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LAUREN KIRKHAM

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My name is Lauren and I live in Upstate New York with my husband and our two kiddos, Leo and Nora. Those two are the best thing my husband and I have ever done, and I seriously photograph them all. the. time. I live to capture natural moments of love, joy, crazy and quiet. I love love, I love newborns and babies, and I love families. This is what rings true in everything I do.  In addition to being a photographer, I am a pediatric nurse. I am inspired by these little people, reminded of their strength and how amazing children are every day. Working with them gives me perspective on life, makes me appreciate the littlest moments as remarkable ones and motivates me to provide lasting memories in heirlooms for my clients.

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CREATING AUTHENTIC LIFESTYLE IMAGERY

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Have you ever wondered how to get families to look less stiff, more relaxed and comfortable in a lifestyle portrait session?  How do you get moms and dads to cozy up or to laugh while still looking real and authentic?  In this course you will learn tips and tricks to get families to relax, how to set up comfortable “poses” that evolve into authentic moments, and how to work with challenging children and parents in their lifestyle session.  Lifestyle portrait photography has a unique place in between posed portrait photography and documentary photography - the moments after direction are often where the magic happens.   We will walk through a portrait session from start to finish - from preparing your client to the session itself so you can walk away confident with your workflow.  You’ll learn my go-to “unposed poses”, ways I create a fun and laughter filled atmosphere and what to do when your plan doesn’t go “according to plan.”  I think lifestyle family sessions are fun, easygoing and completely beautiful, and after this lesson you’ll understand just how important you are in facilitating that atmosphere.

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I first became interested in photography when my first child was born.  I wanted to document every moment of his life so I could relive it in our family albums and in photographs on our walls.  I loved newborns and babies and immediately started reading everything I could about posing newborns, how to edit skin tones and everything in between.  It felt very forced to me and I couldn’t get the flow right.  In the beginning I photographed many of my friends children and focused on posing more than anything.  After about a year of trying to force myself into learning and mimicking poses I started to let go of “perfect” and allowed myself to photograph when I felt moved to.  I started documenting real life - our moments, my family, my home.  I explored light within my home and new the perfect times to photograph in every room in my home.  I finally felt like I could just give in to my creativity and let my heart lead my camera rather than thinking so hard about the poses.  Once I let go of “perfection” I allowed myself to really see inside our life - to see how much sons hands wrapped around his toys, how the light hit his face, the little moments that I thought were insignificant all of a sudden meant everything.  And I knew I had to share this with others - the feeling you get from seeing a genuine smile on your child’s face, the warmth you feel in your heart when you look at a print on your wall of the whole family laughing - that was my calling.  Creating artwork that would bring families back into the moment - to remember that the little moments are in fact the most meaningful, to remind ourselves that life is far from perfect, but it is still so incredibly remarkable.

 

my artistic journey

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