I had a challenge here capturing this family in front of their new home the sun was blazing straight on them and their beautiful home…. so I took my umbrellas and flashes and positioned them so the umbrella shaded them.. it kind of looks like they are summer imposed… but even lighting and I think they look nice. They ended up liking the tree and sun background better (I agree) but nonetheless it was a fun experiment in lighting and solution.

On another note those little girls in their blue dresses “adorbs”

www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Scottsdale Based Senior Photographer shoots in DC Ranch

Well hello stunning. Shot by Scottsdale Senior Photographer, Sara Waterman. www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Holiday mini session at DC Market Street

Shot at beautiful DC Market street in DC Ranch. love this wall, this this family beautifully coordinated and styled to a tee. Gosh they made my job easy peasy. More on www.sarawatermanphotography.com. Scottsdale premier family photographer, Sara Waterman.

Looking your best at your family portrait session

A few tips to help your family portraits looks their best

by Scottsdale based family and event photographer Sara Waterman.

www.sarawatermanphotography.com

1-  Coordinate your clothing do not match your clothing.

This is the most important point, if you show up to your shoot all wearing white collared shirts and jeans, fine but there not enough creative posing I can offer to prevent your portraits looking like they came out of 1993. Ouch! No no instead pick a color theme, think blues, jewel tones, pastels perhaps whites and pinks? I suggest using the outfit you have in mind for the littles to help plan your outfit (let's face it their clothing is way cuter than yours)  There is one exception to this small kiddos can always match, that just never gets old, at least I hope not my 10 week twins are in for a lifetime of matchy matchy, even though they are a boy and a girl.

Blues

2- Avoid busy patterns or characters on clothing

  You may be a chevron or ikat fan right now, but I guarantee in a few years these trendy patterns will look very dated. Plus super busy patterns distract from you. I want people to look at your photo and notice you not the large Tory Burch logo on your sweater. Keep it simple, keep patterns small not super big and chances are you will be happier with the finished product.

3- Consider you backgrounds

Pretty self explanatory, but if we are shooting at the beach try to stay away from tan, I want your photos to pop from the background. If we are going to a shoot against the desert (most of the time that's what we do in Arizona) stay away from light greens and tans for your shirt. Bright colors are my favorite look how eye catching this portrait is...

4- Layer it up

I love layers, they give us the flexibility to quickly change your look, plus I think a jacket or an over shirt help to make your look  polished, a jean jacket a black cardigan, a blazer for a man can really look nice. I know it's hot here but a light neck scarf can also go a long way to finish your look. Not a requirement but certainly something to think about.

5- Plan ahead

Make sure you plan ahead for your shoot. I can't tell you how many times I had clients come to shoot in a tizzy because the dress their kid was going to wear was dirty. Make sure you dry clean your clothes (if needed) make sure shirts are pressed and you are ready to rock on shoot day. Make sure hair is cut, fingernails don't have chipped polish and please don't wax your eyebrows day of.  If you are planning new makeup or a new style, try to do that a few weeks before your shoot so you have time to adjust. Family shoots can be stressful (as much as you will have fun with me on shoot day) you still have to get everyone on board (happy) and on time looking their best if you plan your outfits ahead it will be one less  thing to stress about on shoot day.

6- Avoid all white or all black or fluorescents.

If everyone showed up in black if would difficult to photograph you can end up with clippings (which just means you loose a little details in the clothes in order to properly expose your skin) Florescent shirts can throw color casts on the skin, which is just time consuming to correct in photoshop, especially if it's for every photo. So this request is just for me.. thanks!

7- Consider your home

Many family portraits end up gracing the walls of your home, especially if you have a plan to print a large print, think what would look best on your walls? Light and fun or dark and moody. Do you have white furniture would a portrait look good if everyone was wearing dark colors. A picky point I know, but something to think about for a moment.

8- A few more tips

For men wear dark colored socks, so if they peek out they don't stand out (unless this is a barefoot shoot of course). Women consider a shirt with at least a small sleeve, this helps the attention go to your face, not your bare arms, as a rule it looks better (but of course not always) Do you see the white socks peeping out - Yes I photoshopped them dark in the end (but I can't do that for every photo)

9- Keep is classic

These images will be around for year to come. So timeless simple classic attire will help you not cringe when you look at these images over the years. Of course that's fun too, looking back at your pegged jeans and mc hammer pants for the 80's is great fodder for a giggle.

Thanks for reading! I can't wait to help create your family portraits.

-Sara Waterman

Scottsdale Red head

Oh la la la la this red head stunner had it all, dimples, curly hair, bright blue eyes, a killer smile, easy to work with. It was a photographers dream! Shot at the Scottsdale Civic center in downtown Scottsdale Arizona. What a beautiful happy family, it showed in these stunning images. Sara Waterman is a family photographer located in North Scottsdale Arizona.

Professional Photography by Sara Waterman Photography

This stunner is graduating from school to be a nurse practitioner she wanted professional shots for her resume and announcements... wow did we get some fantastic image. Shot at the beautiful location of DC Market Street in North Scottsdale, Arizona. Using natural light at sunset. I just love her red dress matching her reddish hair. Great attire, makeup and “tude”. For head shots like this it’s all about the eyes and the brows, you want the eyes to talk to you, you want interest, it’s all about the right angles to bring out the beauty in people. It takes experience and a little technical know how to get it right, oh and a bunch of trial and error. Like I always say hard work (taking a ton of pictures) leads to success, which is displayed by these photographs. Shot by Scottsdale Family photographer, Sara Waterman. www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Selfie of a Scottsdale photographer

So my photog friend and I drove due east for about 45 minutes braved the rattlesnakes, the scorpions and the jumping cholla and we set up our lights and took pictures of each other... ok so we were a red hot mess with our lights, the wind the weight, it was a sight to be seen. However my pal Haley has talent just look at the images she captured. Finally, I have some decent “photographer” portraits of myself. I will be updating my social media and website this week. Thanks! - Sara Waterman

North Scottsdale Photographer

www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Hiking for the shot

So we hiked the Mcdowell Mountain Sonoran preserve to witness the new moon pop up over the mountains, but my 5 year old girl was much more interesting if I must say so myself. One shot with all natural light, the other shot with off camera flash, can you tell which one is which? We also ran into other photographers on the mountain, this must be a popular spot and I see why, just beautiful scenery and light. 

Sara Waterman is a Scottsdale Family Photographer, located in North Scottsdale Arizona. www.sarawatermanphotography.com

5am wake up call in Scottsdale Arizona, by Family photographer Sara Waterman

Worth the 5am wake up call to catch the Arizona sunrise at 6:25am. Sure this 3 year old was a bit groggy and cranky, but with some bubbles and a fun tractor we were able to perk her right up and catch some breathtaking images of this little sassy pants. Love it! Hope to get to photograph her again. xoxo - Sara Waterman, Scottsdale Family photographer.

What a stunning backdrop, Camelback mountain in Scottsdale Arizona, just love sunset shoots and look at that hair on this sassy little pup. Shot at Chapperal park in Scottsdale by Family photographer Sara Waterman Photography.

Ohhhh can I be any more excited!!!! I just won an amazing learning opportunity from a photographer that is nothing short of amazing! Come join me!!!!  - Sara Waterman Scottsdale based family and small event photography.

Scottsdale Family Photography DC Ranch gem

Holly molly, I just moved to North Scottsdale in beautiful DC ranch, so many spots to use as stunning backdrops for family sessions. Check out this tractor, so cool and look at the background, the mountains, the sky, of course a beautiful golden hour helped, and kids that where (somewhat cooperative) just stunning. Shot by Sara Waterman, Scottsdale Photographer. www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Scottsdale Photographer, Sara Waterman Capturing her son

Life style photography is so cool, unplanned, totally real and does not require wrestling your 3 year old into an itchy Jane and Jack outfit (not that they have itchy clothing) but if your kids are like mine anything that's not cotton PJ's suck. Hmm can you blame them, I agree. Anyway, when I saw my 3 year old running around the house in this self made outfit, mom grabbed her canon 5d and a little fill flash bound behind me to capture these shots. I used my 35 mm and about 1.6 to try to get rid of my cluttered background a bit... but I don't mind it terrible it shows where we live, and in 20 years the kids will love studying these images. 

Thanks for listening - Sara Waterman, Arizona Photographer

Happy Fourth of July. Sparkler wonder by Scottsdale Family photographer Sara Waterman

Sparkler wonder. 3 year old Oliver (also my son)  is in awe of is sparkler all while eating an ice pop. Summer in an image. Night is about the only time I can take my camera out these days it's so bloody hot... and I'm soooo pregnant.  Sara Waterman Photography

Scottsdale Family Photographer

Well hello BEAUTIFUL Scottsdale Arizona, I'm so glad to be back. My first shoot at DC ranch Marketplace, such wonderful backdrops, nooks and walls to use. You get both the typical nature shots that the desert has to offer plus great "city" type shots, rusty walls, stoned walls, mirrors galore. So fun. I have a feeling I"m going to love living here again. Shot by Arizona Family photographer, Sara Waterman. Serving Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale and Arcadia.