www.LisaPhillipson.com

I’m so proud to announce my new blogsite www.lisaphillipson.com!  Please change your bookmarks now to this address for the latest and greatest.

This change has been a long time coming and we are still finishing up some small details.  Most everything about Lisa Phillipson Photography has changed this year except for my desire to take capture newborns, children and their families in a memorable and beautiful way.  I’m excited about the new look and can’t wait to see you at my new place.  Come on over and learn more!

Much love,

Lisa

Don’t you know I had fun with this sweet girlie.  Why else would she be smiling so big?

What a wonderful (early) Christmas present for her Mama.  I had my first baby about the same time of year and have been thinking lots about her Mom and wondering if she is getting any sleep. 

I had the privilege of meeting both grandmothers on this day.  They are Pro-Grandmas and this was not their first grandchild by far.  However, she is their Baby’s 1st Baby and that makes her so very special.

They are all very blessed to have each other and I can’t wait to watch this little one grow up.  I can already see that same beautiful smile on a toddler and all the joy she will bring.    The next few Christmases are going to be so FFFFUN!  I need to buy them an Elf on the Shelf don’t I?

Happy New Year!

My oldest received Tom many years ago but it was my middle child, Alex, that has always been the most curious about him.  In the past he has knocked him across the room or made him fall to see what would happen.  He tried to “take his magical powers” at times.  Alex isn’t bothered by consequences so Santa knowing all of this and possibly not bringing presents was no problem for him.  Last year the Elf actually left for a week because of bad behavior and also being thrown across the room.  Elf-Abuse.  Alex’s exact reaction to the Elf refusing to come back and no presents from Santa was “oh well, I’ll try better next year.”  Evan’s response was even better “I am only about 2% responsible for this.”  I have to admit, I was glad when Tom went away for a short while because he is just a lot of work for me.  Thankfully I requested an Elf that does not mess up houses or do mischievous things.  But, not only did I have to find a hiding place for him every day but it had to be a HIGH place so he wouldn’t be attacked.  This year, he wasn’t out 2 days before “someone” climbed up a tall bookcase and knocked him to the floor.  I don’t remember what happened next except that he was nowhere to be found.

For the last two weeks my husband and I have been tearing up the house looking for the Elf.  Where did they hide him?  Who took him?  Interrogation began.  After two weeks of the boys saying “maybe he is back at the North Pole” I started to wonder if I was crazy and had forgotten where I hid him.  At some point you just know he is dead, though.  I read lots of Facebook status updates of what other cute and fun things other elves were doing and felt sad that we can’t have fun things at our house.  I started to believe it was Evan that had taken Tom because it was unlike Alex to not break after two weeks of questioning.  I finally put a crack down on them yesterday and said there would be no more wii until I had my Elf.  I thought this would do Evan in for sure…and it did.  He complained and whined all day about how he didn’t know where he was.  Oh well, no Elf – no wii.  Apparently, all of his misery brought about a different result than what I expected although I ultimately got the information I needed.

Approximately 2 p.m. yesterday I learned the fate of Tom the Elf.  Out of the blue Alex came and confessed to me that he had thrown Tom into the trash.  He checked him out, removed his hat and something on his back and stuffed him into the kitchen trash.  He must have hidden him underneath things because we never noticed.  So, he is long gone in the City Dump now.

Mom:  Why, Alex?  Why?  What did the Elf ever do to you?

Alex:  “I don’t know.”  (usual answer for him)

(pause)

Alex:  I just don’t  like the way he looked.  He was always smiling.  All the time smiling.  No matter how bad you are or what you do he is always smiling.

Mom: Well, do you think he is smiling now in the city dump?

Alex:  Yeah, he is smiling for sure.

Mom:  What do you think Santa is going to say?  We may not get any presents!

Alex: I don’t care.  I didn’t like his cheeks.  They were too thin.

This conversation went on much longer and I will spare you those infuriating details.  These are the moments that I wonder what in the world is wrong with him and what is in his head.  I have to admit that the Elf is a little creepy.  His face reminds me of a clown and I hate clowns.  My Mom decorated my room with clown stuff when I was little and I never would have had the nerve to throw any of it away.

Bad Idea:  I had this thought that I could get another Elf and scuff him up like he had been in the Dump for a few weeks.  How much therapy would he need if I did that and an Elf was in our house again unexpectedly?   I think that would probably scare all of us pretty badly.   Stephen King’s Pet Cemetery is starting to come to mind.

I feel terrible for little Kate because she won’t get to have the fun of looking for the Elf every day in December.  I am going to run on the assumption that she is going to be a perfect angel and not need an Elf to tell Santa how good she is.  Also, perhaps Tom would have creeped her out like he did Alex anyway?

Here are a couple of pictures from my childhood.  Too bad you can’t see the face of the clown on the left to really see what I am talking about.  I like that his head is in a plastic bag even more than my expression.  (Sorry, Mama!)

My children have a weird annoying thing where they won’t get their picture made with large costumed animals.  They wouldn’t go near the Coke Polar Bear so I’ll have to use my pictures from last year.  And, where is the big Christmas Tree that is usually up by now outside of the Aquarium?  I guess I’m not the only one slow to get my decorations out this year.

Where is the tree?

Happy Birthday, Evan.  It is going so fast.  XOXO

We are going to enjoy your last year in the single-digits.  Your Dad said we were half-way done with your time living home with us and I cried.  That really puts things in perspective!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise His name. Psalm 100:4

My favorite comment during this session was by the 10 year old when he told me that I was taking too many pictures.  “Your battery is going to go dead if you don’t stop.”.  I love it!  Even with a family of 6 kids my battery held up fine and I was so happy to spend some time with them again.

I came across their images from a couple of years ago and they have all grown and changed so much.  Warning:  this too can happen to your children!  Sorry.

Both girls are beautiful.  This one knocked me out by how much she was like her mother (she may not want to hear that!).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gap, Old Navy and Piperlime have had a lot of good online deals lately and I have ordered too many things for my family.  They are a good resource for casual clothes to use in a family photo session.  This is just a sample of what your family could wear to give you an idea of what looks good together.  It can be a challenge to find coordinating clothes for the whole family that blend well but aren’t too matchy-matchy.  I love these neutrals with splashes of color.  They photograph so well and right now would look so great with all the yellow leaves.  If you are extremely challenged in the area of choosing clothes, enlist a friend to help you.  You can also bring several outfits to your photo session and your photographer can help put things together for you.  She will be your best guide especially in your setting with the lighting, etc.  It is always best to bring more than you will need for your session so you have choices.  Think of fun and colorful hats and scarves this time of year.  This is the easiest way to change a look or add color to a child who doesn’t want to change clothes in the middle of their session playing.  Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family if they have things you can borrow as well.

For color schemes, I am always a fan of blues and browns.  I also love oranges with different shades of brown.  You can check back here to remember what I chose for my own family session (and I promise to eventually get the results of that online!).  For natural settings without a lot of grass, I love the way red and especially a green apple color photograph.  My advice is to dress up Mom the way she looks best and everyone else can coordinate around her!

Use your imagination and most importantly pick things that are well suited for your family.  I couldn’t imagine my own family being photographed in anything but blue jeans!  Use your photographer as a great resource and consult with her beforehand.  I love to help my clients in this area and often suggest things that compliment our shooting location.  Most importantly, don’t stress too much about it.  With a good photographer, children look just as stunning and precious in jeans and a t-shirt!

And speaking of kids in t-shirts… Here is a shot from last weekend after we were finished with our session and nice clothes had been changed.  Luke grabbed his next door neighbor for this shot.  I did clean up the ink and some of the food on her face for impromptu picture (only because I thought Mom would like that).  I love the missing teeth and can not imagine she would be any more precious even with her hair brushed!    Thanks to her Mom & Dad for letting us borrow her for a few minutes.

Happy Hump Day!

These twins are such sweet girls.  You can see the one lost tooth on top and both have a several more wiggling.  They are going to grow up and change so much over this next year. Glad I got to capture them on this day.  As I waited for them it was so bright I was looking for alternative spots to “shoot” them.  As they pulled up it suddenly got overcast then dark.  You can even see a few raindrops in their images.  I can’t wait to do Christmas cards for them.  Speaking of…lots of Christmas cards are coming in these days.  That is so fun.  I’m always so happy for my clients that they have their Christmas cards taken care of so early.  I love to take something off of a Mom’s Christmas to-do list!

That’s all for now.  I’m working lots but also taking some time to enjoy the beautiful days we have had lately.  Hope you are too!

I have been working on two sessions this week with cute little red-headed boys.  I wish I could bottle up that hair color for myself.  I know you would love to squeeze this one but you will have to catch him first!  Love this family.  And, they have two boys about the same age difference as mine which makes me very nostalgic for my boys at this age and tired for their parents!  Look below – his little brother is just as adorable.

We were at the end of our session when I took these photos.  I had to hand out suckers to keep everyone still and in one place.  It is tough for little boys to stand still for so long when there was so much room to run and so many trains to see.  Although Dad is holding one of the suckers, he was a good sport.  No lollipop needed for him. 

We don’t get our picture made as a family that often but thanks to my Mom we have every Halloween for the past few years.  Because of the Holiday it reminds us that we should do this and we do it in the same place as the previous year.  We know we always take it on the front steps so this year even though we were hanging out in the back yard we all came around for “the” picture.  We never want to at the time, but we do and later we are happy we did.  It is much like a professional photo session you schedule – it may seem like some effort but you will be so glad that you did it.  I recommend taking a picture of your child or family in the same place every year.  It is fun to see how they grow through the years.  Even if you don’t stay in the same house you can try a photo in the front of the different homes you have.  It will be just as fun to mark the different places you have been and how your family changes through the years.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  As you can see in our picture this year, our standards have become so low that we don’t even make the kids look at the camera!  (The trick-or-treaters walking on the street and other things were much more interesting.)  If children are fussing or not into your big photo moment, take it anyway.  Capture real life of how they weren’t always agreeable at certain ages.  Some of my favorite pictures of myself and my kids are from birthdays where we are showing the bottom lip and pouting.  You will laugh about it later if not in the moment.  I’m not a big Halloween person but I think it is fun to see the different costumes every year.  Christmas is another time of year that everyone is dressed for the season and will remember to get a family picture.  In front of your Christmas tree or fireplace is the most obvious place.  Easter and Fourth of July are my other favorites that seem to prompt us to have a picture made together.  I have to think these photos can help your child with their memories of growing up.  I want to remind mine that their family and our time together is important.

Other ideas for capturing your children:  Try a piece of furniture in your home or a prop you child can hold or stand next to.  When our oldest child was born we started taking a picture of him in a big chair in our bedroom every month.  It is interesting to see the change through the first year and also through the years as his feet can finally touch the floor.  I’m thinking of pulling out my wedding dress and taking a picture of Kate wearing it every year.  I can’t think of a better way to use that dress.  Let a little boy wear Dad or Grandad’s big shirt and watch him eventually grow into it.   It is helpful to have a reminder every year to prompt these mini photo sessions.  If it isn’t a holiday it might be a birthday, family gathering or just a note on your calendar.  Hopefully it will be a fun thing and not something to stress about.  Even if you only try something like this every few years, you can still see the progression over a period of time and it will be special.

Note:  We can’t get over how little Kate once was in the 2007 picture!  When you have a newborn it is hard to imagine how fast and how big they get.  Even my boys look very young and sweet 3 years ago.  Oh, and you do not have permission to laugh at me in that picture.  You are getting a little glimpse of me at the end of pregnancy with a newborn.  You probably won’t see it again.  It’s not easy gaining THAT much weight!  ugh.  A not so fun fact about me:  I gained 55 lbs with each pregnancy no matter how I ate.  One of the many reasons I did not enjoy being pregnant.  Thank goodness the end reward was so worth it each time!