Like many of you (at least I HOPE I’m not the only one) our summer has been a bit…. trying. Not only are San Antonio summers hotter than Hades (and I’ve lived in Arizona!) the current pandemic makes for fewer safe, easygoing options for summertime fun. Most playgrounds are closed, community pools are either closed, or operating at a reduced capacity, amusement parks are closed (for good reason, of course), and it seems like the commplace summertime boredom is even more pronounced in 2020.

That’s why I’m SO glad I read through a newsletter I recently got in my inbox for Hulafrog– a website/blog all about fun things to do in San Antonio (or whatever town you live in!) I somehow came across Hulafrog last year when we moved here to San Antonio last year, and it’s seriously chock full of stuff to do with your kids- many of which are free or inexpensive, fun, educational, outdoorsy, artistic… and everything in between. They’ll tell you everything that’s going on during any given day, have a calendar of local events, and great little blog articles. They also have directories of local professionals serving families! Take a look at their photographers directory- SLP is now listed! 🙂

Anyway, though I don’t love having an email inbox overrun with messages and newsletters, the one from Hulafrog is one I actually read! (No, I don’t get anything from them for recommending them- I just think they always have SUCH great info for families! Plus it’s something fun to share here on my blog.) 🙂 Which is why I wanted to tell you about coolest thing I just learned from their most recent newsletter….. an online learning platform called Outschool.

Where. has. this. been. all. my. life ? ! ?

From what I gathered by (ironically) spending an hour neglecting my children to browse through their classes in search of things to enrich my children 😆, Outschool is an online learning website that offers online “classes” or workshops for kids- created and taught by background-checked adults- many of whom are teachers, and many others who are simply parents, professionals, or experts in their field. I’ve seen workshops teaching kids how to make healthy snacks taught by moms, a class all about sharks taught by a young man working in the zoo/aquarium industry, a into to veterinary medicine taught by a certified Vet Tech, a cooking class taught by a young women who loves Asian cuisine- the choices are limitless. (Seriously- I started browsing and never got to the end of the page!)

Most workshops seems to be about an hour long- some longer, some shorter. Some are a one-time class, others are 6 weeks long- “meeting” once a week. The workshops are held on Zoom (I believe) and you can even find a class as soon as this afternoon. And the best part (I think) is the cost. SO MANY of the classes I looked into for my kiddos were around $10! A lot in the $12-$15 range, some even $7. Of course, there were classes offering far more in-depth subject matter or ran for several sessions that had a much higher cost, but so many options are affordable enough you could sign up and your kiddos could learn a new fun skill TODAY.

And No, I don’t get anything from Outschool by writing this post, either! (Though if they’re reading this- I I’d have no problem with that!) 😉 I just know that missing almost four months of school leading into a stay-at-home summer has made our kids really eager for a change of pace. And it’s made me worn out from trying to find things for them to pass the time and keep their brains relatively sharp for the upcoming school year. So, I’m so excited that I found a 2-session class for only $16 called “Sharks- Misunderstood Apex Predators” for my shark-loving 6th grade daughter, and a $10 class called “Minecraft Mania! Intro to Fractions with Minecraft Characters!” for our 3rd grader (who is straight-up obsessed with Minecraft.) Another one I plan to sign them both up for?
“Engineering Design Challenge- Solar Oven S’mores!” Kids learn how to create a solar oven and test it out to cook a s’more! Perfect for San Antonio sunny days!

Though normally I’d be reluctant to spend $15 for one 30-60 minute online activity for our kids, during a pandemic and after missing 4 months of school? I’ll do it in a heartbeat. I think it’s a great way for them to interact with an adult other than myself, a fun thing to anticipate and get excited about, and a sneaky way to keep their minds sharp over the summer. Plus, I’ll feel like I’m doing something good for them… getting rid of that mom guilt is essential to our well-being!

I just can’t get over how cool all these little classes are! Take a look at some others:

• Bake and Beatbox: Make Delicious Banana Bread and Learn to Beatbox!
• Lego Architecture: Bridges
• Pablo Picasso and How to draw a cubist picture
• American History: The Civil rights Movement for Tweens
• ASL and Music Club 
• Minecraft: Finding Area and Perimeter
• Conversational Cantonese Club
• Around the World in 21 Days: Cook-Along Camp: Latin Session
• Financial Literacy for Kids
• Crochet Camp

Aren’t these the greatest?? I especially love the Make-Banana-Bread-and-Learn-to-Beatbox one! 😆 Most of these are for kids 8-11 (the age of my kiddos). Yet there are even more for tweens and high-schoolers! Take a look!

I hope this will be a huge lifesaver for parents at their wits’ end this summer. Share in the comments if you find any classes that your kids love!

I often hear the questions, “When is the best time to book newborn photos?” and also, “When is the best time to TAKE newborn photos?”  And there are two very different answers to these questions…

When should you BOOK a newborn session?

When should you BOOK a newborn session? As soon as you know you’re expecting!  🙂  Well, it may not be completely necessary to book that early, however it’s a great time to begin looking for newborn photographers near you and decide on what type of artwork you’re looking for.

And booking (i.e. paying any deposit required to secure your date on your photographer’s schedule) is best done, at the latest, during your second trimester. The closer you get to baby’s due date, the more likely the photographer will be completely booked during that time.  It’s first reserved, first served- so be sure to snag your slot early on!

But WHEN do we HOLD the photo session?

That’s typically done within baby’s first two weeks of life!  During their first 7-14 days or so, babies are still VERY sleepy and very flexible- just like they were in the womb.  This new-ness is what allows them to be guided into those adorable, curly, womb-like poses that highlight all their tiny, precious features.  It also means they will likely sleep for the majority of their session (expect for nursing breaks, diaper changes, and mommy or daddy snuggle breaks, of course!) A sleeping baby is simply easier to photograph and allows the photographer to capture a wider variety of images for their families.

Types of newborn photo sessions at Sarah Lake Photography

Signature Newborn Session

The types of images created by newborn photographers has come to be as diverse as the babies themselves.  But typically, you’ll see a couple of styles:  There’s a traditional portrait session that uses custom styled set-ups to capture beautifully-lit portraits of baby and their family….

Fresh 48 Session

…There are also sessions that are considered more “Lifestyle,” meaning they are captured just as they’re happening, their surrounding environment included- either in your home or in the hospital.  With a Fresh 48 Hospital session– pictured below- your photographer captures the brand-newness of your baby and your family-  right in your hospital room.

Whatever style you prefer, it’s never too early to get in touch with the photographer whose work you love and tell them you’d like to get on their calendar for the month that you’re due.  In fact, the earlier, the better for YOU.  Those first couple days home from the hospital, you will most likely feel like you’ve lost all brain function.  Seriously- I can speak from experience!  

Having your baby’s session all planned is a huge relief for you at an exhausting time!  Waiting until after baby arrives to try and choose a photographer is always more difficult.  So I encourage parents to book their session when baby is still in mom’s belly, because not only does it make a better experience for YOU, it’s simply easier and less stressful on you during an already life-changing period of time.

Booking your newborn session with SLP

When you choose to book your newborn’s very first portraits with Sarah Lake Photography, I will essentially block of a period of several days around your due date (since we know we can’t really county on baby to come on their exact due date!) And after baby is born, we then finalize your date and time to bring baby to the studio- which is usually around baby’s second week. 🙂

Furthermore, I only schedule a limited number of newborns each month.  This allows me to enough time to plan and customize for each of my clients, schedule around early babies, late babies, c-sections and the like. This also allows me to give each of my clients an amazing experience and the very best customer service.  After the care and safety of my tiny subjects, my clients are my number one priority.  I am so grateful for their trust in allowing me to capture their families and for supporting my business of doing what I love!

I you have any questions about a newborn session with SLP, please drop me a line here!  I’m more than happy to help!

To see our newborn session details and options, just click here!

Happy Fall y’all!  Well, not QUITE yet, but it’s definitely on its way!  Now that my family has returned from a wonderful month in Michigan spending time with grandparents and cousins, and school has once again started, it feels like things are back to normal again.  And for me, that means back to working full time at SLP!  And it just so happens that my favorite season is upon us:  Fall Family Portraits!  Fall is, by far, the most popular time for families to book family portrait sessions.  Why?  Beautiful fall colors… crisp, cool weather… less humidity to mess with Mama’s hairdo… Fall’s the best!  I was lucky enough to capture this adorable Maryland family this summer, and I can’t begin to tell you the joy it brought me to create these images for them.  This session made me so excited to think about the amazing fall portraits that will be happening soon!

Tips for timeless family photos…

On another more practical note, this session was an ideal example of WHAT TO WEAR for your family photos.  Momma here did an amazing job of styling her family! I might be biased (because blue is my favorite color) but I truly love how the family’s wardrobe finished off their images in the most beautiful way. It took what could have been nice photographs and made them amazing.

What did Mom do that works so well??  She chose similar tones for everyone. (Or is it intensities?)  You know, everyone was in light colors- a combination of whites, creams, and blues.  Everyone’s clothing complemented everyone else’s beautifully.  There wasn’t a bold or dark color stuck in somewhere.  (Not that you can’t do “bold” colors for portraits… you absolutely can!  See our Pinterest board, or our next blog post on Wardrobe tips for family portraits!)  But here, the soft, neutral tones are a never-fail no-brainer for pulled-together portraits.   😉

I hope you enjoy this sweet family’s session as much as I did shooting it!  I cannot help but smile when I see those adorable innocent little faces and their toothy grins.  And they’re not even mine!  I can just imagine the joy that Mom and Dad get from these.  And what an honor that is for ME to be a part of that- I am so blessed to do what I do!

For more details and info about our on-location family sessions, visit our pricing page here.