I'm usually not big on lots of props in photos, unless they are meaningful. This family reads a LOT, so I'd say books were a pretty good choice for them.



I just LOVE this one! Abbie (on the right) and Elisabeth are such good little friends. I'm hoping that they stay good friends forever just like their moms and photos like this will be so special to them when they're grown up.

To see more photos from this session, go to my facebook page. Like the page while you're there to see photos and updates right in your news feed.

**if you're reading this on a mobile device, use this link instead: mobile blog**


Yes, it's hot out, but fall will get here eventually....promise! Once school (and football, scouts and dance) start up again I'll be much more limited to what I can take on, so get your session booked early! I already only have one or two Saturday openings in October and another two in September. Weekday mornings are more manageable, but if you need a Saturday, you'll want to get that booked SOON!

Click the link for session information and pricing, and if you're hoping for a great deal for that session, make sure to tell all your friends to come over and like my facebook page! I need 490 more likes before the end of the month so I can post an awesome deal for you all!

http://www.amyfoltz.net/p/session-information.html

**If you're viewing this on a mobile device, please use this link instead: mobile blog**

When Daniel and I went on our trip in May, we stopped by Indiana Dunes on our way home. We loved it so much and knew the kids would too, so we took them up to Lake Michigan last week for a short little vacation. They had SO much fun! It was their first time there and they loved the beach even more than I thought they would. It was so nice to get away for a few days and just enjoy each other. 

My work camera (Canon 7D) is in the shop and I didn't want to take my backup, so I just took my little Nikon point and shoot. I love that little camera! It has manual settings, so I'm still in control, but it's small and light and cheap enough that I wouldn't cry too hard if it got ruined with water or sand (although I would definitely be upset if something happened to the memory card!). So all these photos were taken with a little Nikin P300, and while I certainly wouldn't use that camera for a client or for anything I want to print big, it's PERFECT for stuff like this. I would have been too afraid to take my work camera out all day in the sand anyway, so if I only had that I would have missed most of these shots.

This is the one shot I knew I definitely wanted to get, and I got it the first night we were there. This one is definitely going on my wall. I have a thing for silhouettes, and I plan to get a different one of all 4 kids together every year. Last year they were up on a hill with a wagon, and I'm thinking about using bikes next year.


Jack loved the beach!



Abbie found a stick and I told her to write something. She wrote happy :-) It seemed appropriate.


Joey loved the lake and spent most of his time in the water.


Jonah liked the beach but was pretty fickle about the water. He'd like it one minute and be freaked out the next.


This is Daniel and Jonah. It's one of my favorite shots from our trip.



This is the lighthouse in Michigan City.


Abbie was SO cute in her sun hat...it's a wreck now since she dunked it in the lake, but I got some cute pictures of her in it first!



This was at West Beach in the national park. It was probably the easiest beach to get to since we could push the stroller all the way.


We stayed late to watch the sunset on our last night there. It was pretty awesome.




Joey was our photographer for this shot.


I think Abbie took this one.


This is Joey working on his Junior Ranger book. Joey, Abbie and Jack all got Junior Ranger badges and patches.


In the bottom right corner you can see Daniel and Jack walking up the dune.





Told you I liked silhouettes!



This is the whole family at the Bailly Homestead at the national park. I meant to get one of all of us on the beach too but I forgot :-(


The walk down to West Beach.



You can see more photos from our trip on my facebook page. Make sure you "like" the page while you're there! Just click like under the cover photo, then hover your mouse over that and make sure you click "show in news feed" to make sure you see photos and updates in your news feed. If the page gets 1,000 likes before the end of the month, I'll be posting a really amazing deal for facebook fans only - you won't want to miss it!

**If you're viewing this on a mobile device, use this link instead: mobile blog**

I love shooting engagement sessions. Not only are couples in love just fun to be around, it's also very helpful for several reasons. Here are the top 7 reasons you should have an engagement session before the wedding, in no particular order:



1. Other than your wedding, this may be the only time you have a whole photo shoot of just the two of you. Sure, if you have kids you'll probably have family photos taken, and maybe a couple shots of the two of you here and there, but after kids come along, it's always more about them. Which is cool and awesome in a whole different way, but just take time to enjoy the two of you now.

2. It's great to give us a chance to get to know each other before the wedding. I meet most brides in person for a consultation before the contract is signed, but it's nice to have an extra chance to talk and learn more about each other.



3. It really helps the two of you to be more comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding.

4. You'll get a custom-designed album as part of your session package, which you can use to display at your wedding and even use as a guest book if you'd like.



5. You'll have the photos in case you need them for save-the-dates (which I'd be happy to design for you), or newspaper announcements.

6. It's fun...really :) Sometimes guys are not so excited about a photo shoot, but once we get started they always have fun.

7. It's part of your story...just think how cool it will be to look back at these photos in 10-20 years. And your kids and grandkids will treasure photos of the two of you so young and in love.



Ok, so are you convinced you need to schedule an engagement session? I'd love to talk to you about it! Click here to contact me, here to see wedding pricing and information, or here to go to my facebook page. Click "like" while you're there!

Make sure you click "show in news feed" or facebook might not show you my updates. They're sneaky like that. :-)

*if you're viewing this on a mobile device, use this link instead: mobile blog*

I don't know about you, but I waste spend way too much time on this little website called pinterest. Just in case you're one of the 5 people who haven't heard of it, it's kind of like a bookmark list but with pictures. You can make as many virtual pinboards as your little heart desires, install a little gadget on your browser's toolbar, and while you're browsing the web you can "pin" things to your boards. You can also follow other pinners and see loads of things you would probably never otherwise see. I've found SO many cool things that way!


I've got tons of different boards. Some are for business, some for photo inspiration (inspiration, not to copy...that's important to note!), and some are for home decorating ideas, DIY, or stuff to do with the kids. My husband even keeps a wish list on there so I know what tools or whatever he's wanting at Christmas and his birthday. So it's a pretty handy little site.

Why am I writing about this on a photography blog? Because it can be a great tool for planning your session. Not only can you use it to gather ideas for wardrobe and photos, you can also easily share those ideas with me. Just email me a link to your board, and I can see what you have in mind and offer some more suggestions and be better prepared for your session.

Pinterest is also an amazing tool for wedding planning. Obviously you can find a ton of ideas for the wedding itself, from dresses and flowers to cakes and other little details. You can also make a board just for wedding photo inspiration. Please understand that you won't get an exact copy of any photo, but if you come across some that you just love, you can pin it with a little description about what you like about it...is it the pose, the location, the lighting, some little detail? Just the feel of it? It really helps me to see what you like and what you're envisioning for your wedding. You can even invite others (me, your mom, your maid of honor, whoever) to collaborate on the board. It's just a really easy way to toss ideas back and forth. I really wish pinterest had been around back when I was planning my wedding...it would have worked a lot better than the 3-ring binder and ripped out pages from bridal magazines that I used!

So, if you're planning a session or wedding with me, I'd love to see your pinterest boards! Just email the link, or if you want me to collaborate on a board, pinterest will automatically send an email to me.

Feel free to pin photos from my blog. For some reason, pinterest will automatically pin the first photo from mine, but you can click on the photo and it will come up in a separate window and you can pin from there.

If you don't want to type a description, you can just hit the space bar and it will let you leave it empty...but like I said, if you're sharing the board with someone, it's super helpful to write a few words about what you like about the photo or idea.

Just in case you need a little more help, here's a few screen shots that show how easy it is to start pinning:


If you want to see my boards or follow me on pinterest, just click here. To share this post with your friends, just click the facebook like button at the bottom of the post. Happy pinning!