Christmas 2016

The anticipation of Christmas morning was crazy here in our house. My kids could not have been more excited about Santa coming to down our chimney and they pretty much begged to go to sleep around 6:30. I'm pretty sure it's the only time in the history of forever that they've requested to go to bed. The were jacked up on sugar + a Santa high anyway, so we knew there was no way they would fall asleep early. We snuggled, watched ONE more Christmas movie and then Anna read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to us before turning in.

Christmas is always magical and seeing the joy and excitement in my children's eyes makes it even more special. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! Lots of love from our family! xo

The anticipation of Christmas morning was crazy here in our house. My kids could not have been more excited about Santa coming to our house and pretty much begged to go to sleep around 6:30. I'm pretty sure it's the only time in the history of forever that they've requested to go to bed. The were jacked up on a sugar + Santa high anyway, so we knew there was no way they would fall asleep early. We snuggled, watched ONE more Christmas movie and then Anna read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to us before turning in!

Christmas is always magical and seeing the joy and excitement in my children's eyes makes it even more special. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! Lots of love from our family! xo

Cherish

One thing I truly and deeply believe in is getting your beautiful photos OFF of your computer or camera and into an album (or print)! These memories are priceless, and we all know that things change and people grow SO very quickly. Faces change, teeth fall out (and grow back in as BIG PEOPLE TEETH...whhhhhy? I miss baby teeth.), hair gets cut, little baby feet grow into big kid, smelly feet.... Capturing, recording AND cherishing these little things is what photography is all about. It's a moment of time....your life, your crazy days....captured forever. 

I am a big fan of Artifact Uprising and use them for all of my client albums. Delivering these bundles of joy is always my favorite part. Having these memories to look back on and share with others is so totally priceless. So go print something! Make an album! Share a memory! I promise you won't regret it! 

My Favorite Lightroom Presets

I switched over to Lightroom for editing at the beginning of the year and it has been THE BEST photography decision I have ever made (except for begging for that Canon Rebel Ti1 many many years ago). I was so intimidated by Lightroom in the beginning, and I'm still learning as I go, but the editing options are endless and I love being able to tweak just ONE element of my photo. I do the majority of my editing in Lightroom before exporting to Photoshop for a few tweaks, so presets have become my new favorite. Today, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you (you know...in case you are still looking for a Christmas gift for yourself...)

The Loren x Chris presets from Tribe Archipelago are some of my very favorite. I love the softer colors, pale greens and film look of these presets. I find myself gravitating to LXC 01 and LXC 02 mostly and usually make minor tweaks with the orange saturation and orange luminance to soften/brighten skin.  I also almost always remove the grain from my images (just a personal preference). These presets are typically my go-to presets for indoor newborn sessions. The softer tones really make these sessions seem dreamy and delicate. 

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Just a few weeks ago, Tribe Archipelago released the next version of the LXC presets - LXCN. These presets are super similar to the LXC presets with the softer tones and paler colors, but seem to have a little more "pop" on the finished image. I also feel like the skin tones on these images are more polished and less saturated when compared to the LCX presets. I hesitated on getting this new set since I already had (and loved) the original, but I am so glad I finally caved and purchased LXCN. I feel like adding these presets to my collection gives me additional options for editing while remaining consistent across my images. 

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Another preset favorite is the Film Me presets from The Blissful Maven. These presets are much more dramatic than the Tribe presets and I have found that I love using these with backlit photos. The "magic" and "fire" presets are perfect for rich and vibrant backlit images and the black & white "fearless" preset is perfect for dramatic indoor photos. These presets do have a lot of grain added to them, so I usually reduce that during my editing process. 

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When I am looking for a clean and crisp edit, the Water + Light presets from Samantha McBride Photography are my go-to! The "normal" preset has perfect tones and enhances the light in images beautifully, while the "fill light" preset really helps boost shadows and make the light pop. The black & white preset in this pack is typically always the base for my outdoor black and white photos. And best of all, I find that these presets are usually just one click + done. I have to do very little tweaking to the colors or tones with these presets and you can't beat that when you have a zillion images to edit! Oh - and you can bet that I'm counting down the days until summer when I finally try these out on my underwater shots! 

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I couldn't live without these presets! And I definitely couldn't pick a favorite. I love each of them for different reasons and usually mix them all into my session images. I try to keep the overall tones in my images similar (greens, yellows, oranges), but for the most part I mix and match as I edit. Some of my favorite "edits" have come from just trying out a new preset! So what about you? Do you use presets? Do you have a favorite?

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'Tis the season

We start December with a bang. December 1st is Drew's birthday and from there it feels like we are on a spiral of crazy activity. I am so very thankful my kids get out of school a week or so before Christmas so we can all take a deep breath, make cookies and sit on the couch and watch Christmas movies.

This truly is the most magical time of the year. I used to think that being a kid at Christmas was the best ever, but now I know that having kids at Christmas is the icing on the cookie. Just five more sleeps until the big man comes down our chimney and I think I'm more excited than they are. 

I hope your home has been full of holiday cheer this December! I know ours sure has! xo

Baby Malayna | Raleigh Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

Oh sweet baby!

I would give anything for a third baby, but my husband keeps saying no, so I'll just have to live vicariously through all of these sweet newborns. Newborn session has become my new favorite. They're slower paced, quiet and so darn sweet. There is nothing more precious than seeing new parents with their sweet bundle of joy.

I had the pleasure of capturing sweet baby Malayna and her beautiful mama one chilly morning early December. Malayna was born a few weeks early, so she was teeny-tiny. And she reminded me so much of my sweet Anna. Anna was full term, but I had some complications and ended up staying in the hospital for the week after she was born. She lost quite a bit of weight before we were able to go home and weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs. 12 oz. when we were discharged. Malayna was just as small as Anna and was just so precious. It brought back all of those mama memories and I my craving to do it all again grew as I held and photographed sweet Malayna. For now, though, my husband says I have to stick with newborn photography to get my baby fix.....

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For newborn session inquiries, please contact me at stephanie@stephaniemakes.com or via my contact page.

Pleasants Family | Raleigh Lifestyle Family Photographer

Give me all the sweet three year olds!

Three just has to be my favorite age. I love how inquisitive and happy and honest they are at this stage. Hanging out with sweet Beckett and his family was definitely the highlight of my Sunday afternoon. This family is just amazing and so.darn.cute. And the blonde hair...sigh. I can barely stand it. We had the most fun running around the greenway and being silly during this session. Just the way I like it. Don't get me wrong....I love a good "family" photo, but those other moments...the ones that happen EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG, are my very favorite. I love squeezes and hand holding, giggles and thumb-sucking. These are the memories that fade with time and that you will long to remember years down the road. Capturing these little details is why I love photography so much. You can make time stand still. 

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For session inquiries, please contact me at stephanie@stephaniemakes.com or via my contact page.

Around Our Clocks - 3pm

Happy Monday, friends!
The "Around Our Clocks" blog circle continues and today we are all sharing a glimpse at what our 3:00pm looks like. I should have just pasted a picture of a tornado on my post today, because we are usually just fresh out of school and on our way to one of many activities at this time. Gymnastics, art, fitness clubs, Girl Scouts....the list goes on and on. Today, we stopped by my kids very favorite place - the library. We come here at least once a week and I usually have to drag them out...especially Anna. I'm pretty sure she would just sit and read at the library all day long. I love this library so much because it's never crowded at all and it's so darn quite (as a library should be, I guess).  It's a great place to sneak away from the craziness that is our week. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! To continue on the "Around Our Clocks" blog circle, click on over to Camille Arner's blog and see what her 3pm looks like! 

Bath Time Fun

What is better than a bubble bath?? Nothing really, right??

I know the days where these two splash and play in the bathtub together are numbered, so I'm trying to savor every last giggle and soaked floor. They might fight me when I tell them it's bath time, but it really is their favorite. Then they beg for "just a few more minutes" every single time I try to get them out. And their bath time fun is the reason my floors get "somewhat" clean every week. Thanks kids... ;)

Feature: Dear Photographer Blog + Magazine

Have you ever sat down and written a letter to yourself?

I've written a few over the years and they are always so reflective and soul nurturing. It's kind of like looking at your life through pen and paper.... And I've found that it's so much easier to separate the emotions and feelings and "stuff of life" when you are writing it all down. All that said, I was still super nervous when Adri and Jesica from Dear Photographer blog asked if they could feature me and my work.  It's hard putting yourself out there and sharing all. But...I feel like we are all so much alike in so many ways. We all struggle with everyday life somedays, feel on top of the world on others and ho-hum during the in-betweens. As always, I am so honored to be able to share my work and words with others and I truly appreciate the opportunities given to me. If you want to read more, stop by the Dear Photographer blog.

The Ward Family | Raleigh Lifestyle Family Photographer

I am so incredibly grateful for friends who allow me to capture their family and the little moments in-between. The Wards live down the street from me, but have a beautiful 500-acre farm just outside of town. They invited me out to their farm one beautiful Saturday afternoon and I was awe-struck with not only their farm, but their love for one another. We had the best time explore the farm and all of the beautiful little hideouts. 

Since I take a lifestyle approach to my sessions, I'm always a little trepidatious when it comes to photographing older children. I can handle the little ones who don't care less about me and don't want to look at my camera to begin with. But older children know the "picture" drill...they are used to being asked to stand and "smile"....and while I do love capturing a pretty smile with everyone looking at the camera, the in-between moments are my favorite. I love watching a family  interacting, playing and being silly together. I love getting a glimpse of their REAL life - not just the "pose-for-the-camera" look. The love the wards have for each other is amazing and I am so honored they allowed me to capture a piece of their life. xo

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For session inquiries, please contact me at stephanie@stephaniemakes.com or via my contact page. 

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Finding Magic

What a surprise!! We found a new Christmas tree stand just down the road from us and were greeted by some new friends when we got there! These horses were the highlight of our trip and I'm pretty sure we picked out a tree in record time just to be back over by the horses. 

My kids LOVED petting the horses and these pretties were so darn friendly and sweet. The sun was setting in the background....and oh man...it was just magical! What a glorious day! It just goes to show that you really can find magic just about anywhere. 

I hope your weekend has been wonderful. We are super busy over here with loads of Christmas activities, photo editing, parties and more! Wishing you all the best, friends. xo

Giving Thanks

We've hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the past two years and we couldn't be more grateful for family who is willing to travel to us. We love having everyone here and the countdown for their arrival begins weeks in advance. My kids LOVE their cousins and we all love watching them together. Our Thanksgiving was very relaxed and simple this year. Lots of laughter, yummy food and tons of fun. I'm so thankful for our family and hope they know just how much they mean to me and us. 

My top 10 list of Thanksgiving favorites:

1. Having all of our family here for days on end! I love the early morning coffee, papers and talks, as well as the late night movies and Whirly-Pop popcorn.
2. Endless hours of jumping on the trampoline. Our kids barely came inside this week.
3. The "drippy" gingerbread turkey decoration
4. Celebrating Drew's birthday a few days early with a birthday song sang as loud as possible and bowls of whipped cream + sprinkles.
5. Black Friday shopping at Target and Barnes + Nobles....and introducing my mother-in-law to the dollar section at Target!
6. Giggling non-stop at Bad Moms and then concocting our plan to be "Bad Moms" for the rest of the weekend (fyi - our plan didn't work...we couldn't pour the cereal straight from the boxes into our mouths...).
7. Listening to Anna and Drew tell stories and read books together on the air mattress in our room.
8. Conversations around the fire pit.
9. The "talent show" complete with drums, dancing and a guitar solo the kids put on for us on Thanksgiving day.
10. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law cleaning my kitchen NON-STOP all week. Please come back. 

Costley Family | Raleigh, NC Lifestyle Photographer

When we moved into our neighborhood, we hit the jackpot BIG time! Our street is full of families, children, dogs, bikes, toys and more. It's a childhood dream for sure. The people we have met here in our little neighborhood are the icing on the cake. When our sweet friends, the Costleys, asked if I would capture some photos of their family, I couldn't say yes fast enough. We had a short little session, but the love and joy between their family was just palpable. I love getting to record the feelings and emotions between a family. Thank you, friends, for allowing me to capture your sweet family. xo

Bring on the holiday books!

We are SO excited for everything Christmas. I "may" have started decorating my house before Thanksgiving...oops. I just couldn't help it. My kids LOVE Christmas and they have been begging to get our Christmas stuff out every day since Halloween. I mean, how could I say no??

Because I'm a Christmas hoarder (yikes), we have TONS of Christmas stuff! The best part about it all is that I really feels like Christmas when we pull out all of our books, toys, decorations, wreaths, pillows. I'm over here like "look - I totally forgot we had this" and "whoa - I don't even remember buying this....". ;)

Christmas books are some of my kids favorites and they stay out on our bookshelves long into the new year. This year, we are so excited to add a few more books to collection thanks to Bookroo. We LOVE our Bookroo books. Each book comes individually wrapped and tied with a bow, so it's kind of like a mini gift! Each subscription plan includes either 3 board books (for ages 0-2) or 2 hardcover books (ages 2+)! If you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that bookworm, then stop on over and check out Bookroo!

Happy almost December, friends! We're getting pretty excited over here. And there are rumors floating around that our crazy elf, Happy, might be returning soon!! Does an elf come to visit your house (p.s. I have a love-hate relationship with our elf....he makes the biggest messes....).

Thankful

I have so many blessings in my life, but these two make my world go 'round. I am so grateful and honored to be their mama and I couldn't ask for a better role in life. I know our life isn't perfect and we definitely have our ups and downs, but I choose to look for the good, focus on the happy, seek out positivity and strive for contentment...remembering that each day may not be great, but there's something great about every single day. 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Warmest wishes from our family to yours. xo

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

Document Your December

The countdown to December is on and I am so excited to be offering a Photo-a-Day workshop to help you document your holiday memories this year. I have recorded and documented the 25 days leading up to Christmas for the past five years and these memories are some of my very favorite. The holiday themselves always bring out all the joy and cheer and capturing these precious moments is priceless.

If you are looking for a little inspiration and encouragement this December, then join me in my workshop at Big Picture Classes and let me guide the way! The class includes 25 photo prompts that will inspire you to document your month, memories and holiday cheer! I've also included a look at several different to get those photos OFF of your camera and into an album you and your family will love and cherish!

I hope you will join me! Please reach out if you have any questions at all!!  I'd love to hear from you!

You can all of my current workshops on my Workshop page.

Now offering client sessions

For as long as I can remember I have loved the art of photography. I love capturing my own family's everyday moments and I especially love helping others see how beautiful their life is through the lens. I've have been blessed with so many wonderful friends who have allowed me to capture their families over the past few years and I am finally stepping out of my comfort zone and am going to offer my services to others. Whether you are capturing your family together, welcoming a new, sweet bundle to the family or want to record those precious mother-child moments, I would be honored to help you preserve your memories. 

I am currently offering an introductory rate of $300 for 1-2 hour family sessions. These sessions are completely customized to you and your family and will usually occur around sunrise or sunset. You will receive a custom gallery of a minimum of 25-30 edited images as well as a bound and printed photo album. Feel free to contact me via my Contact page or email (stephanie@stephaniemakes.com) for session inquiries. xo

Afternoon Delight

There is nothing better than just hanging out with these two. Every afternoon is a delight when we have nothing on our agenda really other than coloring and watching the sunset. 

We braved the cold and wind this afternoon and ventured out to a favorite little field of ours for some giggles and fun. Fall is barely hanging on around here. All of the leaves on our tree out front blew off this weekend, so we can tell that old man winter isn't too far away. And my husband finally let me turn on the heat, so yeah...it's pretty chilly out there. 

Their school closes for the entire week of Thanksgiving (yippee), so I get to snuggle these cuties for the foreseeable future! We have so much to be thankful for and I am just so grateful to have these babies in my life. 

Happy Monday, friends.

xo

2017 Calendar Album

Tick, tock. 2017 will be here in no time!! Crazy, right?? 

Join me over at Studio Calico and create a mini album that's perfect for holiday gift giving (or perfect for getting yourself all ready to document 2017!). In this class, first we will create a classic calendar using templates + your favorite photos. Then we will build a unique album for adding those photos and memories throughout the year! If you're giving this calendar set + album as a gift, then your recipient will be ready to document their year using the photos (perfect for a grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend). And if it's for you, then you'll be all set to document 2017.

There is a class kit that coordinates with the class, but feel free to use your own supplies and products here!! I'm keeping it simple and easy with my album!

I hope you will join me in this fun class and create an album to help record your memories!

Happy Friday, friends!!

Click here to see all of my current workshops.

Around Our Clocks - 8am

Happy Monday, friends! 
I am so excited to be collaborating with a group of amazing photographers and artists to capture our days. Our collaboration is all about how we spend the hours of our days; what makes us unique; what our everyday looks like. I have always been a HUGE proponent of documenting those everyday moments; the moments that seem to pass so quickly and are soon forgotten. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this opportunity.

For the first "around our clocks" post, we are focusing on the 8am hour. Our 8am varies during school days and weekends for sure. Most Mondays-Fridays both of my kids are tucked into their desks at school at 8am. I'm usually at home cleaning up the house and Scott is up working. Our weekends, though... they're a different story. 

Both Anna and Drew love their beds and pillows. Anna definitely prefers to always sleep sprawled out in her big ole beds and rarely comes into our bed, but Drew....he comes crawling in every once in a while in the middle of the night and I can't say that I mind it one bit. I know the days where he sneaks in to snuggle are fleeting. He's not the best bed-sharer, but he's pretty darn cute, so we let him get away with it. I love to watch him sleeping there next to me, and my very favorite part is when he first wakes up, sees me and smiles. You just can't beat that. 

So that's a look at 8am on our weekends....a sweet boy snuggled into bed with us. To continue the "Around our Clocks" loop, click on over to Aly Dawn's blog.