Raleigh Newborn Photography – Rebecca Keller

I got to meet these three beautiful girls at the Halloween Minis, so we had already met before the day of their session. Their mama dressed them beautifully, and they were just so much fun to photograph. The light that evening was gorgeous. With all the rain this month, beautiful light has been few and far between. We had a lot of fun laughing and walking all over the park for some fun photos of the three of them.

According to Mom…

Why did you choose this location and what was the weather like the day of your session? Joyner Park! I chose this location because my daughter Megan has always wanted outdoor ballet photos taken. She asked to have her room redecorated for Christmas and wanted a rustic theme, so I thought this would be the ideal. I can’t wait to see how her ballet photos will look on her walls along side her new reclaimed wood headboard.

I also chose this location because some of my favorite photos of my two older daughters Megan and Ellie, now 12 and 11, were taken there years ago(about 8 years ago) in cowboy boots and cowgirl hats. I wanted to recreate those pictures with our third daughter Riley, now 4.

What’s your favorite family activity? We love going to Wrightsville Beach together!

Who are the members of your family and a quick fact about each one? Kevin (Dad) Golf fanatic!!
Jen (Mom) Mom taxi driver, loves to shop and decorate
Megan, age 12, ballet dancer at Raleigh School of Ballet, dancing with the Carolina Ballet as Clara for the second year
Ellie, age 11, cheerleader on the Red Wolves Team at Youngs Gym for the Wake Forest All Stars
Riley, age 4, takes gymnastics at Young’s gym, very patient sister who spends 7 days a week being driven all over Wake Forest and Raleigh as a passenger to her sister’s activities

What were your favorite parts of the session? I enjoyed how relaxed and fun the session was. The planning is so stressful (when to fit a session into your family’s busy schedule, what to wear, will the weather be ok, what kind of mood will my kids be in, will their smiles look natural or staged, will one of the photos make the perfect Christmas card, the list goes on and on). All these worries dissolved when the session started. Becky is so sweet and honestly just wants to have fun! My kids fed off her energy and forgot that this was a chore and something that Mom “makes” them go through every year. My 4 year old got in the car after the session was over and said “Mom, that was so much fun!!!” Enough said!!!

Tell me about the outfits you bought for the session. I love the denim and cowboy boots theme. I Tried to make each outfit just a little different by adding an accessory that matched their personalities. The oldest and youngest’s dresses came from Old Navy, middle daughter from Wrangler. I wanted to add a splash of winter white to each of the girls’ outfits that matched their personalities. Megan, my oldest is my most “proper” daughter…12 going on 21. I thought a scarf suited her personality (got that from Target!!). My middle daughter isn’t the dress type, so I went with a denim tunic and put some winter white cords under it (Gap). I thought my youngest needed something girlie. Going with the rustic theme, I ordered a custom belt made of burlap flowers on a burlap sash. The cowgirl hat that Riley wore in a few of the photos was the hat that the older girls wore about 8 years ago in the photos that I discussed earlier (the reason I wanted to recreate this session at Joyner Park)

What props did you bring and why? Megan my ballerina, she wore and old pair of pointe shoes, practice tutu, and a coral colored leotard (the redecorated room that she is asking for for Christmas will have a rustic theme with coral and teal accents)
Ellie my cheerleader wore her Wake Forest All Stars competition uniform and bow
Riley, I brought the cowgirl hat from my favorite pictures of her older sister’s from 8 years ago

What are some words of wisdom you have for other families preparing for a session? Try not to overplan. As much as you want the outfits to coordinate, the reality is that many of the pictures, in particular for me, one of my favorites, you can’t see any of the items that I so thoughtfully planned (the scarf on my older daughter, the belt on my younger daughter or the pants on my middle daughter). You can leave the house with the “perfect” hair, but if the wind is blowing the wrong way, your middle daughter might look like she has the Donald Trump “comb over” (you know you were thinking that when editing the very first few pictures Becky, right?!?! All these things are completely out of your control on that day. Just have fun, and know that there is a glass of wine waiting for you at home when the session is over!!

Were you worried about any parts of the session beforehand? I was actually not worried about any parts of the actual session! Becky came highly recommended by a friend so I wasn’t worried about her photography skills in the least! I went into the session saying to myself, “if I can get just one “perfect” picture of my three girls together than I’ll be thrilled!!”

Wake Forest Family Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography 

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Rebecca Keller is a Wake Forest Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about Raleigh Family Photography and travel sessions.