2015 Holiday Portrait Session

I created the little video below to showcase all, well just some of the shots we didn’t use for our holiday card. Our long time friend Rachel is amazing at her craft and didn’t disappoint with the crazy number of options to choose from. We have literally been waiting to do this portrait for over 3 years. Since the day the twins were born we have been jones-ing to get this photo done. Just to bring you up to speed, this shot of Paley, Clem and I was from our 2011 holiday card. And it was a big hit and the first idea I had after the twins were born, we get to redo the Grouch card again! YES! I opted to hold off on the card redux until Margot could wear the stunning lace dress I found by designer who is now defunct. I spent the last two years combing the second hand couture world for the same dress but in Paley’s size. Sadly I failed. 

The challenge for this shoot? This was the first shoot we have done inside a studio with all 3 kids. The last 3 shoots were all location shoots, we did not know what expect. The first lessoned learned, pump those kids full of sugar at the start of the shoot. Towards the end we gave them candy canes but it was too late, they were all melting and poor Margot was the fastest to go down. Timing was also an issue for us, we were slated to really only spend an hour doing the shoot. 2 wardrobe changes and 3 hours later. We finally nailed it. I typically don’t walk into a shoot with a set requirement. While in the end I bummed we missed certain combo shots, in the end, there is always one shot that just fills that empty spot

Wondering about the girls dresses. Both of Paley’s dresses were found on French boutique website Smallable (http://smallable.com). The pink and metallic gold dress is a brand Poppy Rose which is based in Denmark. The deco black and gold sequin dress is by Simple Kids a Belgium brand. Sadly the lining of the sequin dress was done well and some of the hooking for the sequin goes through the lining. I haven’t been able to persuade Paley to wear it since the shoot. Margot lace dress was Paley’s from 2011. Sadly the company who made it, Dino et Lucia is no longer in business. It was a kids clothing line created by two ballet dancers in Paris. Sadly the construction on a lot of the pieces was a little dated but this antique lace dress was and still is perfection. Margot’s second dress is a crochet dress from Zara. 

So what do we have planned for our 2016 card. You will have to wait and see.