Reider Gray, 2 weeks old

November 17, 2014

Okay, so… my little family welcomed our own little newborn into our fold just four weeks ago. In true “newborn mom” style, I am just now getting around to sharing some of the pictures from my “big camera” that I took of him at two weeks old. I, like so many of my clients, want to remember all of the little tiny details of my sweet baby boy. There are sure to be more pictures of him as we grows. We are so in love and are trying to take it all in and remember each sweet smell and each passing phase. I am, myself, reminded that it all goes much too quickly.

sarahgrayphoto

865 1,683

Maternity • Newborns • Babies • Family
Photographer based in Tallahassee, Florida
Master Baby, Family, and Maternity Photographer awarded by @napcp

`Just be yourselves!`

Great advice.

Except when you`re standing there, staring at a camera, and your husband looks at you and mouths `what does that mean` while your kid has already asked for snacks twice and you`re all just kind of... waiting.

What I actually do instead is give people specific things to do. Real prompts, actual activities, things that are designed to make at least one person break into a genuine laugh - because once that happens, everything else follows.

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Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 18094580105614255

'Just be yourselves!'

Great advice.

Except when you're standing there, staring at a camera, and your husband looks at you and mouths 'what does that mean' while your kid has already asked for snacks twice and you're all just kind of... waiting.

What I actually do instead is give people specific things to do. Real prompts, actual activities, things that are designed to make at least one person break into a genuine laugh - because once that happens, everything else follows.

These photos refuse to be cropped into a 4:3 or 1:1 Instagram ratio…swipe to see them the way I saw them in the moment! Which one stopped you mid-swipe? I’d love to know.

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Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 18112907398923521

These photos refuse to be cropped into a 4:3 or 1:1 Instagram ratio…swipe to see them the way I saw them in the moment! Which one stopped you mid-swipe? I’d love to know.

The part of the vacation session no one talks about enough: outfits.

I`ve seen both ends of this, and honestly, both can trip things up before we even start.

The first version: everyone travels from different cities, nobody coordinates ahead of time, and things end up looking scattered in photos - especially when you can`t lay it all out together before the day.

The second version: matching outfits. I know the intention is good. But coordinating everyone in the exact same thing - jeans and white shirts being the classic example - tends to look flat in photos. A little stiff. Less like your family and more like a catalog.

The fix is simpler than most people expect.

Lean into neutrals and denim tones. These photograph beautifully in natural light, they work together without being matchy, and they hold up in a timeless way that won`t look dated in five years.

And when you book with me, I send you Pinterest boards I`ve put together specifically for this - coordinated looks that feel cohesive and genuinely beautiful without anyone having to stress about it.

One of the simplest things you can do to make sure your images look as good as the moments they`re capturing.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer

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Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 17967974948922762

The part of the vacation session no one talks about enough: outfits.

I've seen both ends of this, and honestly, both can trip things up before we even start.

The first version: everyone travels from different cities, nobody coordinates ahead of time, and things end up looking scattered in photos - especially when you can't lay it all out together before the day.

The second version: matching outfits. I know the intention is good. But coordinating everyone in the exact same thing - jeans and white shirts being the classic example - tends to look flat in photos. A little stiff. Less like your family and more like a catalog.

The fix is simpler than most people expect.

Lean into neutrals and denim tones. These photograph beautifully in natural light, they work together without being matchy, and they hold up in a timeless way that won't look dated in five years.

And when you book with me, I send you Pinterest boards I've put together specifically for this - coordinated looks that feel cohesive and genuinely beautiful without anyone having to stress about it.

One of the simplest things you can do to make sure your images look as good as the moments they're capturing.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer

I almost didn`t post this.

Our country turns 250 this year. I was in the middle of editing a gallery when that number actually stopped me.

I have four kids — 6, 11, 15, and 17. I`ve spent years telling other families that childhood is fleeting, that these seasons pass before you`re ready, that photographs are one of the most meaningful ways you hold onto them.

I`ve said it hundreds of times.

And then I sat there and realized I needed to take my own advice.

So this summer, I`m photographing all four of my kids in what I`m calling Heirloom Portraits. Not elaborate. Not trendy. Just simple, timeless portraits that show exactly who they are right now — in the year America turned 250.

Because someday I want them to show these to their own kids and say, "This is who I was that year."

That thought made the decision easy.

I`ve opened a small number of spots for other families who`ve been quietly wanting the same thing. Details are linked in my bio.

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Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 18135795787562107

I almost didn't post this.

Our country turns 250 this year. I was in the middle of editing a gallery when that number actually stopped me.

I have four kids — 6, 11, 15, and 17. I've spent years telling other families that childhood is fleeting, that these seasons pass before you're ready, that photographs are one of the most meaningful ways you hold onto them.

I've said it hundreds of times.

And then I sat there and realized I needed to take my own advice.

So this summer, I'm photographing all four of my kids in what I'm calling Heirloom Portraits. Not elaborate. Not trendy. Just simple, timeless portraits that show exactly who they are right now — in the year America turned 250.

Because someday I want them to show these to their own kids and say, "This is who I was that year."

That thought made the decision easy.

I've opened a small number of spots for other families who've been quietly wanting the same thing. Details are linked in my bio.

The trip is already planned.
The people you love are already going to be there.

The cousins will be running in the sand. Someone will be wrangling the toddler. Your mother-in-law will have the snacks. And somewhere in the middle of all that beautiful chaos, you`ll think — we should really get some photos while everyone is together.

That thought? Trust it.

You don`t need a perfectly orchestrated session to get images worth keeping. You just need someone there to capture what`s already happening — the real stuff, the in-between stuff, the stuff that disappears faster than you expect.

That`s exactly what a vacation session is. Nothing manufactured. Nothing forced. Just your people, in a place that already means something, photographed with real care.

If your family has a trip to the Forgotten Coast coming up and that thought has crossed your mind — I`d love to chat. Inquiries are open in my bio.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer

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Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 17930571162329116

The trip is already planned.
The people you love are already going to be there.

The cousins will be running in the sand. Someone will be wrangling the toddler. Your mother-in-law will have the snacks. And somewhere in the middle of all that beautiful chaos, you'll think — we should really get some photos while everyone is together.

That thought? Trust it.

You don't need a perfectly orchestrated session to get images worth keeping. You just need someone there to capture what's already happening — the real stuff, the in-between stuff, the stuff that disappears faster than you expect.

That's exactly what a vacation session is. Nothing manufactured. Nothing forced. Just your people, in a place that already means something, photographed with real care.

If your family has a trip to the Forgotten Coast coming up and that thought has crossed your mind — I'd love to chat. Inquiries are open in my bio.
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*
*
*
*
#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer

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Memberships and Affiliations

Sarah Gray Photography | Professional Photographer of America Member

Sarah Gray Photography | The Motherhood Anthology Member

Sarah Gray creates timeless and joyful images that are designed for living room walls and photo albums. A tallahassee photographer, Sarah Gray also serves Thomasville, Crawfordville, St. Marks, Gainesville and throughout the panhandle of north Florida and south Georgia.

email us | sarah@sarahgray.com

telephone (850) 321-0208

located in tallahassee, florida