Front Porch Sessions

I'm excited to announce that beginning this summer, I will be offering Front Porch Sessions! These 20 minute mini sessions take place right in front of your home or apartment building, and are a great way to commemorate the times.* I am a big believer that photography is meant to tell the story of your life, and for better or worse, the story of our lives this year is being quarantined at home with our families.

And because this pandemic has affected so many in so many ways, I will be donating a portion of the session fee to the Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund.

*No actual porch required. We can shoot in your driveway, front yard, back yard, back deck, through your windows, whatever makes the most sense for your living situation. No matter the size of your front stoop, I am confident we will find beautiful ways to shoot and capture your family in a variety of fun images.

Why Choose a Front Porch Session?

Front porch sessions are a great way to maintain social distance during our shoot. I will drive up, call to let you know I've arrived, and use a long lens to photograph you from a distance. (Check out my last blog post of information on my 2020 Health and Safety plans)

And, the best thing about front porch sessions is that you can fully make them your own. Want to put on real clothes and do your hair for the first time in months? Great! Rather capture the true quarantined family in your over-worn lounge wear? Awesome! We will chat before your session and come up with a plan that captures the story you want to tell.

Session Cost

I'm charging my basic mini session fee ($295 + tax) for these sessions and donating 20% to the Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund. The session fee includes your donation, the 20 minute session, a private online viewing gallery, and at least 10 artfully edited, hi-resolution digital files with copyright release.

Please reach out at info@leahb.com with any questions or information about scheduling*.

*I will be offering these sessions first to current clients, and then opening the schedule as space allows.

Reopening Plan

Update for July 2020: Although I had hoped to wait until Phase 3 to reopen, it doesn't look like we'll be reaching Phase 3 anytime soon and it's time to get back to shooting. I am confident that by following the policies I've listed below getting together with clients outside will be entirely safe during Phase 2. However, if at any time you feel uncomfortable getting together we can cancel or reschedule as needed. Please email me at info@leahb.com if you have any questions or concerns.

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After much thought, I have decided to start shooting again when King County has reached Phase 3 of the state's reopening plan. Although photographers may be legally allowed to begin work in Phase 2, out of an abundance of caution and frankly the sanity of my own family (I simply can’t give you or your photos the focus you deserve without some form of care for my wild kiddos), I feel much more comfortable planning for an end of June (hopefully!) restart date.

If we had a session scheduled for this spring, I will be in touch to reschedule. I hope to get you on the calendar as soon as possible! And for those of you who were already planning a summer or fall session with me, I’d love to touch base. If at any point you feel uncomfortable with a session this year, absolutely no worries. Or if my fall clients are worried about a second wave, I am happy to meet with you this summer instead. Please let me know your thoughts so that I can make a plan that works for all. And please take a look below at the safety policies I’m putting in place for the remainder of the year.

Unfortunately, at this time, I cannot accept any new bookings for 2020.

LeahB Photography Health and Safety Policies

• No symptoms of sickness. If I or anyone in my household is sick within a 14 day span of your session we will reschedule (unless we've received a negative test result). I ask the same of you. I will be extremely flexible with any rescheduling needs.

• At least six feet of distance at all times. I will be using a longer focal length lens for my sessions this year. This means I can be farther away, but still capture intimate family moments.

• No pets at this time

• Touch-free payment

• I will be wearing a mask. Obviously, I cannot ask you and your family to wear a mask for your session (although one shot with everyone doing so may be a fun marker of the times), but I will be sure to have one on myself.

Also, as a quick note, I completely understand if professional photos aren’t in the cards for you this year. You can still support my small business by leaving a review, sharing past photos, or following me on social media. And please don’t forget to take some of your own photos this year. Life may be tough right now, but we’re living history and it’s a time we’ll never forget. (For tips on taking great photos, and getting in those photos, check out my last blog post). Stay Safe!

6 tips for Getting in the Photo this Mother's Day

With our quarantined Mother’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to reach out and say, I see you Mamas. I see you giving your all to keep your world afloat. This is hard. Some days I'm barely holding on. Still, between the uncertainty, fear, and exhaustion, there have been some really sweet moments. And if you're anything like me, you love documenting those moments.

For me, photography has always been about telling a story; of weaving together the moments of our life in a visual narrative. Right now we're living history. Capturing our story during this time is more important than ever. The problem with being the family documentarian, however, is that more-often-than-not I'm absent from the images. And I'm guessing I'm not alone in this.

So, this Mother's Day, I challenge you to GET IN THE PHOTO. I know you need a haircut. I know you haven't worn real pants in months. But your kiddos don't care. They only care that you are with them and when they look back at the images of this time they'll want to see you. You are their entire world right now and a huge part of their story always. And I promise you, when you look back years from now, you won't see your messy hair, you'll see the smiles, the joy in the small moments, and the fact that you were there.

To help you with this challenge, I’ve put together a list of tips for your quarantined Mother’s Day photo. This list focuses on shooting in your house, which is, after-all, where you're spending more of your time these days. However, if you're lucky enough to have a backyard, porch, or even a pretty spot you can walk to, you can also head outside (I'll adjust the tips for a great outside photo at the end). It may not represent the Mother’s Day you expected, but it will be a true testament to your current life.

1. Choose your camera. It can be a fancy one, your phone, or anything in between. The best camera is the one you have with you. Sure, better equipment takes a better photo, but the most important thing is that this photo is taken, not how perfect it is.

2. Find a window. Choose one that does not have direct sunlight coming through at the time of your photo. On a cloudy day that could be any in window in your house. On a sunny day, avoid windows with direct sunlight, unless that direct light falls somewhere other than on your faces.

Set up your shot in front of that window. You can stand, sit, do an activity, just make sure there is window light illuminating the area where you’ll be. Bedrooms and beds are often a great place to shoot, as they usually have a large window to the side and give you a lot of space to play around.

3. Turn off artificial lights. You want to shoot with only natural, outdoor light. So turn off any and all artificial lights in the room or adjacent rooms to where you are shooting. And I mean all the lights. If that desk lamp in the corner, or the hallway light that leaks into the room is on, it will detract from your photo.

4. Declutter. No need to clean your whole house (who has time for that!), but do attempt to neaten the area in which you’re shooting. Perhaps throw all that junk on your bedside table into basket. Or better yet, shoot toward a blank wall where the only mess may be a few greasy handprints.

5. Use an interval timer. (Or have someone take the photo, of course) Unlike the standard timer on your camera/phone, which only takes one shot per set-up, an interval timer takes a photo every few seconds for as long as you set it. This is a great way to get awesome interactive photos. Set up your interval timer, scoop up the kids, stand in front of the camera (by a window!), and start interacting with them. Tickle them, kiss them, sing, do an activity. Do whatever you can to elicit some real smiles and real interaction. Your timer will shoot every few seconds and hopefully will capture a perfect moment. And if you have someone taking the photo, tell them to keep shooting. Have them take a shot every few seconds just like the timer.

• If you have a fancy camera, check out your manual, it may have an interval timer included. If not, you can purchase a wireless shutter release that has an interval timer.

• If you’re using your phone you can download the Photo Timer+ App

6. Capture your family in action. Children have no need to sit and smile pretty for a camera. And even if you can get them to pose, that won't capture them as they truly are. I prefer to capture my kiddos in action. I'll set up an activity (in some good light, of course!), turn the camera toward us with an interval timer, and go about the activity as normal.

If I want a more portrait style image, I scoop them up, stand in front of the camera, and tickle or kiss them, while the camera clicks away. I rarely get photos of everyone looking, but that works for me. I prefer capturing the real moments.

If you're heading outside, you'll still want to follow all the tips above.

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1. Choose whatever camera you have available

2. Avoid direct sunlight on your faces. On a cloudy day this is just about anywhere, but if it's sunny out, you'll want to find a shady spot to stand, where no sunlight hits your face. In general, the best outdoor light is in the morning or evening when the sun is lower in the sky

3. Turn off artificial lights that might be in the photo (porch lights, garage lights, etc.)

4. Declutter your background (no cars, garden hoses, etc.)

5. Use an interval timer to capture more than one image at a time.

6. Capture the action. There's lots more room to run around outside; so take advantage of that! You can have the kiddos jump with you. Or run into your arms. Keep them moving and active and you're sure to get a fun, real moment.

So there you go. A few tips for getting in the photo this quarantined Mother's Day. But, hey, if you find you're too overwhelmed with advice on how to handle life right now, no worries, ignore my tips, I know I've had to ignore tons of advice thrown my way. But please, still, for you and for your kids, remember to GET IN THE PHOTO.

And send me your images! I'd love to see what you capture!

Happy Mother's Day. Stay well <3