Hi! For those of you that don't know me, I'm Kristin! I am one of the founders of Sophie & Trey and 4th & Ocean; along with my sister, Ryan! I couldn't be more excited to join Dani on the blog! Dani's blogs have been so amazing, and I'm so excited to add my twist of fashion knowledge to the posts! I am a new mother this year, and will be sharing how I tie fashion into the motherhood lifestyle! My husband, Kenny and I became parents on April 2, 2011! Our little baby boy is named after Kenny, so he is Kenneth III. Also, known as Baby Kenny or as some of the girls at the stores like to call him BK.
Today is Baby Kenny's 8 month BDay!
This year has been full of firsts for Baby Kenny! I knew with Christmas right around the corner I needed to start doing the traditional family photos with my new little family! Here are a few helpful steps to getting ready for holiday photos:
1. The first step to the Holiday Photos was calling my favorite photography team over at Michelle Stromberg Photography and setting up a date, time, and an idea of a theme and location so I could start gathering outfits!
If you're wondering why go professional?! Here is what Michelle's helpful answer...
"Simply, the experience. Trying to get everyone perfect in a family photo is stressful, so hand that stress off and just enjoy the process. I will make the shoot fun, lighthearted and unique and that in turn will give us natural, fun portraits that show us who you truly are. Plus, expert lighting and photoshop don't hurt...;)"
From personal experience, I think growing with a photographer is one of the best choices you can make! Kenny and I have been using Michelle since our engagement pictures! Now I look forward to the shoots so much, it is like getting to hang out with an old friend!
2. After we decided we would be taking the photos in a field setting(we love the outdoors!), it was time for my favorite part....picking my outfit! We had just got the amazing knitted tights in from Sophie & Trey, so those were my first choice to surround the outfit around! I then used the cream color ruffle skirt from 4th & Ocean, because I knew it would be the perfect layering piece! I also chose the tan distressed cowboy boots from 4th & Ocean (cowboys boots are so southern chic, I just loove them!). I then layered a floral printed chiffon top from Sophie & Trey over the ruffle skirt. Layers are all the rage this winter, so.....I had to add one more layer! Over the floral top I added the amazing sheared vest from 4th & Ocean!
Here is my outfit all put together:
3. The next step was figuring out what the boys were going to wear. Here is what Michelle had to say about what looks best together...
What to wear, do we match?
"Don't match, coordinate... just like in any other element of design, it's all about the layers. Long gone are the days of white and khaki, prints and patterns mixed together add interest and texture to a portrait. My only exception to this rule is black... love it! And come on who doesn't look good in it?"
The boys ended up wearing tans, grays, and brown. I loved the different tones of the colors all together and the different textures. We did a pop of color with there undershirts. Kenny wore a rusty red color underneath and Baby Kenny wore navy!
Aren't they so handsome?! ...
4. After you have the outfits picked out, the rest is easy! Throw those outfits on and go have fun! Don't worry about flaws or being perfect! That's why you have Michelle! She can fix anything! The most fun photos are always the ones when we're just goofing off...
5. After the photo shoot, you'll have a follow up meeting with the photographer to see all the pics and choose your Holiday cards or choose what you wanted printed to share with family and friends!
-Before you book your appointment, keep in mind what time/day will work best for your family. If you know your daughter has gymnastics on Thursdays and that she's usually pretty tired afterwards, perhaps Thursday isn't the best day for you family shoot.
-Be open to the photographer's suggestions. If your photographer suggests poses which weren't necessarily part of what you were planning on doing at your shoot, just know that she has a vision in mind and that sometimes things look slightly different through the camera lens than you might be envisioning them. Professional photographers would never depict you look anything less than your absolute best!
-If there was a specific look or pose you really wanted to capture, make sure to mention something about that to your photographer. If you really, really have your heart set on getting at least one photo of your kids together being silly, we can make that happen-but try to mention it to us so that we can help you remember to make sure we get that shot!
Hope these tips make your Holiday photos or any photos a little easier!
Tonight me and the family are going to Holiday in the Park! If you're looking for a tree lighting to go to, this one is beautiful! Santa shows up on a fire truck, we'll be sure to get Baby Kenny's first photo with him! I'll let you all know how it goes next week! :)
P.S. The stores will be open until 8 tonight!
Happy Holiday Shopping! :)
