Get To Know Elena S Blair Associate Seattle Family Photographer, Rachael

Get To Know Elena S Blair Associate Seattle Family Photographer, Rachael

Tell us a little about yourself!

Hi! My name is Rachael. I’m a 28 year old mother to two babies and a bonus mama to one  not-so baby. I grew up in Northern California, and moved up to Washington state in 2015. I love all things outdoors(hiking, gardening, fishing). When I’m not out exploring with my family, I love to create and work with my hands. Lots of arts and craft time in my house! 

Why do you love photographing families?

There is something really special about capturing peoples personalities and emotions through photographs, especially children.  Plus, it’s FUN! Lifestyle family sessions are casual, and super playful. Even when photographing a new family, I feel like I’ve made a few new friends by the end of it. 

What is your favorite type of location to capture a family and why?

Anywhere in the PNW! Trees! Lots of trees. My favorite color is green ;)

When did you become a photographer?

I don’t want to sound cliche or anything, but I think I’ve always been one. It’s something that has always come naturally to me, since my very early teens. I guess you could say I became a “real” photographer, when I started doing it for a living nearly 4 years ago.

Do you have any more session dates left on your fall calendar?

Yep! While fall tends to be  the busiest time of year for us photographers, I always try to accommodate when I can! Send us a message and I’ll see what I can do to get you on the calendar!

What if it rains on the day I booked my Seattle Family Photoshoot? Seattle Family Photography

I am a primarily outdoor family photographer. It’s true. But here is what is also true… I live in Seattle. And in Seattle, it rains. A lot.

Even if you aren’t in Seattle and you stumbled on this post, I think it will help. Because those of us who are on location photographers have to always have a plan for bad weather.

I consider the Pacific Northwest my own, vast “studio.” If you want to see how I choose my best locations in the Seattle area CLICK HERE to read an article I wrote about it. From urban to mountain we have the most beautiful area in the world to photograph families.

That being said, here are my solutions if it rains on your photoshoot date.

1. Let’s do an in home session instead! While I do photograph my families primarily outdoors, every single newborn session I ever do is in the clients home. Every single one. I have never had a home I couldn’t work with. Your home is where your heart is. It is where your kids childhoods take place. I assure you, we can make gorgeous photos in and around your home and this means we don’t have to reschedule!

2. If you have your heart set on an outdoor location, we can easily reschedule. I have been photographing Seattle families for over a decade, I always leave room in my calendar for rescheduling family sessions. Some years are trickier than others but I have never NOT been able to get every session done in time for printing holiday cards. BUT this may require a bit of flexibility on your part, like meeting on a weekday evening.

3. We may just need to change the time of your photoshoot. The weather here is kinda all over the place. I don’t cancel a photoshoot until the day scheduled. We can often just shift your session by an hour or so to avoid the rain. I don’t mind clouds, it just can’t be raining.

Please enjoy an example of an in home session I did last year. As you can see, we had lots of fun in and around their home.

What Will My Seattle Photo Shoot Be Like When Shelter In Place Is Lifted | Seattle Family Photography

Here at Elena S Blair Photography, we are so excited to get back to work! Because it never feels like work photographing Seattle’s best families!

The COVID-19 crisis has impacted us all and I truly hope this message finds you healthy and secure. We know how hard it is to be home with little ones, working, schooling, and all the added stress on top of all of that.

It has been confirmed that photographers can start operating again once we enter phase 2 of the reopen plan! 👏🏼

It has been so hard postponing so many photo shoots but we are hopeful that we will enter phase 2 of the “reopen” process by June 1st, and that is when we can start photographing families and newborns again. We were very careful to respect the governors orders by closing down our business and staying home to help flatten the curve.

If you have already booked a session with us between June 1st-September 1st you can assume that we will continue without any needs to reschedule. If not, you will receive a personal email from us. While we hope we can take on our September-November sessions, we are going to encourage fall bookings to consider taking a summer spot, just in case we see a spike in COVID in the fall. We want to ensure that you get your family photos done in time for holiday cards, and simply to ensure that your family is captured this year! If you don’t want to reschedule, that is okay, we are hoping fall goes off without a hitch.

Safety will be our number one priority! Here is what we plan to do to make sure your family stays healthy and happy:

We will be wearing a mask to all outdoor Family Photography Sessions and a mask AND gloves to all our indoor Newborn Photography sessions.

We will not take any chances with health and we will reschedule if ourselves or ANYONE in our household has been sick in any way within a two week span of your session date. We ask that you do the same. We promise to make room in our schedule for all rescheduling needs.

We will practice extreme hand hygiene and minimize touching you and your family during the session.

We will use longer focal length lenses so we can stay six feet away as much as possible which will still allow us to capture images that seem like we are closer.

We will only do one photo session a day.

Family Photography is an investment in your family. It is an absolute privilege to be able to capture your family. We do not take that privilege lightly. ESPECIALLY after this crisis. Which has really shined a light on what matters in this world. And that is our loved ones.

Chelsea and I can’t wait to see you in front of our camera again so very soon!

What's the Best Time of Day for an Outdoor Family Photoshoot? | Seattle Family Photographer

What’s the best time of day for a family photo shoot?

We are so lucky to live in a beautiful place like Seattle. The city, the mountains, the views… breathtaking! We couldn’t live in a more photogenic city.

But here’s the thing: Some times of day are much, much better than others to have your family photos taken. So, when’s the best time of day?

Golden Hour is the best time of day for photos

Golden Hour is the time of day right before sunset where the light is gorgeous and makes everyone and everything look good. We LOVE to schedule outdoor sessions at Golden Hour. For those of you with little ones, we recommend a late nap and a snack/dinner before the session so they’re in the best mood possible.

But some families can’t stay up that late with little ones, and that’s okay! Or maybe there are other scheduling conflicts that get in the way of an evening shoot. Either way, if you can’t do your session in the evening, we are happy to accommodate.

If not Golden Hour, the morning is second best

Here at Elena S Blair Photography, we are masters of light. We will be able to serve your family and deliver beautiful photos no matter the time of day. So, if you can’t make a Golden Hour shoot work, no problem! We will schedule your session for the morning, usually around 9 or 10am when the sun isn’t too far up in the sky just yet. Also, kids are usually in a great mood in the morning, which is another reason to love morning sessions!

Check out this recent morning session, shot by our amazing associate Chelsea!

Chelsea still has a few spots open for the rest of the year, so click the button below to grab a session with her!

And if you’re not quite ready to book, click here to learn more about our sessions and pricing!

Walder | Seattle Family Photographer

So I don't even know where to begin. It's funny how many photographers I meet who are or were also registered nurses. There has to be something there. Perhaps we are simply drawn to human connection in any form, because that is one parallel I find in both careers. Connection. 

Amber and I are both nurses and both are photographers. We both feel passionate about family and community. We have so many similarities. 

When she asked me to photograph them while they were on vacation here in Seattle I was absolutely honored. 

This shoot is everything I want my art to say. It is raw, it is real, it is authentic, it is all the descriptive words I strive for. :)

Family photography is my life's  work. I know there are many talented photographers in the world and when someone decides to take time out of their vacation for me to capture them I don't take that privilege lightly. 

I hope you can feel what I felt when I took these images. I hope you can tell how powerful this mama is. I hope you can get a glimpse into just how tender and loving this papa is. I hope you feel the rowdy energy from her three boys yet the sweet love and adoration they have for each other. I hope you can tell that her baby girl is in a season in life where she loves her mama fiercely. 

I just hope I did them justice.