Congratulations! | LaGrange Family Photographer

Congratulations Margaret Williams!  Contact First Moments for your Gift Certificate!

The Kline Family 2015 | Atlanta Area Family Photographer

It's time for those family portrait sessions!  I had the privilege of spending time with this sweet family recently and documenting their here and now.  Our families go way back, but this is the first time I have gotten to photograph them, and it was a great experience for me (and I hope for them!).  The Kline's have an awesome story to tell, and I loved my time catching up with them.  I cannot wait to see their beautiful portraits on their wall and see them enjoy them in their album!!

Christmas Card Session | Atlanta Family Photographer

I love receiving Christmas cards!  I get to see friends I don't see in person.  I get to see babies that I love growing.  New marriages, new houses, new wrinkles, it's all so fun - well unless it's my wrinkles!!  Christmas Cards are a tradition that I look forward to each year, giving and receiving.

This year, I want to make it easy for my clients to get this holiday tradition checked off their list.  I am so excited about the options we have available for some variety and personal style.  We will be capturing these portraits on a farm with various Christmas backdrops and some neutral settings also.  This could be a time to showcase new Christmas jammies, church clothes, or matching sister sets.

Packages start at $149 and that includes 50 holiday cards!  We also have packages available that include more cards and even artwork for your wall.  Of course, you can add a print for Grandma from the a la cart menu if you want.  She would love one of the Grands sharing milk and cookies!

Sessions are limited and will be scheduled November 13-15 at the optimum times for lighting.  Call soon to reserve the time that suits you best.  I look forward to seeing you!

Shhh! I know a Secret! | Georgia Baby Photographer

One of the privileges I love about being a photographer is getting to be in on and keep some fun secrets!  I've even been on the other end of being the one with the secret.  Surprise proposals, baby announcements, births - they all make for fun events with that anticipation attached to it.  Just a couple weeks ago I had the honor of capturing an announcement for friends.  She has (finally!) made the announcement herself, so now it's my turn!

Congratulations Kevin and Whitney!!

This baby has been prayed for, longed for, and hoped for for a long time by it's Momma and Daddy and the people who love them.  It has been an honor to get to watch God work in the lives of these two, and we wait with excitement for the arrival of this little one!

4 Month Charlee | Atlanta Area Baby Photographer

Charlee is growing like a weed, and she has such beautiful eyelashes!!  I have the best job to get to look at sweet things like this for work!

Senior Session Time! Class of 2016! | Atlanta Area Senior Photographer

Calling the Class of 2016!  It is that time!  I will be booking Senior Sessions for the month of September before the holiday portrait season kicks up, so come on down!  October gets busy with family sessions getting ready for Christmas, so I want to make sure my Seniors get their sessions booked for their best time.  Now is a great time with the weather cooling off (a few degrees), and it is in time to make sure these last captures of Momma's "baby" can be used for graduation needs and gifts (Grandma's gonna want one too!).  I will be reserving Thursdays in September for Seniors, so call to book the one that works best for you.  If Thursdays are not a good day for you, I will book others upon request and as scheduling allows.

Senior Portraits are some of my most creative sessions, and they are fun and easy going.  To get the most out of your Senior session, bring 2 to 3 outfit changes (atleast), think about props to represent your hobbies or interests at this time of your life, explore locations that mean the most to you right now, consider how you would want to represent what is in your future, and let your personality shine!  First Moments' Senior Session includes Senior Rep cards, a product package credit, and an in person proof reveal to support you in choosing the best images and products for your needs.  I also have available some special Senior packages that offer the best products to document this important time (Have you ever had your own app?!) or you can create your own package suitable to your own needs.

Call today!

Miss Stella 8 Months | Georgia Family Photographer

Miss Stella was not exactly her smiley self for her 8 month portraits!  We got some great smiles and grins, but this shot is actually one of my favorites!!  A great portrait does not have to be perfectly posed or a perfect representation of a child.  Sometimes it's just the one that grabs you.  It shows their personality or opposite their personality.  It's the one you love, and you don't have to have a reason!  This would have to go on my wall!!  Thank you for sharing sweet Stella with me!

Baby Camden

I think I say it every time, but it is a very distinct privilege for me to be invited to photograph a birth, and it is one of my favorite projects to work on.  I was there to witness Camden's big sister enter this world about 3 years ago.  This sweet family has since moved south a little, but I was absolutely excited to get to continue our tradition with the birth of their first son.

The families that I spend this time with become dear to my heart.  I feel like they are "mine."  When they become repeat clients, it only solidifies that feeling.  It is interesting too, the level of comfort that comes with the 2nd birth.  There is more interaction, more laughter, more real, which a documenting photographer loves.  Whitney is one of those get-it-done-mommas.  Once things get moving, be ready, because she's not going to waste any time!  Birth is so different for every momma, and it's a blessing when they go smoothly.

Without anymore delay, it's my honor to introduce Baby Camden's birthday:

Baby Brothers are Best! | Georgia Birth Photographer

I've got some blogging to do!  First order of business is starting with now!  This week, I had the wonderful privilege of a repeat birth client.  Mr. and Mrs. P moved to south Georgia after I photographed their baby girl for a year, and now 2 years from that, we got to reconnect over the birth of their son.  I was so excited to get the call that it was go time!  There is nothing like it!  Baby brother looked so much like big sister that I had to come right home to compare.  Can you tell these babies are family?! Welcome Baby Camden!

Sister is above (2012), Brother below (2015)

Congratulations Class of 2015!! | LaGrange, GA Senior Photographer

I just want to shout out a huge Congratulations to the class of 2015! As my own children approach this age more rapidly, I start to relate to the excitement surrounding this event. My friends' kids are starting to graduate, and the busyness of the season rivals that of Christmas time. I don't envy that! But, I have gotten to join in the fun by doing some Senior Portraits this year. It HAS been fun! I do a lot of baby and family photography, which I love dearly, but it is good for my creative juices to get to play with guys and girls that are there (pretty) willingly. They smile on command, they are compliant, and in my experience they are pretty natural in front of the camera. If they aren't, you'd never know it!

I had a blast playing with this beauty, so I wanted to share one of her shots in honor of her graduation. Congratulations Leanne and to the rest of the class of 2015!
 

Introducing Baby Charlee | Atlanta Newborn Photographer

I had a wonderful day with this sweet girl and her family for a newborn session.  Baby Charlee is the granddaughter of a special friend of mine, and according to Bebe, this is my Denton's future wife, so I'm thrilled to be taking her pictures!  I've got to keep an eye on my boy's girl! 

Charlee is a petite little thing, and she was a great model.  She slept sweetly and allowed me to play with her for a long time.  Congrats Smythe family!

Mother's Day Fun | Charity Opportunity

I am so excited to announce that First Moments Photography will be pairing with First Choice Women's Center and Stephen's Exclusives to be offering "You are my Sunshine" minisessions for Mother's Day!  First Moments will be at Stephen's Exclusives Saturday, May 9th taking portraits.  100% of the $75 session fee with go to First Choice Women's Center here in LaGrange.  The sessions will be prebooked and held by your session fee, so call soon!  There will be collections available to purchase that day when you preview your portrait proofs.  It is a great day to get some Mother's Day shopping done and give back to a local charity!

You may wonder who can be in the portraits or who they are of.  Anyone!  Mom, Mom and kids, siblings, Dad and kids are all options.  I think moms are usually the ones taking the photos, and sometimes they neglect to get in them!  Especially professional ones.  There's no time like the present!  However, if you do want to surprise Mom, that is special too!

Call to book your appointment time that day, and please call or email me with any questions!

706-594-2204 (Mandy)
mandydaniel@bellsouth.net

Killmer Family | LaGrange Family Photographer

We had a beautiful afternoon for some family pictures with the Killmers!  A lot has happened since the last time I got to photograph this sweet family!  Last time we were celebrating Tori and Robbie’s wedding, and now, they have a sweet Parker to add!  Thank you guys for sharing your afternoon with me.  Enjoy your sneak peak.

Family Portrait Advice

I had the same conversation this weekend with two different mommas, so I thought it warranted a space on the website today.  (Still got some updating to do by the way, so keep snooping around and checking things out.)  One momma, (you know who you are!) talked about being disappointed in her most recent family pics.  She was hoping to get a good wall portrait and things just didn’t come together well, and the quality wasn’t what she had wanted, and it was the first portrait in over 7 years!  That’s a lot of pressure on one session!  The other has a church directory picture that she hates on her wall because it is all she has.  She also has had an adoption, a wedding, and a grand baby since then!  I have a feeling they are not the only ones, so I wanted to share.

I know I’m a photographer, so I am biased, but I have ALWAYS loved photographs and even when we were a young, working-part-time-one-income-poor family, yearly portraits were a priority.  I am going to share my family’s shots from the last 4 or so years.  Just a personal note:  My hair has been great, totally wind-blown, good color, bad color, and everything in between.  My weight has ranged from 135 to about 175.  Some of these pictures would look great with the decor of my home.  Some are opposite of my decorating style.  Here is my advice about Family Portraits:

• Give yourself the opportunity.  Take at least one family group shot a year.  Make use of it.  Use it as a Christmas Card, print it for a scrapbook, put it on the wall or a table, have an album.
• Relax.  Not every year will be suitable for a wall portrait.  There will be bad hair, cheesy grins, uncooperative kids, bad coloring, etc.  BUT, every once in a while.  Every couple years or so, you will get a winner, and if you’re taking them often enough, you’ll get the winners!
• Dress neutrally every other year.  Of course, if you have a favorite color, throw it in as an accent.  If one year you have calm neutrals, then the next year you can dress in something fun or trendy or themed.  There is not so much pressure for the perfect picture once every 5 to 10 years.
• Don’t try to be perfect.  Accept where  you are right now.   Next year will be different for you, the hubby, the kids.  Sometimes we look back and say, “Man, we had it together.”  And sometimes we say, “Whew!  Glad we got past that stage!”  It’s about the memories and moments, not how perfect we are.  

So, here we go.  Enjoy my walk down memory lane, but make your own!! (And First Moments would love to help you with that!)

Spring is here!  It is time for some spring cleaning in my house and on this website.  It has needed an update for ages, and this spring break has given me a chance to sit down with it.  I feel like a "rebirth" of First Moments Photography is looming, and I am very excited about some polishing and growth.  Thank you to all who have participated in this amazing journey with me.  I see a bright future for First Moments!  In honor of our spring cleaning, I will add a spring mini portrait from the Bradford pears.  Stay tuned!

One step in front of the other...Progress.