I began searching photographers. And felt like I would never be able to afford one! I wasn't looking for 50 photos of us - I just wanted a handful. I'm not big on the huge, long photo sessions. I find that it's exhausting but also don't like having 15893 photos of us from the same day, wearing the same outfits, in very similar poses. I want just a snapshot of that moment in time, not an entire album of an hour that day.
I came across recommendations for Affordable Child Photography. Her minis were beyond reasonably priced and her portfolio showed exactly the kind of photo styles I was looking for.
She met us at a local park and we spent a quick 30 minutes getting photos the day after Dean's birthday. She kept him interested and amused. He was at the age that he would rather be crawling around, trying to walk, than sitting still but she worked around him and got some great photos.
We arrived at her apartment building and waited in the lobby while she finished up with the previous clients. Dean had a blast running up and down the ramp, climbing the stairs and just causing a ruckus in the lobby while we waited (perfect to get out his burst of energy so he would be more cooperative for the photos) Tina met us in the lobby and we went up to her apartment where she had her "studio" set up - backdrop, flooring and lights all set up in her living room with everything else pushed aside. Dean spent a few moments exploring while we chatted. He wasn't too sure what to make of what was happening. He was a bit nervous and just ever so slightly (read : super) clingy but Tina was great about letting him warm up to her on his own level.
I was nervous at the start with his hesitation but Tina knew exactly how to make him feel comfortable and open up. She has such an amazing talent behind the camera and with children!
I'm looking forward to our next photo shoot - possibly in October after we welcome our second child and do some newborn shots.
You can contact Tina though her Facebook page or her website.
A bit about Tina :
My first love, when I was much younger, was my little brother who came into the picture when I was just turning 10. When there's that big of an age difference you find out very quickly that you're expected to be the helping hand. But I really didn't mind... well yes, I had my teenage "I don't want to have anything to do with my family" stage, but really, I enjoyed helping out with my little brother and I'm assuming that's where my love of children began. When my little brother was still young, he was diagnosed with high functioning Autism. I found that I was interested in learning how to deal specifically with him, as he was unlike any other child I had been exposed to. When I was in middle school, I decided to volunteer in the kindergarten class in my school during breaks and lunch. Children always naturally took to me and I seemed to always have a knack for reading a child to figure out what would work while dealing with them. My love of children continued through my whole life, and now I have a little boy of my own. He is currently 4 years old and I feel blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom.
My second love was photography and when I was younger I was often fascinated by photos. I would spend hours digging through old photos even when I had no idea who was in them! I guess there was always a part of me that was interested in photography although I didn't realize how much until I picked up my first SLR. I fell in love with my first Nikon the first day I owned it and I haven't turned back. My husband often jokes with me about how I always act like a tourist because of the number of pictures I take. I still enjoy learning new things with my camera all the time and I am always looking for ways to improve my work. I feel very passionate about finding what works for each family, as no two families are exactly alike!