DEAL ALERT! The Flash Lady is currently offering OAAM readers $50 off a newborn session with due dates through August 2018 when you book your due date by March 31st, 2018 (not valid on previously booked appointments or with any other offer). Find more information on newborn sessions HERE.
This post has been sponsored by The Flash Lady Photography. All opinions are 100% my own.
This week we’ve got a bit of a different kind of post for you. Of course, fall is a great time for getting “out and about,” but it’s also a wonderful season to think about getting some updated family photos. Especially if you’re preparing your home for holiday guests or getting organized for holiday photos or cards, gorgeous professional photos might be just the thing to make this time of year even more festive!
So today we’re going to introduce you to one of our newest Out and About Mom sponsors (who happens to be quite an “out and about” mom herself!), Kristin Vacca of The Flash Lady Photography!
Kristin Vacca (aka The Flash Lady) with her daughter, Angela.
Kristin’s creative tendencies and her eye for the camera developed early on. Perhaps not surprising with a former art teacher for a mother! Though her focus in college was music, it wasn’t long before Kristin was behind the camera photographing the marching band rather than playing an instrument. Upon graduation, Kristin entered the workforce in management at various AAA offices, all the while continuing to take classes and pursue opportunities related to her new hobby.
Still, it wasn’t until Kristin became pregnant with her daughter years later that she decided to turn her passion into a business. Years of experience in the customer service industry proved extremely helpful in propelling The Flash Lady Photography to success. And five years later, Kristin’s Newington studio is complete and she’s offering an exciting array of creative photo sessions that completely reimagine traditional family photography. And we can’t wait to share some of them with you!
Now, Mandy and I have gone on hundreds of outings for this blog. And we’ve taken thousands of pictures. Probably tens of thousands of pictures! But we have no background in photography, so most of the time our pictures are merely functional. Our goal is mainly to provide a virtual tour of a destination. And our photos get the job done.
Sometimes though, it baffles my mind that so FEW of the photos we’ve taken over the years are actually frame-worthy. I mean, out of 10,000 pictures of family outings with my kids, I only have a handful of photos that I would even consider putting out on display.
That’s why I was so super excited when Kristin came up with the idea to collaborate with our site in such a unique way.
Kristin, who loves telling stories through her photography, offered to photograph my family on one of our outings! I immediately loved the idea. Some family fun that would also result in pictures I could not only cherish, but show off a little too 🙂
Turns out this was not a unique offering just for Out and About Mom. Not at all! In fact, this is the way Kristin prefers to have her photo sessions: families having fun and exploring someplace together…where there just happens to be an experienced and talented photographer standing by to capture those candid moments.
So we settled on a fall-themed apple picking photo shoot at Deercrest Farm in Glastonbury, CT. I am a CSA member at Deercrest Farm and one of the many things I love about their program is that throughout the summer months they offer CSA members exclusive PYO opportunities. And so that’s how it was that my family was able to have an entire orchard to ourselves to enjoy some quality time, while Kristin expertly captured our adventure.
From the moment we hatched this plan, I had been working very closely with Kristin to coordinate everything from location to timing to wardrobe to props we might want to bring along to make things a little more fun (and photogenic).
I dug a chipwood basket out of my basement. She came prepared with an arsenal of accessories!
Now, my boys are used to being in front of the camera after 5 years of being photographed nearly every place they go 🙂 But I was still a little nervous that they wouldn’t cooperate. Well, no need to have worried about that! As soon as Kristin pulled out that mini step ladder, the kiddos were ready to climb (and pose). As Kristin will tell you–and just about every parent will agree–kids are more apt to be cooperative when they are actually doing something as opposed to just sitting still for the camera (because all kids just looooove to sit still, right?! ha!). With a three and a half year old daughter of her own, Kristin has definitely learned a thing or two about the best way to work with small children!
They had even more fun with this wagon she brought.
And of course, they loved picking apples. The apples at Deercrest Farm were HUGE!
And definitely delicious!
It didn’t take the kids long to fill their basket.
But they were still delighted to run and play in the orchard–resulting in some of my favorite pictures!
We even snuck in a couple of cute family shots.
I’m so happy to finally have photo memories from a family outing that are worthy of a frame! Even better, all we had to do was have some fun, and Kristin took care of the rest 🙂
Are you interested in capturing some family memories?
The Flash Lady Photography has so many unique and creative options for preserving those fleeting childhood years.
Kristin is currently offering FALL MINI SESSIONS (like the one I described here). These are half-hour sessions anywhere within 30-minutes of her Newington location.
Thinking ahead to the holidays? She’s got you covered there too! Check out her popular SANTA EXPERIENCE SESSIONS with a custom set in her Newington studio and all the quintessential props (including, of course, the big man himself). (Go HERE to book now for 2016 before they sell out!)
Or let the kids take center stage with her CHRISTMAS SESSIONS, also at her custom Newington studio. (Book your 2016 session HERE.)
Expecting an early holiday present this year? Book a NEWBORN SESSION and make sure to capture those first precious weeks with your new arrival.
As all parents of toddlers know, letting your kiddos get a little messy is one of the fastest, easiest and most authentic ways to get them to reveal their best, genuine smiles. One of my favorite offerings from The Flash Lady Photography (wish I knew about this when my kiddos were itty bitty!), is her CAKE SMASH SESSION. Yes, it’s exactly as it sounds! She builds custom sets for those in her Newington studio.
She has also started offering a new session type called a PAINT SMASH that is unique to her studio. Here, kids get to make a huge mess painting their own background and themselves and even parents can join in! They even paint a provided canvas keepsake to take home (the idea is parents can hang it alongside a photo they print of their child!). When all is finished, they get a tub bath at the end while she takes more photos. Kids love this part, and parents do too because everyone goes home nice and clean 🙂
But you don’t need a birthday baby or a pint-sized Picasso for your little ones to make a (super cute) mess for the camera! Kristin loves capturing those classic kid moments– eating a huge ice cream cone at your favorite shop, collecting rocks along a riverbank, or maybe even a visit to a fall fair. As we’ve found over the years here at Out and About Mom, these are the moments that make the best memories– but they are also the hardest to capture on your own. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have professional photos of your family hanging out together at one of your favorite places or doing one of your favorite activities together? Photos that are not just beautiful, but meaningful too.
Whether in her studio or on location, I love that Kristin is reimagining family photography as an adventure!
Because really, is there any other way to get smiles like these?
Five years of apple picking adventures and finally, a picture worthy of my wall 🙂
Thanks, Kristin!
For more information about Kristin and The Flash Lady Photography, please visit www.theflashladyphotography.com.
You can also email Info@TheFlashLadyPhotography.com or call 860.335.0594. And don’t forget to check out The Flash Lady on Facebook! Kristin typically books about a month in advance. Standard session locations are generally within 30-minutes of Newington, CT, though Kristin is happy to travel anywhere! Additional fees may apply for travel outside of those limits. For session details and pricing, click here. You can also book special holiday sessions online here.
Meet The Flash Lady!
Kristin Vacca lives in Newington, CT with her husband and their 3 1/2 year old daughter. Her photography business, The Flash Lady Photography, provides full service on location portrait and wedding photography and a studio site in Newington, Connecticut. Kristin is available to photograph all important life moments including newborn, baby, families, children, engagements, special events, high school seniors, and weddings.
The only girl in a set of quadruplets (the first surviving in CT!), Kristin is an avid traveler who dreams of one day hiking and photographing the Appalachian Trail. In her spare time, Kristin is also active with The Gold Hope Project, which connects volunteer photographers with pediatric cancer patients in any stage of treatment to allow for families to capture
such an important time in their lives together without cost. The organization also raises money for pediatric cancer research.
Interested in advertising opportunities with Out and About Mom? Get more info here.
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