Cary Newborn Photographer - FREE newborn photos

Just realized this is a leap year (yes where have I been? ) Know someone expecting a baby on Feb 29 or right around? Have them contact me at christa@mycreativeclicks.com, I am giving away a FREE newborn session & brag book to one lucky baby born on Feb 29th.

*Baby must be photographed by March 10th.

Raleigh,Cary,Photographer - Holiday Family Portraits

This was such an fun-filled work week for me. All the smiley, happy, babies came back to visit. Dustin, who will be turning one on Thanksgiving came over for a first birthday cake smashing session and family portraits. I am fortunate in my neighborhood to have a beautiful greenway trail and a few empty lots with evergreens and weeds(suprisingly a great photo backdrop).

Raleigh, Cary, Family Photographer - Make time for me

I am willing to bet working moms are all faced with a similar guilt. The challenge of putting in hours, making money and hopefully spending time doing what we love, is a balancing act between being their for our families and their needs.
I feel extremely fortunate not to have to clock into a 9-5 job. I love being my own boss and having freedom and flexibility. However sometimes working from home, scraping together work minutes here and there in between pouring cups of juice, breaking up fights, and bandaging boo boos is not always easy. Having to make business phone calls when my girls are home, locked in the bathroom is not always ideal either.
I guess if I really wanted to I could throw in the towel on my business. The thought has crossed my mind here and there over the last few years. However photography is my passion and one of the few things that excites me and brings me joy. My favorite time of day is when I sit down to review a clients session for the first time and I see all the adorable expressions and emotions my camera has recorded. Capturing people, and life as we live it is my calling. I am blessed beyond words, so throwing in the towel is not the right answer.

Tonight I asked my 8 yr old daughter to get me something, she responded with "ok but for that I get you & me snuggling for 2 whole TV shows"
she should know by now that Mommy does  not watch TV!
so I said to her
 "i will gladly snuggle with you but i don't want to do it while watching TV (especially the Disney channel) I have a lot of work to do Sophia. How about I come up after you watch your shows and then I'll snuggle with you for a little bit."
"aww Mom you never snuggle with me, you always have to work!"
ouch that one hurt! but then she added fuel to the fire with this,
"see Mom this is why I wrote that letter to the President about making a law that will let parents spend more time with kids, we need to spend more time together"
her class wrote letters last month to the President about enacting a new law, anything they wished for. Mr. President must think I'm a deadbeat parent after that letter : )
 So I said to her okay so if parents get to spend more time with their kids thanks to your new law how do they make money to pay for all these things. This is why we work Sophia.
Her solution without hesitation... "Well if you snuggle with me tonight Mommy I will set up a lemonade stand tomorrow so that you don't have to work so much"
 How could I deny her after that sweet and innocent solution.
She was right though what was I doing that couldn't wait one hour? My clients are understanding and family is probably their top priority too. If they had to wait an extra hour for their photo gallery I think they would be ok.
 Whats more important then spending time with your family?
 Tip of the day when your child is begging to be snuggled, you snuggle! Even if you have to suffer through The Wizards of Waverly place while doing it. Life is too short. We all need to press the pause button every once and awhile whether its to snuggle or to run through the rain.

Family Holiday Raleigh Photographer - What should we wear?

Every year the number one question when clients book their holiday session is "What should we wear?" That's always a hard question to answer because there are so many options depending on your family's style and personality. Here is my short list of tips to get you thinking while you are planning outfits for your upcoming session.

#1 Comfort
Pick something you are comfortable in. Dress like you normally would just add a little punch. In your session you won't photograph well all stiff and unnatural so don't show up in high heels and fancy dresses or suit and tie. Pick something you can move in. There won't be too much posing when we shoot. To get those real emotions out we'll be playing around, laying on the ground, getting on each others back, having fun. So with that said I always recommend casual! Especially for kids. Believe me I've seen kids come alive and happy once they've taken their formal attire off!

#2 Color
Add color! I find photos with colorful outfits stand out much more. So don't hesitate to add some color to your wardrobe. You don't have to match everyone, simply coordinate colors. I suggest first picking out the kid's outfits and then pulling colors from theirs to dress the adults.

#3 Layers/Textures
Layers and textures add dimension and appeal to photos. Mix and match jackets, sweaters, and scarves. Its also a great idea to plan for layers as we never know in the Fall what kind of weather we're going to run into. One thing's for certain a cold child is never a happy child.

# 4
Accessories
Fun accessories like hats, jewelry, tights, tutus, funky shoes, boots etc. liven up the photo and add character to your family's photos.

Here is the core of my family's wardrobe. I have two days before the shoot to finish up the accessories, find boots for us, tights and one more scarf for my girls, jewelry for me,maybe a hat for my husband? Guys are always the hardest to accessorize : ) At least I got him wearing purple this year, love it! Oh and we all still need haircuts and some discussion about whether or not to include our crazy dogs. I'm really not use to being on the other side of the camera can you tell?

Apex,Raleigh, Family, Child Photographer - Downtown Apex Fall Session

Saturday morning I met the A family for their Fall, urban, halloween photos. I was at first a little hesitant to show them my gem of a spot in Apex (back alley with lots of brick, funky doors, junk and walls falling down!) However when Avery stepped out in her urban chick attire I knew we were on the same page. The session couldn't have been more perfect. Avery warmed right up to my camera and got a kick out of all my new toys and tricks and her daddy too. Then we decided to hit the main street for an ice cream cone but happened upon a cotton candy machine and a joggling board instead perfect for a flying fairy.

how cute are they? three of my favorite people! one sweet family. so glad i talked them into this shot : )  

I asked her to stand on my rock to get her where I wanted her. I love this one where she is looking down, maybe my favorite but I have different taste in photos. 

Then we had a little tea party with the random things floating around our junkyard location. 

It might be hard to tell here but she has the cutest pouty lips! Angelina Jolie watch out. 

the street side view of our alleyway. the hardest part was overcoming the smell from the garbage cans. it was definitely worth it though to get the great backdrops. these urban-ish spots are hard to come by around here.  

Cotton candy....strangely we couldn't get her to eat it. But it made a cute prop and we didn't have a sticky mess afterward. 

Cammie & Family - Raleigh/Durham Family Photography

After sickness & bad weather we were finally able to get this session in. Such a beautiful little girl with amazing blue eyes! A sweet family who I'm looking forward to seeing again for holiday photos.

Twins - Raleigh Baby Photography

While I was uploading these photos I started thinking about how many twins I have photographed this year, quite a few.
These two were so cute! And so much fun to work with. Mom introduced me to a new location in Chapel Hill that I'll forever be grateful for. I don't get to CH too much so tips are always appreciated.

All Dressed Up - Apex Child Photography

Check out all the little cuties that stopped by our hay bale for the Salem Street Trick or Treat last night. Hope you guys had lots of fun and went home with lots of treats and some for Mom and Dad too!

Great Outdoor Location - Raleigh Family Photographer

Yates Mill Pond, a Wake County Park, is a location you may want to consider for your upcoming Holiday Family photo session. Yates has all of the things I look for when choosing locations. Lots of trees which means plenty of Fall color, a large pond with dock, and a beautiful mill surrounded by big rocks would all make great backdrops.

I would recommend this location for families with older kids. The walk from the parking lot to the photo sites is about 5 mins. a little far for little ones although there is a path that would allow strollers. The best area around the mill would be dangerous for toddlers and those that are not able to sit and stay : )

Email christa@mycreativeclicks.com to reserve your Yates Mill session this Fall!

Sisterly Love - Raleigh Family & Child Photography

Playing catch up today, these are way overdue! Had a great time spending one hot, sticky morning at the Raleigh Rose Garden with 3 beautiful sisters.

They were so photogenic to say the least, and even posed sometimes on their own. Of course we had to get a little silly and capture some of their true personalities.

It doesn't always go as planned - Cary Baby Photography

This poor family met me bright and early Sunday morning in hopes of beating the heat. We started at 7:30am and it was actually quite cloudy so I was hopeful, but the humidity had to be 100%! Humidity and babies don't mix at all. Everyone was sweaty, the grass was wet, the babies were tired, basically a good idea gone bad. We called it quits after this photo(how cute is he throwing his hands up) but I was plesantly suprised when I downloaded the photos and found a few sweet ones after all. Looking forward to a reshoot indoors this week guys. Sorry the weather did not cooperate with us.