Fall Outfit Inspiration | Family Photo Shoots

October and November are our busiest months of the year not only for weddings, but for families updating their yearly photos, getting Christmas cards ready, or extended family gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday. As families schedule their shoots, we almost always get asked….What Do We Wear??

To help answer this question, we put together a few inspiration ideas to help you get started. Our biggest piece of advice- doing what feels good for your family will create the best photos. That being said, there are a few things that will help your photos pop a little bit more:

• Wear colors that complement each other but not too matchy-matchy

• Patterns can be distracting so try to avoid anything that is too busy- solid colors work well especially those in natural tones such as creams, blues, and greys

• Pinterest has some great inspiration but don’t get too caught up in what’s out there- use it (and this!) only as inspiration

• Have fun with it! Bring a blanket to sit on, maybe something for cheers, and a little bribe for the little ones (and maybe the big ones too!) for after the session is never a bad idea!

Happy Thanksgiving from RMP!

Despite what has been a really wild year, we are so grateful for every bit of it! It’s our community here in Asheville and our amazing clients who have cheered us on and kept us going. We can’t thank you enough!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Thank you for all your love and support!

Styled shoot at Douglas Ellington House with Verbena Events

Winter Outfit Inspiration | Family Photo Shoots

While fall is our most popular time for family photo requests, there is something about the winter that can be just as beautiful! We are so lucky that the leaves stick around a little longer into November and we even have some warmer days throughout December and January. Our biggest piece of advice- embrace the cold and get cozy with it!

Layers photograph really well so to have a sweater under a blazer or boots peaking out from a skirt adds some dimension. Since there isn’t much color out this time of year, a little pop of color can add to the scene- maybe a dark red or emerald green. Blankets to wrap up in or a cozy scarf, maybe a hot chocolate picnic would be a fun idea. It is also a great time to maybe get a little dressier, have a little fun with it!

Here is our take on some outfit ideas for all styles- dressy to casual to somewhere in between!

And some of our families over the years, making it look easy! How lucky are we to photograph such amazing people?!

Fall Mini Sessions with Rachael McIntosh Photography

One of the questions we get asked a lot- when are you doing a mini session?! We love doing them and finding ways to make them fun and easy for families!

So what’s a mini session? A few times a year, we set aside a day to capture photos for couples, families, really anyone interested in updating their photographs. We pick a location, set aside 20 minutes per family, and have a great time shooting! The dates are announced to our email list first and then on social media (typically one in the fall and one closer to the holidays and we are trying to sneak in a spring one this year!) and we schedule on a first come basis. The sessions are $250 and include an online gallery of all the edited images for you to download, order prints, use for holiday cards, update frames, whatever you choose!

We love to document our clients year after year as well as meet new ones! It is an honor to watch these families grow and change year after year.

Here are some images from our last Fall mini session.

#AVL6FTAPART | A Personal Photography Project and Portrait of Asheville 6ft Apart

This is us on our porch during these terrible crazy times of COVID-19, March 30th, 2020 {Photo taken by Bryan using the Canon App , camera on tripod}

I decided a couple of weeks ago to spread a little joy and photograph families on their porches for fun! What started as a way for me to serve my community and ‘stay busy’ during this time turned quickly into a personal photography project. My mission: to photograph as many porches as possible and to create a honest real-life portrait of Asheville 6ft apart. The vision: to collage the images together, creating a sense of community and an attempt to bring Asheville together in self-isolation.

I knew I needed to be outside and at least 6ft away from the subjects (in order to stay at a healthy distance) and the porch seemed such an appropriate location. The entranceway of the home has so much character; we’re proud of our porches and we spend so much time there, sipping our morning coffees on the front stoop, watching our children play in the yard, and chatting with neighbors.

It has been such a weird and scary few weeks as we watch the news and read about the virus spreading and the death toll rising. Locally, businesses are suffering, people losing work and families are trying to cope with their new normals with children at home. Let’s face it- we’re all in this together and for the long haul.

I hit pause on the project to honor Governor Cooper’s “Stay in Place” declaration but hope to get back out there soon and continue to provide a little joy, offering a small distraction and keepsake of these times together in self-isolation. I’m grateful for the amount of enthusiasm and interest in my little “porch project” and will never forget all the families I’ve met and the stories we’ve shared. As awful as this pandemic is and the challenges it’s brought, I know that one thing is for sure- people have come together in new ways and our communities are stronger than before.

Click here to read about our story on Ashvegas