Your family pets are a part of your family...please include them in your family photos!
When a couple or family reaches out to chat about their photo session, they sometimes ask if they can bring their pup or pups. Sometimes they don't and it's not until we meet up that they mention their pup, thinking belatedly they should have included him or her. I absolutely adore dogs and any chance I have to capture them with their people is the best!! Bring your dogs!!! To your family session, to your engagement session, to your wedding!! They are family. They love you unconditionally. And those photos will be with you always, forever. Let that time together be something they're apart of! The only downside to bringing your dog is that I may fawn over your pup, or greet your pup before I greet you lol!! The upside (aside from the amazing images we'll capture together), if I want to catch a shot of just the humans, I'll happily put a foot through the leash handle and keep your pup safe by my side while I've got you laughing and am capturing those smiles! I love a pup assistant ;)
Downingtown area senior portraits, the SKRS Photography Senior Experience, 2021 and 2022
The SKRS Senior Experience: senior portraits that are authentic and simple.
|
Senior year is such an exciting time and this year, thinking outside the box to make the year more memorable is key! Planning for a senior portrait session beyond the picture day offered through school is an ideal way to add a fun and in-person experience to your senior year that you will always remember! Booking your senior portraits with me means you'll get a custom experience and one-of-a-kind images that showcase your individual style and unique personality! It also means you'll have a fun time!
It was more recently that I was drawn to senior portrait photography. Just the first two sessions opened my eyes to how much fun photographing seniors can be!! I'm a complete dork, so if you're not cool hanging with a mid-aged mother of three who will try to use the word "newb" or "legit" during the session, I may not be the right fit for you! However, if you're game for laughing, exploring and creating photographs that represent who you are, embrace your interests and believe that during our session my goal is for you to feel amazing and excited about a highlight experience of your senior year, I am just the right photographer to capture your once in a lifetime senior portraits!! And, believe it, I can't wait!!
THE EXPERIENCESenior pictures at school are so very different from a session with me! You'll likely choose one of those photos for the yearbook, in fact it may even be required by your school. I'm pretty sure the Downingtown East and West as well as STEM yearbook editors use portraits from the in school picture day. Truthfully, even as a photographer, I will always purchase at least one print of my boys each year from the school photographer- it guarantees the same exact pose, same held tilt and same cheesy smile so I can see the changes in them from year to year lol! But those photos don't show their personaliities and my guess is that yours isn't represented in those either. They're a classic, but seeking out a personalized senior portrait experience is so much more exciting and representative of who you are! During your session, my goal is to create amazing images together that capture your personality and incorporate your interests! Yes, I encourage you to bring along any items that are important to you, whether that's a stack of your favorite books, your crochet hook and yarn, your lacrosse stx and helmet or your bat and glove. Time is completely on our side (because I never ever wrap up a session unless I feel we've captured all of the shots that showcase who you are!) There's no line of students waiting their turn, and I never walk away when the time is up.
I begin every single session with some warm-up shots, that first spot I have us stop to get those first snaps out of the way to allow us both to relax into our time together. While I get my settings figured out, you'll have that time to get settled and used to being in front of the camera. From there our time together will be so much fun- we will laugh, we will play, we will make sure to capture those key shots and then we will get creative! I absolutely love exploring the space where we meet and while I will bring my ideas to guide the session, be prepared to walk a lot and to stop here and there as we find spaces to capture photos with a variety of backgrounds and light. Throughout the session, I'm looking to take photos that are closer up, steps away and also show you in the setting.
BEFORE YOUR SESSIONBefore we even meet, I'll introduce myself and get to "meet" you with a questionnaire that helps me know what your interests are, what your future plans are AND what is most important to you with your senior photos in mind. From there, we can jump on a call, video chat, email or text back and forth (whatever you prefer!) to discuss outfits, locations, and themes. Whether you'd like an urban vibe or natural backdrop for your images, I have a ton of ideas on locations and will work with you to find the perfect spot to compliment your uniqueness! It is my goal that you arrive at your senior portrait session feeling prepared and good about capturing this time! Most seniors feel a little nervous when they climb out of the car. Makes sense, not everyone has a photo shoot all about them on a regular basis. But I don't think you'll feel those nerves for long! Before we meet, please know that I honestly enjoy the time we'll spend together! It is so nice to be able to have conversations with young people who are in such an exciting place in their lives! I love to hear my seniors' plans, where they may travel after graduation, what they plan to pursue. It's exciting!!
A MIX OF POSED & CANDIDI capture a mix of posed and candid photos, keeping it as natural and authentic as possible. I do provide guidance when needed to capture a shot I have in mind or to help you with a pose you might have in mind. And, I welcome and encourage your ideas!! I want to capture the shots that you know you want while also surprising you with the ideas I bring to your senior portrait experience!
|
One-for-One Gratitude Sessions for Essential Workers | Chester County family photographer
**One to One Gratitude sessions for Front Line Essential workers**
I am honored to announce that I am offering One to One Gratitude sessions for Front Line Essential Workers.
I am fortunate. Many of us are fortunate. We are able to stay put and to socially distance. But so many people are on the front lines of this pandemic, working selflessly, sacrificing their time with their own families to help others. My skill is not essential and yet I have been trying to figure out how to use my photography to thank those essential workers on the front lines, to contribute in some way. When I saw this movement spreading across the photography community, I knew I wanted to participate.
I am grateful. I am grateful to the grocery store workers, nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, first responders, truck drivers, farm workers, emergency childcare providers, pharmacists, USPS, FedEx and UPS drivers, all of the essential workers who are the only reason we can take care of our families at home right now. I knew I wanted to participate in this chance to thank some of them for their selflessness.
For every family or couple that books a session between now and May 10th, a complimentary photo session will be gifted to a front line essential worker of your choice and their family. If you’re not in a position to invest at the moment, but would love to be a part of giving back, please message me and nominate a front line essential worker that you’d like to see receive a complimentary family photo session.
All One-for-One Gratitude sessions booked will take place at a later time once non-essential businesses are allowed to safely operate again.
For information or to nominate an essential worker, serving on the front line in this pandemic, please message me direct or email me at [email protected].
*If you are a photographer who is interested in participating please head to https://anastasiaphotography.ca/whistler-family-photography to get all of the information.
**SKRS Photography’s One to One Gratitude Sessions are Inspired by Anastasia Creative from https://anastasiaphotography.ca/
Intimate backyard wedding surrounded by family | Chester County wedding photographer
Theirs was an intimate wedding planned with their closest family in attendance to witness their vows and the beginning of their journey as husband and wife. The ceremony was set up on the bride's sister's beautiful property, under a canopy of leaves, sun dappling the fresh summer grass, a gentle breeze blowing the soft white fabric draping over the lovingly built arbor that would house their nuptials. There were tears of joy that day, but there was laughter too, so much laughter.
When Kristie reached out to me about photographing her wedding, she told me she was looking for someone to capture their ceremony and family portraits after and that was all. Perhaps my favorite images from their wedding day are the candid moments, those moments when the laughter was shared between a mother and her daughter, a new husband and wife, a daughter and her dad, a family...those moments under the arbor and while getting ready are the ones that stuck with me from their day.
I am so honored to have had the chance to capture Kristie and Matt's wedding and to see the love they have for their girls and how surrounded the four of them are by their families' love!
Supporting a local mama and her family through photography | Philadelphia family photographer
In February, a good friend and amazing mama went through an experience that changed the lives of her family, her children, her community. She had a brain bleed, later attributed to reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, a condition that is frequently missed in post-partum mamas. It's a condition that led to symptoms that seemed a bit beyond what she'd experienced with her other pregnancies but not urgent in the days leading up to the bleed. But as those days led on the pain increased and she experienced a couple of days of headache and intense neck pain, unable to turn her head. On the day she realized that this level of pain was just not right, she sought medical advice and was sent home with a diagnosis indicating a need for rest. Within an hour, she lost consciousness and was being sped to the hospital. I am sharing the nature of her experience because, as noted above, this syndrome is not often diagnosed. It's missed. Many medical professionals do not have this syndrome (reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome) in their front pocket when they're helping post-partum mamas experiencing severe headaches. Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a rare condition that occurs as the result of a sudden constriction (tightening) of the vessels that supply blood to the brain. The main symptom of RCVS is sudden, severe, and disabling headaches that are sometimes called “thunderclap” headaches. Strokes or a bleeding into the brain may or may not be present. For this mama, she knew something wasn't quite right and the level of pain she was experiencing in her head was beyond any pain she'd felt before. The road she and her family have been on since February has been intense, all-consuming and heartbreaking. But these months have also been filled with hope, so much love, family and a village, all coming together to support this mama during her fight. She is home now with her husband and children. She is again a part of the everyday fabric of their lives. She is present. She is strong and quite frankly, fierce. She has fought every step to get where she is. She is stubborn ha! and has not allowed the result of this misdiagnosed syndrome that nearly took her life, to change the woman she is. It makes my heart so happy to see her with her babies. It made my heart so happy to see her yesterday, four days past the final surgery that returned her body to it's complete self and to get a hug from her that was so full of strength and love. Lady, you are purely and simply Amazing.
These are some of the families who surrounded you, members of your village. Through these mini sessions, they supported you and your family as you focused on recovering and returning to you and to your family. To these families, thank you from the bottom of my heart for seeing this chance and taking a small leap to support this mama as she fought to be herself again!!
-Stacey
