“Family photo season is here.” says Ahndea, and she’s right! Notice how that Autumn light of those last sunny days can be so delicious?! It inspires me to get the camera out and take photos!! It is picture-taking time. If you care to make photos of your kids, husband & pets, i.e. your family, and give them as Christmas gifts, consider taking some ‘neutral’ photos that will be nice for them to look at year-round. This, instead of photos with Santa Hats on. Those are best reserved for photo Christmas cards.
Today I have a REAL TREAT for you (no, no Halloween treat. For that, visit Halloween Central instead). No, I have invited professional stylist Ahndea May, and her photographer, Kim Neyer, to share with us how to take amazingly gorgeous photos of our family. The photos below speak for themselves, so without any further intro, ….
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… may I introduce….
Stylist Ahndea May.
“We all love taking pictures of our kids and yet sometimes it can be the hardest most stressful thing to accomplish, especially with little ones. First we hunt for a photographer, and then figure out the clothes and then get stressed out and decide to put everyone in white. Not to mention convincing bribing your kids to sit still, or smile and by the end everyone is crying including you! Trust me, I get it… I have 5! My name is Ahndea May, I am a busy mom, wife and business owner. I have the amazing job taking the guess work out of wardrobe styling, bringing some creative inspiration and direction to photography and designing some one of a kind accessories. I am sharing with you some of my tips and tricks on how to capture great photos of your kids.. and maybe with a bit less stress and better results.”
Theme or Story
I find it helpful to create a theme or story you are telling. Include your kids and use their colorful imaginations. What’s their favorite book? What do your kids love to do? Are they into sports, or reading, or cooking, or maybe bug catching. Whatever it may be allowing your kids to be kids in an environment for creative play is what will bring the best results. For our story we chose "a whimsical treasure hunt" a day of adventure with handmade maps, tutus, and a treasure! We have twin minis, so food and a small set was the way to go.
The Details
Using your theme will make it easy to add in some small details like props and accessories. Bringing life to the story and giving the kids something to hold or play with, is a major stress reducer, and gives the photographer detail shots to focus in on. We first started with the twins and created a small set using a wicker furniture set I already owned. I bought an angel food cake and used some wild flowers to make the table pretty. I then designed some really fun accessories like headbands, ankle feathers, a couple necklaces and a bando, to fit the theme and add the pretty. Be creative here… you can make some diy tool puffs, wild flower arrangements, art work etc. I have some lovely ideas for you here.
Have Fun
Don’t worry about getting the best posed picture, sometimes the best photos are the unexpected ones. I love this photo of my little Adie, she was having so much fun playing with her tutu and getting into the cake, It brought lots of smiles and laughter. This would certainly make a great wall canvas. Need help with creating a wall gallery? Here are some awesome ideas to incorporate your kids photography on your walls.
Allowing the kids to explore and be kids is the best way to capture who they really are! I love this photo of the troops following the treasure maps, and looking for their prizes. Anden got to carry the lamp and he thought that was pretty cool and I thought it was one of the best pictures from the day. "Let your light shine."
The Photo Shoot ~ Mood Board ~ Giveaway
To help get you started… I would love to offer a giveaway (details below)! You give me a theme and I will create a mood board of ideas for you. Details, creative inspiration, wardrobe and a custom accessory. I would love to help take the guess work out of your next photo shoot. Capturing moments that last forever.
Styling & Accessory Design: by Stylist Ahndea MayEmail her directly to commission her!
Photo Credit: Kim Neyer Photography, https://kimberlyneyer.com
Join Ahndea’s Giveaway
Pick a theme and put your name in the hat for this free, personal, professional styling service that would otherwise cost you in excess of $200!
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Transforming Photos into Personalized Holiday Cards
The last step in the process is to use your carefully styled photos and transform them into works of art you can send in the mail: Christmas cards!!! Easy peasy!!! The computer + your online printer does it for you! Celebrate the holidays with customized Christmas cards from Tiny Prints!. I was just on their site and they are having a 20% off selected holiday cards… You might want to look into that. As well: here is a coupon 10% off of your order.
Go ahead: make your own photo Christmas Cards. It’s so easy & fun and your cards will look spectacular! Like these ones here Isn’t that an incredibly cute Holiday Greeting card?
