This week was supposed to be the week that graduation sessions were taking place. Due to the current covid-19 restrictions that professional photographers and many other businesses are under, we have to postpone all sessions until further notice. All non-essential businesses legally had to temporarily shut down in March.
I’m extremely sad for my clients’ children who are graduating from Grade 8 and Grade 12. I also have a child who is graduating from grade 12 this year so I know all about the very huge disappointments these grads have to deal with this school year. Not only are these kids missing out on spending the last few weeks with friends who they have gone to school with for the last 4-14 years, their prom has been cancelled, and so has their gradation ceremony. I know a lot of very disappointed young girls who already have their prom dresses. Now, we are all disappointed that we cannot move forward with their grad sessions until further notice. It’s frustrating that photographers have no information as to when we can open our businesses up again.
Unfortunately, according to the provincial government, photographers are not in the re-opening phase as of yet. Legally we are not allowed to photograph in-person client sessions. Although us photographers feel that we could very easily photograph families outdoors, from a distance, safely, we feel like our industry has been overlooked when considering what businesses can re-open safely. A bunch of us photographers are banding together to try to make some noise, and ask the government to allow us to re-open in the next phase. If you would like to help support professional photographers in our push to allow us to start shooting sessions again (at the very least, outdoor sessions), please visit this link and sign the petition. We would appreciate the support for both the photography industry and for all the clients who are missing out on documenting precious memories!
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
I photographed a very sweet family recently. When mom contacted me she wrote in her questionnaire that one of the main reasons she wanted a professional photoshoot is that her family has never had a photoshoot and they she did not have any nice pictures of herself with her family, except for very few cell phone pictures. She made 2019 the year that she was going to exist in photos with her family. I’m so happy she did this for herself and her family!
There are many reasons why I think families need a professional family session. Here are my top 5 reasons:
1. Enjoy the full experience a professional photographer can provide.
Hand off the stress of wardrobe coordination, location scouting, lighting, posing, and getting everyone to respond, to a professional who can handle the chaos. A professional photographer will help plan the session in regards to all those things. A professional photographer also has the expertise and software to design artwork from your family photos for your home. Let a professional take care of the design, ordering, and delivery of your final print products to enjoy in your home and add to your visual family archive.
2. Show your children how important they are by proudly displaying portraits of them in your home.
Studies have shown that children who grow up in homes where there are pictures of them on the walls, in an album, or on a shelf, have higher self esteem. When they see photos of themselves proudly displayed it makes them feel important and loved. Even just a simple task of displaying a portrait of your children helps them celebrate who they are and lets them know that they are important.
3. Create memories with your family.
Your family photoshoot will be memorable! You will love, laugh, and have fun with your family during your session. That alone is a very good reason to hire a professional photographer. So many families have inquired saying that they tried to take a family photo of themselves using their cell phone on a tripod and it didn’t go so well. It’s next to impossible to get everyone together and posed in a flattering way. Believe me, as a photographer I’ve tried it. It’s HARD! Everyone usually ends up frustrated and stressed. Let a professional do the dirty work for you. Kids are more likely to listen to a stranger for photos than listen to your commands. When you hire a professional to take over with the photo taking, you can focus on your having a great experience with your family and be assured that you will end up with amazing pictures and memories.
4. A professional photographer can help create custom artwork of your family for your home.
A professional photographer has the benefit of having access to professional print labs who only offer high-quality, archival products. A professional photographer also has the expertise in designing wall art such as custom framing, wall galleries, custom albums, etc. to enjoy in your home and eventually pass down to the next generation of your family. My clients tell me that they love the fact that I make it a priority to sit down with them during a consultation (both before and after the session) to help them decide what to do with their favourite photos from their session. I can help make suggestions about sizing and image options. Together, we make sure we put together the perfect products for your tastes to display and enjoy in your home, whether you plan to hang portraits on your walls or display your portraits in a beautiful, timeless heirloom album or keepsake box. I have invested in specialized software so that I can take a picture of a space in your home and show you exactly what pictures will look like on your walls or shelf. This helps tremendously when trying to make decisions about how to layout pictures in your home.
5. Give your children, and generations after them, the gift of photos of you.
There’s a quote that I’ve seen floating around Instagram-land the last little while. It reads: “One day your children will be looking for photos of you. What will they find?” Think about that for a minute! Really, what will they find?! Do you expect your family to look through USBs or hard drives with thousands of mediocre digital images on them? What if those storage mediums are corrupt? After all, they do not last forever. And let’s face it, not many people take the time to back up cell phone photos onto a hard drive these days. Yes, people save photos to a cloud storage of some sort, but normally there are thousands and thousands of pictures to sift through. Who has time to go through thousands of photos? Also, if they do have access to digital images stored on a hard drive or the cloud, how likely is it that they will find high quality photos of you? Especially photos that have enough resolution to make print enlargements to put in a frame. Why not give your family the gift of having professional photos of you, and you with them, at their fingertips to enjoy today, and eventually enjoy as part of your family legacy.
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
3 Reasons Why I Do Not Offer Family Mini Sessions
It’s hard to believe that it’s the tail end of August and the kids are back to school next week! I say it every year, but the summer sure has flown by! As fall approaches and families settle into their routines again I start to get many inquiries for fall family sessions. Once September arrives I tend to book up fall session spots very quickly. I only have a limited time available in September, October, and November to offer sessions, so if you’re thinking about booking a session, now is the time to contact me!
One very common question I get when I receive email inquiries is: “Do you offer mini sessions?” The short answer to that is: “No”. In fact, I do not ever offer mini sessions any time of the year. Amongst many reasons I do not offer mini sessions, here are 3 of the main reasons:
- My Style: I like to call myself a storyteller. A huge reason my clients hire me is because of my storytelling approach to sessions. I love to show you your ‘story’ and your family’s ‘personality’ through a series of photographs. I want to show you what it looks like when your child hugs you, or when you give him a big, obnoxious kiss on the cheek. Parts of your story include things such as personalities, relationships, connections…how your child twirls your hair when she’s cuddling you. How your child laughs when you tickle him. I want you to have these photographs so that when your family is all grown up, you can see and remember how these moments felt.
- Time: As I mentioned above. I love the art of storytelling through a series of photographs. Genuine moments with your loved ones (like the examples mentioned above) are very difficult, and sometimes impossible to capture during a limited ‘mini’ amount of time. During the first few minutes of our time together at your session I take the time to chat with everyone and get to know my clients a little bit so that everyone can relax. I will never just meet up with clients at a location and instantly pull out my camera and start shooting. It takes time for everyone (including me) to settle in and relax before we start the session. I find that kids do better once they get a chance to interact and chat with me first before I hold up my camera in their faces and start telling them what to do. Mini sessions are limited to a certain amount of time so it’s necessary to use every minute of the short amount of time allotted for shooting. I never rush your session. I never want my clients to feel like I’m rushing them. Rushing leads to stiff and stressed looking clients. We always take the time needed to capture the moments that will mean the most to you.
- Service: I offer a high level of service to all my clients. I’m what the industry calls a “Full Service Photographer”. Full service photography is much more than photographing your session and handing over digital files for you to ‘fend for yourself’ in terms of figuring out what to do with the portraits from your session. I take the time to help you plan everything from your wardrobe and styling, finding the perfect location for your session, to helping you decide on and design photographic ‘art’ pieces to proudly display in your home. I also fully believe in order to get those authentic, candid, and emotional photographs, I have to get to know the family a little bit before the session. From the moment someone books a session, I’m asking questions about their family, their story, what they want to remember about their family in this moment in time. In order to get to know clients on a deeper level than just “photographer” and “client”, it takes time and effort. The amount of time it takes to offer this high level of service is impossible to offer for mini sessions.
I hope I provided some good insight as to why I do not offer mini sessions. It really does benefit you to invest your time into a full custom session. In the end you will end up with photographs that are meaningful. Photographs that you and your family will cherish and enjoy for a lifetime and beyond! If you are ready to invest in a full, custom photography session and enjoy the whole process from start to finish with Melissa Maahs Photography please do not hesitate to contact me!
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
It’s that time of year again to start looking forward to the summer and to plan my summer session schedule. Although my kids are not so little anymore, I still make spending time with them and with other family throughout the summer a priority, so for that reason, I generally do not schedule sessions on weekends. Weekends for my family are for spending time together doing fun things either around home or up north at our family cottage.
Last year was the first summer I offered family sessions held at a local lavender farm. This particular farm is just north of Whitby, Ontario and is such a stunning location! This summer I was able to pre-book a handful of evenings in July (the only month when the lavender is in full bloom) to have access to photograph families in the lavender fields. The lavender farm books up very quickly due to the very short window of time when the lavender blooms.
Lavender sessions are held in the evening. The farm only allows photographers access to the fields after they are closed to the public, which works out great for my sessions because the lighting in the evening hours is the most optimal light to shoot in. The sun isn’t strong and harsh like it is during the day. The light is softer in the evening (even on a cloudy day) and this provides perfect conditions for the style of photography I offer.
Needless to say, if you’ve been wanting to book a lavender session please don’t delay in contacting me! Also, please note that theses sessions are not ‘mini’ sessions. I only offer regular ‘full’ family sessions, which usually last about 60-90 minutes.
Please visit my information page to read more about what to expect if you book a session with Melissa Maahs Photography.
If you’d like more information on a Lavender Session or any other session please contact me here.
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
A perfectly beautiful evening for this cute couple’s engagement session, shot during what we photographers call ‘the golden hour’. The hour or 2 before the sun sets, and even the minutes after the sun has set is the most magical time of day for portraits! The light is soft, warm, and glowing. If you’ve ever wondered why I insist on shooting during the last couple hours of daylight, this couple’s session is a perfect visual example of why.
Sometimes when discussing photo session times with families with very young children, who are often long asleep before the golden hour, the parents are a concerned with keeping their kids up past their normal bedtimes. I know the thought of keeping your babies up 1 to 2 hours past their bedtime for a family photo session sounds like a recipe for disaster, and even though it may throw their schedule off the next day, and maybe even they day after that, it’s worth it to take advantage of the best light of the day…golden hour!
Your family portraits are forever. When your babies have grown, and you barely remember what life was like when they were so little, I guarantee you won’t regret the times you kept them up past their bedtime for beautiful family portraits. I’ve photographed many families who have trusted me that it would be worth it to keep their children up past their bedtime and they normally do quite well. Kids are usually intrigued by the little adventures we go on and stay engaged as they play, interact and have fun with their family!
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
One day, all your children will have are pictures of you, or if life takes unexpected turns like it has for many, all you might have of your own children are photos of them. Make sure you make an effort to be in pictures with them! No matter what your hair, makeup, or your body looks like. They won’t care about any of that stuff. They’ll just want to see you.
Mother’s Day can be such a bittersweet day for so many. Sweet for all of us who are lucky enough to still have our Mothers in our lives. Bitter for some of us who don’t. It can also be bittersweet for Moms who have lost a son or daughter. Three years ago my mom lost her son, my brother, suddenly and unexpectedly. Mother’s Day is not easy for her and it hurts my heart to see her so sad on a day when most everyone is celebrating. My kids celebrate me and I celebrate my mom…but there will always be that hole…that lingering sadness of the loss of my brother, her son, her first baby. We support each other, stay strong, and get through it. We realize that even though we have suffered a painful loss there are always positive things to celebrate on Mother’s Day. We celebrate the fact that I have my mom, and she has me and her grandkids. Please, if you know a mother who has lost a child, reach out to her and send some love and let her know you’re thinking about her. <3
I believe one of the greatest gifts you can give to your children are portraits of them with their mom! Portraits that can be enjoyed now, in your home, and more importantly, for them to look back over the years as they grow up. Let’s face it, most of us mothers are often the ones taking the pictures and not ‘getting in the frame’ with our children. Us mothers always seem to have an excuse to not get in the picture, whether that be because we didn’t have time to do our hair or makeup that day or we’d like to lose ’10 pounds’ before we get in front of the camera. To be totally honest, when our kids look at pictures of them with their mother they don’t see any of that. They don’t care that you were sporting a messy bun and no mascara, or that you may be 10 pounds heavier than you’d like. They may not realize it now, but I can assure you, your children will appreciate that fact that you took time to exist in pictures with them! They will be treasured family heirlooms that they can show their own family down the road.
Being a mom is one of the toughest, yet most rewarding jobs out there! Documenting the love, emotion, and connection with your children is a great way to treat yourself for all your hard work, sacrifices, and dedication, and to show your children how much they mean to you.
I want to provide you and your child(ren) with amazing portraits to cherish in your home and eventually hand down to your child(ren) as priceless family heirlooms. This is why I offer beautiful, tangible print products that are archival and will last for generations beyond your own.
I would like to wish all the moms and grandmothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day and however you celebrate Mother’s Day, have fun! Grab your babies, snuggle them up, and get in the frame with your children. <3
Be sure to watch the short slideshow at the end of this post highlighting some beautiful moments from this motherhood session.
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Enjoy this short slideshow of some highlights from this beautiful motherhood session. Happy Mother’s Day!
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Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
I love working with expectant mothers and fathers to document this very special time in their lives. I strive to show the mom-to-be how beautiful she is and I love to document the intense love that you already have for your unborn child. I know my kids love to look back at maternity photos that I have in albums, one for each of my two children. They think it’s pretty cool that they were once that small and they love seeing how I looked when they were growing inside. Besides having maternity photos to show your kids when they are older, the photos are also to help you remember this exciting time in your lives. The portraits will help you to remember how you looked, and amazingly, they will help you remember how it felt to be carrying a new life in your womb and how it felt looking forward to bringing a new love into this world.
Along with being happy and excited about the upcoming arrival of your new baby, this can also be a stressful time thinking about all the things you need to do to prepare for your new little bundle of joy. If one of those things on your to-do list is to book, plan, and have maternity photos taken, I’d like to share a few helpful tips with you on how to prepare for your outdoor or in-door maternity session.
- Book your maternity session early
- It’s important that you reach out early to book a session and give yourself enough time to prepare. Ideally, you should be photographed sometime between 31-36 weeks pregnant. This is when you will have a big enough of a baby bump for the photos, but you won’t be so far along that you can barely move. Between 31-36 weeks, most women are generally still comfortable enough to get into some of the positions and poses that I will ask you to do, such as sitting or even laying down.
- Wardrobe
- Wear clothes that are comfortable to move around in. During most maternity sessions I usually ask you to sit in certain positions, or even lay on the ground. Be sure the wear clothing that isn’t to restrictive and will hinder your ability to move in and out of a variety of poses.
- Wear clothes that are form fitting to show off that beautiful baby bump! Flowing maternity dresses are also nice. Maternity dresses are generally fitted on the top, and flowy from the top of the belly down. If you decide to wear a maternity dress I will be asking you to place your hands on your belly and hold the dress in a a way that will show off your bump.
- If you plan on being photographed with your partner be sure not the wear the same coloured tops. For example, if you both wear black, or you both wear white, it’s often difficult to see your belly in the photos, as the two matching colours will just blend together. Be sure to wear colours that are different, yet compliment each other. Different shades of the same colour are fine. As long that they aren’t the exact same colour.
- Undergarments matter too. Most maternity dresses are made of thin material, therefore, depending on the colour of the dress, you may want to consider wearing undergarments that are the same colour. For example: if you choose a maternity dress that is light cream, don’t wear black undergarments. They will likely show through. Always try your dress on with the undergarments you plan on wearing to your session to be sure that they aren’t showing through in a distracting way.
- I’m available every step of the way when planning your maternity session to help you decide what to wear and plan your wardrobe. Just ask, it’s my job to help you!
- The End Product
- All my sessions come with an in-person or phone consultation to help us get to know each other and plan your custom photo session. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s important that your photographer understands what’s important to you and what you expect to get out of your session. Consults help me provide you with the end product and service you’re expecting to get from me, as your professional photographer. Take some time to think and talk to me about what you plan on doing with the portraits from your session. How do you want to be photographed? How do you plan on enjoying or displaying your portraits? Knowing what you plan on doing with your photos helps me plan your session and how I’m going to shoot it. I never want the just guess what you’ll like. I want to know! For example: if you know you want a large framed portrait for a wall space in your home, I’ll be sure that I get a shot in the proper orientation needed for that particular space; if you you know you want a coffee table album, I’ll be sure to grab a variety of shots that will fill up an album and tell your story about this special time in your life.
Lastly,
- Pamper Yourself, Relax and Have Fun
- Why not take this time before your baby arrives to pamper yourself? Go get your hair done, even if it’s just a blow dry and style. Have your makeup professionally done. Get your nails done. You deserve it. Take advantage of this rare opportunity in your life and look your best!
- It’s important to relax and have fun with your partner or family during your maternity session. A relaxed mind leads to a relaxed physical appearance. I’m very easy going when I shoot. I like to joke around and I try my best to make this experience as stress free and enjoyable as possible. My sessions are never rushed. Generally a maternity session can last about an hour, but I never put a time limit on my sessions. I’ll shoot until I feel that I’ve captured what I need to tell your story….so don’t worry!
Here is a small sample gallery of a recent maternity session. Enjoy!
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
Photographing people in their homes is quickly becoming a popular and meaningful way to document families. I call these sessions “Simply Life Sessions”. I think the title is fairly self explanatory. Simply Life Sessions are meant to document you and your loved one(s) in the comfort of your own home, hanging out together, doing activities that you do on a daily basis or even just a couple times a week, like baking or having a family game night. During the cold winter months, these sessions are popular for clients who want a session, but don’t want to freeze outside for an hour! The moments captured from a Simply Life Session are generally very candid and fun. We tend to steer clear of heavily posed images. The style of photography resulting from a Simply Life Session is sometimes called documentary photography, lifestyle photography, or family photojournalism. They are special photos because they convey emotion and authenticity. These photos document memories of you and your family in a special place, your home. Whether you’re a an individual looking for casual and natural headshots, a couple, a family with with little ones, or even a family with pets, I believe photos taken in your home are an amazing way to document your life as it is in this moment and time.
Below are 5 tips for getting the most out of an in-home photo shoot and help your Simply Life Session go smoothly:
- Tidy Home: Although we don’t want your home to not be the true representation of what your home normally looks like, it is helpful if your house is somewhat tidy. I’m not suggesting it look like a model home out of a magazine, but just generally tidy. Messy clutter can be distracting in photos so it’s always a good idea to have things cleaned up before your session. I’m talking about things like making sure your sink isn’t full of dirty dishes or laundry all over the floor in your teenagers bedroom (I’m talking from experience here), unless that’s something you want documented! 😉
- Wardrobe: Keep your wardrobe neutral and simple. Don’t match your outfits, but do co-ordinate colours. Don’t wear bright, florescent colours. Very bright colours can cast the colour onto your skin, or the skin of someone you’re close to in the photos. Stay away from distracting patterns, large logos and graphics on shirts. Bright colours, busy patterns, and graphics are distracting in photos and can take away from the subject. A neutral and timeless wardrobe is best. I’m always available before your session to help plan your wardrobe. I suggest that once you decide on what you’re wearing that you lay all the outfits together on a bed or floor and have a look at how it all looks together. If you’re unsure just snap a quick picture and email it to me for advice. I’m here to help!
- Plan Activities: Select 2 to 3 activities your family enjoys doing together. This can be activities such as reading, baking, playing with toys or playing a board game. I will document some of the every day activities as simple as getting your little one dressed, or feeding them lunch, but it’s always fun to have a few planned activities to get everyone together, involved, and engaged with each other.
- Have Fun and Pretend I’m not There: I know it’s hard to forget that a photographer is in your space pointing a camera at you as you carry on with your daily activities, but I ask that you try your best to pretend like I’m not there. At first, kids are usually curious about me and what I’m doing, but after a little while they get used to me being there. They become less interested in what I’m doing and become more interested in the activities they are participating in. I always let the kids lead and have fun…and yes, this may mean letting them stand on the couch, sit on the kitchen counter and eat sugar from a bag while baking, or jump on the bed. These behaviours may be something that you normally would not let your child do but I can assure you, letting them get away with doing something a little out of the ordinary will keep your kids happy and engaged. Think of the photographer as the grandparent who comes over and a lot of the ‘rules’ go out the window, but when they leave, the rules will apply again. I promise, it’ll be worth a little rule-breaking for an hour or so. 😉
- Light: Be open to giving the photographer the freedom to explore your home and discover places in your environment that have amazing light. This could be in a bedroom, in the kitchen, by a window in your family room, or even in the bathroom! In home sessions can be challenging for a photographer due to the available natural light in your home, but if you give the photographer the freedom to shoot anywhere in your home and possibly move furniture around so you can be placed in ideal light, we can always find areas to shoot in.
If you are interested in an in-home or on-location Simply Life Session for your family please feel free to contact me here for more information.Please enjoy this video slideshow below of some highlights from a recent Simply Life Session. Make sure your sound is on! 🙂
Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I’m Melissa, the photographer behind the camera at Melissa Maahs Photography, a Durham Region, Ontario, full service family photographer offering custom family portrait sessions. I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion that I’m passionate about photography! Besides begin passionate about photography, I’m also passionate and dedicated to the experience I provide to my clients and the process of making pictures into tangible pieces of art for you and your family to enjoy daily. Your art pieces will truly be treasured family heirlooms.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, getting to know my clients and listening to their family stories. I love collaborating with clients on the endeavour of transforming their family stories into tangible art pieces of moments shared with their loved ones that will be frozen in time – forever in a photograph.
Lastly, I believe in photographs. Printed, tangible photographs that can be held in your hands, enjoyed on a wall, or flipped through in an album. My mission is to help every client create their photographic family heirlooms that can be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come!
If you love photographs as much as I do feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can help you to create timeless photographic art to display and enjoy in your home.
For detailed session information, click here.
To see more of my work please view my portfolio here.
Located in Courtice, Ontario. Serving (but not limited to) Kawartha Lakes, Clarington, Bowmanville, Courtice, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Greater Toronto Area. melissa@melissamaahsphotography.com