8 Pro Tips to ROCK Your Christmas Photos

Today I'm guest posting over at Milso Bloggers, a community of military spouses. I came up with 8 helpful tips for getting good photos of your kids this Christmas!

Whether you're hiring a professional for Christmas pictures or taking them yourself, I have some great tips to share with you that will help keep everything Merry & Bright.

As a mother of two and a professional family photographer, I have lots of experience with children in front of my camera. 

I can totally relate to the stress of a professional shoot, both being in front of and behind the lens! There's something about trying to coordinate outfits, multiple family members, and camera settings that can make even the most patient mom want to pour Jack Daniel's into her spiced cider and throw the holiday cards out the window!

Even a "simple" in-home photo session by the tree can stress everyone out!

But before you give up on the adorable tradition of yearly Christmas pictures, read my tried and true tactics for successful photos!

[Read the full post here]

What People REALLY Think About their Fine Art Prints

Having beautiful photos on your wall is a great way to decorate with bright colors and unique images that match your taste and style. 

And don't think of these just for yourself - prints make fabulous, one-of-a-kind Christmas presents!

If you've never really thought about ordering fine art prints from me over at Jesse's Girl Photography, maybe you'd like to hear what others have to say about their purchases?

I know you'll love your prints, but you don't have to take my word for it!


From Andrea:

"Received the two prints I ordered today and am so pleased with them! First of all, the packaging was wonderful (I have had past experiences with other companies where my photos have arrived bent) but these were perfectly packaged. The color and quality of my large prints are great! I will definitely be back to order more! Five Stars!"

From Patricia:

"Where is the stars button? I want to give this site five stars!!! Ordered two prints: "Home Grown Carrots" and " Spring is Coming. Otterberg Germany". They arrived today - very quick delivery time! (I'm in the States) The prints are brilliant in color, very good quality paper, just beautiful. And let me say that the packaging was excellent. They were incredibly protected and arrived in perfect condition. Can't wait to get them framed and hung. Totally recommend!!!! Five stars!"


From Toni: 

"Received my prints this week and Patricia B. expressed my experience succinctly- 'very quick delivery time...brilliant in color, very good quality paper, just beautiful...packaging was excellent'
I am working on framing them now (just waiting for the store to open to get a mat)- the amazing Japanese Garden print is for the new work office and the 4 wonderful b&w for my kitchen.
If you're considering ordering- you will not be disappointed.
Thank you Jesse's Girl Photography --- I'll be back! I'm working on my next order ;)"

From Emily:

"I just LOVE the three fine art prints I chose for my gallery wall: hot air balloons, ferris wheel, and the swing ride. Jessica's website made it really easy to mark my favorites and narrow them down to make my final decision (which was the hardest part because the prints are all so gorgeous!) I had a question about my purchase and Jess got back to me with the help I needed right away. The prints arrived super promptly to me in Pennsylvania within days by regular First Class Mail, and they were in absolute perfect condition. I am so happy with them and can't wait to get them up on my wall!"

If you want to be my next happy customer, mark your calendars for my Black Friday Fine Art Print Sale - 50% off all fine art prints!

Whether you (or someone you are shopping for) love details, food photography, nature, travel, randomness, interesting doors, or sunflowers, I have something for everyone! 

The sale will be all day on Black Friday in central European time. 

If you're ordering from the east coast, remember you are 6 hours behind CET. So you can start ordering Thanksgiving evening if you wish, but you will have to order no later than 6pm EST on Black Friday to take advantage of the sale! 

Use the coupon code BlackFriday50%Sale on any of these albums for that day only. Get a jump start on your Christmas shopping without having to wait in any crazy lines! 

Or even changing out of your yoga pants! ;-)

So visit me on Black Friday and score some great prices on fine art prints! 



 

I'm Falling More and More in Love with Family Photography

When I first started out in photography, I was not super interested in being a "family photographer." But lately, I find myself looking forward to those family sessions the best!

I think it's because I like the rush of a challenge. 

And trying to orchestrate a fun family session that captures the true personalities of the kids AND parents is definitely a challenge.

When I photographed the Aldridge kiddos, I really got to thinking about how much I love shooting kids. It was my first time shooting a family of three kids and I had a lot of nervous excitement going into the shoot.

Jessica vs. three kids under the age of five? Bring it on! 

I always end up getting back into my car sweaty and exhausted, but with a huge smile on my face.

All of the photography I do is rewarding, but working with children is one of my favorites. 

There is something so special about coming alongside a family and helping the parents snag some beautiful photos of their beautiful children.

As a Momma of two quickly growing girls, I am pretty passionate about photographing each stage of a child's life.

Because some days it doesn't feel like they'll EVER grow up and you're just so dang tired and can't wait to get them into bed... but some days you get it. You see how fleeting their childhood is. And you know you want to remember as much of it as you possible can.

So while photographing children is by far not the easiest part of my job, it's definitely worth it.

Can you relate? Tell me in the comments what challenges you find yourself loving to take on! 

Travel Adventures | Tips for Visiting Colmar, France

Welcome to the stunning French city of Colmar! 

Be prepared to have your face melted off with awesome architecture, gorgeous colors, and adorable details! 

Every street is a new collection of beautiful colors! 

You could wander the city all day and your eyes would never get bored!

Colmar is a great city to spend a couple days.

You can easily walk around the whole city center, so it's a great place to take kids. 

They also have a fabulous Christmas Market, so you would have even more to see around the holidays!

As you approach the city from the north, you're going to come to the Rond-Point Liberte...

... where you get to see a mini Statue of Liberty in the middle of a large roundabout. You can pull off to the right and park so you can take some pictures.

I have some really cute ones of my kids pretending to be "Statues of Liver-tary" last Christmas. It was fun to take them to see it, since they haven't seen the Statue of Liberty in NYC.

The Statue in Colmar was sculpted in honor of the 100th death anniversary of Auguste Bartholdi, the artist who created the original work and who was born in Colmar in 1834.

You can also visit the Bartholdi Museum, which is inside the house where he was born. 

It's in the block of buildings on the corner of the Rue des Marchands and Rue Schongauer. It's just one street south of the main Cathedral.

The museum isn't terribly large so it's wasn't bad for the kids. Plus, if you go in the winter it's a nice break from the cold.

[Mom tip - this is a great place for a potty break for the kiddos]

After checking out the Cathedral and museum, you can head down to the Rue des Ecoles to the Covered Market (the building in the top left photo) to browse the local food stalls and grab a bite to eat.

[Another good place for a potty break, though not as clean]

I always love to see the bright colors of a market.

It's interesting, too, because the Market is right next to the river and back in the day, the merchants could bring their goods right up to the Market by boat!

Then you make your way down to "Little Venice" where you can have absolutely gorgeous views from the two main bridges, and take a lovely boat ride on the river!

The most famous bridge is over the Rue de Turenne. You can buy tickets for the boats at the Winstub La Krutenau restaurant. (And they're so cheap - less than 10 euro a ticket!)

We really enjoyed our evening boat ride... I definitely recommend going as the sun is starting to set.

It was magical!

We weren't really expecting that we'd have to duck to get under the bridges! It was kind of funny and definitely a good thing Kirsten and I were sitting in the back. Because "duck your head!" was definitely lost in translation... but thankfully we were able to copy the people in front!

Next is a lovely walk down the beautiful Rue de la Poissonnerie. Where I have two great restaurant recommendations for you, but you'll have to wait for next week!

I decided Colmar needed a separate food post ;o)

Trust me, you'll want to tune in next week for the mouth-watering photos!

I highly recommend Hotel Colbert. The room was so cheap and yet so clean. The beds were super comfy. The service was fantastic.

And it's within easy walking distance to the main areas of the city. 

It's located on the Rue des Trois-Epis and you get to walk past a beautiful flower shop, an atm, and a fabulous park on your way downtown.

(Obviously you walk past a lot of fun things but those were my top pics in order of beauty and practicality!)

When we weren't ooooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing (and photographing) the bright colors of the city, Kirsten and I really enjoyed poking in and out of the variety of antique shops.

Tons of fun stuff to see!

And of course there would be a huge potted fig tree in the park. So French! 

So besides the food, which I promise to tell you about soon, that's my collection of favorite photos and tips about Colmar, France!

If you enjoyed this post please pin it to your "to do in Europe" board.

Wordless Wednesday | Knock Knock

Photography | Colmar, France Sneak Peek

"Which of my photographs is my favorite? 
The one I'm going to take tomorrow." 

-Imogen Cunningham

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my recent trip to Colmar, France. I can't wait to share the rest with you and tell you all about my favorite places!

When I look at these beautiful images, I am reminded just how blessed we are to be living in Europe.

I still get that "somebody pinch me" feeling! 

It might be the photographer in me, or I might just be a normal human, but I totally can't pick a favorite photo! I'm always looking at life through my lens, and the anticipation of "what's next" flows through my life as well as my photography!

I hope these pictures brightened up the start of your weekend!

Happiness Through My Eyes Blog Circle | Summer Details

I'm joining the Happiness Through My Eyes blog circle today over at Jesse's Girl Photography. 

Check out the rest of my pictures of my favorite summer details and then follow the links around the world to see what the rest of my photographer friends are up to!

It's always so great to join these wonderful creative ladies and smile my way through their photos each month! I hope they make you smile, too!

AF Wife Lesson #12: You never know what benefits you might qualify for until you ask.

This picture pretty accurately describes my excitement level this week. Neck muscles popping, EVERY tooth showing. I've practically been bouncing around the house with butterflies in my tummy.

So what am I spazzing like a fool about?

I am an official student at the New York Institute of Photography!!!!!

But that's not all! 

I'M GOING FOR FREE!!!

So that explains the crazy face, right? Somebody pinch me!!!!!!!!! 

The whole story is that I was daydreaming out loud to Jesse about wanting to take these photography, marketing, and photoshop courses from the NYIP. Unfortunately, the business isn't making enough money yet to justify such a cost.

But the ironic thing is that now, when I'm just starting, is probably the best time to take classes... before I get busy and tell myself I "don't have time!" You can make it being a self-taught photographer, but I was craving some professional level education.

So J, smart guy that he is, reminded me to check into the scholarships available to military spouses. I tried to keep my excitement bubble small, because I was afraid that an online art school wouldn't qualify for the program. But obviously I was wrong!

I have some new Air Force acronyms for ya:

MyCAA is the military spouse career advancement accounts program.
SECO stands for spouse education and career opportunities.

Appparently MyCAA and SECO have created this scholarship program to encourage military spouses to pursue portable career fields! I had heard rumors about spouse scholarships before but I always assumed they were only for "real degrees" and I wasn't really interested in getting a bachelor's in anything. But they are intentionally trying to help us find career opportunities that can flex and move when our family has to PCS.

Like... a photography business?? YOU GOT IT.

SO here I am, just starting out on my journey to become a certified NYIP graduate! My first course is called the Complete Course in Professional Photography. 

Air Force Wife Lesson #12: you never know what benefits you might qualify for until you ask.

This is obviously going to complicate our lives a little. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my top priorities and shift some around in order to squeeze online school in! I'll have to add a few more things to the things I don't do list for this season. And my business won't be able to grow until I finish these classes I want to take. But that's fine by me!!!

So that's that. Please excuse me while I go run excited laps around my house. (just kidding, that's literally impossible with my house.) Please excuse me while I go get another hour of learning in tonight. 

I'm devouring this first unit... my nervous/excited energy has to go SOMEWHERE! ;o)