Don't Miss the Little Things ~ Boise Children's Photographer

It was such a pleasure to capture this little sweetheart! He's grown so much since his newborn session. Looking forward to seeing him again at one-year-old!

 

They grow so fast! Let me capture all the details of your little one for you.

Call today to schedule your "Essence" mini session for ages 3 months and up.
Booking for October and November 2012.

One of the fun products offered for mini sessions is this adorable accordion album. They are 3X3 squares with a magnetic closure and frosted plastic cover. Up to 10 images can be displayed in them. Perfect to carry in your bag/purse or give as a gift.
Ask for more details when you call to book your "Essence" Session!

If this post receives 20 or more comments,
this little guy's family receives a complimentary 5X7 gift print! Leave them some love!

Newborn Props ~ Boise Newborn Photographer

Topic of the Day: Newborn Props 

I don't use too many props for newborns as I think brand new babies are just perfect as they are. My sessions are lifestyle in nature as I photograph newborns and their families in their own homes. However, I think incorporating meaningful family heirlooms, special items or blankets can add a very personal element to some newborn images.

For example, we just received an old metal tub for our 10-year anniversary. It was used as a table decoration at my grandparents surprise 10-year anniversary party. It's the perfect size to hold our little newborn we'll be welcoming in a few weeks.

If you could use one prop to photograph with your newborn (whether you're having a baby right now or not), what would it be and why?

And congratulations to all of you having babies this year! 

Here are a few examples of how we did incorporate some family treasures into newborn sessions.  

This little sweetheart was photographed on the handmade blanket her great, great grandmother made. Definitely a treasured keepsake for her family and will help remind them of her every time they see this image.

   

 This handmade doll cradle basket was given to my sister for Christmas when she a little girl. She loved playing house with it. Her baby girl fit perfectly in it and now all of her girls enjoy playing dolls with it. Both blankets used in this image were also wedding gifts from special friends. 

   

During this 9-month session, my client pulled out a blanket given to her baby girl as a gift. It made the perfect backdrop for simple images that captured this growing little baby.   

As you can see, these images are simple and focus on the baby, but by including an item special to the family, the image can evoke even more memories as it's cherished through the years.

Portrait Products ~ Gallery Wrapped Canvas ~ Idaho Portrait Photographer

What better way to share your images from

Maggie Malson Photography than with beautiful wall art!

If you have been thinking about a canvas or canvas cluster for your wall, now is the perfect time to order some ART of your children or family for your home! Here are some samples. Call or email me today and we can design a gallery for your home!

30"X40" canvas

We can take all your favorite images from your session and create a beautiful wall gallery.

 Canvas Art Panels-One image is split into three separate gallery wrapped canvas panels.

Sunbrella ~ Five-year-old Session | Idaho Children's Photography

This was a super fun session with my spunky five-year-old. She's got lots of personality, which I'm sure you can tell by these images. I had picked up this umbrella quite awhile ago and was saving it for just the right session. She loved being able to twirl around play with it out in the sun. I love captured her just being herself. And the light that night was so lovely! Have to love yummy light!

I created a beautiful "Your Story" album for her to showcase the rest of the images, and I'll post some photos of it once it's finished.

Babies and children are my absolute favorite subjects. They are just so uninhibited, and my style of capturing them works perfectly with their personalities, whether they are outgoing and spunky, or quiet and reserved. Call me today to book a "Your Story" session of the special child in your life!

Little Fireman ~ Idaho Lifestyle Photography

This little guy enjoyed a fun birthday shoot at the local fire department. It wasn't totally planned that way, but due to some not so fun weather, he got a fun surprise!

This family is no stranger to my camera lens, and we've had fun finding different locations for their family sessions. Their little guy is as cute as ever, and I love seeing how his personality continues to blossom each time I photograph him. This year, we chose to stay close to home and wandered around their hometown a little while. It wasn't a very warm day though. Fortunately, the gracious firemen in Middleton let us come in out of the snow/rain that started during our session. They were so nice to let Little H try on some of the gear too. It made for a very special birthday shoot for him. He loved hanging out on the fire trucks too. Not only are these firemen community heroes, but they were happy to help us out that day when we needed a little shelter from the cold. 

I also took some new headshots for Deanna, who has started her own business, Accent Design, designing wedding invitations, and working with businesses on their design/print needs.

I'm excited to see what all the future holds for this family. Always fun to catch up with them.

If this post receives 20 or more comments, the W family will receive a special gift from me!

Nampa Outdoor Family ~ Idaho Lifestyle Photography

 

 

I had the privilege of photographing this family last fall, and looking back at their session still makes me smile. They purchased a donation package from the Annual Gala supporting the Nampa Boys and Girls Club. This is a great organization helping area youth. 

I met the family at their home, and enjoyed watching the boys play a game of catch. They are both very athletic and love sports. They are all also animal lovers, and their dogs are like family. It was great to capture them relaxed and enjoying what they do together as a family.

After a walk around their neighborhood, we headed down to the nearby lake to wander around. The boys started up a little rock skipping competition. Todd and Tammy were high school sweethearts and are still very much in love. I love that Todd carved their initials in a log down by the lake. During their ordering session, he quickly pointed out which prints he wanted to put on his desk to show off his beautiful wife. Very sweet! 

It was great hanging out with this family and capturing their story. So glad to hear they are enjoying the beautiful wall art they have in their home--memories of their family. 

If this post receives 20 or more comments, they will also receive a special gift from me. Feel free to share!

One-year-old Essence Session ~ Idaho Children's Photographer

It was so great to see little R again for his one-year Essence session. He's grown so much since I first met him at 6 months old. I LOVE when clients keep coming back! It's great to see how the little ones grow, and this time was no exception. Little R is really into books, and reads a lot with his Grandma, who brought him to the session. He's also walking now, and it was fun to see him toddling around. Thanks Kathie for letting me capture these milestones!

If you'd like to know more about an Essence session, give me a call today! I have a few spots open this spring. This mini-session is perfect for capturing milestones of babies, toddlers and children when it's still too chilly to be outside. Your Story Album Sessions will open up beginning April 1.  Album Sessions are for newborns, children, teens and families.

If this blog post receives 20 or more comments, this family will receive a fun gift from me!

Light Up Her Heart ~ Lighting Workshop | Idaho Portrait Photography

A lighting workshop to benefit Jayme Montoya of Lucid Design and Photo

  A dear friend and colleague, Jayme Montoya, has had to undergo two open heart surgeries in the span of two months to help correct a congenital heart defect. In our mission to help alleviate some of the unnecessary burden, Gretchen Nishitani, Craig Lamere and Tiffany Hix have put together this lighting workshop. Our goal is to teach some natural and studio lighting techniques while raising money for our friend. The Light Up Her Heart Lighting Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 3rd from 4-10 pm in Meridian, ID. We are still compiling the list of the lighting styles that will be taught. There will be multiple shooting bays with backdrops provided by Tara Pugmire. Please check back as we will be updating as the curriculum is finalized. Registration for the Light Up Her Heart Lighting Workshop is $100 and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Jayme.  

Registration for this lighting workshop is $100

If you can't attend, please donate. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Jayme.

Beautiful Woman ~ Idaho Portrait Photographer

 

I was so excited when Lisa contacted me this winter for a "Beautiful Woman" session. As women, especially moms, we seldom let ourselves get dressed up and get out in front of the camera instead of behind it. The only times may be when we're getting senior portraits done or on our wedding day. I wanted to create a special session that celebrates women. No matter what we look like, where we're at in life or what we're doing, we are beautiful. 

Lisa totally rocked this session, and we had so much fun together! She will have these special portraits to share with her family forever.

Yes, you might be a little nervous to have portraits done, but you don't need to be. Just like the children and family sessions I offer, a "Beautiful Woman" session is tons of fun! You are unique; unlike anybody else. The images we create capture that part of you that makes you special. Your personality will come shining through. If you're just a little bit curious, give me a call today, we can visit about your "Beautiful Woman" session. 

And if this post receives 10 or more comments, Lisa will receive a complimentary 5x7 Gift print!

What's your favorite way to display? ~ Idaho Portrait Photographer

I thought it would be fun to hear and see how my clients, friends, fans and any blog stalkers I might have out there like to display their favorite memories-be it professional portraits or just snapshots they have taken. So, how about it? I'd love to hear what you do with those special moments! If you have a photo-even better. You can either send it to me at info@maggiemalsonphotography.com or post it to my Facebook fan page. I'll go first. Here's one wall of our living room. I have two other walls in this room that have photos displayed too, but this one is probably my favorite.

On the left, I have three 8X10 Gallery Mounts that I took of our kiddos. I love the plate rack my SIL gave me as a birthday gift. It made a great way to display these images. I normally wouldn't put 8X10's on the wall unless there was more than one. They are just too small by themselves unless in a really tight space, so this worked out beautifully.


In the center of the wall is my favorite--the 20X30 gallery wrapped canvas of our family. I swapped family sessions with fellow local photographer, Amber Fischer, and she captured a beautiful moment for us. I love it and it makes me smile EVERY time I look at it. That's what art of your family is supposed to do. :0) And that's why I think ART of your own children or family should be on your walls. What a great way to share the memories of them and show your kiddos how much they mean to you? My girls love the collages I made for each of them to sit on their desks from their birthday sessions.


I admit, I used to be freaked out about large wall portraits and thought 11X14 was large. I'm a big scrapbooker too (well used to be-I'm so behind now, but am determined to get caught up!). If it didn't fit in a 12X12 album, I thought it was too big. However, I knew when we did this session, that I wanted to order a big canvas. In fact, I really wished I'd ordered a larger one, 24X36 or even 30X40! And once I hung it on the wall, I was hooked! We have several other large (16X20 or bigger) canvases and Gallery Mounts on other walls of our home now too. And again, every time I looked at these images I just smile and remember.


Well, what if I have a small home or little wall space, you ask? Well, I realize that can be an issue. And there are a few options. Either get the biggest wall portrait or canvas you can to fit the space to give a big impact with just one image (really don't be afraid of going big) or try using several smaller prints together to create a collage look on the wall. You can put them in the same frame with matting, identical frames or mix and match frames, depending on your style and decor. However, I would recommend keeping the space between  frames small, as that will also give the images more impact. If you think you have to spread them out to fill up space, you probably need a bigger print size. As a service to my portrait clients, I can also help them create wall groupings with portraits from their sessions. I can even show you what your prints will look like in different spaces in your home. 

I have used Gift Prints (8X10 or smaller) together in several places in our home, either on the wall or a shelf, piano, dresser, etc. In this photo, you can see I put two 4X6's from that same family session on a small magnet board. Normally, I believe 4X6's only belong in a scrapbook or on a desk, but grouped together they can make a nice display.


Finally, on the side table is a Keepsake Album I designed from that session. I wanted to have all of our images in one place. It is a hardbound press-printed photobook with a leather cover and UV-coated hinged pages. I love how durable it is; I don't get as nervous when our two-year-old wants to look through it as I do the paper albums I've printed from scrapbook places. (Still glad I have those, but there is a big difference in quality between the two.) The girls love looking at it also! I don't worry about the pages getting torn or how it will last for several generations. I know that it is a keepsake we can enjoy for years and pass down through the family.


Whether you have big wall portraits or small gift prints in frames, or even have done something totally different with your favorite memories, what really matters is that you are capturing them, displaying them and enjoying them! I'd love to hear and see about what creative things you do, so please share! Thanks!

A Dancer's Story ~ Idaho Portrait Photographer

Last year I had the pleasure of photographing dancers from Elite Dance Academy in the Treasure Valley. One of the dancers is especially talented and we worked together to capture some beautiful images that tell her story as a dancer. I designed her images into an album, which are shown here. 

As a photographer, my goal with each session is to create timeless, story-telling images. These images show the details and the big picture of who you are or who your family is, and not just what you look like. In addition, we can capture your relationships and interactions with each other, so that each time you look back at your images, you feel the same way you felt when they were taken. 

In 2011, I have placed a much bigger emphasis on "Your Story" Collections. These collections all include a custom-designed portrait album to showcase all the images from your session to tell "your story." Watch the blog for more examples or contact me for more information.

Thanks for choosing me to capture your lifestyle and your story.