I’m so happy to share these 8th grade Graduation portraits with you, well I think it was officially called 8th grade promotion, because technically they are being promoted from Junior High to Senior High School.  Anyway, this is my daughter and oldest child and we did all the things to get ready!

Clothing:  We got her a new dress and got it professionally tailored, which turned out beautifully.  Sizing for 13-year-old girls can get tricky!  We found some really cute shoes to complete the look and she already had a bunch of rose gold jewelry she wanted to use.

Makeup:  We did a “feature focus” make-up session at Sephora.  My girl doesn’t wear makeup, so this was her first experience, and it was so fun working with Stephanie and coming up with the right look.  She ultimately wanted rose gold glitter and a cat eye flick on the side of each eye.  It looked great on her and this transformed my girl’s confidence.  She felt beautiful!!!

Hair:  I am not great with hair; my older sister had that talent growing up and she would do my hair.  I called a friend of mine that always does her and her daughter’s hair beautifully!  We gave her pics for inspiration and just like anything, that is the springboard and she made it her own.  It was beautiful!  Again, another confidence boost for my girl!

Graduation and Photoshoot:  When my girl put on her elegant dress and finished getting ready, she was glowing!  It was so fun to see her friends and listen to them compliment each other.  After the ceremony, the light was just perfect outside!  We took a few friend snapshots and then we jumped in the car to start her photoshoot.  

We had 4 different backgrounds, and they were within a block of our home.  I had been watching the blooms and knew where to go.  My daughter has been photographed by me since she was born.  She has also been my assistant on a few sessions this last year.  She knows about posing and I could give her a little direction and she understands what I am looking for quickly.  She would also say, I want to do this, and I captured it!  We got so many great photographs in 20 minutes because of this!  

The big tree full of light lavender blossoms was spontaneous, I saw it and knew.  We stopped the car and jumped out and ran to the spot.  Light was limited and I knew I needed to work fast.  She said I want to spin, and I said, “Go for it!”.  These are some of my favorite ones, they match so much of her personality, fun and bright!  

The most challenging location was in our backyard because we tried to get the cat to cooperate for pictures, which was not easy.  Her cat means a lot to her and sleeps on her bed every night and makes us laugh with all of her quirks.  We were so happy to get this portrait of her and her fur baby!

I would love to photograph your kiddo for 8th grade graduation, High School graduation, or even a birthday.  Childhood and watching our young people grow is such a joy for my to capture through the art of photography.  I would love to create heirlooms for you and your family!

Simple Posing with Kids
Whether you are photographing your kiddos for their end of the school year photo, or taking those first pictures by the pool, I have 3 easy poses you can do for each kiddo in under a minute! 

 1. Stand: Girls - Place one foot in front of the other facing the camera, hold edges of dress or shorts and sway. 

 Boys - One hand in pocket, one down at the side 

 2. Arms: Girls - Place one arm across your waist and rest your other arm/elbow on it. You have one hand up to put under your chin, or play with hair. 

 Boys - Fold arms across chest 

 3. Crouch: Girls - Show them how to put two feet together and get into a crouching position while bringing their dress under them to semi sit. 

 Boys - Have them crouch, one knee up, one knee down. 

 One of the great things about posing is that everyone is going to put their own little spin on how they take your instructions, and this is good because it becomes individual and gives variety to your photos even though you are doing the same poses for each kiddo!

In home newborn portraits! 

 During our design consultation, mom pulled out this blue dress and said, “Is this okay or is it too dark?” I asked her to hold it to the light where she and baby would be photographed, and I said, “Yes, that will look beautiful and will celebrate your new baby boy well”. The blue looks great on mom and with baby! 

I love planning with clients before their photoshoot to help them make clothing choices! It’s a service I offer that’s included in the session fee.