Long Beach Island Photography~Dancer on the Beach

Croft Farms Cherry Hill~Children's Portraits by Annmarie Young

This shoot took place at the totally fabulous Croft Farms, in Cherry Hill NJ. Not only did I have an adorable little subject, but the pretty surroundings of this great shoot location really complimented her classic beauty. We had fun walking around and exploring (and destroying the gardener's beautiful creations...sorry gardener!!) and we got some great photos that capture a beautiful little girl during a beautiful summer. :)

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Children's Portraits Wildwood Crest, New Jersey 2012

5 Reasons NOT to Invest in Your Child's Custom Photography Session

5 Reasons NOT to Invest in a Personal Portrait Session for Your Child (and why you should rethink them)

Reason Number 1: My child is so misbehaved, I'm afraid I won't get good photos.


A few things scare me, I'll admit. I'm afraid of bees, bad drivers, DIY home renovations, hurricanes and snakes . One thing that does NOT scare me is children. Of course, ask any photographer and they'll tell you that one of the hardest subjects to photograph is a young child. So I guess  it's safe to say that kids do scare a lot of photographers. Not me. I love the challenge. So please don't think that I mind, or can't good photos if your child is a little "spirited" shall we say. :)  As long as you help me, we'll get good shots.

Reason Number 2: I'm so busy! I'll get to it one of these days.


I can't tell you how many times I've photographed an younger sibling and heard, "I wish I had done this when my oldest was young". You can't get that time back. I recently read an article about time management that gave this tip for prioritizing your life. Any time you think you don't have time to do something, add this sentence on the end of the thought: "it's just not important to me". For example, "I wish I had time to hire a custom portrait photographer to document my son's first months...but it's just not that important to me." The idea is to make you fully aware of what you are making time for at the expense of other things in your life. If you have time for a trip to the movies, you have time for meaningful photos of your children. Booking with me is easy. All you need to do is email me and we'll discuss a date and a time and we'll get the paperwork started. Easy, easy.

Reason Number 3: Professional photographers are expensive.


Simply put, artistic photographs of your child, taken by a professional, are priceless. Sure, you can get lower quality shots at the mall or through a department store but they are not the same thing as a custom portrait session. Rather than spend 15 minutes with you and hope that your child is in a good mood for photos, I spend hours with you to ensure we get truly unique, wonderful photos that will hang on your walls for years to come. Sure, the school photos with the fake backgrounds are a rite of passage. But if you really want to cherish your the memory of your child's first years, it pays to invest in custom portraiture--beautiful black and whites or classic, crisp color shots. It's the difference between just capturing your child's likeness, and capturing your child's essence.

Reason Number 4:  I already have so many photos of my kids. I just bought a really expensive camera.


It's wonderful that you are so active in documenting your child's life in photos. That said, no matter how expensive your camera is, it can't replace the experience of a pro. In fact, lately it's not unusual for a client to finish a session with me and then hand me their DSLR camera for a "lesson" because they bought too much camera for their experience. A professional not only knows how to use pro equipment, they know how to light a subject and bring out personality-- they do it and get consistent results.


Another difference is the final product. Prints printed out on your home computer or at your local discount store, unfortunately, are not high quality. They will fade and change color in a  relatively short amount of time. That is, if you get the photos off your computer in the first place. Studies have show that up to  Prints from a professional lab are hand inspected for color balance and quality and are archival quality. This means they will look beautiful for many, many years to come. 

Reason Number 5: I want to get into the photos with my kids, but (insert excuse) I need to lose weight, get my hair done, I'm just not photogenic. etc.

You are not alone. The prospect of having a photograph taken, especially if you are a tired mom or have just had a child, is enough to scare any person. But consider this: there is a huge difference between the snapshots you take with your point and shoot, and a professional photographer who knows how to bring out your natural beautiful and flatter your body type. Oh, and did I mention Photoshop? Check out this "before and after" photo of a model. Nobody looks like the women in magazines. They are all Photoshopped beyond belief. I believe in a little Photoshop freshening up here and there (if it's good enough for Brittany Spears, it's good enough for US!) so expect that I'll be making you look your best. I think it's important for parents to take photos with their children, if only for their legacy. If the Photoshop fairies aren't an incentive, I don't know what is. :)

To schedule an appointment, please feel free to email me at: Annmarieyoung@msn.com

www.annmarieyoungphoto.com

Encourage Your Budding Photographer!

My love of photography started when I was just a kid.  If you ask my family they will tell you that I always had a camera with me even when I was as young as eleven or twelve years old. All of my cameras as a kid were all incredibly cheap, used every incarnation of "film" and offered no manual controls. The lack of manual controls or any understanding of the laws of film and photography resulted in some comically endearing photos. Whether too dark, too light, blurry or with light leaks, the photos I took as a kid are wonderful reminders of how I saw things as a kid.


I remember this tiny plastic Kodak camera that made a loud "sproinggg!!" noise when I clicked the shutter, prompting my subjects to say, "what was thaaaat?" or "Is that a real camera?" My childhood friends still bring that camera up, remarking that my gear has significantly improved over the years.  Then came the infamous "disk" camera which used this round wheel of film which I guess at the time seemed kind of cool but in hindsight seems rather goofy.  I  also had a number of Polaroid cameras, all picked up at yard sales, all with varying degrees of functioning. They were the most fun because I could see my photo in two minutes.


 My need to document my surroundings got so annoying that I was dubbed "The Tourist" of my own family. I mention all of this because as a kid, I loved taking photos. Photography made me want to get out of the house and check out the world outside. Now with digital technology, it's easier than ever to have an excuse to get outside and learn with your own kids.


There are many advantages today when it comes to teaching your child photography. Most of us have point and shoot digital cameras, which allow you to see the results of your shot immediately, and most of us have home printers so making collages and prints is relatively easy. Not only can you get outside and enjoy your neighborhood or just really appreciate nature, but with digital photography you can now see the fruits of your labor immediately and even have it on framed and on the wall the same day.  A far cry from the days when we had to wait a week to even see the prints. 


Below is a great article that I found today: I hope you will use the author's very cool ideas to set up a "Photo Safari" with your kids soon! (for full article, please click link)


Encourage Your Budding Photographer, by Ellen Flaks
http://www.ivillage.com/encourage-your-budding-photographer/6-a-128979


Some Highlights from the article:


Materials for your photo adventure:

• Portable camera (digital)  or:
• Child's plastic camera *Annmarie's Note: You can buy digital cameras built for kids
• Polaroid camera with film *Annmarie's Note: They don't make Polaroid cameras anymore, but if you go to www.adorama.com and search for "instant cameras" you'll see many affordable non-Polaroid brands.
• Photo albums and/or frames
• Photo mats and glue (optional for collages)
• Take a nature hike with your child. Take pictures of all the different flowers, animals and sights that your see. Teach your child to hold the camera in such a way that his/her fingers don't cover the lens.
• Take a walk in the neighborhood, perhaps while you are making a neighborhood map, and have your child take pictures of interesting things you both see.
• Take cameras with you to a family picnic. Instruct your child to just take pictures of people.
• Take your camera to a birthday or graduation party. Let your child take pictures of a child opening presents or the graduate in his/her gown, etc.
• When the pictures have been developed put them in a photo album or frame them Or, cut up pictures and make collages".

 :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

Best Regards,

Annmarie Young

Annmarie Young Photography

www.annmarieyoungphoto.com

 www.Annmarieyoungphoto.com

Spring Mini Shoot from Annmarie Young Photography

Annmarie Young Photography www.annmarieyoungphoto.com Spring Mini Shoot 2012

Birthday Ballerina!~Photography at Smithville Park, Eastampton NJ

It's not everyday that you get to photograph one of the cutest birthday girls in South Jersey, but add a tutu and beautiful Smithville Park in Eastampton, NJ (my new favorite place to shoot) and your get some magical photos. The light was beautiful and so was my little subject. :)