The Saturday that the Lind family and I met for our session we had perfect weather! Seventy five degrees, sunny, and just a splash of fluffy clouds painting the bright blue sky. This was my first time photographing the Lind family. Courtney and Eric have four kiddos all under 3 (almost 4) years old, two of which are twin girls! When I met up with them they were all so sweetly dressed in blue tones and all the girls matched in blue sear-sucker outfits and blue bows. Y’all know I’m a sucker for a bow so having three girls in matching bows was precious!
I just have to say I LOVE this location and the more I shoot here the more I want to shoot everything here. Wide open fields, wildflowers, and very little foot traffic make this an idyllic location for many. It was a beautiful spot to shoot Lindsey and Eli’s maternity session. We met one summer evening and just missed a downpour. Just missed though doesn’t mean we didn’t totally miss some rain. You’d (hopefully) never notice that I individually edited out raindrops from her dress in Photoshop which may have been time-consuming but so worth it for the final product.
In the past, I have always taken Sterling and my pictures. We set up a tripod in a gorgeous area, connect our wireless clicker, set the manual focus and “click, click, click” we snag the shot we want. We’ve done for major celebrations like announcing our pregnancy, the gender of Finley, paying off our car loan etc. We’ve also done this every year for our family holiday cards since getting married. But not this year.
This post is definitely very special to me seeing as this gorgeous new mom is a dear friend of mine! Beth and I were Alpha Phi sorority sisters at JMU back in the day and when we both moved to Richmond Virginia we lived together in the Fan! She was in Sterling and my wedding and now that we are back in Richmond, it is such a gift to get to reconnect as new moms!
How can it be that it was two years ago that I was sharing the Lowery family’s first newborn session? I’ll never forget meeting them for the fist time in Baltimore at a coffee shop downtown to get to know each other. They were in town visiting Emily’s sister and so it worked out perfectly for us to meet in person before she gave birth to Nora. We grabbed coffee and walked around with their goldendoodle Winston and I knew they were great! I mean I have a goldendoodle Winnie and they have a Winston!? That plus they are the nicest people ever! Their newborn session with Nora was bliss and the images were gorgeous. It was also such an easy going session and I felt so at ease around Chris and Emily!
Today, in so many ways, feels like Christmas because I seriously look forward to Minis all year! I love getting to see so many families that I cherish and have worked with for YEARS! Last year 88% of my Richmond Minis were families I’ve worked with before! This alone makes it so worth it! I get to see and catch up with people that I LOVE! Whether these are people that I’ve taught with, went to camp with as a kid, know from JMU or met while photographing years back, I’d consider them all friends.
Last year I added Maryland Minis to the mix and it was such a success! I had two times my expected number of sessions and got to scope out a new local location. Maryland Minis were such a treat because it was more relaxed and spaced out and I could easily go home during breaks. Plus I got to meet a bunch of new families with the cutest littles.
So for 2020 I’m going to do host both Richmond and Maryland Minis again! With all things COVID and having a new baby at home, I’m taking extra precautions for each session. For Richmond I’m asking that everyone make sure that the session date AND the rain day option work since we have to be outdoors and cannot reschedule outside of the rain plan weekend. I’m also asking that everyone take their temperatures leading up to the day of the session and the morning of the session. Additionally everyone will need to bring and wear masks while not being photographed and we’ll have to do air hugs from a distance (the worst restriction in my opinion). We will all keep a safe distance apart (at least 6 feet) and I’ll be using a longer focal length lens to make sure you still get dreamy images while staying a distance away.
I know I’ve said it a MILLION times but being able to see these kiddos grow up and get bigger and bigger each year is such a blessing! I LOVE all the bootie shaking, fart joke giggles, and silliness that happens during minis. I LOVE how excited the kids get to see me – almost as excited as I am to see them! I love catching up with families that have become friends and hearing about the new things that have happened in their lives. And I love being able to serve these friends with beautiful images of their families that they can keep and cherish.
All minis are 30 minute sessions at one location. You are guaranteed at least 15 images – the perfect way to snag a holiday card image and update your family albums. 🙂 Since this is my FIFTH year hosting minis I’m also going to offer a FLASH SALE of 10% off the session fee if you book (deposit paid) within the first 24 hours (aka today September 25th by midnight). 🙂
To reserve your spot, email me at Alex@alexandra-michelle.com for full details. For details on how we will stay safe amongst the pandemic scroll to the bottom for COVID Precautions.
RICHMOND MINIS
Minis will be hosted on Saturday and Sunday November 7th and 8th with the RAIN DATES on November 14th and 15th. Both weekends must be available in order to book in case of rain on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. Spots are more limited this year so don’t hesitate to grab yours! Can’t wait to see you in November at Byrd Park!
MARYLAND MINIS
Minis will be hosted on October 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th! YES that’s right we added another weekend! Session times are limited to evenings which to grab that beautiful golden hour light. Session times range from 3:00pm -6:00pm. Minis this year will be hosted at Oregon Ridge Park!
And of course – here is a glimpse back at some of my favorite images from last years minis 🙂
COVID INFORMATION:
In order to keep your family and my family safe, we’ll have to be extra cautious because of COVID 19. Please see the guidelines below that we’ll follow to make sure we are all safe.
All participants must take their temperature the morning of the session. If any participant has a fever or feels sick or is showing COVID-19 symptoms, they must forego their mini session. They will not have to pay the remainder of their balance and will be refunded their deposit.
Social distancing between myself (Alex) and participants will be kept at all times (6 feet at least)
Masks will be worn by adults when not being photographed.
Hand sanitizer will be available for use by participants
Unlimited air hugs will be available at any time.
25% Deposits are due upon booking and can be refunded only for cancelation due to coronavirus (aka showing symptoms, spiking a fever, exposure etc.). Final remaining payments can be made after the session has been completed and before galleries are delivered.
All payments must be paid online and cannot be paid via cash or check in order to limit germ exposure.
IF the state of Maryland or Virginia goes into a statewide shutdown due to COVID numbers increasing and businesses are not allowed to operate and/or it becomes unsafe to host minis, the mini session may be canceled and full refunds will be made with advanced notice.
Have y’all ever met a bug doctor before? Well, I have! It’s true!
I got to this session a few weeks back, stepped toward the car and was introduced to Even, a three-year-old self-proclaimed bug doctor. As you can imagine this naturally sparked my interest because I mean hello – science! After some more inquiring I learned that he performs operations on bugs when they are very sick. – Just the cutest! Read More »
Three generations of women met for this portrait session. A baby blessed to a woman who will cherish her every day of her life. A baby who was prayed for when she was just an idea and now her sweet sunshine is here and the joy she gives to others is palpable. Read More »
It’s crazy to think that the last time I saw the Brown family they were welcoming home Elizabeth as a brand new baby! You may remember that session and her gorgeous floral bow! Not to mention Joseph’s camera take over and the cuteness that instilled! This is something I especially love about the milestone package, I get to watch families grow over a year. I can’t get over how much bigger Elizabeth is and how much older Joseph seems! Not to mention seeing Elizabeth grow from a sleepy little infant to a baby with rolls for DAYS! She is ADORABLE! Joseph becomes more and more active with every session we do and it’s so fun. At one point I turned to Lindsey and had to say “so sorry for all the screeching!” as Joseph and I played stormtroopers and I died valiantly as he shot me first. 🙂
Senior Best Friends Session – Libby Hill Park
Richmond – Virginia
Y’ALL! This past weekend a dream came true in my life! I got to meet (drumroll) THE BABYSITTERS CLUB! All my 90s girls will know EXACTLY why this is so exciting!! Though when I mentioned this to the girls I’m not sure they had heard of it… so, girls – go to the link and watch the movie trailer and you’ll understand. 🙂 So while these girls aren’t actually the babysitters club – they emulate everything fun about that childhood classic! Plus there are 7 of them!Read More »
