How To Prepare For Your Portrait Session::Susie::Atlanta
Happy Thursday OLAS loves! Today we wanted to talk a little bit about how best to prepare for a portrait session. We had some amazing, AMAZING inspiration from Susie’s seriously adorable portrait session with Jen (one of our uber talented southeast photographers). Jen did such a beautiful job capturing all of Susie’s fun personality (and gorgeous red curls)! Ok, so a few quick tips:
1. Wear something cute (of course!), but more importantly, wear something you are comfortable in! Nothing kills confidence faster than wearing an outfit that doesn’t make you feel comfortable in your own skin. Sure you want to look stylish – but make sure you don’t sacrifice feeling at ease for fashion, because it WILL show in your photos! Susie wears this easy belted white dress and cowboy boots, paired with a pop of color necklace that looks both relaxed and fun (the killer combo!).
2. Bring items to the shoot that are important to you and showcase your personality. Susie’s fun personality is really highlighted in her photos, which is what makes them so beautiful! Just by bringing big & bright flowers, a few favorite books, a and colorful blanket, she was able to give us all a little look into what makes her happy.
3. Have FUN with it!! It’s not everyday that you get to have your portrait taken, so enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to be silly – usually the very BEST shots come from the “off moments” when you’re not even trying to pose for the camera. Come to the shoot prepared to have a little fun and let our crazy talented photographers do the rest :)
The Wonderful Wade Family!
This is the second time that (once like a spark) has had the pleasure of capturing the gorgeous Wade family in a fun family session! Terri and Kevin are business owners in the Atlanta area, and their three kids are so cute we can’t even stand it! Big sister Margaux is clearly in love with little sister and brother Maddox and Knox (who are twins!), and they are clearly in awe of their cool older sister 
And we love that the shots of Terri and Kevin could easily be from an OLAS engagement shoot!
Carla met the Wade family at their beautiful Atlanta home, and then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring nearby parks. Climbing jungle gyms, picking flowers and just playing around, these kids (and their adorable parents!) know how to take some great pictures! Last year, Terri worked with Ashley (one of OLAS’ co-owners) on putting together a stunning display of photos for their home–a mix of gallery wraps and framed portraits, and we think it’s safe to say they have some amazing choices for this year’s additions!
We are so glad you’re part of the OLAS family, Wades! Here are just a few of our very favorites – Happy Monday, OLAS chickadees! xox
(And remember: if you’d like some great family portraits for your family wall, be sure to contact info@oncelikeaspark.com!)
The Fennell Family
When sweet Courtney contacted us, she was looking for a family session to give as a gift to her beautiful mama. And, who better to spend the day with for a family sesh than Carla? This gorgeous family of four traveled around Atlanta with the lovely “click click” of Carla’s camera following them to some really neat locations (including…a store window )! We love how you can tell what a close-knit family the Fennells are, and are so happy we got to help you give this amazing gift to your mom!
Here are just a few of our favorites of this adorable family! Enjoy! xo
Brennan + Family
So Ashley and I started choosing pictures for this blog posting, and each came up with the same response: we want to eat this little one he is so darn ca-ute!
Seriously. Here is our gchat convo:
So the question remains….why *do* we say that? Regardless, you have to admit, this is one adorable family. Carl and Patrick adopted baby Brennan, and chose Carl’s best friend, Adrienne to be his godmother. Adrienne lives in Atlanta, and won a portrait session with (once like a spark) at a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. So, naturally, when Carl, Patrick and baby Brennan came down to visit from Boston, Adrienne jumped at the chance to spend the day with her guys and, of course, Philip and Anna!
Here are just a few of our favorites…and if anyone does know where the term “I want to eat/bite/squeeze” that baby comes from, let us know! Happy Friday, OLAS fam!
That little man can dress. And is so happy to be running around gorgeous Piedmont park with his daddies!
Am I right? So. Darn. Adorable. Especially love the one in the middle.
Beautiful, beautiful baby boy.
I wonder what Brennan was thinking in these pics. Probably something like “yea, I know I’m handsome.” Because that’s definitely what we’re thinking.
Such a loving, gorgeous family. And we adore their matching sweaters!
And here is stunning Adrienne with Carl and Brennan. LOVE this one.
Love these, too. Actually, I mean, I love every single one of these pics. There’s nothing more amazing than holding a baby, though. So presh.
When I was emailing Adrienne back and forth when these pictures were ready, she said, I want you to say something like: “Friends are family you choose for yourself.” We couldn’t have said it better.
Tickle monster time? We think so!
And what was Brennan’s favorite place for his photo shoot? The playground, of course!
Fave pic ever: bottom right. What a little grin that is!
Adrienne and Carl now use my favorite prop of all time. The mou-stache. Love these.
Adrienne, Carl, Patrick and baby Brennan, we are so happy to have shared the day and these memories with you guys! It’s so true that friends are family you choose, and were so thrilled you’re now a part of our OLAS fam
Auer Family
BIG, amazing post time! This is a super exciting post for the OLAS team since it is the VERY FIRST post of our new Southeastern photographer Carla! Carla has been shooting like crazy, but this is the first one we’ve gotten back from our editors and I seriously couldn’t wait to show it to you! For this shoot, Carla spent the day with the BEYOND adorable Auer family. Dad Craig, mom Abi, little brother Seth and little sister Liza are honestly one of the most beautiful, loving families we have ever seen! They spent the day splashing in streams, exploring the woods and really just having a great time as a family. I tried, believe me, to narrow down my fave shots, but it was seriously difficult! The facial expressions in these images are priceless (Carla definitely had some fun with Seth and Liza!), and we hope you enjoy these wonderfully magical pictures of the sweet Auer family! (and definitely check out the FULL slideshow of even more amazing shots at http://southeastern.oncelikeaspark.com!)
So to start, meet the Auer family
These next three images may look similar, but just watch the progression of all four of their faces. Oh, happiness in pictures.
How. Amazingly. Cute.
Liza and Seth certainly weren’t afraid of the camera! We love these little ones!
Sigh. I truly don’t think you can get more precious than these shots of brother and sister.
Don’t you just want to know what they were talking about? It definitely looks like Liza said a little something mischievous
I don’t think Carla could have picked a better background for these shots–I absolutely love the red barn. And seriously. You CANNOT get more precious than little Liza with her head on her big brother’s shoulder
Liza and Carla then proceeded to play a game of peek-a-boo…
AND THEN LIZA TURNED INTO….a cutesy little monster!
AND CARLA RAN AWAY IN FEAR! (but first she caught this beyond adorable shot!)
This shot just makes my heart smile
And you know I’m a sucker for the father/daughter shot, whether it’s a bride or a little one, the love is still the same.
Seth is clearly loving their recent move from the woods to the creek. We love it too, Seth!
Cue: HEART MELTING.
In these next two shots, which are stunning in and of themselves (with a spectacular location and perfect light), you just have to look at Seth’s face.
The cutest little munchkin we have ever seen! And I also wonder if Carla was doing that right back to her
A seriously beautiful family shot, filled with such laughter and love.
I think this shot of Abi is so, so beautiful! She is just so happy
There’s also nothing like the bond between mother and daughter, which I think Carla captured so magically here:
So. We hope you LOVED this session. We hope you smiled A LOT (I know I did), and here’s to our new amazingly talented photographer Carla, and the wonderful Auer Family! Thanks Auer fam for letting Carla and (once like a spark) take an adventure with you for the day!
Michele + Bob – Family and Engagement
Ok, I promise you, you will not be able to look at these pictures without smiling A TON. Michele and Bob (whose wedding we just shot a couple weeks ago!) decided to combine their engagement session with a beautiful family session. Michele, Bob and their four gorgeous kids joined Ashley and Chris from our awesome west coast team for a day by the water with a breathtaking view of the Golden Gate bridge. It is so easy to see that this fun-loving family has an amazing future together, and we can’t wait to see what adventures they’ll take!
Thank you, Michele and Bob, for letting Ashley and Chris and (oncelikeaspark) capture your amazing family!
Just a few of our faves:
Love, love, love how Michele’s sweater pops in these:
I don’t think the light could be any better in this one:
Beautiful, beautiful…
I think it’s so cool how you can faintly see the Golden Gate bridge in the background:
Just another family day at the beach (with OLAS in tow). Congratulations, Michele, Bob and family! Can’t wait to share your wedding photos with you!
