Holding on

Some days you just want to hold on for dear life.

Some days you just need a hand.

Some days, a smile, hug or pat on the back can make all the difference.

Every day, mama can make everything all better.

What to wear for your session | Raleigh Film Photographer

I totally get it. Deciding what to wear for your family or newborn session can be a nightmare and headache. I can help my clients ALL day long figure out what to wear, but as soon as it's my turn to be in front of the camera, I freeze up and basically just shut down mentally, lol.

My biggest suggestion for selecting a wardrobe for your session is to start with YOU, MAMA - and then go from there. I know, I know...these photos aren't all about the mama, but you better bet mama will ALWAYS be the main focus in the majority of the images. I always strive to make mama look amazing, because let's face it.....if everyone else looks outstanding, but mama doesn't love the way she looks, well...that photo isn't going to make it very far.

So step 1 is to find something beautiful and special for mama. Long flowing dresses are THE BEST OPTION when it comes to family and newborn photos. You may be rolling your eyes at me right now saying "but Stephanie, I NEVER wear dresses"; and you know what?? Me either! BUT - when it comes time for family pictures, I am searching Free People, Anthropologie and Piper + Scoot looking for the perfect flowing dress like it's my job because there is nothing more beautiful than a mama with her babies in a long, flowing dress. 

And I also know you are saying "but Stephanie, we are having photos taken in our home - do I really need to wear a dress?". Um and the answer is - UM, DEFINITELY! Inside or outside, long flowing dresses are beautiful, timeless and perfect!

I always suggest looking for a dress that has flow and movement, as well as a little bit of texture - maybe the sleeves have lace, or the bottom part of the dress/skirt is tulle. Textures add so much depth and dimension to photos. You can't ever go wrong with texture.

For spring and summer sessions, opt for lighter or pastel colors to really make your photos pop! For fall and winter sessions, warmer colors and floral patterns are the perfect combination!

So since you've already picked out your dress (right, mama???), styling the rest of the family is easy peasy! All you have left to do now is to select colors and patterns that COMPLIMENT, but not match your dress! Long gone are the days of family sessions where everyone is dressed in a classic white button down shirt and khaki pants! You want your wardrobe to have variety and some style!

Style your wardrobe around your dress and opt for items that bring out your dress! I always suggest having ONE pattern in your wardrobe, so if you are wearing a solid colored dress, have your daughter in a small-patterned top and solid skirt! OR - if your dress is patterned, dress the rest of your family in solid colors (or maybe add in a small complimentary pattern, such as stripes to go with your floral dress).

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My typical suggestions for wardrobes: 

Mom: long, flowing dress or skirt with some texture!

Dad: Neutral colored button down, polo skirt or v-neck shirt and solid pants (no jeans!).

Little boys: solid colored or striped polo shirt or button down with khaki or neutral colored shorts/pants.

Little girls: solid colored or small patterned dress that has a little bit of flow and movement.

Remember textures and accessories can work great with everyone!! Throw a fluffy vest over your daughter's dress, or add a scarf to your son! Little extras can add a ton of interest to a photo!

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions are typically done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

Smiles + a nap | Raleigh Family Photographer

Smiles and a nap sound like the perfect combo, right?

Sometimes kiddos just need a break during a session. Maybe they need to nurse, or maybe they just need to take a little walk to get some fresh air. All that's a-ok. Your family session shouldn't be crazy and hectic and stressful. These images are supposed to depict your love, connection and joy as a family and being stressed and frazzled rarely ever leads to beautiful photos you want to plaster up on your walls! Taking a little five minute break gets your little ones away from the camera and often times it leads to magic - like a NAP on mama's shoulder during a session - how priceless is that?!?!

I don't always stop shooting during these little "breaks", but I do try to give you a little space and distance and capture you all from a far. Or often times, I'll take maybe a kiddo (and a parent) who doesn't need a break to the side for some fun portraits! The end goal is to always give you a beautiful representation of your lovely family. Tears and meltdowns are part of your life too and sometimes I'll sneak in and capture those moments as well. I promise you years from now, a meltdown photo of your then 2 year old will be beyond priceless.  

So don't worry, mama. We'll do whatever we need to relax YOU and your babies (and hubby) during your session! I promise it will be magical!

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions are typically done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

True Love | Raleigh Film Photographer

True love....

These two love birds are tying the knot in September and I can't even tell you how excited I am to be a part of their wedding. I leave room in my calendar for one (mayyyyybe two) weddings a year and as soon as Kathryn and I started messaging back and forth about her wedding, I knew we would be a perfect fit. Getting married is a BIG deal. Like a really BIG deal. You only do it once, and the person capturing and recording all of these little details for you should be an absolutely perfect fit to your wedding day and wedding plans. I spent a morning meeting and chatting with Kathryn and Lorenzo, discussing my style, my take on photography and all of my quirks. And they were awesome. They let me be myself and are so open and welcoming to any and all of my suggestions.

Photographing them for their engagement was fun and quirky and probably different than most engagement photos you see out there floating around. Both Kathryn and Lorenzo wanted to have the session in the comfort of their own home and out in front of their house.....and you all know how I feel about those home sessions!! They make my heart skip a beat. :) Both of these love birds opened up and truly let me in to their love for each other. They laughed (probably most at me....), joked with each other and settled into those true love moments. 
 

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions (babies, couples, newborns) are done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

Home is wherever Dee Dee is | Charlotte Film Photographer

I can't even with this cute family.

I first met Melissa at a Click Away conference in Seattle a few years ago. She's from Charlotte, NC and since we were basically two little East Coast gals heading to the west, we texted and emailed prior to the conference and I basically just palled around with her and her sweet friend, Danielle, the entire time.

Fast-forward a year or so later, it turns out we are both OBSESSED with film. Kinda crazy obsessed (and if you've hung around my site for a while, you know this to be true....). We had tried to connect several times for a family session while I was in Charlotte, but our timing never really worked out. BUUUT. All the stars finally aligned and I got to be a fly on the wall as Melissa and her sweet family loved on each other. 

Family sessions are wild + crazy. There is usually at least one family member who really doesn't want ANYTHING to do with me. And that's totally ok. We still make magic....even if you don't feel very magical in any fashion or form. My end goal with every session is for you to see how beautiful your life really is.....to find the magical in the mundane....to see the joy and love even during times of tears and frustrations. Melissa and her family were truly magical and it was a pure honor to capture them all together!

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions are done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

A blank canvas | North Carolina Family Photographer

A big blue sky + a few puffy clouds. Sounds like heaven to me.

The beach seriously has to be THE BEST spot for family photos. It's basically a big blank canvas to create whatever you wish. The mix of the baby blue sky and the white sandy beaches make for the most beautiful family photos. And not to mention, you're at THE BEACH, so basically it's like a vacation WITH photos. It's just YOU and your family - loving on each other, being together and running free! All shot on film!

The best thing about living in the middle of North Carolina is that we have the beach on one side and the mountains on the other. Living in Raleigh lets us take advantage of both magical spots - and it also gives me the ability to hop over to one or the other and capture you and your family in these beautiful vacation spots. Ever thought about having a beautiful set of family photographs with your kids frolicking through the water, toes in sand and hugs as the ocean rolls in the background? Um, yes please! Doesn't that sound just amazing? I have a few beach sessions lined up for this summer in our beautiful beaches and would LOVE to get your family in front of my camera as well! And I can travel to the mountains too if you prefer something a little more tranquil and nature-y (I totally know that's not even a word, but oh well....).

And with that, I know that you want to book a beach session immediately, right??. : ) Call or email me with your vacation location and vacation plans (or just click this link riiiiiiight here) and let's see if we can figure something out! 

Here's some beach eye-candy to give you a glimpse of what those amazing beach sessions are all about! Enjoy!

Perfectly Imperfect | Raleigh Family Photographer

When it comes to my personal and professional work, my head and my heart often speak a different language. 

My head loves perfectly composed, well-lit, in-focus images.

My heart loves weird crops, double exposures, out of focus images and blurred movements.

The dilemma...

I know I will always be my hardest critic. I am brutal with both my personal and professional images. I can cull 200 images down to 50 in about 5 seconds flat. I'm the first to discard a weirdly cropped image or softer focus image. BUT....y'all. The culled images might be perfectly composed and completely in focus, but those other moments....the softer moments that were captured during the craziness of a session....those speak to my heart. They make me happy because they are REAL. They are RAW. And most importantly, they are YOU.

Over the past year, I have really taken a look at both my personal and professional work and have tried to dissect WHAT a moment means to me. I've poured over image after image trying to figure out the WHY behind my work. My end goal with any family session is to always evoke an emotion. Maybe it's happiness and laughter...maybe it's love as a family....maybe it's a quiet moment captured unintentionally. I am always searching to capture the "here and now", and in my life, and mind, the "here and now" is rarely perfectly composed.

I think all of our "here and nows" are perfectly imperfect. Life is perfectly imperfect. We are dealt with what we are given and it's up to us to either let that sourness take us over or make that lemonade with a smile on our face. 

My client galleries always include a mix of BOTH of these moments.....the well composed, well-lit images, AND the perfectly imperfect images. Some of those imperfect images are purposeful because that's the way I saw that particular moment in my head or that's how the moment unfold before me. Some are unintentional and happened because often time life just moves too quickly - but they are just as important.

So all this is to just show you a little bit of my heart and for you to know WHY I shoot the way I do, or why I share the images I choose to share. I will always share the images that speak to my heart. The ones that quicken my pulse and make me want to pick up my camera and shoot another family session IMMEDIATELY. My heart will always be a part of your session. 

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions are done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

The here and now | Raleigh Film Photographer

My kids started back to school after their three week spring break and my soul needed every single minute of our time together. Often times I feel like I'm starting to need my kids more than they need me. They show me unconditional love and affection and just add so much joy and happiness to my life. I will forever be grateful that I get to be there mama. 

Hanging around with my kids makes me realize what's most important in life.  It's also a gentle reminder to be present and to enjoy the here and now.....the everyday....the chaos....those in-between moments of our day. 

When I get to photograph a beautiful family, I find that it's those in-between moments that I'm always hunting for. I obviously want to capture you all together, but what my soul craves are those moments of the everyday where your kids are "with" you....where they curl your hair with their fingers or gently caress your cheek. These moments are what I live for in my own life....and my hope to be able to let you have some of "those" moments of your life preserved forever. 

And with that, I know that you want to book a session immediately, right??. : ) Here's the low-down for ya. Family sessions are done in your home + fave places...we usually always venture outside around your home to play  (weather permitting). Some folks like to do just their house and yard, some folks like to do just one room of their house and their favorite park up the road. We're not meeting in some random park or place you've never been before. These are the places that matter most to you. This stage/house/moment you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your here and now. I promise you will NEVER regret preserving those in-between moments. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

On Beach Time | North Carolina Family Photographer

The beach is pure magic...

Sand between your toes + that golden sun on your face can pretty much calm your soul and make all your worries disappear. The beach will always be one of my very favorite places for escape. Sunny days, cloudy days, breezy days - they are all magical at the beach. Probably just like you, I have so many fond childhood memories of splashing in the waves, digging tunnels in the sand and being crispy burnt from that glaring sun.

The best thing about North Carolina is that we have the beach on one side and the mountains on the other. Living in Raleigh lets us take advantage of both magical spots - and it also gives me the ability to hop over to one or the other and capture you and your family in these beautiful spots. Ever thought about having a beautiful set of family photographs with your kids frolicking through the water, toes in sand and hugs as the ocean rolls in the background? Um, yes please! Doesn't that sound just amazing? I have a few beach sessions lined up for this summer in our beautiful beaches and would LOVE to get your family in front of my camera as well!

The beach in general makes my heart go pitter-patter, but the clean backdrop of the sand, water and sky makes my heart almost explode. It's just YOU and your family - loving on each other, being together and running free! 

And with that, I know that you want to book a beach session immediately, right??. : ) Call or email me with your vacation location and vacation plans (or just click this link riiiiiiight here) and let's see if we can figure something out! 

Here's some beach eye-candy to give you a glimpse of what those amazing beach sessions are all about! Enjoy!

Mama's boy | Raleigh Family Photographer

My two babies are twenty months apart and I totally remember being in this vortex of nursing, diapers, toys and nap time when they were both little. It seemed like the days passed at a snails pace and bedtime wouldn't come soon enough. I met plenty of people who told me to "enjoy the moment" and that "time passes too quickly", but when I was covered in spit up and hadn't showered in a few days, I totally didn't believe them. That's the funny thing about time, though. It is truly a thief. 

There's nothing like looking back at your life....at a particular moment in time. It kind of makes your heart ache and your head spin just thinking about all the years passed, moments gone and memories made. Every single picture I took of my own children is priceless. The ones where we showed up, loved on each other and someone else took photos with ME in them are even more priceless. These moments of motherhood pass too quickly and the saddest part is that we are usually SO caught up in the stress of the day to day that it takes many years to look back and truly appreciate those moments. Being able to give others the gift of captured time will forever be where my heart lives. You make not know it when you see it, but I can guarantee you there will be some point in your life when you look back on these images and are so incredibly thankful you have them. You won't be looking at your messy house or how you cut bangs in 2018 and hated every second of them (speaking to myself here people...). What you will see is your life. Recorded. Saved. Documented. Cherished. 

Hey you! Your day matters and these moments matter too. The stage you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your right now. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

One on the way | Raleigh Family Photographer

Life as they know it will soon change so very much. I love that the Fry family wanted to capture their moments as they are NOW before bringing a new baby home. Little Miss Kelsey was the star of the show and I she will make the best big sister ever. 

There's no day or time in your life too ordinary to be recorded and saved. Email or message me if you are interested in scheduling an in-home family session. They have all the feels, love, squeezes and everything in between. xo

Hey friends! Your day matters and these moments matter too. The stage you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your right now. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

A mother's day | Raleigh Family Photographer

You know those days where you don't get out of pajamas and feel like you have someone tugging at you all day long? That's a mama's day right there.

As I was rushing around like crazy to get my daughter to finish her homework and off to gymnastics on time, I saw this frazzled mama of three trying her best to keep up. She was carrying one in a baby Bjorn, the middle one was trying his best to peddle his big wheel down the street and the oldest was up pushing away at his strider bike. I about pulled my car over and cried. I wanted to hug her and tell her to enjoy every single second of this craziness and that it all but passes too quickly. I wanted to reassure that sweet mama that she will SO MISS these small, stressful moments one day as she's whisking away another child to another after school activity. When you're stuck in the everyday cleaning up messes and wiping away tears, you often forget how simply amazing the mundane truly is. It often seems like time stands still during these moments and bedtime won't come fast enough. But oh mamas, it does. It's moving SO fast that often you can't even see it. You can't see how much or how quickly your babies have changed and grown all the while you were cleaning messes and feeling maybe a little bit lost. The job of a mama is the greatest job there is  and whatever you are doing RIGHT now is exactly perfect. It doesn't matter that the laundry is going on cycle three through the wash....it doesn't matter that the dishes from last night are still in the sink....and it doesn't matter that you maybe haven't showered in a day or so. What matters is your babies and the love they feel from you.

Hey you! Your day matters and these moments matter too. The stage you're at right now will be totally different and changed and just "where in the world did time go?" a year from now. Take the time to capture your right now. Call or email me for session deets (or just click this link riiiiiiight here).

Why you should book an in-home session

There is something so very special about an in-home session. The walls of your home hold SO many memories and so much love. This is the place where you come to be together. Home is where you can shut out the world and focus on what is most important. And capturing your family in those moments is so incredibly priceless.

I know most of you probably don't feel like your home is "picture perfect" or "photo ready" and the good news is that it doesn't have to be. An in-home session isn't about taking photos in a perfectly organized, newly decorated home. It's about capturing your family in the here + now. It's recording your everyday and home as they are today......all which will change way too quickly.

In-home sessions are slower paced and give you time to do the things your family does together naturally - read books, cuddle, make snacks, bake, paint - whatever it is that makes YOU you. These sessions typically last about 1-2 hours and I truly love these types of sessions because I can literally sit back and watch your family interact and capture you as you are. 

And let's not forget about your house and the surrounding areas (backyard/parks/trails). These places are the heart of your family and are always included in the process. What I wouldn't give to have photos taken when my babies were both under 2 in our home in Maryland. Time changes so quickly and I would have loved to have those memories/rooms/toys recorded. 

So, yes! In-home sessions are where it's at folks. It's a true glimpse into your everyday and that truly can't be beat. If you're interested in scheduling an in-home session, I would absolutely LOVE to chat with you!! Email me at stephanie@stephaniebryanphoto.com.