Family Pictures 2016... and news!

 

Holiday greetings from our family! We took our Christmas card photos weeks ago (back in October) in an extremely successful 10 minutes session by Joe's cousin Ashley (THANK YOU, ASHLEY!!!) I've been dying to share photos, not just because I love sharing pictures, but so I can finally announce that BABY #3 is on the way!!! Cece is very excited, Rosie is still grasping the concept, Joe is pumped to have another minion, and I'm thrilled/nervous/excited to have another babe around here!

Baby is due in May, I've been feeling pretty decent (just hungry, sleepy, and emotional, but that's really no different than how things normally are... I just can't fit into clothes with buttons or zippers. Meh. Not a tragedy.)

What do you think? Boy or girl this time? If it's a girl, Cece has had the name "Lily Bloom Flower" picked out for months. (Apparently, she wishes that's what we named her.) We just had our first ultrasound and we know it's not twins, but we do know that the baby is looking ever-so-cute so far. We're feeling very lucky around here.

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Will try to keep up the blogging as our journey with baby #3 continues.

Two and Five

Recently I managed to get both girls in for their two and five year check-ups at the doctor and I was feeling on a roll with getting at least a few things on my to-do list done in a timely manner. So, with the nice weather, I thought I should try to get some official two and five-year photos! 

We went to the park this morning and I brought my camera along in hopes of getting some updated pictures for our home. We got a few keepers!

Oh, and here are the outtakes ; )

"UGH! WHY DOES SHE KEEP TELLING US TO ACT NATURAL? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?"

I just wanna throw these flowers in the air!!! (And sorry you don't have hands in this pic, Cece...)

^^^This is what happened when I told her to smile. ^^^

I actually really love her face and smile, but there's a bar going through the back of her head. Bummer!

I've had a few people ask for pointers recently regarding taking your own kids photos. Be it with a camera or with a phone, here are some things that will help even without adjusting a single setting:

• Be aware of what's in the background. (aka, other people, garbage cans, poles, etc. )Though these things can be edited out, it's always nice to get it right on the first try.
• If possible, shoot outside and shoot when it's cloudy. Not having to figure out how to deal with harsh sun and patchy shadows is a nice time saver.
• If it is sunny, make sure the kids are not looking directly into the sun to avoid washed out faces and squinty eyes.
• Don't have them say "cheese." Everyone is over saying cheese. We say other things like "Spaghetti!" or "Minnie Mouse!" Really, anything random usually helps produce a genuinely happy expression.
• Let them hold a "prop" if it elicits a smile (we were holding pine cones, dandelions, and rocks.... and I cropped them all out. I try to avoid excessive cropping, but I got a few nice smiles that way!)
• Or bribery works well too, at least with older kids. This particular morning I told them they could have banana bread when we got back home if they smiled nicely. Win!
• Get down to their level and fill up the frame with their body and face. That'll also help with omitting distracting elements in the background.
• Embrace the chaos and the candid moments, because that's sure to happen pretty much every time. And some of those moments are pretty golden!
• Oh, and do cardio. Kids are fast. Some won't let you take their picture unless you can catch them.

 I know my style of taking photos is not quite as polished as some might prefer. Sometimes there's grain, blur, darkness, etc. but regardless of your taste in photography, those few tricks mentioned above will make a big difference!

Fall Family Pictures

Back in October I sought out matching sweater dresses and big ol' headbands as we had our first official photo shoot as a family of four done by Ashley Partch. 

^^^I felt this excited about it.^^^

 However, I was even more excited after I viewed our images. I take pictures of my own children all the time, so I know how challenging it can be to get them still, smiling, and looking at the camera without making a goofy or grumpy face without weird clutter in the background. Oh, and while all of your camera settings are actually correct and the light is somewhat decent. (Seriously! Taking a good picture is akin to a good golf swing... a lot goes into it that no one realizes!) And then Ashley went and got all of these lovely shots like it ain't no thing.

Big thanks to Joe as well for being handsome and cooperative on this day. And most days ; )

 

And last, but not least, we got the clear winner for our Christmas card:

Ashley, from one photographer to another, you rock my socks. Thank you so much again for your great eye, mad camera skills, and agility in keeping up with my girls. I'm in love <3

Grandahl Family Photos

The Grandahl's sure have this adorable family thing figured out. And how about little Clinton? He is a six-month ball of adorable and a joy to photograph. I'm excited to send you guys the rest of your pictures!