Author: alison@tinyblueorange.com

*sings* “Oh the weather outside is frightful…”

Here in Virginia it’s a frightful 97 degrees and definitely not feeling like the holiday season quite yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s not too early to get into the holiday spirit!

I am so excited to be in the midst of scheduling my 2010 holiday mini sessions. These sessions will be taking place on October 30th in the historic town of Waterford, VA and will be my official return to shooting after maternity leave. I have a VERY limited number of spots available so contact me soon about booking because these are bound to fill up quick!

As part of these session you’ll recieve 25 custom designed holiday cards on either a textured finish linen paper or pearl finish metalic paper.  Here’s a peek at the seven card designs you’ll have to choose from.  (All designs are for flat 5×7 cards except for #4 which is a flat 5×5 square card).

If you’re a past client who is interested in purchasing one of these cards using an image from a previous Be Young Photography session contact me for more information.

Even though I promised myself no more photo sessions until after our little one arrives I could not resist squeezing in one more session this weekend with one of my favorite families.  You may remember baby Danny or D. as I like to call him from throughout this year. He’s appeared on the blog as a newborn, at 3 mos., 6 mos. and now ONE YEAR! I really can not believe how quickly this year has flown by and how much little D. has changed in that time span. Check out how grown up he is looking these days, and oh those curls! I love love love the curls.

We had the absolute perfect weather for a birthday celebration filled with food, family, friends, gifts, and the infamous cake smash. Danny taught us all that no matter how many gifts you get with bells and whistles and music and lights the one year old will always prefer to play with the gift wrap and tissue paper instead. And, even with a bib cake is much better worn on your face, hands, and hair, and clothes than in your mouth.

Much love to Danny’s entire family. Enjoy this little sneak peek from the party.  D. is certainly growing into one charming, bright, happy little guy and I can’t wait to see what another year brings for your family!

Dear Bella,

It’s so hard to believe that one year ago today was the day we said goodbye to you. Our hopes and dreams of starting a family and welcoming our first daughter into the world came crashing down on September 11, 2009 which seemed almost fitting given the historical sadness and significance of the day.

You were so loved and that day was the worst day in your mom and dad’s life. But, over the past year we’ve learned there was a bigger plan for us and for our family. The universe works in strange ways sometimes.

Bella, my guardian angel, you brought about this blog. You were the reason I started writing. Why I picked up my camera again. Why I decided to share my pictures, my raw emotion, and my hopes for the future. You were the reason I took a leap of faith and began building this business. I never imagined in my wildest dreams how successful it would grow in one short year.  The joy I get out of capturing the happiness of so many wonderful families helps me heal. Keeps me whole. It’s my passion and you led me to it.

You’ve been watching over your mom and dad in other ways too. You brought us a fresh start, in a new home, with a new job opportunity just around the corner for your dad. You brought us a new baby, at the right time in January, because you knew just how sad we’d be approaching your due date.  And now on the anniversary of you leaving us we’re about to welcome this baby, your sister, into the world. There is a lot we have to be happy about one year later.

Like I said, the universe works in strange ways, but I think you’ve been helping make sure the universe is shining bright for us  this year.

Thank you for bringing us such a beautiful day today. The blue blue sky, the puffy white clouds, and perfect weather left us feeling hope, happiness, and lots of love. We miss you and love you so much, but instead of mourning you today we celebrated.  We celebrated all that you brought us this year.

Love,

Mom and Dad

One of the most frequent questions I am asked when having a pre-session consultation is, “What should we wear?”. It can be so much fun to put together a unique, timeless, and fun look for your session and I am here to help you do just that! Color, pattern, and texture can create a great look in pictures as long as you don’t go too crazy. With our upcoming fall mini sessions in October I thought it might be helpful to share some fall wardrobe inspiration. There is still space left on October 30th to book your mini session but contact me soon to reserve your spot as space is limited.  I’d love to help you put together a look to make your fall photos just perfect!

This weekend I had a photo shoot with a very special little girl.  Miss Brielle was born just a week ago and is so special because she’s mine!  You may remember back in July I posted some of my maternity photos on the blog. Then I was getting larger by the day and September seemed light years away.  I had convinced myself that our little one would be an early arrival, so I stopped working September 17th in order to make last minute preparations and be ready before her September 24th due date. That last week seemed to pass so slowly. My Calmer and I sat at home just waiting for something to happen. Nothing. Her due date came and went and I was frustrated. I just wanted to meet our little one, be able to sleep on my stomach again, and finally enjoy a caffeinated cup of coffee for the first time in 9 months.

As frustrating as it was and as impatient as I can be, the wait was well worth it. Brielle Rose Young was finally ready to make her debut the morning of September 26th when my water broke at home at 2:45am. She came alert and ready to face the world at 7:41am weighing in at 7lbs 3oz, and sporting some long legs that helped her measure a tall 21 inches in length.  I think my Calmer passed on his mellow temperament and his love of food because she’s been one laid back baby so far, only really fussing when she’s hungry.

This week has been a whirlwind of emotion filled with excitement, surprise, stress, and of course unconditional love. I am so proud and excited to share these special family images with you all from our past week. Some from the hospital, a few at home, and some posed from our official “newborn shoot”.  I had my Calmer serve as my 2nd shooter in the hospital since I was obviously detained for the majority of her birth and he must have learned something from me because he captured some really awesome moments of our expanding family.  I hope you enjoy this sneak peek of photos from our first week as family of 3!

One of my favorite things to do as photographer is not just taking the photos but helping clients figure out what to do with those photos once their taken. Prior to every session I complete a pre-session consultation where we discuss location, wardrobe, and plans for the photos once their done. From albums, to prints, to digital files, to storyboards, to enlargements the possibilities are endless!

Today I want to talk about enlargements, specifically canvas enlargements, and what they can do to make a bold yet personalized statement in your home.  I absolutely love seeing family photographs on canvas in a home. Canvas prints are made of high quality textured material and are gallery wrapped around a wood stretcher frame. The benefit? No need for framing once they arrive. However, if you’re going to order canvas its important to order an image size that best compliments your space, and usually bigger is better. One thing I’ve noticed across the board with clients is that they’re afraid to go BIG with their final image enlargements.

Let’s imagine if you will a perfectly blank wall above your fireplace mantel, the prime spot for your recent family photograph.  You’re thinking an 8×10 canvas print would look just lovely to fill the space. Here is what that 8×10 would look like:

Hmmmmm, not quite the statement you were hoping to make huh? What about a 16×20 canvas instead?

Maybe a little better, but it really is still on the small side. I would recommend a 20×30 canvas in that space to fill the wall and really bring your attention up to the photo.

With the 20×30 canvas you can easily see each family member and your focus is immediately drawn to the photo and not the fireplace. Bigger really is better in this scenario.

But, if going that big really isn’t your style, canvas can also be great for storytelling with images as well.  Groupings of several smaller canvases can tell the story of your family and its personality.

Recently one of my clients ordered a canvas grouping for her family room wall space. I absolutely love the story her grouping tells, but I also love her combination of both black & white and color images. Thanks Kelly for sharing your final results!

I love to talk with you about making a statement with the images from your session. Contact me for all the details!

For those of you itching to see more pictures of our baby girl and our adventures in parenthood, I bring you my new feature: Family Friday! I am going to be devoting a post each and every Friday to our growing family. Brie has turned our world upside down in an awesomely good way. I could just watch her for hours and it amazes me how soundly she sleeps the day away. My Calmer and I often wonder what sweet dreams she is having.

I also want to mention that today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. We are taking some time today to remember our first baby Bella Rose. She is truly our guardian angel who brought us many blessings throughout the past year. A new photography business, new home, and now our perfectly healthy and happy second baby Brielle Rose. If you or someone you know is also remembering an angel baby today head on over to the I Am The Face movement. They are doing amazing things to educate and promote this day and let those suffering know that they are not alone.

A few weeks ago we invited the very talented photographer Kelly Nelson into our home to capture some special moments of My Calmer, Brie and I as a new and growing family.  Being a photographer myself it’s of utmost importance to me to preserve these memories that we’ll never get back. Brie’s smallness.  Parental instinct. The love and adoration we have for her and each other. With all the sleepless nights and the whirlwind that parenthood brings I wanted something special to remember this time in our lives. It’s often hard to stop and enjoy these fleeting moments and Kelly was the photographer we chose capture them for us. Her casual. documentary style of storytelling was exactly what we were going for in preserving the memory of this time.

Kelly, like myself offers a custom photography business. Custom photography allows you to pick a photographer who fits your style and your needs. It’s about building a relationship with a photographer, connecting with their style, and allowing their vision to create works of art that preserve the important moments in your life.  I absolutely adore being a custom photographer. I love meeting new people, building relationships, shooting photographs, and retouching them to make timeless art pieces that tell the story of a moment in time.

So why go custom? Custom photography is expensive. Why not just go to the portrait studio in the local mall?  It’s so much cheaper and faster. Custom photography is all about the EXPERIENCE. The overall package.  It’s not the portrait studio mentality of next in line, everyone smile at the camera, one size fits all.  Think about Starbucks vs. McDonalds or Nordstrom vs. Walmart.

Your custom photography experience starts from the time you begin scouring the internet to find the photographer who speaks to you and your style. Some custom photographers work in studios while others only shoot on location in parks or cities. Some have a flair for drama while others are quite casual. Some focus mainly on posed portraits while others focus on telling a story in their images.  Once you’ve chosen your photographer the rest of the process unfolds from there. From planning a wardrobe, to taking the photos, to retouching and editing, to gallery review, and finally product selection and ordering.  Custom photographers usually share a gallery culled to only the best images from your session and offer an extensive array of products to choose from (prints, enlargements, storyboards, albums, canvas, etc…).

Custom photography is expensive. But there is a reason.  The experience your photographer is creating for you takes time. Much more time than your visit to the mall’s portrait studio. There is time spent planning with you. Time shooting you and your beautiful family. Time culling, editing, and retouching your images. And time helping you get the most out your images through product consultation and ordering from the most reputable high quality vendors out there.

Isn’t the custom experience what you’d want when preserving your most important family memories?  I’d love to be the photographer to help you create beautiful family memories.  I know I will certainly be treasuring these images for a lifetime thanks to Kelly.

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

~Anonymous~

With the weather finally getting cooler and fall in full swing I thought it was time for another What to Wear guide for your enjoyment.  These combos are the perfect mix of color, pattern and texture for those fall family photos.

And, if you are looking for updated family photos for your holiday cards and gifts, I still have a few spots left for my HOLIDAY MINIS this upcoming Saturday, October 30th in beautiful Waterford, VA. 9am, 9:30am, and 4:30pm are still available! Shoot me an email at beyoungphotography@gmail.com if you’re interested and want all the details.