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.

Join Us for Portraits and Popsicles!

Have you experienced our new backyard studio yet? Whether you dropped in on our Fall open house or you haven’t had a chance yet, our upcoming Portraits and Popsicles event on April 12th and 19th is the perfect time to pay us a visit!

We’re offering mini portrait sessions for $125–including a 30 minute session, sweet treats from King of Pops, 3 high resolution files and a 10% discount on all printing. Space is limited, so click here to reserve your session today! Once you reserve your time, we’ll send you an email with the payment link followed by a confirmation email.

Our backyard studio is the perfect location for great family portraits. Featuring the classic elements of water, wood, air and earth, the space is ideal for all families! We’ve also specially designed it for the comfort of those with sensory, physical and mental challenges. The play-based experience makes for amazing photography.

We can also take the stress out of finding the perfect Mother’s Day gifts! We can have special prints created from your session just in time to give Mom, Grandma and all of the special mothers in your life. We hope to see you at the studio!

Locations we LOVE for Spring portraits!

We’re preparing our backyard studio and scoping other great metro locations for Spring portrait sessions. Choosing a location is really important and can be more than a bit challenging. The “ideal” background depends on the type of pictures–senior pictures, engagement shots, mitzvah or family portraits–and even more on the look, feel and personality you want to achieve. Sometimes a client comes with a specific story they want the photos to tell. As we encounter spots we love, we try to catalog them for future reference. We want to share some of those with you–along with a few tips on choosing a location–as inspiration for your own Spring portraits.

There’s just something magical about natural light and being outdoors. People feel more at ease, look more comfortable and act more natural. When we shoot in the sunshine, it always seems like smiles are easier and unforced. But not all outdoor locations are created equal; some are more “photogenic” and support successful shoots better than others. Piedmont Park is always a safe choice, but there are other spots that may not jump to mind as quickly, like Alice Park and the tree lined Old 4th Ward.

We advise when choosing a spot to consider that some backdrops can be too eye-catching. Imagine a garden with water features and artwork that is stunningly beautiful in its own right–so much that it actually takes attention away from the people. Too many background elements can be distracting and pull the eye from our subjects to the scenery. Clean, uncluttered backdrops help clients stand out, like a wall or trees in a woodland area. Piedmont Park provided the tree that highlights our young Mitzvah client’s beauty. There are beautiful green spaces across metro Atlanta like in the Druid Hills neighborhood.

Some of the most unique, creative shoots come from asking clients to think about their favorite places and things to do. If the location is meaningful to you, the shoot will be more personal and fun. We might be planning an engagement shoot and learn the couple is attached to the spot where they had their first date, maybe a quaint restaurant like Julianna’s or a ferris wheel ride. One caveat: Avoid crowded, chaotic locations where we’ll struggle to focus shots solely on you–without unwanted photobombs! Chaos is uncomfortable for everyone and it shows in photos that look forced and unnatural.

A great option to consider is our backyard studio in Decatur. We have colorful vignettes designed to encourage playfulness, plus a treehouse and hens you can feed! Our log wall and fire pit are the perfect rustic backdrops for warm family photos. And of course we have some spots for the romantics, like a porch swing, hammock and water features. One unique thing about the space is that we designed it with careful consideration for families with special needs. The upper and lower level patios are wheelchair accessible and sensory considerations are in place for those on the Autism spectrum.

Life on Film’s Backyard Studio

If you’re hunting for a great spot for Spring shots, just give us a call. We’re happy to help!

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.