Products, Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor Products, Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor

How to Select the Perfect Frame Size

Here is the biggest mistake people make when purchasing frames for their photographs: they determine the size of the frame based on where they want that frame to live in their home. Sounds pretty logical, right? It is.. until you realize that you probably won’t be living in that house forever. People move (every 7-10 years on average), and they take their stuff with them. Which means that perfectly sized frame will soon have to fill a totally different spot…

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Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor

It's Included! 10 Things That Don't Cost Extra

Every day, I look for little extras I can include in my business to make my service just a little bit better. Now, I'm very selective about this because if I start throwing everything and the kitchen sink in for free, I will have to raise my prices to cover the additional cost. The things that are included with each session make the biggest impact on the final images. They are almost essential to the process, but a lot of the time photographers will either not take the time to do them, or won't include them for free…

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Don't Match, Coordinate: How to Dress for a Photography Session

Matching clothes is the easiest way to dress a family for a photography session.. which is why I tend to steer clear of that approach. It’s a lot harder to coordinate - to make sure each family member retains their unique style while also looking good as a unit. And that’s one of the biggest reasons why I do on-site styling for each and every one of my portrait sessions. My clients typically don’t have to worry about this stuff, but it still helps to know what I’m looking for (after all, everyone has to bring in options to being with!). So here are some guidelines and some tips based on my experience…

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Behind the Scenes, Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor Behind the Scenes, Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor

5 Things I Do Before Every Photoshoot

No matter how long I have been doing photography as a business, there are still a few things I do right before each and every session. Now, this is outside of the regular "get all the equipment ready" step, which usually happens way ahead of time. This post is all about that time between when I arrive at the Studio (about 1 hour before the session is scheduled to begin) and when I have to be ready to photograph my clients…

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10 Great Kid Photos With No Smiles

Most of the parents I work with want photographs of their children smiling. That's completely understandable! We all want to see (and remember) our kids happy and laughing. But sometimes by focusing so much on getting a smile in a photo, we forget about their non-smiling face. A calm peaceful look can be just as precious. An intense stare shows strength and character. And features that are at rest are just as important to remember as a toothy grin…

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Celebrating Moms

As a photographer, I meet Moms who are celebrating new milestones, all the time. They are having their first baby, starting a new chapter in their career, making the decision to stay home with their kids, celebrating a new decade, their marriage anniversary, or their children's Birthdays. It's amazing how fast time flies by. And often, we don't pause to truly celebrate those milestones.

With Mother's Day coming up, it's the perfect time to talk about some of the benefits of having a portrait session as a way to do just that...

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The photo that didn't actually happen

It happens at every single family photoshoot. Often, parents ask me to capture that elusive photograph of their family together, looking at the camera. Or an image of all the kids together, smiling.. and looking at the camera. As you can imagine, the "looking at the camera" is the hard part...

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How often to take family portraits?

I have a variety of clients. Some families I see every year and some I meet only once (more on that below). I also have clients who get family photographs every 3 or so years. There's no right or wrong way to do it.. and the decision is a highly personal one for each family. So how do you know which one is right for you?...

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Lauren, Alice, and Lucy

Last week, we had a huge snow storm that took down trees and killed the power to many Westport neighborhoods (Greenwich area was thankfully mostly spared). My house ended up not having power for over 24 hours...

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Natasha's Mother & Daughter Session

A Mother & Daughter photoshoot is perfect for girls who are growing up (and aren't being photographed as much) and for Moms who want to celebrate their beauty and confidence. It's all about the girls, and the woman who spends every day taking care of them...

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Alexandra & Whitney

There's a lot of shopping going on this time of year! Everyone is buying presents for their friends and family.. which makes me think quite a bit about the amount of money we all spend on things we don't really need...

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Cole, Allie, & Reese

It feels like it's officially winter! My family took the opportunity this past weekend (first snow of the season!) to get our Christmas tree. I also finally ordered our holiday cards. Being a photographer, it's my own family that gets forgotten about when it comes to photographs, especially this time of year...

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Henry & Clara

There are a few business types out there that don't require a big monetary investment to start. Photography is definitely one of those. A lot of people have expensive digital camera equipment already, so it's a very easy transition to start charging friends for photos.. and viola! you are now a professional photographer, right? 

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Molly & Morgan

Every time I think about the families I photograph, I get this amazing feeling of warmth and gratitude. I am so thankful to have this job and to be able to work with some of the BEST families in Fairfield County. And that doesn't mean that all the kids I have in the Studio are super well-behaved. And it doesn't mean that all sessions go exactly as planned with nothing ever going wrong. All of those things happen, ALL the time.

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Halloween Portraits

Halloween was absolutely AMAZING! I loved seeing all the adorable little kids in the Studio, wearing their costumes, and posing for the camera.

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Sophie & Alexander

As kids grow up, family photos tend to go by the wayside. The children don't seem to change all that much year to year. There are a lot of weekend activities and sports games to attend, so there never seems to be any extra time during those precious weekend days.

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Outdoor vs. Studio

I often get asked whether I do outdoor photos as well as in Studio. Especially in the fall.. when that is the standard for family portraits. What I usually say is "I specialize in Studio portraits.. and that's usually why my clients hire me". Now, there are certainly some exceptions.. but for the most part, I love the convenience the Studio provides. And here is an easy breakdown/comparison of the two options..

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Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor Family, Baby Nataliya Lalor

Krista

Not every Mom is super thrilled about getting professional maternity portraits. I, in fact, was one of those. I still am, deep down. Nobody really WANTS to be in front of the camera during the last stages of their pregnancy. I hear "I feel fat" a lot, and "OMG, I feel so huge" from my pregnant clients (none of who are actually fat, or huge, btw).

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