Family Portraits at Home | The Stann Family

I looooove these portraits from my session with the Stann family. It's so fun to be part of making a permanent family memory for these girls and their parents. 

As you can see from the indoor shots, the Stann family has some beautiful rustic decor, and we echoed that in the framing for their over-the-fireplace portrait. Thanks, Teressa for the cell phone pic! 

I try to make every session as painless as possible for parents and kids--especially because I know how stressful it can be to get your portraits taken. My philosophy is, if you're having a good time at the session, then the smiles are going to be natural and genuine! I'm an easy-going person and can handle just about any little hiccup during a shoot, including pets and rambunctious kids. (I love rambunctious kids!)

I have an awesome time doing my job and I hope my clients have an awesome time with me too! You can see a little behind-the-scenes from our shoot here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZgxe9nz7E/?taken-by=southernsavvygram. 

Also, make sure to check out the terrific foundation that Teressa and her sister have spearheaded, the Lou Ruspi Jr. Foundation, focusing on improving mental health and suicide prevention in schools and in the community. We featured their story in Our Milton Neighbor and I was so moved by their work. 

Marchet Butler is a family, high school senior, and headshot portrait photographer in the Atlanta area. A Certified Professional Photographer, Marchet's family portraiture is regularly featured on the cover of local magazines including Our Milton Neighbor, Sandy Springs Living, and My Brookfield and Wexford Neighbors. Marchet's work has also been featured in Atlanta Parent. Best known for her custom-framed fine art wall portraits, Marchet's art is a perfect Christmas present for yourself or the people you love. It's not too late to book a holiday family session. Contact us for more details. 

Five Tips for Making Portraits Part of your Summer Plans

The other day I was looking for some recent portraits of my family that weren't selfies or quick snapshots, and I realized it had been over a year since we'd had formal portraits taken. I used to be so good about doing formal portraits every spring and fall, but with our lives getting more busy and with my business growing, it's been hard to prioritize family portraits. However, we are going to have them done as part of our vacation this summer. And I'm so excited!

I know I'm not the only one who has good intentions about having portraits done but never get around to them. (I even bought a new outfit for my son which, I'm sure, he has grown out of by now!)

That's why a call to a photographer to get your session on the calendar really helps move the process along. If I had set a date for those portraits instead of waiting for "when I had time", I'm sure we would have done them by now. So, lesson learned. I've got a date and a location for our next family portrait session and now I just need to make sure we have the right clothes for the occasion -- it's going to be a formal portrait. Did I say I was excited?!

Here are 5 tips for getting your portrait session plans moving this summer:

1. All Together this Summer? Schedule Portraits. This season is one of the only times some families are together -- especially if older ones are off in college or have their own families and live farther away. As kids and families get older, there are only certain times that a family portrait is possible. Make sure to take advantage of the occasion to have a family portrait.
   
   
2. Have Portraits Taken while on Vacation. If you are going on a trip, plan to have portraits taken as part of the experience. Many cruises have photography sessions available, and there are seasoned photographers who do portraits in popular vacation spots. Check out the Professional Photographers of America "Find a Photographer" resource for a qualified photographer in the area. By the way, if you are vacationing in the Atlanta-area, I'm available for Atlanta family portraits.
   
   
3. Plan a Family Portrait Session before the Wedding. Summer is a popular time for weddings, so if you have a wedding in the family, consider having a family portrait session a couple days before the wedding. My family did this before my brother's wedding several years ago and I'm so glad we did. It is the only portrait we have of everyone in the family including grand kids and spouses. I'm not sure we have all been together in the same place since then!
   
   
4. Hit the Beach First, then the Portrait Session. Have a beach vacation planned this summer? A lot of my clients like to have their portraits taken after they've had a little sun. Scheduling your session a week or two after you get home from vacation is great. It lets you have a bit of a rest from your vacation and you'll still have your summer tan. You can even wear a new outfit you bought on vacation!
   
   
5. Book Fall Sessions Now. Want to wait until fall when the leaves are changing and the weather is a little cooler? Book your September, October, or November session with your photographer now. Fall is the busiest season for family photographers and spots fill up fast. Getting your date on the calendar now is the best way to ensure you'll have that spot you want.

If you are in the North Fulton area (Milton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Johns Creek), we'd be thrilled to take care of your family portraits!

Summer is a great time for portraits, especially in the evening when the light is so beautiful and it has cooled down a bit. I regularly create portraits at my clients' home -- where we have an air-conditioned space to duck into between takes. And yes, we can do them indoors instead if it's raining or if it's too hot outside.

We regularly do weekend sessions because we know that's when families can be together. Contact us for more information.

The Williams Family | Our Milton Neighbor Cover Family

Sometimes my job is to take portraits of the cutest kiddos. This little sweetheart and her parents were no exception. It's been almost a year since Our Milton Neighbor launched, and I look forward to photographing 11 more wonderful families in 2016! 

If you have someone you think would be good for an issue of the magazine (including yourself!), contact me.

The Kipniss Family | Our Milton Neighbor

Milton GA Photographer Shares Images from Lastest Issue of Our Milton Neighbor Magazine

It's been my privilege this year to write and and photograph families for two magazines, WindScene and Our Milton Neighbor. This are images from the latest issue of Our Milton Neighbor.

Besides creating beautiful portraits, working for the magazine has given me a chance to know each of our cover families on a personal level. This gorgeous family, the Kipnisses, was no exception. I was particularly inspired by their dedication to making a difference in the lives of families with diabetes (one of their daughters has Type I diabetes) and supporting other charitable causes in the community, including FOCUS, a charity close to my heart. Mike Kipniss, a financial advisor, has recently become certified as a Chartered Special Needs Consultant as well. 

I'm always looking for new Milton families to feature in the magazine, so if you have someone you think would be good for an issue of the magazine (including yourself!), contact me. I can't wait!

Family Means Everything | Alpharetta Family Photographer

How long has it been since you had a family portrait made? A year? Two years or more? Never? My family was in the "Never" category for a long time until, and then, we had a beautiful professional portrait taken of the whole family--all seven of us--my last year at home. That picture is one of the reasons I became a photographer. It is literally the only one I have of my entire family in my youth, and it is a precious piece of our family legacy. We have only ever been all together again only twice since then, and you can bet I took our family portraits!

When kids grow older, there are windows of time when family is all together--graduations, holidays, weddings, and holiday breaks. These are the times when I am called to create images of a whole family to preserve both the memory and the legacy of these amazing people. Oh, and dare I mention that it's fun too? 

This family--personal friends as well as clients--had a blast at their portrait session. There was ample goofing around behind the camera, but we came away with beautiful family portraits that will last for generations.

Contact me for more information about family portraits this spring . . . it's getting beautiful out there!

Help Me Choose a Metal Wall Art Sample | Atlanta GA Family Photographer

So it's the time of year when I update my sample portrait art for my holiday season clients. This year, I've decided to add a new product to my wall portrait options: metal wall art! This is one of those products you have to see in person. The images are printed on specially-treated aluminum sheets using the dye-sublimation process. They come in super glossy to matte finishes and are mounted and finished with an inset frame. The colors just POP off the print, and because it's printed on metal, it's not going to be subject to normal wear and tear. Oh, and did I say--they are gorgeous!

I'm going to order a 20x24 sample and I need help deciding which portrait I should use. Which one do you think would look best?

Photog in the Fall | Milton GA Headshot Photographer

After my own family's photo shoot with fellow photographer Stacey Johnson, I couldn't help taking over with the camera for a few more photos -- of the photographer. "I want to put these on my Facebook page, so I can show my friends, 'See. It's fall!' " There you go Stacey! Love ya girl.

Oh, and scroll down, you'll see a sneak peek from my family's shoot. Stacey shot the photos with my equipment, and I took the images home to edit! Just the way any photographer would like it.