Mrs. Vakili… to be

May 7, 2012

Valarie and her fiance, Josh, are some close friends of ours. They’re in our small group with our church and we just love ’em. They’re getting married in a few short weeks and to help celebrate, Valarie’s sisters, mother-in-law-to-be, and mama all came to town to help throw her a shower.

Or course, her precious little baby niece made her appearance between naps.

Isn’t she a doll baby?!?

Valarie, with her mother-in-law and her mama.

Just lovely.

And… the picture that makes me wish I had sisters…

Doesn’t that just look like fun? My friend has a saying that, “women are the glue that hold a family together.” If that’s true then this family is truly blessed with 4 ladies to keep them close.

Congratulations Valarie and Josh! I can’t wait to photograph you again on your WEDDING DAY!

sarahgrayphoto

856 1,699

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

I have four kids of my own.

I am not saying that to suggest I have parenting figured out. I am saying it because when you show up to your session worried that your toddler is going to lose it, or that your big kid is going to refuse to cooperate, or that everyone is going to look stiff and weird - I genuinely understand that concern.

I have lived it. More than once.

What I have also learned is that working with families as they actually are, instead of as we wish they would be on picture day, is exactly how you get photos that feel real. The beautiful chaos is part of it. I have a lot of tricks, and I genuinely enjoy the process.

You do not need a perfect family to get beautiful photos. You just need a photographer who knows what she is doing.

7 1

Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 17894087922304554

I have four kids of my own.

I am not saying that to suggest I have parenting figured out. I am saying it because when you show up to your session worried that your toddler is going to lose it, or that your big kid is going to refuse to cooperate, or that everyone is going to look stiff and weird - I genuinely understand that concern.

I have lived it. More than once.

What I have also learned is that working with families as they actually are, instead of as we wish they would be on picture day, is exactly how you get photos that feel real. The beautiful chaos is part of it. I have a lot of tricks, and I genuinely enjoy the process.

You do not need a perfect family to get beautiful photos. You just need a photographer who knows what she is doing.

I photographed the same extended family twice.

The first time, it rained. They were troopers about it. We had already scoped out a covered porch at the location just in case the weather had other ideas, and that porch became our backdrop. We made something beautiful out of what could have been a wash.

The second time, they came back with new additions. Beach house on Alligator Point. Grandparents out on the water with the grandchildren. Big group moments and smaller family units. Easy, relaxed, and real.

What I remember most about both sessions is the feeling at the end. A kind of collective exhale. Like everyone knew they had just done something that mattered and would keep mattering long after that day.

That is the thing about showing up even when the conditions are not perfect. The photos do not know it rained.

Read more about Extended family/Multigenerational family photos in this month`s blog post. Link in bio.

5 0

Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 18102132958940426

I photographed the same extended family twice.

The first time, it rained. They were troopers about it. We had already scoped out a covered porch at the location just in case the weather had other ideas, and that porch became our backdrop. We made something beautiful out of what could have been a wash.

The second time, they came back with new additions. Beach house on Alligator Point. Grandparents out on the water with the grandchildren. Big group moments and smaller family units. Easy, relaxed, and real.

What I remember most about both sessions is the feeling at the end. A kind of collective exhale. Like everyone knew they had just done something that mattered and would keep mattering long after that day.

That is the thing about showing up even when the conditions are not perfect. The photos do not know it rained.

Read more about Extended family/Multigenerational family photos in this month's blog post. Link in bio.

If you have been sitting on this and are not quite sure yet, I want to make it simple.

This is a short session. It is designed to be low-pressure, low-chaos (or at least managed chaos), and genuinely doable for real families with real kids.

You do not need to have it all together. You do not need perfectly behaved children or a color-coordinated wardrobe already sorted. I will send you a guide. I will handle the rest.

It is five to seven minutes. We will get photos you actually love. I mean that.

Details and booking are at the link in bio.

6 1

Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 17923263945275616

If you have been sitting on this and are not quite sure yet, I want to make it simple.

This is a short session. It is designed to be low-pressure, low-chaos (or at least managed chaos), and genuinely doable for real families with real kids.

You do not need to have it all together. You do not need perfectly behaved children or a color-coordinated wardrobe already sorted. I will send you a guide. I will handle the rest.

It is five to seven minutes. We will get photos you actually love. I mean that.

Details and booking are at the link in bio.

Five Spots. One Date. A setting that only looks like this for about three weeks out of the year.

I am not trying to manufacture urgency here. The blooms genuinely do not wait, and the calendar genuinely does not have room for everyone who wants a session this spring.

If your family has been on your to-do list for a while, now is a really good time to actually do something about it.

April 11 at Maclay Gardens. $275. A wardrobe guide, a focused session, and your images delivered in two weeks.

Link to book in bio.

4 0

Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 18085826798029359

Five Spots. One Date. A setting that only looks like this for about three weeks out of the year.

I am not trying to manufacture urgency here. The blooms genuinely do not wait, and the calendar genuinely does not have room for everyone who wants a session this spring.

If your family has been on your to-do list for a while, now is a really good time to actually do something about it.

April 11 at Maclay Gardens. $275. A wardrobe guide, a focused session, and your images delivered in two weeks.

Link to book in bio.

After you see your gallery, you might want more than three images.

That is a completely normal thing to feel, and I want you to know the option exists before you are standing there wishing you had decided sooner.

If you add the full gallery upgrade (5-10 images) before your session date, you save $100. If you wait until after you have seen everything and fall in love with half the gallery, the option is still there - just at a higher price.

No pressure in either direction. I just think it is worth knowing before April 11 arrives, not after.

All the details are at the link in bio. Only a few spots remain.

7 0

Open post by sarahgrayphoto with ID 17851967817640619

After you see your gallery, you might want more than three images.

That is a completely normal thing to feel, and I want you to know the option exists before you are standing there wishing you had decided sooner.

If you add the full gallery upgrade (5-10 images) before your session date, you save $100. If you wait until after you have seen everything and fall in love with half the gallery, the option is still there - just at a higher price.

No pressure in either direction. I just think it is worth knowing before April 11 arrives, not after.

All the details are at the link in bio. Only a few spots remain.

Follow on Instagram

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