Tag Archives: bergen county photography studio

Mia and Alexa turn 10 | Ridgewood studio photo session

Did you know that I decide to offer milestones sessions at my Ridgewood photo studio because I took my girls there for their birthday photos back in 2014 and realized how important it is to capture kids year after year after year… This is their FIFTH birthday session at my photo studio – I used to have to drag them with me and it was such a big and long production (lots of bribes involved).  But last few years the girls really enjoyed going to the studio for their annual portraits – we bring their favorite books and toys, they wear their favorite outfits and accessories and we capture they exactly as they are at this point in time – silly, a bit crazy and absolutely amazing!

 

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And the winners are….

It was a very intense race and I was very excited to see the results of Live Love Laugh Photos Best of 2017 contest.  So without further ado, here are the winners!

1. The grand prize winner (with 101 votes across three platforms) is Image 18 ‘Thoughtful’!  This family ran a great campaign and will receive a beautiful 16×24 gallery wrapped canvas of this stunning image!

2. The Second Prize winner is Image 7 ‘Happy!’    This family will receive $250 gift certificate towards a 2018 Signature or a Simplicity session!

3. And the winners of a Free studio winter mini sessions are: Jamie Bula and Stacey DeMarco.  Ladies please contact me ASAP at lena@livelovelaughphotos.com to schedule your session.

There can only be one Grand Prize winner but I love all images that made it to the final round and want everybody to be able to display them in their homes. So all finalists in my Best of 207  contest will receive a 35% discount on a 16×24 gallery wrapped canvas of their ‘finalist’!  Contact me by Feb 28 if you are interested in purchasing it.

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What to look for in your headshots photo session

Are you a lawyer, doctor, real estate agent, an actor or any other professional but your online presence hardly seems professional? Have you had your headshots done professionally but that was years and years ago and now no one (other than yourself) can recognize you in your headshot images?  Are you just entering the workforce and want to make the best possible impression right off the bat?  If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then you need to get your headshots done!

When I opened a retail Ridgewood studio photography location I got a lot of inquiries from people asking if I offered professional headshots; so that’s how this studio offering was born.   People don’t always feel relaxed in front of the camera and not everybody loves to have their pictures taken – especially if it is pictures of just themselves and they cannot hide behind their spouse or kids:)  So I’ve put together a quick list of what you should consider when getting your headshots done and how to get ready for it. Hopefully these steps will make the whole experience enjoyable and fun!

Do Your Research

There are many photographers out there and lots of those photographers offer headshot packages.  So how do you choose a photographer that’s right for you?

  • Don’t choose your photographer purely on price.  I always believe you get what you pay for and saving $$ on an image that will represent you on the online world for at least a few years probably is not a very wise decision.
  • Make sure you compare apples to apples – e.g. one photographer’s price might seem competitive but they may not offer any retouching on the images.
  • Check out their portfolio to get a sense of their work – are the images posed or natural?  Do the images look like what you have in mind for your headshots?

Here are some questions you should ask your photographer:

  • How many images would you be able to review and make your selection from?
  • Are digital images included in the price and if so – how many?
  • What’s the turn around time to get edited images?
  • Is retouching included in the price?

Think of Your Outfit

‘What should I wear?’ – is a question I get asked most frequently.  And my answer is always the same – what you wear should reflect your industry (and what’s appropriate or not) and what feeling you want the images to reflect.  In general a good rule of thumb is to wear what you would wear for an important meeting.

Make sure what you choose to wear represents you.  If you love color – pick a colorful outfit; if you love accessories – make sure you have them incorporated in your headshots.  You want your personality to shine through the images.

Hair and Makeup

‘To Do or Not To Do’ – that’s a question (with regards to getting hair and makeup done professionally) that I get asked pretty often.  If you are like me – i.e. not great at applying makeup or having your hair styled yourself – then I would say that you should leave it to the professionals and have it done by someone who knows what they are doing.  You still want to look like yourself – if you normally wear a nude color lipstick don’t choose a deep red lipstick for the headshots.  Think about your headshots makeup as a toned-down version of stage makeup – it should be more than what you would normally wear but not so much more that people can see your eyelashes from miles away.

If you need to get a haircut or have your hair colored/highlighted/treated in any color related way – I would recommend to do it a few weeks prior to your headshots.  You don’t want to schedule your headshots and then change your hairstyle, not love it but be stuck with it in pictures.  Same applies to getting a spray tan – don’t to it right before your photo session.

Location Location Location

I believe that a photography studio is the best place for most professional headshots.  Studio photography does not mean boring backdrops and and standard poses.   In a studio environment a good photographer can control light and create images that are both flattering and creative.

Rarely (in my opinion) there are cases when studio is not the best location for headshots – sometimes you gotta take it outdoors.   So talk to your photographer to find out if that’s an option.

 

Hope these steps help you pick the right photographer and get ready for your headshots.  Remember – the most important thing is to relax and try to have fun.  And a good photographer will create images that truly reflect who you are.

And if you are located in Ridgewood, Ramsey or anywhere else in Bergen County or Northern New Jersey and need to get new or updated headshots check out my headshots package and give me a call to schedule your session!

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And a baby makes four | Ridgewood studio newborn photo session

These guys may look familiar to you – this is not their first appearance on this blog.  I first met them when Mom was pregnant with their first girl – M. about 5 years ago and we’ve had many many many sessions together since then.  I’ve had the privilege  of documenting M. change from a newborn to a baby to a precocious toddler to a funny little girl.  I love her and she loves me back – she wants to have dinner with me and my family, is excited to come to see me at the studio, gets sad when she misses me at their viewing and ordering sessions.  She makes me laugh every single time I see her!

But this post is not about M. it is about her little sister!  I was beyond thrilled when I found out these guys were expecting and even more thrilled when I found out that it was another girl – having two daughters myself and having a sister makes me a bit partial to families with two daughters:)   Little sister, Meredith, was as perfect and beautiful as her big sister was at this age!  For the first few minutes when I saw her I could not do anything other that awww and ohhhhh over her:)

We chose to do this combo newborn/family photo session at my Ridgewood studio.  Big sister M. and her Dad were coming to the studio a bit later in the session to give me time to capture images of the latest addition all by herself.  At the beginning of the session she was hungry (she IS a growing baby after all!) so while her Mom was nursing we had a chance to catch up.  And once she was fed, changed and happy (I always built in time in my newborn sessions for all these activities) we started with the session.  We got some open-eyed shots – how beautiful are these baby blues?!

and of course we got plenty of cuddly sleepy newborn images so many parents want and love:

I always capture details shots of babies – delicate little fingers and toes, wispy eye lashes, beautiful lips:

and when the Dad came to the studio we got some pictures of the parents together with their new bundle of joy:

of course there were pictures of Mom with baby Meredith:

and Dad with the brand new baby:

Being a mom of two girls I just had to capture this beautiful Mom with her daughters:

and I loved capturing the interactions between these girls – Meredith was just a bit over two weeks old at the time of the session but she was incredibly aware with great eye contact!  I cannot wait to capture the relationships and love between these two sisters as they grow up together.

and of course there were plenty of pictures of these guys together as a family of four!

If you are expecting and would like to have a newborn family photo session my Ridgewood photography studio is a perfect plan to do it!

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Three adorable girls at Ridgewood photography studio

A lot of people, when they think about studio portraits, imagine images that are traditional and very posed – not that there is anything wrong with that.  But that’s not what studio portraits done at my Bergen County photography studio are like.  When I first opened my studio I wanted to make sure that my studio work was very similar to my on-location work – and I am known for fun, lifestyle portraits that capture kids and adults alike.  And if you check out portraits that I create at my studio ( you can view them here) I think you will agree that they just as fun and natural as my other work!

” I don’t want forced poses and them looking unnatural and awkward. I want to look at them and have them remind me of my children at their ages they are now. They are happy children and it would also be nice to remind them from time to time, what true happiness is from these photos.  I would like them to be as natural as possible and act like themselves as if no one was watching.”  – this is what Mom of these adorable girls wrote in her Pre-Session Questionnaire.

This was right up my alley and I was happy to oblige – we played the girls favorite songs, danced, jumped on the bed (and who does not love that?!) .  I also wanted to capture more pensive moments because while we all want to have happy pictures of our kids with big grins I think it is also nice to remember their pensive side – with soulful eyes and serious looks.  And would not you know it, even though this Mom really wanted to have smiling portraits (and she loved every single one of them), this image of her girls together literally brought her to tears!


If you are looking for non traditional children studio portraits in Bergen County look no further, give me a call and bring them to my Ridgewood photo studio for their session!  I promise that the kids and you will love the experience and the outcome!

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