• You'd love to have a family portrait session that fully captures who you are, how you connect, and how much affection surfaces when all the members of your family are present within the camera frame.

    We're happy to capture your family in our studio, complete with gorgeous light and minimal distractions, or in your comfy-cozy home full of familiar toys and routines. No matter where our session takes place, we'll delight in your delight. And we'll encourage you to pay attention to one another instead of the camera, because there's no 'add happy' button in Photoshop.

    We don't care whether you're barefoot or wearing fuzzy slippers, and we won't be sending over a twenty-page list of suggestions about what to wear. (We can make you look beautiful in sweat pants if you love each other.) We just want to capture your family. Your habits, your quirks, and your love. And when you view the images we've created together for the first time, we want the depth of love you feel for your family to grab you by the collar and bring tears to your eyes.

    The video below provides a peek at how portrait sessions unfold. If you have questions or would like to schedule a portrait session, click on the 'Contact' link above or call 215-206-3689. Oh -- and thanks for stopping by, lovely!

    -- Kristen & Haunani, Essential Imagery owners

    P.S. That's Kristen up in the header -- Haunani is camera-shy.

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Monthly Archives: November 2009

EIGHT MONTHS AND COUNTING

Callum was giving his parents a hard time.  His Mom stepped out for a second, and he giggled like an angel.  He worked his eyelashes like a male model, batting incessantly.  The result?

Callum, ladykiller-in-training.

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HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

I’ve been photographing this little turkey for as long as I’ve been a photographer, and he gets more handsome every year.  (Of course, he’s rockin’ fewer teeth in this, the 2009 edition.)

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Left: “Jordan, gimme J. Crew.”

Right: “Jordan, gimme the face you give the ladies.”

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“What if I tell your Mom and Dad about your girlfriend?”

“Pleeeeeeeeease don’t tell them!” (as he giggles non-stop)

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Jordan’s Mom, Kim, is the fabulous baker behind Sweet Jazmines.  (If you’re on a diet, don’t click.  If you’d like to have the best brownies and cheesecake of your life, click away.)  This image was saved from the Recycle Bin by that look she’s giving.  So deep and lovely and nostalgic.

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Our location was gorgeous, even if we did miss the Autumn foliage by a few weeks!

This last one is typical Jordan.  He’s up to no good, Kim’s laughing, and Chris is giving the Classic Dad ‘Why don’t you come over HERE and say it again?’ heckle brought about when the kid is winning.

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POLAROIDS | CHESTNUT HILL PHOTOGRAPHER

Just a few Polaroids I scanned from a walk through Chestnut Hill.  I am such a sucker for French painters and glorious, colorful bunting.

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GIVING IS AWESOME 2009

Last year, I um…well, I started a movement.  I made the initial Giving is Awesome blog post that caused over 500 photographers to donate over $565,000 worth of custom photography to deserving people around the world.  This year, we’re going for 1,000 photographers and giving away over $1,000,000 worth of custom photography!  If you’re a photographer, click to find out more about Giving is Awesome.

If you’d like to nominate someone for complimentary portraits by Essential Imagery, read on…

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You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $3500 worth, to be exact. Whether it’s canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $500 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside within 100 miles of Philadelphia, PA.  Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story with the nominee’s contact information : kristen@essentialimagery.com

The winner will be called on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

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DECORATING WITH PHOTOS: VINYL FRAMES

Frames don’t have to be made of wood or metal to be fabulous, and here’s proof!

Lots of Moms are completely overwhelmed by how many photos they have.  On hard drives, in boxes, in those sleeves from the photo lab, stuffed into albums and drawers and…on other hard drives.  Let’s go about about displaying the photos in a simple, sleek way.

First, grab a three-year-old (or child of your choice) and some photos.  A few 4×6′s, 2 5×7′s, and an 8×10.  Buy a StickR kit from Butch and Harold.  It’s $19.95 for the set shown, which is available online.  It arrives in super sleek, ultra thin packaging that looks more like an envelope than a bundle of frames!

Peel, stick the vinyl frames, and repeat as often as you’d like.

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These frames are fun, bold, paint-friendly, and perfect for kids’ rooms.

Those pictures Julia takes of her dolls, her pets, and her shoes? Display them!

The photos from camp that make your heart melt? Pop a few onto the refrigerator.

Snapshots of the latest family vacation? Stick a few of these vinyl lovelies to the inside of your kitchen cabinets for an ambush of happiness.

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A worksheet with mini-stickers of the frames comes for visualizing your creation, too.  It was fun to play with the stickers, but I tried to be a bit more random and let the frames fall where they may.  These bad boys reposition quite well.  They leave no residue behind yet remain sticky enough to stay on the wall.

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Be sure to thank any helpers for their assistance with your new home decor, and you’re done.

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My job as a Philadelphia children’s photographer involves many activities.  One of them is keeping Moms sane and decluttered whenever I possibly can — hope this helps!

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