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Go Irish!! Family Photographer West Hartford and Farmington, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:41:29 +0000

Well, the timing couldn’t be any better to post the photos of the Notre Dame alum family that I shot last weekend. My husband is a Notre Dame alum himself, so I fully understand the intense amount of excitement that is bubbling over amongst fans and alumni this football season. These are some serious fans and they LOOOOOOOVE their football team! So I was very excited when I noticed the ND symbols on the guys’ shirts. I’m sure that they are also beyond excited this week about their team heading off to the national championship game, so congrats to the M family on your team’s big win….oh, and here are some of my favorite shots from your session last weekend. Enjoy!!

They were just cracking themselves up whenever I told them to look at each other. It was too funny! I just had to share this because it is one of my favorite genuine laughter shots ever:-)

This is based on a shot that the kids took when they were much younger. We decided to attempt to re-create it in 2012. They were both very good sports about it and the photo came out perfect!

The following shot came from a totally spontaneous moment where the littlest M just snuggled into her mom and said, ” I love you, Mom”…..oh….my….goodness….I could cry just thinking about it. That’s how sweet it was:-)

Gorgeous Family of Three with the Last Few Leaves- Family Photographer Farmington, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 01:15:50 +0000

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to work with a family that I shot last fall in preparation for their holiday photo cards. Of all of the families I have ever worked with, they are at the top of the list in the naturally photogenic category. As a result, their photos looked amazing last year and I knew it would be tough to match, not to mention top, what I shot for them last year. So this time, I tried to change it up and do things differently so that they could have a completely unique experience to the one they had last time. Even though we were even in the same location, I made sure we shot in different spots, with different lighting, and a variety of poses. The best part was, we were able to track down what may be the last couple of trees around that still had some colorful leaves on them. I am so excited about how these photos turned out, so I’d love to share some of my favorites with you. You can even look back at last year’s photos to see how we reinvented this shoot one year later to make something totally fresh and new. Here are a few of my top picks:

Family Session in Motion- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 04:04:21 +0000

Last week, I shot a family session with a one and a half year old and her parents at Westmoor Park in West Hartford. Like most sessions that involve children in the 1-2 year old range, it was truly a session in motion. It is all about speed and flexibility. You can plan to pose the family a certain way and get a specific shot that you have in mind, but you have to be willing to toss all that aside and just go with the flow at all times. This session captured all the emotions, the non-stop movement, and the cuteness of a toddler on the run. Here are a few of my favorites from the session:

She REALLY didn’t want to sit down….AT ALL!

Success! Finally caught hold of the barnyard cat:-)

November Family Session at Wethersfield Cove- Family Photographer Wethersfield, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:53:35 +0000

Here is my latest session shot a couple of weeks ago at Wethersfield Cove in Old Wethersfield. I am really enjoying shooting photos here…the barn, the water, the light….it is all just perfect. The L family chose this location to update their family photos which they have been wanting to do for a while now. This session will be the last one they will do before their son heads off to college, so they were really hoping to capture their family one more time before one of their little babies leaves the nest:-)

I typical find that most of my sessions involve families with young children. It seems that as children grow older, have more activities, and less interest in participating in family portraits, many parents just let go of the annual family photo session. This is such a mistake because I know for a fact that it will all pass by WAY too fast and those family photo sessions will be one of the treasured memories you have once your kids grow up and are off on their own. I am so thrilled when I meet a family like the L family who decides to make that family session a priority to capture their family as it is with teenagers and all. Here are some of my favorites from our session:

Being in the Moment During a Family Portrait Session- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:35:27 +0000

Because it is the time of year when many families start sending out holiday photo cards, I shoot a lot of family sessions in the fall. As a result, I meet lots of different families and it is always interesting to see how each family interacts in front of the camera. For each of my sessions, I work hard to put people at ease right away and keep things really laid back and not too serious. Some people have an easier time loosening up and feeling comfortable than others. Fortunately, I am usually able to get everyone relaxed enough to avoid those stiff, forced looking smiles and poses that they usually start off with. But my favorite sessions happen when people not only just “get comfortable”, but they decide to completely immerse themselves in the experience. At some point in the sessions they decide to throw caution to the wind and be fully present and engaged in the moment. That is when the portrait session experience goes to a different level.

The reason why I am writing all this is because the family you will see in this post today was such a wonderful example of this exact situation. In fact, I can actually tell you the precise moment that I saw each of them let go and just have fun. It was a really beautiful thing! And the best part about it is that their photos are even more fabulous as a result. I am not joking when I say that I actually was smiling like a big goofball the entire time I edited their photos. They seemed to truly have fun taking the photos and I hope that they will now look back on this as having been a genuinely fun family experience. Okay, so here is the family who decided to “go with the flow” and the beautiful family session that they will now be able to treasure forever as a result. Thanks to the C family for trusting in my silly ideas and going with it every time:-) Here are just a few of my favorites:

Sibling Session at Westmoor Park- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:23:42 +0000

Okay, I am on a roll now! Second post in two days!!! This post is from one of my recent family sessions that included just the little ones…no mom or dad. We decided to shoot at Westmoor Park and had a great time taking photos and visiting the animals too. This was a fun location for capturing some beautiful shots of these three gorgeous children. Here is a sneak peak from the session:

Fall Newborn and Family Session- Newborn and Family Photographer- Berlin, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 03:51:30 +0000

October and November have quickly become for me the equivalent of what tax season is to an accountant. Since I am a family photographer, I am most in demand during these two months since so many people like to send out photo cards for the holidays. Fall has become THE time for families to get their annual family portraits taken while getting a great photo for their cards as well. So for the past month and a half, I have been slaving away behind the camera or in front of the computer as I rush to get everyone’s photos looking fabulous for the holiday season….and as a result, I am WAY behind on my blog posts. It may take me until March to get caught up, but I promise I will at some point! Okay, so here is one of my recent newborn/family sessions that I shot in October. It was just a few years back the I did a newborn session for the W family’s first born, so I was thrilled to be invited back to photograph their second beautiful little girl. Here are some of my favorites from our session:

Halloween Stroll: Blue Back Square 2012- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:39:23 +0000

A week ago, I was thrilled to be a part of the annual Moms and More Halloween Stroll in Blue Back Square/ West Hartford Center. This is an event that is put together by the Moms and More group of West Hartford and it involves families bringing their children to the Center for a costume parade where the kids can trick or treat from store to store throughout Blue Back and the Center. This is always a very popular event, but this year it was more popular than ever with Hurricane Sandy threatening to cancel yet another Halloween night for the kids of Connecticut.

When I connected with Moms and More this summer to brainstorm some ideas for working together, I suggested having a photo booth at the Halloween Stroll where families could get a great shot of their kids in their costumes. The Moms and More ladies liked the idea and we decided to give it a shot.

I shot from 9:30am-10:30am in the Whole Foods parking lot and then, when the stroll began at 10:30, we packed up our station and moved up to a second location in front of the Toy Chest on Farmington Ave. And I am very happy to report that the photo booth was a HUGE success!! I photographed 85 families in just 2 hours! I was most surprised by the overwhelming response from the families I photographed that day. I have received tons of email from parents who just wanted to say thank you and let me know that they were so thrilled that we offered this opportunity. Here are are just a few comments I received this week (kept entirely anonymous, of course!):

“Kathryn, Thank you! I can’t believe you were able to capture this amidst all of that chaos! We’ve heard of you many times and will definitely reach out to you when we are ready for our next family photos! Thank you!”

“Hi Kathryn, Thank you so much for taking this photo of our son! It turned out great and you were wonderful! Thanks again for capturing this memory and allowing us to share it with family and friends! “

“Kathryn!!! These are SO CUTE!!! Totally amazing (and even more appreciated because all of my pics from that day sucked). Thanks so much! I’m in love with these pictures!”

“Hi Kathryn, Thank you so much for the great photo!! This was such a great idea to have at the stroll, not to mention a affordable price!! Loved your website’s photos & I liked your Facebook page.”

“Dear Kathryn, A wonderful photo and such a great addition to the WH Halloween Stroll. Thanks very much!”

“Thank you so much! These are adorable. I really appreciate you doing this for M&M”

There were many more like these, but that gives you a sense of the amazing response from the community to this event and to the photo booth, in particular. I just want to thank again all of the amazing women from Moms and More of West Hartford (who started working MONTHS before this event to organize and plan it), the West Hartford police, the management and stores in Blue Back and the Center, Whole Foods, and everyone else who donated their time and hard work to make this happen. West Hartford is such an awesome community and I absolutely love that I live in a town where people work so hard to do something so amazing for the children and families in our area.

So enough of my writing, let’s get to the fun part! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. The first batch came from my Whole Foods photo booth tent and the second batch were from my outdoor setup in front of the Toy Chest. All were shot with natural light. Prepare yourself for a boatload of cuteness:-) Enjoy!

Last, but not least, here’s a shot of the adorable kids of the Out and About Mom team. Check out their blog to read Mandy and Shawnas’ post about the Halloween Stroll and to see read about all of the fabulous things there are to do in Connecticut with young children. You can also check out their post from this past summer about their big photo shoot with yours truly as we worked to update the photos on their blog.

Family Session at the Cove- Wethersfield Family Photographer

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 02:35:51 +0000

Okay, so maybe one more post until I start being 100% secret with holiday photos….actually, I have been asking each of my clients if they want to keep their photos private until after their cards go out and I actually came across a family last weekend who said that it was absolutely okay for me to share, so here they are! The fabulous L family with their four gorgeous children, who were an absolute dream to photograph. I am not kidding when I tell you that these children ranked among the top 2 best behaved families that I have ever worked with. So this photo shoot was not only a total breeze (I didn’t even break a sweat once!), but it was also the first time I ever visited or shot at the Wethersfield Cove. It is a lovely place and the perfect spot for a family photo session. Here are a few of my favorites from this session:

I loved how in this last shot, the children just so happened to be filing out onto the pier as I was shooting photos of their parents. Not at all a planned thing, just a happy coincidence:-)

Family Session at Elizabeth Park- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:05:31 +0000

As I sat down to write this post today, I realized that this will most likely be one of my last family session posts until the winter! Of course, I still have some other events and senior portrait sessions coming up that I will still blog about, but it is generally my policy to stop posting previews of my family/child sessions from October through to the New Year. Since most of my sessions in the fall are holiday card/gift related, I like to keep the photos secret until they are unveiled by the family members themselves. Since most of my clients send me a holiday card in the mail as well, I know when it is officially “safe” to post their photos. But until then, I try my very best to keep their photos top secret:-) Now this is actually not something that any client has ever specifically asked me to do. However, I know that when I send out my holiday cards each year, there is no way that I want to use a photo that every single one of my family members and friends on Facebook have already seen and given a thumbs up to. Instead, I’d rather they open up that envelope and have that photo of my daughter and our dog bring an immediate smile to their faces. I LOVE getting those photo cards each year from all of our friends and family. I love seeing how much each family has grown and changed in the past year. It is the one month out of the entire year that I actually look forward to going to my mailbox each and every day. So I will be saving any holiday photo related session posts until after the holidays are over. Last year, I used the slow, cold days of January and February to get caught up on my holiday posts, so this year will be the same. The only one big difference is that this year, I will have a brand new blog to post the photos to! I am both excited and a little nervous about making the switch, since I really love and am comfortable with my original WordPress blog. But I have filled this site to capacity…literally, they warn me constantly about how I have just about reached my storage limit! So onward to a big, better, fancier blog for 2013.

Okay, so enough of my holiday photo/card talk….and on to the lovely K family! We met up in Elizabeth Park the weekend before last for a fun, family portrait session. They have two adorable little girls who were full of energy and definitely kept me on my toes! I let the older of the two girls help me choose the spots where we would shoot our photos and I think she did a fabulous job:-) Here are some of my favorite shots from our session:

Sometimes I just like to sit back and let the silliness unfold…This approach almost always pays off. Could these next two shots be any cuter?At one point, the girls just wanted to look at the ducks in the pond. I love this shot of the family doing just that…

Amazing Natural Light Newborn Session- Newborn Photographer Connecticut

kathryndeanephotography — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 21:53:23 +0000

Last week, I shot a newborn session mostly in a sunroom that had these huge windows with light filtering blinds on them….I know, I know…why would anyone care to hear about this boring detail? Well, these windows allowed me to create the same look with natural light that is typically created in a studio by placing your subject in front of a soft box light. Not my usual style, but when I was a studio photographer, my favorite shots were always the ones shot in front of the soft box. It basically makes everything behind your subject glow in a bright, soft white light. It is heavenly….and it is almost impossible to do at your average home because most windows aren’t wide enough to fill the frame around your subject. So today, you will get to see my favorite style of “studio” style shots mixed with some more natural photos that reflect my typical style. Although this beautiful little angel gave us all a run for our money that day by refusing to sleep for 2 whole hours, these gorgeous shots of her snoozing away peacefully were definitely worth the wait! Here are some of my favorites from our session:

Gorgeous Baby L's 2 Months Old Session- Baby Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:09:19 +0000

This past weekend, I was invited to photograph a 2 month old baby boy and his family at their home. Two month olds can be a real challenge for photo shoots because they are no longer sleepy and easy to move around like most one week old newborns usually are. So I came prepared to have a wide awake baby, which was pretty much what we had for almost our whole session! He did doze off a few times though, which allowed us to grab several peaceful, sleeping baby shots. The key was that once he fell asleep, he could not be moved AT ALL!! And I was happy to stick with that plan in exchange for his sleep cooperation:-) So I was very thrilled to have gotten a great mix of sleepy baby, awake baby, & family shots in my time there. Thank you again to Baby L’s mom & dad for inviting me to capture this wonderful time in their family’s life. Here are my top favorites from our session:

The next shot is a close up of his perfect little features….aren’t babies so amazing?!

We even got grandma in on the photos. Doesn’t she just look completely in love?:-)

Handsome Baby T and Mom & Dad Make 3! West Hartford Family Photographer

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:41:06 +0000

This past weekend, I had another great family session at Wickham Park in Manchester. The handsome and super cooperative Baby T was the star of the session. He was as sweet as can be and a dream to photograph. He is a truly adorable baby boy:-) Here are a few of my favorites from our session:

Family Session at Wickham Park- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:48:02 +0000

Due to all of the rainy weather lately, I have had to reschedule a lot of sessions in the past few weeks! When I woke up to rain on Sunday, I thought for sure that a third cancellation was coming on for this one family that was having some bad weather luck on their session days. Fortunately, we caught a break in the rain and were able to squeeze in our session at Wickham Park even though it was pretty muddy and extremely humid! But the conditions didn’t stop this family from having a fantastic portrait session. They just grabbed a blanket and improvised with me as we found creative places and poses to do that would keep them mostly off the ground. Here are a few of my favorites from our session:

Out and About Mom Photo Session- Website/Blog Photography West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:44:16 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with the fabulous bloggers behind Out and About Mom and their families for a fun photo session to update their photos and polish their look for their blog site. Out and About Mom is a blog that tracks all of the day trips and activities that two Connecticut moms do with their young children. These ladies have visited an astounding number of places and have noted not only what the experience was like, but also great little details like whether or not you can take in strollers and other helpful facts. When I first saw their blog, I thought it was an absolutely genius idea and only wish that I had such an awesome resource to refer to when my daughter was so little. Shawna and Mandy are from the Glastonbury/West Hartford area, but have not limited themselves to just these two towns. They are an adventurous duo who have traveled to numerous towns throughout the state in their mission to create great memories with their little ones. Luckily for all of us, they generously share all their experience and wisdom regularly through their blog.

When we met up in Farmington for our session, we quickly plotted out our hour of shooting time and got to work with individual portraits, group shots, family photos, and even some maternity shots as well! It was like we did 4 sessions in one that day! But it was tons of fun and I am so excited about the results of this session. Thanks again to Shawna and Mandy for trusting my vision for their photos and being willing to track down color coordinating outfits for so many family members and themselves as well. No small task, I promise you!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the session:

The next two shots show a really cute and creative idea that the OAAM bloggers came up with. They posed in a dozen different ways with blank white poster board and they plan to use these on their blog as a fun way to post little ideas, announcements, etc. With a little Photoshop text tool, you can write whatever you want on the posters. Here is a little sample that I came up with to demonstrate how the photos will work on their blog, but with a little self promotion for Kathryn Deane Photography mixed in for fun

The following photo may be a Kathryn Deane Photography first because I have actually come out from behind my camera to pose for a shot with Shawna and Mandy. I am so excited to be building this great partnership with these two fantastic women and I look forward to working with them again in the near future:-)

And if you haven’t already, please check out Shawna and Mandy’s blog at http://www.outandaboutmom.com/

Family Photos in Elizabeth Park- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:01:16 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I met with a beautiful family of three: a mom, dad, and their sweet little one year old daughter for a family session in Elizabeth Park. We planned on a pre-sunset session in the park to capture that beautiful late evening light, but for some reason we all completely forgot that our time frame encompassed the ever dreaded witching hour. Now I know that all you moms who are reading this right now are nodding your heads in complete understanding. For those of you who are not familiar, the witching hour is a phenomenon that occurs with children that are roughly between the ages of 1 and 3 years old. It hits sometime between 5 and 7pm and turns your sweet little cherub into a bundle of raw emotion. They will laugh one second and wail hysterically a moment later. They will be dancing happily and then break into a tantrum for no clear reason. It happens to us all. And it can be a real bummer when you are in the middle of family photos!

So my clients did what all the best parents in the world do, they sang silly songs, showered their little one with tasty snacks, wiped away the tears when they came, and most importantly….they did whatever it took to make her laugh. And oh my, did they ever make her laugh! Apparently, the key to her happiness did not lie in snacks (well, not for more than a few seconds really), songs, or favorite toys. Nope. The key to her contentment was in being allowed to poke her finger into her parents mouths and touch their teeth. Yup, that is what they endured to get their little munchkin smiling and giggling for the camera. But I think you will agree that it was all worth it when you see the adorable moments we were able to capture in this session. Thank you again to the S family for patiently waiting for your sneak peak until after I returned from vacation. I think you will be thrilled to see how adorable they came out:-) Here are my favorites from the session:

The next shot gives you a little taste of the mouth probe that here mom & dad both had to endure in this session….

You may ask yourself, was it worth it? And the answer is….just take a look at the next shot!

Six Month Old Boy Photo Session- Baby Photographer Farmington, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:23:14 +0000

Finally, summer is here! My favorite time of year for so many reasons. I love the beach, the sunshine, summer clothes, vacations….the list goes on and on. And although it is in my DNA as a New Englander to complain constantly about the winter (only to then complain equally loudly about the summer heat), I do try to remember to be grateful for even the hottest of these hot, sweaty days because they are soooooo much better than the dark, frigid days of winter. So this past weekend, I had to remind myself many times not to be grumpy about the sweltering heat that accompanied my three photo sessions, all of which involved very young children and their poor, overheated parents! But despite the heat and humidity, they were all very good sports and if you didn’t know otherwise, you could never tell by looking at these beautiful photos that we were all about ready to pass out! First up for the weekend was a six month old boy, who I first met this past winter for his newborn session. He was a tough cookie for that newborn session and fought sleep for the entire 2 hours that I was there…well, as it turns out, a lot can change in 6 months. This weekend, he rolled out an almost constant supply of adorable smiles and laughter for me to shoot for the entire hour. He was an absolute joy to photograph and I think you will truly share in my love of these photos that I captured of him and his family this weekend. Here are a few of my favorites…

Roses and a Sister Portrait Session in Elizabeth Park- Child Photography West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:40:26 +0000

One of my favorite places to visit each year is Elizabeth Park in June. I have been taking my daughter there every year since she was born and taking photos of her in the park when all of the roses are in bloom. You just can’t find a more beautiful, peaceful place. I love it. So it is no surprise that I am always encouraging friends and clients to book their summer sessions in the park, whenever possible. I had my first session of the season there a couple of weeks ago when I met up with some very good friends in the park to shoot portraits of their daughters at sunset. For those of you who have never been to the park, I’ve included a few photos of the park and the roses to give you an idea of what it is like and then following those are some of my favorites from our session. Enjoy!

Baby #5 Has Arrived!- Newborn Photographer, West Hartford CT

kathryndeanephotography — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:52:17 +0000

If you remember my maternity session post from a couple weeks ago, then you will be happy to know that baby #5 arrived on time and in perfect health just about a week ago. So I headed out to their home last week to shoot some newborn photos and a few group shots of the entire family as well. Baby L is a gorgeous little boy and was an absolute angel to photograph. It was a very dark, cloudy day so we did not have much natural light to work with. However, we were able to use one tiny space on the couch, by a window, to shoot some beautiful photos. Here are a few of my favorites from my time with him…

Family Session at the Springfield Quadrangle- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:52:04 +0000

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot a fantastic family of five up in Massachusetts at the Springfield Quadrangle. If you haven’t been, this quadrangle has a great little courtyard area that sits in the middle of several museums in downtown Springfield. One of the highlights of this location is their series of Dr. Seuss sculptures based on the characters from his most popular stories. It is a fun place to visit with children, so we thought it might be a nice backdrop for some fun family photos. Despite the on and off drizzle, we got some terrific shots that I am excited to share in this post today. Here are a few of my top picks from the session:

Maternity Session in the Park- Pregnancy (Maternity) Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:44:15 +0000

My weeklong editing whirlwind is starting to slow down and I now only have one more session to complete from last weekend…Woo hoo!!! But before the weekend begins, I wanted to post a preview on my blog so that the M family can check out the results of their maternity session. The M family and I go way back now. We met three years ago when I was just starting up Kathryn Deane Photography. When I first started photographing their family, they had three young boys and were expecting their fourth baby. Now, three years later, they have a beautiful little girl and are about to give birth to their fifth little blessing in June! I am so happy that I have been able to photograph their family as it grows and changes….and I cannot wait to meet their newest little one in a few weeks!

Thank you again to the M family for always trusting in my vision and happily cooperating with all of my “ideas” I so wish we could have gotten that beautiful sunset that I was praying for, but I know that you are going to love these shots, even with the hazy clouds. Mama M, you look absolutely stunning in all of these photos….pregnancy definitely suits you! Here are my top picks for the day:

Family Session in the Gardens at Wickham Park- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:50:58 +0000

For my second session this past Saturday, we decided to meet up at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT. Since it was my first time there, I wasn’t exactly sure of what to expect. Well, I must say that I was blown away by the size and beauty of this park! It is filled with amazing gardens and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to explore this location on Saturday and find all the perfect spots to shoot some family photos for my brand new clients. Their little boy and I hit it off immediately. He was a total sweetheart with the most adorable personality. So, of course, we quickly became good friends. I wish I could share every photo I shot that day because I love them all so much, but I will try to restrain myself and only share a batch of my favorites. Hope you enjoy!

A Sleepy Little Angel and One Sunny Window- Newborn Photographer West Hartford, Connecticut

kathryndeanephotography — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:08:58 +0000

On Friday, I shot a newborn session with the sleepiest little baby I have ever met. She was a newborn photographer’s dream come true! She was actually so sleepy that by the end of our session, we were trying to wake her up to get one shot with her eyes open. That was definitely a first for me! Another first for me was shooting the entire session while standing or crouching on a twin sized bed. We only had one window in the house to work with that had any natural sunlight coming in and the tricky part was that there was a bed in front of it! So I set everything up on the bed and shot the entire session in that tiny little space. Oh, and in the process, I think I may have discovered what should be the next biggest trend in workouts…..apparently, if you spend two hours standing or squatting on a squishy mattress while trying to stay completely steady AND hold a beast of a camera at the same time, you will get a killer workout. My muscles are actually sore today…seriously…I am not even kidding about this! So here are a few favorites from yesterday’s session/workout:

Here comes our one moment with eyes open….I can’t believe how tough this was to get!

I love when clients bring something special to a session that gives it a personal or meaningful touch….In the next shot, the baby is surrounded by lilacs from her great grandmother’s garden. Although her great grandma is no longer alive, these flowers live on and now are a part of one of little Baby C’s special moments in her life. So sweet…

A Beautiful Spring Morning for a Family Photo Session- Family Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:14:05 +0000

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of shooting a family session with some wonderful people whom I have known for several years now. Our daughters went to preschool together three years ago and we have stayed friends ever since. It is always really fun to photograph a family that already knows you because you can make them do silly things right away without much of a warm up! So we got to work and just had a good time from the moment we started. The kids were angels and did everything I asked of them. All in all, it was a laid back, fun shoot with some terrific results. I am positive that these photos will be treasured for years to come. Here are a few of my favorites from this session:

Okay, here is where I make mom and dad kiss…..

….and this is their daughter’s response. Too funny!!

Mentoring and Models in NYC- Child, Family, and Newborn Photographer West Hartford, CT

kathryndeanephotography — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:31:11 +0000

A week ago, I had the opportunity to travel into the city for a one on one mentoring session with the amazingly talented Benita Cloward of BRC Photography in Oklahoma. Benita and I worked on and discussed everything from shooting and editing to business and marketing. I don’t think there was a single thing we missed! It was not only a ton of fun, but it was also exactly the type of experience I was looking for to take my photography to the next level. What I loved the most about working with Benita is that she is a no frills photographer. She is not spending a lot of time altering her images in Photoshop, carrying around tons of lighting or devices to manipulate the shot, or counting on an entourage of assistants to get the photo she wants. She is so skilled that she knows exactly what to do with just her camera and a lens to get what she is looking for. That is precisely the type of photographer you want when you hire someone to shoot your wedding, family, baby, or child. And I am so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to “look behind the curtains” and see exactly how a photographer with that level of talent makes it all happen. Here are a few samples of my shots of our beautiful model, Brittany, who allowed us to march her through the streets of New York with all kinds of crazy outfits on. Thank you again to both Benita and Brittany for giving me such a fantastic learning experience in NYC….