Tampa Family Photographer WHOO HOO! Today is the day we get to look back at Christmas’ past and reflect on how much things have changed! As a Tampa family Photographer, it has been an HONOR and a BLESSING to photograph these family throughout the years! From our TGP family to yours we wish you a safe and Happy Holidays and a VERY Merry Christmas! Can’t wait to start off the New Year with you all! Tampa Family Photographer
Tampa Newborn Photographer Flash Back Friday is back on the blog today as we continue with our Best of 2014 series! So excited to feature just a few of our TGP newborns on the blog today! As a Tampa Newborn Photographer, I loved this year of all the cute little noses, wrinkly toes, and SUPER sweet smiles. Love this Flashback Friday: Best of 2014! Take a look at the blog next week for our LAST Throwback Thursday of the year! You won’t want to miss it! Tampa Newborn Photographer
Tampa Baby Photographer This little lady was so good during her sitting up session in the studio! As a Tampa Baby Photographer, I loved that she was crawling around the studio and gave me such sweet smiles during this sitting up session! We had so much fun playing dress up at the beginning of the session with the pearls and fancy head pieces 
And the special white crocheted dress that this little lady wore at the end of her sitting up session was handmade by her grandmother! What a sweet keepsake for this precious little lady! Tampa Baby Photographer
Tampa First Birthday Photographer Happy Flash Back Friday! Well, it’s that time of year again! As we look back on all the great memories of 2014, I’d like to make a tribute to the best (and some of the funniest) cake smash sessions of 2014. As a Tampa 1st Birthday Photographer, it has been such an honor to capture the first birthdays of these wonderful little one-year-old babies
! Hope you enjoy these as much as I did! And be sure to stay tuned for the Best of 2014 for next Flash Back Friday! Tampa First Birthday Photographer
Tampa Newborn Photographer This recent session had so many funny and sweet moments! After bribing big brother with a few gold fish crackers and the fun wagon prop, we were able to get him near his newborn baby brother! As a Tampa Newborn Photographer, I loved some of the facial expressions that we were able to capture as Big Brother interacted with baby brother. When on his own, this little guy slept like a champ and was super fun to play with all throughout the session! He even gave me a smile or two! Take a look Tampa Newborn Photographer
(tampa photographer) As I downloaded and scrolled through a recent session it inspired me to write this post on evening sessions with children. As a mom I am all to familiar with “the witching hour” which I am sure most moms reading this know, that is the hour in the evening (it is a different hour for every child but usually with in a couple hours of bedtime) when your most precious, adorable, perfect child is MISERABLE and you are to! This hour(s) creates fussy, cranky, needy children and this hour is very often what makes us moms count the seconds until bedtime. Although my children have now outgrown this hour (yay for me!) I remember it with not so much fondness very clearly. That is why when a mom emails or calls me to chat about a location session, I have a list of questions and a few things to chat about before we actually schedule.
As many of you may know, location sessions most often happen in the evenings about an hour before sunset. Depending on the time of year that could make the session start as late as 7:30 pm. Can they happen during the day or in the morning? Sure, however, the lighting is not as beautiful, the grass is usually wet (at least in the mornings) and it is often more difficult to find those shady areas that help keep your eyes from squinting in the bright sunlight.
So, back to that list… the first thing I usually ask is “How old are your children?”. If they tell me that their child(ren) are under 5, my next question is “How are they in the evenings?”. And we begin a very enlightening (at least I like to think so :)) conversation about evening sessions with young children. I always tell my potential client that I will of course take their pictures no matter what if they think their family is ready for it but I always like to remind them that it is not a great time for children to be at their best. And we do always get some great shots but there is a good chance that they many not have as many to choose from. Believe me, I have done MANY sessions in the evenings with young children…. how about 1 year old twins on the beach…. yea, i know, crazy! BUT, although VERY challenging, mom loved her gallery and it really told the story of how her family was at that point in time. She will always remember that time when her *babies* kept her on her toes (I am sure that is an understatement) and when she looks back at those pictures, I am sure she smiles and remembers that time with fondness. You can see some peaks of that session here.
So… that brings me back to my recent session. This particular mom and I had this discussion about evening sessions and one year olds. In her defense, we were trying to somewhat replicate a session we had done with her older child at ONE at the park. That session was great and he did just fine but as we know, every child is different. So off we trotted to UT (The University of Tampa) and began our session among at least 3 other sessions happening there at the same time 🙂 . Now, I love this location, it is beautiful with many options for backgrounds and beautiful light. But as I have learned over the many years of photographing children in the evening, this is when all photography “rules” go out the door and we just get what we can. The photographer in me REALLY (I mean REALLY) wants those perfect pictures, in the perfect light, beautifully in focus with an amazing smile or an adorable connection between siblings or family and believe me, I try SUPER HARD to get those (I think that my clients will tell you this… we *play* HARD at our sessions :)). We trot around the campus and we corral the kid(s) to my choice of backgrounds with beautiful light shining through the trees or landscape (my clients probably don’t even know that I am looking at all this but I am… as we walk around). We get the child(ren) perfectly placed and I turn on my *amazing* personality (lol!) and back up just a little bit to get what I think I need to in the frame of my camera…. By the time I get to the place I need to be (literally a split second- I move fast :)) there is a good chance the child is either up and moving, crying, or giving my silly sounds and faces a completely “blank” stare (even though I must say, I am rather funny). Mom and dad do *magic* tricks behind me (I will video this someday) but to no avail, there is no perfect smile or even a hint of happiness. Maybe we could qualify it as a cute *look* in this “perfect” spot…. but instead he gets up, moves to a NOT perfect spot and gives the most amazing smile ever….
Don’t know who’s thumb that is trying to keep him there for a minute (probably big brothers) 🙂
Will mom care? I have no idea, probably not … I like to think that in most cases I am the only one that cares about those perfect backgrounds (it is the photographer in me, I can’t help it- I am sure most other photographers can relate). Moms mostly just care about happy children and precious portraits that will put a smile on their faces as they walk by. It is just a “bonus” to get all of the things together in one shot. Here are some fun “behind the scenes pictures from this session as well as a few “gems” so this poor mommy who has not gotten her gallery yet doesn’t think that there are not any other shots as well. 🙂
We ended this session with a cake smash (after all what is a one year old session with out a yummy cake to end the night?) and although this session did have its issues, from all of the balloons popping (notice the amount of balloons in the beginning to the end), to adorable but busy toddlers, windy, and of course mosquitos, over all it was a great experience. And when I really think about it, almost all sessions bring their own unique set of issues whether they are in the mornings, in the studio, planned around naps or during the “witching hour”. Is an evening session right for you if you have little ones? You will have to decide… I think it went fine for this family! I think they will be very happy with their gallery! 🙂 (tampa photographer)
(Tampa newborn photographer) This little one was so special and so sweet. We were worried in the beginning of the session that she wouldn’t sleep but she worked it like a champ! 🙂 There are so many amazing image of her it was hard to pick out a few to share but here they are…
(tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa newborn photographer) Oooooo these cheeks! I absolutely love a little bit of baby chunk, especially on those precious kissable cheeks! This doll baby was a dream baby to photograph. I think mommy and daddy got some good R&R during her session as they let me play with her the whole time and I loved it! It was an awesome morning in the TGP studio! (tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa infant photographer) Such a special time for this amazing family with their new baby. Mommy is a big fan of a certain football team (as you will see) and I am sure her princess will help her cheer on her team in years to come. Just a few quick peaks for them before they get their full gallery in a couple of days. I would love to share their planned maternity session with you as well but since baby came quite a bit early- I think the best they got were a few snap shots on their phone for maternity pictures! LOL! I am sure the last picture in this group will be a huge favorite and I know they have been waiting to see it! (Tampa infant photographer)
(palm harbor baby photographer) This sweet baby was in the studio today and we had the perfect weather for a special spring set up in honor of the first day of spring! She had a great first photo shoot and I can’t wait to edit her pictures! 🙂 (Palm harbor newborn photographer)
(clearwater baby photographer) This special little thing was super interested in everything going on in the studio during her session! She didn’t want to miss anything! She couldn’t stay awake for the entire session but close to it! I am so excited to have her as one of the newest members of the New Beginnings Plan (although there are lots of new members lately). You can see her mommy and daddy’s beautiful maternity session here…. But for a special sneak peak of her newborn session just look below… (clearwater baby photographer)
(Tampa maternity photographer) Scheduling a beach session at this time of the year is always challenging with the unpredictable weather. Well, who am I kidding- scheduling a beach session at anytime of the year is challenging in Florida as we NEVER know when a rain shower could arrive but during this time of the year there are other elements to consider as well. Wind and cold temperatures are at the top of the concern list for this time of the year. It was not different for this tampa maternity session. We had it scheduled for just a little bit later but this smart mommy to be was watching the weather and contacted me to see if we could move it up a few days since a cold front was expected our our originally scheduled day. It was GREAT move (as you can see) since we had amazing light, beautiful temperatures and only a little breeze!
I am really looking forward to getting to know this couple this year as their next session will be their newborn session (delivery expected in just a few short weeks) as part of the TGP New Beginnings Plan. They choose to add on a maternity session to the plan and I think it was a very smart move considering how their session turned out! They will have amazing images to look back on and remember this special time of their lives! This will probably be their last “easy” beach session as I am sure any that they consider in the future will include an adorable child! LOL! (tampa maternity photographer)
(tampa first birthday pictures) This little one was “serious” about her cake smash session. I don’t think she thought there was to much to crack a smile about on this particular day. There were no fun and games- she was on a mission… get this over with LOL! Little did she know that she looks just as cute serious and she couldn’t hold it in for the whole session so we did get a few smirks out of her here and there! I will say though that she gave me one of my FAVORITE smash cake photos ever…. can you guess which one? It is for sure one of a kind and something that I have not ever had another one year old do (yet :))!
Couldn’t resist this sneak peak for mommy and daddy! Fun in the studio!
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(tampa baby photographer)
{tampa baby photographer} These two adorable babies started the New Beginnings Plan a little bit later than the usual so their 3 sessions were slightly adjusted from the “normal” three sessions that go with the plan (newborn, sitting up and one year). But we made it work just the same. Here a couple fun before and afters (their first session to their last) and then a last one of them together from the beginning to the the last session! For their last session (the outside image) they were super busy and it was almost impossible to get them to stay together without one getting up and toddling off but I think we got at least this one of them together. I will certainly miss seeing them frequently! {tampa baby photographer}
(tampa newborn photographer) I am so excited to share the new TGP promo video for newborn’s! A special thank you to Freddy with Final Shot Studios for the AMAZING job! I was dreading being interviewed and being on camera but he made it easy and smooth and I love the results! I would highly recommend him and Final Shot Studios for any type of video you are looking for. I am planning to do a few more in the future to give more info on other types of sessions and the New Beginnings Plan as well. We had a perfect little model for this special day and special “shout out” to her family for participating! I hope this video gives a little insight on how a newborn session goes at the TGP studio. Leave some love if you like it… if you don’t keep it to yourself LOL! 🙂
https://vimeo.com/84233218
Tampa newborn photographer
(Tampa maternity photographer) Wow! We sure lucked out with beautiful weather for this beach session. This special couple is TGP’s newest member of the New Beginnings Plan. Can you believe this mommy to be is due in just a couple short weeks! She looks so amazing and so happy (daddy does to of course but I know it’s no secret that is is “all about mommy” during this time)! 🙂 We actually moved this session up a day early and it was pure luck that we did since the night we had originally scheduled ended up being one of the coldest nights of the year. But this evening was absolutely perfect! (tampa maternity photographer)
(Tampa baby photographer) This cute little baby girl was super busy, crawling everywhere! Despite mom’s desire to have a headband in her hair, and the HUGE distractions we created while mom put it in to make her forget about it, she would NOT have it! IF there is a headband on, it was for a fleeting second before she ripped it out! LOL! She was the perfect New Beginnings Plan baby and performed well for all 3 of her sessions, including this one, her first birthday session 🙂 Although I hope to see her again in the future, I will certainly miss seeing her throughout the year! (Tampa baby photographer)
Tracy is Tampa’s premier baby photographer in the tampa and surrounding areas. Please contact her for information on sessions.
Happy Thursday everyone! Take a look at this cutie 🙂 This was his very first sitting up session and he gave me smiles all the way through 🙂 We planned it right around his nap time so this little guy was super happy and easy going. This family is a wonderful member of The New Beginnings Plan. As a Tampa Baby Photographer, I just love photographing all my sessions in studio, with natural light, just like this one! Take a look at this cute baby doll!
We are finally ready to schedule some children’s holiday mini sessions! There are 2 choices of packages this year (of course with the option to purchase more after receiving your gallery from the a la cart menu). The “Sweet Holiday” will be super fun and will be held on Friday afternoon, November 8th. There will be limited sessions available with only a certain amount of time slots in the afternoon. IF there is enough, I may be able to open a Saturday morning. Depending on your package you may create your own cards with your digital files OR have TGP create them for you with the Sweet and Sassy package. TGP cards will be customed designed to your session and you may purchase more if you are in need of more than 24. Hope to see you there! Feel free to share this post with friends! 🙂 Email to [email protected] or call (727) 491-6476
*For those of you waiting for family mini sessions… hold on… we are working on it! 🙂
My favorite collection is The New Beginnings Plan launched about four years ago in 2007. It includes three sessions for capturing the first few stages of life for your newborn baby. The plan can feature any stages you’d like for your baby but these are my recommendations:
1. Newborn Session (under 12 days)
2. Sitting up (on their own) Session
3. One year Birthday Session
Families often add on maternity sessions and sometimes an extra session through out the year to document all the stages. Over the course of four years, many families have been involved in The New Beginnings Plan. The plan has become so popular that as a Tampa Newborn Photographer, I can only take a limited number of babies per month.
One of the things I love about this plan is watching the babies grow over the years and getting to know the families. And although I usually see them again, it still breaks my heart when their final session of the plan comes around.
What the families tend to love most about The New Beginnings Plan are the keepsake albums that they receive at the end. They have this album as a timeless treasure that has all their baby’s precious moments right from the very beginning. 🙂
Here are some of my favorite New Beginnings Plan members from over the years. Enjoy! 🙂
(tampa newborn photographer) I would say that at almost every newborn session that the baby smiles. HOWEVER, I would also have to say that I almost NEVER have the camera in my hands at that time. It is something I often say… I can just never catch those precious smiles that we all love! I am hoping that this little smiler turns my luck around! She smiled so much WHEN I ACTUALLY HAD THE CAMERA that I decided to post only smiling pictures of her! She is the newest member of the New Beginnings Plan and I hope that all theses wonderful smiles carry through to all her sessions with TGP! 🙂 And I hope that these smiles make your hump day just that much better! (tampa newborn photographer)
(tampa baby photographer) This sweet bundle of joy has only been in the world for seven days and he’s already melting hearts. I was lucky enough to get together with my close photographer friend and spend the evening with this little bundle of joy. We had an absolute blast with playing with him and although he was hungry at sunset he was the perfect model for the rest of the session. The lighting was perfect and so was the company 🙂
*Disclaimer- baby was safely spotted for all shots and specifically on the swing, the baby had hands on him at all times the rest was done in photoshop. 🙂 (tampa baby photographer)
(safety harbor baby photographer) These kids have the most amazing blue eyes! Both of them! I have know this family for several years as I have been lucky enough to have had their first in my New Beginnings Plan and now their littlest as well! This is her “sitting up” session- the second session in the New Beginnings Plan. We incorporated some family shots into this one as well as a few with her brother. They are the proud owners of Nolan’s Pub in downtown Safety Harbor. It is a great little spot to hang out and have a beer with friends. If you are ever in the area- make sure to tell them I sent you 🙂 Heres this special families final sneak peak before they get their gallery! (safety harbor baby photographer)
(first birthday smash cake) This crazy little guy was just that during his first birthday photography session, *crazy*! But in the good “chase me around, I am happy and want to runway” kind of crazy! As you can tell, he was hilarious and full of his awesome personality! Thank you to Mmmm Delicious Cupcakes for making this super sized cupcake that worked out perfectly for the smash cake part of his session! As you can tell, he didn’t like it all! LOL! This was his last session (the first birthday smash cake photography session) of the TGP New Beginnings Plan and although I am positive I will be seeing him again :)… I hate that his year with me is already done! After his family chooses his images from this session TGP will begin to design his custom album that comes with his plan and they will have a beautiful keepsake from his first year. Along with all of the images/digital files and products that were ordered from each session his mommy will have long lasting memories of that cherished first year. I am sure, that she will tell you they are *priceless* to her and she will enjoy them for many years to come! Here is her sneak peak of her upcoming gallery which has MANY more adorable images in it! (first birthday smash cake)
(Tampa baby photographer) This little doll was so fun to dress up and play with during her session. Once she fell asleep she stayed in dreamland the entire session! She’s one of the newest members of the TGP New Beginnings Plan (my newborn – first birthday photography package) and I am so lucky to be able to watch her grow this year. I am sure she will be a princess for all her sessions and I can’t wait to see what we can dress her up in each time 🙂 There are so many more images in the gallery it was for sure hard to choose what to share but here is a quick preview! (tampa baby photographer)
(tampa baby photography studio) This perfect angel was so amazing for her photography session. There are so many great images this is just a tiny preview of what her gallery will look like (I feel like I say that for every session LOL!)! I guess I am lucky to photograph so many awesome families, children and babies! I totally loved every minute of our session and count the months until see her again for her sitting up session since she is part of the TGP New Beginnings Plan. (tampa baby photography studio)
(first birthday photographer) Seriously, the images that were created for this gallery were split seconds in time as this HAPPY little toddler RAN through the studio! Mom and I were out of breath chasing her around. So, if you look below and see her sitting….that is literally one split second, just long enough for the shutter to click! LOL! Truly, I have “standard” camera settings that I usually use in the studio…. I changed them for her to make sure I could actually capture some in focus! LOL! However, as busy as she was with her toddler “frankenstein” walk (you know when they hold their arms out in front of them to balance :)), she was truly the happiest toddler I may have ever photographed. There were hardly any images of her without a big smile on her face. That is until the smash cake part of the photography session- which she was not to crazy about. But that is okay it was a joy to meet her mom and spend time with her in the studio and I hope to see them again in the near future! (first birthday photographer)
(tampa photographer) Ooooo this little two year old was SO adorable! Her personality was so much fun (as you will see). I seriously could have shown EVERY image in her gallery and there are SOOOO many images, I have NO idea how her family will choose between them all. I am so lucky to work with so many great families and their children! (tampa photographer)
(Clearwater family photographer) This family was so much fun and their little man was “on the GO”! 🙂 He kept our session “quick and to the point”! LOL! Both kids were full of personality and so much fun to spend time with (oh- and mom and dad were great to :))! Their session was a special gift from a family member, it is always a great thing to remember that pictures are a gift that will NEVER be forgotten or regretted! TGP can help you with the perfect gift to suit your needs. Now for the sneak peaks for this special family… (clearwater family photographer)
(tampa baby photographer) I was so lucky to photograph this family during the holidays for a special holiday session in their home. We had a great time and I was blessed to have them return for their newborn session with their second little girl. She was a dream to spend the morning with and she will be a lucky little sister as her big sister will be doting on her for many years to come. I love all the images of the two girls together and there is a sneak peak of just a couple below. Mom brought in a few fun props to use in her Hungry Caterpillar themed room which is always fun too! (tampa baby photographer)
(tampa photographer) This little one was just precious, weighing in at a little less the 5lbs! She slept like a champ while we played in the TGP studio. She is one of the newest members of the TGP New Beginnings Plan. There are limited sessions left for the summer so if you are expecting a baby this summer or you’re planning to schedule a session make sure to email or call soon… there are not many space left! I am excited to show this new family their gallery and it won’t be long now! (tampa photographer)
(Clearwater maternity photographer) Ahhhh, the wind was in full force at this on location maternity. I know we were all worried about how the pictures would turn out with this special couple in a wind tunnel for much of the session but we were able to find a few spots that weren’t quite as bad and even the ones where the wind was blowing turned out amazing! I LOVE on location maternity sessions. It is so fun to be able to incorporate the natural beauty of outside with the natural glow of a “mommy to be”. I know for sure the couple is SUPER excited to meet their new baby as it has been a VERY LONG time coming. I can’t wait to meet the baby too 😉 That will be their next session in the TGP New Beginnings Plan. (clearwater maternity photographer)
(tampa baby photographer) I swear, I could show EVERY picture in this family’s gallery! This was the sitting up session of her New Beginnings Plan and she was a perfect angel. Except for a quick bottle break… she smiled the entire session. Enjoy this large sneak peak… (tampa baby photographer)
Oh the last series in pink…. those are GUCCI shoes and a hat! A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!
