Maryland Children's Photographer - Themed Fairy Portrait Photography

We had another beautiful themed children's fairy portrait session here at the studio in Port Deposit, Maryland this week. Some children don't want wings - just the woodland setting and a pretty fairy dress. That's just fine. We can always add digital wings, but these photos turned out so lovely, they don't need them!

 You can book enchanted fairy sessions year round at my normal portrait session pricing of $150, with print/digital packages starting at $250. However, I only offer limited edition themed enchanted fairy portrait packages, which include your session fee, an 8x10 portrait of your choice from an edited gallery of images and facebook posting of the chosen image for $79, a few times a year. The magic will arrive August 17th and 18th for the last time til 2014, so be sure to book your spot now by calling 410-378-4521, messaging me on facebook, or by email.

Don't have a fairy princess in your home? Superheros are swooping in August 24th to 25th.

Balloons and Beauty - Creative Portrait Session in Harford County Maryland

Beautiful portraits can be created anywhere, but it sure is fun to head to a gorgeous location with a few simple props to make some lovely portraits. I have been wanting to use red balloons and this amazing vintage red and black parasol, so I was really excited to finally be able to put together a creative beauty portrait session styled around them.

I style a session with a lot of options, but I don't usually use all of them. I like to have extra props and posing ideas in case I want to change things up when we start shooting. In this case, my green suitcase never ended up making it into the shoot. I am pulling it into a styled beauty session I have scheduled in a few weeks instead.

The balloons, on the other hand, made the cut. 

I love it when a location, props, makeup and wardrobe all come together to help me create the images I'm looking for. Of course, without an amazing woman to hold the balloons and wear the makeup and wardrobe, the images wouldn't happen!

This is pretty close to what I wanted to end up with when I started the session. I love working with textures to enhance a photo and help me get a gorgeous painterly look. This particular texture is from the folks over at Distressed Textures. I adore their overlays.

We actually did three mini shoots in different locations for this session. I don't want to make the post crazy long, so I'm going to stop here for now. I'll blog the parasol in the woods and the stream soon. In the meantime, if you want to build a fun and creative portrait session around a special prop or two, feel free to email me, give me a call at 410-378-4521, or message me on facebook about booking your beauty shoot!

Styling: Katelyn Thomas
Makeup: Aura
Model: Aura
Photographer: Katelyn Thomas

On Location Family Portraits in North East, Maryland

I had such a great time photographing this lovely, fun family the other day. We met up in North East, Maryland for a relaxed, on location photo shoot.

The primary focus of this session was to have a family portrait done. I posed the family in several spots to get a variety of family portrait poses for them to choose from.

When someone asks for a family portrait session, I like to do a few individual portraits of the kids and portraits of mom and dad together, too. It only takes a few extra moments and is a great option for collages, photo books, or just some fresh facebook profile and timeline images.

It is important that everyone has fun when I'm doing family portraits. The kids wanted to join mom and dad on the log and the littlest looked a little sad when I posed him behind the log between mom and older sister. I brought him around to sit on the log and he was all smiles.

Have you had your family's portrait done recently? If not, the lovely fall weather and beautiful foliage makes this the perfect time to schedule a session. Family portraits are a wonderful way to capture memories of your children as they grow and change and make thoughtful gifts for loved ones during the holiday season.

You can contact me at 410-378-4521 or by email to schedule a session for portraits in the Cecil/Harford County, Maryland, Delaware, or Oxford, Pennsylvania area.

Tips for Taking Great Wedding Ring and Engagement Ring Detail Shots

Weddings are all about two loving hearts being united as one. But the details mean a lot, too, especially the ones that have sentimental value. One of the most important details of the day is the ring. Almost every photographer gets the essential exchange of the rings shots. However, if there is extra time, it can be fun to get some more creative shots of the rings, too. These images are great in albums or a storyboard collage print.

(Doing detail shots yourself to show off your new rings? Marrying creativity and caution is essential. You'll want to avoid any ideas that could result in damage or loss of the rings. You also may want to actually use someone to act as a "spotter" for some shots or have a safety net, like a box on a stool, under the rings in case they drop. )

Wedding rings on an abandoned birdhouse perch

Detail shot of wedding rings on birdhouse perch

 When you are having a DIY wedding filled with gorgeous things you created, a macro lens is the perfect choice for capturing all the little details. I recently added some new macro filters that allow me to use a lighter lens to take handheld detail photos instead of hauling out the tripod and using my heavy macro lens. I especially love using it to get those fun wedding ring detail shots.

Placing the rings in a flower blossom allows you to create a pretty backdrop in even the plainest setting.

Setting a scene in the bride's dressing room allows you to get some pretty detail shots with other special items, like grandma's vintage beads.

I'll leave you with a few more tips for taking photos of your engagement ring and wedding band.

1. Make sure your rings are sparkling clean before you photograph them. Dirt and dust really show up, especially if you try some macro shots.
2. If you are using an automatic point and shoot camera, you'll see a little flower icon somewhere on it. This is your close up, or macro, setting. If you can't find it, check your instruction manual. It may be an option in your camera's menu.
3. Look for somewhere with plenty of nice light, but avoid sticking your rings on a rock at noon and snapping away. a wide windowsill or a porch would be a better option when the sun is really intense.
4. Have fun! Be creative and experiment. Look for pretty spots and set up a little scene for your rings.
5. Try and try again. You might have to redo your photos several times to get some good images, especially if you don't usually take macro shots.

If you get frustrated and decide taking photos of your rings isn't working out, just ask your engagement or wedding photographer to take some detail shots.If he or she is anything like me, the photographer already has plans to do so!

Just got engaged? I'd be delighted to help you create some memories of this wonderful time in your life. I offer on location engagement portrait sessions in Cecil and Harford County, Maryland and the Newark, Delaware and Oxford, Pennsylvania area. Contact me to set up your session, message me on Katelyn Thomas Photography's facebook page or visit my portrait photography website for more information.

On Location Family Portrait Session - Havre de Grace, Maryland Photographer

Summer is so crammed with fun and photo shoots that it is hard to fit everything in, but we are sure trying! I am only halfway through writing last week's blog and it is already time for this week's. I wanted to take a moment to share a fun Maryland family portrait session at Tydings Memorial Park in Havre de Grace from the other day. This sweet little guy had his eye on a cool toy and was such a trouper. Smiles galore!

On location Maryland family portrait session collage created using a modified template from Ashe Designs.

I love early morning sessions for families because the kids are rested and raring to go. They have a lot more patience for things like sitting still and smiling for formal portraits when they want to be heading to the swing set or checking under a promising rock for bugs.

Of course, I still try to keep the posed portion of a session short and sweet when I'm working with a family. When I see the edges of the kids' patience fraying, I wrap up fast and move on to more candid shots as they explore their surroundings. (And I end their session with a little prize so they know I appreciate them putting on those itchy dress up clothes instead of their batman capes and rain boots and doing such an awesome job smiling for the camera so their mom can have a family portrait.)

If you don't have a recent family portrait, this is the perfect time to schedule one. The light is beautiful, early mornings are still cool and comfortable and the kids are all rosy cheeked and mellow from a few weeks of vacation.