The greatest complement

A few months ago we received an Instagram message from a woman named Michelle who was interested in our wedding photography. She had been leaving us likes and sweet comments on our photos for a while and we, in turn, we had been following her. We had enjoyed viewing her adorable pictures with her fiancé John and seeing their travels around the country. They seemed like adventurous and fun people and we were thrilled that they had reached out to us. 

   We moved forward with a phone consultation. Sarah and I sat in the yard by the chicken coop with a cup of tea and coffee on a beautiful morning (Our favorite way to do a consultation.) We were so excited to get to know a little bit more about her and John. We said our friendly hellos and before we could get any further she said

“ Before we start, I have to tell you the story of how we found you.” Sarah and I were intrigued and excited. She explained to us that while traveling the country she and her fiance had stopped at a brewery called Idletyme brewing in Vermont for a drink. While there, they had met a couple on their honeymoon who told them all about their amazing wedding and were over the moon about their photographers aka (us). They shared our information with Michelle and she fell in love with our work. 

  Let's stop for a minute to reflect on that. This meant so much to us for so many reasons. The obvious appreciation of our art and hard work. But moreover, the fact that the honeymooning couple hadn't seen one photo from their wedding sample yet, meant that the glowing review of Sarah and I had been sent hundreds of miles from Cincinnati, Ohio to Stowe, Vermont by little more than the couple's wedding day experience with us! This was the biggest complement of all. Making someone's wedding day as magical as possible is of course the biggest thing on our hearts. Writing this story brings that feeling of love for our couples and pride in our work rushing back. The couple at the bar by the way, are named Ashley and Justin and tomorrow, over a year after their wedding we will be in Yellow Springs, Ohio shooting their maternity photos as they prepare to welcome their new baby into the world! I will link their wedding sample below and you can expect a sample of this soon to be amazing maternity session to be up in the coming weeks!

Justin and Ashley (The couple at the bar in Stowe, Vermont.)

Michelle and John booked us on the spot after our call and we are so thrilled to be working with them. They will be having us travel to Philadelphia, PA for their wedding next year and just last weekend we traveled out to meet them in person and shoot their engagement session at Hunting Hill Mansion. Which was GORGEOUS by the way. What an awesome adventure that was for us! God has blessed us with an amazing life of love and adventure fueled by art and the love of others. We have the privilege of bringing positive energy to such a special time in people's lives and we don’t take that for granted. Not even for a second.

Michelle & John at Hunting Hill Mansion. Outside of Philadelphia, PA.

Michelle & John at Hunting Hill Mansion. Just outside of Philadelphia, PA.

 Sarah and I are open for bookings in the Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky area as well as traveling sessions. If you’re interested in possibly booking a session just hop over to the contact page and shoot us an email!

  If you enjoyed this read, please leave a like and consider subscribing for more photo session advice. Follow us on Instagram at the link below to keep up with our most recent photo session samples and reels.

Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson

The magic of Fall colors

Good morning kind reader! The first day of Fall occurred over the weekend, and I woke this morning with the cool Fall air filling my bedroom. My favorite season is finally here!

I had multiple photo sessions over the weekend. My final session late Sunday night truly stuck out. Aside from the family being fantastic to work with, the colors they chose were absolutely perfect! They were muted earth tones that gave off such a warm and comfortable Fall vibe and also gave a sense of adventure and imagination to their happy and energetic children! In Ohio we are blessed with a gorgeous Fall and so much opportunity to capture beautiful timeless images.

However, getting the most out of these Fall photo sessions is not as easy as getting out in nature with a good photographer. A key element, (I can’t stress how important this is) is understanding how to dress! This applies for any type of Fall session, not just family photo sessions but engagement, baby, senior or anything else.

Choosing your colors

You probably understand already because your mother taught you when you were young that your clothes need to match. They don’t have to be the same color, they need to go together! The fall foliage is a set of specific colors that will stand out in your photos. You want to think about coordinating your colors to the foliage. Below I am attaching a Fall color pallet for you to us as a reference when picking your outfits.

Seasonal Color Pallette

Coordinate, don’t match!

Oftentimes people make the mistake of thinking that matching is the way to go. They understand they want Earth tones and the colors look great but they make the mistake of putting both parents in Green sweaters with Khaki pants. It’s really the variety that stands out and is pleasing to the eye.

Outdoor comfort

It’s common that people come to their session with shirts tucked in, shoes shined and just an overall more formal look. There is a time and place for this, but we prefer a more natural look. We want it to look more like we caught you on a hike in the forest or at a family picnic in the mountains rather than a traditional photo session. We prefer a pair of hiking boots over dress shoes. If you have children in your session make sure to dress them in something that is not only warm and Fall colored, but also something they can run around in. Something you don’t mind getting dirty. We like to play a lot at these sessions and take a lot of photos on the ground!

I am including a link to our free style guide below which helps to coordinate your outfits to the season. It is great for family sessions but the advice is relevant to any type of Fall vibe session.

Family Session Style Guide

Choosing the right store!

We live in an age that makes it easy to shop for the specific looks we want to achieve. Take advantage of the internet as it can be your best friend. Pinterest has tons of great articles with lists of stores online. Below is a link to an awesome amazon storefront by Jess Phillips from jessphillipsphotography.com. She has some great links to purchase beautiful Fall clothing!

If you live in our area I highly recommend women check a store called Rose and Remington in Lebanon, Ohio. This shop has a plethora of beautiful dresses with a great color palette and tons of accessories and jewelry to go along with your look.

In closing

It may be stressful when you first start to plan your outfits, but once you start using your color pallet and you find a good store you will start having fun! and in the end you will end up with stunning photos and a new sense of fashion that will serve you for years to come. Happy Fall!

  Sarah and I are open for bookings in the Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky area as well as traveling sessions. If you’re interested in possibly booking a session just hop over to the contact page and shoot us an email!

  If you enjoyed this read, please leave a like and consider subscribing for more photo session advice. Follow us on Instagram at the link below to keep up with our most recent photo session samples and reels.

Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson