Fairfield county Archives

Family Photographer Orange CT

Family Photographer Orange CT – Two little girls!

Mike and Kelly were some of my first clients and I adore them and their beautiful (and growing) family! Ella and Cora are as cute as can be and if they inherit their parents relaxed and fun approach to life then they are going to do great.

Cora was at that wonderful stage of sitting securely without crawling away – she was mellow and happy so we could have taken photos of her all day long. Some babies reach this stage around 5 months, some a little older but it really is a great stage to document, they can hold their head up high and you can capture some of those first signs of who they are. Once they start crawling and walking then it’s sometimes easier to get photos of the back of their head!

Every child is different and the beauty of a location shoot in a familiar setting is that we can move around and mix things up so that I can capture the personality of the little people in your family. I can’t wait to meet the new baby!!!!

Love, Janet xo

Newborn Photography CT – A baby sister!

Newborn Photography CT – A “Pinkalicious” Baby Sister!

I just love this little Bethel family. There is always something about each newborn photography session that makes each and every one just a little bit different. Whitney had put out a couple of hats and even had a crown for her little princess to wear the day we got together. If I remember correctly her Grandmother had hand knitted the hats and booties we used. I love that personal touch – we can’t all be knitters, but somehow or another, whether it be a photograph, a piece of jewelry or even a name, I see hints of the family history that these babies have inherited. I like to think that these images will become part of that family history as well to be shared with generations to come.

When my son was born I got a package of hand knitted sweaters that my Grandma made for my sister’s son. He was the first Great Grandson and she made sure he had a matinee jacket and matching booties for every day of the week! My nephews are in college now and those old fashioned looking (and not terribly practical) matinee jackets have been packed away after my children had their turn wearing them. Hopefully we’ll use them again (even if just for pictures!) and tell the story of Grandma Logan and her knitting prowess. Maybe that will lead to other stories and an opportunity for family memories to be passed down to a new generation.

Enjoy this yummy, pink, perfect baby and congratulations to the whole family!

I love how you can just see big sister Logan giving kisses here.

Which is your favorite? I loved the second to last the moment I saw it…..but the booties and hat are pretty darn cute too!

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Newborn Photography – Welcome Baby Brody!

Planet Photo Newborn Photography – welcomes Baby Brody!

I first met Amber and Eric of Raw Photo Design through our children. Olivia and Avery rode the bus to kindergarden and have been the best of friends ever since. It was a couple of weeks into the soccer season and side line chatter when I realized that this young couple were photographers (the 70-200 lens was probably the first clue) and I had been following their blog. Small world, huh?

Fast forward a few years and things have changed quite a bit for all of us. After spending a few years as part of the raw family, Planet Photo was born. Eric and Amber gave me the confidence, the inspiration (and a lot of technical know how!) to go for it. I learned tons from both of them and our families became close in so many ways. Tragedy struck earlier this year and Eric drowned in a terrible accident. We felt his loss deeply and promised to be there for Amber, her children and her baby on the way. We respect and honor Eric’s memory by talking about him often; sharing memories and guessing what he would say or do in a particular situation or just joking about the crazy things he did…… there was one time they came for dinner and Eric jumped behind my stove and started taking it apart so that he could figure out how to fix his own broken cooktop!

Avery and Olivia have helped each other with their losses this year, Olivia grieving for her Auntie Sarah and Avery for her Dad. It has created a strong bond that I hope will be there for a very long time and has made for some very strange back of the car conversations!

We are so excited to welcome Brody to the raw family. He is the glue and the promise of the future bringing them together, and he is already deeply adored by Amber, Avery and Ryder and all the family and friends around him. I was so happy to spend time with Amber and Brody to capture this little nugget at two weeks old. He is changing already but I think you will agree he is a very special little guy.

Welcome Brody Michael – we have lots of stories to share with you.

xoxox

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Family Photo Session – Danbury, CT

Family Photo Session – Tarrywile Mansion, Danbury, CT

What an adorable family! Another set of twins, this time twin boys with the cutest big sister you could ever wish for. We met over at Tarrywile Mansion a few weeks ago for a family photo session when there were still leaves on the trees and the golden light of fall in New England. Mikey and Tracy have that great relaxed attitude of parents that are used to going with the flow and they didn’t try to micro-manage the shoot. We hung out and played in leaves, we played tag, got running hugs (another great perk of the job) and threw big chestnut “balls” around. I have a feeling they all slept well that night after an afternoon at Tarrywile – Mikey and Tracy earned a glass of wine for sure!!!!

So, I am asked all the time what the ideal age is to take family portraits and I have to say every age has it’s advantages and it’s challenges. One thing I have learned over the years is that you have to follow the lead of the kids and some of the best shots of the day are on the way back to the car. Kids are busy and curious and generally don’t want to sit and “smile pretty”….. so let’s not make them do that! Let’s have some fun and keep it light, the shots will come and the personalities of the family will hopefully shine through much more than any of the manufactured contrived “pretty shots”. I think you can tell that this is a family that has fun together – what do you think?

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Newborn Photography CT – Branford Baby Boy

Newborn Photography CT – Welcome to the newest member of the Raw Photo Design family.

Before Planet Photo I worked as part of the Raw Photo Design team – we called ourselves the “raw family”. Raw Photo was started by Eric and Amber Langlois, a young charismatic couple from Connecticut with an amazing talent for photography. Eric and Amber brought a unique style to the CT wedding photography market and to couples wanting a modern, editorial style to their wedding day photography. I came on board to help with family photography and this little guy’s mom, Jill handled the studio management. With Brenden and Rob in the studio editing, the raw family expanded. Earlier this year Eric was lost in a tragic drowning accident leaving behind Amber, their two children and a baby on the way. Friends and family from all over Connecticut have supported and grieved alongside Amber and his loss is felt every day by many who knew him well and many who just admired his incredible talent. Although I no longer work for Raw Photo, I will always consider myself a member of the Raw Family and I was thrilled to welcome the newest member. Eric would have adored him.

The fund for Eric’s family

Jill’s beautiful baby boy was born when the leaves were falling and the air was starting to get a chill. Probably my favorite time in New England. No humidity, true blue skies and clear crisp days. We had to get him outside in the leaves and we wrapped him up in a cocoon to keep him warm. My son was born while we were living in Copenhagen Denmark. He took his naps bundled up in his pram and parked in the fresh air, even at daycare they put the babies outside to nap in rows of prams with no wheels! There has been much written about the Scandinavian tradition of parking prams outside a restaurant and leaving the baby unattended, something that would be unimaginable in the United States but is considered completely normal in Denmark. I will let you decide if you ever would dare….but don’t risk it in NYC, you just might be arrested!

Just a hint of a smile!

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Family Photos – Brookfield, CT

This Brookfield CT extended family have a lot of energy between them! We met on a sunny but slightly chilly morning at Happy Landings Farm and they burst out of the cars ready and eager to run and chase each other around. Could you imagine trying to capture these six in a studio????

It was so fun to see how they interacted together and how comfortable they all were with each other. So often today families are scattered far and wide but this family gets the benefit of growing up knowing and loving their cousins. The big ones look out for the little ones and everyone joined in to help make each other smile and look in the direction of the camera!

Erin is a teacher and I imagine she’s a great one – her kids certainly respond well to her fun, outgoing personality.

I love how the twins are literally doing laps around Mom, Dad and their baby brother – it looks like he is used to it though and not at all phased by the chaos!!!

I was blown away by the classic celtic coloring of this family, their red hair is stunning.

All the cousins sitting still for a moment or two……

The kids were getting a little cold but with a tootsie roll waiting for them in the car they were such troopers and I think the rosy cheeks just add to their cuteness!

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Ridgefield CT Newborn Photographer

Ridgefield CT Newborn Photographer – Planet Photo wants you to meet this future Rock Star Baby!

This shoot was planned on a bus ride to the Bronx Zoo – one school trip chaperone and one special-ed teacher chatting over the noise of lots of 4th graders excited to be out of school for the day! I love when a mom has time to look forward to the newborn shoot and has ideas to make it special.

I had an absolute blast with Kelly and her Mother-in-Law Karen and the newest addition to the family. Kelly’s husband plays guitar and loves music so we wanted to try to tie that in to the shoot. I love to make the newborn shoots a unique and personal experience, whether taking a prop from the home or including the colors the family loves, there is usually a way to make all newborn sessions just a little different. Some babies love to be on their tummy, some prefer their back, I listen and look for the cues from the baby and make sure they are always safe and secure. No photo is ever worth risking the safety of the baby. Thankfully my training as a nanny and my own children have prepared me to feel comfortable around babies and newborns and I love every minute of the shoot. Kelly and Karen were spotters in the guitar shots and were just out of the frame in case he came out of his deep sleep and stretched out his long legs!

So, grab a cup of coffee and check this one out – he is a keeper!

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Brookfield CT Family Photographer

Brookfield CT | Family Photographer Planet Photo at Happy Landings Farm

One of the perks of being a family photographer is being able to see how some of my regular families change over the years. I have always been impressed at how these Brookfield, CT siblings get along – at least when I am around…… and they usually have a lot of fun with the photo session. We chose Happy Landings Farm in Brookfield – we have done graffiti in Brookfield and fall colors over at Lover’s Leap in New Milford, so an open field with hay bales seemed like a good choice this year!!!

Happy Landings is a former dairy farm and a beautiful wide open nature preserve. It is hardly ever crowded and even if there were more than four cars in the parking lot there is plenty of room to find a moment of peace and quiet. We managed to squeeze a meeting into a hectic weekend of Irish dancing and hockey and even though the sky was gray, we certainly managed to capture the bond that exists between this brother and sister. I love the ones in the tall grasses, with a little help from some off camera flash you would never guess just how grey that day was. And best of all, no ticks were reported, although I think I got just a little poison ivy…….

Enjoy!

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CT Family Photographer Planet Photo welcomes Baby Cora – 5 days new!

CT Family Photographer welcomes Baby Cora!

I was lucky to meet baby Cora when she was only 5 days new. I am reminded time and again of the miracle of a new baby and absolutely adore these newborn family sessions.

Cora has the advantage of joining one of my favorite families whom I have had the honor to photograph on a few different occasions, both for Planet Photo and Raw Photo Design. Cora’s big sister Ella was 11 days old when I met her and she didn’t love the camera that day!!! But the upside was that I got to hang out and really get to know her parents and we bonded big time.

Cora was a star.

She fed and slept and posed and slept and made cute noises for the entire time I was there. I still got to hang out with Mike and Kelly and we got those sleepy baby photos that Kelly really wanted. Take a look and let me know what you think. I love her cheeks, her lips, her tiny finger and toes….. Yeah and everything else about her.

I know I will see them all again soon and I am looking forward to it already.

I love this one of Kelly photo-bombing the newborn posing session!!! Isn’t it so cute?

A hint of a smile above and then one of the only sad moments of the session… Isn’t Ella’s expression priceless?

Until next time…… Bye-bye Ella!

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Lighthouse Point Park Family Session – Ella’s Family!

Lighthouse Point Park New Haven, CT – Family Portrait Session

I met Kelly, Mike and Ella last year and they are amazing. They are sweet, down to earth, incredibly level-headed and have a great outlook on life. They have the cutest family of three and a new baby on the way. Although Kelly would probably like to start planning and decorating, they have decided to wait for one of the most incredible surprises life has to offer. I love surprises and I didn’t find out either – I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Kelly and I spoke about doing this shoot first back in January. She sent me an email explaining that her Dad was having surgery and even though everyone agreed that it was going to go well and they had absolutely nothing to worry about, she felt like we should get together and take photos of her Dad and Ella. Kelly had no way of knowing this, but it was actually the sixth anniversary of my mom’s passing and I loved the idea of photographing the three generations of her family together. I wanted to do it to honor my mom’s memory and to celebrate the continued health of theirs.

Well, it was January and the weather was ridiculously cold, and then of course everyone got sick, so we decided to wait. Thankfully Kelly’s dad recovered well but with a new baby on the way we wanted to incorporate “the belly” into the shoot. We decided that we should wait for summer, by that time her belly would be nice and round.

If you live in Connecticut then you know how hot it has been recently. We decided to meet early one Sunday morning at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. We figured if we met at 7:30 a.m. then the light would be good, the sun would not be too hot, and the crowds would be minimal. Our genius plan worked and we had the whole park to ourselves – well almost, there was a couple of fishermen and grounds keepers raking the beach but they didn’t mind us being there.

I love that you can see how relaxed and happy the whole family is together. Mike just became a Doctor and I was kicking myself for not suggesting that we shoot at Dr Mike’s ice-cream shop…. we will have to do that next time. I hope you all enjoy this family as much as I did.