There’s something about becoming a parent (or maybe it’s just me?) that turns you into a “picture person”. Even if the last “real” picture you have of yourself and/or your significant other is from your wedding… all that changes the moment a little person is placed in your arms and entrusted to you.
I’ve been taking pictures of Ian since he was born, and I don’t foresee that stopping…ever. And while I love having photos from our every day adventures (which is obvious if you look at the state of the storage space on my phone), there is also something wonderful about having pictures taken professionally. For one, I actually get to be IN the picture (novel thought, I know). For another, when you have a great photographer, it is a lot of fun and you end up with some really amazing pictures at the end. And that’s EXACTLY the experience I had with Allie, from Allie t. Photography.
I was really excited to have a photo session with Allie… my last family photos were from when Ian was 18 months old (um, that’s like over 6 months ago… and little people change A LOT in 6 months), so they definitely needed refreshing. Allie and I chatted quite a bit leading up to the photo session. She wanted to find out more about me and what I was looking for in my pictures. She also wanted to know if there were any “must-have” poses or shots she needed to capture. And she wanted to get us on the same page as far as shooting location. We were hoping for nice weather and an outdoor shoot – and fortunately mother nature cooperated!
Photo session day came, and we met Allie at Sharon Woods Park (she gave good directions as to where in the park to meet her, so we found her very quickly). Allie immediately made us feel at ease and comfortable, and she walked us to the area of the park where we would be shooting while she outlined her plan for the session. She had an assortment of items to try to coax a smile out of Ian, including some M&Ms (which we had discussed prior to the shoot, and I had given her the OK to “bribe” him if necessary), and eventually he was hamming it up for the camera. Even when Ian took a 10 minute snack break (to devour every possible snack we brought with us), Allie didn’t seem to mind and instead changed the focus to capturing pictures of me and my husband. We didn’t do maternity photos when I was pregnant with Ian, so this was a totally new experience for me. Allie coached me through it, and oh my – the pictures she took are stunning! In the end, our session lasted about 45 minutes (which was the perfect length), and Allie put together a digital album of 47 pictures (some in color, some in black and white). By the next day, she had posted a few of the photos on Facebook for us to preview (we had given her permission to do so), and all the photos were available in our online album a few days after that. I was extremely impressed and surprised that they were available so quickly. I immediately started going through them all. I quickly noticed that just about every single photo was absolutely amazing, and I was seriously blown away. Here, take a look for yourself:
Would I use Allie again for photos? YES, YES, YES! No doubt about it. She was calm and relaxed, but very focused and definitely made sure we were getting the right shots. She was also extremely easy to work with and completely accommodating. If you’re looking for someone to do your next set of family (or maternity or individual or whatever) photos, I can’t recommend Allie enough. Check her out on Facebook or shoot her an email ([email protected]) to chat with her and book a session.
A little about Allie:
I’m a NY native but moved here from Philadelphia with my family in November. I have a 2 1/2 year old son that is pretty much the sweetest boy ever, a golden retriever named Jeter (yes, we’re Yankees fans!) and a fantastic husband who makes it possible for me to stay home with my son and live my dream behind my camera! I’ve had an obsession with photography since I was a kid but it wasn’t until my son was born that I gave myself a kick in the rear and got the courage to dive in head first. How can you encourage your child to chase their dreams when you aren’t doing the same? I truly love what I do, and I know not everyone can say that. I feel pretty lucky!
