I headed down to the pool on Fathers Day to try and snap a couple shots of my husband, Dadding. Throwing kids around in the pool is definitely a Dad thing.  These moments are fleeting, which is why I am grateful to be a photographer.  One day she is going to be way too cool to be thrown around the pool, it's going to be embarrassing for Dad to even be there.  While the children won't keep, the photographs will.

 I used one of our Free Actions, Photo Refresh on this image.  Here is the before and after:

Photo Refresh is everything you need to clean up an image, plus there is an optional warmth layer, to warm things up.  The hazy sunlight in the left of the image is something new I have up my sleeve for you.  More on that later this week/next week.

If you are a Dad, I hope you had a wonderful Fathers Day.  I hope you did all the Dad things, and I hope that someone snapped a few pics for you to remember this fleeting time.

P.S.  I know it's weird that my husbands face is hidden.  It's what we have to do.  Thank you for understanding.

Four months ago, our littlest farm boy made his arrival.  He was smaller than we imagined he would be, but so so so cute.  

​He has a beautiful disposition, and is already giving us glimpses of his little personality.  I took a couple of weeks off but have gotten back to work in the last few days.  He was born just after Valentine's Day and everything got put on hold these last few weeks.  I'm not putting too much pressure on myself but I promised myself this time that I wouldn't slow down and so far I have been able to strap him into a carrier and carry on with my responsibilities.  It helps that he is such a good baby, he is up for anything as long as he is snuggled up to me.

​I'm not saying that I'm getting things done quickly, it took me 5 weeks to take these pictures, and another week to sit down and edit them.  For me, these are the perfect newborn photos.  While posed newborn photos are beautiful to look at, and seem fun to style- I prefer real life, real moments...real memories.

I love the way he sleeps.  It's the best to me.  I just want to remember those little things, because it's easy to forget.  Really easy. ​

Edited using the Portrait Magic Collection:
​Bright & Even, Magic Skin Smoother, Highlight Luminosity, Sharpen

​

1. TIMING MIGHT BE EVERYTHING. Take your photos in the first week, babies are their sleepiest and most malleable in the first few days.
2. KEEP THEM WARM. they will be quieter and sleepier so you can position them as needed.  Turn on a space heater in the room 30 minutes before you start snapping pictures.
3. NAIL DOWN YOUR VISION.  Think about the colors you want ahead of time and gather your supplies.  I wanted these images to be really neutral and creamy with a little texture.  The light in our bedroom is so beautiful in the morning, and everything is already neutral.  I grabbed a woven blanket and folded him up in it.
4. CHOOSE THREE POSES.  Choose a couple of poses and then move around shooting from different angles.  Standing directly above the baby will produce different results than getting down on eye level.  You don't have to move the baby around to get a million pictures.
5. KEEP IT SIMPLE.  The best pictures you will get are not fussy and overly involved.  The point is to capture some real-life memories of your little one.  Difficult posing generally involves compositing in the editing process, which is better left to the pros and always involves helping hands.  
6. DON'T BE INTIMIDATED.  Whether you are a professional photographer or a Momtographer, little tiny baby pictures can be intimidating.  In my professional career, I did newborn portraits two times.  I was shaking the whole time, but I also didn't follow these tips.  There were too many poses, too many outfit changes, it was TOO MUCH.  Slow down.  Calm down.  Keep it simple.
7. PULL UP A CHAIR.  You may have to sit and wait.  I spent about two hours taking these pictures...much of that was waiting for him to fall asleep so that I could get the positions I wanted.  I spent a lot of time just standing there waiting.
8. BE PATIENT.  With yourself.  You may be snapping away and not getting the picture that you want.  Keep snapping.  These images came from the end of the roll (so to speak).  I had taken at least a hundred pictures before I got what I wanted.  The light may change slightly, you may discover a new angle, or think of a new idea.  Snap away, and worry about analyzing them later during the editing process.
9. TURN OFF YOUR FLASH.  Using a flash indoors can create really harsh shadows.  Set up near a window with soft diffused light.  If you need a flash, be sure to attach a Gary Fong Light Sphere, this will  help diffuse any harsh shadows.

Do you have tried and true tricks for newborn photography?  Have you tried the Portrait Magic Collection?  Connect with me in the comments below!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission of you click through and purchase (at no cost to you).  Thank you for connecting with me in this way, it allows me to continue running this website.

Friends!  I want to share some Magic and Light Collection plans with you and give you some lifestyle photography tips.  Just some simple tips on catching that every day magic!  

First, let's talk about this years plans for Magic and Light Collection.  My big word this year is THANK YOU!  All 5,000+ of you. You have been really patient with me in the last couple of years.   If you are reading this right now, I am giving you a big huge thank-you-hug.  It has been a great 8 years of Magic and Light Collection and I couldn't be more grateful for all of my friends, followers, subscribers, and customers.  Whether you are here for the video library, free stuff, or you are making a purchase, we get each other, you and I.  Photography is a universal language and I am so grateful to be a part of your journey for the last 8 years.

Going forward, I am taking a new approach.  In the past, I haven't had time to share all of my own work and I have turned to other resources, out of necessity.  Going forward, I am sharing real stuff from my own portfolio.  I'm issuing myself a challenge because of this reason:  I let life get in the way of my own fulfillment.  Basically, I do everything for my family and let my own passions fall by wayside.  Moms, you hear me!  Momming is hard.  It's rewarding, but IT.IS.HARD and you lose you a little. 

Over the last 8 years of Magic and Light Collection, I have had two sweet babies. I've moved around the world, spent three years in a country that did not allow photographers (they almost took my equipment once on a trip through customs), bought a small farm, and generally done life.  It's been a hard few years for me as a photographer.  The short of this is, I need to make more time on the side for what makes me happy, and that is photography.  

Often, on competitors websites I see fantastical images.  Children with unicorns, families in the forest, very, very, posed images.  I am all about that, and as a photographer I revel in those beautiful images.  BUT, I also think that the beginner needs some support and mom-tographers need realistic expectations.  I know I don't always have time to pose images perfectly and I totally don't have zebras ready and willing in my back yard for birthday photos.

​The bottom line is, I want Magic and Light Collection to reflect the needs of our customers, real people taking real life pictures.  Along with sharing original, every day images, I will let you know which Actions and Overlays I am using from the collection, and share whatever else I can learn, with you,  in my endless pursuit of photography.  I want Magic and Light Collection to be more about sharing and caring going forward.

This year, I would love to connect with you in some way on a regular basis, the comments section of the blog, Facebook, email are all great ways.  Are you interested in talking about your photography journey?  Would you like to write a guest post for this blog?  Email me, I would love to connect.

Boscobel Farm is my historic Virginia Farm

I thought that I might share a little bit about what I am thinking on how I can get my photography groove back.

I've been taking a walk every evening when my husband gets home.  NO KIDS ALLOWED.  Only me and my camera and always my farm cat, right around golden hour.  I disappear for an hour.  

Keep your camera close by and charged.  I have been keeping my camera in the kitchen vs. the office lately so that I can snap a picture when I see something interesting.  I also make it a point to keep my battery charger handy.  There is nothing that will squash a creative moment like a dead battery.

Is the light hitting your morning coffee just right?  Do you have a favorite peice of yellow furniture that brightens your day.  These are the moments of your life, ever how small.  Catching these moments is paramount.  It will mean a lot to you one day.  I recently found this out when my 18 year old dog died.  A story I will share with you soon.

A 365 project involves a photo theme every day.  This is a perfect way to get your photography groove back.  Plan on creating a photo book, and add to it each day.  By the end of the year, your book will be finished.  Here is a 365 resource.

Share your craft with the world.  Enter a photo contest, whether you win or not, you are working on getting yourself out there and your taking great pictures in the process.

These are just a few lifestyle photography tips to get you started!  This is the list I am using to get myself back in the swing.  What are you working on right now?  Connect with me in the comments below!  -Amy