Glad to see you again, photo lovers!

It feels like just yesterday I was crouched in front of adorable Teagyn snapping pictures like a maniac at her newborn session. I was really looking forward to seeing her again to see how she has changed over the past 9 months. And my, how she’s grown!

What a cutie patootie!

As you can see from the pictures, Teagyn rocked her fruit bath session. She clearly knows how to work the camera. Do we have a future model on our hands?

Luckily for me, I get to photograph Teagyn again in a couple of months for her cake smash session. I’m dying to see how much more she has changed between now and then!

P.S. Want to learn more about my grow with me packages or book a fruit bath session for your little one? Email me at info@ashleyflugphotography.com

Hey guys!

Today I have a real treat for you, which comes in the form of Kenzi. You can tell from the pictures that she is a super kiddo.

We met up at Lake Pleasant, which I love because at the end of every session we get to have a little fun in the water which is perfect to keep cool on those hot summer days and not to mention, the kiddos love it! It is such a gorgeous location.

Kenzi likes to jump rope, play with friends, get her nails painted, and watch Netflix. She also enjoys going out to dinner with her parents!

Speaking of parents, Rachel did a really wonderful job choosing the perfect dress for her spring session. Okay, moving on to what you’ve been waiting for, photos of the beautiful Kenzi.

Family photos make your house feel more like a home. They add a loving touch to any room and can bring make a flood of warm and happy memories. While you can go the traditional route of simply placing your photos in a frame and displaying them on the mantle or shelf you might be looking for a more creative way to show off your professional images. Whether they are pictures from your wedding day or images of your family as it has grown over the years consider these creative ways to showcase the people you love.

1. Wall mural.

A simple alternative to display your images is hanging them on a wall instead of leaving them on a shelf. You can create an accent wall in any room that showcases your photography. One way you make your wall of photographs a little different is to include words framed next to the images. Love, laughter, and family are all words you can have creatively written and added to your wall mural.

2. Create a shape.

Instead of just hanging your images in the typical square or rectangle shape consider other shapes as well. Hearts, circles, and triangles can be a unique way to display your images on the wall and can be framed or unframed.

3. Oversized frames.

Find some large oval, square or circle frames that you can run string through or attach thin lines of corkboard to. You can then pin or use clothespins to hang a number of images along each row. While you can do this with any of your images this is a really great idea for black and white photos.

4. Different color borders.

This is a simple way to add some more color to your room as well as draw attention to your images. If you are using a frame that has a border, the border is typically black or white, consider going with a fun color instead.

Hi again, ladies and gents!

Let me stop for a second to tell you that I am seriously the luckiest photographer in the world. My clients are always so wonderful to work with. That’s true of my session with the Barr family, too!

I met up with them at Scorpion Gulch and the weather was perfect but it was the Barr family that made this shoot such a success.

The Barr family consists of Mom – Amy, Dad – Eric, Rosalie who is 8 years old and she has been on the honor roll since she was in kindergarten and loves spaghetti, Melody who is 6 years old and has the cutest little dimple on one cheek and loves babies, and Baby Luna who is just 2 months old and loves to smile at her daddy.

“We like to watch a new movie, eat some snacks in our pjs on the weekends.,” says Amy.

As you can see from the comments above and the photos, this family is not only photogenic, but also a close-knit group who clearly loves spending time together. Amy, Eric, Rosalie, Melody and Luna are lucky to have each other.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

So we meet again, dear blog readers!

The topic of discussion for today is none other than the cutest little boy, David. If the name or face look familiar to you, it’s because I’ve photographed this family before. Because my last session with this family went so well, I knew it wouldn’t be any different this time around. And I was right! Check it out for yourself:

I was over the moon when I got a email from Lisa saying she wanted to book a cake smash session. When I asked her the theme and vision, she had told me she wants it to be like the movie coco. I about went crazy and threw in the idea of doing a taco smash session instead! Mom was totally on board and I have never been more excited about a photo session in my life. We of course still had to include a little cake 😉

As expected, Mom and Dad did a wonderful job preparing David for our session. They brought all sorts of props and the cutest outfits to incorporate their culture. I mean how is this not the cutest session you have ever seen!

Your session is right around the corner! Are you ready? We’ve prepared a checklist of things for you to remember in order tomake sure your child is prepared for their big day!

 

1. Don’t forget to feed your child before the session. Also, pack snacks just in case hunger strikes again while we’re shooting.
2. Bring more than one outfit. Make sure you always have backup clothes just in case. And we suggest that you don’t change your child into their session clothing until after you have fed them but waiting until you drive to your session location is even better. Also, be very careful with drinks, as well – only clear liquids in a safe cup.
3. Let your child help when picking out their clothes for the session. By letting your child wear his favorite shirt or shoes, etc. this will help him feel more comfortable. If their choice of clothing is awful or doesn’t match, see if you can use that shirt as an undershirt or tell him hecan put it on for a couple of shots at the end of the session.
4. If you have a young child, try to schedule the session around her nap times so they will be well rested and happy for photos.
5. Have a bribe in place. Bring fruit snacks, candy, a toy, etc. and let him know that if they cooperate they will get said bribery. Some parents have bribed their children by telling them if they are good, they can have ice cream, McDonald’s, their favorite toy from the store, etc. whatever you think will work for your child to motivate him to cooperate.
6. Bring along her favorite toy or blanket. This will help your child be comfortable in a new, unfamiliar surrounding. Just be aware that this will probably become a prop in some of the photos, so bring something that is pleasing to the eyes or has sentimental value and you’d be okay with photos of it.
7. Talk to your child about the session and explain what’s going to happen. If your child is informed about the situation, it will be less scary for her when she comesto the session. Tell them that they are going to meet a new friend who is going to take some pictures of them. Let them know that you’ll be there and that we are going to have lots of fun. We might change there clothes once or twice and ask them to sit a certain way. During the session, we can show them a couple of the photos so she can put two and two together. My favorite is asking them to help take a photo of mommy and daddy. They always get a kick out of that! Check out our blog post on the importance of photographer – child interaction.
8. Bring Grandma (or someone else your child loves). Bringing along reinforcements is always a good plan. If grandma lives close by,or if your child’s favorite uncle has the day off of work, bring him or her with you. You can use this family member to help get your child to relax and laugh.
9. Wear sturdy shoes. It is a good idea to wear good, sturdy shoes to a session like this, asit’schallenging to chase a little one around in flip-flops or heels. During the session, I may ask you to grab your child if he keepsrunning out of the frame. OrI mayhave us walking around exploring, so we need to be prepared to keep our feet safe and comfortable.

 

Fall mini session dates and locations

It’s that time of year again for mini sessions. I know a lot of you have been asking about mini sessions so I thought I would get a couple of dates on the calendar for you to start planning your session weather it be family, maternity or photos of your children. More dates may be added depending on how much interest there is. There will be a location at a creek (shown above) as well as a desert location (shown below) both located in the west valley.

$175 for 15 minutes time and 5 digital images.

Up to 5 people.

Only 6 spots available each day.

September 30th at desert location – Waddell, Arizona
4:30
4:45
5:00
5:15 –  Booked
5:30 – Booked
5:45 – Booked

October 14th at creek location – Wickenburg, Arizona
3:00 – Booked
3:15
3:30 – Booked
3:45
4:00 – Booked
4:15 – Booked

September 15th in Sedona

Have you wanted a destination session but haven’t wanted to pay destination prices. Your in luck! I will be in Sedona the 15th and 16th of September so I wanted to offer mini sessions while I am there so you can get them at regular session pricing!!!

$275 for 30 minutes time and 10 digital images.
Up to 6 people (pets welcome).

6:30am – Booked
6:45am – Booked
7:00am –
7:15am –
7: 30am –
7:45am – Booked

A 50% retainer fee is due within 24 hours to hold your date and time. If unpaid and someone else is interested in your chosen date and time your session will be passed on. I, of course, will send you a reminder email before I pass it on. To book your session please email me at info@ashleyflugphotography.com.

You know we’re ready for a hot summer, but are you? Here are nine ways you can make sure your summer portrait session goes off without a hitch.

1. Dress appropriately. Summer means hot and humid weather, which can lead to sticky bodies. Choose breathable, lightweight fabrics that don’t weigh you down. As for shoes, sweet flats or loafers are a great option. Check out our summer outfit ideas on the blog!
2. Consider doing your session at the lake or river to dip your feet in and keep cool. Plus, at the end of your session you can get in and have a water fight with your family! How fun does that sound?
3. Think about your hair. If you or a family member’s hair reacts to humidity in a negative way, opt for a hairstyle that won’t leave you feeling insecure. For example, a pretty braid or an updo is a good choice. Or you can wear a headscarf, or use a little extra product to keep frizz at bay.
4. Pack necessities. When packing your photo shoot necessities, we recommend bringing the following items: Lots of water for all, a snack for sustenance, sunscreen, umbrella for shade, water mister, makeup touchup.
5. Get creative with session ideas. Summer offers a host of activities that lend themselves to amazing photo sessions. For example, there’s the fair (elephant ear, anyone?), the circus, festivals, and plenty more. I’d be more than happy to shoot a really creative session with you.
6. Think about head to toe details. For example, if you’re wearing flip-flops or open toed shoes, you want to have manicured feet. If it’s really breezy, a hat or scarf can keep things under control.
7. Rest assured knowing I won’t let you overheat. Sometimes it’s hard just to walk outside when it’s scorching outside, but know that we’re going to have an amazing shoot. We’ll spend lots of time in the shade, dive into the cool A/C when we can, and I will never push your family into staying longer than they can or want.
8. Incorporate props. Outdoor summer shoots are loaded with imagery as is, but we can always incorporate a few props into the mix. Vintage step stools in a field look gorgeous, as do blankets, and even visually striking treats (lollipops, ice cream, etc.).
9. Want to skip the heat in general? Well lets do a in-home lifestyle session! I will photograph your family in your home baking goodies, hanging out with the kiddos reading or playing your favorite family game. The options are endless.

Kids are completely unpredictable. They can be so adorable and easy going and laughing uncontrollably one minute, and the next minute, turn that charm off it all completely off completely. They will typically smile for you all day long until you put them in front of a camera, then they freeze up like a deer in headlights. We want to avoid the gritted teeth and bug-eyed forced smiles during our session.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Make a list of things that your child thinks are are funny and send it to us prior to the session. This way, we can be prepared and add these things into our bag of tricks.
2. Also give us a list of icebreakers for your child. Tell us the kinds of shows they watch, music they listen to, friends’ names, favorite story, etc. This will give us something to talk to them about, and will help them to forget that they’re are in front of the camera.
3. Practice phrases at home to see which ones will evoke the best smiles from your child. Reverse psychology works really well, for example, “(Child Name) don’t look at the camera, don’t smile (Child Name)!”. It works for some and for others it does not. Please, oh please, avoid “Say cheese!” unless that really works for you child.
4. Try out a couple of jokes with them. During the session, we can ask them to tell us a joke and this will typically loosen them up as they tell it to us.
5. If there is a song that your child loves, load it up to your phone and bring it along with you, or be prepared to sing it for them during the session.
6. Bring along a bribe (such as a toy, a trip to the zoo, etc.) and show it to them, or remind them of it, during the session. Feel free to check out our blog post the power of bribery.