Nick and I spoke at length about filling the frame (i.e. when you look through the viewfinder what do you see) with the “action.” He took the concept one step further by getting close to his subjects…and then I asked him to get even closer. He produced a wonderfully intimate image of his wife, Julie, and their children.

I started Todd’s session by asking him to reflect on an everyday moment that he will look fondly upon is his golden years. We worked on photographing a glimpse of what bedtime stories look like in his mind’s eye. With some encouragement, Todd attempted to capture the moment by trying out a number of different angles. Todd did a great job of including just enough of the book in the frame to relate to the viewer that his girls were reading a story.

Bob spends a lot of time in front of the camera as Dana (my office manager extraordinaire) has become an enthusiastic photography hobbyist. When it came time to turn the tables, Bob was eager to learn a few tricks to take a good portrait of his girls. We worked on encouraging the girls to interact by bringing their heads close together. Next, we took the interaction one step further by asking them to snuggle and hug. I know that Dana loves the image he shot as it’s her facebook profile this week.

Finally, I worked with Clark to become more comfortable using his camera and shooting with purpose. His daughter Ruby is 10 months old and getting bigger every day. As parents, we often forget to photograph to show our kid’s physical size. I asked Clark to take a photo of Ruby’s hands in Tara’s hands. The resulting image allows us to see just how tiny her precious little hands are.

I have to say that I was quite pleased with the results of the experiment. All of the Dads walked away from the exercise with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Hopefully, a few of you will be inspired take out your cameras tomorrow and take a few photos of your family for Mother’s Day! Remember…fill the frame, get close, encourage your subject to touch, shoot an “everyday” moment and/or shoot for scale.

Brendon did not meet Dean until we brought him home from the hospital. The images from their meeting will play an important role in the highlight reel of my life. Brendon’s smile was sheer delight and love…it’s makes me tear up thinking about it. Through good and bad, thick and thin, the boys will have each other and that makes my heart happy.

The boys have “brother time” daily. They lie in our bed and chat/squeal and play.

One of my favorite images from “the early days.”

The dreaded baby acne. Dean had a nasty case of it for about 8 weeks. (This is why I photograph newborns so quickly…my kids are poster children for cystic baby acne.)

3 months old and trying to motor around.

A taste of solid foods.

An image from today…someone did not want to nap. He always makes me laugh when he bats his long eyelashes and smiles.

Two boys, two trains, one lovey and three great “smiles.”

The kids are always very serious for the photoshoots.

There were times when I had to put down the camera because I was laughing so hard.  Thank you for sharing your families with me!

She writes,

Part of making any picture look fabulous is choosing what to wear! Start by looking in magazines or on the internet for inspiration. Do you love the classic look of Ralph Lauren? Or the editorial look of J.Crew?

You don’t have go out and buy all new outfits for your photo. Most times, you can get a great look by building your clothing around one person’s outfit. It’s usually best to start with the person in the group who has the least amount of clothes or who is hardest to pick an outfit for. Look through their closet for a great piece you want them to wear for the photos. You might also consider buying an outfit for that person and going from there.

Once you’ve got one person’s clothing done, you can build the rest of the group’s outfits. You may end up only purchasing a few pieces instead of buying each member an entirely new outfit.

Think about where you are going to have the photo taken.  Are you going to be indoors or outdoors? Is the area paved, muddy, rocky, or grassy? What kind of colors would look best in that setting? If you will be outside, it’s a good idea to wear clothes you would be comfortable sitting on the ground in.

Make sure everyone in the group is wearing one style of clothing such as classy (formal wear, suits, dresses, etc.), casual (shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc.), or contemporary (a mixture of classy and casual–like a dressy top with jeans and heels).  Avoid loud patterns or huge logos or words on an outfit. Smaller patterns on part of an outfit look fine, but keep it to one or two people in your group. Patterns should compliment each other, not draw attention away from the main subject of the photo, you!

Avoid the Matchy-Matchy syndrome!  Clothing from the same color palette tends to create a cohesive look. Remember, the emphasis of the photos should be on your faces, not your clothing. Also consider using shades of black and white, in case you decided to get some black and white photos. Avoid wearing a lot of accessories, especially ones that will draw attention away from your face. Ladies, make sure the neckline of your shirt is appropriate. A v-neck shirt is most flattering, as it keeps you more open, but be careful of the cleavage! And take care of those hands and feet! Manicure and pedicure anyone?

Betsy and her partner, Susan may be reached via their website: http://www.shop-your-closet.com/ or their facebook page: Shop Your Closet