Family Sessions! Mini Sessions! Yes, Please!

It’s been a long year. Now that everything is almost back to normal, it is time to get portraits updated and get out of the house! Conner James Photography Inc has clients in Edwardsville, Collinsville, St.Louis, OFallon, Troy, and surrounding areas. I specialize in family and newborn photography. I love working with families and children. Amazing families and beautiful children. Yes, I love my job!

When it comes to family picture day, a lot of stress is typically associated with days leading up to the session. We’re here to help you relax and be prepared all at the same time. Here are some tips. Find the outfits you want everyone to wear a month in advance and set them aside somewhere safe. Then try them on a week ahead of time to ensure everything still fits comfortably and that you did not miss any stains or holes that you could not see until they were being worn. As soon as your family changes out of their photo attire, make sure it is clean and pressed to be ready for the big day. Set the clothes together (sorted by person) and place them somewhere free from harm and dirt. Be sure to tell everyone that these are picture clothes and not to be worn until picture day. This will help to be sure that no articles of clothing go missing. Do not forget about shoes, jewelry, belts, and other accessories. About three to four days prior to the session, start talking with your husband and kids about the session and what will happen and how they should behave. If you plan to use a bribe, now is a good time to set that in place. Continue to talk to your children daily to prepare them for the session. Two days prior to the session, pack a bag of everything you will need on picture day – snacks, props, bribery, etc. and put it somewhere you can grab it and go. Be sure to include wipes in case things get messy, an extra hairbrush, and other “emergency” items, such as bobby pins and a backup lipstick. On the day of the session, make sure everyone is well fed, but not overfed. We do not want sick little tummies from overeating, but we don’t want anyone getting “hangry” (angry because they are so hungry) either. Do not get your family dressed in their photo clothes until after they have eaten and brushed their teeth. This will prevent spills and other messy accidents. If you have young children, avoid any colored drinks the day of the session until after we are finished. Also, if they drink anything on the way to the session try to avoid spills to save their shirts from wet spots or stains. Once you get to the session, try to relax. If you have set a bribe, please let me know so I can use that throughout the session if the children get restless. I will also have something to bribe as well. Try to stay positive. If you are positive the kids will be more likely to smile and be happy. Trust your photographer - know that I will take care of things and will deliver amazing photos of your family.

 I like to offer Mini Sessions throughout the year. I offer Spring Mini Sessions, Fall Mini Sessions, and Christmas Mini Sessions! Sometimes I also have Quick Mini Sessions. I like to offer Mini sessions to treat my clients extra special. I think it is so wonderful how you can get your family photos done a couple times a year at an affordable price. Christmas Mini sessions are my biggest seller. I start booking for Christmas Mini sessions in July. These sessions tend to sell out quickly.  This is the backdrop for this year! It’s so gorgeous! The Christmas Mini backdrop is large for the family. Be on the lookout for the bookings to be released in July.

What's new with Conner James Photography Inc ?

There are a lot of new things going on with Conner James Photography. All good things! I am so excited and grateful. The studio has been updated once again. For newborns and small clients I have bought white neutral backdrops. Also do have some white props to go along with the white backdrops. It will still create that classic clean style I love.

I have also added a flat screen in the studio. It is definitely an added bonus. Clients who have been to the studio recently have loved the new addition. With the flat screen you can view your images while I take them! I think it will be a big hit with the Christmas Mini Sessions this year.

Speaking of Christmas Mini sessions, They will be be release for booking in July like always. I will release them July 1st, 2021 in my Facebook Client VIP Group. The group will be the first to get the desired times and dates. I will release the Christmas Mini Session booking here on my website on July 15th,2021. These sessions will go super fast. I will be photographing these session in November. This way you can have your images back quickly. Sanitation precautions will be taken between clients. Here is this year’s Christmas backdrop. You can join my Facebook Client VIP group too! Just email me and I will get you added to the group.

I am now working with the Edwardsville Living Magazine. I photograph the featured family. My work will be on the cover and inside pages of the magazine. This magazine is delivered by mail in the Edwardsville and Glen Carbon area. The Edwardsville Living Magazine is a local community magazine. I am thrilled to be apart of this magazine. I really enjoy meeting new families and creating memories with them. If you would like to be a featured family please contact me. It is free of course!

Thank you to all my amazing clients and supporters. I truly love my job and love meeting your wonderful family! You guys are the best!

Newborn Sessions - Why to hire a professional photographer?

Are you about to have a baby? Or maybe you have a little newborn and need some beautiful photographs taken? Let’s be real. Having a baby will change you. From being pregnant to giving birth your whole life is forever changed. You see your baby for the first time, you hold them and look into their sweet face and you melt. You know they have your heart and soul. They have you wrapped around their tiny finger. You want to protect them and keep them safe. As a parent of four kids, this does not change even as they get older.

Newborn in multiple poses.

Newborn photography over the years has been an expanding field. There are lots of new photographers trying to learn newborn photography to start a business or established photographers are trying to expand their business. But photographing a newborn is not for the faint of heart. It is a hard job. It takes a lot patience. It takes training and even editing know how. Some poses require composite editing. A composite is an images made up of multiple images. This is done in Photoshop. By using compositing the newborn is never left unsupported and is safe at all times.

Newborn composites using Photoshop.

Newborn posing is more than just laying a baby down in a basket. It is knowing that the baby is safely posed and is in a good position to not block airways, move incorrectly, or over heat. Believe it or not there are actual newborn poses that are safe for the baby when the baby is posed correctly. This is why newborn training is so important. What if the baby has gas? What if the baby was not settled enough and the photographer just laid the baby down? What if the baby has special medical restrictions? What if the baby is older than 2 weeks old? Most photographer do not like to photograph a newborn older than two weeks. What if the baby does not sleep? What if ? What if? This is why it is so important to hire a photographer who specializes in newborn photography.

Newborn at 8 weeks old.

You want to have a safe and happy experience when creating memories for you to remember your precious newborn baby. You want to remember how little he or she was. All the details and little smirks. Whether you want Conner James Photography Incorporated to be your photographer or not, I do have some recommendations. I recommend that you hire a photographer that has training in the field of photography you are looking for. Wedding photographer for a wedding, Newborn photographer for newborn photography.

Newborn little details.

I recommend hiring a professional legal business photographer. By hiring a legal business it will ensure that the business has insurance. Also your rights, and your investment will be legally covered as well. Its important to have a photographer who has insurance to make sure that in case anyone would get injured or some equipment would break, you and/or your family will be covered. Its always better to be safe than sorry. By hiring a professional you will also get high quality work while receiving professional services.

Family poses, sibling poses, and newborn poses.

Newborn Sessions can be long. It takes time and a lot of patience to pose the newborn in the poses correctly. Each pose takes time. Sometimes the baby will move out of the pose and you have to start over with the posing. By hiring a professional we know how to maximize our poses and workflow to get you a variety of poses, in a shorter amount of time.

I truly love working with newborns and families. I love creating memories to last a lifetime for generations to come. I have been photographing newborns for 9 years. it will be 10 years in December. I have photographed over 1000 newborns and counting. I also mentor/teach other photographer in the field of newborn photography. I would love to be your photographer!

Now booking for 2021 !

I am now booking for 2021! I so excited for the new year. I have updated the studio and am ready for all the babies! I offer Newborns, Milestones, 1st Birthday’s, Maternity, Family Sessions, and Mini Sessions.

You can now view my availability on my website and book your session on my website as well! I am following Covid 19 guidelines. You can view the guidelines on my website. If you have any questions regarding bookings or guidelines please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I recommend booking your session, as soon as you can. I tend to book up fast especially for newborn sessions. I only book a limited number of newborn sessions each month to ensure my time and focus for each session. Babies have their own time frame. Some babies arrive earlier or later than planned. We can certainly adjust the session date if needed.

Milestone sessions are so much fun. They are a perfect way to watch your little one grow. I offer 3 months, 6 months, and 9 month sessions. Each milestone sessions are separately purchased. You can book all 3 milestone sessions or just one of them if you wish. I recommend 6 month sessions as they can sit up on their own and are usually very happy at that age.

1st Birthday sessions are amazing! They come with portraits and a cake smash. I recommend booking these sessions at least 2 weeks before the child’s birthday to ensure you will get the edited gallery back before hand. Some little ones will love their cake and some want nothing to do with it. But either way, they are still super cute!

Maternity sessions are booking too. I will usually have you book for 32 weeks. We can do in studio portraits or outside in natural light. These sessions can be for just mom or the family. If you have any questions please contact me.

Family sessions are one of my favorite types of sessions. I love being able to meet new families and seeing the unique love each family has for one another. I offer outdoor family sessions. I have different locations to choose from. If you need a family session, I am your girl!

Mini sessions are my jam! I offer different types throughout the year. Child mini sessions, Fall Mini sessions, and Christmas Mini sessions just to name a few. Christmas Mini Sessions are my most popular. Mini sessions are typically priced lowered than a regular session. They are a great value.

I am so excited to meet you and your family. Thank you for taking the time to not only read this blog post but also for visiting my website. I truly love my job and appreciate all of my Conner James Photography clients and supporters.

Christmas 2020 Sessions are booking!

I am booking Christmas Mini sessions! These sessions are going to be so much fun. The background is gorgeous! It is big enough for families. Sessions will take place in my studio. Christmas Mini Sessions are on Friday November 20th, 2020, Saturday November 28 2020, and Sunday November 29th 2020. I have very limited amount of session spots. If you are interested I would book soon! Only 15 open session spots left!

These sessions are perfect for Christmas cards. I know I can not wait to make mine. Just magical! I hope to see you and your family. You can book your session on my website under the Investment page on my website. www.connerjamesphotography.com/investment Book your session today!

Conner James Photography is OPEN!

Conner James Photography is open for business! We have some new safety practices in place. Our clients are the number one priority. We have very limited booking spots available due to the safety measures in place.

While I miss my husband being home, I am so happy to be back to work. I have been cleaning and sanitizing the studio. I have hand sanitizer in the studio for use. I have a germicidal sanitation light to clean the studio. hospitals use this type of light to sanitize the hospital rooms. I will be wearing gloves and a face mask as well. No shoes will be allowed in the studio. The bathroom will be cleaned and sanitized before every session. If you have any questions please let me know. I would be happy to answer them.

I have outdoor sessions available as well. Natural Light Family Sessions and Child Mini Sessions are now booking. I am so excited about seeing everyone! I have missed seeing my amazing clients. During the stay at home order, I tried to keep busy with my kids and cleaning my house. We did a bunch of yard work too. I could not be a landscaper, the work is too hard for me. We did fix my garden. I now have 6 rose bushes. They are so pretty.

Thank goodness the homeschooling is over and now it is summer. I can not wait to swim. My kids have been telling me all about what they want to do when they are out of school. Lately we have been showing our kids the old classic movies and how to play some card games. It has been so nice to have so much family time.

Thank you so much for supporting me and my small business!

Oh, the Quarantine!

How is everyone doing during the quarantine? I hope you are healthy and safe. My family and I have been at home doing our part to flatten the curve. We have been home since Sunday. The studio has been deep cleaned, sanitized, and organized.

Our new normal is homeschooling and trying to make the best of out the situation we are in. Home school has been difficult with 3 kiddos in 3 different grades, but we are making it work. I created an at home school schedule to keep my children from fighting and going crazy. ( yes we are at that stage right now ) I have been taking my extra time to deep clean my house while trying to maintain my sanity. We have also been exercising as a family too. The kids are loving it. We try to do fun thing every day to make this time somewhat fun. It definitely has been a learning experience.

Please help support my small business! April only has 1 booking!
I still need to pay my cost of doing business and my business insurance! So.... APRIL SESSION SALE! 30% off all sessions booked for April.
The session must take place in April. Use code 30OFFAPRIL when booking.

We are all in this together. It’s not fun, but it’s necessary. Stay safe and healthy! Hang in there. You got this!

Thank you so much, 

Christine Kelly 

Conner James Photography

Client safety practices during Coronavirus and Flu Season

It’s cold/ flu season and with the Coronavirus going around I wanted to explain the safety steps Conner James Photography is taking to ensure your safety.

I have been a newborn photographer for 7 years. I always practice special precautions to make sure the studio is cleaned and sanitized properly before, during, and after each session. I regularly clean the studio. but especially during cold/flu season. Now with the Coronavirus going around I am taking extra precautions.

I do recommend that if you or your child is sick please contact me to reschedule your session. I do not mind rescheduling. it is better to be safe. If you do bring a sick child in my studio I will cancel the session without refund. Please don’t spread any kind of sickness. We want to keep everyone healthy.

I keep hand sanitizer in the studio. I wash my hands before the session and will use hand sanitizer during the session. I wash my backdrops/blankets before and after each session. I wipe down hard surfaces with Lysol cleaning wipes. I also wipe down and clean the bathroom including door handles, light switches and so on. I have hand sanitizer in the bathroom too. Please feel free to use the hand sanitizer.

For cake smashes I use white seamless paper. I buy the seamless paper new in packaging for each session. I also wash and clean my cake stand. I wipe down any props what we use with Lysol wipes too. I pride myself in making your child’s safety my first priority.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I would be happy to answer them. As always thank you so much for choosing Conner James Photography.

Now booking sessions for 2020!

Are you expecting? Do you need a photographer? I would love to be your photographer!

Did you know that newborn photography is my speciality? I specialize in newborn photography because I love it! I love working with newborns and creating memories that last forever. Newborn photography is my passion. Being a newborn photographer requires training, you should know information on the poses and on the newborn’s health. It’s so important to make sure the baby is healthy and safe during the session. I have photographed over 700 newborn session and counting.

I have photographed newborns from 3 lbs to 11 lbs, both healthy babies and NICU babies. I work with your newborn to pose them. I do not force them into the pose. I have a lot of patience. I take my time with posing and I like to use your nursery theme in the session while also keeping my classic looking poses. I use a variety of poses and use different angles to maximize my posing.

I have an in home studio fully stocked with props to use for the session. I take precautions in my studio to keep props clean and sanitized for sessions. I have headbands, wraps, hats and little stuffed animals. I also have beds, buckets, and bowls. I prepare for each session ahead of time and make sure each setup is perfect for your little precious baby.

I only take a limited number of sessions each month to ensure my focus and time for each session I book. I tend to book sessions months in advance to secure your session spot. This will also help me to prepare for the session. Sometimes I buy new props or items for the session and this will give me time to order the prop from my vendors. I am currently working on a Grow With Me package for Milestone sessions. I have received a lot of requests for that type of package and I am working my hardest to fulfill them.

I do recommend Milestone sessions. They are a great way to capture all of the achievements as your little one grows. You can do 3, 6, and 9 month sessions or even 4, 8, and 11 month sessions. If you wanted you could do just a 6 month session. Milestone sessions are a wonderful way to remember how little your baby was and to show how they have grow during their first year of life. I love these sessions! I love being able to see my little clients grow.

1st Birthday sessions are the best. I have so much fun with these. I will ask you what colors you would like to use, or I can give you some recommendations. We will start the session with some portraits. Then move to the cake smash part of the session. I will say that 80% of kids love to smash the cake. I think 1st Birthday sessions are a must. I still show my kiddos their 1st Birthday sessions. They cant believe how little they were and how funny their expressions use to be. I just love the memories. Memories are my favorite because they are priceless and you can’t get this time back. Although I wish I could get this time back because my kids just keep growing.

While I do offer sessions through the first year of life, I also offer Mini Sessions!! Did I say Mini Sessions? Why yes, I did! I love mini sessions. They are a great way to save money but also get your portraits updated as well. I offer different types of Mini Sessions throughout the year. My most popular Mini Sessions are Christmas Mini Sessions.

My mini sessions have been put on my schedule. You can find what types of mini sessions I am offering and when they are on my investment page on my website. I am so excited to be offering a wide selection of mini sessions. I can’t wait to see you this year! Thank you so much!

Your newborn's safety should be the only prioirty

As a newborn photographer I get asked a lot of questions. Sometimes I get new questions I haven’t heard of before but most of the time it’s the same questions. As parents you should be asking theses questions. I am always more than happy to answer them too.  

I always get asked when should you schedule the newborn session. My advice is to schedule your newborn session in your second trimester or as soon as you can. Life does happen and we all get busy. This way you will have it done and your session spot secured with your photographer. Another question I get asked is how long does the newborn session last. My newborn sessions last 2 hours. I would say most photographers newborn sessions last about 2 hours but does depend on their level of experience.

I like to make sure the sessions run smoothly and efficiently. I also send my clients a Newborn Session Parent Prep Guide. I want to make sure you get amazing images of your little one and make sure they are safe, healthy, and happy during the session. During my sessions, I tell you what poses I am doing and how I am taking precautions to make sure your newborn is safe. I do this because most parents, who are not photographers, do not really know that there are actual newborn poses versus laying a baby on a their back or in a basket.

These poses take skill and knowledge, which is why you should always hire a professional photographer skilled in the specific area that you need for your photos. If you need a wedding photographed hire a wedding photographer, if you need your house photograph, hire a real estate photographer. This will ensure the best outcome for your photos. 

Newborn photography is my passion. I love to create memories for families to cherish while keeping your little one safe during the session. If you need newborn photos done, please feel free to message me. I would love to talk with you. It would be my honor to photograph your family.