Family of Three Starting the Day Off Right!

Good morning, sunshine! If you’re looking to start a daughter day off in the best way possible, take a look at what Reed’s family did. They put her in a few of her favorite dresses, swung by the studio, and had some photos taken of her silliness! The only expectation was to play, love on each other, and enjoy each other’s company. Did we pretend the entire studio was Reed’s house? Yes, we did. Did we jump off the couch? Oh yes, we did. Did we play with all the props? Totally. We even smooshed into a little cardboard box. “If I fits, I sits” is for more than just cats. :)

In any case, we all were smiling at the end, and I hope the good vibe continued for their big day out together. I hope they went to mini golf, or saw a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. Maybe they went to Babe’s Tea Room for warm beverages, tiny sandwiches and Bella Macarons. These are some of my favorite things, after all. And I’m so happy Reed has these photos with her mom and dad to remember how it started.

Thanks to Reed and her parents for being such a bright light in the studio for me. If you’re looking to capture something similar with your little one, start your day with me and schedule your session.

Reed participated in this box project. She brought ALL of her personalities and nailed the assignment. :)

Thanks Reed for being such a ray of sunshine in the studio!

Summer Mini Sessions for your Mini! Saturday, July 9 in Denver (Lakewood)

The kids are growing fast! We recently celebrated the last day of school for our kiddos, and it’s crazy how much they’ve changed from the first day. Their cheeks have changed, their faces are longer, and so are their legs.

Is anyone ready for a refresh to the photos on the wall (or the background for your phone)? Let’s go for silly and bright, showing off the faces that make you laugh every day. We’ll turn on some fun tunes, dance and laugh for about 20 minutes. No stress, dress casual, come to play. :)

Only 3 spots available on Saturday, July 9 between 10am - 12pm. $200, 10 full sized poster-ready digitals. Mini sessions are invoiced and paid in full to reserve your spot. Email stephanie@marilee.co to select your day and time. My new print shop will be available with your gallery!

Check out some of these amazing photos from a mama who stopped by with her two littles. Let’s fill our homes with more cute expressions like these!

I'm so glad there's 3 of us... East Bay California Sibling Photos

With two teenagers in the family, it can be hard for everyone to get excited about being in each other’s proximity! I’m the youngest of 4, so I know what it’s like. :) When it’s all over, these photos will hopefully bring a little joy to the memory… starting from today until when they’re all in their 40s like my set of siblings. We shot these photos on a HOT day in the East Bay, California.

Thanks for coming out to play, JDJ.

Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony + Mommy and Me Photo Session - Denver

Partners, take note. Something a lot of mothers want for a special occasion (either Mother’s Day, a birthday, or just plain Saturday), is a set of nice photos of the children with her IN the photo. This is really hard for a lot of parents who are behind the camera. Most of the photos we have with our rapidly growing children are filtered selfies (don’t get me wrong, those are super fun and have their place!). I had the pleasure of shooting this Mother’s Day set for a beautiful mama and her 1.5 year old baby girl, arranged in (almost) secret by her husband (you go, Christopher!).

Jerusalem & Christopher brought over goods for a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and I paired the set with outdoor boho decor, hanging a macrame garland (designed by Woven Will) on sheer panels and layered textured rugs. I’d say it was a success! A studio session followed with an amazing wardrobe change, and I set up some speedlight gels to compliment Jerusalem’s gorgeous head wrap.

This outdoor set is available through the summer. To book, email: stephanie@marilee.co

Summer Art - Paint Your Kids!

2019 marks our first time of educating our kids at home during the long summer break. Our oldest child is 5 years old and is on the cusp of reading, writing, and being an all-around awesome kid who’s on his way to Kindergarten in the fall. Sure, we signed him up for a few weeks of real summer camp, themed around dinos, space, and more. But the rest of the time, he’s with us!

In order to keep his growing brain from getting summer rot, my husband created “Daddy Camp” — it’s our job to fill his day with outdoor play, math, spelling, and my job is Mommy Art Director! It’s pretty fun and silly. Our motto is “KEEP IT WEIRD!” and we even have a family Daddy Camp song.

On this particular day, both our son and I needed a creative outlet. Together, we picked 3 washable Crayola paint colors, and went to town on his hands until he said he was happy with the way he looked. I set up a white backdrop on a rainy day, and filled the scene with a 50” Godox umbrella and a huge 85W 6500K CFL bulb (I often use this bulb that’s consistently on if I’m in a situation where there’s only 1-2 subjects and a speedlight might bother the kid).

With a little hand movements a la Vogue style, we came up with these photos and both mommy and big boy really love them! I’ll always remember this as part of his first summer break. :) The first one is going on a wall.

I try to shoot as close to the right exposure as possible, then used Refined Presets for some amazing edits.