The Cantando Family in 2008

This is my second year photographing the beautiful and awesomely sweet Cantando Family. They arrived with an adorable little addition this year, 4 month old Lucy.

We took a late day stroll around Dellville Bridge in Duncannon to enjoy the brisk fall air and the tranquility of the area where I got to capture them playing, discovering and basking in the gorgeous, golden light of the setting sun.

The location lended a great variety of gorgeous backdrops and places to climb and discover. The boys even asked to stay longer while I photographed which was music to my ears =)

If you look really closely you can see them waving from the first window opening in the bridge =).

~ Grace

Portrait Tip: For outdoor shots during the fall & winter it is important to schedule about 2-3 hours prior to the scheduled sunset time in order to get good light. This can be affected by weather or a thick overcast so it is always a good idea to take into considering a rain date if you need portraits by a particular time such as the holidays.

Owen's Newborn Session

This is little Owen at only 1.5 months old. Isn't he SOOOO cute! Mom, Dad & I tuckered him right out and by the end of the session he nodded off which was a delight because sleeping shots of babies are just as cute as awake ones. Mom and Dad were important props during the session since Owen felt the most at ease in their embrace. They were great baby handlers.

Congrats Rae & Mark on this handsome little addition to your beautiful family!

~Grace

Portrait Tip: During sessions with newborns under 3 months there is often a lot of downtime, this is normal as babies often need fed, changed or cuddled at least a couple times during the session. They truly are the ones that run the show! This is when patience is a virtue, and so are mommy's milk, bottles, pacifiers and a blanket (we do keep our studio on the cool side). We have a private dressing room which mom's may choose to use if they want privacy for feedings. This room also includes a covered changing table for little ones which we clean & launder after each session it gets used and all the fabrics we use for little ones are always laundered after each use and always with non toxic detergent. Just an FYI for those parents who are especially concerned.

Laila's Newborn Portraits

Laila is about 2 months for these portraits. For this photo session I wanted to test out some new set ideas. Laila was an incredible and unusually happy baby which was a delightful surprise. And as you can see in the photos below she is adorably cute. She is an ideal baby model if I say so myself.


I am not a huge fan of sets. (And maybe that is just my excuse because sets require more money to buy them, time to put them together, design ability, and storage space =) ) But seroiusly, I do feel that when the set gets too busy, too extravagant, too big, and just too much, the image is less about the individual and more about the set. This is fine for maybe a magazine or advertisement but for the client my goal is to make it all about the star in the portrait.

The sets I did put together for these newbord portraits are on the more elaborate side (for me) but because babies are so cute that they can handle the extra competition. I still feel they are relatively simple which still keeps along my preferred style of portrait photography.

Laila is beautiful just like her mother. I was incredibly happy with the lighting on all the images. Laila just pops out and makes me want to give her a squeeze she is just so cute!


- Grace

Portrait Tip:

In the first year of life babies grow REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY FAST! The physical changes happen at a blurring speed and so on day 1 she will look different from 1 month and at 2 months she will look different again and so on and so on all the way to a year or more. As a mother of a little one you are faced with exhaustion, little extra time and a lot of caring to do. It is important to take the steps to capture the changes regularly whether it be by taking lots of photos when you can yourself or by taking your baby to a professional photographer at regular intervals throughout the first year to get beautifully lit and artistically composed images.

By having professional photos dones regularly throughout the first year you will be rewarded with a gorgeous physical chronical of your child's first year that is done professionally and beautifully. It is something you will be grateful for after your child is no longer a baby and you wonder what he used to look like at 1 week, or 3 months, or 9 months, ect...

Here is a recommended timeline of portrait sessions to schedule for your baby's first year that will cover al of those amazing changes.

• 1st week
• 1 month
• 2 months
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months

At the end of your baby's first year we can put together an amazing photo book or photo album that you, your family, grandparents and especially your child will cherish and be grateful for the rest of yoru lives. Let us do all the hard work with the professional images we take to create a professional and heartwarming gift for your family. It is an investment that will span generations. Imagine that one day your grandchildren will be oohing and aahing over their parent's baby book a quarter of a century after it was created? It is truly a pricesless gift.