01 Mar Alice Sniffen – Family Photographer
No, this isn’t a guest blogger, this is the formal introduction of Alice to the Matty Photography blog. She’s been shooting with me for well over a year now, serving as an assistant on my commercial shoots, and a second shooter for events. During that time she has probably learned more than she’d want to from me. Yes, I’ve pretty much attempted to forced everything I know about photography and lighting into her brain, and considering that I wake up and go to sleep thinking about this stuff… that’s substantial. Needless to say, she is now very seasoned in photography and lighting. I’m extremely proud of the work she is consistently producing. For the past few months, she has set her sights on focusing on all things family. And boy does she love, love, love capturing the little ones. Since she is now in the flow of things here with her own shoots, she’s going to start blogging about her photographic adventures. Now that little name under the article’s author will have some meaning and not always say “Matt!” So, I’ll stop flapping my lip and let Alice get started with her first post!
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What could be better than a baby? TWO BABIES! I’ve known Ryan and the Bugh Family for over twenty years. I watched Ryan and Julie meet and fall in love…
…get married, and move from Texas to Vegas where their son, Owen, was born…
…and finally make their way to Seattle where twins, Allison and Brooklyn, were born last September. One of my absolute favorite things about being a photographer is watching families grow and evolve, and especially capturing the milestones along the way. The Bugh girls are no different as I’ve been blessed to take their picture at 11 days old and 3 months now, and I’m so looking forward to watching them grow up over the years.
Newborn sessions are a lot more of feeding, snuggling and soothing than they are photographing, so new parents should simply expect lots of breaks, and know that accidents happen. Baby is boss and we work at the pace they allow. If that means we stop to get the bottle out ten times or cuddle a fussy little one, that is perfectly ok! With twins the trick is getting them to be fed, warm, and happy at the same time. And when you do magic happens.
For this shoot, Allison (above L) wanted nothing to do with being wrapped in anything or hold still and Brooklyn (above R) was totally out. I could position her, move her, cover or uncover her and most of the time she could care less. It’s amazing how their personalities are just immediate and you can already tell after only a few days some of their likes, dislikes, and moods.
Another really fun thing about portrait photography is the planning and design of shoot concepts and making peoples artwork dreams a reality. If that means going up to the ski slopes for that perfect snow picture, taking over football fields, theaters, the beaches of Maui or climbing into helicopters for breathtaking aerials, Matt and I want to always go above and beyond, to take an idea and stretch it into something incredible. Since they were fall babies, I had to get these tiny pumpkin hats and fall decor to surround and 5 lb 12 oz Brooklyn and 5 lb 4 oz Allison.
At first, Owen was hesitant to these tiny invaders, but has since fallen in love with being a big brother.
Around Christmas time we took some more of the family and the twins three month photos. We had a lot of fun decorating a tree, throwing balls back-and-forth, and in between all that we took some pictures :).
These two cuties have grown so much already it’s amazing. And like I told Ryan and Julie, shoots will only get more fun as they get older and the smiles get bigger. In the end, Allison could have kept laughing at daddy, but Brooklyn decided we were done for the day. Can’t wait till their 6 month session!
