Say Cheese!

I’ve never enjoyed having my photo taken. Well, that’s not entirely true. My mom has tons of photos she’s taken of me as a little girl where I happily pose with my head to the side on my left shoulder. I think I actually have one on display in my house. But after having three kids I’m less than enthusiastic to pose for photos. So, when I considered professional family photos for our home I was envisioning photos of the kids….not me. Until our photographer and friend, Paola Bowley, told me that she wanted to take photos of all five of us.

I was so nervous about our photo shoot. Paola typically does a consultation in person, but we’re friends so we just emailed back and forth regarding our plans. Based our conversations she was able to access our needs and wants. We are members of the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and thought it would be an ideal setting for our photo shoot. She agreed that the Botanical Gardens would be a great location so that morning I packed up the kids with several outfits, props and snacks, and some patience and confidence for me. My boys are a little superhero crazy so in addition to the nice summer outfits they were wearing I brought Spiderman and Batman shirts, masks, and gloves. Paola explained that each family is unique and every session is unique. She has a very personal touch, and was able to bring that uniqueness out in my family.

We met in the parking lot and headed for the Children’s Garden. The boys wanted their Superhero gear immediately and started climbing on some of the rocks. Paola took some pics just to get them used to her and the photography. I was so worried the my oldest in particular would be a tough subject, but he was proud to show off his Spiderman side. We spent a few hours together, and things went really well. The kids had fun and she even made me feel comfortable in front of the camera. I was looking forward to the finished product.

Well, after the photo shoot we moved into a new house so we put things on hold for a few months until we were settled, so we could pic photos and sizes that would work in our new home. So, just last weekend Paola came over to give us a final presentation. She played a slide-show for us set to music….and I was crying after the first few photos. Then we walked though the house and decided which photos would look best in each room and placed our order. And to our surprise we received our photos just one week later. I’ve only hung a few up so far but each time I walk down the hallway and see my babies looking so sweet I feel like I’m going to well up with tears. Thank you Paola Bowley. I’m looking forward to doing another session in a few years when my babies are little bigger. Until then, I have my home decorated with these gorgeous photos from a warm summer morning at the Gardens.

For more information, check out Paola Bowley. She specializes in family photography, portraits, fashion, and travel. To view some of Paola’s photography you can goo to the journal/blog post of the day on her website.