Style

Sara wanted a session commemorating her son’s upshern (3rd birthday). Originally, she had in mind that we do the session before the party, since they were dressing up anyway. Ultimately, she decided to separate the two, as she wanted a low pressure session where it would be the only thing on her mind.

We shot in their home, moving only a couple pieces of furniture and taking advantage of the lovely light in their space.

We reviewed the images together, then she chatted with her amazing interior designer (I need to get her name and link her here!!), and together, we created a vision, and I edited her images accordingly.

Left: our design, virtual on the wall, Right: the actual installation

It was tremendous fun creating images to fulfill our final vision.

EDIT! And then…

Sara reached out, craving one more image. She wanted a color shot, to gift her husband for his office:

The Real Estate Matchmaker

Hannah’s approach to real estate is much like finding a dating setup: start with a wonderful client, and know that their perfect match is out there… it’s her job to bring the two together. She has a broad understanding of Atlanta (just ask her about free activities to do with your family!) and what makes it special.

We crafted her session for here at the Shayna Image studio, with the goal of showcasing her glowing personality, professionalism, and the backdrop of her specialty.

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Reach out to Hannah via her website: www.hannahsells.com
And check out the fantastic video created by FilmTribe she made that showcases all that Jewish Atlanta has to offer!

Happy Firsts!

“No pressure, but do you guys think we can finish the remodel on this studio in time for this sweet baby’s first birthday session?”

The construction team put the pedal to the metal, and we pulled it off in time for two firsts:

My first session in the new studio!
Solomon’s first birthday!

It felt like a true celebration of firsts when this amazing baby beamed his mega-watt smile at me. I was floored. “THIS is the kid I get in the studio today?? Can I be this lucky??” I told him he needed to save the grins for the session, nervous he’d wear himself out— it never happened. The smiles persisted: his, and so, of course, mine. He was a rockstar and an angel.

Speaking of new things worth celebrating, this family just moved into a new home! And this art will get to decorate the new walls! We’ve selected a 20x30 canvas to adorn their staircase.

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But what’s probably most incredible about this story isn’t what’s new: it’s what’s old. When his mom reached out to me, she told me about the sentimental and expansive family galleries that bedecked their old home. Pictures of her brother and grandfather as babies that she wished to mirror (and we literally got three of the exact same poses!), and lots of images they had brought over from the “old country” that they had restored. This is EXACTLY why I do what I do!! The cheap print labs aren’t archival, and thus the art can’t be passed down. But I create heirloom pieces. So not only will baby Solomon join the family wall amongst generations of pictures, but he, too, can be passed down with them for generations to come.

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**Update!

We had designed his piece for their old home, but when they unexpectedly moved sooner than expected, we delayed installation until they were settled. What’s great about the size they selected, is that it looks perfect in the new stairway, too!

Test drive

A couple of nights ago, we tiptoed down to the almost completed studio. I wanted to test lens length in the space, so asked kids to stand in. Didn't have a single light set up, no backdrop: just my new space, natural light in the evening in the rain. This is the result. Back of camera, as unedited as it comes.

Her Moment

In the tumbling chaos, the confusion, the isolation, the anger…

A moment by stillness. Toes muddy and cool. Tranquility and exhalation.

I watch her grow into her gracefulness. She seems to have a wisdom about all of this that I desire. She beams still over inconsequential moments. She radiates contentment while I struggle.

Have you heard of the syndrome, “Photographer’s Child?” It’s murmured frequently in my profession. Because we love our built in test-subjects, and they too soon are “over it.” So I make a point to insist that they permit me to take our family portrait once a year, and try otherwise to leave them alone.

Ah-ha! Reverse psychology! Now, every time I have a client come, they beg me to take their picture, too.

So we tromped into the backyard. I had to coax her into the mud by the creek. Her dress originally was purple. Her shirt was a vibrant turquoise. My daughter asked if we could print it for her room. My son also wants a print of himself for his room, though he was satisfied with our last studio session:

Best of the Situation

Remember this friend/client, who convinced me to do my version of a corona porchtrait for her?

It was a beautiful session. Perfect weather. She had great ideas in mind. And seeing her children again, even if many feet apart, was bliss.

That first picture? It’s actually a composite of three different images:

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As I left, her amazing daughter asked, repetitiously, “When the sickness is over, can we come to your house? Can we come one day, when it’s over??”

I feel like this whole experience is a constant contrast of tender and heartbreaking. A craving and appreciation of connection.

For Always

When the cousins come to play from the other side of the world, you make sure the memories last.

Proud Grandma is so excited to admire her sweet babies on her walls daily (on standout Matte Metals), and gift a mini album to her own mother.

Designed for her wall using the unedited images.

If you are a parent, or a grandparent, you know the struggle of getting multiple children engaged in the same moment. I hold your hand through the process, and help you envision your ultimate image. One that captures the spirit of each of your loved ones.

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Update! The gallery has been installed!

Last of the strands

I have such a soft spot for pre/post upshern sessions. It’s such a sweet, sentimental session: the last moment of your baby truly being a baby! That soft, feathery, uncut hair. And then the dramatic transformation after the ceremony.

(You definitely want to click each image to expand)

And here’s our plan for their living room!:

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Even more exciting? We have our follow-up session to come! You’ll have to hold tight a few months to see this sweet big boy with his new do’.

This family was a referral from Melissa, and there’s nothing like working with someone who is there because they trust someone that loved their experience and art, and are ready to embrace the same. Thank you to everyone who shares my name and work.

The Ultimate Selfie

Creating art requires a tremendous amount of control.

Something you totally lose when you decide to not only capture an image, but simultaneously jump to the other side of the camera, try to look good, and wrangle your kids. I admit it: every year, I struggle taking my own family portrait for our walls. And then every year, I say, I’m another year wiser, they are another year older, let’s give it a go!

This year, rather than going epic, like I enjoy doing for my clients, I said, let’s keep it really streamlined. Just us, in the new studio. Not my usual style, but a greater likelihood for less stress.

HAHHHAAAAAAHHAHAHAHA! It was a terrible experience! But we got this gem at the end:

Which works for me, since these were some of our other images:

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Next year, I will once again say, “I’m another year wiser, they’re another year older, why not?”

LOLOLOL! (*cry)

The Best of Each

“My sister and her family are visiting us and our parents from Argentina! Let’s have a photography session, so that we can each hang a piece of art of all of us together in our homes! But… with five grandchildren, how are you going to get everyone smiling??”

Honestly? I’m not.

But if you are going to admire a piece of art every day in your home, and pass it down, it should show every single person at their best. That’s why each piece is a carefully constructed custom art piece. Before, and after:

Can you count the changes? Comment below!

These were some of the sweetest kids. Sam’s smile pushed me over the edge. But you know the drill: out of routine, something chaotic and exciting and new, kids feel and show every moment of it. That’s why it’s my job to show the BEST of each precious human.

Soon, these will look like this on their walls!

Powerhouse Couple, Indoors and Out

Did you see that video where I was losing my mind about shooting in the new Shayna Image Studio/Compound?

“How’d that go?,” you wanted to know.

Laura and Craig Lerman, a realtor and lawyer respectively, each needed new headshots but desired different looks. So we captured Craig in the studio…

…and for Laura we stepped outside…

It was incredible to be able to get two very different looks in the same space in the matter of minutes.

My big takeaway from this shoot, was that although my chic french doors and ring doorbell haven’t yet been installed, I should still guide clients to the private side entrance to the studio. Otherwise, coming in the front door, they might be busted by my little ones, and then we get a “helper” for the session, who should be in bed.

Lesson learned. Fortunately for me, Laura and Craig are seasoned parents of six who totally embraced it. Laura kept calling MS her “fashion consultant,” and my daughter ate it up.

Laura is loving Real Estate, and you should learn more about her at www.lermanteam.com and on Facebook.

Craig is a Law powerhouse, working with businesses, corporations, and estates. Please visit www.lermanlawpc.com and follow him on Facebook as well.

The Marriage Maven

Kayla and I met through our dear friend, Danit. Years later, when she learned my family yearned to move to her neighborhood, she urged us to consider her street. We would be friends! Our kids would be friends! Two days later, she and her family decided their next steps were living in Israel. So we are not neighbors. We bought her house instead.
Kayla is the genius behind the podcast, “First Year Married.” (Update: now “How to Glow”) She fills you with warm, interesting tidbits and fantastic ways to reexamine situations. She also takes coaching clients. And you need not be in your first year of marriage to grow with her! Before moving, she inquired about a branding session for her business. It was beautifully full-circle that we were able to complete her session at our home.
Check out First Year Married at www.firstyearmarried.com, on Instagram, and on Facebook.