Gemma Bean at Meadow Farms in Glen Allen VA {Richmond VA Newborn Baby Midlothian VA Photographer}

Gemma Bean Turns 4 {Richmond Newborn Baby Midlothian Photographer}

I can't believe Gemma is 4 years old already! This family started at as a client, my first real client in fact. What I mean by that is Jamie was the first person to hire me that was not a family member, friend or college.  She put her faith in me when I was at the very beginning stages of my photography career and has stuck by me ever since.  I have been photographing Gemma since she was just 3 months old! Gemma and Jamie have become much more than clients. It is so special for me to see and document Gemma as she grows into a beautiful charismatic kind and intelligent little lady! The bond that Jamie and Gemma share is so beautiful to see! I am so grateful everyday that photography came into my life!

Meet Baby Alyssandra | Newborn & Baby Photographer in Midlothian VA & Greater RVA

Can I just say how much I love having a studio?! Many new doors are being opened for me as a photographer now that I can offer photography services any day of the year, any time of day and any kind of weather. Another very big bonus to all of this is that I get to spend some time with many sweet babies and their families such as the Hood family! Although I love natural light photography and photographing families at the beautiful parks we have her in RVA & Midlothian it's also nice being able to talk to parents and interact with the babies in a confined environment where they can't run off chasing after a bird, leaf or whatever else grabs their attention!  Regardless of whether I am in the studio or at a park my goal is always the same, to capture real moments and every family member's unique personalities.  Yes there tends to be more posing in the studio, but I'm still looking for those candid shots in between that family members will cherish forever. I want my families to look back at their images from a session with me and remember all of the silly faces their baby made or how hard we all worked to get her to giggle, smile and not scream her head off!  If all you see are the polished posed pictures of your baby, it's easy to forget all of those moments. An experience with me is not just about making a beautiful image, it's about creating and preserving memories. After all isn't that the main objective of a photograph?

Alyssandra came into the studio all smiles and did such a great job during her solo performance as we tossed her in buckets and had a few wardrobe changes. When it was time though for the family picture she was no longer humored by me and in true diva style decided it was time for all of us to really start working.  She put up a good front, but her mommy and daddy knew exactly how to make her happy. A little food and a little love from Mom and Dad and she could not contain herself.

As with any session I photograph I always have a hard time putting my camera away because without fail, as soon as I do, an amazing moment happens!  I'm so glad I kept my camera out after Alyssandra's session because some of my favorite pictures is of her getting dressed into her "street" clothes.  Many thanks Hood family for allowing me to photograph your amazing little family and create to  memories with you!

Richmond Family Photographer Sarah Kane | Family Portraits at Meadow Farms in Glen Allen VA

Sarah Kane Photography

Fall is one of my favorite times of year for photography.  Meadow Farms, at Crump Park in Glen Allen VA, is one of my favorite locations for a family portrait session. Winter, spring, summer or fall Meadow Farms is the perfect backdrop for a portrait session of any kind! The barns, trees and animals bring the colonial feel of Williamsburg right to Glen Allen.  I've been photographing families and couples at Meadow Farms going on four years now.  It is so beautiful with the historic charm of Williamsburg, but without the crowds that is until this year. Sure I'd occasionally run into a photographer here or there, but it was rare.  It seems though this year the secret is out.  On the weekends you can expect to see three to four photographers. During the peak fall season expect fifteen to twenty!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I showed up for my mini-session this year only to find that every photographer in the area was also having their mini-session that day! It's all good though. I am a huge supporter of other photographers and I'm glad this beautiful location is available to us all and the best part is, it's free!!

So, now it's time to meet the Campbell family and their adorable twin boys!! What little sweethearts they are.  I love capturing siblings interacting, but watching these two tiny men explore together, throw leaves at each other and give hugs was extra special! They were so good natured and excited when it was time to play in the leaves. The expressions on the boy's faces was priceless! I have to say those are my favorite of the bunch! I had a smile on during the entire session, through all of the editing and then again when I chose the images for this blog post!  I cannot say it enough how truly grateful I am to be able to capture such special moments in a family's life. Now it's time to meet this wonderful family, but I want to leave you with this sweet little saying "Because I have a brother, I will always have a friend". This is so true! Much love and happiness to the Campbell family!

Vintage Child Portraits | Midlothian VA | Sarah Kane Photography

Where do I even begin? I am so excited to share this Midlothian Vintage photography session because it is very unique and something I've never done before! When Anne contacted me about taking a few portraits of her new child in the family's christening gown that has been handed down from generation to generation over the past 100 years I was ecstatic. I love photographing things that have meaning! She wanted a setting that had a vintage feel to compliment the history of the gown. I immediately started racking my brain for ideas, but was coming up short. I reached out to my awesome and supportive photography community for ideas and still nothing seemed to be right. With a few weeks away from our session I still had nothing. Now I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and if you pay attention to the little signs the universe sends you and are just still for a moment things will work out and that's exactly what happened. I wasn't stressing too much about it because we did have a back up plan if we couldn't find a more unique place, but I'll admit I would have been disappointed.

My good friend Francesine knew I had been searching for a vintage couch and happen to find one at a yard sale. She texted me with a picture, but I didn't see it until they had left.  When I got her text and saw the picture of the couch that was only $25 I immediately  texted her back asking where it was and hoping it was still there (even though I had no idea how I was going to get it home safely). She and her husband without hesitation volunteered to pick it up for me and deliver it to my house. They are such kind awesome people! When I saw it I was so excited despite the amount of work I knew this couch was going to need to be suitable for clients and pictures. For $25 though if it just sat in my garage for the next 10 years it was worth it! My husband might disagree ;)

I received the couch and started thinking maybe it wouldn't look too bad in photos as is (for now) and it might be cool to use it for the christening gown shoot. I ran it past Anne and she liked the idea. I was couldn't wait to try out my new couch! On the day of our session it was dreary and light showers. I left it up to Anne if she wanted me to throw my camera's rain coat on or reschedule. She decided to reschedule and I'm so glad she did because the rain brought beautiful wild yellow flowers that added the perfect touch to the shoot!  I love how these turned out and can't wait to use this couch again! Baby Reece knocked it out of the park with this shoot! She looks like a little vintage porcelain doll. Enjoy!

I couldn't leave big sister out!

view more images of these sweet girls

Lifestyle Photographer in Richmond Virginia | Gemma Year Three

It's hard to believe that it's been three years since I first met sweet Gemma Bean and her amazing mom Jamie! I have been photographing Gemma since she was just 3 months old! This family is very special to me not only because I've been watching Gemma grow for the past three years, but because Jamie was my very first client that had no previous connection to me. When I first began my photography business four years ago the first year was spent building my portfolio by giving huge discounts and many free family portraits. A year into business Jamie contacted me to photograph her baby girl and I was beyond excited. It was my first real official client and I was overwhelmed with a variety of emotions among them utter excitement and fear. When I met Jamie for the first time my fear quickly dissipated. She was so nice, easy going and down-to-earth. Not only did she hire me to photograph her most precious gift on earth Gemma, but also hired me a few months later to take some portraits of her extended family! Until Jamie my clientele consisted of a small circle of people I knew either through teaching or my son's daycare. Don't get me wrong I am grateful for each and every one of them. Without them I would not be where I am today, but there's just something about your very first client who has no reason to trust you, doesn't know anyone in your circle, but takes a chance on you anyway and Jamie has continued taking chances with me every year since!  I love all of my families I photograph, but Jamie and Gemma will always hold a special place in my heart.  

Watching Gemma grow from a newborn to the sweet little lady she has become is absolutely wonderful.  The love and bond between Gemma and Jamie is so special. Jamie is an amazing mother and an incredible woman! I look forward to seeing them every year. I love that Gemma calls me her friend Sarah! She is so sweet and it's so much fun to see her personality develop through the years. Her true colors shine when the camera's out and she never disappoints me. The trick to photographing children is to just let them be themselves. They are in control and it's my job to be ready for whatever they throw my way. They are unpredictable keeping me on my toes and I love every second of it!!

When I arrived at Jamie and Gemma's house Gemma was finishing her breakfast while rocking a diamond studded princess tiara. Most kids don't remember me and take a bit of time to warm up, but not Gemma. She had been waiting for her "friend Sarah" to come and take her picture all morning! She was in full diva mode and much to my surprise allowed me to pose her.

I'm sure you can see why I was very  excited. I knew if this was a fleeting moment of cooperation it was perfectly fine because it doesn't get much better than that! She was perfect. When Gemma saw the picture she told her mom "Sarah told me to put my hand there".

Ok so I was wrong. Clearly it does get much better. Gemma was blowing me away!! With this picture Miss Gemma needed no direction. This pose was all her!! Well, enough talking. Who wants to see more adorable pictures?

Another reason why Jamie is awesome she let Gemma dance in puddles in her flower girl dress! She's my kind of mom!!!

Gemma: "I'm all dirty. Being dirty makes me mad"

There's just something about black and white

"shhhh"

Children's Portraits | Meadow Farms Glen Allen | Sarah Kane Photography

There are some people who are just naturally very comfortable in front of a camera, I am not one of those people, but I am learning.  This past Saturday I photographed someone who is meant to be in front of the camera and get this he's only 6-years-old! I was warned, as most parents do, that Cason had a lot of energy and at times was "listening challenged". The apologies were rolling in before we even met up. I thought I knew exactly what to expect, Cason would be like the 98% of kids I photograph (along with my own kids) and I was fully prepared with my bag of tricks. I saw Cason running up the hill toward me and I had my telephoto lens out, locked and loaded.  Cason started up the hill running full tilt and just as he got to the camera he stopped dead in his tracks and struck a pose. "Oh cool", I thought. At least I'd get one picture of him standing still looking at the camera. Before I could finish my thought he was off and running towards the sheep. I took off after him and was ready for my workout (good thing I had my fast shoes on). Cason stopped at the fence and was watching the sheep. I asked him to look at the camera and what happened next was nothing less than a miracle, he looked straight at the camera and smiled (you won't see that picture here though because the light wasn't very good). Surely this must be a fluke I thought. Two smiles in the first 5 minutes? I kept pushing to see how long I could ride it out and with each stop I was blown away! Cason was a true professional. He did exactly what I asked every single time! He was so good. In fact, it took me awhile to realize that I was no longer running the show. Cason was taking me to the most perfect locations (lighting and all) and immediately getting into a pose. I seriously gave this child minimal directions. The entire shoot went on effortlessly and at no point did Cason act unprofessionally or lose his cool (I know. Right? He's only six)!

I had so many pictures of Cason it was time to add the baby. I knew things were going too swimmingly and now's when it was about to get down and dirty. Well, it did get a little dirty seeing as Landen insisted on eating as much grass and clovers as he could get his little hands on, but I was proven wrong again! Cason's little brother Landen loved the camera too and on this day history was made!

Cason and I exchanged information and I will definitely be contacting him in the future if I ever need a child model ;)

"mmmm...this dirt looks delicious".

Let the feasting begin!

What a face!

The pretty ladies behind the scenes!

Family Portraits | Midlothian VA | Sunday Park

I am very excited to share this family portrait session with you all! This is the family who won my facebook contest and received this session absolutely free!  

What a privilege it was to photograph this family!  Little Miss Anaiya was so cooperative and sweet! It didn't take her long to warm up to the camera especially when she put on her ballerina Easter dress and started to twirl, that's when I saw her beautiful unique personality shine! I had so many favorites from this session. It was hard narrowing it down for the blog!

The best part of my job is capturing the love and real connection families share. There is no greater gift on earth! This family made it so easy to capture those moments. Prepare yourself to fall in love with Miss Anaiya, I certainly did!

Daddy's little girl...

I want to hang this picture on my wall!

I absolutely love this picture!

Look at how she looks up at her mama. Priceless!

I've never had anyone ask to take MY picture during a session. "Miss Sarah, I want to take your picture". You don't say no to a face like that. She did a pretty good job too! Thank you Anaiya!