Natural light, on-location photographer specializing in children, families, couples, weddings, pets, and event, photography.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Little Treasures: What's the Difference?


This Blog post is written by Krista Ferndelli - Writer/Happy Little Treasures Client


 
 
Little Treasures: What’s the Difference?

This is the third blog in a three part series about what to expect from your photoshoot, written by a very satisfied repeat customer.

I’m a mommy and a scrapper!

Nice to meet you! I am just another mom, who had to get her kids photos done regularly, or miss the years as they raced by. Right now, I have two small kids, I adore taking photos, I appreciate good photos of my family, and I’m a scrapbooker. Not too long ago, I found that the problem with being the photo junkie in the family was that I was not IN most of the photos, because I was the one on the other side of the camera. Since I had my first child, I have been committed to commemorating at least the birthday milestones with a portrait session, and throwing in a couple of family shots (much to the photographers’ chagrin). These sessions at a local department store studio were generally high-pressure events, where the whole family was careful to dress up a certain way, rush to the appointment, then sit around and wait for the photographer who was invariably running late, while trying to keep the clothes relatively clean, the hair mostly in place, the bellies full, the kids awake, and the moods at least at a level that didn't equate with full blown tantrums or emotional breakdowns. After the photos were ordered, I usually got some great shots and was generally happy with the outcome even given the stress of having to go through this exercise every six months or so.

Unfortunately, after a handful or two of sessions like these, I began to notice that all of my photos were relatively the same. There were a few key poses, repeated over and over again, and while I thought they were so cute and original the first time, I began to get irritated with the limited selection of forced smiles and postures.

Enter Little Treasures

I needed something new. Gina at Little Treasures offered to capture candid shots by meeting my husband, my 3-year old and my hugely pregnant self at the park where we liked to spend time on the weekends. I decided to give it a shot. I was just going to try it out, see what happened. But what I got was a whole new world. We just did our thing! We played on the slide and climbed on things and walked hand-in-hand and threw rocks into the water and investigated trees and enjoyed each other.  We tried some activities that Gina had come up with too. And when the photos came back, there WE were. Not just pretty portraits of us, but really, truly US.

I had, in print, genuine smiles and laughter, moments captured when I didn't even notice that Gina was shooting, the exact way my husband looks at me when there isn't a camera, the unique smirk my son only shows when he’s not trying to be anything but the creative, curious little boy (growing up too fast), and my own trepidation and extreme joy just watching them and wondering what my next child would be like. That’s right; I was actually in these photos, taking part in all the living going on and present in the photographic proof that we were a family.

We’ll Never Go Back
 
My family doesn't dread portraits anymore. We look forward to them. We've used Little Treasures for five sessions now, and after each one, we're already thinking of where we will go next, what the weather might be like, what kinds of activities and interests my kids will have that we can make sure to incorporate,



what great toys or hats or play ideas Gina will have for us to try out, how on earth we will decide between all of wonderful shots she is certain to present to us.










We can’t say enough about what a difference this approach has made in the quality of our photo shoot days (before Little Treasures, my husband was threatening to NEVER get portraits done again, and now he participates willingly!).
 
 


I can’t explain in mere words how much positive impact this has had on the beauty of my family’s Facebook pages, holiday greeting cards, the walls of our home, and—last but not least—those cherished scrapbook pages! I love Little Treasures, and I just know that, one day in the not too distant future, my kids will be glad we trusted our memories to such a talented photographer too.

Read Part 1 Customizing Your Photo Shoot. Read Part 2 Location, Location, Location...And Timing