Seattle lifestyle family photographer, Elena S Blair, specializes custom newborn, maternity, and family photography.
I am playing catch up on blogging, as usual. I have a goal to blog every session before the end of the year. Do you think I can do it?
This family is very special to me. I have captured them many times and I enjoy each and every one of my session with them. This is when they were expecting their fourth baby girl. She has long since arrived. :)
I honesty can't believe it is this time of year again. I know we all say it but it is so true, every year just seems to go faster and faster! I LOVE giving and receiving holiday photo cards. Each day the mail comes during the holiday season I feel butterflies in my tummy because I know I am going to get to see my friends and family's holiday card creations. I display them proudly and it is always hard for me to take them down. I just love seeing all those beautiful families up on my wall.
In the past I have designed and sold holiday cards, however I don't anymore. The reason is simple. There are so many AMAZING consumer design platforms out there that take away the middle man and allow my families to design their cards exactly how they want in a matter of minutes. I provide the images and they create their cards. It really is lovely.
That being said, I wanted to share a few tips on how to make an impactful and artistic holiday card that will have your families and friends smiling from ear to ear all season long.
1. First, I want to share with you my favorite consumer card sites. I love ARTIFACT UPRISING and MINTED . What I love about both of these sites is that their cards are modern, clean, and elegant. They use high end materials and are simply luxurious to the touch. I urge you to have a look around both sites. I know you won't be disappointed.
2. When designing your card, I personally believe less is more. I know you have many memories and photos you want to share, however I find it WAY more impactful and elegant when you choose just one photo for the front. When there are too many little photos on the card it is overwhelming to look at and not nearly as pleasing to the eye. I prefer to have one image on the front with the message and a little collage on the back. Here is an example (designed quickly by me, not by one of my recommended sites):
Front
Back:
3. Avoid cards that have images on diagonals or wonky angles. I think it is much more clean and modern to have your images straight with clean lines.
Yes:
NO
4. My last tip is don't be afraid to use an artistic shot for your card. No need to send out a traditional image. Be creative and choose an image with movement, laughter, or scenery. It will make your card unique and fun!
I can't wait to send out my cards! If you are making cards from a session with me, I would love to receive one. Cheers and Happy Holidays!
This sweet family made their session a weekend experience. They live about an hour out of Seattle so they decided to stay in a hotel for the night. I LOVE that. I love when families value their photos so much that they make it a whole experience. I never take that for granted. I know you are giving me a whole evening or morning of your life and I promise that I will deliver images that hold meaning to you.
We met on a stormy day that cleared up just in time for our session. We explored and played, they snuggled and loved and these are the images we made. Enjoy.
I had the pleasure of meeting this family while they were expecting their second baby. Then, I photographed them in the hospital for a hospital space newborn session, and finally we ended with this sweet newborn session. The beauty of lifestyle newborn photography is that you don't have to do the session in the first few weeks of life. Sometimes, adjusting to having a new baby takes time. Sometimes you need a few more weeks to feel settled enough to be captured. And that is more than okay with me. This little dude was nearly two months old for his newborn session. It was lovely because I was able to capture some of those first smiles.
I want my sessions in the home to feel a bit like a Sunday morning. Relaxed, cozy, and real. When I leave the home after a newborn session I feel like I was having coffee with a good friend who has just given birth. We discuss the labor, the birth, the after, and all the joys and the difficulties. Remember, I was a NICU and L&D nurse for ten years so this is something I get. Not to mention having birthed three of my own babies. ;) Newborn sessions should never feel stressful and you should never expect you family to be anything but themselves.
I hope you are all having a great start to your week. Be well.
Okay, I know what you are thinking when you scroll through this post. 1. This photographer takes a thousand photos and shares too many. 2. No way this family is for real. Okay okay, to be fair, yes, I take WAY too many photos. But it's because I am in love with what I do. Like I am up all at night in my bed thinking about how much I love the families I work with and how excited I am to create more for them. To make a better experience for them. To show them that their family is a work of art. When I get in my zone during a session I am not restricting my creativity at all. I just go with it. Because of that, I don't miss a thing. And for number 2... yes, this family is impossibly stunning. But guess what? They are so freakin cool, so down to earth, so fun, and THAT my friends is why these images are so beautiful. Just look at how they look at each other. Look at how those babies just adore their mama and how daddy's strong arms hold that chubby little baby in the most tender way. Just look at how comfortable they are in each others presence.
We met a year ago and while we haven't held true to it yet, Stella and I are planning on meeting for a mamas night out ASAP. She is good people. Like the kind of women you just want in your life. And their little family is perfectly imperfect. They are energetic, intense, and so unique. I just adore each and every one of them. So that is why these images are so beautiful. Because I allowed myself to fall head over heels in love with them and they trust me to capture them, as they are, for who they are.
