About Christina

When I was young, I picked up my first camera.  My pictures weren't any good but it was fun, and when I looked through the camera, I felt as if I was on an adventure. Soon I was carrying my camera everywhere. As I got older, I bought a 35mm and started photographing people, landscapes and sports while trying out all kinds of lenses and filters.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter my sister told me of her experience taking her two sons to a local photographer. When it was time to view proofs, she didn't like any of the ones presented and knew she wasn’t seeing all of the pictures they’d taken. The photographer had decided the rest “weren’t any good.” My sister asked to see these photos.

In these cast off pictures she found her favorite. While the boys weren’t sitting close together and tilted their heads in different directions, it was a picture that touched her heart. They were both smiling and the expressions on their faces were those of her playful, happy boys. She ended up choosing one from the set the photographer had said "weren't any good."

My sister’s experience made me realize I wanted to take my kid's portraits. From the moment my daughter was born, I started taking her portraits, laying her down on a pillow and snapping away. It was fun. I bought sheets and used curtains as backdrops…I’d use anything I could find.  It was trial and error, but I definitely got better. As she grew, I started taking her pictures outside, which I love. It’s so different outside where you can use nature as your backdrop.

Now I have a second daughter and both of them enjoy having their picture taken and seeing all their shots. One of the many advantages is that we can see all the pictures we take, the good and the bad. And we get to decide which ones aren’t good enough to share.

Over the years, I've had so many people ask me how I get such great shots. I’ve provide tips and tricks to friends and now they’re also taking their own kid's portraits. You can do it too, trust me! Being your kid’s photographer is so much fun and you can save a ton of time and money doing it yourself. Not to mention, you get to keep the "not so good" ones.

Christina

PS My 8 year old daughter took my picture above