Sarah Severson (Chicago, IL)
Sarah Severson Photography
(also on facebook)
Based in Evanston, IL - just north of Chicago, Sarah has two rambunctious but sweet little boys, ages 4 1/2 and 3. She's been in business for three years and loves to photograph births, newborns, toddlers, older kids and families, and of course her own children as they grow. Sarah also offers one-on-one tutoring to help parents better use their DSLR and photo editing software.

I'd always had an interest in photography and was the person at family events walking around, taking pictures of everyone. I really love capturing moments in time with still images. I majored in journalism in college and took a few classes related to photojournalism, and this further fueled my passion for photography. It wasn't until my husband finished graduate school though that I could afford to buy a DSLR and really dive in to learning the camera and the craft. I took classes, mentored with photographers that I admired, read a whole slew of books, studied and practiced like crazy. I have been in business for three years now.

2) How would you describe your style?

My style is clean, simple, and sweet. I lean toward being just a touch overexposed with a light, airy feel. I like taking a combination of posed as well as candid lifestyle shots.

3) What do you most enjoy photographing?

I have a special love for photographing newborns, but also enjoy the big milestone ages - toddlers are hilarious and a great challenge, families are a lot of fun. And photographing my own family of course ranks right up there!

4) Which is your favorite lens?

Hmmm it's hard to say just one! The lenses I use the most are Nikon's 50 f/1.4 and 24-70 f/2.8 lenses. But before I had those professional level lenses, I loved shooting with Nikon's 35 f/1.8 lens because it's a light prime that worked well indoors. Chicago winters can feel really long and it was nice to have a prime that I could use often in my house with my kids.

5) What have you most enjoyed about being a photosanity mentor so far?

It's so rewarding to see photosanity participants learn the material and run with it! I also love seeing the positive interactions between members of the group as they give great suggestions and positive feedback. It's a great community. I'm excited to work with this next session of workshop participants!

6) What is your favorite photography tip for parents?

Have your camera charged and ready! Upload and backup your pictures OFTEN and in multiple places (online and external hard drives)! Try to anticipate emotions or picture-worthy moments so you are ready with your camera when they happen. If you have a DSLR, invest in a camera bag that you enjoy carrying around with you so you'll bring your camera along when you go out.

7) Share three of your recent favorite photos (personal and/or professional) - why are they favorites?

The first is a beautiful newborn named Cate. She slept through the entire session and I love that she is so peaceful and sweet in this shot. The second was taken on a day in October the day before a big storm came through Chicago and blew off all of the gorgeous fall leaves, so I was really excited to do this session before it looked like winter. The family lives on this wonderful street with large old trees, so it was a great place for our photo session - they have their oldest child and then two sets of twins! The third is one of my absolute favorite pictures that I took of my boys at home - my 4-year-old son snuck my iPhone into the bathroom and the 2-year-old followed him in to watch him play (I think it was Angry Birds). I walked past the bathroom, saw what was happening and grabbed my camera really fast to capture this shot. Such a funny moment and sweet time of life!

8) Choose one photo from a fall 2011 participant that you particularly like and explain why.

I love this photo by Jessie Wixon because it so sweetly captures these little girls in their matching outfits and how they are so focused on making the right steps. Such a great photo.

Check out the photosanity website for more information on cities and mentors (and of course to sign up for the workshop if you are interested).

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

Truc Nguyen (Los Angeles, CA)
Bamboo Shoots Photography
http://www.bambooshootsphoto.com
http://www.facebook.com/bambooshootsphotography
Based in Los Angeles, Truc’s background was originally in corporate finance, but she discovered it wasn’t for her. She feels so lucky to be able to do what she loves now, photographing families, kids, and babies, and also weddings and seniors.

I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life when I was 18. I studied hard in college, graduated and got some corporate experience, went to business school, and then got an incredible job opportunity in corporate finance. But before I took that job, I got married, and in planning for our wedding and looking for a photographer, I fell in love with portrait and wedding photography. And I realized that was what I wanted to do with my life. To capture the wonder and love of a set of new parents, the mischief of a three-year-old, and the tenderness of a pair of newlyweds.

2) How would you describe your style?

Colorful and spontaneous. My photos are full of bright, vivid colors, and when photographing kids and families, I just let moments happen and rarely direct. The best moments are the unguarded, candid ones when they've forgotten that I'm even there.

3) What do you most enjoy photographing?

I love photographing families. I love capturing how they interact with one another, the love they feel for each other, the goofy moments, and the intimate ones.

4) Which is your favorite lens?

Without question, my favorite lens is the Canon 50mm f/1.2. This lens stays on my camera 95% of the time during portrait sessions. I love that it allows me to be close enough to my subjects to interact with them easily, but isn’t so wide that it causes distortion. I love that it’s light in weight and very manageable. And I love shooting wide open at f/1.2. I just love the quality of the light that it gets and the smoothness of the background blur.

5) What have you most enjoyed about being a photosanity mentor so far?

My favorite part of being a mentor is watching participants discover how to look for and use the best light. I especially love looking at participants' photos at the start of the class and comparing them to the photos at the end. Their improvement and progress is always astounding!

6) What is your favorite photography tip for parents?

Be aware of the background in your photos. Most often, the simpler the background, the better! You don't want things distracting from the focus of your photos, so change your angle until you see less clutter in the background.

7) Share three of your recent favorite photos (personal and/or professional) - why are they favorites?

The first two photos are from my favorite family session ever. Who can resist an adorable two-and-a-half-year-old boy and his two-month-old yellow Lab puppy? I love the light and the joy in these photos. The third photo is a recent favorite because I love the sunset providing pretty backlight and a bit of flare, and I love knowing that the boy's having fun with his mom, with his dad and brother following in the background.

8) Choose one photo from a fall 2011 participant that you particularly like and explain why.

I adore this photo by Devi Herold Knapp. I love the composition and the warmth of the photo. The colors just pop, especially that beautiful blue of her eyes and how it looks with her dress. And the leaves give the photo such a great sense of time and place.

Check out the photosanity website for more information on cities and mentors (and of course to sign up for the workshop if you are interested).

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

Lauren Nygard (San Diego, CA)
Lauren Nygard Photography
(also on facebook)
Based in Oceanside, CA, which is a little north of San Diego proper, Lauren has officially been in business for almost three years and primarily shoots weddings and portraits. She also runs a small photography group out in San Diego and loves helping people improve their photo skills.

Like most photographers, photography was always a hobby of mine - my mom let me borrow her Nikon when I was in high school and I was hooked! A camera was my high school graduation gift from my parents, so I continued to dabble in photography through college and grad school. When my husband and I got married, I made a (really!) bad decision and hired a photographer off of Craigslist. The day after our wedding, I got a horrible email from him: he had lost all of the images from our ceremony! I was devastated. After several weeks passed, we received the images he did have, and I was even more upset because I didn't love them, as I thought I would. A few months later, my husband was sent to Oklahoma for 5 months for work, and I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I started taking more photography classes to fill my evenings, and asked friends if I could photograph them. Before I knew it, I was applying for my business license and having the time of my life! I knew I didn't want other couples to have the same experience with their wedding photographer as we did, which has really influenced my wedding photography.

2) How would you describe your style?

Natural and fresh.

3) What do you most enjoy photographing?

I love photographing love! I love when you can see how much a groom loves his bride, or a mom loves her son, or a wife loves her husband, through just one image. Capturing those precious moments are so important and I love being able to do that!

4) Which is your favorite lens?

I purchased a 50mm f/1.8 a few years ago and it's hardly ever left my camera body since then!

5) What have you most enjoyed about being a photosanity mentor so far?

I love seeing the growth in the participants' photos, and feeling the excitement when they've mastered new techniques.

6) What is your favorite photography tip for parents?

Have patience!

7) Share three of your recent favorite photos (personal and/or professional) - why are they favorites?

I love the first photo which is from a recent family session I did. Little Sophie was taking a while to get warmed up to me, so I asked her to help me get her mommy and daddy to smile at the camera. She was a fantastic assistant! When I showed her the image I captured of her parents, she had a huge smile on her face! I told her it was her turn, and I was able to catch this precious shot.

The second photo is one of my favorite wedding images from 2011. This was taken immediately after the ceremony, and the bride and groom had naturally slipped into a short dance while I was capturing a few portraits. I love the tenderness in the image--the way he's gently kissing the top of her head as she looks down and smiles.

The third photo is of my husband! I turn our living room into a studio if my clients want a studio set up, and usually use a teddy bear to test the lighting before the clients arrive. This time, my clients were coming over on a Monday evening and I set up on Sunday afternoon. I asked my husband to sit in for a few tests shots, and was being goofy as he sat there, looking down at his iPad. I told him he needed a new Facebook photo and demanded that he look up at me. This is the image I got. I don't know why I decided to shoot so tightly, so we now joke that it'll be the perfect headshot for him to be the next soap opera star. I just think it's fun, and looking at it reminds me of how helpful he is, especially when it comes to my business!

8) Choose one photo from a fall 2011 participant that you particularly like and explain why.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the expression captured here in this photo by Shayna Gehl! Everything about this photo is right: the colors, the background, the light, the expression. It's an amazing portrait!

Check out the photosanity website for more information on cities and mentors (and of course to sign up for the workshop if you are interested).

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

Yes, groups - plural. Photosanity is going national! Ok, obviously as the workshop is online, we've already had participants from around the country and the world, but up until now, the focus has been on NYC participants.

This time, I have four professional family photographers from around the country who helped to mentor the fall workshop continuing on with their own facebook group for their city. The cities are: Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA and San Diego, CA as well as, of course, NYC.

I thought it would be fun to interview each mentor before the workshop starts so you can all get to know them. Today's interview is with Alison Eden Copeland of Alison Eden Photography. She will be mentoring the Austin, TX group.

Alison Eden Copeland (Austin, TX)

Like a lot of moms, I didn't want to go "back to work" after having my first baby. So, my grandmother gave me a DSLR as a gift, and I started practicing on my baby. I taught myself photography and Photoshop, and I took my first paying client when my son was 6 months old--in my dining room. The whole career has been a very hands-on learning experience for me, and I've been incredibly lucky, in that my business really exploded right from the beginning. I've barely been able to catch my breath!

2) How would you describe your style?

I was once asked to describe my style in three words, and I choose funky, intimate, and humorous. I've tried other styles at the request of clients, and I've learned that I'm just not great at uber-classic or frou-frou stuff. I tend toward bright colors and wacky prints, and I like a bit of humor in most of my work, since I think kids are inherently funny. I think the most important thing about photographing a child is getting the eyes to sparkle, because that's what parents are going to remember most about the child. I also like to commemorate their little hands and feet, and the qualities of their skin.

3) What do you most enjoy photographing?

The absolute easiest stage of life for me to photograph is the sitting-up-but-not-yet-crawling stage. Babies in that stage are full of sparkle and personality, they're usually chubby, and they can't get away from me! I also LOVE to photograph newborns, but that can be really unpredictable and difficult. Of course, the only thing that gives me a real, sustained high is a birth. Birth is obviously the coolest thing in the whole world, and to be present at one is always an honor. But it's also such a naturally beautiful and emotive event, it's a total joy to photograph.

4) Which is your favorite lens?

My favorite lens right now (for Nikon) is the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens. When I shot Canon, it was the Canon 50mm f/1.2. Both of them give incredible bokeh and gorgeous colors.

5) What have you most enjoyed about being a photosanity mentor so far?

I've really enjoyed watching people grow over just a few weeks from total beginner status to understanding light and composition and making the most of their equipment.

6) What is your favorite photography tip for parents?

To turn off the flash. If you're looking at a scene and you think it would make a great photo, you're going to completely change the feel of it when you add a flash. You never see your child the way a camera with a flash sees your child. It's just an unflattering look to me. Obviously, sometimes it's necessary, and sometimes photographers use flash for artistic reasons, but I think for a parent who is learning to photograph his or her children, turning off the flash makes a photo instantly more emotive and real.

7) Share three of your recent favorite photos (personal and/or professional) - why are they favorites?

The first two photos are recent favorites because they're professional photos I took of my best friend's brand-new baby boy. I love the colors and the light in the first one. In the second, I just love all his fuzz. The third photo is one I took on my iPhone of my own two sons. I love it because it's genuine. It's just them holding hands, running down the street, after a particularly fun day of sliding down a grassy hill in homemade sleds. I love it that, even though they're 2.5 years apart in age, their feet are perfectly in stride.

8) Choose one photo from a fall 2011 participant that you particularly like and explain why.

I love this photo (by workshop participant Lisa Pelavin) for a few reasons. I love the composition, and the fact that the boy is back-lit. I also love the depth of field, and the interest the chain-link fence adds to the image. But mainly, I probably love this because it reminds me of my oldest son. He's sensitive and deep, and I always want to capture that, along with his beautiful blue-gray eyes. But he's also self-conscious and won't allow himself to be natural in front of the camera. So I love it that this photo captures what I wish to capture in my son.

Check out the photosanity website for more information on cities and mentors (and of course to sign up for the workshop if you are interested).

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

I had one full day in the hospital with Jack, one day where reality was suspended and my job was to rest, recover, and bond with my brand new baby.

I loved that time in the hospital with Liam and I loved thst time with Jack also - it felt like sacred time, and that's what these photos, taken on the second day of his life, capture for me. Beauty, peace, love, perfection.

The first photo above was taken less than six hours after he was born when I was still bedridden. And why yes I did ask a nurse to pass me my camera bag!

So yeah, we had a baby! Jack decided to make his appearance 16 days before his due date and 9 days before our scheduled c-section.

I never went into labor on my own with Liam - sonograms showed him to be a big baby and I was induced about a week before his due date. As our OB had warned was a good possibility, labor did not progress much (after several hours of labor I was only about 4cm dilated) and when his heart rate started dipping a little, indicating that he was in fact too big to come out, the decision was made to do a c-section.

This time around, the baby was also looking to be big, and we were scheduled for a c-section on December 27th. Our OB did keep mentioning that if I went into labor before then, we would try for a VBAC, but I really didn't think it would happen - in my mind, we were having a c-section. That's what we had before, and that's what we would have again! And as I never went into labor on my own before, I seriously doubted I would this time, even though I knew there was really no logical basis for that assumption.

Well, it turns out there REALLY was no logical basis for that assumption, but when I started having mild but regular contractions at around 2pm on December 18th, I pulled out my childbirth books from 3 years ago, read about "false labor" and thought, well, it's quite possible that's what this is. I had literally finished my last piece of production work for a client about an hour earlier, and had been up really late the night before working on the Fitzpatrick calendar… so the first thing I did was take a nap! I was actually able to get a little bit of sleep between contractions and woke up feeling a little more prepared for whatever was to follow. And even though I was still in denial about really being in labor, I did at least pack my hospital bag!

My in-laws were supposed to come over to babysit that evening so we could go on a last date before the baby, so we cancelled that and had them on standby to come over, but my OB seemed to think we probably wouldn't go into the hospital until the next morning. He told me to have a couple of glasses of wine and to wait and see.

I don't know why but what stuck in my head was all the stories of people thinking they were in labor and turning up too early at the hospital, only to be sent home again. What I totally blanked out was all the stories from my mom friends of second births that went extremely quickly. However, when contractions suddenly started getting stronger and longer and more closely spaced as we approached 7pm I thought, hmmm, I think we're going to the hospital tonight! We told Keith's parents to come over.

And then my water broke. And contractions were quite strong. And I told Keith we had to leave for the hospital right away, and have his parents meet us there!

Yeah, you know how they tell you that usually it's not like the movies? Well, this was exactly like the movies. My water broke, and we were on a mad dash for the hospital. We threw Liam into the back seat, grabbed our stuff, and, well, I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how Keith kept his cool, but there was some horn honking and fast driving and all the while I was timing contractions on my iphone (yes of course there's an app for that!) and trying to come up with some sort of breathing technique to get through the contractions (we never went to any childbirth classes!) and calling my OB to see if we should in fact go to the emergency room entrance… which in the end we did. He met us there with a wheelchair but of course Keith had to stay in the car with Liam (who had fallen asleep amidst all the excitement - he had missed his nap earlier!) and wait for his parents to arrive while I got whisked up to the 6th floor!

Yes, it was quite dramatic.

Water broke at 7pm, we got to the hospital at 7.45pm. Apparently I was 9cm dilated and my OB told me we would try to push the baby out. Well, that I would. And honestly, my first reaction was "Push?!!! What happened to my c-section?!" but I got some pain relief, Keith arrived, and probably about 10 pushes later, one hour after we got to the hospital, my OB said "ok, on the next push you're going to have a baby" and then "reach down and grab your baby" and… Jack was here!!!!

It was truly an incredible experience, as was Liam's birth, but in an entirely different way. I was never REALLY scared, as it didn't feel like I was going to have the baby in the car, but it did get a little hairy, and I had been counting on those last 9 days to get some rest and prepare for having a newborn in our lives again.

And yet the whole experience was perfect, exactly how it was supposed to be, just by virtue of being how it was. And it turns out recovery is a lot easier than from a c-section so I'm glad my OB pushed for the VBAC (for example, I could never have taken these photos, the day after Jack was born, if I'd had a c-section). And thank goodness for a discussion on my mom's group e-mail list just a few days earlier on some of the things to expect during recovery when it ISN'T a c-section… this turned out to be really valuable information for me!

It is quite amazing how hard it is to imagine having another child and ever loving them as much as the first… and then they're here, and you just do. Jack looks a lot like Liam did when he was newborn so it's been sort of surreal. It feels almost like going back in time… and yet not, because there is Liam, in all his adorable and rambunctious and hilarious almost-three years old ways. And he is so so sweet with Jack!

The transition home has taken a little while, especially as we did not have things quite ready beforehand, and also, well, there's a lot you forget about having a newborn! But we're slowly falling into a rhythm and we're lucky to have a lot of help - my sister was here for a week, and my parents are here for a few months, plus Keith's family is around, so I really have nothing to complain about. One of the good things about having a second child is that I already have all my mom friends and support network in place too - with Liam, I didn't start meeting other moms with babies the same age until he was 6 weeks old. I've taken Liam out a few times just he and I and that has been a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to getting back into regular playdates over the next few weeks.

Today Jack is two weeks old. Already it's been quite a ride and I can't wait to see what the new year brings.

Happy 2012 to all!

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

December 18th, 2011:
2.00pm: contractions started
7.00pm: water broke
7.45pm: arrived at hospital
8.45pm: Jack Cheng Fitzpatrick was born | 7lbs 10ozs

This Christmas we got the best gift of all - the speedy and safe delivery of a healthy and beautiful baby boy. To all of you who celebrate - Merry Christmas!

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!