Maternity session Inspiration

Happy Spring from Every Atom Photography! 🌸

Spring is in the air and Sarah and I are filled with excitement here at Every Atom Photography! While we bid farewell to the chilly winter days, we can't help but look back on all the wonderful memories we've captured with our amazing clients.

Winter brought us so many heartwarming opportunities, especially as we witnessed our past brides and grooms embark on their journey into parenthood. The joy of photographing newborns and expecting mothers has truly filled our hearts with positivity and inspiration.

From the amazing "I do" moments to the tentative selection of baby names and beyond, we've been fortunate to be a part of countless families' milestones. As we sit back on this last winter day, we can't help but marvel at the incredible journey we've shared with our clients. Time truly flies, and soon we'll be capturing senior and graduation photos for these little ones!

Life is a beautiful whirlwind of precious moments and we are grateful to be able to freeze these memories in time through our photography. Although we primarily serve the Cincinnati area, if you reside elsewhere and can't book a session with us, we hope our work can serve as inspiration for your future photo sessions with your local photographer.

Without further ado, we present a few of our favorite captures from our last two sessions. 📸✨ Let's embrace the new season and the endless possibilities it holds!

Get everyone together!

Capturing Love in Every Atom: Maternity Sessions

During a maternity session, it's natural to focus on capturing the radiant glow of the mom-to-be. But hey, let's not forget about the other little love bundles eagerly waiting to meet their new sibling! Just like you, they are bursting with joy and anticipation for their upcoming playmate. Including them in the photoshoot will add an extra layer of sweetness and excitement that you'll cherish forever.

Oh, and let's not overlook our furry friends! Pets can bring such warmth and comfort to a maternity session. Their presence reminds us that the arrival of a new baby is a momentous occasion for the whole family, including our beloved four-legged companions.

So, embrace the chaos, the giggles, and the paw prints in your maternity session. Trust us, you won't regret it. These photos will be treasured reminders of the love and anticipation that surrounded the journey to welcoming your newest family member.

Let's delve into the romantic side of things now. Despite the joyous anticipation of starting a family, it's important to cherish the love and passion between you and your special someone that sparked this beautiful journey. Ensure your photographer captures these heartfelt moments and gives dad his well-deserved time in the spotlight during the session. It's all about celebrating love, family, and those tender connections that make your story truly special.

Romantic maternity session in Dayton Ohio

Embracing Winter Vibes!

While some of our clients lean towards cozy studio sessions during winter, others can't resist the allure of the moody, magical outdoor look. Don't shy away from the chill! Bundle up, and let's create unforgettable moments together. You'll love the results, we promise! 📸❄️

Braving the cold for this moody maternity session in Waynesville, Ohio.

Celebrating Our Mom-to-Be

Let's shine the spotlight on our incredible mom-to-be! In the world of maternity sessions, she is truly the star of the show. Capturing her radiance is not only a priority but a joy. It was capturing the beauty of individuals that led me to pursue this career, making this part of the session a personal favorite. And when our mom-to-be arrives in style like Katie with her stunning long green dress, it simply adds that extra touch of magic to the whole experience.

Long Flowing Green Maternity Dress

Effortlessly stylish long green maternity dress for glowing moms-to-be, blending elegance with comfort and natural beauty.

I have found the perfect dress that I absolutely adore on Amazon!

Lifestyle Maternity: Embracing a Casual and Charming Look

Given the scenario of lifestyle maternity photography, the emphasis is on capturing a laid-back and natural aesthetic. The fashion style in this setting leans towards casual outfits that reflect what you would typically wear around the house. This approach adds a unique level of charm and authenticity to the images, embodying a sense of realism and comfort.

Capturing Sweet Beginnings

Infusing your photos with timeless charm is as simple as adding a sprinkle of nostalgia. Props like baby's first shoes, a cuddly teddy bear, a soft blanket, or even an ultrasound photo not only bring delightful pops of color and texture but also weave a heartwarming tale of the beautiful journey that is about to unfold. By incorporating these precious mementos, your images come alive with a touch of sweetness, capturing the essence of a new chapter waiting to be written.

Thank you for checking out our photos and ideas! We hope they bring a smile to your face and give you wonderful memories to cherish for years to come. If you're in our area, Sarah and I would be thrilled to chat with you about planning your next photo session. Just head over to our contact page whenever you're ready. Let us know what type of session catches your eye! God bless and happy spring!

4 tips for perfect getting ready photos

Creating the perfect wedding day!

Mother of the bride zipping up her daughters gorgeous wedding dress!

Hello again, I hope you're having an amazing 2024 so far! Over the past 10+ years of doing wedding photography in Ohio and around the country I have done hundreds of weddings and taken getting ready photos with all types of people. Almost every wedding falls victim to the same issue and today I hope to help raise awareness to help you get the most out of your wedding photos.

Great getting ready photos don’t just happen naturally!

If you look online at getting ready photos you will see gorgeous well lit photos of the bridal party before the ceremony. Most people love these photos but don’t take the time to look into what they really love about them. If you notice the little things that make up the photo you will usually see the following. 

The Dream.

• Everyone is mostly dressed and in makeup already.

• The room is well lit, preferably with natural light. 

• The room is clean!

• People are happy and smiling

The Truth. 

• Most everyone is running behind.

• The room is poorly lit due to small windows.

• The room is full of trash from cosmetic wrappers, shoe boxes and half eaten food and coffee cups.

• There is a lack of smiles due to the high tense rushed energy. 

Don’t worry though, with a little planning these issues are simple to eliminate. For starters, everyone should have a decent breakfast! This cuts down on the need to eat during the getting ready phase of the day. This is extremely important as one of the biggest issues with photos is clutter from food rappers and also cuts down on the time that people are eating instead of focusing on the task at hand, which is make-up, hair and having a great time!

Wedding at Stone Valley Meadows in Franklin, Ohio.

Shot by Every Atom Photography.

I would be doing you a diservice if I didn’t take a time out to tell you about a great Ohio wedding venue in Franklin, Ohio. The above photo was shot at Stone Valley Meadows ( Link Below ) This venue offers a great getting ready space in the up stairs loft. Large double doors open to let in tons of natural light and the walls are painted a great shade of white which works with any color scheme. The above photo was taken on their patio which is covered perfectly to provide a well lit space while keeping the photos away from harsh unflattering sunlight. They also provide a great guest house for the guys to get ready which they call “The Guy’s Barn.”

Alright, back to it!

Second, if you have not yet picked a location to get ready I highly recommend, if at all possible, to pick a location with big windows which let in a flood of natural light. It’s very common that we end up doing prep photos in a hotel with everyone crammed into a room with one window. Any photographer worth their salt will bring good lighting equipment so they will make it work as we do, but no amount of flash will compare to natural window light. A nice Air-bnb or a venu with a large bridal suite is a great place to start. Having a space with a nice outdoor area helps as well. That way “weather permitting” your photographer has the option of taking the party outside for photos of the girls in their robes or the first look with the bridesmaids. Also I should mention that most people don’t usually realize that an air-bnb is close to the same price as a hotel when all is said and done.

Thirdly, let’s talk about clutter. Believe it or not the morning of most weddings is a hot mess. Everyone is both excited and busy. Cleaning the bridal suite is not on their radar. The floor will likely be littered with things like catering boxes, shoe boxes, cosmetic cases, and boob tape while the table tops will be covered in used starbucks cups and water bottles. The best solution to this is to first, make everyone aware of your wish to keep the space tidy for photos. Second, designate one or two people to keep an eye out for clutter and periodically go around and tidy up. Don’t feel bad, remember these are your friends and family. They are there to celebrate your love and are eager to help make your day perfect!  

Lastly, let's talk about smiles. I write about stress all the time on this blog as weddings can be stressful for all involved. Like I say all the time “ stress kills creativity” but also stress kills that positive mimosa energy we all want on the morning of our wedding. As always the solution to this is planning and buffer room. However much time you think you will need, add at least an hour. The reason the morning of a wedding can be unpleasant is almost always a time issue. Rushing. Driving home to pick up something that was forgotten, no one had breakfast so everyone needs to eat first, everyone is moving slow ( maybe from a long night. ) The list of things that cause prep to run late is endless and totally unpredictable but leaving buffer time for things to go wrong is incredibly freeing on such a busy day. On your wedding day, time is your best friend! And if everything goes well you end up with extra time to enjoy yourself and relax a bit before the eventful and exciting day ahead. 

I hope this article Serves you well in your planning and helps to make your wedding day and wedding photography a little bit better.  

      Let’s sum it up.

1. Eat a big healthy breakfast!

1. Book a space with plenty of natural light.

    3.   Make your party aware of your desire for clean and tidy photos.

    4.   Designate someone to periodically tidy up.

     5.   Give yourself plenty of extra time.

 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

Don't need an engagement session?

If you're reading this it’s likely that you are recently engaged. Congratulations! You're probably in the beginning stages of wedding planning and getting quotes from local photographers. The packages you see when glancing at their pricing sheets often include an engagement session. There are many reasons you might not want to have one but the most common reasons Sarah and I hear from potential clients are as follows.

“We are trying to save money where we can and we think we can do without the engagement.”

“We had engagement photos done already and don’t need another session.”

“We live far away and it is hard to schedule time to make it out for an engagement session.”

   Now these reasons are all valid of course, and sometimes yes when a client insists that we remove an engagement session from their package we will work something out. However I always explain to them what I am about to tell you. An engagement session is much more than just a photo session.

Your engagement session is an opportunity.

You might have had a consultation with your photographer and think you are comfortable enough with them. Or maybe you have only communicated through email. Either way you don’t yet know how they work as an artist. Your engagement session is a time to see them at work, and when you know how they work you begin to learn how to work with them. Most people don’t realize that a portrait photographer doesn’t create a great session alone. Not by far. An amazing session is a collaboration between the photographer and the subject. During the engagement session “even though you might not realize it when it’s happening” you are learning a workflow. By the end of the session you will be picking up your photographer's cues, and hopefully finding that your having a great time! You will also most likely be free of any nervousness you might have had about having your photos done. You will feel more free and less tense. This free and relaxed attitude towards photos will carry over into your wedding day. I will but a link to my Article about how to loosen up for an engagement session below.

Your engagement session is a rehearsal.

Your engagement session is a rehearsal for your wedding day couples photos. You learn poses and the way that your photographer communicates. Again you also know your photographer after the engagement session and they are no longer a stranger to you. What if on your wedding day “this is unfortunately common” You haven’t met your photographer. This stranger shows up on the morning of your busy wedding day and starts pointing a camera at you and your friends and family. I have been this stranger on many occasions over the years and although I am professional and it no longer bothers me too much, I can still pick up on others being uncomfortable. Discomfort is a form of stress and as I always say. Stress kills art. Having a good vibe with your photographer is crucial to a great wedding day and great photographs.

Your engagement session helps make your wedding day. It goes without saying that although it may not seem like a big deal now, your engagement session is a big component to your wedding day. It isn’t something you want to skip out on if you can avoid it and it’s more than worth the cost. If you’re trying to cut back on wedding costs consider other options before forgoing this important piece of your wedding day puzzle.

We look forward to engagement sessions very much! Getting to know our clients personally is an amazing opportunity. They are the heart of our business and we are honored that they chose us and put their trust in us to record this special time in their lives. The engagement session is our first opportunity to earn that trust and form a friendship. It is just as important to us as photographers as it is for you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I hope this article helped you on your wedding planning journey.

  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

The art of having fun.

   If you're reading this I’m going to guess that you, your partner or both of you are at least a little camera shy. If so I have good news! You’re not alone. In my experience most people are uncomfortable in front of the camera. Myself included. Ironic, I know… For the majority of my life I hated my smile. I would see photos of myself smiling and think my face looked fat or my smile caused my eyes to squint. My solution to this was to attempt the stoic “Sexy guy” face. I was happier with that back then but now realize I just looked angry in every photo for 2 decades. It wasn’t until recently that I started to apply the tips I give my client’s (the same tips I’m about to give you) to myself.

HOW MOST COUPLES FEEL!

  Most couples arrive at their engagement session nervous. They usually haven’t met their photographer and if they have it was at a consultation. Sometimes they haven’t ever had professional photos done and have no idea what to expect. They feel awkward and they are sometimes worried that the photographer will be frustrated or upset with their inexperience while posing them. These worries are completely false and totally normal.

WHATS HOLDING YOU BACK?

  The human mind often focuses on the worst case scenario. When I was a young musician I was technically very good, and everything should have sounded amazing… except, I sounded like a robot. It wasn’t until someone said something so simple, so obvious and wise that I was able to get past that stage.

“Let the weight off your shoulders, just relax and know there is no pressure.”

  Being the subject of a photograph is no different. Get out of your head and just have fun. With modern photography styles like ours, we don’t want a perfectly posed photograph that looks stiff and rigid. We want to photograph you enjoying yourself and enjoying your partner. We are trying to capture your love! Here are a few tips to help you ease into this state of mind.

DON’T BE EMBARRASSED.

  Maybe you're not a publicly affectionate couple, and that's fine but you're not in public here. It’s just you and the photographer. And just like your Doctor, they don’t judge you! It’s your photographer's profession and you're not doing anything they haven’t seen hundreds of times. To see a couple who has mastered the art of chill in front of the camera check out the gallery below!

Zach & Karen

Engagement session at Ault Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. A dark moody fun and playful session. Having fun is how we get natural unposed candid photos.

TALKING, TEASING & TICKLING.

  Talking, teasing and even tickling are fantastic ways to break you out of that stiff nervous zone. If your photographer poses you that doesn’t mean you have to be a statue. You are free to talk and enjoy each other. Joking back and forth is great or saying something loving. If your partner is nervous, whisper something funny into their ear. And if they are extra nervous give them a tickle. The laugh will be a great release of tension and makes for a really cute photo!

DANCING.

  Dancing is also a great way to loosen up. Any type of dancing you like is perfectly fine. Bringing a Bluetooth speaker is an option or just dancing in silence. Can’t dance? Even better. Do it anyway!

PLAN FOR SOMEWHERE SECLUDED!

  If you or your partner is camera shy you should consider planning your session somewhere private and away from crowds. The feeling of being gawked at doesn’t help when you're being romantic. Give yourself a place where you can feel secluded and for goodness sake do not invite your friends or family! Believe it or not, people do this thinking it’s going to help. IT DOESN’T.

  Your engagement session is more than just a photo session. It is an opportunity to rehearse for your wedding day photos. You get to know your photographer, develop a working groove and flow and learn to chill out on camera. If you're nervous, that's absolutely fine and normal. Just know that your fears are all in your head. I assure you. Before you know it the session will be over and you will be surprised at how much fun you had! Afterword, go out to dinner with your fiancé and you can both have a laugh about how nervous you were!

  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

Is a half session enough?

Is a half session enough time to capture the vision you have for your photo session?

Lets start this conversation as always, by asking yourself a few questions. First, what is it that you want. After everything that goes into a photo session. That is, picking a photographer, planning, searching for inspiration, picking the location, looking at outfits, getting the kids ready, doing the shoot and lastly, waiting to get the photos back. What is it that you want to see? Is it a beautiful Christmas card? or an announcement photo for a new baby on the way? If it is, than a half session is probably the right way to go! A half session is perfect for anything short and to the point. In fact I would also say that a half session is perfect for a family who gets photos done regularly. You might not feel that it’s necessary to get 60-100 photos done if you get them done every few months.

What does a half session look like?

A half session is fast paced. The photographer will probably be trying to fit as many different poses and expressions as possible into a short amount of time. This time crunch has it’s ups and downs for families with young ones. On the upside, for those of us who have small impatient children, this approach is awesome. It gets the job done quickly before the kids are over the experience and start protesting. Then on the downside, if your infant is crying or your four year old simply won’t cooperate there isn’t much time to turn that situation around. Note: Always do nap time and a snack before any shoot. Follow the photographers instructions closely and most importantly, have fun! If the kids aren’t cooperating, ordering them isn’t usually the solution. Sarah and I have always found that playing, telling jokes or having a tickle fight works much better! You might not get many photos looking at the camera, but you will get a ton of natural, candid laughs and smiles! I know for me that is much preferred.

If you are picking your own location for the session try to pick a location that has very nearby spots. Walking from spot to spot soaks up your time quickly!

Make sure you love what your wearing. A half session doesn’t allow time for outfit changes like a full session does. Pick something your sure about and feel comfortable in. Your half session might not be the best time to try a new look.

When to choose the full session?

If you want variety to choose from like different backdrops, looking at the camera along with candid photos and laughs, Mom with the kids and Dad with the kids, individuals of the kids and maybe even an outfit change, you definitely want to be looking into the full session. The full session will give you time to get the shots you want and also time to handle unexpected issues or a bigger location. You will also get time to warm up to your photographer. The first 15ish minutes of a photo session are always a little tense for everyone. It’s a loosening up period for the group. Including the photographer. Most of the magic happens once some of the tension fades and a rhythm develops. That’s a huge benefit to a full session.

Whatever session length you choose just remember to have fun with it! We get our photos done to make a record of family. Family to us means love and love comes out of joy.

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 liked this read please leave a like and consider subscribing for more photo session advice. Follow us on Instagram to keep up with our most recent photo session samples and reels.

Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson

Do you have the right house for a baby session?

If you’re reading this it’s likely because you have seen gorgeous photos from a baby session that look like they were done in the families own warm and loving home. Oftentimes they were, and often times they weren’t. Gone are the days of fake backdrops and cheesy prop photo studios. In todays modern times photographers have access to an array of studio options. When clients book a studio through us for the first time they are always taken aback. Believe it or not I had a client during a shoot who once took me aside to tell me they were concerned I had broken them into someone’s home! That’s true by the way.

The Benefits of an at home session!

More about studios later. In home sessions are fantastic and have tons of benefits. Just to name a few let’s start with travel. Babies are moody. You never know how they are going to act and the littlest things can upset them. Being in the comfort of their own home is more stable for them. You don’t have to pack them up, interrupting their sleep before you absolutely have to. If you need to feed them during or right before the session it’s a simpler task. Another huge benefit is the memories. Wouldn’t it be special to look at those photos on the wall years or decades down the line in a new home and remember back to where it all started! That last point is huge, and I think it’s what draws most of our clients into picking an at home session. Lastly let’s talk about the cost. Some photographers own their own studios but the vast majority rent a space on a session to session basis. An average price for 1 hour in a studio is $100.00. That will be an additional cost to you. Saving a little money and doing the session at home is always nice.

Is your house right for an at home session?

A couple of years ago when our son turned 2 we decided we wanted some family photos done. Doing them in our home was the first thing we thought of for all the reasons above. Especially for the sentimental reasons. The photographer was excited and so were we. But as I started to ask myself the same questions I’m going to talk about, I realized that our house just wasn’t right. It’s a beautiful house and we have so much love and great memories in it. It’s just not right for professional level photography. Here are a few things you need to consider before you make the choice to go with an in home session.

Window light!

Yes, any worthwhile photographer will have his or her own lights. However they are no substitute for natural light. Big windows are important. What is also important is how much light gets into those windows. The sun, as you know rises in the East and sets in the West. So if your living room faces West you will have gorgeous light flooding in at sunset. The same is true at sunrise if your living room faces the East, but lets not talk about 6am photo sessions. I don’t want to manifest that into my life. I recommend choosing a room in your house that you would like to be the main focus of your session. Then remember to peek in on it through the day and see when it seems to get the most light.

Floors.

What are your floors like? Hardwoods? Perfect! Tile? Depends on the pattern. Carpet? Probably not. Hardwood floors are ideal because they give off a natural earthy vibe and go with almost any outfits you pick. Carpets and patterned floors can be distracting. That doesn’t mean they are a definite no. It just means you should consider what it’s going to look like on camera. Photographers will most definitely want to take many photos on the floor. An option to consider is large blankets to put down that match the theme you like!

Space…

Having enough space for the photographer to get down on the ground and have a few feet between them and baby is crucial. Portrait lenses need some space to work their magic. Otherwise the photographer will have to switch to some wider lenses and the finished product probably won’t have the look you were hoping for. One more thing, and this ties back into the floors section. Make sure to clean the floors well, and even do under furniture as the photographer will likely want to move some furniture around.

Diversity.

It’s great to have a handful of diverse options for the session. What Sarah and I do in an ideal situation is shoot in the living room, on mom and dads bed “Playing with baby/holding baby” on the stairs with mom and dad, in the light of the best window, laying tummy time on a large wooden floor or rug and lastly we head to the nursery. Usually the nursery is a very special spot for new mom’s and dad’s. If your home is limited on spots to shoot this could definitely effect the number of shots you get and of course the diversity in those shots.

If your house isn’t right for an in home session please DON’T FEEL BAD! Like I said above ours wasn’t either. And that doesn’t mean we don’t have a beautiful home. You can still get that look you’re going for by searching local photo studio’s or asking your photographer for advice on a location. We are available for recommendations if you want to shoot us a message, we are always happy to hear from our followers!

Sarah and I are open for bookings in the Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky area. 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 post please leave a like and consider subscribing for more photo session advice. Follow us on Instagram to keep up with our most recent photo session samples and reels.

Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson

Should you pick your own location?

A huge part of what we as photographers do involves deciding the best spot for what the client is hoping to get out of their session. But very often we get the request to shoot the session in a place that doesn’t make for the best possible photos.

Just because its sentimental doesn’t mean its going to look good!

So… This is awkward but its true. Your husband may have proposed to you next to a beautiful oak tree in the middle of a grassy field on a gorgeous day. That is a preciouses memory and lives on as a perfect moment. It would be amazing to do your family photos there. What you don’t realize is that the field was surrounded by a sub division in the distance and the natural looking country photo session in your mind will be littered with houses in the backdrop of every photo. Or let’s say you have special memories as a child with your grandparents at a park in Cincinnati and you want to do the shoot there because they are coming to the session. What you might not think of is that it’s largely over crowded and every beautiful spot has a group of people lounging in it or three other family shoots in line before you with other photographers. Most of the session time is spent waiting and a number of the photos that were captured have strangers lurking in the backdrop.

Sarah and I are always happy to hear suggestions from clients and often that’s how we find new favorite spots to shoot. Our clients introduce us to hidden gems frequently.

How do you know if your choice is a good one?

After over a decade of scouting out locations my wife Sarah and I have developed a keen eye for a good environment. Here are a few tips to help you tell if your pick for a photo location is ideal.

Different looks

A good location for any photo session should have more than just one pretty backdrop. a waterfall definitely has potential for some awesome photos but whats next? an hour long photo session can yield dozens of great shots and having diversity between them is what we are looking for. It’s great to have a location with creeks, hiking trails, and an open area for sunset where we can can get that amazing golden light before it falls behind the trees.

Secluded

Your area is great! It has everything you want but you didn’t think about all the other people who might come flocking in with the same idea. If your area is a popular one you might want to make sure you schedule your session on a day when it’s not so busy.

Shade

Like most photographers we schedule our sessions about an hour before sunset. Sunset is the best light of the day but it can take a while for the light to be right. If there isn’t cloud cover the first 20 or so minutes of the session can still have pretty harsh lighting. It’s good to have the option to take the family into a shady spot like woods or a conservatory if available.

Reasonable distance

An hour is a good amount of time to capture fantastic looking photos, however it goes by fast if half of your time is spent walking and talking. Especially if you have small children in your group or God forbid its 95 degrees. When picking a location remember the walking distance between each location should only be a couple of minutes. For example if you have five spots you want to visit in your session and they take just five minutes to travel to that’s 25 minutes of your 1 hour session. Some locations will offer a golf cart or something similar to get from spot to spot.

Has a theme

Finally, ask yourself this question. Does the location have a look that speaks to you? Does it fit your dream idea of how your shoot will look when you receive your gallery? There are thousands of shoots to look through online. Take some time to go down the rabit hole and see which images inspire you. Save them to your device and even send them to your photographer. This will help you get a clear vision of what you want. Like making a dream board.

Sarah and I love collaborating with our client’s and we are always open to ideas and inspiration. If your curious about if your idea for spot is right you can always reach out and ask what we think. Fall is coming up quickly. We are so excited to visit some of our favorite locations as the leaves change and capture some beautiful memories!

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

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Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson