Professional Print Products | Saint Charles Photographer | Chelsie Thompson Photography
Professional Print Products | Saint Charles Photographer |
Chelsie Thompson Photography
This is something near and dear to my heart. I look back at photos of my family as often as I can, I constantly ask my family when was this, tell me more. The stories flood in and I learn so much about my parents, grandparents and the history of my family. A lot of things become forgotten until we see a photograph, then the memories flood back in. So while we live in this digital age, there is something nostalgic about walking down a hall or into a room and seeing prints on the wall, or looking through an photo book and seeing a story unfold.
I always print through the best quality print labs on high archival paper with the best inks. This way your prints and print products will last and one day your grandchildren will be looking at these photos.
I already here this regularly from past clients, that they love looking through their albums and remembering those moments. Not only are they investing in products but they are investing in those moments and memories. Here are a few examples of products that I offer.
Albums the perfect way to show case your family story!
Accordion minis, these mini books are the perfect gift for grandparents and relatives.
Custom wood boxes with prints, its so nice to snuggle up and look through loss prints. Canvases are great pieces to enhance any room and be a great conversation piece.
I also offer fun timeless products like retro viewfinders, these are so much fun because often times, kids have never used these and for parents they hold a special blend of nostalgia.
Showing a retro viewfinder, they hold 7 images and a middle reel image with the year.
Another neat thing I do is all prints larger then 8x10 are mounted so you can write on the back without the worry of ruining your prints.
If your in the Saint Charles area, let’s chat about your families needs and what kind of artwork you like for your home, we can create your session based off what spaces you have.
Why Lifestyle | Saint Charles Photographer | Chelsie Trendley Photography
Why lifestyle photography is great for families
Why Lifestyle | Saint Charles Photographer |
Chelsie Trendley Photography
I wanted to write a post on lifestyle photography. I choose to specialize in this because to me this is the best way to get authentic family photos that tell a story. Your family is ever changing, your kids continue to grow and change throughout the years. This is a easy and fun way to show off the whole family and get the best authentic smiles. This is also so much easier on kids and parents. No more yelling for them to stand still and smile, no more saying “say cheese”, I use cues and playing to get genuine smiles. I often time have the parents playing with the kids and then will branch off and have the kids play and the parents to fun cues. I always get a huge variety of “breakdowns” this way and easily create a beautiful photograph story of your family. All the while still getting a couple great options for that “everyone looking and smiling pose”. I get these with family walk, and the family hug cue.
Here is a great example of some cues and playing ideas I use to get great photos of a family.
If you have a session scheduled it doesn’t matter if we are wandering around main street Saint Charles or a beautiful park in Cottleville we will get lots of gorgeous photos of your family! If you haven’t scheduled a session, lets chat!
Dear Mom | Saint Charles Photographer | Chelsie Trendley Photography
Dear Mom | Saint Charles Photographer |
Chelsie Trendley Photography
Dear Mom,
My heartfelt reminder to relax. I’ve been there, I have three children ranging from 2 years old to 7. We get our photos done once a year, and its always a bit stressful. Someone is always cranky and someone is usually crying. But what makes it worse is if I lose my cool, I tend to go with a gentle approach and try to distract them or I ignore them and just start playing with the other kids. Usually they catch on and start having fun.
Let me tell you about my last family photo session, it was our last session in Hawaii, my 2 year old hated her outfit and kept crying, eventually that turned into a hard glare and she looked like she was possessed by a demon, after that my 4 year old would not participate, she was in “statue” mode and just stood there. I know this one, I grabbed her and started playing, eventually her smile couldn’t be hidden and she started having fun, right about then my 7 year old caught the “bug” and would not get in the water, she was LIVID that she was not in a swimsuit and just cried. Meanwhile it’s getting dark and we have maybe 2 photos where everyone looks like they are having fun, so I’m literally completely in the water with my 2 year old on one hip and the 4 year old on the other, my husband grabs the Amelia (the 7 year old) and drags her in the water, she was crying but also smiling. At this point it was pure protest and she was being stubborn to make her point.
I know if I had yelled or been demanding my children would have not had a good time and half the photos I would have looked like a crazy angry person. So I used what I knew would help each child and it helped, was it perfect, no; but neither are we, all in all we loved the photos and they accurately showed life with 3 kids 7 and younger.
So Mom, don’t apologize, just use what you know will help your kid(s) be in a good mood. Trust me, it will look a lot better then photos of you yelling at them or stuffing skittles in their mouth. If it’s not working, take a minute and walk away, I have a few tricks I use to help kids get in good moods for sessions.
xoxo
Chelsie
Photo of two of my kiddos for a lifestyle brand shoot of Rogue Wanderer Co
Military Homecoming | Oahu Family Photographer
Military Homecoming | Oahu family Photographer
These moments are the best.
Lighting | Tips | Oahu Family Photographer
I would love to go over some quick easy tips about lighting. It is probably one of the most asked questions I get.
"Chelsie, what time will we do out photos?!"
I generally do photos about an hour before sunset. I am not a golden light photographer. I LOVE light, full but soft light. To achieve the look I want, one hour prior to sunset.
There are exceptions but because we never know what the weather will be I plan for an hour before sunset.
The fun thing about being a Mom is that I take so many photos of my kids, so I can go out some days at noon and have perfect lighting. I always keep an eye on the weather. When it's cloudy its generally perfect for that soft creamy light.
Below I will show you some photos at different times.
This was a cloudy day about an hour before sunset.
About an hour before sunset on a sunny day.
Around 2-3pm on a bright sunny day.
Around 11am on a partially cloudy day.
Around sunset on a cloudy day.
A lot of variables go into what the final photos will look like, but that is all part of my job.
I love being able to adjust as needed in camera to get the look I want, then enhance the photos further with presets I make in Lightroom.
If anyone has any specific questions, please email me: Hello@AlohaFamilyPhotography.com