purple tree photography - the magazine

purple tree photographythe magazine

www.purpletreephotography.com summer 2012

contents

featured mom interview - pg 16&17

plus portrait session tips throughout!

a note from kelli - pg 2

smoothie recipe - pg 4 portrait prop ideas - pg 5

best and worst parenting advice - pg 8&9

recommended children’s books - pg 13

2012 senior graduates - pg 22

www.purpletreephotography.com

i am a curly haired, tree huggin’, mother to one human, bad spelling, rescue dog owning, Metro Detroit portrait photographer who loves design and all things creative.

i photograph amazing, fun, creative, busy, smart and stylish people and i want to bring us all a little closer together with art and photography. my hope is that you will enjoy this magazine...it inspires you, you learn a little something or maybe it just makes you smile.

peace & pictures,kelli

a note from yours truly

2 / purple tree photography

Here’s an easy one that my kids LOVE!Avocado smoothie:2 cups milk of your choice 1 cup plain, vanilla or banana/mango yogurt1 cup frozen mango chunks 1 whole ripe banana1 whole ripe avocado

Place all ingredients in a blender & combine until smooth. Makes 4 servings (we use plain full fat yogurt & whole raw cow’s milk. There is banana mango yogurt at whole foods that is fabulous in this smoothie but we try to cut down sugar by using the plain one)

you can find strawesome and daedra here:www.strawesome.com

www.facebook.com/strawesome

avocado smoothie recipeby strawesome owner daedra


www.purpletreephotography.com / 5

portrait propsProps can be helpful in making chil-dren and adults feel a bit more com-fortable in front of the camera. They can also customize the session by making it special and bringing out the subject’s likes and personality. The options are truly endless but here are some ideas:

etsy.com and pintrest.com are two great places for ideas. There are a couple of tips & tricks when

working with props, so please share your ideas with me! I’m

happy to help!

balloonsbooks

bubblessidewalk chalk

chalkboardtire swing

cut flowersfruit

ice creamkite

pinwheelumbrella

custom/personalfamily boatfamily car

furniturepet

retrohula hoop

large suckerroller skates

cotton candy

soda with strawvespa

vintage carrecord player

playfulbicycle crown

fake moustacheipodmask

kiddie pool

silly stringskateboard

sprinklersuper hero cape

wagonsquirt gun

classic

musical instruments


newborn session tip Ask mom, mom-in-law or even your grandma if

they have any of their own baby blankets to add a special touch to your little one’s session.

parents share

what is the

“Remember the baby can’t fall off the floor!” Tyler’s mom, Amy

“Have lots of patience! Also swaddling her when she is born until about 3 months really helps her sleep better and longer!”

Ellie & Katie’s mom, Jen

“Don’t feel bad if you do the things the ‘experts’ and books tell you are taboo. All parents do these things, but they all pretend they don’t to

save face. Don’t worry about it – just go with the flow and do whatever works for you and your baby.”

Alair’s mom, Leslie

Do not let the baby sleep in your bed. Bad habit. I found out the hard way and did it with Cam but never with the other two.

Cam, Evan & Kate’s mom, Traci

best &


parenting advice you’ve received? worst

“I have had people tell me to feed on demand, not to keep a schedule, but just feed when the babies tell you they want something. This doesn’t work with twins!!”

Olivia & Christen’s mom, Stacey

“Put petroleum jelly liberally all over the head to treat cradle cap.” While this is a legitimate way to help treat it, it IS NOT A GOOD IDEA as your child will have greasy hair for at least a week. You can’t wash out petroleum jelly - it resists water! I of course, learned this the hard way.

Melanie’s mom, Kathy

Forty-three years ago my pediatrician told me “a baby will not cry for more than ten minutes.” He said it with such authority that my young self thought he must be right, after all, he’s a doctor. I decided either my colicky baby was unique or my new parenting skills were extremely insufficient. Would not handle it that way today.

Mother of three and Grandmother to four, Kathy


customizing tipThink outside the box when it comes to your

session. Unique props, locations, styling, etc. all make your session custom to YOU and that’s

what this is all about, isn’t it?


recommended children’s booksfeaturing troy school district reading specialist, katie taylor

Papa, please getthe moon for meby Eric Carle

Every child should beexposed to Eric Carle; hisbooks have surprises within them--the illustrations extend beyond the page in this one.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bearby Don and Audrey Wood

For a book that speaks directly to the reader--it’s unique, but also addresses the big idea of sharing.

Sheep in a Jeepby Nancy Shaw

Using sounds is a beginning reading skill (phonological awareness); this book uses

rhymes for oral language development.

Hippos Go Berserk!by Sandra Boynton

A fun book with numbersand short text for shortattention spans.

Harrythe Dirty Dog

by Gene Zion

This is a great book for toddlers who will sit

longer for a story about the lovable Harry.


location tip Don’t be afraid to pick an urban location.

They can offer lots of fun color, texture, a unique look and beautiful light.


Q. What was your first thought when you realized you had a toddler and were pregnant with twins? A. I am not sure if it was a thought or more of a feeling. I was in complete shock! Q. Did you find out the sex of Scarlett & Eliza, and if so, what was your hubby’s first response when he realized he was way outnumbered?A. We did; we had to know if we were

going to have a little boy that would be wearing butterflies and pink, or if we were safe being able to hand down Le-ah’s clothes. I think my husband was re-lieved that we had already gone through everything once with one little girl, so there would be nothing new, just more of them now. His second thought was probably I can’t believe we are going to have 3 weddings to pay for! Q. You’re a working mom, how do you

real answers from

real momsfeatured mom

Erika is a full time working mom to Leah, 5, and twins Eliza and Scarlett, 3, who lives in Huntington Woods.


I was incomplete

shock!

balance work and three kids? What’s your best tip for balanc-ing it all?A. I am not sure I have found the answer to that yet. It is hard and there are days when I sit down and wonder how did I even get through the day. My best ad-vice is to just do your best, and if that is not enough for every-one in the outside world, don’t worry about it. It is the hugs and smiles when I come home that remind me what is important. Q. How do you and the hubby stay connected? A. We try to make sure we have at least one night a month to ourselves. It’s hard to find time throughout the week to have adult conversations, so we do a lot of things together; we pack the kid’s lunches together, empty the dishwasher, clean the house, not the most glam-orous together time, but it is ours.

Q. What’s the best part of hav-ing three girls? What’s the worst?A. Besides the giggles and dance parties, sharing...they are all at the stage where they share a lot of the same inter-est in toys, clothes, etc. so

not only does it teach them to share with each other, but also to respect each other’s things because they may want to play with it next. But, most of all, it is the amount of love and happi-

ness that they give me. Nothing is that bad, but I guess the worst is that I have 60 fingers and toes to paint whenever the girls want their

nails polished.

Q. If you could hire a cook, housekeeper or babysitter which would you go with?A. Since my husband is an amazing cook, I would defi-nitely say a housekeeper. With three girls our house very quickly looks like tornado has struck. It’s quite amazing what I find in the couch cushions. Q. What is the most valuable life lesson that being a Mom has taught you?A. Patience! Waiting for kids while they’re learning to tie their shoes, go potty, “swing me one more time”, etc. Patience teaches you that those are the important moments in life you wait for, not if you make it to the doctor’s appointment on time. Embrace them and take the time to watch your children learn and grow.

Q.It has to be asked, any more kids?A. Just furry ones.

Thank you Erika for taking the time out of your super busy and fun life to answer my ques-tions!


style tips Accessorizing goes for everyone in front of the camera. Have fun with hats,

funky shoes, scarves, layering clothing, bold jewelry, etc. Take inspiration from high-end store catalogs and create that look with less expensive items.

Bring lots of options to your session and have FUN with it!see next page for some examples


layering clothing & pops of bright

colors add texture

a unique pieceof simple clothing & bold jewerly create a styled magazine look


style tip examples

fun, colorful shoesadd interest

fun, stripes tights and bright bootsgive personality


congratulationsto the 2012 senior graduates!


thank youthank you to all of my clients who hire me, inspire me,

laugh with me and make this all possible.

if you enjoyed this magazine, or if you have anything you would liketo contribute to any possible future editions, please let me know. www.purpletreephotography.com • 734.776.4418

photo taken by Hiro Miyamoto

purple tree photography - the magazine

Documents

kelli pg

books pg

purple tree photographythe

smoothie recipe pg

portrait prop ideas

tylers mom

alairs mom

tree huggin