When you’re in love, it shows ♥

So a few weeks ago, I received a call from Joe. He explained to me that his wife’s birthday was coming up and he would like to surprise her with an “engagement” session. Unfortunately, they never had an engagement shoot before they got married, and had a small beach wedding, with not many wedding photos to look back on. So I eagerly helped Joe plan for this surprise engagement shoot! Perfect husband award! He was so thorough. Joe got Andrea’s friends involved to help with an outfit, we picked out a location, and he had everything else planned down to the very last detail.

When Andrea and Joe arrived, you could tell she was surprised and didn’t quite know what to think. But she instantly warmed up and it was all downhill from there! It is a magical thing to photograph a couple who just radiates love. I barely had to give them any direction at all! They were so cute, cuddly, and lovey-dovey the whole session!

Joe & Andrea, you are the sweetest couple. I truly enjoyed meeting both of you. I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I enjoyed capturing them!

Sincerely,

Sidney

Welcome to the world Charleigh Rose!

Two weeks ago today, I photographed the sweetest 14 day old baby. Charleigh Rose is the first newborn I’ve EVER photographed who didn’t have an accident the entire session! That is a miracle. Photographers know that accidents are expected to happen, usually multiple times, during every newborn session. I mean, you’re photographing newborn babies naked…what do you expect? But not sweet little Charleigh, she was a pro!

She was an absolute joy to work with! She slept so soundly and held every pose just right. She even provided us with a little entertainment when she let one rip during one of the poses with her parents haha! Her parents, Katie and Ryan were wonderful too! Poor Ryan, had to sit through a five hour long session-thank goodness for Sunday football! Katie stayed nearby through every pose/prop, and can I just say-she definitely didn’t look like she just had a baby!! Katie’s mother, Janet, also came to the session and we got a few pictures with her first grandchild! The whole session was so sweet and went so smoothly. I have SO many favorites! Can’t wait to see which one they pick for a canvas print!

Welcome to the world Charleigh Rose Johns. You are so beautiful and so lucky to be surrounded by so many people who love you dearly.

Sincerely,

Sidney

You’re like, really pretty.

So don’t ask me how it happens, but somehow I manage to get to photograph ALL the pretty seniors in my area! I’m SO lucky that I’m able to work with such beautiful girls, who are always naturals behind the camera! And that perfectly describes my session with Allie Powell.

After the session was over, we talked about how nervous most girls get before a photo shoot. She mentioned that she was one of them, but I told her I couldn’t tell at all! She instantly warmed up to the camera and was a complete natural. Everyone that’s seen her photos has gone on and on about how great she looked!

We even briefly discussed rescheduling because it was overcast all day leading up to the session, but we decided to stick it out & I couldn’t have asked for a better session! I took way too many photos, the lighting was absolutely perfect, and she was the best model! That’s why it’s taken me so long to get around to posting them-there were so many I wanted to edit (not that she even needed any editing!).

We met at one of my regular locations in Suwanee, and it seemed more beautiful than ever that evening! I love how the scenery, especially the hints of white flowers, complimented her outfit choices. Allie’s mom, Patricia, came along for the shoot and I’m so glad she was there to help make Allie laugh the whole time! They were both such a joy to work with & I look forward to future sessions with them! :] Feel free to let me know what you think!

Sincerely,

Sidney

You know you love me…XOXO, Monday

You know when you wake up and you’re not in the best mood…and then you realize it’s Monday? Well that was totally me today. I was still tired, even after snoozing the alarm for another hour. However, my morning quickly turned around when I noticed the feedback one of my photo shoots from this past weekend had received.

Last Friday evening, I met up with some wonderful people for a sunset shoot. Kayla and I have known each other since high school, but haven’t worked together until recently. We met up a few weeks ago for a spur of the moment photo shoot, which went surprisingly well considering that all of the odds were against us, from weather to lighting to getting lost haha! Anyway, this last session was planned just a little more in advance for her and her roommate Courtney! We even had some assistance with wardrobe, hair, and makeup! Which, come on, what more could you ask for?!

After hair and makeup were completed by the talented Kathryn Yearwood from Zapien’s salon, Zuri Zandar styled some fabulous wardrobe selections from Bevello boutique, and we traveled to a location in Suwanee, Georgia. There’s a field I’ve passed on my way home from work, right on the side of the road, that I thought would be really pretty, so we stopped there. We started at one field with lots of trees and shade and then ventured over to another field with taller grass.

In between changing awkwardly in the middle of a field, running dangerously across a busy highway, and trying not to get attacked by bugs or plants, we had a blast! The second outfit ended up reminding us of Blaire & Serena from Gossip Girl, so of course we had to add in some poses like their famous best friend photo!

Everyone was so helpful, encouraging, and made the whole photo shoot so enjoyable. We all make a really great team! I’m just bummed we forgot to take a group selfie at the end lol. Guess we will just HAVE to work together again to check that off the list, right?! But okay enough from me already-let’s take a look at some of the photos! Feel free to leave your feedback as well, thanks!

Sincerely,

Sidney

Blog world, meet Sidney!

Hello everyone!

So I’m finally trying to keep up with the times & start my own photography blog. I’m so excited to be able to share sneak peaks and some behind the scenes stories about my photography business! But first, it’s probably best if I introduce myself.

I’m Sidney, the owner of Sidney Ellen Photography. I’m a 23-year-old, natural light photographer based in and around Atlanta, Georgia. I started studying photography when I was a sophomore in high school, and immediately fell in love. I went on to pursue photography in college at Georgia Southern University, graduated in May of 2013, and have been researching/studying photography on my own ever since. After I graduated and moved back up to Atlanta, I started focusing more of my attention on portrait photography. What started out as “Hey, can you take our family pictures?” or “Hey, would you photograph my newborn?”, turned into a full-on photography business. And I was genuinely surprised at how much I was enjoying it!

My dream job has always been to work for National Geographic, and for a long time, I thought nature and landscape photography was all that interested me. Now don’t get me wrong, that would still be my ideal job, but now I have such a passion for people photography, too. Whenever I am having a bad day, I know that all I need to do is get out and photograph! It’s amazing how quickly it turns my mood around! I used to look at a gorgeous landscape and only want to photograph that. Now, I look at that gorgeous landscape and think to myself, “Where can I place a person in there?!”

As most photographers know, fall is typically the busiest time of year for booking sessions. This past weekend was a prime example of that for me. I had six sessions ranging from senior shoots to families to an engagement and a newborn! After everything was said and done, I was so exhausted! But so happy to be busy doing what I love, and I gotta admit, I captured some beautiful moments! Here’s just a tiny sneak peek of what’s to come!

Moving forward, I plan to update my blog pretty regularly, as I book different sessions. And when I have extra time in between, I’m thinking about sharing tips/suggestions on how to prepare for different sessions, or for any photographers out there, maybe some technical photography tips. I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to post any comments, questions, or suggestions for what you’d like to see on future posts below! I’m very excited to be able to connect with everyone and share all the beautiful moments that are captured!

Sincerely,

Sidney