While we still have cooler weather in Florida, let’s take advantage of these beautiful evenings and get some family pictures taken! On Friday, February 25th we’ll be at a gorgeous beach in Vero Beach, Florida** for 20 minute Beach Mini Sessions.
To sign-up for February 25th, click HERE. The cost of the 20 minute Mini Session is $245. Five high resolution digital images are included (you'll be able to choose from a gallery of ~35 images). On our Beach Mini Sessions we only offer three spots for best light each day.
PS. Stay tuned for a day of Mini Sessions with bunnies and baby animals this Spring.
** We had a location change for this date.
Day in the Life and Year in the Life Sessions
My signature family sessions are Day in the Life Sessions, either 1/2 or full day, documenting your family’s real life. You can read more about them here and here. I started offering Day in the Life Sessions in 2016, and have done about twenty of them worldwide.
Day in the Life Sessions are perfect for the parents who appreciate ordinary life in all its beauty and chaos. These sessions are for the parents who realize the importance of being in the photos, despite life or circumstances being messy. These sessions are for the parents who post pictures of their kids doing weird things, and for parents who are able to admit they are not perfect and that is okay.
If any of this resonates with you, I have two options for you. Let’s talk about a full Day in the Life Session either between now and June 14 in Florida, or travel Day in the Life Sessions this summer (anywhere), or we can schedule one for this fall.
Or, if you’d like to try this but are not ready for a full day session, message me about my new Year in the Life Session, which is two shorter sessions in one year, and a complimentary mini portrait session. This option is heavily discounted and a great way to document your family life in one year.
A down payment and a signed contract is required, and you can pay monthly or quarterly.
Let me do all the hard work and let’s get great pictures for your family! Send me a message and let’s chat! If you are interested in a Year in the Life Session and would like to schedule your first session in Vero Beach area, we need to pick a date asap. I will be available for sessions until June 14th.
Sennu
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Wishing all moms a wonderful Mother's Day this Sunday! Here's a video from some of my sessions this year and last. I love working with moms, and showcasing how beautiful they are and how hard they work, every day. Thank you, Moms, for all you do!!!!!!
PS. If you need any help, I have gift cards available. And moms, it's totally okay to drop those hints, or buy yourself a gift :-)
Summer Session Availability 2018 {Edited}
Summer is approaching at almost an alarming pace! I decided to make a post of highlighting some of the places where I will be shooting this summer, so if you had wanted to book a session, you can refer to this one post.
In May I have very few sessions available in Vero Beach, Florida (area). I can squeeze one Day in the Life Session (all day) in, and one more Short Story Session (~1.5 hrs). My Storytelling Mini Sessions have been very popular, and if you can book a week night session, those are still available.
I will be in Maine for the last part of June, and can fit a couple of sessions in during that time (maybe even in New Hampshire). I hope I'll make it before the lupines are done, so if you'd like pictures taken with these beautiful flowers, let me know! And from second week in August to the end of the month I am on vacation in Maine, but ask about a New England session then, too!
In July 2018 I have opened up six sessions in Finland (read more here). I had so much fun shooting there last summer, and can't wait to do a few more this summer, too!
If you'd like to be notified of my fall availability in Florida, please let me know. I would love to work with you and your family!
Stuart Day in the Life
Can you imagine yourself ten, twenty, thirty years from now when your babies have grown and maybe even left your home to start their own lives? Will you remember what these busy, crazy, chaotic days were like? Will you miss it? Is there a way to hang on to the sweet, sticky, messy moments of this season?
I wish I had a movie to look back on of a day with my toddler quadruplets. Or a photo book to showcase what one day was like with my babies. Or when we came back from China with our baby girl, and our quadruplets were attending a small Christian school in New Hampshire.
Day in the Life documentaries can do that for you - and this is why I started Stories of Joy Photography. My passion is for everyone to have a documentary of a day in their life when the kids were young. What a gift to give your children and grandchildren! And to yourself. These photos will show the love and the hard work that goes into parenting - every single day.
“ “Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.” ”
I am so happy I got to document a day for the M family in Stuart, Florida.
Early on a Friday morning in January I joined the M family for the day to document one day at this stage in their life. It really was a normal day - kids were at school and dad went to work. Mom was busy the entire long day (but fortunately was able to squeeze a tiny nap in before the two youngest came home from school).
I sometimes get asked about these all day sessions - what about the times when 'nothing' is happening.
The Day in the Life Sessions are exactly that - a photography session to document your day - whatever it looks like. For storytelling it is best to start when kids wake up, and wrap it up when they go to bed. With the M family we started at 6 am, but then had a little break in the morning when mom had an appointment (I hang out at the coffee shop for a little while), and also after lunch before kids came home from school. I brought my computer and starting culling early morning photos!
No matter what the day looks like, I squeeze in a lot of little breaks. It's a long day! For you, too - to have someone else in your home, and with you all day. It's okay to take a nap, take a break and it's okay if nothing is happening every moment of the day.
For the M family pace picked up quite a bit as soon as the school bus came back, and I stayed with the M's until the youngest went to bed, and the older two snuggled on couches with mom and dad to watch one of their favorite tv shows.
Oh, and most families I have done a Day in the Life Session (about 13? now) have told me they are kind of boring, but I really have not found that be true for any session. If you have kids - or even just one, life is never boring :-)
When you book your Day in the Life Session with me, there is a non-refundable deposit to hold the day for you. I do these full day sessions on Fridays or Saturdays, but can make an exception occasionally if you would prefer to do it on a different day. Just ask!
On our day together the payment for the day is due. It includes all the planning, my time at your house, all the editing of the images, and a downloadable high resolution movie of the Story Gallery (which is the best 100 storytelling images of the day).
All my Day in the Life families also see a Full Gallery of about ~300 images, and you will have the option of purchasing A) the Story Gallery high resolution digital images, or B) all high resolution images. If you purchase all high resolution images (Story Gallery and the Full Gallery) I also make a gorgeous, professionally printed hardcover book from the Story Gallery Images for you, which is included in the price of both galleries. (In the next blog post I will showcase the book from the M family, and a few of my favorite images as well.)
This is what mom wrote about our day:
“One of my friends did a Day in the Life session with Sennu and put her pictures up on Facebook. I loved the idea, thought the photos were excellent, and decided to do it myself. I was slightly worried about what spending the whole day together would be like, but it turned out to be very enjoyable and totally worth it. Sennu is an exceptionally easygoing, kind person to be around, and the pictures of my family are so special and are something that I can’t wait for myself (and my kids!) to look back on. Thank you, Sennu!!!”
(Thank you, K!!! I loved my day with your Family!)
I have three open spots for a Day in the Life Session this spring (and possibly 1-2 more Saturdays, just waiting for scheduling confirmations):
FRIDAY April 27th OR SATURDAY April 28th.
FRIDAY May 11th
FRIDAY June 1st
Let me know if you're ready to book, or if you have any questions! I would love to help your family to make a photo documentary of this stage in your life.