A session by the river

I very much enjoyed this session by the river with this family.  It was a beautiful day and the little ones did a great job! This family received some free prints with thier session for winning the picture contest way back in the spring with the live bunnies!

Our maternity session winner!

A few days ago I finally got the opportunity to meet our beautiful and lucky maternity session winner from back in the spring.  This mom-to-be won her maternity session through a contest that Tender Expressions held on Facebook and we took full advantage of her winnings and captured some beautiful shots of her and her growing family. Congrats again and all the best with your new addition!

Back To School Mini Sessions

It's almost back to school time again, it's so hard to believe! With that, every parent knows it's time to get their kids new clothes, new haircuts, new backpacks and essentials. However, by the time they get their school pictures done, the clothes have stains, the hair is in shambles from wrestling with thier best friend earlier that day, and their backpacks....well...who knows what they do to those. You cringe at the photos th...at come home but feel obligated to buy some anyways.

With the Tender Expressions Back to School mini sessions, you can get great pictures of your child with their new clothes on that still look new, their new haircuts that still look neat (with mom or dad on the sidelines to brush every hair in place) and their backpacks that are still in one piece (because we all know backpacks don't last long).The pictures are done outside in a more natural setting and you can have pictures of your children together as well as separate. Old school desk + an outdoor setting + kids in their brand new school outfits = totally awesome and unique back to school pictures! As well don't be stuck with print packages where you are forced to buy different prints you really don't want in a package and all the same pose. With TEP you choose your own print package and you can choose different poses as well!

Dates: Tuesday September 6, 2011. Rain date Sept 13,2011
Thursday September 8, 2011. Rain date Sept 15, 2011

Time: 6-7:00 pm (4- 15 minute sessions each evening)

Location: Waterdown. Please contact me for location.

Ages: Any school age child

Cost $30 for a 15 minute session for one child and $10 per each additional child. Session comes with 1-5x7. Create your own package with back to school specials on prints and choose different poses per size or pay a little extra for different poses too!!

Prints:
8 Wallets - $10 or 16 for $18
4-4x6's - $10 or 8 for $18-same pose
4-4x6's - $12 or 8 for $22 - different poses
2-5x7's - $10 or 4 for $18 - same pose
2-5x7's - $12 or 4 for $22 - different poses
1-8x10-$15 or 2 for $28

What to wear: Their new school outfit!

What to bring: Their new backpacks, lunch pails, and anything else that would personalize your picture with the back to school theme.

For full information on what mini sessions are all about, feel free to read the following link! http://tenderexpressionsphotography.blogspot.com/p/mommy-and-me-mini-sessions_2628.html

Contact me to book your session! Spaces are limited.  jennine@tenderexpressionsphotography.com

45th Anniversary Party

I was given the honour of joining one of my very loyal families to attend their parent's 45th Anniversary Party and capture the big day and all it's moments. The day was beautiful, the family members were fantastic (some even travelled from Holland), and I had such a great time.  It made me realize when it gets to the time.....I will really enjoy doing weddings I think.  Below are some shots of one of the little party goers.  What a cutie.

Kid of the Month

This very handsome little dude won the contest for the TEP's Kid of the Month draw! Congrats to him! To learn how your child, family, maternity and engagement portraits can be the next Picture of the Month please see the Picture of the Month posting.

Teddy Bear Picnic Children's Mini Sessions

I couldn't let the summer go by without having the cutest mini sessions ever and what little ones don't love a picnic with their Teddy?!  Tender Expressions Photography will be having Teddy Bear Picnic children's mini sessions on Wednesday August 24, 2011. Dress up your little ones (boys and girls alike) and don't forget to bring your favourite Teddy! We will have a picnic scene set up, a cupcake treat and some extra teddy friends just in case.

Time slots ...will start at 5:30 pm and run until 7:30pm. They will be 15 min each and allow 2 children per time slot. Session cost is $40, additional child is $10 and you will receive an online gallery to choose your 2-5x7's free! Cash only please.  $20 deposit is required which can be email transferred, mailed or dropped off  and the remaining payment at the time of session :)

Rain date will be Thursday August 25th.

To get more info on location or to book your time slot please send me an email at jennine@tenderexpressionsphotography.com

Preparing children for a photo session.

Kids are such amazing little people.  On my side of the camera I never know how a session is going to go from one session to the next when it comes to kids but one thing is for sure.....very cute expressions will be caught and their stages in life will be captured and to me that's what it's all about. Children's photographers should love to just go with the flow with kids and let them do their own things for part of the session. It helps the kids to be more at ease and that's when most of the cutest shots are taken as well as the most natural.
On the other side of the camera I know many parents stress when it comes to getting their kid's pictures done.  They worry they aren't going to smile, they worry they aren't going to sit, they worry they aren't going to co-operate and I can't say it enough that it's better if you just don't stress, but it's easier said then done right? If you go to the right children's photographer they should be a natural with kids and be experienced with them, not only with photography but with life in general.  This one key thing will not only make the parents at ease but the children will be much more comfortable as well which will result in better behaviour and therefore better pictures. With that said I do have a few tips for parents on preparing your children for a photo session that may help even more.  Some even apply to the bigger kids.

1.  Let the kids know where you are going before you head out and let them know what is going to happen when they get there.  I know it's easy to forget this first step since naturally we do not explain to our kids where we are going every time we step out the door. Most times when we leave with them though we don't have a lot of expectations from them so it's really not important. With photos however, parents do expect the kids to do things at the photo session and b/c that expectation is there, a warning on what is going to happen is very helpful, especially for toddlers and little ones. During my many years of experience with kids I have found that kids like warnings, not surprises. They like to know what to expect. Getting them mentally prepared will help the transition when they arrive to go smoothly and the session as well.

2. Parents need to be intimately involved with the photo session.  For the little ones, be prepared to make silly faces, funny noises, crazy dances, quick tickles or whatever it takes to make your little ones smile and laugh for those "fireplace mantle shots". As well be prepared to be the nose wiper, the hair fixer and wardrobe adjuster. Kids feel a lot more comfortable with their parents helping them then the photographer they just met. For the older ones, perhaps thinking of things in advance to talk about that would make them naturally smile would be a good idea as well.  I.E. bringing up their goal they got in soccer, talking about thier favourite things or teasing them about their "girlfriend".  The photographer should be able to bring some of these things up their own, but the more help from mom and dad the better. Just be ready to have fun in the moment. The more fun it is, the more natural smiles we'll get!

3.  For younger ones especially, bringing tidy snacks to help them get through the session is a good idea but make sure it's not something that will make them messy. Crackers, Gold Fish, Cheerios, fruit snacks in a package are a good idea and it makes those little tummies happy again.  Expecting the kids to sit for an hour is not realistic and I always allow enough time in a session for the kids to have a little break or two to eliminate meltdowns.  It's amazing the results this can have.

4. Timing is everything and you know best when your children are at their finest.  For some it's first thing in the morning, for others it's right after a nap, so be sure to book it for their good time.  When they are there, don't be surprised if your kids have had enough after 20 minutes.  Each kid varies with their limits but they all have them, and when they are done they don't hide it.  Make sure you mention to the photographer the important shots you want to make sure you get and do them first.  You want to make sure you got the "it" shot before a meltdown occurs.

5.   Choose an outdoor location if the weather permits.  I find the outdoor sessions to be so much more productive with kids because it gives the kids that run around time and they aren't expected to just stay in a small area.  Your photographer should have a list of places that they can recommend and perhaps know where to meet to avoid the temptations that might be at the location for little ones.  For example, if you are meeting at a park that has a playground, perhaps there is a spot where you can meet with the photographer first and then make your way during the session towards the playground, leaving it to be last and therefore less tempting for the kids. I try and always do this with my sessions and I find parents like to use the playground as a reward for being good throughout the session.

6. Just be relaxed and have fun.  The more you are relaxed, the happier and more relaxed your children will be and the happy moments will be captured forever.