Mommy and Me Sessions | Celebrating Motherhood | West Palm Beach Photographer | Wellington, FL Photographer| Palm Beach County Photographer

Are you making a visual history for your loved ones with you in them?

I bet many of you will say no. All too many times I try to get a Mom into a photo with their baby, toddler, child, teen and they say, "Nooo, I am _______________  fill in the blank." I'm here to tell you that's nonsense! I am here to tell you the only thing they will think when they look at photos of you together are my Mom loved me, cared for me, fed me, played with me, hugged me, went to my games, picked me up from school, took care of me when I was sick, worked to support me, read books to me, showed me tough love when I needed it, kissed me goodnight...They are going to cherish those photos more and more over time I promise you and so will you. In fact, you'll probably think you look better and better in that photo with time! LOL. Personally, my favorite photos of my children and I are the ones where I am interacting with them - I don't have to be looking at the lens.

when your children look back for photos with their Mom - will they find them? I hope so...

As we approach Mother's Day (Sunday, May 14) in this next month, I encourage you to do a Mommy and Me session! Priceless memories forever...

For Mamas with baby (not walking), I am photographing in the studio with the white bed along with some greenery along the bed frame. Mamas may use the studio's white, cream lace dresses or tops. You may wear what you wish, but the vision is a soft white/cream palette overall look. I recommend the same for baby - a white/cream outfit. If you are nursing, I highly recommend some beautiful nursing shots as this connection with your baby is indescribable. A mix of lifestyle and portrait shots will be taken. 

For Mamas with toddlers and older children, I will be photographing on location outdoors before sunset. Do you have a favorite activity that stands out in this stage of life that you'd love to document? It's not necessary, but something to think about especially if you have a child in the imaginative age range. Again, a mix of lifestyle and portrait shots will be taken. 

Mama and Me Sessions will begin shooting the week of April 17 through the entire month of May. Weekend sessions will happen on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, 2017 from 12 - 4 pm scheduling each hour - 4 spots available each day. This is the only weekend session available before Mother's Day as SunFest is happening May 3-7 and downtown is pretty crazy. The 2nd weekend studio session will be Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21, 2017. Weekday sessions are also available. On location outdoor sessions are booked 1 hour before sunset. 

For styling, I recommend classy on trend, comfortable clothes that you can move in with your children - maxi dresses, flowy shirts, stretchy pieces. I will consult with you prior to your shoot date to discuss final wardrobe. LuLaRoe just came out with a super cute Mommy and Me Collection - leggings as small as 2T to Tall and Curvy size. PLUS, LuLaRoe Team Jen is offering an additional 10% discount along with booking this session!!! Can't go wrong!

You can follow this link to shop: ShopTeamJen.com

I recommend getting your hair and makeup done for this session. If you need recommendations, please let me know. The session includes: 45 minutes of photography time (special attention focused on posing and perfecting Mama), 15 digital images delivered via digital download, 1-8x10 slim mini canvas of your favorite image. Cost: $325 +7% FL sales tax. Please allow 14 business days for final edits to be completed.

To book, please use the Contact tab or you may call 561.951.5024 to chat live. 

*Eh hem-great gift your husband can get you, send them over to this blog. Gift certificates are available.*

All About Newborns| Facts and Truths | West Palm Beach Newborn Photographer | Palm Beach County Newborn Photographer

Newborn babies, to me, is one of the most challenging and rewarding genres to photograph. When I first started I said to myself, how difficult can it be? They sleep, don't talk back or run around. You feed them, rock them and they go back to sleep. Right? NOPE.

After photographing over 2000 babies these last 3 years in the hospital and in studio, I have really learned these tiny things quite well. They have so many similar qualities, yet are each uniquely their own. 

Newborn Session Facts: Almost every newborn that gets into my hands pees or poops on me within the first 10 minutes. Parents sometimes feel terrible, but it's part of our daily as newborn photographers. Don't feel bad. I wear black or dark clothing with these sessions and usually Athleta pants that dry quickly. What you have planned with posing many times gets thrown out the window, so you quickly get creative and flow with babies ques. Safety and patience is a requirement in this job. Parents are a bit shocked when I say a full session will easily last up to 3 hours. It goes fast and you'll easily see why during your session. 

I am in love with the perfectly imperfect. A perfect portrait is what we strive for, but how a newborn moves, stretches, cries, yawns - those are real moments. Life moments. Beautiful moments that we rapidly forget, but want to remember. Why not document both?

Newborn Session Training/Workshops: The countless number of hours we have spent on learning newborn anatomy, posing, temperature, wrapping, safety, soothing, overall techniques setting up props, lighting, camera settings, editing, etc. is constant and never ending. We are giddy when we get to learn! We love newborns SO much that we would go to every workshop available to us if we could! 

Newborn Props: This is a huge problem. It is extremely ADDICTIVE! We provide our tiny clients super cute outfits, wraps, flokatis, fluff, fleece, bowls, buckets, blankets, headbands, bonnets. They are all handmade, many of them come from Europe and we wait weeks before receiving them. A typical newborn setup costs anywhere from $150-$200 - the backdrop, outfit, wrap, bowl, fluff, fleece, headband, bonnet. And we die when we get to use them! After all, these are fleeting moments that in a blink of an eye are over - they should look as cute as possible. We want that for you as parents! 

Personal Facts: I've always loved babies since I was a little girl. I wanted 10 kids and told my Mom and Grandmother this constantly as a child. Then, I became an adult and the reality of that hit. Since working in the hospital, I have all required immunizations that follow the guidelines for OB medical staff. Never ever did I imagine as a kid or young adult that I would be doing this as a career...but WHAT a dream!

Maternity sessions are best completed between 32-35 weeks. Newborns are best photographed 5-21 days after birth - the earlier the better. Maternity sessions can be added to a newborn session (a discount will apply). Book early to ensure your date is available. 

If you are a soon to be Mama, there are 2 newborn session packages available. A Newborn Mini Session - a shorter session with just baby and the Signature Newborn session which lasts up to 3 hours and includes baby, parents and siblings (if you wish). I am all about printing your memories. Digital are great and are included in packages, but there is nothing like physically holding onto your family art. A print/product is included in each package. Consultations are complimentary. I do love chatting with clients, so please feel free to call at 561. 951. 5024.  If you are a bit shy and prefer to communicate via email, use the contact tab to get in touch (Email: christina@christinalinphotography.com).

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EMBRACE 2017| NEWBORN Photography | Palm Beach County Photographer | West Palm Beach Photographer | Palm Beach County Newborn Photographer

So here we are, another new year, CHEERS to 2017!

2016 was a year beyond exciting with whirlwind changes. Each year becomes a bit busier than the last. Each year, I continue to meet new families and welcome my returning families to preserve, freeze and cherish their beloved, fleeting life moments. I welcome 2017 with wide open arms and the possibilities it holds. 

I choose one word to live by each year. Why? It grounds me when I'm feeling happy, sad, frustrated, disconnected. My 2017 word of the year: EMBRACE.

Embrace the now, the present. Embrace challenges. Embrace new connection. Embrace whatever stands before me because there is a reason for it. 

I tend to often think of the future and not embrace the present moments of the daily as I should. I have worked on "embrace" with conscious effort this last week & it has been nothing short of refreshing. My youngest daughter had her regular morning cuddles this morning. Out of nowhere, she said, "Mommy-do you remember when I was 4 yrs old and you picked me up at 11:00, then we went home for lunch-I'd watch Caillou, take a nap and we'd listen to that song...Beautiful something-on our way to pick up Em?" My heart melted like a volcano. It was sooo precious and sweet the way she said it. How she so remembered that important time in her pre-school days-just her and I. The time before she grew up and went to school like a big girl all day. Those were also the beginning days of my transition to focusing solely on photography as my career. Did I embrace those moments as I should have? I wish I could say I embraced them wholeheartedly. But the truth is I had just left my pharmaceutical career of 12 years and decided to fulfill this passion, so I was constantly feeling this onward push of the how, where, why, what, when on how to get there. And what I can say is-there is most definitely a time and place where and when life is suppose to happen. It will happen-maybe not on your timeline-or maybe not on the timeline you expected. But it does happen. I hope you embrace this year as it unfolds in front of you. I'll work on it with you...

The peak of family photography season has just ended. However, if you got a bit too busy or still would like to have your family portraits done, there is no time like the present especially in these cooler Florida months to freeze some memories of your crew altogether. Once the session is over, I can promise you, you won't regret it. You will remember the quirks, the expressions, the toothless grins. You will remember the perfectly imperfect of your family dynamics. The perfectly imperfect is a beautiful thing! It makes you-YOU.

January is here and I'd like to get back to my newborn sessions in the studio. If you are a new Mom, this precious newborn time to start your baby's visual history is a short, short blip in time-only the first few weeks of life. Newborns are best photographed between 5-21 days after birth. They like to stay curly and cuddle up in those very early days. Moms-you're also super exhausted amongst a dozen other mental/physical changes going on within. You will make a million excuses on why you cannot do it, but I tell you if you're considering documenting the brand new-ness of life. DO IT! You will quickly forget their bright, glassy eyes, their super tiny fingers/toes, their peeling skin, they way they stretched. You will wake up one day and your baby is 6 months old and you'll ask yourself - HOW is my baby already a 1/2 a year??? I make it easy for you. All props, blankets, wraps, headbands, outfits are all here in the studio for your baby to use. You just need to bring him/her in with basic necessities. Sit on the couch, nap, read, relax or take a stroll downtown, grab a coffee. Breathe. I do the work! Consider this time in the studio your relaxation time! Please contact me for details. I'd be honored to photograph your precious bundle - some portraits, some real moments (aka lifestyle photography such as below.)

P.S. Check out the updated investment page! All galleries will be revealed in the studio where we will also design and create your family art. You have the option to purchase a la carte or choose a package that fits your needs and wants. There is no minimum purchase requirement. Purchase what you love!

XO-Christina

"Because you are my definition of perfection..."