Getting our family portrait taken as a kid was a traumatic experience for me, and I am sure for my brother as well.
My mom would force us to dress up in the scratchiest clothes ever made, stuff ourselves into the car and drive to the Olan Mills Portrait Studio across the bridge to get that special picture taken of our family. We always seemed to get there early, having to wait in the lobby , scratching away until the photographer was ready for us. We either got stuck with the 90 year old man that moved like his age, or the young adult fresh out of school that used the squeaky duck to grab our attention.
There was no need for the duck. I was 11.
We were posed and moved…and if you look at the pictures, you can tell that we were uncomfortable. It was not normal for my brother and I to have to sit next to each other and smile.
Now, fast forward to last summer.
I have a family of my own , and Gracie has just turned a year old. As I was going through her first year of pictures I realized that we never had a family portrait taken. WHAT! How could that have happened? I was determined NOT to have an uncomfortable studio picture taken, so that is when I contacted Kiersten, from Photography by Kiersten.
Kiersten is a Moon Alum, as am I, so I had seen her work through some mutual friends. She is a mom of two and runs her photography business from her home. I also must mention she is a Mack Kid reader! I was sold after seeing her work, and I couldn’t wait to get our pictures taken with her.
We met with her on an October afternoon at Moon Park. I couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop for our first family portrait. Fall leaves and a crisp blue sky provided for some beautiful pictures.
Kiersten was amazing with Gracie, following her around with the camera and grabbing action shots. She didn’t pose us or make us feel uncomfortable, and you can see that in the pictures.
I will always go back to her for our family photos each year! I highly recommend her to anyone. Whether she travels to you or you go to her home, she will put your family at ease and take some amazing pictures. The only problem you will have with her is choosing which pictures to buy. Ours were soo amazing, I got them all.
Check out her work on her website at http://www.photographybykiersten.com
If you are interested in getting your pictures taken, make sure to mention that you read about her in our newsletter!
Here are some samples from my family’s shoot! Now you all can see why I had such a hard time deciding!
Maternity Sessions: 
Newborn Sessions: 
Senior Portraits: 
And children:
