Christina's Blog

I had such an amazing time photographing so many different kids this weekend – they were all so sweet! The Winter Wonderland set took us hours to set up, but it was well worth the effort – I loved the look of the twinkling lights in the trees and the kids had a blast playing with the fake snow and snowballs.   I am so thankful for everyone who came out and shared in this special event with us.  I know you are going to love the images of your beautiful children and I can’t wait to do this again next year!

Until then, I thought I would share a little peek from one of the sessions on Saturday.  Here’s a look at the Morrisons - how perfect were their outfits for a snow scene!?  Two beautiful girls and their adorably mischievous brother – love it!

Are you looking forward to the holidays?  I am!

This year at Copperlight Art we’re offering something new, and we’re raising funds for charity at the same time.  I hope you’ll join me for our 1st Annual Holiday Portrait Charity Event.  This portrait session provides you with beautiful holiday portraits of your children at a great price and provides much-needed funds to a local charity for children.

I’m offering two different holiday sets for you to choose from this year.  My “Winter Wonderland” features  a sparkling scene of white, silver and gold.  Imagine snow-covered branches glistening in tiny lights and crystals… a magical sight perfect for a winter portrait.  Formal clothing is beautiful with this set, and white, black, red, and hunter green clothing look best.  This set even looks good with casual clothes!

“Christmas Wishes” and “Dreaming of Santa” both feature a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with piles of presents just waiting to be opened.  Gather your little ones around the tree for an unforgettable holiday portrait that you will treasure for years to come.  Christmas PJs look great with this set, as well as clothing in the traditional colors of red and green.

I am thrilled that my “Dreaming of Santa” sessions will enjoy a surprise visit from Santa himself! Our Santa sessions are very limited and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis – you don’t want to miss this opportunity if you have little ones and this is a great alternative to the long lines at the mall.   My goal is to capture a beautiful moment including Santa in each of these sessions, even if I have to sneak him in the background while little ones are distracted – I want to give you a portrait you will cherish.  (Though I know those shots from your childhood of Santa holding a crying baby can bring back funny memories!)

Our Holiday Portrait Charity Event will take place on Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22.  Please call to schedule your appointment soon!  This time of year, when everyone’s beginning to imagine the perfect gift, I think we’ve found it—capturing enduring family images and providing funds to help children in need.  Isn’t that what the spirit of the holidays is all about?

I’ve been away for over a week, on vacation with my family at Myrtle Beach.  Laying on the beach, listening to the waves, basking in the sun – my favorite way to relax by far!  It’s so nice to get away from the daily grind, but I think most Moms would agree that family vacations can be full of a different type of stress though, if you’re not careful.  I decided to tempt fate by planning to shoot our family portrait out on the beach during this trip – and my goal was not just one great session, but two!

Now let me be clear that most portrait sessions are not really stressful – but there is something different (harder) about photographing your own family, especially when you are also trying to be in the image – I always end up looking like I just pushed a button, ran around the camera, plopped down in whatever position I could find, and smiled just as the shutter clicked – which is of course exactly what I *have* just done!  Even still, I was determined to make this work.

A few lessons learned:
1. Heavy Winds + Beach = Unhappy child with sand in his eyes.
2. Family portraits look better when no one is crying in them.
3. A beautiful family portrait can make the above lessons worth learning!

I am thankful to my patient and understanding family for being willing to endure the blown sand on Day 1, changing into their “portrait clothes” on 5 minutes notice on day 2, and being bribable with ice cream and chocolate on Day 3.  I am grateful for the beautiful portraits that emerged from the chaos and that no one has yet to accuse me of taking to many photographs of them!  I can’t wait to get these on my wall!  Here’s a preview of a few of my favorites so far… notice I’m not in any of these!