Hitchcock Family Blog: Family Pictures 2011

When we were looking last year for a photographer for our wedding, I had no idea that there were so many different options. I knew that we didn't want to spend a few hundred, but at the same time I didn't want to spend half our budget on photography either. I got a recommendation from a friend and, after looking at their portfolio, that's the photographer that we hired. We had a nice time taking our engagement photos last summer and now looked forward to our wedding day.

After many hours on our feet on our wedding day I was very excited to see the photos that we would cherish forever. After receiving the disc of photos and our wedding album we were a little less than excited with the pictures. It was by no fault of ours or our wedding party, but the photographer that we used just wasn't experienced enough. That is what I have come to learn. I guess I didn't really know what I was looking for and just picked the photographer that looked good at a good price. Most of our pictures were the "Smile and say cheese" type. Not very creative....

So now that it was time to have our annual family photos taken, I posted a message on Facebook for photographers. A friend of mine from high school recommended her cousins wife. I found her on Facebook, became her friend and started looking at the photos she had taken. She also posted some before/after pictures on her page as well. Ones where she took a picture and then edited it. Like taking items in the background out. Or moving pieces of hair that were blowing in someones face. Her work looked very creative and very different from our wedding photos. I was super stoked now!! I emailed her as set up an appointment.

So on Saturday we had our 1st annual family pictures taken at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. Our photographer was Sarah of Sarah Alston Photography. It was a beautiful fall day, a little chilly but gorgeous! We met Sarah a little before 4:00 in the afternoon.

We had brought a few props from home and were excited to see how she would incorporate them into our pictures. She had us sitting on a couple bridges, in the grass, dirt and leaves (on our quilt of course) and just hanging out being ourselves. She is so far from the "Smile and say cheese" type of photographer. And that is her motto on her website too!! No “Cheese” photos! We just walked around the park for an hour and when she found something that she thought would look like a great place for a photo, we stopped and set up. I even picked out one setting too!!

She was so great to work with. She will probably be doing our family photos for a long time. And the newborn photos of our future children as well.

Below are a few of the family pictures that we have received from her already. I LOVE THEM!!!!