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. Die-hard beach goers? World travelers? Animal lovers? Trekkies? We wanna see it. 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.

BEST CAMERA IPHONE APP, HIPSTAMATIC

Hipstamatic is the best camera app for iphone. Hands down. Without question. Promise.

The original thought behind the Hipstamatic camera was that it would cost less than the film. The body of the camera was made of molded plastic and was produced from 1982 to 1984. Though the Hipstamatic bit of plastic goodness has gone the way of the dinosaur, it’s been revived in the form of the Hipstamatic app! Just $1.99 gets you a crazy amount of yummy vintage camera goodness, including three standard lenses and films. (Films affect the frame, not the color of the image.)

The interface you play with looks like this:

Once downloaded, it’s time to play with your shiny new camera app! Below, a simple subject to show off the Hipstamatic lenses’ effects. From left to right, each using Ina’s 1969 film: the Jimmy lens, Kaimal Mark II lens, and the John S. The Jimmy washes your image in yellow, while the Kaimal Mark II adds a magenta haze. Oh, and the John S adds a blue tint with some crazy-fine texture.

Again, a simple subject (the tray is actually white) to show off the lenses’ effects. Kaimal Mark II rocks the left side, while John S rocks the right. In the middle, a lens featured in the Shibuya pack, Roboto Glitter. Roboto Glitter adds a simple blue wash to photos, and also comes with the Berry Pop Flash and Float Film. Just $.99 tricks out your Hipstamatic app with these accessories!

Other Hipstamatic packs are called The Portland and the Williamsburg and cost $.99 each, so the ‘camera’ with all the accessories costs less than $5! Aside from being fun to play with, you can share your photos on Facebook. All in all, the range of films, lenses, and flashes make iPhone photos more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

And since I’m a children’s photographer, I have to say that kids will LOVE playing with this, too. Let them express their creativity and fake being Photoshop masters while they’re at it! To buy the best camera app on the planet, visit the Hipstamatic store.

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COFFEE IN PHILADELPHIA | ESSENTIAL IMAGERY, Philadelphia photographer - [...] here!” instead of “to go,” I take a picture of it. These were taken with the Hipstamatic app, which I deemed the best iPhone camera app, at Zina’s Diner in [...]