Extreme Family Photos | The Luchon Crew | Ogden Gardens

November 13, 2015 in Children, Family

I was a bit nervous and completely excited about my first big family shoot. I was going to be visiting my hometown of Valparaiso for a few days in October while my eldest son was on fall break from preschool, and during that visit I was able to schedule a multi-family shoot with the Luchon's. 10 adults and 9 kids. I even decided I needed an assistant for the job so I persuaded my Aunt Debi to help - mainly to entertain the kids and keep them looking at the camera. (: She did great by the way - wish she lived in Indy!!

I know one of the Luchon sons (Eric) from working with him at a local grocery store way back when and I also took his family's photos back in September. That led me to this gig. Again - I was so excited to meet this crew and see how the shoot would play out. And let me tell you - everything went awesome. The weather was great, the kids all behaved, and I feel the big "extreme family photo" (their words, not mine) was a success.

So, you want to meet them?? We start our tale with Mimi & Papa (Keith & Christine).

They had four children: Eric, Audrey, Austin, & Alex

Eric was the first and he married the lovely Samantha. They have three beautiful girls - Corbin, Lily & Ivy.

Audrey was the second born. Her and her husband, Ethan, have two handsome little boys, Gabriel and Henry. Henry could not keep his tongue in his mouth - SO cute!

Next was Alex. He and his wife, Sarah, win the kid award with four: Vincent, Tiffany, AJ, & Harrison. Vincent was so sweet to his siblings and seemed to actually enjoy getting photographed; Tiffany was a bit shy but super sweet; AJ seemed like the wildman of the bunch; and Harrison just learned to walk so he was a man on the move.

The youngest of the Luchon's is Austin. He and his girlfriend Shelby live in Chicago.

Large families truly are a blessing. My husband is one of four and it's rare that all four kids and their families are at the same place at the same time. But when the stars align, my in-laws light up. I saw the same in the Luchon's that day. When you gather all of these people, that pretty much are together (or even exist) because of one strong, everlasting marriage between two people - it's pretty amazing to see. Keith and Christine are very proud parents and very loving grandparents. The next picture was my personal favorite - these boys obviously love their papa. (:

Last came the group photos - lets wrangle 19 people and pose them, make them smile at the same time, and keep them interested as I rattle off 100 shots - easy peasy. And the "just kids" shot - picture 12 adults making crazy sounds, shouting at the various kids, making funny faces - just pure chaos. Love it...

I sincerely thank the Luchon family for allowing me to take part in their "extreme family photos" and I hope to maybe do it again someday.

Kelly Martin Photography offers custom on-location lifestyle and portrait professional photography services in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. Session types include family, newborn, maternity, children, couples, engagement, seniors, lifestyle and more! Real. Creative. Personalized.

If you are looking for a family or children's photographer, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.

Bold & Beautiful | The Zulkowski Family | Indianapolis Family Photographer

November 07, 2015 in Family, Children, First Birthday

This was the first session that I ever had to postpone due to rain. I don't think it had rained significantly in about 5 weeks and then it had to pour on the day I had a session scheduled with the Zulkowski's - a session that had been on the calendar for months. It honestly was the best thing that could have happened because we rescheduled for the next morning and it. was. gorgeous. The colors. The light. One happy family with happy kids. (:

This session was held at Glenns Valley Nature Park on the south side of Indy. I had a session there a few weeks prior and the leaves had not started to change much. Fast forward 3 weeks later and it was transformed into a fall wonderland. I think the photos speak for themselves!

Like many of my clients, I met Mandy (mom) in the accounting world. We both worked at Adayana, the last job I had before leaving to stay home with my boys. We were bonded by stories of motherhood, babies, pregnancy. Her two boys, Jax and Kai, are only about 16 months apart so I think Mandy was pregnant pretty much the whole time I worked with her. (: And when she wasn't pregnant, I was. Her and her husband also have two older daughters, Randi and Jessi. They are such a help with the boys and also so gorgeous. I asked Mandy if I could borrow them to help with my kids - sounds like they are a little too busy for that. (:

Kai celebrated his first birthday in September so the family brought some fun props. He was a ham!! I LOVE photographing one year-olds!!

The rock of the family - the parents but first and foremost, husband and wife.

A HUGE thank you to the Zulkowski's for a fantastic morning!

If you are looking for a family or children's photographer, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.

Fall Mini Sessions | West Park, Carmel | Carmel Family Photographer

November 02, 2015 in Fall Mini Sessions, Family, Children

On October 17th I held my first fall mini sessions of the season at West Park in Carmel. I had two families join me on that chilly, bright sunny day: The Kerrigan's and the Babbs.

The Kerrigan's were referred to me by our good friends the Landrigan's (they were one of my first clients and haven't hit the blog yet - stay tuned for that). Mary and Adam have a very active 2 year-old, Isaac, and another boy on the way. I'm honored they also chose me to be their newborn photographer when #2 arrives in December (due on Christmas day!!). What a Christmas blessing for this family (:

My second session of the day was the Babbs Family. They are ironically also good friends with the Landrigan's but we also all know each other from a marriage prep course we facilitate called One in Christ. We facilitated with the Babbs at the October session and I was able to talk them into a mini (: Sarah and her husband Eric have an almost 5 year-old girl Maggie and almost 2 year-old twins Charlie and Mary Cate. The kids had fun posing (the girls) and running around (Charlie). Mary Cate was digging the camera action. I was glad to get to meet Sarah and Eric's children after hearing so much about them during our marriage prep weekend. (: Eric and Sarah demonstrate such love and patience with their children - such an example for others. We all know having young children is chaos but the rewards are oh so sweet.

Thanks to the Kerrigan's and the Babbs for a fun afternoon and for participating in my fall mini sessions!

If you are looking for a family or children's photographer, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.

Fall Photos @ Glenns Valley | The Vance Family | Indianapolis Family Photographer

October 20, 2015 in Family, Children

I have known the Vance family for awhile now. I attended Ball State with Sarah (mom) where we both received our accounting degrees and then years later I worked with Matt (dad) at Brightpoint. He actually had the luxury of sitting in the cube right next to me for a couple years. Lucky him!! We became pretty good friends and have stayed in touch after I moved on from the corporate world. Their first child, Natalie, was born right when I started working with him, so it's crazy to see how much she has grown! Her twin brothers, Jack and Luke, were born in October of 2013 and are celebrating their 2nd birthday this month.

We had to get creative to capture photos of/with the boys. News flash, but 2 year old boys really don't enjoy getting their picture taken. But I am always up for a challenge.... And look at that red hair - LOVE it! Perfect for fall!

I could tell Natalie enjoys being a big sister....always first to try to help them, entertain them, play with them....

If you are looking for a family or children's photographer, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.

Summer Photos at Holcomb Gardens | The Bellamy Family | Indianapolis Family Photographer

September 30, 2015 in Family, Children

The Bellamy family met me at Holcomb Gardens on a Sunday morning in June for some family photos. Even though the hot sun was beginning to warm things up, we were able to get some fun pictures in before it got too steamy. Jessica and Jeff have three energetic kiddos - Harper (5), and twin 2.5 year old boys Aaron & Brandon. Needless to say, the pinwheels were hit!!

Jessica and I worked at PwC together about 10 years ago. Like Melanie (featured in a previous blog), she was with me on a cruise where I met my husband Tony. We have made the effort to keep in touch after leaving PwC and still have dinner/playdates every few months. It's been so fun watching their family grow!! Miss Harper started kindergarten this fall and she's a very intelligent little girl with a lot of sass. The boys are so silly and goofy, with a little bit of shyness.

How cute is this crew??