MegaMillions Fever

So it seems that MegaMillions Fever has hit. To be honest, it had skipped my mind until yesterday when my mother mentioned it. Apparently it is at one of its biggest jackpots ever, 540 million dollars. Yes, you read that right. 540 MILLION DOLLARS (insert Dr. Evil voice and pinky here).  I know that we could all use that jackpot!  So today I sent my husband out with a list of numbers, and we are taking a chance at fate.  We've always had a plan of what we would do if we ever won the lottery, and up until last year, nothing about that plan has changed.  Last year our daughter was born, so now if we were to be so awesomely lucky to win the lottery, her future takes first priority.

And of course I would invest in some new equipment, an awesome studio, travel and take pictures! And donate to my hearts content. Maybe even open up an animal rescue. We shall see!

But in other news...It's FRIDAY! And although it is not as warm as it was last week, it is still some gorgeous weather out there.  I've been planning on taking the little one to one of our parks, especially with the dogwoods in blooms, for photos. But I think based on her last experience in the grass, she is still not quite used to being in the outdoors yet!

But I have been having fun getting pictures of her at home, and I would love to share them with you

Oh! And I almost forget.  My engagement session of Lori and Jon was featured on the wedding blog Fresh Squeezed Weddings!    If you can head on over there and leave some love that would be great. Lori and Jon are such a great couple, and I am super excited to photograph their wedding in September. I already know that it is going to be a blast!

So that is it for this post. Enjoy the day, buy a ticket! And good luck!!! Pin It

Time Flies By {Delaware Baby Photographer}

There was a time when having a child was the last thing on my mind.  My life plan was to go to college, become a business executive, live it up in NYC, and then get married and have a child.  You never know how badly you want something until you are told that you can't have it.  When I was 22, I was told that I would not be able to have children.  That even if I were to get pregnant, that the chances of me carrying to full term would be very slim.

So when I found out that I was pregnant, I was more than excited. I was thankful.  And then my daughter was born, and it has been magic since then.

It's amazing how fast you can fall in love with someone in such a short period of time.  From the moment I saw my daughter on the ultra sound, I was head over heels in love.  The first time I felt her move, that love grew more.  When she was born, the love increased.  I thought that there was some sort of limit on love, that when you say you love that person to death, that there is no more love that you can give.  Having my daughter proved to me that love is truly limitless.

She is 7 months now. She has grown so fast. She went from being this tiny little bean, to this bustling, crawling, climbing, screaming explorer. She loves to get into things. She loves to dance. I think in her world, everything is just about fun right now.

And because she is here now, I value everything even more. I take tons of photos of her, not just poses, but the moments.  I have never felt such a need to record everything that happens, until she came a long.

So I stress to my clients, take the time out to get a family session. Even if you do one a year, it's definitely something to invest in. Take a day, focus on your family, have fun, and have images to remember it.  Time flies by so, so fast.  It really does.  Don't wait to have an experience with your family. Pin It

Happy Spring! {Delaware Baby and Family Photographer}

I can't believe that I didn't write a post on the first day of spring!!! It could have been due to the fact that I was out of the house enjoying the great weather. I took the little one to Rita's for free water ice day.  And she loves water ice! It was so cute seeing her little mouth pucker up at tasting something new. And then we just spent the rest of the day outside.

So to welcome spring, here is a photo of my daughter, in the grass for the first time.  Two minutes later she started crying and then doing the grumpy face, so picture time was over. But I still managed to capture this one, and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to get it printed on a canvas and hung on my wall.

And with the weather being so great. I am so excited to start booking those outdoor sessions. I have changed my pricing a bit, to better accommodate my clients. The session fee is now only $100. This covers your session time and editing, and you will receive a free 8x10" print with it.  Then you can place your order for additional prints by choosing off of the a la carte menu.  The minimum order is $150.  So instead of me giving you a set package of what you receive, you now choose what you want. Whether it's a couple of small prints, or a huge canvas with prints to surround it. You make it happen. And of course, I will be there to guide you in what looks best when creating your wall art!

So many exciting things happening for spring! I am happy! Pin It

Happy Monday! {Delaware Baby and Family Photographer)

Most people hate Monday's, but this Monday is actually pretty awesome. For one, it is absolutely gorgeous outside!!! You know how much I love warm weather.  Now be warned, that once it hits above 85 and starts getting uncomfortable, I am going to complain!  My ideal weather is 70-85 degrees. If I could live in that every single day I totally would.

Ok, so let's keep the good vibes going. I am so excited to show you my new video that graces the front page of my website.  I have been wanting a promo video on my website for a while.  I wanted it to be different, and reflect me. Most importantly, I wanted my husband and baby included.  So one day I decided that we were going to do one family portrait. 66 frames later, and with a cranky baby we had to take a break.  But then it hit me...with as many frames that I took, I could totally do a stop motion video!  I LOVE stop motion.  And I think this video sums us up perfectly.  We definitely do try to make each day awesome.

Take a look!

Full Promo Video from Marisa Taylor on Vimeo.


Now, keeping up with the stop motion kick, I followed my daughter around for a bit, and came up with this video. It still amazes me that she is 7 months (well, will officially be 7 months on the 24th)...


Busy Busy Charlotte from Marisa Taylor on Vimeo.

I'm pretty sure that every single video from here on out, may just be stop motion.  Ok, I am joking. But I am hoping to do another promo video which is more behind the scenes with me and my clients. So I will be reaching out to my past clients VERY soon to get that organized! Keep an eye out!



Alrighty, so let's get to something even more awesome!  It's spring, well technically spring is tomorrow, which also happens to be Free Water Ice Day at Rita's!!!!  And with spring, it's one of the best times to have portraits done. So because I want EVERYONE to have great portraits of them, their families, and their children, I now have a special rate for portraits!!!  Check out below!

$100- Portrait session fee
(Minimum order of $150)

1.5 hour session
One 8x10" gift print included!

An amazing time full of fun, laughter and love, with cherished memories to boot!

So don't hesitate to book a session with me, you will love it!

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My Family...in FRONT of the camera! {Delaware Family Photographer}

So you know how I am always going on about how important it is to capture the memories of your family, and how special it is to have a session. Well...today my own family had their experience to get in front of my camera.  It was quite interesting. Dealing with one teenager, and three preteens is quite an experience. Especially when they are siblings and at that age where the mere thought of being near their sibling.  Cue the headache starting.

In the end, it was fun. My mother now has pictures of her grandchildren, and pictures of her WITH her grandchildren. I type WITH in capitals because my mother used to be the type that would literally destroy you for taking her picture. So yay for me for holding the power to make her want to be in the picture!  Cue the happy dance.

And now, here are just some of the bunch.  I've excluded the funny faces, choke holds, and the like :)

My niece, Jalisha

My nieces, Angel and Netty...they are sisters if you can't tell

My nephew Joey, Angel and Netty's brother

My nephew Juwon, Jalisha's brothers

Joey, Angel, and Netty. If you only knew how long it took to get them to stand next to each other

Jalisha and Juwon...no need to convince them to stand next to each other!

My mom with her grands. Yup, we put my daughter Charlotte on top of her head.

My sister Shannon, with her children.

It was fun, it was an experience.  We now have something other than the school portraits!  Now yesterday, I attempted to do my own family portrait with my husband and daughter.  Let me tell you, it is a lot harder to photograph yourself and your family than photographing anyone else. Especially when you have a very active 7 month old who has more interest in the wireless remote and not smiling. But that leads to something awesome...

I have a new video on my website!!! Visit, http://www.MarisaTaylorPhotography.com to check it out! Pin It

Dear Mother Nature

I think you may have missed the memo that we are in March. Right now it is 60 degrees. Now while I am not complaining, as I am immensely enjoying this weather, I am a bit afraid for the heat that the summer holds. But until then, I will take advantage of this awesome weather by having picnics, taking walks, dining out, and starting outdoor family sessions early!

Love Always,

Marisa Pin It

Spilling my heart out... {Delaware Wedding and Family Photographer}

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  I have had a lot of fabulous ladies in for portraits.  I have been inspired and creative. I have been loving it. I love what I do, I seriously do. Sure there were times when I felt like giving up.  I've had nights where I stayed up all night to finish editing a wedding, and days on end getting my finances straight.  Tax time is the craziest for me, but thank heavens I am organized enough to not lose my head.

I have shot weddings, and spent the day after laid in bed because I was so sore (I have fibromyalgia, which makes physically activities a bit complicated).  I've done back to back sessions and thought I was going to mess something up.  The anxiety and fear of not delivering an image my client won't love is always on my mind.

You would think that with all the stresses, I would just stop doing it.

But I haven't given up, and I don't plan to.  With every "oh my gosh!", and "I can't believe you made me look so amazing!", with every squeal of joy and hand clap, I know that I am doing something right. Life is but a series of moments, and I have the ability to capture those moments.  Sure, I break photography rules sometimes.  Some images may not be technically perfect. But my clients love their images, and that is all that matters.

I do this because I love it. I do this because it makes others happy. And I've always been the type of person that enjoyed making everyone around me smile.  I do it because it gives me a chance to stay at home and watch my daughter grow up. 

As long as there is love and happiness, I am there to photograph it. Pin It

Lifestyle vs. Contemporary and Glamour

If you have been following me, you know that I have released my boudoir/glamour brand: Be Boudoir by Marisa. It's been going great! I have had the opportunity to photograph some lovely ladies, change attitudes and increase confidence.  I made them feel beautiful, which ultimately is my goal. 

I've also been doing just straight contemporary portraits!  So, now we get to the lifestyle vs. contemporary/glamour.  When you visit my main website, it features weddings and lifestyle portraits. Well we all know what weddings are, so what the heck is lifestyle photography?  Basically it is as it sounds, I photograph your life as it unfolds.  Whether it be maternity, newborn, families and kids, I am there to capture it in its natural setting. Your home, your favorite park, wherever. Very little posing, and lots of candid images.

Now, what the heck is contemporary/glamour photography?  Well this is a bit different. Mainly portraits of 1-2 people. Focused directly on the persons face, and not about total scenery.  Think of a lifestyle portrait with a big of a fashion or editorial flair. More posed images and less candid images.

So what's the difference, and which session should you book?  To be honest it's all up to you.  With a lifestyle session, it costs more, but you do get more images. There are also different image collections you can choose.  With a glamour/contemporary session, I shoot out of my home (and soon will have hair and make-up available!), the session is shorter, and you get less images. 

But mainly, the two types each have different impacts and styles. And if you need help in choosing which session is best for you, I am glad to help!



For example. Here is a lifestyle family session:

And here is a contemporary family portrait session:

So one more time!

Lifestyle ($250):

• location of your choosing, typically outdoors, your favorite location, or in your home
• longer session, 1.5 hours
• more images, 10 final edited images
• 3 additional collections to choose from starting at $400
• mostly candid and less posed
• Perfect for: Engagements/Love session, Newborn/Family (more than 3 people)/Maternity sessions

Contemporary/Glamour ($125):

• session done in my home
• shorter session, 30 minutes
• less images, 5 final edited images
• mostly posed and not candid
• Perfect for: Styled and posed portraits typical 1-2 people)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  And there ya go! See you in front of the lens soon!
  
  

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{Newborn Portrait-Erasmas} Delaware Newborn Photographer

I am "cursed". Every little newborn that I photograph stays awake during their session. I have yet to have a baby who has actually slept. I keep the place warm, they are well fed, but as soon as I take out my camera, they are wide awake and looking at me no matter how young they are. And little Erasmas was no different. A tiny little face, with the most adorable eyes equals for the most squealtastic baby expressions. Yes, I spent a lot of time just holding and talking to him because he was too adorable.

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Perfection.

Perfection.  Am I perfect? No, of course not. Are my images perfect?  Nope.  I tend to like slightly over exposed images.  Technically, I love a bit more contrast in my images.  I also break the rules on composition and cropping...A Lot.  If all of my images were technically perfect, I would be focusing more on that and less than the emotional impact of the image.

I admire a lot of photographers.  And it seriously makes me happy when my favorite photographers say that they love shooting in natural light, and that they KNOW that their images are not technically perfect.  It makes me even happier when those photographers say that they don't have studios, that they work out of their home, and that they are as frazzled as me most days.

Running a business is not easy. Especially when your business is based around being able to capture IT. 

Over the past two days I have been watching an online course delivered by the amazing Sue Bryce.  She is one of my favorite photographers.  She shoots in natural light, started her studio in her garage, and does things with such simplicity and still produces AMAZING images.  After watching her today, I decided to step out of my comfort zone. And here are the results...

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