Baby Amara | Seattle Newborn Photography

I met this sweet family for their maternity session a few months back. You can see that gorgeous sunset session by clicking >>> HERE. 

I knew their newborn session would be fantastic as they are super laid back. We met on a drizzly Saturday morning. Their tiny baby girl was only a week old and so beautiful.  A full head of newborn hair.

In home newborn sessions are perfect in Seattle. It's the kind of session I can do all year long and these types of session really have my heart. 

Enjoy this sweet newborn baby girl and her precious family. 

If you are interested in booking a maternity and newborn session with me, click >>> HERE. 

Best Locations For Family Photography In Seattle

The weather is changing and us Satellites are trading our clouds and rain for sunshine and blue skies! That means it is officially Seattle Family Photography Season! My favorite. 

Chances are you have your family session on the books and you are wondering what location you should have your session at. This is on of the most common questions I get asked "Elena, where should we have our session??"

I don't want this to be a point of stress for you. I want my sessions to be a relaxed and fun experience. I wanted to share a few tips on how to pick the best location for you and your family. 

Seattle has an abundance of locations right in the city or within a very short drive of the city. We live in such a beautiful part of the country and I love including it's beauty in your family photos. 

Here are a few things to consider when selecting the best location for your family photography session in Seattle or anywhere really. 

1. What does your family like to do for fun? How do you all like to spend your time? 

Make sure you are choosing a location that will best suit your families personality. For example, if you love hiking together we may want to head out to the mountains. 

2. Consider the ages of your children. 

If you have super young kiddos an urban location may not be a great choice because you don't want to have to worry about cars and other people to distract your little one. Perhaps an open field or park may be the best location. 

3. Take into account the season your session is scheduled for. For example, there are some gorgeous parks in the fall that really show the beautiful Pacific Northwest autumn colors off. If it is going to be warm on your session date, going to the beach and letting the kids get their feet wet might be super fun! 

4. Let's talk about traffic. Seattle is gorgeous, but the traffic is awful. We don't want you commuting across town during rush hour. That won't make anyone excited for family photos. So make sure to choose a location that will be easy to get to at your scheduled session time. 

Here are the different types of locations Seattle has to offer for family photography.

1. Urban. Seattle has some incredible urban locations that show off our historical architecture as well as some great textures. 

2. Beach. We have an abundance of beaches right here in the city of Seattle! We are so lucky to be surrounded by so much water. What is fantastic about our beach locations is that they are usually surrounded by trees and water so you get a ton of diversity at these locations. 

3. Forrest. We actually have forrests within the city limits! Seattle is so incredbile. If your family loves to spend time in the woods the forrest may be be best location for your session! 

4. Park. Seattle is chock full of gorgous parks! Parks can be especially gorgeous in the fall when the leaves are changing. This makes a lovely back drop for your family photos. 

5. Mountains. This option is weather dependent as many of my favorite mountain locations get snowed in come December, however if you are willing to drive about an hour out of the city, the back drop is very rewarding. You can make an adventure out of it. 

6. Open field. Luckily, my favorite field is right in the city, however I know of a few remote fields as well that are only a 30 minute drive away. Fields make a gorgeous back drop for your family photos. 

There you have it! Hopefully this gives you some great ideas about where to have your next family photography session. You have invested your time and your money into this experience so taking the time to really consider the location is a good idea. 

Three Tips For Creating Great Family Portraits | Photography Tips

Hey friend! 


It is not a secret that I love family photography. And I SUPER love Seattle Family Photography because I love the people in this city! They are for sure my people.  

Family photography is what I would say is my speciality, my zone of genius. I love it. But I will admit, there was a time when I was telling my friends... "I think I am going to give up on family photography and stick to newborns and seniors." You guys! I suck at seniors. And while I do love newborns, at that time it was posed newborns I was talking about. This couldn't have been further from what I love or what my heart wanted. It was what I thought was easier. 

So what gives? 

Well, I hated family photography because I was trying to make my families look perfect. I was scouring the internet trying to find the perfect poses and then trying at every shoot to pose my families in these perfect ways which was making me feel totally defeated. It would make anyone feel that way. Sound familiar?? Please tell me I am not alone. ;)

So let me tell you three things you can do RIGHT NOW to improve your family photography and whats more is that it will make it more satisfying for you too. 

1. Give up perfection. Let it go. Today, stop trying to make your families look perfect. Instead, focus on capturing connection and emotion. Family is anything but perfect and there is no rule book that says we have to make them look that way. Put your own twist on it. 

2. Use movement in your family work. Ask them to sing, dance, spin, run, tickle, tell a story. Anything to get them engaged and moving. You will love the results. 

3. Tell the parents over and over again NOT to look at you but instead to look at each other. This will make the images more meaningful and more emotive. They need lots of reminding about this as they have been trained to look at the camera their whole lives but it will be worth it. 

Give these tips a try and let me know if even these simple tips help you make a change. Family photography is very in demand so don't give up! 

Baby James | Seattle Newborn Photographer

I know I have said this a million times and I know I will say it a million times again but I love newborn photography. My sessions are super chill. I know how much is going on in your house when you have a newborn baby. Last thing I want you to do is feel stress about your baby acting a certain way for perfect photos. Your baby is perfect just as he or she is and I will show you that. I will come into your home and capture you just as you are. I use my experience as a NICU nurse to keep your baby safe and comfortable all while using my experience as an artist to create timeless images for you and your family to last a life time. 

This session was so heart warming. Baby James was named after his grandfathers and both were present for the shoot. We got many images of baby James in the arms of his grandparents. Then, we captured him with his big sister and his parents.

It was a sunny spring morning here in Seattle and the warmth of the sun filled their home. But the warmth of their love is what left me leaving with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. 

Seattle Newborn Photography

Seattle Newborn Photography

Seattle Newborn Photography

Seattle Newborn Photography

Seattle Family Photography

Seattle Family Photography

Seattle Family Photography

Seattle Family Photography

Seattle Family Photographer

Seattle Family Photographer

Seattle In Home Newborn Photographer

Seattle In Home Newborn Photographer

Seattle In Home Newborn Photographer

Seattle In Home Newborn Photographer

Seattle In Home Newborn Photographer

Seattle Unposed Newborn Photographer

Seattle Unposed Newborn Photographer

Seattle Unposed Newborn Photographer

Seattle Unposed Newborn Photographer

Seattle Unposed Newborn Photographer

Seattle Newborn Photographer

Seattle Newborn Photographer

I Am A Camera Gear Minimalist | Photography Tips For Canon Users

Hi Friend, 
I hope you are having a wonderful week! 

I don't know about you, but when I was first starting out I thought I needed a ton of expensive camera gear to be a good photographer. I also thought to be considered a "professional" I had to have the latest camera body and a bag full of lenses. Not to mention an expensive camera bag at that! 

This was a major point of stress for me as we were on a very tight budget seven years ago. The only reason we had a DSLR was because we used our tax return money for it. But I wanted to make this business work so bad! So bad! So I decided to forge ahead with my Canon 50D and a 50mm 1.4 lens. 

I grew my business from nothing to a regular business with that gear alone. No other lenses. I made a pact to myself that I would not spend money on my business that I didn't make from my business. 

Of course, I have since upgraded but I still remain very minimal with my gear. I have a Canon 5D miii, a 35 mm 1.4, a 50mm 1.2, and a 135 mm 2.0. I also have a macro (non L) lens that I bought used. 

I use a combo of the 35 and 135 for family sessions and occasionally bring out the 50. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/seattle-family-photographer/

I use the 35 almost exclusively for newborn sessions. I bring out the macro lens for about 5 minutes of each shoot. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/newborn-photography-seattle/

I use the 50 exclusively for school shoots. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/school-photography-seattle/

Everyone asks me when I plan to upgrade to the Mark IV. At this point I have no plans to. My miii works just fine and I have no need to drop nearly 4K just to have the latest gear. I will need a real reason to do that. 

I think starting my journey with a basic body and one lens made me a better photographer. It forced me to get creative in tight spaces (the 50D is a crop censor) and it inspired me to learn how to be *really* good with minimal gear rather than relying on lenses for effect or quality. 

If you are ready to upgrade, I recommend renting first. You may not love a lens that someone else is raving about. It really is a personal preference. 

So don't let other peoples massive gear stashes pressure you. The gear is nice, but it's the artist behind the lens that makes the photograph. 

Xoxo,

Elena