has learned how to ride a big bike, write his name, count to 30, identify all his letters, zip, unzip, and unbutton his clothes, and so many other wonderful things! But, before I know it, he will be in school full time, then a moody teenager, and he won't want me to read him stories before bed, or cuddle on the couch. Hard. Parenting is amazing, and rewarding, and gives you all those warm and fuzzies, but it's tough too. Tough to watch them grow so quickly, and the years go by faster and faster every year. So for now, I'll try to capture all these wonderful memories so I can remember my babies as they are. Fun. Sweet. Curious. Energetic. Smart. Perfect. Last weekend I was lucky enough to photograph the wonderful B Family. Mom wanted a rustic country barn-feel to the session so we headed out to the Myrick Center. It was super cold that day, but in-between running for jackets and warm hugs, we managed to get some incredible shots. I really could have photographed them all day because they were so easy to work with and fabulous! I had a hard time narrowing down which images to put up here because I love them all. I know the mom is keeping these pictures a surprise for the holiday, but I hope she loves them all too! Last Sunday I had the pleasure of walking around Longwood Gardens and photographing yet another lovely family. The two little boys, Connor and Evan, are adorable and look at their fabulous outfits! Mom sure knows how to coordinate clothes!! I love these colors! Connor definitely kept me on my toes and loved climbing and playing hide and seek in the trees. This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing another lovely family. I had talked with the mother, Betsy, a couple months prior and discussed setting up a time for a family session but she was a bit busy prepping for her younger sister's beautiful wedding. Once she had a plan, we settled on a late October session, after the wedding, and it turned out to be the perfect time! The colors are gorgeous now and it was still warm enough out not to worry about too many layers. We met at a nearby park where, as you can see, the beautiful colors just reflected off the water and it made for some great pictures. The morning light was so soft and warm also. Little Evelyn and Vivian, and of course their parents, were so great and fun to work with! Evelyn, being 2 (almost 3!), certainly kept me on my toes! And poor Vivian was just getting her first teeth in, so she didn't want to be away from mom. (You can read all about it on mom's fun-to-read blog: How to Succeed In Parenting Without Really Trying). But, because it's my job, we still managed some awesome family photos! There's a reason why it's called the golden hour, just look at this gorgeous sun! I love shooting in the mornings when the sun is just coming up or in the evenings when it is just going down. No harsh shadows, just beautiful golden light. Add in 3 adorable boys and their fabulous parents, and it makes for one perfect photo shoot! Jamie and Sean may have their hands full with 3 energetic, yet sweet and adorable boys, but they were great during our session and so much fun! I'm sure these will be portraits their family will treasure for years to come. Despite Saturday being cold, this family warmed my heart. Little Nora, who I photographed as a newborn, and her older brother are simply sweet and adorable! I visited them in their neck of the woods at Krupp Park. There was a little creek, a bridge, and some walking paths, just enough perfect spots to get in some perfect fall family portraits! After Saturday's wonderful time at Longwood, I was twice blessed with another fabulous family and session there again on Sunday. This time, with 2 year old Carter and his parents. I have been wanting to take pictures in the field there for a while and was so happy when they were up for it. The colors they wore coordinated so well and the morning sun was just at the right spot. Little Carter is absolutely adorable. He may not have liked the camera, but I still managed to get some looks and smiles! And, the truck book I brought plus the blue lollipop mom had were just what he needed! Gotta be prepared with kids! |
AuthorI am Kristen Yeager, a portrait photographer specializing in maternity, newborns, babies, and children. I am based in Chadds Ford, PA (Chester County, right on the Delco border) but also serve West Chester, Unionville, Kennett Square, Glen Mills, Malvern, Downingtown, Exton, West Grove, Oxford, Media, King of Prussia, the Mainline, parts of Lancaster County, Wilmington and Newark, Delaware, northeast Maryland, and surrounding areas. Archives
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