Getting your family pictures taken is always on your To DO list. But do you ever get to finally cross it
off?emily strawn photography 2015-6

I have so many clients that say to me “Oh, I wish I had done this earlier! I can’t believe all the years I missed when they were little!”.

Don’t wait until the kids are older in hopes they can “sit still”. Pictures is about playing and having FUN! Don’t make it a time of photos, make it a time of loving on your family as much as you can!

Kids are good at having fun, and the usually smile a lot while doing it. 🙂

Here are a few pointers to help calm your picture day nerves:

 

{WHAT TO WEAR }
This is my MOST COMMON QUESTION, so I wrote you all a little blog post about it a little while back! Check it out: WHAT TO WEAR – the blog
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 { SNACKS + DRINKS }
A full belly before the session is BEST whenever possible. Even non-messy snacks during the session can result in a chewing child, or one who wants to hold the bag (which we won’t want in the image), or one who wants “more” and is unhappy when the snack is finished.
“But can’t you just Photoshop those goldfish out?”
While little nicks and scrapes are certainly something I’m happy to take care of, whenever something can be perfect in person, that’s far better! A quick wipe of the nose to avoid two hours of intensive retouching is always a good thing. 
You are welcome to bring them some water to drink, but keep it in the car, or in a bag so they don’t get distracted by it.

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{ HELP WITH KIDS }
Many kids are able to be themselves in front of the camera more easily when mom and dad are just out of sight; sometimes, they really do want you right there. In other words, we need to play this one by ear! Because your children and babies will naturally want to look at you, if you are nearby I’ll ask you to be REALLY nearby, as in no personal space right behind me nearby so that we can capture eye contact with the camera rather than “looking off to the side.” Also, while I love the help, if too many adults are talking and trying to engage the kids, they can get quickly overwhelmed and “done.” Oftentimes a silent moment, followed by a silly line from me, is when the magic happens! This is my job, and crazy is what I do. My favorite part of my job is getting to chase your kiddos around, playing tag and telling jokes to get them to REALLY smile. I am the one that should be exhausted by the end of the session, not you! 
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{ MOST IMPORTANT }
Have FUN! Yep…that’s right. Ultimately it is not about what you are wearing or where you are. What it IS about is your FAMILY and the LOVE and FUN and LAUGHTER you share together. So let’s capture that shall we? Don’t make it a time of photos, make it a time of loving on your family as much as you can! NOW LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!!
 emily strawn photography 2015-9
I am looking forward to it!
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Spring time in Southern California is amazing, but It just makes you anxious for school to be out and summer break to start!! It is also one of the most beautiful ( in my opinion) times of the year here. Everything is actually GREEN! Who knew, right? I love Spring Time, so of coarse I have to photograph all your sweet families during this beautiful time of year.

Here are a few images from this years Spring Mini Sessions held at Limekiln Canyon Park.

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I look forward to this time of year! It is such a busy season, but I really do cherish the time I get to photograph all your sweet families! I love getting to see how big your kids are each year. What a blessing it is to get to capture all your love and fun! This years Fall Family Mini Sessions were no different. So many amazing kiddos out running around, playing tag and getting tickled. Thank you to all who came out.

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Oh summer……why have you gone so fast?!

Please, stay here just a little bit longer.

Please?? PRETTY please?!?

Don’t be over yet!!

 

As a mom who homeschools her kiddos, I have VERY much enjoyed my summer break, and I am not quite ready to get back to school yet. So, to make going back to School a little easier….I present to you: First Day of School Printables!! 🙂

school memory sheet bundle 2

 

They have a few fun questions you can ask your kiddos to help you remember this current time. There is even a space for a photo. You can fill in the space with your child’s answer, or you can have them fill it out so you can even keep the cute memory of their sweet hand writing! Although….at this point I don’t know if I could read what my 6 year old wrote….so I will stick with filling in the answers for just one more year…I will just have him write his name for now. 🙂

First Day of School - FREE Printable sheets

 

These are downloaded as 2 separate PDF files. One bundle for theFirst Day of School and another bundle for the Last Day of School. You can PIN these photos to make it easier on you to find again in the Spring when it’s time to print off the next sheet.

There is a sheet for the first day and last day of each elementary school year.
The grades included are:
Preschool
Pre-K
Kingergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade

If you want to see some more grade levels please let me know! I am happy to add onto this fun bundle. Hope you  enjoy printing these out and capturing the different stages of your cute kiddos.

 

If you just happen to need a super fun photo for your First Day of School printables, I’ve got you covered there too. Back to School Minis are coming up on September 18th and 19th!! I may not be ready for school to start, but I am ready for some Back to School Minis ….those are WAY more fun, and adorable than doing school work. 🙂strawn photography - back to school

ENJOY!! And hopefully this helps makes school starting a little more FUN!!

DOWNLOAD THE First Day of School BUNDLE HERE!

DOWNLOAD THE Last Day of School BUNDLE HERE!

– – – – – -UPDATE!! – – – – – –

I am so happy that so many of you are enjoying these printables. A few of you have requested some for the older kiddos, so here you go!!

I have now made up FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL bundles for Jr. High and High School!!

You can download those here:

First Day Of School Printables – 7th thru 12th grade

 

ENJOY!!

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  • Amy - August 5, 2015 - 4:30 pm

    These are Fantastic!!! Thank you so much for sharing them with us! Would you mind adding 7-12 grades? I have kids that range from 11th to pre-k ages. It would work well with my OCD to have them all the same!ReplyCancel

    • admin - August 5, 2015 - 4:49 pm

      I can totally make some for the older grades!! I will work on those the next few days and then post an update to the blog! So check back by the end of week 🙂 I am OCD about that too and would want them all the same for all my kiddos! I totally get it!!ReplyCancel

      • Amy - August 5, 2015 - 7:19 pm

        Thank you so much for going above and beyond!ReplyCancel

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