2017 Christmas Mini Sessions in all their glory!

The Christmas rush is settling down and it has been one fantastic whirlwind! We saw the familiar faces of our amazing clients and happily met so many wonderful new families!

Although I am not much of a cold weather lover (I am wearing 4 layers as I write this) I absolutely love Christmas.  It’s the one holiday I really get into. I love to decorate for the season and I get really into Christmas movies.  The Grinch, Elf and  A Christmas Carol are on constant rotation with the kids and Love Actually and The Holiday are my guilty pleasures in the evenings! A hot beverage, great book or movie, fuzzy warm blanket and a roaring fire is the epitome of bliss for me this time of year. It is also Christmas Card time! We appreciate that others put as much care and effort into their greeting cards as we do and feel honoured that they use us to capture those moments in time! I can’t wait to see what some of our clients do with our images and the amazing cards they will create! Every year we do something a little different with our Christmas cards, we try to make them humorous and light-hearted.  I have just completed this years and come back next week to see my masterpiece.  In the meantime check out some of our previous cards here.

Check out some examples of this years awesome shots!

 

I would love more Christmas movie suggestions, what are some of your favourite seasonal films?  Leave a comment below!

Love, LOCPS xoxox

P.S.- Didn't get a chance to do Christmas photos this season, never fear, order a custom Gift Certificate today and surprise your loved one with an epic Christmas present!

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Winter is Coming - is the Fall Portrait Season over?

Two Saturday's ago was the last weekend of our little town’s Farmers Market. Just like Game of Thrones warns, "Winter is coming". As proof I have broken down and turned on our furnace, started making warm stews (in hopes of luring in John Snow) and I’ve even put on my extra comforter; only to kick it off in the night with our Canadian weather deciding to go through menopause with plenty of hot flashes this year.  We had a family wedding to attend, so I was rushed walking around the last day of our beautiful market.  I went to my absolute favourite person at the market, Emily, from Red Rabbit Gardens, to get all my produce.  If you live in town I highly suggest you check them out.  Emily and her husband, Cory, have a farm about a 20 minute drive from downtown Georgetown and they grow the most wonderful and colourful vegetables.  My daughter absolutely adores her purple peppers and cooking with their gorgeous multicoloured carrots has made our usual orange variety seem positively dull, not to mention the taste! Check out Emily’s Facebook page here and see for yourself how amazing her and her husband are! After loading up my bags at Red Rabbit I ran over to Heather’s Bakery and treated the family to cinnamon buns and sugar cookies; the breakfast of champions!

The end of market season also reminds me that in the next few weeks all the leaves will be fallen from the trees and scattered all over the ground. Jeff is obsessed with cleaning up leaves and will be out there non stop, so drop by to say hi or simply point and laugh, which is what I’ll be doing!  Although the weather will be a little more rainy and cool our fall portrait season isn't over, but it's getting close, so if you haven’t booked your family fall session with your favourite photographer yet, I suggest you do so now and take advantage of Mother Nature’s last warm days.  Which also reminds me that we need to take our annual family photo….gulp, I better get on that! off to the mall to find our outfits for this years session! If you want some great tips and tricks to make your fall family photography session go amazingly well, check out our last blog post here!

Love, LOCPS xoxo

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Tips & Tricks for a Smooth and Inspiring Fall Family Photography Session!

As we roll into our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, fall this year has been, well, hiding on us.  Right when you think it’s about to happen… you know, there’s a slight crispness to the air and the leaves start to change colour… everything changes and, wham, it’s 30 degrees celsius! The good news about this, hopefully, is that our fall photography season will extend into November! Here in Southern Ontario fall is our most popular time for photography sessions, and there is a very good reason for that. The trees in this area are beyond stunning and the weather is still warm enough that you don’t need your winter coat and several pairs of socks just to get into your car. There’s a magic in the air that you can literally feel and smell, and that makes for the most wonderful photos. More than any other question we get, our clients want to know what they should wear to their family sessions with us! Deciding and coordinating outfits can be a very daunting task, especially if you have a large group to deal with! Here are some tips to help with this process -

1. Decide on colour. Think about your hues and tones.  Although having everyone match completely is an option, it isn’t really necessary, just make sure everything flows. Do you want light pastel colours that contrast the fall tones, or do you want warm or jewel tones to harmonize with your location?  Select two main colours you want to use and work the rest of your colour scheme around them. Unless everyone is wearing it, stay away from extremely bright colours and patterns. For ideas on harmonizing hues and outfits check out our Pinterest Board.

2. Feel free to add accents and layers. Staying warm can be a necessity depending on the time of year, but no one says it has to look like you're wearing 30 layers.  Adding a beautiful scarf, thick cardigan/blazer, or boots can add texture to your photographs without looking like you're preparing for a winter storm.

3. Hair and accessories.  No matter how casual you want your photos to be, add a little oomph with a great pair of earrings, headbands, necklaces or hats! The sky is the limit and it really makes your images unique to your family!  If you colour your hair, treat yourself to a touch up and avoid any unwanted roots or those pesky stray grey hairs!

If you’re still stuck, ask us! I love when clients send me their outfits in advance.  Sometimes their wardrobe ideas inspire me to choose a specific location that will make their clothing shine!

Some other things to keep in mind and make for a smooth photo session are -

1. Weather. As I said earlier, this years weather has been like a yo-yo! One minute I am in shorts, the next I am wearing 18 pairs of underwear and stubbornly refusing to turn on my furnace! The best thing to do is dress in layers that can be removed easily without ruining anyones hair!

2. Time of day.  If you have children who are still napping timing is crucial for smooth family photo sessions. We, and most photographers, are happy to work around your best schedule, we want your photos to rock too! :)

3. Snacks. There is nothing worse than a “hangry” (definition - so hungry you’re angry) child, or adult for that matter. I know I am easily agitated when I don’t eat, Jeff has plenty to say about that… but I won’t let him! Feel free to bring food.  During a family session there is often times when we are focusing on one family member and everyone else is on a break, this is the perfect time to refuel.  Granola bars, gold-fish, apples or any other snacky (but not too sticky) food item is perfect.

4. Relax. We are here to have fun! Sometimes the best photographs are the ones where your kids are laughing at each other and being themselves! We have lots of tricks to get your kids to look at us, so don’t worry yourself, there will be plenty of great shots!

What do you do to make sure your photo sessions go smoothly? Leave your solutions in the comments below! If there is anything I didn’t cover, please let me know and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends, and have an excellent weekend everyone!

Love, LOCPS xoxo