Family Pictures in Webster NY: Fairport NY Photographers

When we first talked about her upcoming family pictures, she mentioned that the patriarch of the family wasn’t doing well. Everyone would be in town, and they wanted to capture the family together.

We had a beautiful sunny day for their portrait session, and everyone, even grandpa was all smiles. Why wouldn’t he be, surrounded by his legacy? What a fun family portrait session! They even made special shirts to commemorate the day and attempted to recreate a family photo from the past. 

We ended their family portrait session hanging out down by the lake in Webster. 

Where’s your favorite place to wind down with your family?

Family Portraits with Vintage Cars in Fairport NY

Family picture sessions are never dull when your Grandpa collects old cars. Why yes, we did shoot this family portrait in his barn!

This particular Fairport family is part of our family portrait membership, and they come to our Candid Mini Session events on a regular basis. But we also get to take family pictures that are all their own every year too.

This was such a fun family session. More proof that you can make great winter family portraits! What hobbies would you include in your session? Tell us in the comments!

Candid Family Portraits in Highland Park: Mother's Day Mini Sessions

I know every family photographer says it, but I mean it - our families are the best!

Because of rain, we rescheduled our Mother’s Day mini sessions in Rochester twice. When rain threatened again the third time, we nearly canceled it altogether.

But some of our candid mini member families said “Let’s play in the rain.”

And so, another mini session event happened despite the weather.

Honestly though, how cute are these family pictures in the rain?

Rochester NY Lifestyle Newborn Photography at Home

You saw them in their announcement photographs, and then again in their maternity pictures. So naturally we’re thrilled to share with you the newest members in to our candid mini session event series - Laura, Kevin and their beautiful baby, Luna.

Her first family portrait session was perfect. She slept and ate her way through her debut appearance in front of our lenses. We look forward to capturing her growth at every milestone, as well as so many little moments in between.

Welcome to the world Luna, we are so glad to finally meet your little face.

What Type of Family Portrait Fits you Best?

Fairport NY Family Pictures

You sit down and google “family pictures in Rochester NY.” 

The results come back with a list filled with different descriptions by different family picture photographers. Do you want family portraiture? Candid family pictures? Documentary photography? What is a lifestyle family portrait?

You get so overwhelmed by this decision that you give up your search for a family photographer, again. 

So how do you know what style of family pictures you like best?

We can help you out here. Most photographers will describe themselves using at least one of three main family portrait styles:

 Traditional Family Pictures:

This is essentially an all encompassing title for a photographer who takes family pictures. But there’s a little bit more to it. 

A traditionally trained portrait photographer often focuses their efforts on quality posing and controlled lighting in their family portraits. This often happens in a studio setting with lights, backdrops and perhaps props or sets. However, not every traditional or fine art family photographer uses a studio. 

Oftentimes an extended family portrait falls into this style of family photography. The resulting images tend to focus on the family smiling and looking at the camera.

This may be the simplest category to explain, but it is often one of the hardest to master.

A posed, smiley family portrait is considered most traditional.

Candid Family Portraits in Rochester NY:

If you’re looking for the opposite, or real, authentic, unposed images, then you are looking for a documentary family photographer. Strict photographers in this realm won’t add any light to a scene, but rather evaluate what is available and use it to show emotion. These sessions are usually longer and allow for the most freedom of movement. They can surround an event, or just capture a “day in the life” at home. This is a newer, but growing genre of family portrait photography.

Real life, real play and letting moments unfold are what the documentary side of our membership is all about.

Lifestyle Family Portraits in Rochester NY:

If you want something in between the two, then perhaps you’d best enjoy a lifestyle family portrait session. Lifestyle photographers enjoy a bit more freedom in their sessions. They’ll often choose the location and general position of a group, but then they give they family a little freedom to play using prompts.

This allows for natural moments to occur, such as laughter, hugs, and play, while still controlling the situation in terms of light and background.

Typically lifestyle family pictures are taken in a natural environment (whether inside or outside) rather than a studio. This type of photographer may opt to use lighting, or not!

Lifestyle family portraits are the best way to describe our Signature Family Sessions.

We gave her the location and gave her some ideas - she created the lifestyle portrait.

And Then There’s Us: Lori & Erin Photography

When you love all three options, and you just have to have all of the above - you join our family. Our candid mini session events are part of a membership that essentially uses all three of these family portrait styles. How, you ask?

We plan a variety of fun events, at the perfect times for your family. Then we photograph them. It’s that simple.

We do our best to plan these events to optimize the lighting and space while you come and enjoy a real life event, in a real world setting.

Sometimes we step in and interact with your family to get a posed portrait. Other times we give you a prompt for a something that feels more like lifestyle family pictures.

Sometimes the events are specifically planned to create a more posed portrait, such as our Pandemic Portrait themed event.

In the end, we give all of these family moments back to you. Consider us your personal, “all in one’ shop for family photography in Rochester NY.

So if you can’t figure out which category a photographer falls into by peeping their portfolio, just ask them. They should be happy to give you a better idea of who they are and how they photograph a family portrait.

Find out why our membership makes sense for your family here.

If you’re ready to learn more about the Lori & Erin Family, we can’t wait to welcome you.

Fairport Family Pictures in the Fall

There’s a general feeling that families should hire a photographer only when their children are little for family portraits.

I understand the reasoning. Families get busier when the kids are teenagers, and tend to forget that these moments are passing at a rapid pace. But yet, so much growth happens in those tween and teen years that deserves to be photographed.

Take this family for example. Before the youngest, Hannah (we took her senior pictures too!), heads off to college, this family of five was due for some fun and an updated family portrait. I love this hidden boardwalk in the heart of Fairport, and the flowers that night did not disappoint.

So yes, right now IS a good time to take your family pictures. Especially when one of those grown up kids is now a high school senior and they’ll soon be leaving home for college. This time is important, and deserves its own family portrait session to remember it by.

Family Pictures in Honeoye: Rochester NY Family Photographers

One 5 year old, two dogs, their parents and tons of room to run. Which is exactly what was necessary to photograph this five year old at his yearly family portrait session. They’ve been one of our amazing member families involved in our candid mini session events for all five years of his life. (What is this membership?)

After all this time, we know that playing is the way to his adorable smile. He also knows what to expect from us, and very rarely hides his face from our cameras. It’s one of the reasons that taking advantage of the candid mini session events makes sense.

We let the silliness happen, and we photograph their family pictures as they really are. That’s the side of him that his family wants to remember when he’s grown, so we capture it while we can. Enjoy this glimpse into their family!

PS - If you feel so inclined to check out that big inn behind them in the last photo, that’s Greenwoods Bed & Breakfast, and they’re the newest owners. Check it out, I promise you’ll want to want to take a little getaway after you see it!

Maternity Sessions in Rochester NY: Laura and Kevin

If you know them, you know that I’m very far behind on publishing Laura and Kevin’s George Eastman Museum maternity session here on the blog.

If you don’t know them, the snow on the ground in Rochester NY might give you a clue as to how far behind I am. A winter maternity session isn’t an easy thing to plan, but it can be very pretty.

Even though it’s late, we still wanted to share their beautiful maternity portraits. This little one is already so loved. Keep an eye out to meet her here on the blog soon! (And look closely for a few fun clues!)

Harry Potter Themed Birth Announcement Photos

We are super behind on these blog posts, because by now these two have already had their maternity photos taken with us. But, we’re still going to share the news that these muggles are expecting! And SOON!

With their matching Hogwarts shirts and onesie, we got together for some socially distanced announcement photos. Taken right on their front step, the fall decor was a perfect compliment to the Harry Potter theme.

Life is a crazy journey, and some (highly anticipated) moments deserve their time in the spotlight. We simply CANNOT wait to meet your little one!

Candid Family Mini Sessions: St. Patricks' Day Scavenger Hunt

One thing’s for sure - the family pictures we take at our candid mini session events are nothing if they’re not real. We plan the events, and essentially hope for nice weather. While it was sunny for our Pot of Gold Scavenger hunt, it was also pretty windy.

But that didn’t stop our family portrait members from bringing their “A” game to the Leprechaun Trap contest.

One of the values behind the portrait membership program centers on the idea of doing something together.
While we couldn’t photograph each family at home making these amazing traps, we know it was an activity they’ll remember doing together. Especially when they look back at their family pictures with their trap, and on the scavenger hunt as a family.

Time spent together is more important to us than the perfect family picture. This is why we believe that our candid mini sessions make sense for your next family portrait session. You can actually read more about that here!

Congrats to the winners of our contest - The Miller family!

Check out our next event here, we’re going to give back for Earth Day and we’d love to have you join us!

Family Pictures in Victor NY: Rochester NY Photographers

How do you adequately say thank you to one of the families who started your photography career?

Follow up question, why are they all grown up? I swear, these kids were little just last week. Over the years, I’ve worked hard at getting them to smile. I’ve made silly jokes, I’ve acted a little crazy, I’ve gotten them to play games, all in an effort to get them to show their real smiles.

This time, all I had to do was say the word “fart” (or some other similar word) and they would crack up.

Ahhh the joys of older kids. Though, I guess it could probably work on the younger kids too. I’ll give it a try at my next session.

Pandemic Reflections: Fairport NY Photographers

One year ago, he left his Kindergarten classroom and everything he knew about life changed.

We were already knee deep in learning so much about him, things that before the end of 2019, we never fully realized. Then toss a global pandemic in like a hand grenade, and everything we thought we knew blew up.

Our first days at home, March 2020.

We fought every day about doing “school” together. We fought about which parent would be the “teacher.” We each battled our own emotions, stormed out of the house, took long walks apart, yelled, cried and fought some more.

I fought with myself, while trying to keep working, and simultaneously creating STEM activities and art projects for a confused, frustrated and bored 5 year old. We made hard decisions on a daily basis, which at times, were paralyzing in ways I’d never felt before.

Don’t get me wrong, our family’s challenges were (and still are) minimal compared to many, but they were still felt to our very core.

Fast forward to now - vaccinations are happening, and there’s buzz that school might go from 2 days, back to 5 days a week. We can soon visit our vaccinated friends and family inside their homes. At long last, that ever distant light at the end of the tunnel is growing closer.

But the difference is, now I’m sitting next to my child, who is doing his school work independently. There have been no tears or fights over school in a long time. And not only that, he’s getting all the answers right. He’s risen to the challenges with a strength that most adults are still struggling with.

And I know, he’s going to be ok.

I’ve learned more about myself, and have found strength to both keep fighting, and also to let go.

And I know, I am going to be ok.

I’m so proud of him, and of us. We’re a team, and we are stronger together.

Maybe that’s why it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that when he goes back, I will miss him.

I’ll miss midday walks in the woods, and going out for ice cream on a random Tuesday afternoon. I’ll miss reading with him on the couch him during the middle of the day. I’ll miss his hugs while I work at my computer. The desk, the art wall, and the space we created for him will be eventually changed back into the office it was before.

Before - a lifetime ago, yet gone so fast.

It’s weird that the thing we’ve complained about all this time, is now the thing I’m going to miss the most. Going forward, my hope and prayer is that not everything goes back to what it was “before.” 

At least, not in our home.

I know my feelings aren’t felt by everyone, but that’s the thing about feelings - they don’t have to be. So tell us, how are you doing one year into pandemic life?

School in progress, March 2021