Argos Farm | Family Session: Forked River New Jersey Snowy Family Photos

I heard it might snow again!?! (ugh)  Spring cannot come soon enough, but snow pictures are some of my favorites!!  During the first snow of this season, we packed up the kids and headed to Argos Farm for some pictures and s’mores.  We had a blast — and I love how these snowy winter wonderland pictures turned out.  I love them so much that they ended up all over my facebook page, my house – and maybe even yours (if you got one of our Christmas cards this year!).  And – the s’mores were delicious.  Argo’s Farm is quickly becoming one of our favorite spots in our new little town.  I cannot wait for spring to see what they will have next!  We also can’t walk out of there without a pie — their apple pie with crumb topping is to die for.

If you do get snow tomorrow – be sure to head outside for some pictures!  To get frame-worthy photos of your own, the most important thing you can do is plan your family’s outfits.  Between the overcast sky and the snow, which is a great natural reflector, you can’t go wrong with lighting!

Read on for how I style my kids for photos — and see what I intentionally leave out of the frame.

Matching vs. Coordinating

I like to pick a different base color for each kid:  for these pictures, Max was green, Ryan was blue, and Baer was gray.  I usually start with one piece I like and build around that.  For this day, it was Baer’s romper.  Once I establish each person’s color, I sprinkled in those colors across all three of them so everyone is coordinated (but aren’t matchy-matchy).  Max had on a green sweater – with a gray plaid shirt underneath (Baer’s color) – and a blue hat and jeans (Ryan’s color).  Ryan’s main color was blue — so she had on a blue dress — but I pulled in the gray with her hat and tights.  Baer had on a gray romper (one of my favorites – and on super clearance right now!) – and his hat had blue in it to coordinate with the others.  Max ended up being the only person with green on, but it was fine – I don’t really stress about making sure everyone has all the colors as long as the final result looks pulled together.

Accessories

Don’t be afraid to accessorize!  Ryan loves to get “fancy” so she added a neutral tan vest over her dress.  Layers look great in pictures.  They add texture and dimension.  Her vest did both of those things (and also coordinated with Baer’s shoes – one more connection).  Their winter hats were a cheap and easy way to bring it all together.

Be picky and leave some stuff out!

Lastly – sometimes small sacrifices make better for better pictures.  I can explain what I mean by that by pointing out what you DONT see in these pictures.  1)  Coats.  Yes, it was cold (it was even snowing!) and my kids are no wearing their winter coats.  To be frank, our coats were not cute – so they didn’t make it in the pictures.  [no children were harmed in the taking of these photographs]  and 2) Ryan’s not wearing her snow boots.  Why?  They’re hot pink.  With stars on them.  If she wore them, your eyes would not go to my kids’ faces, but you’d look immediately at her feet.  For that reason – she’s wearing her brown boots that aren’t as warm and probably shouldn’t have gotten wet.  No – my kids would not go sledding without their coats – and she would not wear these boots if she was making a snowman.  I consider these small sacrifices for a beautiful photo of my kids that’s now hanging above my mantel.

Dave and I weren’t planning on getting in any of the pictures – so don’t mind his red plaid shirt and clashing maroon hat.  I can’t win ’em all.

 

 

Amanda Bonneau Photography is an on-location, natural light, lifestyle and portrait Photographer, focusing on Maternity, Newborn, Families and Children all ages in New Jersey.  Ask about Fresh 48! 

Do you need a: Jersey Shore Newborn Photographer, New Jersey Newborn Photographer, NJ Newborn Photographer, NJ Newborn Photography, NJ Baby Photographer, NJ Fresh 48 Photographer, NJ Maternity Photographer, NJ Maternity Photography, NJ Cake Smash Photography, NJ Pregnancy Photographer, Baby Photography in New Jersey, Baby Photographer in New Jersey, Ocean County NJ Newborn Photographer, Toms River NJ Newborn Photographer, Jersey Shore NJ Newborn Photographer, Bayville NJ Newborn Photographer, Forked River NJ Newborn Photographer, Lavallette Newborn Photographer, LBI Family Photographer, Ocean County Family Photographer, or LBI NJ Photographer please email me at amanda@amandabonneauphotography.com – it is always a good idea to reserve your spot a few months in advance. Last minute booking can be requested and is based on availability.