About Baby and Family Sessions

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. It remembers the little things, long after you have forgotten everything”

-Aaron Siskind

I’m thrilled that you’re here, and I hope that you will choose me as your photographer!

Kelli Dease Photography is a full-service custom photography studio, specializing in maternity, newborn, and family portraiture. We pride ourselves on offering top-notch customer service, and high-quality images and products that clients will be proud to display in their homes.

Below you will find an overview of what to expect as well as the answers to many frequently asked questions.

Custom photography is a very personal experience, and the photographer you choose depends very much on how important the photographs are to you.

If you are new to Kelli Dease Photography, the first step in this process is making sure that you and I will be a good fit.

Photographers are not interchangeable. There are several things to evaluate that go beyond simply comparing session fees and print prices. Style, technique, level of service, skill, and expertise can vary wildly from one photographer to the next, so I hope that you’ve arrived here after taking the time to do some research.

To find out if we are a good fit, take a minute to ask yourself the following questions:

Do you value photography?

Do the images on my website match the vision you have for your own images?

Is it important for you to build a relationship with a photographer so that he or she can continue to document your family as it grows?

Do the following words describe your sense of style?: Classic, timeless, natural, unadorned, and detail-oriented.

If the majority of your answers are “yes” then I think we will work great together!

If the majority of your answers are “no”, that’s ok! As much as I would love to be chosen to document your family, I realize that I am not the photographer for everyone. Whether or not you choose me, I want you to have the best photography experience possible. If your style is a bit more trendy, or you would prefer a less service-oriented experience, I would be happy to give you a few referrals.

I believe in keeping my work as natural and relaxed as possible. I prefer to focus on connections and create timeless, emotive images, rather than anything too forced or posed.

If your baby will be the primary subject, I will capture this fleeting stage and everything that is so unique about it: the toes in the mouth, the drool-filled grins, the little teeth poking through. We can also capture the intimate connection that you have with your child with a few mom and baby or parent and baby images.

When working with toddlers, older children, and families, I will shoot a mix of more traditional poses (where everyone is smiling at the camera) as well as a variety of more candid and authentic shots. I will also shoot a mix of family shots, as well as individual portraits of each child.

I want you to feel your most beautiful during our time together.

Access to the ever-growing studio wardrobe, full of gorgeous pieces for the whole family in a range of sizes and neutral tones, is available to all of my clients. Complete styling assistance is also available.

In-studio hair and make-up services are also available as an add-on to your session. If we are working on-location I can provide you with the name of a make-up artist that will come to your home.

At Kelli Dease Photography we offer both in-studio and outdoor session options.

The studio is located in the Unionville section of Farmington. All of our outdoor sessions are shot in a beautiful and quiet field located in Simsbury. Custom locations are also offered on a very limited basis and should be discussed with the studio prior to booking.

In-studio sessions work best for babies who are not yet walking, as well as older children who are used to sitting for photos. Studio sessions are scheduled for early to mid-morning.

When working with toddlers, multiple children, and families, I prefer to work outdoors where there is more room to move around and the camera is less of a distraction. For optimal lighting, outdoor sessions are scheduled to begin approximately one hour before sunset. In mid-summer, sunset can be as late as 8:30 in the evening. Something to keep in mind if you have small children that go to bed early!

While you can book at any time, it is recommended that you book as early as possible to guarantee that an opening is available! Summer and fall months are the most popular, and available dates book well in advance.

When I was growing up my father was an amateur photographer, always lugging around his 35mm camera and a bag full of lenses. He was also a big fan of slides, which were quite popular during the late 70s and 80s. We had a pull-down viewing screen in the basement, and when a new set of slides would arrive in the mail we would excitedly run downstairs, set up the projector, and gather around the screen to view the images from our latest family trip or birthday party.

Nowadays my childhood photos are sitting in a box in their attic. The screen and the slide projector are relics from another time, long since taken down and packed away.

Image the images from your childhood were captured in digital format. Where would they be now? On an 8-inch floppy disk? Perhaps the more modern 3 ½ inch floppy disk? Or even a CD-ROM. But CD-ROM drives are quickly becoming a thing of the past, so you won’t be able to view those images much longer!

As we all know, technology changes rapidly and there’s no way to tell what format photos will be delivered in the future or if your digital files will be completely obsolete in a few years. Unlike a digital file, printed photos and albums are products that stand the test of time.

I appreciate that we live in a digital world, and I understand the need to have digital copies of our photographs for archival purposes, but life moves fast and even with the best intentions we often never get around to printing and displaying those digital images as we had planned to. In addition to providing them with digital files, I want to guide my clients through the process of choosing and designing tangible and meaningful products to display in their homes and pass down to their loved ones.

Your images were professionally created and I strongly believe they should also be professionally printed. An investment in custom photography should not end with a set of prints from Wal-Mart. When your friends and family come to visit and see your prints on your walls I want them to look their absolute best and that cannot be done without the help of a professional printer.

For that reason, our carefully curated fine art product line includes handcrafted albums, custom frames, and heirloom portrait boxes.

All of our sessions include a complimentary design and ordering appointment, where you can choose your favorite images and fine art products.

Still have questions? Be sure to check out the FAQ section at the bottom of this page or drop us an email.

If you are ready to book your custom portrait session with Kelli Dease Photography, just reply to my initial email and a member of the KDP team will be happy to help you.

Once we determine which session type best fits your needs, we will discuss the timing and location for your session(s), and schedule your session date(s).

More detailed information about how to prepare, what to expect, etc. will be provided once your session has been booked.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this information. I look forward to hearing from you!

“Kelli is an amazing photographer. Not only do her pictures look beautiful, but she manages somehow to capture the spirit and personality of the babies & kids she photographs. You look at her pictures and feel like you know the child you are looking at. I am so thrilled with the photographs she has taken for us.”

Alicia, Cromwell, CT