Meet Your Photographer!
Jennifer Escaravage
Top 10 things to know about your Newborn Photographer:
1. I don't only photograph newborns! I also love being a maternity photographer, a child photographer and a family photographer. I am blessed to see lots of 1 year olds smash into their first cake! Some are return clients and some I am meeting for the first time. I also love being a family photographer - taking families to a local park in Danbury, Putnam or Westchester where they may have never explored. Not only getting some classic portraits and prompted fun shots (ring around the rosy, anyone?!), but also capturing natural moments and watching interactions unfold...A little girl holding her mom's leg because she isn't so sure of the scary lady behind the camera. A dad brushing the hair out of his daughter's eyes. A young boy snuggling close into mom's neck as they walk through the field...you get the idea!
2. I'm a people pleaser. From our first interaction to receiving your prints, I want you to LOVE your experience with me! We will chat before your session, at least once, but more if you prefer. I want you to feel comfortable with your session. We will go over what to expect, special requests, wardrobe and any questions you have. I aim to keep communication as open as possible through the whole experience - from inquiry to product delivery.
3. I am the mom of 3 kids. 3 girls to be exact...we should chat about that sometime! Sometimes there are challenges balancing work and family, but we all get that, right? Luckily I have an awesome support team (my husband and mom) and am able to have a very flexible schedule.
4. Every year on January 1st I start a photo a day project. 1 photo every.single.day. I try to post the photographs to my personal facebook page and occasionally will blog about it. A photo of anything. It can be well planned, inspired by a prompt, or a picture of your wall, the point is to get your camera out regularly. It's an amazing project for documenting your family and growing as a photographer. The first year I did this I learned tons about being intentional with my camera and planning out my framing and lighting. Even though I have not been great about completing the years, when I look back it is nice (and embarrassing!) to see the growth of my photography. I encourage EVERYONE to do this...use your phone. I know, you take pictures every day, right? But take a moment once a day before you snap to think about the angle, the light, the composition. Think of it as telling a story, what things will add to your story, what things will distract? Be intentional. Grow as a photographer and have pictures that tell the story of your lives.
5. I don't have newborn photos of my own kids. Yep that's right. I just didn't appreciate the amount of work, training and time that goes into newborn photography. I thought I could do it myself with my snazzy new rebel I got from BJ's. Well, okay...let me rephrase this...I do have newborn photos of my own kids. And they are terrible. I seriously cringe when I look at them. I don't want anyone else to make that mistake. The funniest part of all of it is that there is over 5 years between my first and my last child and I didn't learn my lesson. Cause as we all know time just vanishes after kids are born and trying to learn a new skill takes lots of that...time! GOOD Newborn photos are a treasure to have. A gorgeous picture of mom adoring her first born weeks after meeting for the first time is a treasure to have. Seriously, get professional newborn pictures!
6. I LOVE learning about photography. I'm constantly taking workshops and researching to reinforce what I already know and to learn new techniques. I'm a member of the Professional Photographers of America who is a wealth of information on the business, technical and artistic side of photography. I am a member of online forums where fellow photographers will help each other grow. I sign up for workshops every year to reinforce and grow in my professional training.
7. In a newborn session safety is my number one priority. Always. While much of the training I do is about growing as an artist, safety is always stressed and always comes first. While I have moved away from overly posed images of newborns, I did once primarily do that and the safety training I acquired during that time helps me be more confident around newborns during our lifestyle sessions.
8. When it comes to photography, I am a perfectionist. Expect me to spend hours on your session behind the scenes, from planning your session - either picking out the perfect location, helping with wardrobe, to hand editing your images, I will make sure that everything gets my full attention.
9. While I do take great care of my clients from beginning to end...I'm not so good at finishing personal projects.
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