Winter Family Pictures: Mendon Ponds, Birdsong Trail

Snowmaggedon nearly threatened to cancel this member event on us. But with quick thinking and moving the date up we just beat it out. We’re so glad we did.

I loved watching and capturing our families (of all ages) playing in the snow and whenever possible feeding the birds from their hands. What a joy it was to see the looks on their happy faces as a bird snatched food from it.

And to know that we’re giving these memories back to them - that’s everything. If you’re still wondering what this program is about, it’s about letting you be you, and enjoy life. And we do our part by giving it back to you.

~ Erin

Family Portraits in Fairport NY at Blue Hour

With 3 girls in college and 1 in high school, it’s rare to have them all in one place. In fact, it had been more than a year!

After discussing what mom wanted in these portraits, we both agreed it would be fun to incorporate the holiday lights in the village of Fairport. We created a few different looks along the Erie Canal path, then warmed up a little bit at Fair Pour while we waited for the sun to drop down below the horizon.

Golden hour gets a lot of love from photographers, but have you ever heard of blue hour? It is just as magical. It’s that time after sunset, before the sky goes black, there is a brilliant blue that contrasted perfectly with their bright red hats.

I had so much fun with this group, braving the chill for some memorable images. See you soon!
-Lori

George Eastman Museum, Winter Engagement Session: Kyra and Alex

Believe it or not, with a little snow on the ground a winter engagement session can be just as beautiful as any other time of the year. We’re so glad that Kyra and Alex were up for the challenge while they were home for the holidays.

Kyra’s smile widened every time she looked up at Alex. Cuddling close (and a warm cup of coffee) helped to ease the cold in their extremities at their engagement session in Rochester NY at the Eastman Museum. Her red coat gives the images a perfect pop of color and was a great outfit choice for an engagement session during the holidays!

If you’re recently engaged and want to fit your engagement session into the winter - we’re game if you are! Aren’t Alex and Kyra amazing? Enjoy a few of our favorites! (With a cup of coffee if you have it!)

~ Erin

Rochester NY Family Portraits: At home portrait sessions with four kids!

In order to create photos like these, it takes a level of trust. There must be a willingness on behalf of the subjects to let me into their homes, play rooms and backyards.

Alicia knows.

She knows that from her side of the lens, she sees chaos, and kids that are shy/cranky/rambunctious/sweet/silly/loving… you name it. And those feelings and expressions change FAST!

But Alicia trusts me. After all, we’ve been doing this for 7 years, since their oldest, Stella, was a baby. With the additions of Liam, Cormac and Finn, it just gets more entertaining each time I photograph the family.

This time, the kids showed me how they make their own instruments, pine cone piles, even no handed flips onto a mat! My favorite pictures almost always end up being the unscripted ones. My job is leave room for the kids to express themselves, and be ready to capture it.

Here are just a few of my favorites from their most recent session. Love you guys!

-Lori

Personal Brand Photography in Fairport, NY: Dana

Talk about a fun photo shoot! Say hello to Dana!

Dana is an entrepreneur. She sells Arbonne and wants to help women feel their best, inside and out. Though I have known her for several years, I learned so much more about her in preparing for this headshot session. When she launches her brand, she wants it to be vibrant, positive, fresh.

Cue playing in the fall foliage.

Everyone is on a journey, and this is a journey to wellness. Since Dana’s husband runs the bike shop in town, why not include this adorable vintage bike in her shoot!? We had so much fun in the Village of Fairport creating images for her to use as she shows the world who she is.

So say hello to Dana, the Fresh Start Lady! And if you are looking for images to help illustrate your new brand, give us a shout today!

Cheers!
Lori

Family Portraits in Penfield, NY: Two Dogs and their Humans

They bought the house last year, and I’m not sure who enjoys it more: the humans or the pets! Murphy and Maizey are two lucky dogs, they have a large fenced yard, and trails beyond that for exploring the woods and swamp.

I’ve known Rebecca and Cam for a while now, and it was fun to finally get them in front of my camera. The session started with the pretty leaves in front of the house and ended with some dirty dogs playing in the puddles out back. What better way to spend a Saturday morning?

Since these photos are part of a Christmas present, I’ve been waiting to share them so as not to ruin the surprise. But now I finally can, so say hi to some awesome people and their adorable pups!
-Lori

Victor NY Winter Family Pictures

It’s no secret that we don’t have a studio to shoot in. Background sets and props have never been big in our bag of tricks. We prefer a setting that feels comfortable to our families - and during the winter, the location we most often use is - at home.

When we suggest that to people, most of the time our families think they don’t have the right house for family portrait sessions at home. We disagree.

You’d be surprised what we can do in your space, and in the winter too. Snow is fun and pretty in your pictures. And as long as you’re having fun as a family, your image are going to be beautiful.

For example - these guys, they’re the first family I ever photographed all those years ago. Granted, they are also my family. I’m so thankful for their trust in me throughout the years.

Enjoy a peek into our session this year!

~ Erin

The Rock: Rochester NY Photographers

It was a random day in August and my day to pick up Lucas from daycare. When I arrived, the kids were all outside on the playground. As Lucas and I turned to leave, one of his friends, Alex ran over to Lucas to gave him a hug, and a rock from the ground as a parting gift. Lucas held that rock the whole way home, and then he left it in the cup holder of his car seat for safe keeping.

It was a cute moment, but one that a parent can easily shrug off. But Lucas didn’t.

He loved that rock, and looked for it every time he got in the car. He would panic if he lost it on the floor. He’s held on to it all these months.

What was it about that rock that he loved so much? I don’t know for sure, because four year olds aren’t rational. It’s something so simple and small yet it’s something he treasures because Alex gave it to him.

The lesson I saw in all of this was to truly treasure the small things. Sometimes the gifts we get aren’t what we thought they would be. Every hug and smile is a gift. Sometimes all it takes is a rock to make someones day.

Merry Christmas friends, here’s hoping you get your tiny rock this year.

~ Erin

Keuka Lake Family Portraits: Danielle & Ziva the Therapy Dog

When you’ve got a dog that’s sweet and adorable, why not train her to be a therapy dog? I certainly wanted to take her home in my pocket, that’s for sure!

Say hello to Danielle and Ziva! Danielle is renovating a home on Keuka Lake with just a stunning view. We went down to capture her and Ziva in their happy place this Fall; it was so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave.

Thanks so much for inviting me to create portraits on Keuka Lake with you! I hope to see you again soon!

-Lori

Outdoor Winter Family Portraits in Fairport, NY

When I first met with Marissa, she told me “We’re from Chicago, we can handle the cold.” Oh how little did we know…

It was 32 degrees and sunny on this early November day. It was not what we were expecting! We literally had the boys running down the sidewalk to warm them up! They were troopers though, and we worked really fast to get all the images they wanted and get them back into the car and warmth!

If you ask me, it was worth it. Look at those colors and those faces! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job? :D

Welcome to Rochester guys! Enjoy the Upstate New York winter,
Lori

Candid Family Pictures: Cookie Decorating

There were cookies, there was frosting, there were marshmallows and sprinkles. It was a sugary delight for all of the kids. And then the big guy in the bright red suit showed up.

My husband told me after the event, that he finally saw it. When I asked him what “it” was, he said “The magic of Christmas.”

Whoa. I didn’t see that coming.

He went on to tell me how he watched the kids’ faces when Santa popped in to say hello, and it was beautiful.

You guys - that right there is everything this program is all about.

See, while we were working to capture their faces, he was enjoying the moment. I imagine, without their camera phones in front of them for a change, our other parents were doing the same. They didn’t need to stress about getting the best picture, because we were there.

I’m so glad to be able to give this gift to our members all year long. Whether it’s the magic of Christmas, or a day at the beach, It’s an honor to capture their childhood.

Thank you to our families who give us this opportunity all year long. We hope you’ve enjoyed the moments and the memories made.

Happy Holidays,

Lori & Erin

Tinker Park Fall Family Session: Rochester NY Family Portraits

Let’s be honest, this fall was a doozy when it came to the weather. It rained, it snowed, it made life as a photographer in Rochester NY extremely tricky. So, when the last warm, sunny day came around, we took advantage of it.

The trouble is, so did every other photographer in Rochester. We were all racing against the clock of daylight savings time, and sunshine to make magic happen for our respective families. So we worked around each other peacefully, while letting the kids still be kids.

These two boys and their parents were fun and fast paced. There was leaf throwing and hunting for beautiful fall foliage and happy times together before they become a family of five this winter.

No joke, I’m going to remember this warm day when we’re knee deep in the winter doldrums this year. Enjoy this glimpse of sunshine!

~ Erin