Capture those Special Moments with Dad

Make the fathers in your life feel special and create lasting memories! Arrange for the one gift any dad (or dad-to-be) will love for Father’s Day: a family photoshoot in our backyard studio. 

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Book now and present Dad with a gift certificate for professional portraits taken in our outdoor studio, which is specially designed to include elements representing water, wood, air and earth. Give the gift only you can give!

From now through Father’s Day 2021, we are offering two “Daddy Discounts” on purchases of photoshoots in our Decatur Backyard Studio to make your gift-planning easy! Choose between: 

• 10% off a full sitting (regularly $225)

OR

• A 1/2-hour mini-session for only $100 (regularly $125).

TAP HERE to book a spot and mention this blog post in your email.

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Don’t miss this special opportunity to capture moments like this with dads and their children – or dads-to-be:

Anyone booking time for a backyard studio session is in for a treat! Playful sessions are designed to be an adventure.

Here’s just a taste of what you can expect:

• AIR: An easily accessible treehouse offers hanging bells, glowing lanterns, a peaceful porch swing and a free-standing swing that brings a smile to everyone’s face. You will love the relaxing hammock!

• WOOD: A log wall and fire pit are the perfect rustic backdrop for warm family photos -and- an occasional s’mores session!

• EARTH: Our small flock of hens is happy to welcome you to their coop. They’ll even share their fresh, colorful eggs.

• WATER: A soothing water feature and an in-ground hot tub encourage water play and relaxation on our lower-level, wheelchair-accessible patio. Water-themed murals provide fun backdrops.

Don’t miss this opportunity to create and save moments you’ll be thrilled to display for generations to come. Mention this blog post when you book to take advantage of the discount. Don’t delay. TAP HERE to book a spot and mention this blog post when you book your slot to take advantage of the special.

We can’t wait to help you create fun memories for Dad and the whole family!
TAP HERE to book a spot and mention this blog post to reserve a time for your favorite people.

And the chicken says…moo!

We wouldn’t have been able to finish the backyard studio without my friend Charlie’s electrical talents, so I was absolutely thrilled to have his wife, Kerri, and two beautiful little girls spend some time with us there. Their photo shoot was really fun…and so sweet!

It was Kaylee and Maddie’s first time visiting the studio so they had a lot to keep them busy. Maddie especially loved the chickens…which she insisted were saying, “Moo!” Priceless and precious.

The girls found plenty to explore and spots for climbing and balancing. Those unplanned moments ended up being some of my favorite shots.

Our swing is usually a hit with kids but having Kerri and the two girls on it all together was just the sweetest.

The only thing that would have made this more fun is if Charlie and big sister Caroline had been able to join us. We look forward to having them at the next shoot, hopefully before Caroline heads off to college. Thank you, Kerri, for sharing your time and your amazing little girls with me for the afternoon!

Rod & Aerin’s Family Portraits

We recently spent a beautiful afternoon in the backyard studio shooting Rod and Aerin’s family portraits–the kind of day I’d begun to think would never return to Atlanta. But the warm temperature wasn’t a figment of my imagination, and neither was their family’s awesome energy and personality! Juggling soccer, basketball, running a business, learning to drive–and that’s just for starters–this super-active family is always on the go. I love how that energy came through in their shots!

One of the first things I noticed was how much fun Rod, Aerin and their kids have together. Even the girls get along great–no small feat for three sisters, especially when they range in age from 9 to 22!

If you caught our post on choosing portrait outfits, you may recognize something else about this family: They are beautifully dressed in complementary colors, with small polka dots and stripes to add interest. They look fabulous!

Thank you, Aerin and Rod, for entrusting us with your family portraits.

It’s Portrait Time: What to Wear??

Choosing what to wear for your portrait session can be a lot of fun, but the thought of how long you’ll be looking at these outfits in prints on your wall or mantle can also cause some stress. One thing to keep in mind is that you and your family–not your clothes–should be the focus of your pictures. Outfits that look gorgeous and well-coordinated will undoubtedly enhance your portraits, but should not be the very first thing you notice when looking at your pictures. So, how do you achieve that balance?

To keep the attention squarely on you and your family members, look for shirts in solid colors and small prints. You can coordinate within a single color scheme and throw in a small print to keep it interesting, like in the gorgeous shot on the left. The variations in shade and the small plaid on the little boy’s shirt help each individual stand out. On the right is a great example of how different colors can be combined as long as they blend in some way, like the soft pastels you see here.

Here’s another idea for a color-coordinated portrait look, courtesy of Polyvore. Everyone has colors that look best on them based on their unique skin tone and features, so let that be your guide on the right palette for outfits. One consideration: People’s faces look noticeably brighter in photographs when they wear a shirt that’s at least slightly darker than their complexion. If you’re light skinned that means white may not be the most flattering option, but any dark solid or small print could work well. Dark-skinned people often photograph beautifully in deep jewel tones or black, like in the image below.

As with all great and beautiful things, there’s a flipside to the outfits above–and it offers a bit of insight on why some potentially amazing portrait sessions end in disappointment (and why sites like awkwardfamilyphotos.com are never lacking for content!). In the interest of helping you achieve the pictures you’ve always envisioned, we’d like to share just a few considerations:

• That large print is stunning…but is it so bold that it draws attention from you and your family? That’s a risk with big florals, plaids, as well as prominent logos, slogans or brand names. The beautiful kids on the left are overshadowed by the large floral print on the girls. And despite the joy depicted in the shot on the right, and well-coordinated clothing palette, the eye jumps right to the big print and bold stripes.

• Putting everyone in matching outfits can help keep things simple, but can also have some unexpected, and undesired, results! The beautiful families pictured below were overtaken by a black blob, an aqua blob and a white blur, respectively. The bottom shot also illustrates how the eye naturally goes to the bright white shirts first rather than the people’s smiling faces.

• On the topic of calling attention…it can be helpful for the ladies to be conscious of how revealing their tops are (as a little cleavage may look great, but a lot may distract from everything else in the picture). Tight clothes, super short skirts and short shorts can all fall into the category of options that look stunning as you head out the door but end up appearing bolder and more dramatic than you intended in photographs.

For a variety of picture day outfit ideas in lots of different color palettes, check out the Polyvore website and Maine photographer Michele Stapleton’s Pinterest board. Please don’t hesitate to ask us if you’re wondering whether an outfit you’re considering would work well, or if you’re trying to decide between possibilities. Also, don’t forget to reserve your time slot for the upcoming Portraits and Popsicles event in our backyard studio! Happy shopping!

It’s a wrap: the first family portrait shoot in our backyard studio!

Our portrait session with Katherine, Will and their two girls–Mattie and Lily–was amazing! This family’s loving and fun spirit was a joy to photograph. Their shoot was even more special to me personally because it marked Life on Film‘s first official family portrait session in our new backyard studio!

I couldn’t have hand-picked a family that I’d want to share this “first” with more. I’m lucky to do a lot of work with Katherine in her role as principal at The Museum School. I also got to document Lily’s extreme cuteness over the course of her first year.

Lily absolutely adores big sister Mattie and insisted that we get shots of just the two of them as they explored different spots around the yard.

Luckily, once we covered Lily’s personal shot list she decided it would be just fine to take some pictures with her Mom and Dad, too!

Thank you, Katherine and Will, for letting me spend time with your beautiful family! I hope we’ve captured some moments that you’ll treasure forever.

Eric and Amanda’s First Family Portrait Shoot

Over the past month we’ve had the chance to give our new studio a real workout with backyard portrait sessions. One of our favorites was working with Eric and Amanda Tucker, who joined us for their first family portrait session as a married couple. Lyndsey is good friends with the couple and witnessed the beginning of their sweet story as a guest at their September 2013 wedding. She was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot their first family photos.

These two are already the quintessential “cute couple”–remember those smiling faces in your high school yearbook?–but they amped up the cute factor even more by including their fur babies in the family shots.

The pups, Shelby and Boss, were by and large cooperative and adorable–though at times understandably more interested in exploring the sights and sounds of the yard than having their pictures taken! I’m not sure exactly what had captured Boss’ attention at this very moment, but I’d imagine the chickens were of interest.

The camera loved Eric and Amanda’s snuggling up in the hammock for some great casual shots.

In the process they also provided some unexpected gymnastics for the blooper reel…and some great laughs! We might have been worried under other circumstances, but this is one strong duo! Eric is a personal trainer (who actually coached Lyndsey) as well as a natural bodybuilding competitor. He’s now studying to become a nutritionist, and Amanda is training for her first natural figure competition.

In just about every vignette and every shot, Eric and Amanda’s fun personalities — and true love — shined through. It was an honor to shoot their first family photos, and we look forward to documenting more as they continue to forge their path together.

Fun and Stress-Free Family Portraits

What to do if you find your brood of four adult kids, including one living in Texas and one recently married, will actually be together in Atlanta to celebrate the holidays for the first time in years? You recognize a rare opportunity to have a family portrait taken and call us! We’re so glad Carol Rubin had just this “aha” moment because we loved spending time with her beautiful family.

Despite a rain delay we managed to find a clear, nice day when LOF could capture their fun personalities with candid shots and formal family portraits. Their own home was the perfect setting to put everyone at ease and help them just be themselves during the shoot.

This was not a problem at all for the littlest family members, who seemed blissfully unaware that they were being photographed.

The kids’ playful spirit and insistence on having fun made it impossible for the adults — or the family pooch — to be nervous!

Since no portrait session would be complete without some mantel-worthy photographs, we also captured a few slightly more traditional family shots.

I know many families won’t brave the winter weather like the Rubins did and, if you’re in that group, I don’t blame you! But with Spring right around the corner in Atlanta–and I say this hopefully as 30 degree winds blow outside my office–many families will be hoping to do outdoor family portrait sessions. The Rubins had fun and got great results for some simple reasons that anyone can borrow:

• They didn’t spend the shoot worrying about getting the kids to stand still, be quiet, stop sticking their tongues out at each other…(fill in the blank). We captured their kids being the kids that they are at this very second in their lives. That’s the great thing about candid photography. The grownups can keep smiling for the camera and let the photographer watch the kids and catch the right moments.

• Carol shared her list of ‘must-have’ formals in advance. Then I was able to work towards shooting those and capture candid moments along the way.

• They scheduled the session with the little ones in mind. You know your kids better than anyone. Are they happier first thing in the morning? Or are they more fun after an afternoon nap? Or are they at their best beside a fire reading books and playing a few games before bed? Let that guide the time of day you choose for your shoot.

• They kept the wardrobe simple–coordinated but not matching, solids that photograph well rather than distracting prints. Wearing layers is another fun way to switch things up; a jacket or scarf can be taken off or wrapped around your waist for a different look. And being comfortable is key. It’s tough to move naturally in clothes that bind or dress shoes that pinch.