Penfield High School Senior Pictures: Patrick, Class of 2020

Like his older brother, Patrick is a volleyball player for Penfield High School. He is the third sibling I have been lucky enough to photograph. I’m also sad that he is the last one! He and his whole family are just the loveliest people.

Case in Point: we went to Fellows Road Park for his Senior portrait session, at apparently the same time the park was to be mowed. It was a short session, and at times it felt like the mower was actually following us around. But, we laughed through it and made some amazing images for this kind soul.

I loved including their new puppy. (soooo cute!) After the formal shots were done, we also took a few at the net to show his competitive side.

Congratulations Patrick! Here’s to you and the rest of the Class of 2020!

-Lori

Senior Pictures at Tinker Nature Park: Lexie

Lexie has a very easy going nature about her — but something tells me that changes when she is on the volleyball court! She included multiple outfits in the natural location at Tinker Nature Park. We just loved the flowers and cobblestone settings. There was a little bit of wind we had to contend with that night, but Lexie rolled with it and we were able to create some beautiful images for her senior portraits. Don’t you think?

Oh and parents, don’t be afraid to get in the pictures! We love to include you as well as hobbies, pets and anything else to help freeze this moment in time for your senior. Trust us, you’ll thank us later.

Congratulations Lexie!

-Lori

Father's Day Photo Gift Ideas: Rochester NY Photographer

Honestly, over the years, I’ve often heavily relied on school to help my son create a memorable Father’s Day gift idea. Other than that, Lucas and I also pick out something of the Star Wars variety to go along with it.

But sometimes, I do get a little bit clever. I mean, I have all of these amazing moments captured, so why wouldn’t I make something great with them?

And why wouldn’t I share those ideas with you?

Here’s a few photo gift ideas that we can help you create in time for Father’s Day.

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Simply sweet photo collages

We can make these in almost any size, using custom designs or your own ideas. Frame it, make a canvas.

(I found this one on pinterest, so it’s not my own - but I love the idea!)

Put your favorite phrase and images on it!

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Photo Books or Accordian Books

Large or small! Use your favorites of Daddy with his little people through the years, or use ones we’ve taken!

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Metal Prints

Or how about, a photo collage ON a metal print?! Boom. Done.
Metal prints are a unique, modern way to show off a favorite photo!

Most Dads won’t say it out loud, but they want to be captured, in their element, with their kids too.

Do something they love and capture that moment.

If you want to wait for us, we’ll be here when you’re ready.

But most importantly, print your pictures.

Don’t let it die on your phone or with a beautiful comment attached to it on social media.

Please, print your pictures.

McQuaid High School Senior Portraits

Kyle’s passion is lacrosse. He plays for the McQuaid Knights and so we spent about half of his session on the field. We created a variety of senior pictures capturing his skill and home turf.

For the second part of his session, he showed off his serious fashion sense at Cobbs Hill park. And just like his older brother, Spencer, we had to include Cocoa, the family dog as well.

Job perk: petting all the dogs!

I have loved working with Kyle and his family over the years. We always get to do some unique and fun things. Congrats Kyle and the Class of 2020 - it wasn’t the way you hoped, but we wish you the best nonetheless! Here’s to you!

-Lori

Five Ways to Use Your High School Senior Pictures

High School graduations are a milestone moment, and you want to celebrate it, but you don’t know how.

We have brainstormed some ideas to help you shout it from the rooftops, using your senior pictures. We also know you have a lot on your plate already, so we are here to help with any of these ideas. Just get in touch for more information!

Without further ado here are five ways to use your senior pictures and celebrate your graduate!

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1) Send out graduation announcements

You could also ask people to send your graduate notes (on actual paper!) of encouragement and congratulations.

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2) Create a Video

I’m not talking about Tik Tok here. We can help you create a “through the years” video of your graduate. From their first baby steps, to their senior pictures. We can scan in, or use your photos to create a meaningful, professional video that you can share anywhere, anytime. You have enough to do, let us help you create something special.

Also along the lines of video, you could ask others to create a video montage of well wishes from friends and family.

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3) Decorate Your Space

Create a yard sign or a banner using your grads senior picture for everyone to see. If you want to show off your graduate this way, get in touch!

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4) Create a Special Photo Book

Give them a special senior book, using images you choose and questions to get them thinking about this time in their life. Without questions is cool too! We can even put together a beautiful book filled with photos of friends and family over the years.

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5) Get Dressed up

Plan a fun cap and gown photo shoot. Do it yourself, or give us a call.

Make it special! Get dressed up, order your favorite food, and give toasts. Honor these accomplishments with the same pride you would have watching them cross that stage.

Because you’ve earned this moment, and the world should see it too.

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The "We Are Open" Project: Branding and Small Business Photography

With the current emphasis on supporting small, local businesses, we want to help you show up in a way that resonates with your clients. You know what they want to see? You. The real person/people behind your business. 

Let us help you build the relationships that build your business. 

Inspired by others in response to Covid-19, we’re launching a special effort to help spotlight our local, family run businesses by supporting and celebrating them with photography. 

We call it the “We Are Open” Project.

There are a few ways to be involved, based on how your small business is doing right now.

I: Your business is thriving!

This is fantastic! Book a branding package with us and we’ll help you take it to the next level with a bonus strategic planning session on how to use your images on social media. AND if you book, we’ll donate a micro session to a business in need.

II: Your business could use a little love.

We feel you! Things have changed for everyone in the last two months. But, it is important to keep showing up! Book a micro session with us to get some fresh images and let folks know You Are Open!

III: Your business is hurting.

Times are rough, and though you know fresh photographs could help market your business, you just don’t have the funds right now. Nominate yourself or another small business to win a free micro session!

What is a micro session?

Lori and Erin Photography will create a portrait of you and your family outside of your place of business. You can hold signs, products, or whatever represents this time for you. 

We will be spotlighting each business who participates with a short interview on our blog, Facebook, and Instagram. These are quick sessions and include digital files that you can use on social media.

There is only a limited time to take advantage of this opportunity!

So if you’d like to take part in this project, please contact us with any questions or to get on the list! We’ll start preparing for your session so that as soon as it is considered safe to do so, we are ready to create your photographs!

Let us help you put your best face forward and get real, timely visibility for your services.

Victor High School Senior Photos: Elliott, Class of 2020

While every Senior portrait session is fun for different reasons, this one was a first.

Elliott is lucky enough to have an amazing backyard with trees and fields of tall grasses, and also a pond next door where he loves to fish.

But his other favorite hobby? Building his own remote control vehicles. After we did some nice natural portraits, we headed over to the pond for some fun with his favorite plane. We even got one image with a car, plane and a sea plane! It was a challenge, but we accepted it and conquered it.

(Note: I may have issued this challenge to myself.)

Without further ado, enjoy! And if you’ve got a fun hobby you’d like to include in your senior portraits, let us know! We love tailoring sessions to fit who you are.

-Lori

Churchville Senior Pictures, Class of 2020: Kristina's Senior Portraits

What a day we had with Kristina!

I drove through heavy downpours on the way to her Senior Portrait Session. Thankfully, right on cue, the clouds parted and sun came out!

While we didn’t see any rainbows, we did get to play with puddles and reflections and we were rewarded with some great light. We created a variety of senior pictures around Spencerport and Highland Park in downtown Rochester.

Kristina was so fun to work with and very relaxed. She was care free, just as she had hoped her senior portraits would be.

Check out a few of our favorites below, and wish Kristina the best as she graduates!

Cheers, Lori

Rochester NY Engagement Session: Living Roots Winery

Do you remember when going places was a thing? Man, those were the good ole days, weren’t they?

In all the chaos and calamity, I forgot to blog about this amazing engagement session at Living Roots Winery. It happened about a week before Rochester NY shut down.

Bernadette and Michael deserve every happiness right now, as their wedding date approaches, yet they’re hunkered down like the rest of us. Bernadette is one of the many essential workers and we are so grateful for her, and many others.

I can’t wait to capture their celebration in the upcoming months. But for today, here’s to the two of them, their love and their light.

Gates Chili High School Senior Pictures: Blake, Senior Class of 2020

Blake was so much fun to photograph!

From his fashion sense (I told his mom he is more stylish than I am!) to his attitude on the turf, we had a lot of fun. His senior portrait session was a blend of nature and showing off his athleticism. And while lacrosse is his real passion, we also took some football shots as well. Lucky for us, the clouds were amazing that night and provided an amazingly dramatic backdrop for his Rochester senior portraits.

Enjoy some images from his senior portrait session at Turning Point Park, and the brand new turf field at Gates Chili High School!

We may not be able to see him on the field right now, but we can celebrate his senior year virtually. Here’s to you Blake!

-Lori

The KonMari Method for Pictures: Rochester NY Photographers

It started with Lori - Over the course of the past year she has been in a constant state of decluttering. She followed along the lessons from the book below.

She inspired me to get my own photographs (and well, my life) better organized. So I've also been in the process of getting my own little house, a little less cluttered. With a two year old, their toys, and boxes of hand me down clothes piling up, things get more cluttered with every passing day. The struggle is real.

In the end, the biggest hurdle for both of us has been what to do with the boxes of pictures that were scattered all over the house. 

I am my family's historian.  I know that as time passes, I will inherit even more photographs from family. And that's ok with me.

Except, I already had a ridiculous amount of old photo albums, most of which made no sense. When I was younger I would just take prints I had and stick them all in one book randomly. On the same page of a cheap plastic album, I would put my own baby pictures alongside high school pictures (bad fashion and all).

So clearly, there was work to do. Someday I'll be leaving all of my history in the hands of my son and I can't leave that it in shambles.

Here's some of what I did to cleanup and a few tips that might help you with your own photo organization:

• Gather. Start by collecting all of the pictures you find (from every room) and put them in one location.

• Get photo boxes. Or something that works for you. My preference was the basic storage boxes (like these) you find at any craft store.

• Start sorting. Use as simple or complex a timeline as you wish. Personally, I kept it simple as there were a lot of photos I couldn't be sure of their dates. So I sorted by "childhood, high school, college, etc."

• Consolidate. If you can. I did, mostly for space reasons. I removed photos from old torn apart albums with the sticky plastic pages, and sorted them into boxes. I discarded photos that were too blurry, duplicates, or if they were people I just didn't remember. I kept any family pictures, ones that held special memories, or told a story about who I was. My thought process was simple: If I can't explain why that photo is important to my son, is that particular image worth keeping?

• Don't dwell. So what happens if you just can't bring yourself to get rid of anything at all? Just organize them and move on. You'll drive yourself crazy wondering what to keep and what to toss. Don't let it get to that.

• In my world, done is most of the time better than perfect. My kids won't care if I was 11 or 12 or 14 in any particular series of photos. So if you can set aside any potential OCDs, it will go faster than you think.

My final tip? Take your time, take breaks and enjoy the process. I found that it was actually fun to go through them, reliving moments and fondly remembering days gone by.

So whatever your process is, enjoy it, because this is your life - literally.

~ Erin

Business Branding Photography in Rochester NY: QL Therapy

Maryellen Dance is not your average therapist. She’s motivated to help people, and to change perceptions about self care, mental health and going to therapy. She’s also full of life, excited and self proclaimed as brash and loud.

She came to us knowing she needed to update the portraits on her website, but along the way we helped Maryellen that she has SO much more to say and show her audience. In her discovery meeting, we discussed the idea that going to therapy should feel like you’re just having a conversation in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine.

We worked with her on a variety of looks and stories, but this them was the starting point to helping her tell a story in a visual way. If you’re in the market for a down to earth, professional, knowledgable and fun therapist - you should check out Maryellen and her team at QL Therapy and Wellness, and tell them we said hello!