Two-Year-Old Portraits | Alpharetta GA Child Photographer

This Alpharetta GA child photo session celebrates two years old! I am primarily known for my on-location outdoor portraiture, but indoor portraiture is another passion of mine. I love having the control of manipulating the light myself and having a clean background to create beautiful, powerful images.

Using Props | Roswell GA Children's Photographer

Lately, I've been using props in my shoots, especially with children. Something new like a hat (or hats Dad brought), blocks, or vintage telephone toy captures their interest and helps keep the smiles going through a whole shoot. Since these boys' parents especially wanted portraits of the boys together and alone, I stuffed my photo bag full of props and used them all through the portrait session. I think we got some amazing shots!

Urban Family Portraits in the Cold | Roswell GA Family Photographer

I shoot either in the morning or the afternoon in order to take advantage of the best light. But it's chilly those times, and so I tell my clients to come prepared with warm outfits and coats/blankets to wrap in with in between shots. Such was the case with this shoot. The kids were such good sports, taking on and off coats, wrapping up in the old purple quilt I brought while I shot individual portraits, and jumping up in down to stay warm. The temporary discomfort paid off--we created some amazing portraits that I am super proud of!

Hoodies, Deadlines, and Family Pictures | Roswell GA Family Photographer

Life is busy around here. It's my son's birthday party tomorrow. So, we've been baking and decorating, making train-themed art for the walls and anticipating 10 little friends and their parents for a big bash.

Photography-wise, I'm busy too. I've got images to edit from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation event I shot this week. There are several upcoming shoots and a portrait workshop to plan. And of course, I'm working on editing these family's images. But busy is good. When work is going well, my life tends to follow suit.

I think it's the deadlines that help. I generally schedule a sneak peek of a client's shoot a week to a week and a half after our session. Then, in another week and a half, I have the rest of the images done. It keeps things moving. So, yes, I love deadlines and due dates. And I think being responsible to another person or family really helps. Now if only I could get that to work for laundry . . . 

Here are some pictures from last Saturday's shoot. Don't you love that old wall? Can I just say, hoodies are the best. I love how they frame the face! Oh, I think that second picture is so adorable, especially considering sibling pictures are just about the hardest to get. And the reason I chose the last image? Because this kind of shot is nearly impossible to get unless you have a pro photographer who can capture this kind of moment: so beautiful and so real. Gosh, I love my job.

Update: Here are some favorites f more from the rest of the gallery. I love them!

A Real Photographer | Roswell GA Family Photographer

When I was just starting out in photography, I was a little hesitant to tell people as was a real "photographer," not just a mom with a camera. Not that there is anything wrong with being a mom with a camera, especially if you are interested in learning (because I'd love to teach or mentor you). But I wanted to be more

Now, I easily say I'm a photographer, and it's not because I wasn't a good photo-taker when I started. It's because I'm confident in being an entrepreneur and owner of a small business. That's taken a lot of work over the years: the permits, the business license, the insurance, and the taxes that come with it aren't the easiest parts of running Butler Family Photography. Believe me, I'd rather be shooting. But it means a lot to me to be doing this work legally and securely so that my clients can be confident that their portraits are being done by a professional.

Here are some portraits from the fall. I love this family and their boys. What I remember the best from this shoot is how mom and dad were especially glad that I had a boy of my own with the same kind of energy as their oldest. They knew I'd be able to keep up with him!

 

Smiles in Autumn | Roswell GA Family Photography

Back from Thanksgiving and back at editing. This sweet family was really fun to work with, especially their little boy! I don't think I've ever had such an easy time getting smiles out of a child. He was fun and playful and very good with his sister. Little sis was a little harder, but some playing in the leaves got that grin. You can see another image of this sweetie on our Facebook page.

I shoot mostly families, especially those with young children. A few people have asked me how I can manage that. I've found that parents go a long way in setting the stage for the shoot.

Here are my top tips for parents during a family shoot:

• Expect your children to take a little time to warm-up to the photographer. Many kids are shy at first.
• Bring wipes or tissues! Runny noses and drool don't make for good photos.
• Kids may need to take small breaks in between poses. Remember, they are working. Posing for photos isn't easy for a busy child!
• Allow the kids to wander around and explore (with a parent or sibling for safety) while the photographer is shooting others. This keeps them entertained and may provide opportunities for fun candids.
• Don't use harsh words or upset children. Avoid using threats or bribes.
• Let the photographer coax the smile or reaction out of your child. It's their job! (And having multiple people try to make a child smile can confuse him/her.)
• If the photographer asks you to help get a smile, stand directly behind the camera so the child is looking in the right direction when he/she smiles.
• If your child does have a melt down or a crying fit, let it happen, and then let it pass. You'd be surprised how fast kids can be back to normal.
• Expect babies, toddlers (and dare I say it? dads, too) to be "done" after 45 minutes to an hour of shooting.
• Remember, a family shoot is fun, but it's also work (for everyone). It's very appropriate to go out for ice cream or enjoy a treat together after the shoot.

Preschooler Portraits | Roswell GA Children's Photographer

I'm gearing up for the holiday season and having fun taking portraits of my own little guy for Christmas gifts.
Here's some of my techniques for getting great portraits of a preschooler:

A cute shirt on a cute boy. I love stripes on boys!

Daddy standing nearby with a reflector while I shoot from above

Sitting on Daddy's shoulders

Rocking chair from a friend

Playing "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes"

Running

Gorgeous golden light

A fast lens to catch those "up in the air" shots

And a little more running!

Little Sweetie | Roswell GA Children's Photographer

I am so thrilled I got a portrait of this little sweetie while we were on a playdate today. When I emailed the photo to her mom, she asked whether or not I had edited out the "boo boos" and mosquito bites or if the camera just didn't see it. That comment really made me smile. I did edit this photo, actually, quite a bit. But the results (I hope) make it look like the camera really saw it that way (grin).

Here's what I did:

1. Upped the exposure.

2. Cloned my son out of the background.

3. Cloned out the "boos boos."

4. Brightened the subject.

5. Brightened and sharpened the eyes.

6. Blurred, added noise, and blurred again the edges and background.

7. Desaturated the edges and the background slightly.

8. Sharpened the subject.

9. Upped the vibrance of the image.

Ta Da!

Hurray for Grandkids! | Suwanee GA Family Photographer

I love grandparents and grandkids shoots! There's something so wonderful about capturing those two generations, and this family was no exception. I especially love the group shot. It seems like some group shots are just so tough to arrange and pose, but this one came together very easily.

Posting my images on the blog just doesn't do justice to the clarity and size of the high res images. I cropped this image down to a 4x6 of the dog (who's smiling too!) and you can see how clear it is!

Family group images are becoming my signature "shot." I love getting one of all the siblings together!

Even though this was a grandpa and grandma/grandkids shoot, our clients made sure Grandpa got one shot with his daughter!

This is Jacob's favorite shot. Makes him smile!

It was such a sunny day that we used a umbrellas to create shade for each of the shots. I love the candid I caught of these two playing with one of the extra umbrellas.

Sometimes the best shots are when I catch my clients off guard. Lovin' this one!