Family Lifestyle Photography

In home family lifestyle photography sessions are always a great option for photos. As a parent I know how difficult it can be to get every dressed, ready and out the door on time. Some families find it much more relaxing and less stressful to have the photographer come to the house.

One of the most commonly asked questions for any type of photo session I do is what should I wear? For families, I suggest picking a few colors and wearing variations of those colors. Solid colors work better than wild patterns in order to keep the focus on the people. This family chose a combo of blues, whites/creams and green. I love how their blanket also fits into this color palette.

This family timed their photo shoot for shortly after their new baby was born. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love newborns! And as exciting as it is to have a new little person in the home, it’s also important to make the older children feel special when there is a new baby in the family. I loved capturing these special moments between dad and big sister, and mom and big sister.

I have a collection of headbands I made, and I was excited to use several of them during this photo shoot. I have a variety of flowers and bows in different colors, with either soft fabric or jute tiebacks.

After we did the family photos with everyone, dad and big sis were happy to be dismissed and we moved on to do just the newborn photos. I always have some props for baby that I can bring to a photo session to use if needed, but the lifestyle sessions are more about being you in your environment.

There are some great things to include if you have them, such as this lovey. Mom said she wanted to take photos of baby each month next to this special lovey to show how baby grew during her first year. I can’t wait to see the results!

I’m not sure what it is about baby feet, but I am obsessed! I also love the little hands and their little rolls.

High School Seniors - Guy Style!

Let’s talk about the guys! A common misconception that I had about senior guys was that they really didn’t want to have their photo taken. It was a parent - usually mom - that was telling them this is what we are going to do, and when they were going to do it. However my idea about this started to change when I took photos of my own boys when they were high school seniors. They were just as excited as I was to get ready for their photos and pick their favorite photos afterwards.

I recently had the pleasure of taking photos for this young man. As we started out, I asked him how excited he was to have his photos done, and he said he had been looking forward to this all week! Based on answers in his questionnaire we selected a “nature” location with some water views, I knew he liked vintage thrifting, comfort was key for his clothing choices, and he wanted to include his pet.

Some of you may recognize the scenery from this location. It’s one of my favorite places to do photos, and it’s a hidden gem here within the city limits of Charlotte, North Carolina. Nature - check that box! Water - check that box too! It’s not a massive body of water by any means, more like a gently flowing stream, but the trails to get to it are beautiful and present many great photo ops. He had never been to this location before. As we walked the trail down to the stream he stopped, looked around, and said that this reminded him so much of the places he used to play when he was a kid.

We started with him wearing the jacket that he says he wears everyday. It’s something very personal to him and was a great choice for the session. I tell people that they don’t need to do a massive shop before getting photos done. Wear things that you feel good in because if you are not comfortable, it will show. One thing I noticed right away were his rings. He said that’s another thing that he wears everyday. I love capturing details and this was one I did not want to miss.

He also brought a couple of sweaters that he acquired from his vintage thrifting, told me which was his favorite, and we worked that in as well. Comfort and relaxed were definitely his vibe so it was easy to showcase this side of his personality.

His last request was to include his dog in some of the photos. The answer to this question for me is always yes! I have two dogs, Stella and Tessa, and I’ve photographed many families with puppies both young and old. And let’s not forget about cats! I’ve photographed them as well. Pets are part of the family and if you would like to share them in your session, let’s do it!

High School Seniors

I love this age! This is a very special time of life where you can see a glimpse of your child become an adult. You can still see bits of the child that they once were, but now there is so much more. Their passions are more defined and their dreams are developing into realities. They are most likely planning their post high school lives which could include college and/or career opportunities. It’s a huge milestone, and they got there!

When I do a senior portrait session with my high school seniors, I want the session to be all about you. I’ll give you an opportunity to tell me about you, including personality traits that best describe you, music that you like, things you like to do in your free time and clothes that you like to wear. We will select the perfect location for you based on your vibe - whether it is urban or nature or somewhere in-between.

Here are some highlights from a 2023 graduate. She wanted outdoor photos in nature with lots of greenery. She let me know that her favorite color is green and I love her dress choice!

I’m not a huge prop person and I normally do not include props in my sessions, but for seniors I will definitely allow them to include their cap and gown if they have it. Some of the personality traits that she checked off on her list were classy and fun, and I think she nailed it!

Outfit number two wins the school spirit award! If you know where you are going to college after high school, including something with the school name is a great idea. There are lots of options for this including t-shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, even socks! Here she is showing her fun and sporty side.

This last outfit she chose shows her calm, relaxed and happy side. This session was so much fun and she has such a beautiful smile. When we were done, she probably went out shopping or to hang out with friends, which are two things she wrote down as favorite pastimes.

All my high school senior sessions include an in-studio cap and gown photo. This can be done either on the same day as the senior session or at another time. I’ve been asked what happens if we want to schedule our outdoor session now but don’t have our cap and gown yet. No worries! I have a few seniors like that right now. I will put you on my calendar to call you closer to the end of the school year to get that done.

This is such an exciting time in the lives of these young men and women. I’d be honored to capture this moment in time with your high school senior. Let’s take this journey together.

Why you should invest in family photos!

When my kids were a little younger, we lived in Maryland. There was a large wall just past the kitchen and just before the family room where we had a collage of various sizes of framed family photos. I would find myself slowly strolling down this wall evoking many fond memories of joy. The kids loved seeing their faces plastered on the wall and would tell stories about the day when the photo was taken and what they were doing and thinking. It was a conversation wall. Friends, family and guests would come over and engage in stories about shared experiences, or their family, or other fun times.

We’ve moved twice since then, moving away from Maryland 7 years ago. I carefully packed up all the framed photos into boxes and bins, adding them to the collection of other boxes and bins of photos I already had. Those boxes just sat in the storage area of our house in New York, and a few years later they arrived to our new home here in North Carolina, still sealed shut.

A month or so ago, my daughter asked when we were going to put up the photo wall again. She said that if this is our forever house, let’s make it look like we live here! So when our oldest came to visit recently, we went into the attic and took down all the boxes of photos we could find. Recreating this photo wall turned into an all day project, but it wasn’t because it was a lot of work. It was a big job, but not a daunting task. Much of the time was spent sitting in a circle passing around the photos, and laughing about the silly outfits or hairstyles, or announcing that this photo HAS to go on the wall! We then got busy hammering in nails and hanging the frames. There’s some room to add some more recent photos, and there are plenty of other photos so now we are talking about adding a second photo wall upstairs!

It filled my heart with such joy seeing how excited my kids were looking through all the family photos. It’s as if it gave them a sense of self and belonging, and importance seeing themselves with their family. I’ve done several annual photo books through the years, and other photo books for special vacations and occasions. I currently have a folder on my desktop with photos for a 2017 book, and another folder labeled “to print.” I am now very motivated to finish up the books and print the photos. They aren’t doing any good just sitting on my laptop. They need to be in print and displayed for the people that I love most to enjoy.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mom’s out there!

If anyone were to ask me what is the best single thing you ever did in your life, I would say that there are 3 things, and they are now 25, 22 and 14 years of age. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my children. Even though 2 of them are out of the house and living on their own, they are still my babies, and I am so proud of the human being they have become.

When photographing families, I always try to get photos of mom with the kiddos. It’s generally mom that is calling me to set up a photo session, and mom who is coordinating everything. So often it is mom that is snagging a cell phone photo of the kids playing or doing an activity, and when all is said and done, there are no photos of mom. This is very true in my family too! I’m the one behind the camera and looking back at all the thousands of photos I have of my kids, there are very few where I am with them.

Here’s a collection of some of my favorite mom and kid photos from over the years.

Fun with Senior Sessions

My goal when doing senior photo sessions is to capture each person's individuality. Each of us is unique. You can see this in the outfits that are chosen, either dressy or relaxed, and even in the location that is chosen, whether it is nature, urban, at the school, or anywhere else in-between.

As part of my senior session experience, I try to take this one step further, and focus on personality traits. Before each session, I have a questionnaire that I ask each senior to fill out. To start, I would like to know your thoughts on location and wardrobe preferences. Understanding whether you prefer nature or an urban setting, or if you are a fashionista or just plain chill is a good start to learning about you.

The next part of the questionnaire is a list of personality traits. I ask my seionrs to pick around 10 traits that they feel  describes them. From there, I pick poses that best bring out those traits. I'll create a "mood board" for you with some ideas. I would love your input too! I encourage you to browse through magazines and Pinterest and pick out looks you love. 

Here are some examples of photos aimed at highlighting personality traits. These pose ideas are always a great start, but the main focus is on fun, and celebrating you and this important time in life.

Ambitious

Calm

Classy

Confident

Free

Friendly

Fun

Independent

Serious

Shy

Sporty

Thoughtful

Is it time to update your headshot?

If you are like most people, getting in front of the camera for photos is not in the top five of your list of most favorite activities. As someone who loves taking photos, especially of people, I agree! I would rather take a photo than have my photo taken.

But in this online world of fast scrolling and first impressions, it is important to stand out. A good headshot makes the best first impression.

No matter how great your headshot is, you shouldn’t use the same headshot forever. A business portrait should be fairly recent so that it accurately represents how you currently look.

A good headshot makes the difference in how you are perceived by potential customers and clients online. A professional headshot will help you stand out from the crowd. You are not the only one that does what you do, so if you are serious about building your business, a professional headshot is a good investment.

I am currently offering a Studio Headshot Special!

Choose 3 digital files from your gallery for only $75 until July 15th!

Regular price is $100

Fill out the form below, or email me at charlotte@charlottebrennanphotography.com.

Studio is open!

Bring me those babies! Now doing model calls for newborns.

What does this mean? The session fee is waived, and for allowing me to photograph your baby you will receive 2 fully edited high resolution digital photos of your choice from your gallery.

This is exciting news, and a long time dream of mine. I’ve always had a space in my home to do headshots such as yearbook or business photos, but now I am set up to do newborn photos as well!

I love the babies! I’ve been doing in-hospital “Fresh 48” sessions for almost 2 years and have photographed close to 800 brand new babies. Over the past few months I’ve been collecting wraps, hats and headbands, backdrops and props to make the newborn photo session even more special.

I can’t wait to use these knit bonnets! This wooden dough bowl was a great find at an antique shop. It’s the perfect size for a wrapped baby.

Baby bonnets and headbands go hand in hand.

One thing I love about photography is how it inspires creativity in so many ways. Maybe because it’s spring time, but I can’t get enough of the flowers. I made this collection of headbands in tones of pink, sage green, white and light gray to match the wraps and backdrops I’ve acquired over time. Can you pick a favorite headband?

This heart shaped bowl was another great find! It is shown here with a collection of gray hats and headbands that will work well together.

Here’s a sampling of items in the sage green collection. The wrap and stocking cap are the same material, and yes, I sewed the hat!

I love the look of tone on tone for the backdrops and wraps. I have a variety of colors in different shades of white, cream, pink, green, blue and gray. This set up is perfect for some of the more posed newborn photos.

If you are interested in booking a newborn session, please fill out the form below, or email me at charlotte@charlottebrennanphotography.com.

I can’t wait to hear from you!