They drove through the night and arrived in the wee hours of the morning. My sister in-law and her family – who I rarely get to see because of the distance between us – visited for a few days before they continued north for Christmas. It is hard to believe but it was the first time I was able to meet my niece Elia. All of the trips we planned to go down had fallen through, and it meant I was way overdue to take some photos of her.

I photographed her around the house and got a few snapshots of daily activity, and went outside to capture a more simple portrait. She was fast, not quite walking but on the brink and as expressive as ever. I know it will be a while until I see her next and she will have changed so much, but I’m glad the family will have these photos to remember her at this stage. I think she’s just a doll.

For those of you who have little ones, or like me have the chance to visit them over the holidays, I thought I’d share my approach to documenting family at home. It’s so fun to have a collection of family photos to look back on, but it is not always easy to capture them. Before I tell you my rules of thumb, I should mention there are general rules of composition that influence every image. This includes: balance, color, rhythm, symmetry, flow and all of the other traits that can be applied to any visual work. Of course, I don’t stop and think of each of those items, but after studying art and training myself to think visually I would like to say it has become second nature. To simplify this for you, familiarize yourself with the rule of thirds if you aren’t already, and that will get you off to a good start with image composition.

If I didn’t lose you after that long-winded paragraph, here is my advice in three easy points to get you started on taking some killer family pics in the next few weeks

1. Use Natural Light! Use Natural Light! I’m guessing you don’t have a full lighting studio in your basement… but if you do, congrats you can skip to the next step.

Natural light is a great option because there is no extra equipment and it’s the most flattering (lightbulbs = different colors of light = strange skin tones). The easiest way to find natural light inside is to head to a window. You don’t want direct sunlight pouring through a window, but a soft generous light that fills the space. Don’t have a window low enough? Open a door or use a chair to make sure your subject is in the light. Above are two pictures illustrating the advantage of a subject facing in vs. away from the light source. The biggest different here are the lack of catch lights (the bright sparkle in the eye) in the image on the right. They bring the eyes to life and add depth to an image, so it is obvious when they are missing. While I love Elia with her little tongue sticking out on the right, her eyes are dark (aka. not facing the light source aka window) and the image lacks a vibrancy seen on the left.

2. Patience + Perspective go hand in hand.

Letting the picture come to you rather than forcing it to happen through desperate shouts to smile and say cheese takes patience. Plus, I don’t like the camera monsters formed when children are trained to respond to such behavior. While you are waiting for the right moment or allowing your subject to feel comfortable with the camera I like to try different perspectives. Elia pulled herself up and down while standing at the window seat and was clearly focused on squats and lunges instead of paying attention to what I was doing. No problem – I shot from above to capture her delicate eyelashes, tiny fingers and swirl of hair – details of life at this age that will quickly change as she grows.

3. Be Happy. I’m a big believer in keeping photos fun, so if that means letting the baby hold the rubber duck while they sit so they stay happy, go for it. If you are patient and willing to not push for photos but let them come to you then you will get the right shots. Sometimes this also means using your camera as a prop to play peek-a-boo or shooting from the hip (look mom no hands eyes!) so that you cross the barrier the camera can create between your subject. Also, don’t be afraid to take breaks, walk away and come back later when the time is right.

There you have it. Dust off those camera manuals and read up on shooting in manual, aperture or shutter priority so that you can start to make the camera do what you want. I hope that was pared down enough to give you a good start but with enough content to make it worth while! Happy Photographing

Greta loved sitting on this bench over at my house. She did not like when Jasper + Lexi barked… but she doesn’t seem too upset. Adorable

It’s hard to resist this happy face. The bright eyes, chubby cheeks and contagious smile rank him one of the happiest one year olds I’ve photographed. His parents were doing a good job with their peek-a-boo’s (up all night, anyone?) as you can see from the range of expression below. It’s one of my favorite things to capture when photographing babies + young children. Their interactions, which are returned with smiles and sounds instead of words, are so genuine. I had a great time capturing this set of images and more for a family that I love right before Thanksgiving. It was the perfect time to sneak them in before Christmas and I hope you enjoy them as well!

Remember when there were still leaves on the trees? It was beautiful, and not that long ago. I met up with Bridget and Anthony on a late fall day when the leaves were crisp and bright for an anniversary session. I call it an anniversary session because they generally take place any time after the wedding, but for these two it was planned to commemorate their first anniversary. One whole year together, jam packed with moving, buying a house, getting a dog and all kinds of other adventures. Not only was it a year from their wedding day, we shot these on Bridget’s birthday so I felt a little bit honored to add to the birthday fun by taking pictures. In fact, I think having photos shot for your birthday is such a great idea I might have to ask Matt to give me some for mine!

You can’t leave your dog at home when you’re getting family pictures! She was adorable and well behaved even though they warned me that she has lots of energy.

To end the session, we headed back to their house for a little outdoor movie screening in the backyard. By the time it was set up it was a little too cold to stay out and enjoy, but I think it’s something they’ll try again in the summer. A fun romantic way to end the night!

It’s Thanksgiving Eve and our house is enduring a steady stream of cleaning in preparation for the arrival of family this afternoon. Spearheaded by my husband, preparation for anything usually begins with cleaning, and I am happy to let him take the lead on that. I mean, he has a gift people. I try not to interfere… aka he does most of the work while I watch in awe. You should see our house, it’s sparkling and I feel super lucky to have a husband like him.

Now that Thanksgiving is here I think we can all agree that Christmas is upon us and officially start any preparation if we haven’t already. If you’re like me, you do some things last minute, and might not have decided if you are sending out any holiday greetings. Stop right there. This Sunday, 11/27, I’ll be offering a few mini portrait sessions that include either digital files or custom cards. If you’re interested, don’t take too long to think about it as I’m only offering a few sessions and would love to fit you in! Read a little more info here or send me an email : hello @ marydougherty . net and reserve a spot!

happy thanksgiving!

I love being able to photograph a family as it grows. Each year brings new milestones, growth and celebrations and happen so quickly it is not always easy to make sure they are documented. Therefore, it’s a huge honor to create a visual history for a family and photograph them each year. My first session with Rudd’s was a maternity session, before Michael was born. I then photographed him as a newborn, and today we get to see him at one year old! The Rudd’s are expecting their second baby so there were many reasons to take pictures. It is such an exciting time in their lives and I feel lucky to be a small part of it as their photographer. I think after three sessions, it’s safe to say I’m their photographer, right?

Can you believe those blue eyes? I brought along a kid sized wooden chair and it was perfect for Michael. He liked to play a game called “take off my hat” and it didn’t last more than a minute on his head :)

he’s going to be a great big brother.

It’s hard to believe that holidays are around the corner. I don’t know what it has been about this year in particular, but I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like this fall has flown by. Of course, I’m really happy that the weather decided to last into November and give Bridget and Anthony a great backdrop for their anniversary session last week. There was just enough color on the trees in Highland Park and it was beautiful clear day.

This year I’m one step ahead and I already planned and purchased some presents in September. I’m not going to talk about the holiday they are for, since I would rather focus on Thanksgiving (which I’m totally behind on, and it’s at our house!). However let’s focus on the good things I’ve done, and if I do say so, I’m impressed with myself for planning ahead so much and getting presents underway well before I need to. Now to apply that to every area of my life.

If you are a planner and are one step ahead you’ve probably thought about sending out holiday cards and decided what you want to do. If you haven’t, now is the perfect time! I am trying to gauge interest to see if I will offer mini session with cards – so leave a comment if you are considering or interested in something like that. If you are a past client and would like to use an image (or two) that I’ve already shot I would love to custom design a card to fit your style. Head to my proofing site for ordering or send me an email for more information.

When children grow so quickly there is almost an urgency to getting pictures done. Each birthday brings with it new discoveries and milestones and before you know it they are going to school and teaching you things you didn’t know. I tend to get ahead of myself, however, so let’s slow down and enjoy Abbey at the age of two. While her parents started the adoption process well before she was born, it wasn’t until recently that they were able to bring her home with them. Although baby pictures were no longer an option I was excited about the prospect of a family / portrait session and creating images they could always look back on from this time in their lives. I was conveniently already in Michigan for a wedding so arranging something back in my home town was not a problem. I met with Abbey and her family on an early evening when the light is soft and reminds you why summer should never end.

Since we wanted to get a mix of family and individual images I started with everyone together and asked them to have fun and play. Abbey loves to be swung and lifted high into the air so it was easy to document their interaction.

We also got out some bubbles and just had fun on the gorgeous late summer evening. While it takes a little while to get used to, I think natural interaction leads to better images and adds variety and life. As I edited the images I also realized that it was a change of pace to photograph a child who is untrained in the art of “smiling at the camera” aka. scrunching their face or becoming shy upon it’s sight. The result is a more honest portrait of Abbey and her interactions with me.

she’s just adorable. We ended the session on the boardwalk and once again had some fun playing around… I love the last set of images and the great reaction Abbey has!

With so much emphasis placed on wedding day photography, people often go years without having pictures taken again. They look back on those pictures which capture a specific and very special day, but they have grown and changed, learned more about each other and fallen deeper in love. That is where anniversary sessions come in, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy shooting these. All of the fun but none of the pressure of a wedding day situation. No time line, family or decorations to worry about, just an opportunity to get together and document where your lives are now.

For Sarah and John, that came about one day before their third anniversary. She recently finished her masters and he found his way to nursing school after working in a different field and they have grown and changed together since their wedding day. Their lives are intertwined more deeply, and I have to say it generally makes my job a lot easier. Since I like to document real life they didn’t have to do anything but be together and be in love. They were naturals.

Whenever a couple asks, “can we bring our dog along?” I say yes! without hesitation. Having two dogs myself I know how much a part of the family they become and they always have so much personality to capture. Pongo was patient when we shot without him and quite photogenic for the pictures! 

We met in Ellison Park in Rochester, New York since I love a natural setting. Sepia seemed to fit this wide shot below with the tall trees and soft light peeking through.

Sarah you’re gorgeous and John you bring that out in her. We ended the session by flying kites. It was a success and it’s always fun to incorporate an activity into the mix. I had fun photographing you two and congratulations on three years!

Today is Sarah + John’s anniversary, and it just happened that yesterday I photographed them for what can truly be called an anniversary session. Here’s a little present guys, a preview from yesterday and congratulations on three years!