The Photo Temptation that Always Backfires

The Photo Temptation that Always Backfires
April 5, 2022

Spring is here! This is usually the time families start thinking about updating their family photos. So as you prepare for your next family session I want to share a common temptation parents face that often ends in disaster- bribing your child to smile with treats! It seems like such a good idea, it gets me too; but it almost always backfires.

Once a kid sees a treat, smells a treat, or hears a wrapper open you can say goodbye to natural smiles. The one and only thing on their little mind is TREATS! Sugar is like a homing beacon for children; as soon as they see it they are locked in and start salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. There is no turning back! Now you are going to get one of three responses. I’ve seen this happen so often I’ve named each response and made self portraits to illustrate what it looks like. Hopefully it’s obvious already, but I find kids’ response to treats hilarious! So don’t take this blog too seriously. This is a cautionary tale told through ridiculous self portraits and laughing is very much encouraged.

The Lab Rat is probably the most common response. You introduce a treat and you turn your kid into a lab rat. They are now trained to perform a very specific task for a very specific reward: awkward forced smile, sugary substance, repeat. Once you introduce the reward The Lab Rat is unresponsive to all outside stimulus- kisses from mom, tickles from dad, funny faces from a sibling- no response. The Lab Rat has laser focus and between awkward smiles will resemble a deer in the highlights. This one gets even more fun when the sugary substance is something that will build up on the child’s teeth or cause them to salivate profusely.

The next response, The Baby Bird, is what happens to my youngest kids who don’t have many words yet. The little one feels uncomfortable in this strange new setting with this strange lady using an odd piece of equipment. So the parents introduce a treat, surely that will put the child at ease. It does NOT put them at ease. In fact, now they are actually even more unsure about what is happening than before, but they did learn a new skill- Stress Eating. So the kid does the only thing they can think of to do, they tilt their head back and open up their mouth for more treats. So you are alternating between puffy cheeks stuffed full of food and an upward gaze with gaping mouth. Neither look is what you had in mind for family photos.

The last response is my favorite! It reminds me of that squirrel in The Ice Age movies, which is why I call it The Scavenger. If you are in the market for family photos you’ve probably seen at least one of the many Ice Age movies and know exactly what I’m talking about. Once you introduce that treat, it’s like that Squirrel’s acorn- they must have eyes on it at all times. The Scavenger’s one and only objective in life is to get those treats! It turns into a crazed hunt for where the treats have been hidden. That’s already funny, but what makes this response even more exciting is that while the kid is completely focused on finding the treats the parents are simultaneously focused on keeping the treats out of the photos.

Sometimes families with three of more children will pull out the treats and we get all three of these responses at once. It’s amazing and definitely holiday card worthy!

As you can tell, this is quite amusing to me. When parents pull out the treats, I like to predict which response we are going to get from each child. I genuinely LOVE photographing children waiting for treats. However, if genuine smiles is your motivation for bringing treats, rest assured this almost always fails.

This doesn’t mean you can’t eat during your session. But if you are doing to have food, I recommend you go all in! Family meal time, picnics, baking, and trips to the ice cream shop are amazing childhood memories. I love it when families want to incorporate these activities into their family photos. I can’t wait to see you and your family this spring, with or without treats!

Getting Ready for Your Family Session

Getting Ready for Your Family Session
March 23, 2022

In my last blog post I talked about what I’m all about as a photographer. Now I’m going to share what YOU can do to make sure we have a great time together during your session! I’ve have three super easy recommendations that will not only make your photos better, but it will make your experience relaxing and fun!

Wear Clothes That are Comfortable and Make You Happy
Some photographers will give you suggestions on what to wear for your photo session. I am not one of those photographers. I want you and your family to wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you happy. That’s my only recommendation. If your kid really wants to wear their Halloween costume to your photo session, rock on! Let’s celebrate the fact that your kid knows what they want and has the confidence to be themselves. Your kid is going to show up for photos beaming with pride! If it’s unseasonably cold during your spring session, let your kids wear coats. If it’s surprisingly hot during your fall session, ditch the sweaters and go with tank tops. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the family portrait you created in your mind, but I’ve photographed tons of families and I promise you kids that are comfortable during their session are much happier kids! And at the end of the day it’s the happiest you want to capture, right?

Don’t Worry About What Your Kids Are Doing
Many parents feel like family photos are stressful because their children are unpredictable and wild. Trying to get them to sit still is exhausting so they hate doing family photos. But guess what? I don’t care if your kids sit still. I actually love the high energy that kids bring to a session, and I don’t expect them to cooperate all of the time. I come to a session with my running shoes on, and I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. So all I need the parents to do is relax and have a good time. Your kid may run off and find the perfect hiding spot for an amazing portrait. If your kids chase each other around I have the opportunity to capture carefree delight and authentic smiles. Sometimes it may feels like chaos, but I promise we are still getting great photos. I often hear “I can’t believe you got THESE photos from THAT session!” So trust me; there is a method to the madness. And I’m going to let you in on a little secret. When I'm editing photos it's usually the parents' facial expression or body language that leads me to discard an image, not the children. The crazy things that kids do make fun photos; parents trying to tame wild children don't. Parents embracing chaos and laughing with their children make FANTASTIC photos!

Be Mindful of How you Incorporate Food into Your Session
Basically food during your session needs to be all in or all out! If any food is present during your session, there WILL be photos of people eating. Family baking, picnics, and trips to the ice cream shop are amazing childhood memories, and I love it when families want to incorporate them into their family photos. However, if you don’t want photos of your child actually eating, don’t bring anything food or treats to your photo session. It’s really tempting to use treats to encourage smiles, but this almost always backfires! Offering treats but trying to keep them out of the photos creates confusion, stress, and unnatural facial expressions. I’m actually going to write a whole blog post about how this plays out, so stay tuned for that. The bottom line is if you don’t want to see eating in your photos, save the treats for AFTER your session.

Head over to my booking calendar to get more information, see availability, and book your session: Book a Session with Julia

Am I the Right Photographer for Your Family?

Am I the Right Photographer for Your Family?
March 16, 2022

Every photographer is a little different. You pick a photographer just as much for the experience of working with that person as the photos they deliver. My goal is always to capture the love and connection between family members and to do it in a stress free environment, whether that is at the park or in your home. I follow the lead of the children and allow them to be themselves. Sometimes it leads to a little bit of chaos because kids are unpredictable, but following their lead is how I gain their trust and have the opportunity to capture their authentic personality. My photos are not often posed, and I prefer joy over perfection. It delights me to see a child give a hug that knocks mom off her feet! If that means mom gets leaves stuck to her clothes or in her hair, it doesn’t bother me in the least.

My style is not for everyone. I’m not going to make sure your hair is laying flat or that your shirt doesn’t wrinkle up when you sit down. I don’t care if your kid makes funny faces or won’t look at the camera. I’m draw to real authentic moments and they are not perfect. But I believe it’s the imperfection that makes your family unique.

Many of the families that keep coming back to me year after year say the experience is easy and fun! Their kids look forward to our photo sessions because I embrace the fact that life with kids comes with a bit of chaos. So if constantly trying to control chaos leaves you exhausted than I am probably the perfect photographer for your family because I don’t need you to control anything. Just relax and have a good time. I often hear “I can’t believe you got THESE photos from THAT session!” So trust me; there is a method to the madness.

On the other hand, if leaves in your hair is not something you want in your family photos or chaos stresses you out, that’s totally fine. It just means I’m probably not the photographer for you. I do, however, know some fantastic photographers I can refer you to that will give you the experience you are looking for. So don’t be afraid to reach out so I can connect you.

Documentary Family Awards

Documentary Family Awards
March 11, 2022

I photograph families in all different capacities, but documentary family photography is really where my heart is at. For me, The Documentary Family Awards (DFAs) are the gold standard for the photos I aspire to make. The idea of photographing families in a documentary way is a relatively new concept and I appreciate the way the DFAs has worked to highlight the beauty and importance of everyday moments. This international photography contest includes two rounds of critical review culminating in their final selection during a live-stream judging. The DFAs are like the Super Bowl for documentary family photographers, but maybe with a twist of reality TV because you can watch the judges' unfiltered discussion as they debate their choices throughout the award selection process. It’s intense!

I have entered the DFAs every single round since the awards inception. In the beginning my photos didn’t even make it to the live judging, but I kept coming back because the feedback was so valuable. Eventually some of my photos started to show up in the live judging but didn’t get that beautiful “in” all photographers want to hear to advance their photo into award consideration. I remember my elation when I was finally awarded an “honorable mention.”  Then eventually a top ten award. This last round of the awards I was blown away when my “Daddy” series received second place in the photo story category and my “Self Portraits of Motherhood” series received second place in the photo series category. I also received multiple awards for my individual images. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it, but I want to share these photos with you because they represent the work I am most proud of.

DADDY Second Place in the Photo Story Category

SELF PORTRAITS OF MOTHERHOOD Second Place in the Photo Series Category

INDIVIDUAL IMAGES

Fourth Place in the “Sibling” Category

First Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” Category

Honorable Mention in the “Person’s Best Friend” Category

Congrats to all the DFA award winners. I was blown away by your work this round. Huge thanks to the live judges- Kirsten Lewis Bethmann, Jenna Shouldice, and Carl-Philippe Juste for all of your thoughtful feedback, guidance, and love for this genre of photography. Thanks to the preliminary judges- Irmina Walczak, Julia Chang-Lomonico, and Zun Lee for evaluated every single submission received and selecting those to move forward to the live-judging round as finalists.

Photos That Get You Talking

Photos That Get You Talking
March 23, 2021

Have you ever found an old photograph from your childhood and been completely captivated by it? You don’t remember living that moment, but you can almost feel it. The people in the photograph are both familiar and foreign at the same time. Suddenly, you find yourself flooded with more memories, and you are inspired to sit down with a parent, a grandparent, or your own children and relive those precious moments from long ago. That is the magic of photographs! They have the power to be conversation starters between generations. They capture things that are specific to individual people or moments in time while highlighting the similarities in our human experience. I treasure photos not just for the moments that they preserve, but for the connection they continue to inspire as they are shared.

As a visual storyteller, I want to make photos that will inspire future generations to gather and share stories from the past. Most likely my daughter will not remember the way she used to shave with daddy. But she will have this photograph. She’ll look at this photo and see the way daddy used to stand her on the bathroom counter, cover her face with shaving cream, and give her a plastic spoon. And that while daddy shaved his face, she would use her plastic spoon to scrape shaving cream off her little cheeks. It was funny and sweet - something normal and yet special that they did together. This photo preserves that routine, and it also inspires more conversation about childhood and time spent with daddy. It has so much meaning!

It’s important to recognize that not all photos are great conversation starters. How you go about having family photos done makes all the difference in how meaningful they will be later on. When most people think about family photos they think about something posed. You know, the kind of photos where you pick out nice outfits, carefully select a background, position everyone just the way you want them, and everyone smiles at the camera. That will make a lovely photograph to hang on your wall, just like this photo of my girls.

When I look at this photo I know that it is Christmas and that my girls are younger than they are now. I think they are adorable and that makes me smile. But that is about it. It’s not a great conversation starter. Pretty much everything I want to know about the photo I can see just by looking at it.

Now let’s look at another photo of my girls taken within the context of real life.

When I look at this photo I see a relationship between sisters, I see their silly sense of humor, and it reminds me of all the other things they do together. Looking at this photo is a completely different experience than looking at the first. I want to keep looking at it because it is more than a simple document that records their size and appearance, it’s the story of their relationship. I think having this photo will mean so much more to my daughters than having a posed portrait.

When potential clients contact me about family photos, most people think they want the posed photo, but I’d like to encourage you to try the real life option. Just try it once. And a year or two later, when you open up that album full of photos of your family, living, laughing, pouting, and screaming within the context of your real life, let me know how you feel. Let me know what your family talks about. I think the photos will be conversation starters and the conversation will be magic!