ANOTHER SHAVER FAMILY PORTRAIT

Summer 07

When one member of the family is the defacto photographer, it isn’t so easy to get a good family portrait, but I keep trying! I love how the shadow in the sand is sort of glowing. I was experimenting with diffused fill flash at Point Pleasant Beach today.

Click here for our first freaky family portrait of the summer. I’m on a roll!

One of my loyal blog readers booked me for a photo shoot at a private beach club on the Jersey Shore with her sisters and all their boys. This is my favorite picture from the whole bunch, and that wasn’t an easy choice, since there are so many beautiful ones. But the reason I like this one so much is because of those beautiful, natural smiles.



Easy to see why those moms are so smiley.




They have six handsome boys between them. Here’s one.



Two.



Three.
(And a dad, or maybe an uncle.
I was so confused about who belonged to whom. It was hard to tell becasue they’re all so close.)



Four.



Five.



Six.



That makes one big gorgeous family. (That’s the girls’ mom on the left. Hi mom!)



We started the day at the first soccer practice of the fall season.



First soccer practice of all time for two of our boys.



The day marked the end of summer — the beach club owner was battening down for the winter, for one thing, and hardly anybody was there.



But that just made it easier to get unposed shots (without a crowd in the background) in my “unportrait” style. I love how you can see the adults standing around in the background in this one. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow at a photo shoot that involves six boys under the age of 7!



Most of my pictures are candid, but there are a few “tell me when you see the shutter move” shots.



If this were me in the picture with my son, I’d print it, frame it, and put it on my dresser to stay forever. I love this shot.



Love this one too! I have too many faves!

I love their slide show, but this one’s private so if you want to see it, please email one of the sisters. And THANK YOU ALL for booking me to document this summer in the lives of those sweet little boys. I had a great time! You’re the BEST!

We’ll be seeing one of these families again in a few weeks because, as a loyal blog reader, she and her husband won my June contest for a free family shoot! And it’s only a few weeks away! Speaking of contests, no one has won this one yet!

I had so much fun at this shoot with these little boys, cousins all under the age of 7. Be the first person to name the beach and you will win a $10 gift certificate for Brain-Builders.com. (In the spirit of six boys under the age of 7, I chose Brain-Builders.com because they have lots of cool building and construction toys!)

Rules: If you’ve won a contest on my blog in 2007, you’re not eligible to play. The gift certificate will be delivered to the e-mail address you provide when you leave your comment, so be sure to put your address in correctly! You don’t have to leave your full name in the “name” field. First names or initials are fine!

Here’s a hint:



Watch the blog for more pictures from this shoot coming up soon!

By far, the most common question I am asked is, “What should I wear?”

As I sit here in my pale blue t-shirt, ash grey hoodie and jeans, I feel particularly DISqualified to give fashion advice. However, one thing I’m pretty good at is coordinating clothes for my photo clients. I like to plan clothing for photo shoots based on current fashion trends for classic clothes, in colors that compliment skin tones and the natural environments in which we’ll be shooting. With the onset of fall, we always see clothing colors change hue to reflect the changing colors of the leaves — rich dark red, deep forest green, burnt orange, chocolate brown, pale yellow. As we morph into winter, we’ll see pinks, lighter greens and teals replacing the yellows and oranges. (Avoid primary colors — bright red, royal blue, kelly green. Gives a photographer the shivers.)

Coordinating clothing for one person is really not so hard: pair of jeans, white t-shirt, comfy red sweater, dark brown pea coat, stripey scarf, voila! an outfit that compliments the natural colors of fall. But how do you coordinate clothing for an entire family? That’s not so easy. So I gave myself a little assignment: could I put together some virtual outfits for groups of people based on the notion of sticking within a color palette, limiting patterns, and picking up colors from within the patterns? Could I do this on a budget? Could I avoid shirts with logos and silk screening?

My virtual shopping trip landed me at Old Navy, Target, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters, Land’s End and a store that sells “Life is Good” hats and scarves.

I wasn’t organized enough to actually write down what each item cost, but most of what I put together came from Old Navy and Target, so that should give you an idea. Probably the single most expensive thing I “bought” was the stripey hat!

THE RULES: Stick within a color palette, limit patterns, avoid logos, don’t be boring!

Here’s what I came up with: (Click the thumbnails to enlarge the images.)

I call this “Teal and Brown.” Teal does not fall within the fall color palette unless you live at the beach. Hey, rules are made to be broken! Let’s have fun! Notice the accessories. Necklaces and bracelets add color, interest and texture.

Also notice that the stripey sweater is sized for a small person — a baby or little girl. If you choose an outfit like that, be sure to also include an outfit for that child in a more subtle pattern or color so that we get lots of variety in our pictures!


Here’s the stripey hat I love. Notice how the entire wardrobe pulls off colors in that one little hat. Imagine that hat on an adorable little blue-eyed sweetie who is being held in your arms, your arms that are covered with a burnt orange sweater (I think that one came from Abercrombie) picking up the burnt orange stripe. Love it!

Note: horizontal stripes are to be completely avoided on women, and are to be used sparingly on everybody else. That olive sweater is just about right for a 4- to 12-year-old boy.


This one is a little dressier than the others. Not exactly my style, but I thought I’d try for a slightly less casual look just to see how it might work. The argyle sweater has a delicate red stripe. We’ll pick up on that in the red sweater, and we’ll bounce off the grey with a grey tweed blazer for added texture. But I prefer casual, so I dressed the argyle down by pairing it with khakis for dad. Or, as an alternative, if he’s the type to wear dress shoes, this would be the time to wear them and substitute those khakis for a pair of dark jeans. Best coat to layer: black leather trench or flight jacket. Perfect if you already have one in your wardrobe.


This set has a lot of pink. Pink is very big right now, and works especially well for those late fall shoots when the brilliant colors of autumn have begun to fade and our beautiful trees begin to show off their inner shape. The pink is going to work nicely with a clear blue sky, which we will see a lot of with no leaves to block it out. Plus, pink is GREAT with brown, and since a lot of the leaves are going to be brown by the end of fall, pink is good! (Add some bright or even stripey leggings to your daughter’s skirt for a few pictures. Very fun and wintery!)

So, as you glance at those thumbnails, can you see the color palettes and how they change? Can you see how some items in some of the sets wouldn’t work so good in other sets? (The orange sweater is not going to work so good in the pink set, for example.)

One word of warning: I’m showing a lot of hooded shirts and I actually don’t like hooded shirts all that much for family shoots because we tend to throw the children up in the air and upside down. That hood is going to mess up our pictures! So if you go for a hoodie, throw in a sweater change without a hood so we have some options.

Remember that if we are shooting outside in winter, it’s likely to be cold. Big down coats don’t do a whole lot for our figures, so it’s best to shoot for short periods of time, going from inside to out, and dressing in layers so that the coat can be unzipped. That said, hats and scarves are great for pictures as long as they coordinate with the other clothes and coats. Most importantly, have fun! Never force your child to wear something he absolutely hates. There’s nothing wrong with black and white pictures! I LOVE black and white!

One more note: please take this advice as merely a stepping off point for those of you who would like a little help choosing clothes. Nothing is written in stone here. Wear what you like, wear what’s comfortable, be happy, because when day is done all we ever really care about is whether you had a good breakfast that gave you lots of energy for your photo shoot and whether you brushed your teeth! (Because you’ll be smiling a LOT!)

Ask any one of my victims, I mean clients, about that need for lots of energy on photo shoot day! It’s a given. Now if I just had some energy to change out of this ash hoodie and pale blue t-shirt (blah, boring) I’d be in good shape!

Click the picture to jump to Sarah’s slide show. Be sure to turn up the sound! I love this one! (I love them all!) When the slide show is finished, it will jump back here where you can read about some of the pictures. Above, Sarah, with her proud parents.



Sarah was poised, articulate and beautiful on her big day.



Steve Kaplan provided the wonderful classical guitar music during the ceremony.



See those tiny things flying through the air? It’s a family tradition to shower the celebrant with candy! How fun!



I love this shot of the grandparents…



…and this one of Sarah with her friends.



Sarah’s brother somehow managed to get the first taste of wine. Gotcha!



It was difficult to get pictures of Sarah at her reception because her friends are all so close!



But I did manage to get a few cool shots. I love the light in this one.



Sweet!



Another sweet one!



This kid can dance!



See?



Sarah’s sister seemed to be having a great time!



The following week, we all went to Avon-by-the-Sea.



The family loves the beach and wanted to do their family shoot at a place that would bring back memories of beach days and family vacations.



Don’t know how I managed to make it look like we were the only people there that day because the beach was really crowded!



I love this one of Sarah.



And this is my favorite family shot — my signature “unportrait.” Love it!

I hope you all enjoyed your slide show! Congratulations, Sarah!


EDIT: Ooooh! Totally forgot to mention that prints from Sarah’s full gallery are available in my online store. The passcode is the family’s last name, all lowercase. Enjoy!

Realizing that we’ve all just now gotten our kids back to school and had a minute to catch our breath, I figured you might appreciate a little more time to consider ordering prints from the Vacation Bible School Galleries. So I’ve extended the deadline to Sept. 24!

HERE’S HOW TO ORDER PRINTS
Each VBS slide show has a gallery icon at the bottom right corner. It looks like a square with a bunch of little squares inside. Click that icon. Then click on any thumbnail image. That allows you to see the pictures individually. Each picture’s filename is shown at the bottom. It looks like this: “vbs-thu-053.”

Each print will be mounted on mat board. This makes it easy to frame, or you can simply stand the print up at your desk at work with no frame or stick a magnet on the back and put it on your fridge. Way more durable than an unmounted print!

Suggested donation for a 5×7 is $10 each. Suggested donation for an 8×10 is $20 each. You must place your order with me by September 24.

Make your check out to: “First Presbyterian Church” and marked “YOUTH MISSION” in the memo field. This insures that your donation will directly benefit the Habitat for Humanity youth mission project.

Send your check, along with the filenames of the images you want to order to me (Julie Walton Shaver) at 610 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ, 08840. Make certain you tell me what SIZE you want! Please include your phone number and e-mail address in your letter!

(Please keep in mind that no toning changes will be made — if the image is presented as black and white in the gallery, it can’t be printed as a color image.)

On September 25th, I will send one big order to the lab. When the prints arrive a few days later, I will send a mass email letting everone know the prints are in, and you can pick yours up at the church office in the First Presbyterian Church Social Center.

Let me know if you need the username and password to get into the slide shows.

Here’s the link to the main gallery page.

WHY

* You love autumn in New York.
* You love unique beautifully designed Christmas Cards.
* You’re totally bummed that my fall schedule booked up so quickly this year.
* You’re psyched at this opportunity to take fall pictures of your family in Central Park!

WHAT

Because I love autumn in New York as much as you do, I am hoping to schedule five mini family sessions on that day. It’s a win-win because you get beautiful pictures to share with family and friends, and I get to take beautiful pictures in Central Park! As a bonus, you also get 50 custom-designed holiday cards!

WHEN

Sat., Nov. 3, 2007

WHERE

Central Park, at a specific location to be announced.

WHO

You and your family or small group of friends, up to 6 people.

HOW MUCH

$395 includes 45 minutes of casual lifestyle photography, a unique Christmas Card pre-design and 50 printed cards with envelopes! Cards are printed on luxurious art linen paper. No two card designs are alike. My clients and their extended families and friends RAVED about my holiday cards last year. Your card can include black and white images, color images, your custom message, a storyboard, and can list the ages of your children if you like. But, not to worry if this sounds too complicated for you. Julie does EVERYTHING! All you have to do is smile and say, “that looks good to me!”

THE DETAILS

Each mini session will include 50 unique greeting cards custom designed by Julie. In addition, 15 to 20 images will be presented in a private online gallery. Your gallery will include group and individual pictures of your family or friends created in Julie’s distinctive style. Print prices begin at $10 for a 5×5 mounted photograph, lustre coated and printed at Julie’s favorite high-quality professional lab and ready in time for holiday gift-giving. Gorgeous canvas gallery wraps and other large print and framing options are also available. Greeting cards are available in sets of 25 with envelopes, so if you need more than 50 cards, please ask for a custom quote.

SCHEDULING YOUR SESSION

I will schedule five sessions on Nov. 3, each beginning and ending on time, so don’t be late!
*9-9:45 – booked and confirmed
*10-10:45 – booked and confirmed
*2-2:45 – booked and confirmed
*3-3:45 – booked and confirmed
*4-4:45 – booked and confirmed
I know traffic can be a problem, so plan to arrive a half hour earlier than your session time, using any extra time to relax, have some water and a snack, and tidy up before your photography begins. Sessions will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis, so choose a time slot and e-mail me today! If your chosen slot is available, payment in full is required within 4 days. (If not received in 4 days, the slot opens up to another family.) I accept credit card payments through my online store, so if you’d like to pay by credit or debit card, just let me know.

THE RAIN QUESTION

If it’s cloudy or misty, we will shoot anyway. Bring colorful (solid color) umbrellas! But if it’s a deluge on Saturday, we will shoot on Sunday, Nov. 4. KEEP BOTH DAYS OPEN! If it’s raining that date too, all money will be refunded. Cancellation policy:
* Full refund for reservations cancelled with more than 7 days’ notice.
* 50 percent refund for reservations cancelled within 3-7 days. If your time slot can be filled, you will receive a full refund.
* No refund for reservations cancelled with less than 3 days’ notice unless your time slot is filled by another family.

Call today to reserve your time!

EDIT: My good friend, Brad, just e-mailed to point out that Nov. 4, the back-up date, is the day of the NYC Marathon, so if it rains on Saturday, I’ll give you a choice of doing the back-up session on either Nov. 4 or Nov. 11. (Thanks, Brad! You’re such a sweetie for checking my blog!)

THE SCENE: MY KITCHEN, THIS MORNING

Bradley runs into the kitchen shaking. “Sp-sp-sp-i-der!”

Much screaming ensues, and after quite a battle, the spider the size of Idaho is in serious need of a grave.

Gregory stands on a chair for a while, shaking, then disappears into the living room in search of a spider book to identify Mr. Idaho. He returns to the kitchen empty handed, his hands clasped as in prayer. Quietly, slowly, he looks up at me with those big brown eyes. Gregory does not like bugs. The fact that there was a huge spider in the house has him totally freaked. “Mom,” he whispers, “we have to move.”

Watch this space closely because I’m working on a plan that will hopefully give five more families the chance to book me this fall for a very special Christmas Card offer. Save the date: NOVEMBER 3! Check back tomorrow!

I’m also working on a mini-session plan to help you get some beautiful magazine-style pictures of your little ones in their Halloween costumes. Be on the lookout for that.

And, realizing that the contests from last June were SO popular, I’m planning to continue that by posting random questions for fun prizes once in a while, so make sure you check in every day! Heidi, I have your $50 Olive Garden gift card so start planning your family dinner OUT! I’ll give it to you on Sunday!

One last thing: IT’S ALMOST FALL! And you all KNOW how I love beautiful pictures of autumn trees, so check in daily for those little random eye-feasts as well.

Ok, back to editing Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah. Can’t wait to show you those pictures!

Last night, before bedtime, Gregory was a little nervous about the first day of first grade. The nervousness contined this morning but Mike is such a great daddy!



So sweet!



Morning routine: Kathryn knocks on the door –



Bradley’s ride to the middle school.



Gregory’s just a little sleepy from all that worrying.



But up early enough to get everything ready and still have time left over for a quick computer game. (My money’s on that never happening again.)



The Long Walk Begins



“Are you going to take my picture ALL DAY?”



He wasn’t the first child there. (Still nervous.)



Gregory has the same first grade teacher that Bradley had. We LOVE her! This is the moment when she’s telling Gregory that she remembers him as a baby. (Told you so, Gregory!) It’s also the moment when I noticed some of the worry disappearing from his brow.



She has such a great smile!
Thanks for making Gregory feel so comfortable on his first day of first grade, Ms. K!



Gregory is easy to find in a crowd of first graders.
He’s the tall one way in the back.



The mamarazzi never quits. (Gregory was mortfied to see me standing in the corner for a quick picture of his classroom.)
Bye Gregory, see you when school lets out!

I’m going home to put my feet up,
first time in TWELVE YEARS! WOO HOO!

FAST FORWARD TO 3 O’CLOCK



SCHOOL’S OUT!
Me: “Did you have a good day?”
Gregory: “NO! Too long. Too hot. I’m sweaty.”



Kathryn: “So Gregory, what’d you think of Ms. K?”



“Too smiley.”

That’s it — Gregory’s first full day of school.

*sigh*