Valley Forge Family Photography | Ciarrochi Family | Chester County Family Photography

philadelphia Pennsylvania family photography

I am so so in love with this family and their photos.  Everything just felt so natural and clicked.  The weather was amazing, the late fall colors were dreamy, and there was just the most perfect sunset.  Isabel, Jeffrey, and Matthew were such fun children to photograph, reacting to my jokes even when they weren’t very funny, and enjoying the experience.  If I heard correctly, some yummy hot cocoa was waiting for them post session as well.

As with every growing family, our session was relaxed and focused on real moments.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but my absolute favorite photos of my family are the real ones- boogers and all!  I may have edited out the boogers form this shoot, but 1992 didn’t have that luxury 🙂

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Valley Forge Family Photography | Lisa, Brian, and Lola | Allie Skylar Photography

husband-and-wife-pick-up-and-snuggle-dog

 

It’s nice to take a break from wedding photography at this time of year and work with families.  Actually, it’s not a break from weddings, but I add in families and that mixes things up a bit.  I love capturing special moments, unique bonds, and of course, the goofy love only families can share.

2 years ago I photographed Lisa and Brian’s wedding, and this year, we had time to photograph their family photos with their fur baby, Lola.  We spent our evening at Valley Forge Park, at one of my FAVORITE locations.  It never disappoints, as the sun sinks behind the hills and makes the fields glow golden.   Continue reading “Valley Forge Family Photography | Lisa, Brian, and Lola | Allie Skylar Photography”

Main Line Family Photographer | de Gennaro Family | Allie Skylar Photography

Gone are the days of family photo session where each family member wears jeans and a white polo….unless you’re in Modern Family.  Today, family sessions are much more relaxed, aimed at capturing genuine moments.  Real laughs where sometimes you can SEE the laughter snort, or sweet tender moments that capture a bond.  Some photos are messy, but that’s the way life is, right?

After a summer of rain and humidity, I was finally able to photograph the deGennaro family on a night that was both humid and rainy!  Like the troopers they are, they rolled with it, and we raced around Ridley Creek State Park, lightning flashing in the distance.  This family of 7 (yes, 7.  Dogs are family members too!) reminded me how much I love photographing families.  I’m booking a very limited number of family sessions this fall, and I would love to have your family in front of my lens too!

So excited to ship off this gallery!  xoxo

 

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Wedding Photography Tips : How to Organize Your Clients and Your Business

I am not organized.  Let me repeat that : I am not organized.  My work space is cluttered, my closet is…. well, don’t open it, and my receipts stay tucked in a box until tax season.  It takes a lot of work for me to be organized, but I know it is a priority.  My clients need to count on me, they need to know that I have information they have given me.  Not only that, they need to know that I know what information to ask them!  ]

Until recently, I as wasting a lot of time sending emails asking for information, then follow up emails asking for more information, etc.  It can be exhausting with so many clients, and I was tired of it.  I started making fillable PDF’s for different topics, and not only do I love it, so do my clients.  It helps me keep everything sorted (plus, I can send the file to my second shooter— bonus!), it instills confidence in my clients, and it leads to a better overall flow on a wedding day.

To all of my fellow photographers out there, don’t reinvent the wheel each time you send out an email.  Here are a few pages from the PDF I send out about 6 weeks before the wedding day.  Hope this helps someone!  Click below to see:

 

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Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and Library | Stacey and Josh | Philadelphia Wedding Photography

romantic photo of bride and groom in tree lined grove at Hagley Museum

Have you ever gotten goose flesh?  I’m sure you have, but for what reason?  It scatters across my skin when I’m cold of course, but also when I hear a strikingly beautiful chord in a song, watch a dazzling scene in a movie, or stumble upon something truly remarkable in nature.  It’s a sign to me that I need to pay extra attention or I could miss something divine.  As I drove through the back gates at Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and came face to face with a tree lined grove that trailed up to an old DuPont mansion, a shiver ran up my spine and goose flesh erupted.  I knew this day, this wedding, and these two people, were something extraordinary.

Now you might think this is an incredibly odd way to open a wedding blog post, and I’m sure it is, but there is really no other way to describe the beauty that surrounded this day.  I will try, though.

When I first met Stacey and Josh last year for their engagement session, I was instantly smitten with them.  They were incredibly kind, laughed at my jokes, and came dressed like they walked out of the 50’s (which, come on, why did we ever stop dressing like that?).  I had every faith that their wedding day would be spectacular, every detail flawless, and I was right.

Let me break it down for you. Succulents.  Floor length veil. Blush color pallet.  Strings of lights.  Cascading wisteria.  Need I say more?!?  The Hagley Museum is one of my favorite venues to date.  We were threatened with rain the entire day, and luckily, it held off.  Stacey mentioned that she would have been more upset if it had rained for my sake than hers because she knew how much I would love it.  And she was right.

Stacey and Josh were married at the old Soda House Library, a glass and stone building set back from the main house in the woods.  Once vows were said and rings exchanged, we toured the grounds, for which there could never have been enough time.  There were times when it felt we had been transported to the deep south or the hills of Tuscany, with its fine stucco houses covered in lush vines.   We laughed and enjoyed the cool evening air and our sweet chaperone, Dot, gave us a private, photo filled tour.

It could have rained.  It could have poured!  Nothing could have dampened this joyful day.  Stacey and Josh, the credit is yours.  You could have been married in an alley wearing paper bags and it still would have been one of my favorite weddings (but I’m really glad that wasn’t Plan A!).

Enjoy this preview!  Video coming soon!  Continue reading “Wilmington’s Hagley Museum and Library | Stacey and Josh | Philadelphia Wedding Photography”