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!

Crafting the Perfect Wedding Album

Happy Monday everyone! Today's blog is short but important. Today we are talking about picking the best images for your wedding album. Over the past 12 years of doing wedding photography Sarah and I have designed hundreds of wedding albums. After a time we started to develop a philosophy when it came to how these albums should be built. Similar to our business philosophy, which is to revolve everything we do around love, our photo album method is to tell a love story. 

It is very easy to grab 30 or so of your favorite photos and drag them into a folder and hit the place order button. It’s fine to do that if that's what you want but realize that your photo album could be so much more. Your future granddaughter could pick this book off the shelf and see either a common book of old photos or they could be reading a fairy tale. The difference is that one book is made up of good photos and the other of course tells a story and has the potential to be a time machine! 

When you're designing your book remember that you're weaving a narrative. Additionally not as many photos fit into a standard album as you might think. In my opinion that is a good thing. You might have 700 photos in your wedding album and have to narrow that down to 30-40. That means that only the cream of the crop are going to make the cut. 

There are 5 main parts of a wedding day when it comes to photos. 

Preparation ( getting ready shots. Make-up, getting into the dress, first look with bridesmaids etc… )

Couples and bridal ( Immediately after the first look if you have a first look. If you do not have  a first look they will should be done immediately following the ceremony. )

Formals and bridal party (Bridal party shots followed by your more formal family posed shots ) 

Ceremony 

Reception ( Cake cutting, dancing, speeches etc…) 

I would recommend picking 4-5 photos from each part of the day and then fill the remainder of the book with couples shots as they are going to be the star of the show in this story book. 

Personally I like to pick the photos which are the most expressive whether or not they are the best photos because they are the ones that tell the best story. As an example a grainy photo of your grandfather laughing and having a moment with your fiance is worth more than a perfectly lit and staged photo of your rings. 

So, to sum this up I would say to keep the mindset of telling a story and imagine someone picking this book up in 30 years. Be in their shoes as you design and think about how they will read it. Will they be looking through old photos or will they be transported back to a special time and place in your life and in the history of your family.

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.

If you want to learn more about Sarah and I you can click the link below to check out our about us page and hop over to the contact page if your interested in setting up a shoot or a consultation!

Thanks for reading!

- Jordan Epperson

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

Big Announcement!

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called “ The Importance of Printing Your Photos. ”  ( Link Below) We have always offered high quality professional prints to our client’s and have been so proud of the results. We have also offered photo books that Sarah and I, for the last 12 years, have designed and shipped ourselves. This process has worked fine for us and every client has been over the moon about their albums. 

As the years have gone on though, it has occurred to me that if clients were able to design their own photo albums they would be even more personalized. It would be simpler and more streamlined. The entire process would be more pleasurable for the clients.

  Today I am thrilled to announce that from here on out our clients will be able to easily design their own personalized photo books directly from their online gallery. They can place the order and have their books inspected by a professional printer before being shipped directly to their home. This is a big deal to Sarah and I because as I always say “ the most important thing to us is our clients having a stress free and positive experience. “ We are so excited for what this means for brides and grooms. Not to mention our family photo sessions and boudoir studio sessions. Our wedding clients will be able to customize their own style of album to be elegant or boho or rustic. Whatever matched their wedding theme or their hearts desire! 

Being able to offer holiday cards, hardcover albums and metal and wood prints in such an easy way is such a positive thing for our clients and in turn, a positive thing for us. 

   We opened our doors in October of 2011 and shot our first professional wedding photography job in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 17th 2012. At that time we were young and our business was extremely small. We were both working full time jobs. Sarah was working at Skyline Chili and I was a backroom worker at Target. It’s nothing short of a blessing that together we have been able to grow our little business into what it is today. We are so thankful to God and each of our clients for supporting us along this incredible journey. We can’t wait to see what the future brings for Every Atom Photography and our little family who loves it with such kindness and gratitude.

 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 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 importance of printing your photos

Ault Park, Cincinnati. Every Atom Photography

   Hello again readers! Today I felt the need to talk about something that is so important to us. It’s something that growing up in the 90’s was a staple in every home, but for the past 20 years has begun to vanish piece by piece. That something is printed photography. Since the invention of social media the idea of having prints to hang on your wall or a photo album on your coffee table has become less important. For many of us prints are still seen as an awesome addition to our lives and living space, but still they are put on the back burner and often never end up becoming a reality.  

  This is something that even Sarah and I have been guilty of in the past. When we made the choice to start taking our own advice it had a huge impact on our lives. Ironically it was our own clients who inspired us to make this change. After becoming the go to photographer for so many families we began to be invited into their homes. Either for home sessions or just as friends. We began to see our couples walls littered with our work. We saw our work come to life in a new way. Our photos weren't just gorgeous prints, they were a symbol of love! They told a story to anyone who walked in their homes. 

The impact of a print

 Years ago we started to print and frame our family photos. Hanging them on our walls and placing them on shelves. Every day when we wake up we walk past reminders of how blessed we are. When we are having a bad day or when we become frustrated with each other we catch a glance of ourselves smiling and laughing together and we remember that that love is really the foundation of our home and that unhappiness is just a bump in the road. Sarah and I are the hosts in our family. We host thanksgiving, Christmas, and even have a family Halloween gathering. At these gatherings we see our family and friends looking through our photographs and they love to ask questions and hear our stories about them. Because of our prints we have been given the opportunity to share our life and memories with people in a new and more open way.

The vanishing art of printing

  People today are so accustomed to seeing photos on a glowing screen and flipping through them by the dozen. We easily become desensitized to the impact of a photograph and as a result forget them quickly. Seeing something in print shows its importance and imprints it in our minds. Truly, not since the invention of photography have prints been more important than in today's world.   

Luckily we still live in a day and age where it's easy to order prints at our local Walgreens or CVS where they are printed by a computer and available quickly. Even better though there are still many professional print labs where they still practice the art of printing. They monitor the process and make sure the colors, contrast exposure etc.. are printed correctly. If you took the time to hire a professional photographer why not go a step further and make sure that your photographs convey the artists work accurately? 

   Sarah and I spent a lot of time choosing the right lab to offer to our clients and we are proud every time we see the fruits of that choice. We buy our own personal prints through the same lab we offer to our clients through their online gallery because we truly couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.

Megan & Tavis family session at Ault Park in Cincinnati Ohio

In closing

   It's an unfortunate truth that so many people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on their photography only to drop off and neglect the last step. Take it from us, get your photos up on your walls. Order your wedding album for your coffee table! You truly won't regret it and in the future when your grandchildren look through your photos and want to hear your stories you will realize how truly priceless they are. If you are interested in reading what professional print companies offer that others don’t you should check out the link below to a great article by Nations Photo Lab!

 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