Thank Heaven for Little Boys

Noah Stevenson

I have to start by saying I was so excited for this newborn photo session!!  I have been on a long string of photographing little girls so when I had a chance to finally take a little boys newborn photos, I was ready! And naturally, because we are all girl at the "Short House", it was fun excuse to go shopping for some new accessories to use!! I saw this blue seersucker sash at one of my favorite a local boutique in Mooresville, Sweet Grass, and they had this Mudpie sashon sale and couldn't help myself! ( also, you love Mudpie stuff check out mudpiemarket.com, great sales!!)

Upon arriving at the Stevenson house, I was greeted by the proud big broth, Sawyer, who was very interested in what types of props I had with me and helped me unpack several of them. We then walked into the living room where he helped me take a few photos and throughly enjoyed seeing the photos he took as well as seeing himself in the photos that we had taken thought out the time I was there. We then moved into the master bedroom where Elyse has just finished feeding Noah and he was the happiest, most content little guy! Seriously, I don’t think I heard him cry the whole time I was there. 

Josh and Elyse, has a home full of natural light and light neutral wall colors that created the perfect atmosphere for some light and airy photos. They are also some of the most kind, laid back parents I have met for having a one week old and a toddler in the house. 

Elyse decorated Noah’s nursery with the sweetest little accents and tasteful decorations that did not distract from the photos that were taken. It allowed us to really focus on them and their relationship with their new son in these photos. 

We finished our sessions by going in the backyard under a shady tree to capture one more family photo. Sawyer was trouper by smiling and got a fun blue sucker at the end of it all!! It was such a pleasure meeting the Stevenson family and it was an honor to be able to the first to document their life as a family of 4!

Katy Short is a family photographer but does any and all things from engagements, to weddings, to newborns and family portraits with young and grown kids. She loves God, her Mr. Fix-it husband, three daughters, anything with chocolate. She is grew up in southern Louisiana but loves that she gets to call Mooresville, NC home and she secretly hopes to be able to move back so her daughter’s can experience all the unique things that make southern Louisiana so special. Please email Katy at kshortphoto@gmail.com for your next photography needs. 

First Birthday's are the BEST!

Miss Kenzie

Birthday cake, balloons, gifts that mom can wrap right in front of you and you have no clue, family and friends all coming in to celebrate...... and you have no idea what is going on or why everyone is so excited, but no doubt there will be photos for you too look back on!! Thats what first birthday's are made of!  

Little miss Kenzie turns one this month and I have had the pleasure of not only taking her first birthday photos but also her newborn photos, four months old and 8 month old old photos. I was also blessed to be able to do the same for her older brother Palmer (isn't that the cutest name ever!!). 

For this session we went to an open field in Davidson, NC and had the looming threat of thunderstorms just north of us. As always, the Hague's were ready early for their session and when I saw the storm pop up I was happy to hear that they were ready to go so we could start early! We got some great family shoots, some of Kenzie and Palmer and then of Kenzie with a cute little cake her mom picked up from Publix. After Kenzie got a little time with the cake by herself, Palmer got to come over and try some cake too and even try to feed his little sister some icing!

In perfect timing, once we got all packed up (or cleaned up in Kenzie's case) I got the first sprinkles on my windshield and had them all the way home. I am so thankful we were able to get this session done and the Hague's will have their little girls photos before her first birthday!

I have to say, I am sad I won't be seeing this sweet family every 3-4 months to capture those first year moments but I will be fun to see how much they grow as I hope to continue to photograph their family at least once a year!! They are the sweetest kids, the most beautiful blue eyes and dark long eyelashes and have amazing laid back parents that are such a joy to work with. 

Thank you Hague Family for trusting me to capture the first years of both Palmer and Kenzie!

Katy Short is a family photographer but does any and all things from engagements, to weddings, to newborns and family portraits with young and grown kids. She loves God, her Mr. Fix-it husband, three daughters, anything with chocolate. She is grew up in southern Louisiana but loves that she gets to call Mooresville, NC home and she secretly hopes to be able to move back so her daughter’s can experience all the unique things that make southern Louisiana so special. Please email Katy at kshortphoto@gmail.com for your next photography needs.  

Little Miss Ivy

What is more exciting than when great friends become parents for the first time? Chris and Jess have been long time friends of Weston and I and we couldn't be more excited for them!  Just last week they welcomed little miss Ivy into the world and it was an honor to be able to capture their first family photos. 

Upon waking into their home you are instantly greeted by their first child, an adorable dog named Murry. He is very proud of his baby sister and she gets tons of kisses from him anytime she is at his level, which is almost everywhere. Murphy and Ivy will definitely have an amazing relationship as she grows up! 

 

Taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather here in Davidson, we made our way to their amazing front porch swing, the kind that makes you want to leydown and get a good book!  After taking a few photos outside and in their living room that is flooded with natural light, we got to do some photos in the nursery and finished the session in their master bedroom. The nursery might have been one of my favorite nursery spaces I have been in, in a long time. Jessica designed one of the sweetest spaces for their little girl with neutral colors and a few girls touches that I am sure Ivy will love once she gets a little older. Jessica is one of the best bargain hunters I know (seriously, if you want to know where to get a deal, ask her!) but also has an eye for reclaimed objects and how to use them in a different way than they were intended (like their headboard, it was garage doors from Chris's grandma's house). Their home has some really great heirloom items and one of my favorite qualities of this couple is how much respect they have for where they come from and love for those around them. 

Chris and Jessica, thank you so much for asking me to come be apart of your lives in a time that is so crazy and exciting all at the same time. Yall are going to be amazing parents and Ivy is going to be loved more than she can handle. 

Katy Short is a family photographer but does any and all things from engagements, to weddings, to newborns and family portraits with young and grown kids. She loves God, her Mr. Fix-it husband, three daughters, anything with chocolate. She is grew up in southern Louisiana but loves that she gets to call Mooresville, NC home and she secretly hopes to be able to move back so her daughter’s can experience all the unique things that make southern Louisiana so special. Please email Katy at kshortphoto@gmail.com for your next photography needs. 

Family Photos..... What to Wear!!!

Its spring time and along with spring cleaning I know lots of people love to get their updated family photos with all the beautiful spring colors! So maybe you have booked a photo session and maybe you are overwhelmed with the thought of planning your family photo session in your backyard with your own camera, either way, these tips will help you and your family look their best!! 

So you have decided on a date for your family photos, now comes the hard part of figuring out what everyone is going to wear! As a mom of three daughters this is always a huge job!! So in an effort to make things easier for you, I have outlined a few tips on how to lay out the perfect coordinating outfits that will take your photos to the next level, justl like they came out of a magazine!!! 

If your home has a signature color scheme try and figure out what that is and what colors compliment that space. If you know there is a certain place you want to hang that family portrait start in that space! Once you identify the colors of those rooms, see if one of those colors look good on you? If not, is there a color that you love to wear that would work well with the colors in that space? For example look at this photo from Pottery Barn. If this was your space and you had a family photo on the wall you may want to find outfits with a light blue, green, yellow, white and a shade of brown, with a cute ridding boot of course ;) - A photo with your family is those colors would compliment this space so much more than a family in orange, pink and purple (even though I doubt most families wouldn't have all those in one photos together lol). 

courtesy of Pottery Barn

Next tip and this is a BIG one!! Parents, always start with you!! I know its easy to put ourselves last and find the cute item for the kids but its actually so much harder to make you match the kids instead of the kids matching you! For me, if I like the way I look in the photo I am more likely to print it and keep it around the home, post it to Instagram and/or Facebook (and tag Katy Short Photography of course!). So start with those colors you found around your home and find a dress or top you love and feel confident in!! Then, if you have young kids this is easier to find items that they look good in because they always look cute and there are so many options for them!! If you have teenagers who are wanting to decide what they wear the next steps will help you give them guideline so they can find what they want while still giving them guidelines on color and pattern. The goal is that the family still looks like a cohesive unit and everyone is happy with what they are wearing!  But first, find something you love and feel GREAT in!! 

Photo courtesy of Stylish Petite

Keep patterns to a minimum...... If everyone has a patten on the shirt (like check, flowers, polkadots, etc.) the eye doesn't know where to look once the photos are printed. I always say keep it to a 3:1 ratio, so if you have just started growing your family and have one child, its best to put them in a pattern bc they are usually front and center. If you have a family of 5-6 you can have 1-2 of them in a pattern and everyone else wears a solid color. So back to that teenager, you can now tell them that they need to wear something with blue, green or yellow and it can or can't have a pattern. Now that they have the guidelines and are still feeling like they are in control of what they wear, will hopefully makes for a happy and smooth process. 

An oldie but a goodie before we had our third!! 

Another great tips is, accent with a fun pop of color! If you have a little girl with yellow pants, then its fun to have mom wear a scarf that is the same color. Or if a little boy has a teal shirt under a navy blue vest then mom or dad could do a shirt in that teal color. But try to limit the bright pops of color to one or two items. Like in this example the twins are in a pattern with a little yellow so big sister got to pop in an all yellow dress! Nailed it! 

Don't put everyone in one color! There was a huge trend in the 90's where everyone wore white and it needs to stay in the 90's lol! A few years ago we gifted my in-laws a photo session with a local photographer for Christmas (they LOVED it by the way! So if you have that person that is hard to buy for, contact me about gift cards!!). Well the second year we did it, my mother-in-law wanted all the boys in the family to be in blue and the women in pink. Everyone in their family (three boys) have blue eyes and the blue shirt makes their eyes pop.  This is great but the problem was that everyone wore all different shades of blue and pink. When this happens you are drawn to all the different shades and how the colors don't really flow, so when I see this I don't focus on everyone's faces in the photos instead I notice all the different blues. So whats interesting is by making everyone the same, it takes away from everyone's faces in the photo. I will say there is one exception to this and its if you have twins/triplets/ quadruplets..... in that case they are always cute when they are dressed the same! 

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Butler Photography

I hope this helps you and your family look their best and take away some of the stress of having an upcoming family photo session! As always, when your a client on KSP I am here to help you from start to end to make your photos your best ones yet. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or send me your clothing laid out to see if it will all work together and in the space we planed your photo session. 

About the Author:

Katy Short started as a family photographer about 4 years ago but does any and all things from engagements, to weddings, to newborns and family portraits with young and grown kids. She loves God, her Mr. Fix-it husband, three daughters, anything with chocolate. She is grew up in southern Louisiana but loves that she gets to call Mooresville, NC home and she secretly hopes to be able to move back so her daughter’s can experience all the unique things that make Louisiana special.

She is Finally Here! Welcome Eleni Tate

She is finally here!!

Another little girl joined our family a few weeks ago!!! My brother, Robbie, and sister-in-law, Georgina, welcomed their first child, Eleni Tate!!  This little girl was loved long before she was here and has already stollen quite a few hearts!! 

There is something so special about watching your older brother navigate parenthood especially after you have been in his shoes yourself (three times lol)! Robbie has always been great with kids and so I have no doubt about the type of father he will be!!! 

As soon as Eleni was born my dad, step-mom Kim, as well as my grandparents were there visiting for a few days, and I was fortunate enough that I had an opening in my schedule to be able to drive down to FL to see her a few days as she was one week old!  To be completely honest I was a little anxious to get down there.  These new parents weren’t the parents that came into this knowing a ton about babies, I think they both told me that they had never changed a diaper until she was born! That, along with quite a few funny, slightly unrealistic comments and conversations with Robbie before Eleni was born, made me want to whiteness these two navigate parenthood as soon as possible!! Before I got there I wasn’t quite sure how much help they needed or how to help but not be in the way of their exciting new experience!! However, to my surprise Robbie and Georgina were quickly starting to find their groove as new parents!! There was of course the first blow-out diaper that I think at one point had Eleni having more poop on her head then her bottom, being there for her first bath at home and most importantly being asked to help capture their life at home through my lease! Wow, what an honor to be asked by your bother and sister-in-law (who has a local photographer they love) to be able to capture the first photos of them as a family!!

Their home is a photographer’s dream with all the neutral colors and natural light! We took photos throughout the late morning and early afternoon as we had time between feedings and picking up lunch. Georgina was worried the nursery would be too dark but it ended up not being an issue at all and might be some of my favorite photos I have taken to date!! After photos in the nursery, which Georgina did an amazing job decorating, we took some photos of the three of them in the master bedroom and then we finished the photos downstairs in their kitchen.  The previous photos we had done upstairs were mostly focused on the baby and once we moved downstairs I wanted these to be more about Robbie and Georgina and being able to see their love and connection through the photos! One of my favorite ways of doing this was by coming up with fun games and silly things for Robbie to do to make Georgina laugh!! This is not something that Robbie struggles as he was always keeping my sister and I in stitches when we were growing up (remember the "convertible" and "t-Rex Rob??) 

Robbie and Georgina, thank you so much for not only inviting me into your space as yall have flawlessly navigated this new exciting time but also for letting me be apart of this journey and Eleni's life so far. I know the days and nights become one in these early days but try to savor every cuddle, every smile, and even every late night that you get to sit and rock her back to sleep because these days will go so fast and you will crave for just one more night to hold her until your arms and back feel like they will break! 

Katy Short is a family photographer but does any and all things from engagements, to weddings, to newborns and family portraits with young and grown kids. She loves God, her Mr. Fix-it husband, three daughters, anything with chocolate. She is grew up in southern Louisiana but loves that she gets to call Mooresville, NC home and she secretly hopes to be able to move back so her daughter's can experience all the unique things that make southern Louisiana so special. Please email Katy at kshortphoto@gmail.com for your next photography needs.