I was originally contacted by Cheryl when she was looking for a family photographer in Andover.  We had chatted on the phone a bit about what she was looking for in a session, and I knew that we’d be a good fit.  This was her last year with all of her children under one roof.  Her oldest would be graduating and wanted to join the army, and she was feeling a bit emotional about it.  Her husband came with for a few family photos, but she really wanted this to mainly be a motherhood session for her and her children.  As a mom, I totally understood that, and it pulled at my heartstrings.  My kids are both teenagers, and it seems like just yesterday they were toddling around the house, needing help and constantly wanting to snuggle.  I miss those days, but the teenage years have brought us into a new season, and I know this will be gone before long, too.

Cheryl came in for a consultation a couple weeks before our session, and we discussed a bit more about what she wanted for photos (motherhood, family photos with each child and the children together).  She was very excited that I offered a full client closet to help the entire family coordinate. Between what I had for them to borrow and what they had at home, we were able to pull together a coordinated, beautiful look.  Cheryl and her daughters borrowed dresses from the studio wardrobe, and her son borrowed a shirt (one of my favorites from Zara) that coordinated with their dresses.

The day of the session was perfect.  Lighting was great in the studio, and the kids were fantastic.  The younger two were so loving to each other – it was absolutely adorable.  Cheryl had the kindest things to say after our session, and the Google review she left was such a beautiful surprise.  Here’s what she had to say after her session:

“Amazing, gorgeous heirloom quality photos!  Melissa made our shoot stress-free with her calming, easy going personality and hand-picked elegant wardrobe. It was fun, felt natural and she gave direction in a way that made sense even to our small children, plus she captured everyone so beautifully.  I could not ask for a better set of photos that will no doubt be of great value  to my family for the rest of our lives.  I have to say, her editing skills are superb and unique.  Editing no doubt is a skill that not every photographer masters the way that Melissa does, and she works in natural light!  We will definitely hire her artistic talent again in the future!”

Here are some of my favorites from their session:

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