Tag: family photos

What Can You Mark Off Your To-Do List?

Posted on by cathleenmcgrathphotography
family photo in oak glen
Oak Glen

It may only be September, but this is the perfect time to start thinking about and scheduling your holiday photos for October and November.

The slightly cooler weather and gorgeous colors of fall make for the most beautiful backdrops. With the holidays coming sooner than we think, why not take advantage of the extra time to go ahead and have at least one thing marked off your list.

We get booked up very quickly from October on, especially the weekends, so it’s best to start arranging your family photoshoot now to avoid the last-minute rush later.

Below are a few top tips for planning and creating the perfect fall family photoshoot.

  • Pick the perfect location. Spend some time picking out the perfect location for your shoot. If you really want to take advantage of the current seasonal changes, pick a spot with lots of trees so that you can incorporate those lovely fall colors into your photos. If you’re unsure about locations, just ask! We are happy to offer suggestions.
  • Add a few action shots. While it’s great to get some posed shots for your holiday card, throw in a few action shots and decide which shot you like best afterwards. Kids playing in the fall leaves make for some beautiful photos.
  • Plan your outfits. Matching outfits are no longer something you need to incorporate into your holiday photos but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan what you’re going to wear. Opt for solid, complimentary colors and stay away from busy patterns and logos.
  • Use the golden hour to your advantage. The golden hour takes place around 15-20 minutes before sunset. The light is soft and flattering.  If possible, plan your photoshoot around the afternoon golden hour.

This Month’s Promo:  To celebrate family, I am offering 10% off any size
fine art canvas or acrylic print.

Currently Scheduled Family Mini-Sessions:

October 15 – 2:00 – 4:30 – Yorba Regional

October 29 – 2:00 – 4:30 – Yorba Regional

November 19 – 2:00 – 4:30 – Murphy Ranch Park

November 26 – 2:00 – 4:30 – Yorba Regional

Or feel free to schedule a full hour family session!

BOOK YOUR SESSION

family photo at yorba regional park
Yorba Regional

Generations of Love

Posted on by cathleenmcgrathphotography

This photograph is approximately 94 years old. It is my father, his father, his grandmother and great grandmother. My great great grandmother was born in 1866 in Illinois. My great grandmother was born in 1882 in Arkansas. My grandfather was born in 1901 in Illinois and my dad in 1926. I have this photo hanging on my wall and look at it every day. It is a piece of my history. (I’m so curious why my dad and grandfather were not looking at the camera hahaha – I bet my grandmother was on the side of the photographer trying to make my dad smile.)

Generation sessions show your history. Where you came from – who you came from. You can see the connection and the honor my grandfather and great grandmother felt for my great great grandmother. They wanted to make sure their family was documented for future generations. I’m so thankful they did this.

During the month of March our studio is honoring Irish History Month – by focusing our efforts on all family history – your history. We are looking for families with three to four generations to come in for a special photo session. If your loved one cannot come to the studio, we will go to them. We want to know and tell your story. Enter here and let us know why you want a special multi-generation photo session.

Four Generations of Love and Beauty

IF NOT NOW – THEN WHEN?

Posted on by cathleenmcgrathphotography

I know I’ve written on this subject before, but it’s a conversation I have often with friends.  “It’s just so hard getting everyone together.”  I bet if it was a wedding or a funeral, everyone would figure it out.

Family photos and individual portraits are so so important to our lives.  I know I’m uber passionate about photographs – I can’t help it!  When I find an old photo I haven’t seen before of one of my ancestors, I feel like they are reaching out to me from beyond to say hi and connect.  I get very excited and curious.

How special it would be to have a generation photo for future generations to know who we are and where they came from.  I treasure this photo.  This is my dad, grandfather, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother.  These are my people.  I feel a connection just through this photograph and the stories my dad would tell.  This is where I came from.

There is such a huge focus these days on our DNA – our heritage.  When I get started, I spend hours searching on Ancestry.com for hints of my ancestors’ lives.  Why make your descendants search and wonder who you were and where you were from . . . what you were like.  (#Existinphotos) Have portraits done and print them – regularly.  Photographs are representations of your life – freezing life at that moment.  It is our history that we can leave behind for future generations – not selfies that are just going to die with our phone or computer (#printyourphotos).

About a month ago I was talking to a friend and I said I wanted to do a photo shoot of her and her daughters for marketing materials.  We set a date. Then a week before the session, when discussing what to wear, she casually threw out there the idea of wearing authentic Khmer outfits.  Needless to say, I was like, “Oh heck yeah!”  THEN, completely on a whim, her mom to her, “Well I want to do it too!”  Then BAM – I had a gorgeous group of women (and a baby) – three generations in authentic clothing from their country of origin.  My friend’s extended family wanted to do a shoot after they saw the images – my friend is so happy they did this.

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Friends, this is so so so important.  Don’t use the excuse that you have a hard time getting people together.  Pick a date a few months out, give me a call and just schedule it.  Another famous excuse is, “Well I want to lose weight first,” . . . really?  If you’re anything like me, that could be when you’re dead.  Your family loves you and wants you in their photos – don’t “weight” to be photographed.  It is my job to make you look the way everyone else really sees you – beautiful.  If you want to lose weight – great – take the photos and then schedule a special “look at me now” session when you lose the weight – problem solved.

Life is too short to not honor yourself and your life with beautiful photos of you and your family.

Don’t wait to be photographed.  If not now – then when?

Contact me now for a consultation – we will create something special for you.

No One Wants Pictures of Me or I’m Too Fat, Old . . . Fill in the Blank

Posted on by cathleenmcgrathphotography

Here is one personal story about why those objections are not going to fly with anyone . . . First of all – everyone who loves you wants pictures of and/or with you – so knock that off now.  You are who you are today and your photographer is trained in posing, wardrobe advice and post-production to help you look your absolute best – we know all the tricks!

So being a photographer – you would assume I am constantly taking pictures of my family – not with my phone.  You would also think that I would practice what I preach – and have a family photo that I’m in.  NOPE.

I CANNOT stand to have my picture taken.  I think I look horrible – yes that is the word I use – HORRIBLE.  Lots of shame going on with my self-image . . . I am not AT ALL the way I want to be remembered – or seen.  I’ve had 40-50 pounds to lose since my last child – 14 years now!  Okay so with that thinking – unless something drastically changes – like I actually get serious about my weight – my children won’t have a picture of me with them except for the little selfies we take and post on FB (facebook).

This past Christmas, I said okay this is stupid!  I need to take family pictures with me and my kids.  The ONLY portrait I have of me and any of my kids, I took of my first child and me when she was three – it was a self-portrait and it was fun and I still cherish it – I weighed 40 lbs less than I do today – it’s a big difference.  I’m a different person physically and it is upsetting – HOWEVER – it was more upsetting that I could possibly be in my grave before I took pictures with my kids – and the dog!

So being the photographer I am, I chose an outfit that would compliment my body the best, got clothes for the kids so we all coordinated and asked my photographer friend, Karen ReVelle Photography, to take our family photo!  I am so glad we did this and we will do it probably every year now – which is what I hear from other mothers that resist doing this.  As soon as their session is over and they see the results – they are thrilled and hooked!

Since we had a time limitation with light, I took some photos ahead of time of the kids while we were waiting for Karen.  All-in-all, we laughed a lot and it was great family time.

In my experience – the family sessions I do go like this – the family shows up, the kids are usually grumbling or look like it took some fighting to get everyone coordinated and out the door – during the session we have fun, laugh and then they go out for a fun meal.  Getting family photos done is not just something you REALLY need to do for yourself and future generations, or a chore, it’s something to do together and can be super fun.  Think about venues – places you like to go and schedule a family session there.  Make the session about your family’s personality.  One of my packages offers a longer session so we can do some lifestyle photos of kids playing, parents torturing their kids or kids torturing their parents – whatever.  This certainly does not have to – and should not be – a chore.  The more fun we have, the more receptive the kids will be to having their photos taken.

The next VERY IMPORTANT step to the family photo session experience is PRINT YOUR PHOTOS!  Get a folio box of matted images, photo album or book, framed wall art . . . GET THOSE IMAGES ON PAPER OR CANVAS and put them on your walls.   “Let’s sit around the computer and look at pictures,” said no one ever.  I can help you with this!  I can handle everything from concept to framing.

If I do your family session, we will talk ahead of time about what you would like the end product(s) to be and we will shoot with that in mind.  Then after your session, we will get together and go through your images and decide what goes where and how.

Any other objections you can think of to not take family or individual portraits?  Throw them my way and I will bat them down!

A New Life Means New Hope . . .

Posted on by cathleenmcgrathphotography

With each new life there are new hopes and dreams.  What will she do?  Will she impact the world on a global level?  Will SHE be the one that brings peace and kindness to this world?  Will she be the first woman to . . . .?

Even with all the hopes and dreams, our hearts always glow with pure joy and gratefulness of being blessed with your own little angel – she will absolutely have a blessed impact on her family and friends. #foreveragift

I can’t wait to meet Harper!