Meet Lauren

The production room at Key Photography is a fun place. It is the room where your great photos become the most fabulous portraits you have ever had done. This is thanks in no small part to Lauren. She is a college student/artist/photoshop whiz who has been doing great work retouching (among other things).

Please excuse the bad lighting and angles in this picture. I (Lynn) took it, and as I have said before photography is not a skill I have acquired. One of these days I know Sandy will talk Lauren to getting in front of their camera and then we'll have a real photo to post instead.

Aside from making everyone look younger and well rested, Lauren is a very talented artist. I managed to catch a glimpse of her sketch book the other day and was very impressed. I may have to see about posting some of her drawings here. Maybe I can even talk her into posting regularly.

Happy Birthday Baby!

In continuing with my series on making the most of your session, today we will be covering 1st birthdays. By this time your little one is probably mobile in some form or fashion. That means it is time to get them out of the studio and into nature. Don't worry about the time of year, if the weather is bad we have some great indoor alternatives.


Kids are going to look adorable no matter what you put them in, so make it comfortable and easy to move in. As always, solid colors work best. We usually suggest warm tones that compliment skin tone.



Always pack a change of clothes. If there is one thing I have learned from my son it is that children (especially boys) are magnets for anything wet and sticky. Personally, I love the portraits of children with dirty feet and wet pants, but the grandparents usually like to see the children looking like angels who have never been near a speck of dirt. We love to have the option of capturing both of those looks.

Jessica+David Columbia

As promised, here are some of my personal favorites from the South America wedding. As you can tell from the picture above, the bride was a bit more relaxed this time around.

I LOVE this garden area and the house. We could not have asked for a better place to photograph the happy bride.

The flower girls got a little more carried away with the petals this time around. I think it wore them out.

This was part of the entertainment at the reception. I wish I could hear the music that went with that twirl.

Speaking of music, these guys played up a storm the night before, at the rehearsal dinner. The next time the Keys have a destination wedding, I have got to find a way to tag along.

Jessica+David in America

I have been waiting and waiting for my first chance to post a wedding. My patience has paid off because not only do I get to post 1, I get to post 2 for the same couple. This first post covers Jessica and David's beautiful fairy tale wedding in Georgia. The second one follows up tomorrow with pictures from the Bogota, South America ceremony.

I love it when you can catch a bride and groom with that look of love in their eyes.

The detailing in the dress was too beautiful not to include.

Sparklers are such a great send off!

Tune in tomorrow to see the happy couple as they celebrate in Columbia.

Someday Soon

Sandy asked me to post a quick update. The dry wall guy is scheduled, the church directory pictures are coming up, and there is a lot less mud in the future photography garden. Keith has been doing a different kind of shooting today, this time with a nail gun. I'll give you a hint, it involves a big stack of old red wood and a barn door, that's all I'm saying.

Sandy is planning on posting here as soon as she gets a free moment. She is dying to share about their trip to South America. In the mean time, I'll be posting a few of those pictures soon.

Growing and Changing

Isn't it amazing how much a baby can change in 3 months? They shed that newborn look and develop tiny personalities. They have started sleeping more, and hopefully, so have the parents. This means it is time for your next session.

To contrast the black and white newborn session, the next session is typically done on a white backdrop. The baby will be front and center for this session. They do not have to be dressed in all white, but lighter colors do work best. If you notice the picture above, the blue jeans, when paired with the white, really brings out the blue in the baby's eyes. Above all we want the baby to be comfortable. It is also smart to bring a back up outfit. When you are dealing with light colors and babies, it is a given that something is going to get spit up on.

Meet Taylor!

Taylor is another very important member of the Key Photography family. She is, for lack of a better word, our intern. We are teaching her important lessons that will carry her through life such as, how to make coffee the way Sandy likes it, and how to time your day based on Fed-Ex delivery schedules. I'm only kidding. Taylor has actually been teaching us a great many things about seniors and the cool hip things that senior like. She has been a great asset to our team and family. Thanks for all of your help Taylor!

When we aren't taking up her time, Taylor is a competition cheerleader and our senior ambassador to Central High School (Go Dawgs!). Make sure you pick a program at one of this year's games, find our ad, and get Taylor to autograph it for you. Bring it with you to your next session, and we'll work up something special to reward you for your school spirit.

Newbies

I thought the best place to start with session tips is at the beginning with newborns.

There is nothing sweeter than a newborn baby. We suggest photographing them the way they entered the world ... bare and beautiful. To really showcase your newborn, we set them against a black backdrop and photograph in black and white.

We encourage the rest of the family to join in this session. They should all be dressed in long sleeves shirts that are black or a color that will appear black, such as a dark navy. Comfort is an important thing to consider, so we often suggest blue jeans be worn to help you feel relaxed. Not only will you be more comfortable, but the baby will take their cues from you and feel more at home as well.
Be sure and let us know if you want to change things up. We are always willing to be flexible to your needs. If you want to work with a family baby blanket, or some sort of heirloom, just let us know.
After the precious pictures are done, don't be afraid to get cute. Bring a football for your future quaterback, or a pompom for the little cheerleader.

Back to School

Today is a big day in Forsyth County if you have school aged children. It is the first day of school, but for those homeschooling like the Keys, it's Monday. The big topic in my house last night was what my daughter was going to wear for the first day of 4th grade. She wanted to look her best while also being comfortable. The same can be said for people getting ready for a portrait session.
I could give you a one size fits all list of what to wear and bring to your session with us, but I have noticed that we have a wide variety of people coming through the studio. This requires a wide variety of tips.
I thought we would start with the youngest and move our way up. I'll be posting tips for newborns, children, seniors, engagement/bridal, families, and back and white. If I don't cover an area that you have questions about feel free to email me and I'll throw that in too. You can reach my inbox by emailing lynn@keyphotography.com

The Music

People have been asking who it is singing on the main site and where we found her, and what good is a blog if not to answer burning questions such as these. Her name is Christa Black and we found her on MySpace. She is from Nashville and has won us all over. In addition to her amazing singing voice, she is also the talent you hear playing the violin.

If you like what you hear, head on over to MySpace and be her friend. Better yet run to i-tunes and buy her songs like we did.

It's only right to give credit where it is do, and although we'd love to take credit for her MySpace picture (seen above), it is actually the work of a Nashville photographer named Tec Petaja.

See Christa in action in this You Tube video in which she sang backup and played violin for Micheal W. Smith at a Billy Graham event in San Diego. The song is "Above All"

Lessons Learned

A few days ago we sent out our very first newsletter, Key Happenings. If you didn't get one it is because we don't have your email address. Be sure to go to our main site and click on "newsletter" to sign up. We include specials and studio updates, so you really don't want to miss out. This month's special is a free session and 8x10 to those who book a session in August. As long as it is scheduled in August you will get the special, even if the session doesn't take place until later in the year.

I learned a few of thing with this first newsletter that I hope will help me perfect future ones.

1. "Official" has two "i"s in it (thanks Sandy!)

2. Spell check can only do so much

3. It helps to place a link to your website in the email

4. Ask separate people to proof content and design

5. Do not assume that the template has the right date. It is 2008, no matter what the form says

Several of these were caught and fixed before it was sent, but a couple weren't. After that button is hit there are no take backs, so I've had to take the approach of just laughing at my mistakes, and plan to do better next time. So, tune in next month to find out what word I learned to spell this time.

In all seriousness, I do really appreciate the great response we received after the newsletter went out, and how welcomed I feel into the Key Photography family. Thank you all for the nice things you have said, and I hope to see you all in the studio soon.

The Sounds of Progress

While we are building out the new studio we decided to also transform the area behind our studio into an outdoor photography garden. At times it has been hard to see how the amazing sketch we have is going to become a reality, but everyday we inch closer.

The past couple of days has been a rather loud inching. At first we thought we were suddenly on the flight path of a fleet of heliocopters, but as it turns out they were just packing and leveling the ground. Can you imagine? A flat yard in Cumming! That is just the start.

Did you know there was a lake back there? Well, you will know it now. This is another one of those teaaser posts where I show you the "before" but not the "after". The wait is going to worth it because it will knock your socks off.

Meet Lynn

My name is Lynn, and I take pictures about as well as your grandmother, complete with chopped heads and bad lighting. This is why you will never see me holding a camera unless I am handing it to the professionals. I am more of a Jack (or Jill as the case may be) of all trades around here. I deal with details like emails, newsletters, and a little design work from time to time. I will probably write most of the posts on here for now.
Weddings are my specialty, and how I first started doing business with this great studio. In addition to my work with the Keys, I also run a popular wedding resource website called The Handcrafted Wedding. I am the nationally recognized wedding expert and writer for Handcrafted: the cure for the common wedding.
To top it all off, my husband and I have been blessed with two wonderful children. How do I do it all, you may ask? Well, my house is never clean unless my in-laws are in town (so call first), and "take your children to work day" comes a lot more often than once a year.

We're Home!

In case you haven't heard, the Keys have decided that a studio away from home just didn't feel like home. So, they have packed their boxes and once again set up shop out of their house, but with a few new tricks.
Although the Keys missed their house, they did enjoy the flexibility of a studio, so they have brought the studio home with them. There once ordinary basement is being transformed into a studio with a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. We want you to feel like you have stepped out of your crazy hectic world, and into a place where you can feel at home and let your best self shine through.
Building the ideal studio doesn't happen overnight or even over a week of nights, but we know the time and energy will be well worth it. Part of the reason we started this blog was to keep you in the loop with the growing process. So, I want to start off with a "before" picture. I can not wait for the "after".

The Starter Post

Blogs can be kind of tricky. If you post too much you can burn out really quickly, too little and people lose interest. I'm going to start with a couple of days a week and see where we go from there.
For the most part this blog will be pictures (no surprise there), but I hope to also include some tips on making the most of your photo sessions, studio news, and maybe even some random office fun. So, check back every week and see what we've been up to.