I’m having so much fun shooting Valentine’s Day themed photos this season. These kids (most of them are kids anyway) are just too adorable. It makes you realize how precious and pure the love of a child is. Below is some inspiration for your Valentine’s Day photos.

Check out these ideas (and photos) by yours truly. And get ready for cuteness overload. ;)

Kisses & Hugs

It’s so fun to get siblings to show some love, their character shows through in wonderful candid shots. These first two are my babies.

hugs-kisses-valentines-photo1hugs-kisses-valentines-photo2hugs-kisses-valentines-photo3

You’ve got my heart on a string…

The beautiful sisters above are a great segway to “hearts!” Hanging some glittering hearts all around in the studio gives Valentine’s photos a fun, whimsical feel. 

hearts-valentines-photo1hearts-valentines-photo2

Props

Props and accessories are so much fun for Valentine’s Day photos. Let’s start with some X’s and O’s!

xoxo-valentines-photo

Okay, we just can’t get enough of hearts–how about these different takes on the lovely shape?

hearts-valentines-photo3

How about some fun glasses, and maybe just the right book?

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A family’s home decor can be a nice touch, especially with babies–this wall art provides the perfect scale for baby and carries the theme of love.

baby

Let’s play…dress up!

These little cuties look so adorable, in these fun, candid photos because they were having fun playing while we shot.

boho-valentines-day-photo

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas and photos. That’s all I have for now, but we’ll blow you one last kiss, goodbye!

blow-kiss-valentines-day-photography

We all know those women who seem to look flawless in every photo. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I wish I was photogenic like that.” You can be! I’m going to pull back the curtain today and share with you just a few of the posing tips I use with my female clients.

Ladies, get ready!

The two most important things to keep in mind before using these tricks are: you need to experiment a little bit at home first, in front of the mirror and work on trying to get comfortable practicing these different poses. A little practice goes a long way.

 

know your good sideKnow Your Best Side. Most of us do not have perfectly symmetrical faces and we usually prefer one side over the other. If you don’t know which is your “good side,” take a few moments to look in the mirror. Look a little to the left, then to the right. Which side is your favorite? Need help deciding? Try taking a selfie, just remember to do it with your front facing camera, or you will have a flipped mirror image of your face.

 

  Barbie arm posing trickBarbie Arm. If your girlfriends haven’t let you in on this trick it just might change your photo world. ;) To avoid your arms looking larger than life (an oh-so-common complaint), hold your hand on your hip and bend your elbow slightly toward the back. This creates a nice slimming effect which utilizes the white space between your body and arm.
 

push back your assets trickMind Your Assets. Push your assets to the back (ladies, that means booty and hips).  The other leg (the one closest to the camera) should be slightly bent.  You do this by putting your weight on the foot that is farthest from the camera and push your front hip away from the camera.  This causes you to lean a little towards the camera so the eyes are the closest thing to the lens!  It always looks lovely.

  lean in posing trickLean In. If you lean forward a little bit (not too much), with shoulders back, it can define the chin, elongate the neck, highlight the eyes, and allows your hair to fall forward over your shoulders, creating a stunning feminine look.
  natural smile trickWait for it. To get a more authentic, natural smile, wait until just before snapping the picture. Holding a smile fatigues your facial muscles, so take breaks between shots. Even better, when it’s time to smile, if you can think of a favorite thing, something that naturally makes you happy, hold that thought while you show your pearly whites.
  posing hairHair. Try different hair styles ahead of time to determine which look best on you–the ones that really compliment your face and body: hair down, behind one shoulder, all forward, swept up, whichever it is play up your best look, by posing not only your face and body, but your hair as well.
   

 

 

We had so much fun compiling our previous Fun Themed Portrait Ideas post that we just had to do another!

ENDLESS SUMMER

When creating a vintage themed session like this period props are key. What better props could we have had than an authentic VW van, surfboards, and a guitar? Wardrobe is also essential and for this shoot the family dressed boho/casual.

endless summer family photo

 

FALL IS IN THE AIR

If autumn is your favorite season, why not play it up in your photo session? From leaves, to pumpkins, squash or open fields, fall is a great season for warm, family photos.

fall is in the air

 

LOVE STORY

A few good books, some Photoshop effects and you’ve got a whimsical portrait they’ll never forget.love story

 

GYPSY SUMMER

Old world style meets the modern girl. This is a great way to give a colorful fun feel to your portraits.

gypsy

 

AT THE BOARDWALK

Capture the carefree fun of the beach boardwalk. Dressing in pastels or bright colors add to the playful feel of these photos.boardwalk themed photos

 

MUSCLE CARS & BICYCLES

Go vintage with black, white, red and vintage–add in a classic car, or maybe a retro bicycle for a unique photo.muscle car family portraits

girls-senior-photo-fashion-tipsHere are a few ways you can prepare for your best senior pictures portrait session:

  • Come to the session clean faced, with clean, dry hair.  Our professional makeup artist will do the rest.  It is also a great idea to bring a picture of makeup you really love so we can give you that perfect look that represents.. YOU!
  • Avoid being overly tan, sunburned or having obvious tan lines. They are harder to color-correct and process, which will add to your cost.
  • Don’t hesitate to rock your favorite accessories and shoes. They are a fun way to show your personality.
  • Make a personalized Pinterest board with images you love and share them with Blue Sky’s.  We want to capture images that you totally love!
  • Vary your necklines and sleeve lengths for different looks.
  • Check those bra straps; correcting strap lines later on is time-consuming and costly.
  • Avoid wearing busy, striped clothing as they tend not to photograph well. 
  • Be hydrated!  Bring water and drink plenty of water prior to your session.  We want you skin to glow!
  • Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before, so you look your best.

There are many fun ways to stay creative as a family portrait photographer.  One of my favorites, is to plan a styled session.  This goes beyond cute clothing and fun locations!  It begins with a story!

1. Ship Wreck

I am inspired by so many things.  Looking at beautiful advertising campaigns, art work and music videos provide me with tons of ideas.  Over time, I became inspired by the ocean, vintage clothes and being stranded.   What would that look like as an editorial session?  So, I asked my good friend Denyse to help me come up with some fun clothing and props and the perfect models for a ship wrecked session.  We ended up at sunrise on the beach with all of our props and clothing.  The session was amazing. (See more photos from the shoot)

portrait theme ship wreck

2. Princesses

Styled sessions are often inspired by my client’s kids.  Young girls so often go through the phase of being obsessed with Disney Princesses.  This gorgeous gal wanted to wear a different princess outfit every day… she literally owned them all.  In order to capture this fleeting time in her young life, we decided to do a style session with a Princess hanging her laundry up to dry.princess theme photo shoot

 

3. Vintage 

Vintage nostalgia often provide a fun, classic look. As most of you know, I am obsessed with vintage cars and clothing!  Here is both a family vintage portrait and beautiful high school senior photo. In both cases props, styling, and wardrobe is key. We can help with all of it.

theme-vintage-family

 

4. The Art of Memory

Other sessions have been motivated by a family memory.  One of my clients who is an artist wanted to paint a picture of her grandmother hanging her laundry (don’t know why laundry has been a theme)… We created a set to look like her grandma’s house and took lots of great images.  She then turned them into a painting.art themed photography

5. Classic Childhood

These are some of the most fun sessions! The kids get to be themselves and pretend all at the same time.  The result is relaxed, unique shots.

childhood themed portaits

6. Natural Beauties.

Juxtaposing classic, vintage indoor furniture, beautiful gowns and the beauty of nature creates stunning results.

nature glamour gowns

Inspiration can come from anywhere!  A favorite book, a painting, a song… you name it.  These portraits are amazing because they are unique to your family.  I love for the client to be really involved in telling their story through images, so we capture exactly what they imagined.