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Award Winning Family Photographer | From Maternity & Babies to Seniors & Underwater Space Coast - Brevard County FL Choosing a Family PhotographerChoosing a Family Photographer With all of the photographers out there, how do you choose which family photographer to hire for your family portraits? There are many things to consider when looking for a professional family photographer. I’ve put together a list of some things to consider. Many of these things can apply for other genres of photography as well.
Style/Portfolio Look at the photographer’s portfolio to get a sense of their style. Is there consistency in the images and editing so you know what you’ll get? Do you like the editing style? Are they posed/traditional, documentary, or lifestyle (a mixture of both)? Which do you prefer? What feeling do you get when you look at the images? Can you picture your family in them? Do you want to be the family in the images? Ask the photographer to see a complete session so you know the overall quality of what your gallery will look like and not just the one or two best images from each session.
Service/Experience What is the photography experience going to be like for you? Does the photographer do a pre-session planning with you to customize your session to fit your family, get to know more about you and your family, and help you choose your clothing? Doing those things can help make the process less stressful for you and go more smoothly. Does the photographer sit down with you after the session to help you figure out what to do with your images and maybe even design a wall display? Will s/he come to your home to install your canvas or framed wall portrait? These are the things that can make the process so much easier for you. Product Offerings Does the photographer only offer digital files? Let’s face it, we all have digital images of our children sitting on our computer (or Facebook) that haven’t been printed. What are our children going to look at when they’re older and want to see pictures of them when they were younger? Does the photographer offer professional, archival products, such as canvas, prints, albums, and framing? Does s/he offer custom product design? If you’re going to pay the money to hire a professional, shouldn’t you have professional products that will last a lifetime and not cheap prints from the local superstore?
Professionalism Does the photographer belong to any professional organizations, such as NAPCP, PPA, or WPPI? Does s/he take workshops to further improve photography skills? Is the communication with the photographer professional and timely? Are they operating a legal business with a business license, liability insurance, and client contracts?
Budget/Investment Of course, the investment needs to fit into your budget. Is the photographer you want worth saving up for or do they offer payment plans to help spread out the cost? Remember, you get what you pay for. Make sure this isn’t the only factor in your decision or you may not be happy with the results.
To learn a little more about me and my photography, start here or contact me to see if we'd be a good fit! Looking for a family photographer but you aren't in the Southeast Georgia/Northeast Florida area? Check out NAPCP's photographer search tool to find a child and family photographer near you! PPA also has a search tool that will give you a variety of professional photographers in your area (who may or may not specialize in family photography). Fernandina Beach Child Photographer | Happy Birthday Miss C!Happy 6th Birthday Miss C! Miss C is having a luau birthday party and was so excited to dress up and do the hula for her birthday pictures. The weather was perfect, the sky was beautiful, and fun was had!
This one is my favorite <3
It has been so wonderful to watch you grow and document your blooming personality each year! Hope you have loads of fun at your party C!
<3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Need updated pictures of your kiddos? Contact me today for more information on scheduling a child or birthday mini session! Project 52: Weeks 22-28 | Documenting Real Life Through PhotographyI guess you could say I've been a bit behind in my project this summer. Several of the themes had me stuck and I was being too much of a stickler in wanting to go in order, though I've started to let that go a bit. I've also decided that next year, I'd like to try either another 52 week project or perhaps a 365, but with no themes. Then I have no excuse not to pick up the camera and take pictures. I still may have a list of themes for inspiration or to push my creativity, but I won't be assigning them to certain weeks. Hopefully that will help me stick with it better, though I have loved a lot of the themes I've been doing, I'm just getting stuck on doing them in order, haha! Since I've been a bit behind, this post has the six images I've done since my last post, instead of my usual 4-ish. Enjoy!
Week 23 | Self Portrait - Soak Up the Sun There's nothing like feeling the warm evening sun on your face and breathing in the fresh air on a warm summer's night. This was a bit challenging since I washed my remote shutter in a pair of pants so I had to do this one holding the camera at arms length, but I like how it turned out.
Week 24 | Long Exposure - Sparkle on the 4th I originally wanted to get a fireworks shot for this week's theme, but we didn't go see fireworks and I couldn't get a good enough view (or good timing) for the ones going off around our house. So I decided to do a sparkler instead.
Week 25 | Sparkle - Glitter Play We don't have many sparkly things in our house, and I wasn't sure the best place to go looking, so we played with glitter to get our sparkle. Our guest room is also our art and homeschool room and I love that we have a place to go and be messy but not have glue, paint, or glitter all over the house! My son wanted to make a card for his Aunt Calli because he misses her. I wrote with the glue for him and let him sprinkle the glitter.
Week 26 | Off Camera Flash - Crazy Cat This is something I've been wanting to play with more and just haven't carved out the time for it like I should (I like natural light better so I avoid using the flash unless absolutely necessary). I even won a soft box to use with my flash and bought a radio trigger so that I can use the flash off the camera without having cord on it. I played with it a little and used manual mode instead of TTL mode for the flash and ended up just bouncing it off the ceiling for this image. I need to practice with the soft box more as well as using the manual flash mode. But at least I've now got the cat in my project for the year!
Week 27 | Childhood - Blue Angel We went for a visit to the Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL and bought my son a little Blue Angel plane to take home. He loved sitting in all the planes and seeing all the different ones they had. After we were back home, he played with it almost constantly and brought it with him everywhere. He was playing with it outside by our table and it just seemed like the perfect thing to capture so I started taking pictures. I love the little series I ended up with and this one is one of my favorites. And he did this all on his own! He was just staring at his plane and then looked up at me. He's my little blue-eyed angel so I thought the title "Blue Angel" was fitting for this image.
Week 28 | Kitchen Close Up - Banana Freeze Anyone who knows me well, knows that my kitchen is almost always a disaster on some level. It comes with the way I cook, making as much from scratch as I can, and I love to cook, so I dirty a lot of dishes. Dishes aren't high on my priority list, and I actually prefer to do them first thing in the morning. So as to not have my kitchen close up be of dirty dishes, I decided it to be of something yummy I made. I've been wanting to try making ice-cream out of frozen bananas since we are dairy-free and I already make my own ice-cream, usually from coconut milk. I had an abundance of bananas and had just seen a video from the Food Network on Facebook showing how to make neapolitan ice-cream from just bananas and a couple other ingredients. Let me tell you, it is sooooo good and there's zero added sweeteners! It's also incredibly easy to make and made better with peanut butter! It's like eating a banana split.
Thanks for following along with my project! Which image from this post was your favorite and why? I'd love to know! <3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography
Want help capturing the beauty of your every day life? Contact me for more information on your custom portrait session! What to Wear for Your Family Photos | Southeast GA & Northeast FL Family PhotographerYou find the perfect photographer to capture images of your family. The photographs s/he creates are beautiful and the style fits with your vision for your session. You contact them and book your session. Now you need to figure out what everyone will wear! Do you go with a formal look or casual? Everyone in the same color or just throw on whatever you feel like wearing that day? Should you go out and buy everyone something new or go with what's in your closet already? What if the kids get dirty? Feeling overwhelmed? I'm here to help! I've compiled a list of ten tips to get you started in choosing your clothing. I've also created a guide that will go into more detail on how to choose clothing for your session. And if you book with me for your session, I will personally help you choose your clothing and give you feedback if you want it! 1 – Be Yourself The most important tip I can give you is to just be yourself. Your photographs should capture your family and everyone’s personalities. If you’re not a formal, dress up kind of person, don’t feel like you need to wear a dress for the session. When everyone is comfortable in their clothes, they’ll have an easier time being themselves and we’ll get better expressions.
2 – Complimentary Colors One of my favorite shows to watch on TLC was What Not to Wear. One thing that has always stuck with me about putting an outfit together is: it doesn’t need to match, it just needs to go. (Thank you Stacy and Clinton!) The same goes for putting a family wardrobe together. No need for everyone to wear the same color. Find a color palette you like (Pinterest is great for this!) and see what you might already have that goes with it. If you’re looking to buy outfits for the session, it’s often easiest to have your color palette in mind and then find an outfit that fits the color palette and build off of that. Keep the season in mind, you will have a hard time finding bright summery colors in the fall or winter. (Note: Cream and off-white look better in photographs than pure white.)
3 – Layers & Textures Add visual interest to your images by incorporating layers and/or textures in your clothing. Look for clothing with embroidered details, lace, ruffles, or other fun textures.
4 – Shoes & Accessories Everything you’re wearing can affect the feel of a photo. Keep in mind what accessories and shoes everyone will be wearing. They can add a pop of color or texture to accent your color scheme. Just be careful not to forget about shoes and end up with shoes that take away from the look you want. Avoid white socks and tennis shoes unless it goes with the look you’re going for. Or just have your session at the beach and go barefoot!
5 – Where will the photos be displayed? If you’re planning to hang a large portrait on the wall in your living room, you might want to consider the colors in your décor and make sure your color scheme will work with those colors (remember, they don’t need to match).
6 – Children’s Clothing Free flowing clothing will allow children to move easier and stay comfortable. Itchy, uncomfortable clothing can make them grumpy and ruin the mood of a session. Bring extra clothes in case they get dirty!
7 – Patterns & Bold Color Accents Patterns and bold colors are best used with a light hand. Simple patterns tend to work best. Keep in mind if you like stripes: horizontal stripes will make you look wider, while vertical stripes will help make you look taller and leaner.
8 – Location It’s best to know your location for the session before you choose your clothing. You want your clothes to compliment the location you chose but not blend in with the surroundings.
9 - Hair & Makeup You want it to resemble how you normally wear your hair and do your makeup with the clothes you are wearing. There’s no need to wear extra makeup for the camera. If you’re in need of a haircut, get it done at least two weeks before your session so it will look more natural.
10 – Breastfeeding & Babywearing Sessions For these types of sessions, keep your clothing simple. Wraps and slings tend to be full of color and have their own pattern so stick with solid colors that coordinate well.
Remember, the focus of your photographs are you and your family, not your clothes. Clothing should accent your personalities, not take attention away from the people in the photo. If you can coordinate clothing you already own, don’t worry about going out to buy something just for the session. And if you do go buy new clothes, make sure they’re clothes you’d want to wear more than for just your session.
Want the full What to Wear Guide? Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it to you!
<3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Looking to update your family photos this fall? Contact me today for more information on scheduling your family session! Newborn Family Session | Newborn Photographer | St Marys, GAI met Mrs. A last year during our local La Leche League events for World Breastfeeding Week. We met again earlier this year at the Birthing in Georgia Fair and I'm so happy she stopped by my table! I'm honored to have captured these special images for them as they welcome Baby #3 to their family.
Family of Five
Sibling Love <3
Baby L had his grumpy face on during some of his solo shots, but it's a cute grumpy face!
Love the little details of a baby's face.
There's just something so precious about baby feet and toes.
And we can't forget the hands!
Towards the end of the session he just wanted to be held by Momma and sleep on her chest. He gave us a little bit go a sleepy smile. Reminds me of the early days with my son when most of his naps looked just like this!
Thank you K Family for trusting me to capture these precious and fleeting moments for you! <3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Are you expecting? Contact me today for more information on scheduling your newborn session! Five Minutes with My Family | Flying a Kite on the BeachBack in May, I took some pictures of my son flying his first kite at the beach. My original goal had been to get my sunset image for my Project 52, but then I decided to turn it into a little five minute project, inspired by The 5 Minute Project. Now I'm sharing them here with you! Hope you enjoy!
<3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Need someone to capture your family having fun? Contact me today for more information on scheduling your family session! Backyard Family Session | Family Photographer | Southeast GeorgiaMrs. J came to me wanting family pictures before their big move overseas. They had built a lovely homestead and wanted to capture some memories at their home to take with them on their next adventure. Our session was full of giggles, bubbles, wrestling, and fun! I am honored they chose me to capture these memories for them.
I love the smiles and fun in this family image. I couldn't choose my favorite so I chose two!
The expressions in this one are just priceless. Ah, life with young children!
I've been told Mr. E doesn't smile much, but I got one good one from him, even if he isn't looking at the camera. (P.S. Sometimes it's harder to get the dads to smile than it is the kiddos!)
Dad and Mr. F sharing a giggle.
Mr. S wanted to give mom a kiss and a hug. I love the smiles and sweet moment!
Mr. F was probably wondering if we were done yet, haha!
This may be my favorite image of the whole session. Love the smiles on these two!
And of course, where there are boys, there's bound to be some wrestling!
Wishing the W family safe travels and many blessings on their next adventure! I hope our paths will cross again one day! <3 Kim Owner/Photographer-Artist Kimberly Tank Art & Photography When was the last time you had family pictures done? Want to capture your family before (or after) a big change? Contact me today for more information on scheduling your family session! |
Kimberly Tank is an award-winning professional photographer in Rockledge, FL, servicing Brevard County on the Space Coast in Central Florida (including Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, Viera and surrounding areas). Using natural light and custom on location sessions, Kimberly Tank specializes in photographing families from babies to seniors and commercial clients, both on land and underwater; providing an exceptional customer experience and helping save you time and preserve this chapter in your life's story. Kimberly Tank is a proud member and ambassador of National Association of Professional Child Photographers. Signup for my monthly newsletter and receive a FREE PDF on taking better photos of your kids! Click HERE Contact Me for more info and/or to book a session
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Kimberly Tank is an award winning professional lifestyle photographer in Rockledge, FL, servicing Brevard County in Central Florida (including Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Viera and surrounding areas). Using natural light and custom on location sessions, Kimberly Tank specializes in photographing families from babies to seniors and underwater photography; providing an exceptional customer experience and helping you capture your story and turn your memories into works of art.