celebrate – britain earl

November 10, 2015November 10, 2015

‘Tis the Season – Holiday Mini Sessions

With the Holiday Season upon us, many are scrambling to get that perfect holiday card ready to be sent to family and friends. But let’s be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to gather coordinating clothes, find a photographer, and fit it in a session between now and Christmas. That’s where the Mini Session comes in!

What is a mini session?

A mini session is a shorter version of a custom session with discounted prices. In the case of these Autumn sessions, it is a time for families to get some great shots to use on holiday cards.

How is it different from a custom session?
Unlike a custom session, the location is selected by Britain, the shooting time is much shorter, and shoot yields approximately 15-20 photos rather than the 30-40 usually in a custom session gallery.

Who can be photographed during mini sessions?
Mini sessions are open to adults, children, and even pets!

Can we do multiple groupings during our mini session?
We typically do more than one pose per session,but the sessions are too short to enable more than one grouping. For example, in the case of a family of 5, you will get a few great poses of everyone together, and I usually fire off a few quick shots of each child. In a custom session we would get all the kids in multiple poses, mom and dad alone, each child with each parent, all the girls, all the boys, throw in the grandparents even, we may travel to a second location, make a wardrobe change, etc.

If you have a variety of family combinations, we would be happy to schedule a custom session for you.

When are mini sessions offered?

Mini sessions are offered throughout the year in Arizona, and usually 2 times a year (Spring/Fall) in Southern California.

How long is a mini session?

The photography session usually lasts 15 minutes.

When do I place my order?

Your online gallery will be emailed to you one week . One week! And you’ll have the perfect family portrait ready for sharing!

What is the session fee?
The $250 session fee reserves your date and time, and includes up to 15 hi-resolution digital images, with a limited copyright release.

What if we miss our scheduled time?
We understand that sometimes the unexpected happens and you miss your appointment. We ask that you please contact us as soon as possible and we will try to reschedule.

November 15, 2014November 15, 2014

20 Christmas Card Ideas

let it snow

For the past few years one of my all time favorite holiday family photo sessions has been trending on Pinterest. It has inspired many a Christmas Card Photo Idea. I have received many an email about how I captured the “perfect snow image.” I thought I’d reveal the step by step process here on my own website!

Step 1) Styling. Coordinate—but don’t be matchy/matchy & Accessorize!

If you’re shooting with a group, make sure your outfits complement one another’s. Choose a consistent color palette (which does not mean the same color). Scarves, hats, bows, bands…it all adds a fun twist to an otherwise “standard” look. Accessories are also a great place to coordinate looks. In this example, brother is wearing a bold pattern with blue, white and gray, and the girls are rocking gray hat/headband.I was lucky to work with a family that ROCKS when it comes to styling. But I always share these tips with clients, and even text outfit ideas back and forth to ensure a coordinate look.

Step 2) Choose the Right Backdrop

The snow (or confetti, or glitter, etc) can be tricky to pick up against some backgrounds. Here it works because the Christmas tree is first appropriate stylistically, but also because it’s dark color highlights the flakes. Avoid lighter backgrounds, and backlighting for the perfect snow shot.

Step 3) Take a Before Shot.

What really makes this shot is the Before and After. First we filled the kids hands with “snow” and then told them to pretend to blow. This made for cute expressions, and focus on those fantastic baby blues they all have.

Step 4) The Action Shot

We instructed the kids to “blow slowly”. One big gust and you’ll miss your shot. With them blowing continuously I fired away. It’s important to shoot in rapid succession, because there are so many micro-expressions going on here, you really don’t want to miss the perfect one.

Step 5) Clean Up

The snow used in this shot was the synthetic plastic kind you buy at Target during the holidays. We gathered up all the pieces afterward as best we could. Having a solid surface, like concrete under your subjects will help in clean up a lot. I have since been using the blanket i bring as a tarp to catch all the “snow.”

My good friend Erin used the photos from this session in a fantastic Christmas Card that she designed. If your looking for an original and beautiful Christmas Card idea, check her out at Bringing Up Burns.

Here is my contribution to the Christmas Card Ideas to inspire you:

1) Let it Snow. Perfect for this snow shot. The “Let it Snow” idea is great for a winter family photo.

let is snow card

2) All You Need is Love. Get up close and personal, let the warm fuzzy feelings spark family hugs and kisses.

3) Best Gift Ever! This Christmas Card Idea is perfect for a new baby, or even a wedding photo.

4) Blessings. This Holiday Card Idea greeting works for nearly any special holiday or family photo. But, I love it especially for this extended family photo, grandparents smothered in grandchildren.

5) Joy! and all of its derivatives, is another holiday card idea just bursting with possibilities. This caption could easily be “Jumping for Joy.” Have fun with your holiday family photos and let the JOY flow freely. Your happy smiles will be perfect to spread the JOY of the holidays.

6) Classic Merry Christmas. You can’t go wrong with the classic “Merry Christmas” holiday card idea. Here, the perfect family photo is framed with a beautiful, ornate frame and banner.

7) Classic Merry Christmas with a Twist. For our card last year, we kept the Christmas greeting simple. But added the twist of the gold foil trend. Also trending lately, is the greeting directly on the photo. If this is a look you’re wanting, make sure to let your photographer know, so she can provide enough space to add text to your Christmas Card photo.

8) Welcome Christmas. This is one of my all time favorite Christmas Card Ideas. In 2009, I was really into watching the holiday classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” My favoite scene is where the Whos join hands and Welcome Christmas in song. That concept, and this photo by the very talented Jonathan Canlas, brought this Christmas Card Idea to life. “Christmas day is in our grasp, as long as we have hands to clasp.” Dr. Seuss really said it all!

9) Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. This is such a great greeting for your Christmas Card. And a happy smiling family photo is the perfect compliment. These cute girls and their parent just screamed, “Holly Jolly.”

10) Joy to the World. Sometimes babies aren’t cooperating, and 2 year olds aren’t looking in the camera. But you know what, that’s life! This family photo is perfect just the way it is. The best portraits are those with personality, and here this family’s personality is on full display.

11) Laughing all the Way. Get the family close together and laugh and play for this Christmas Card Idea. These smiles are the perfect holiday greeting.

12) May Your Days be Merry and Bright. These sundrenched portraits were perfect for the bright and merry season.

13) Happy Holidays from the Bottom of Our Mistletoes. This photo is from one of my very first family photo shoots. I love the dog pile we had going on in this chair. The focus on the toes makes it perfect for this Christmas Card Idea. You could use your family’s sandy toes at the beach, or your newborn baby’s toes, the possibiliites are endless. 14) Who’s been Naughty or Nice? When you have a cranky baby, don’t fight it. Embrace the moment and you could end up with the perfect Christmas Card. I’ve seen the naughty and nice Christmas Card Idea used with kissing couples, silly kids, and crying babies like this one.

15) Oh Christmas Tree. We take a jammie photo in front of the tree every Christmas Eve. I like the idea of sharing our photo on a Christmas Card, This could also work at the Christmas tree lot, when your decorating your tree, or visiting a special Christmas tree (think Time Square)

16) Oh What Fun. I love the idea of a collage to capture what a wonderful year you’ve had. This Christmas card captures special moments from and extended family photo shoot.

17) Peace on Earth. This family silhouette portrait is a great photo for this Christmas Card Idea. The serene setting and beautiful sunset capture gratitude for the Earth and your family.

18) Dear Santa, Is it too late to be good? This shot is a personal and family favorite It is from one of my very first family photo shoots. I love when kids are perfect at a photo shoot, but I also love to capture these real moments between siblings. This sweet girl was perfect for this family photo shoot, so when she stuck out her tongue it was a funny and cute slice of her personality. This type of silly shot works great for this Santa themed Christmas Card Idea.

19) Warm Wishes. Do you like warm hugs? Of course, we all do. That’s what’s so adorable about this family Christmas Card Idea.

20) We Wish you a Merry Christmas. Another classic. This Chrsitmas Card theme works for nearly any family photos. Another idea would be to just use “And a Happy New Year” and send your cards out after Christmas. This particular card also served to announce that we were expecting our 5th baby.

But that’s a totally different post. Happy holiday season, and enjoy the inspiration for your Christmas Cards.

October 2, 2014October 2, 2014

Tips for Planning What to Wear for Family Pictures

it’s one of the most commonly asked questions, “what should we wear for family portraits?” well, let me walk you through the process I went through last year. this session was for an extended family shoot, primarily 9 cousins. here’s where it all began. first, I found this blanket, and it screamed, “BEACH PORTRAITS” to me. so i set out deciding what we would wear. which leads me to step1) follow your inspiration.

next, I texted my sister in law with a photo of the above color scheme and said, “here’s what we’re wearing.” she responded, “i can work with that.” which is step 2) coordinate, don’t match. this can be a hard skill to master, but the essence is: pick your anchor piece/color and build around it with complimentary colors. here, the blanket served as my anchor, so everyone was in blue tones, and some bought in a pop of pink. my nieces and nephews did the same, and I think you’ll agree the results were splendidly cute!

step 3) have fun and let the kids light up the photos. the beach is a fantastic place to capture children in element. you can see that our posed shots didn’t get all the smiles we were looking for. but, when we let the kids play and have fun (within the framework of the poses we wanted) we got all the great expressions that we see everyday. a perfect preservation of these sweet cousins!

step 4) get those Christmas cards made. i knew we would be using this portraits on our Christmas card, and had the whole design worked out in my mind before the session. my mom had an idea for her card too, but changed it up when she saw these portraits, and I made a design that incorporated them both.

step 5) don’t stress. too often people overthink their family portraits, and stress out. this leads to a frustrating session with one or more family members irritated. I am a certified mediator, but really it would make the whole thing easier if you took a deep breath and had some fun. hire a photographer you can trust to make you look fabulous and capture the vision of your family portraits!

April 10, 2014

childrens photography at the beach

we are starting to feel warmer temps here in AZ, which is making me miss the beach, which is making me realize i never posted these photos from Avery’s 5th birthday photo shoot. Avery was lucky to spend her birthday on the beach with siblings and cousins. i knew i would shoot her birthday pics here and brought this dress. then my mom bought the girls these floral wreaths and a special portrait was made. i don’t think i will ever look at these photos without remembering all the fabulous times we had during fall break! not the least of these memories was celebrating a milestone birthday with this little lovely. i can’t believe she is 5!beach portraits are among my favorite for children. the beach gives kids such a natural opportunity for play and exploration. i feel like you can just see the wonder and vibrancy of childhood in beach portraits.

April 3, 2014April 22, 2014

it’s a frozen birthday party!

my daughters are obsessed! Frozen has taken our family by storm, pun intended. so, when Madeline started planning her birthday party, of course she had her heart set on a frozen party. and of course, she made this decision after the holidays were over, so i did not get a chance to capitalize on all the holiday sales!

help came from a surprising source. i was at the San Tan Chick-Fil-A for one of their incredible family nights, and they were setting up for a Frozen party. the decorations were unbelievable. i asked the manager if she would sell them to me, and she agreed to LOAN them to me. i was floored. Jennifer’s creativity and generosity knows no bounds. thanks to her, Madeline had the Frozen birthday party of her dreams!

it ended up being a windy days, so our grand entry way was a little tossed and turned, but magical non the less. so many snowflakes, just like Elsa’s winter wonderland!

the kids could not get enough of the “melted snowman water.”

probably the most popular activity was making (and eating) “snowmen”. the girls stacked powdered donettes and used pretzel sticks for arms, chocolate chips for eyes and buttons, and of course carrot noses.

i saw this craft time and time again on Pinterest but it took me forever to find really good instructions. even then, we had a few tries before we got really good at Epsom Salt painting. Here are my instructions for Epsom Salt painting:

1) mix equal parts very warm water and Epsom Salts (i found Epsom Salt in the pharmacy aisle at Target)

2) when dissolved nearly completely, paint the mixture on dark construction paper

3) you shouldn’t be seeing many salt crystals in your solution, in fact it will look pretty boring for a while like water on paper

4) be patient

the magic is after the paper dries. we set them aside for the rest of the party and afterward the kids saw their paintings transform into beautiful crystallized snowflakes, snowmen, etc.

our next Frozen birthday party craft was making rubber band bracelets. i purchased the ice blue, royal, and raspberry pink bands at Michael’s and found these silver snowflake charms on Amazon.

the food for our Frozen birthday party was fun and festive. of course there were the snowmen. but that’s not all. obviously you have to have blue raspberry lemonade, snow covered pretzels,

snow-covered ice cubes.

sandwiches! as in “we finish each other’s sandwiches”

and of course frozen cake and ice cream.

even batman was mesmerized by the pretty Frozen birthday party decor. this was one happy birthday girl.

April 1, 2014

victorian themed wedding inspiration

i love weddings. as a bride i loved planning my wedding, as a wedding planner i was in heaven, and as a wedding photographer, i get to capture all the beauty. weddings offer endless possibilities for creative details.

feeling the inspiration of victorian wedding details, and having my favorite model in town, i headed out to shoot a little wedding inspiration.

i love the lace detailing on this dress. even though it’s from the twentieth century (it was my mom’s wedding dress), it still has the look and feel of a victorian wedding gown.