Location scouting can be one of the most fun and difficult things we do as photographers. In order to keep things fresh, we must provide new locations each year. Especially for returning clients. I drive all over the area on a pretty regular basis, and my eyes are always looking at spots off the side of the road. Or I may drive down a dirt road in search for the perfect spot. I also visit many nearby parks that have been the backgrounds for most of my images.

This is a new location I used this year. I just knew that I needed to find a special spot to take some of my favorite clients, who have been with me for 5 years now. I think it may just be my new favorite location. The sun sets right over those trees and creates the most beautiful reflection off the water.

Some of you know that I have been homeschooling my 3 kids for 5 years now. So I know a thing or two about the topic.

Right now most of you have been forced out of your comfort zone and are homeschooling whether you like or not. I understand it can be a major adjustment for those who never thought they would be put in this situation. But let me just tell you, what you’re doing is not real “Homeschooling”. With the real thing, you would not be forced to do planned curriculum from another teacher, you would also not have to do most of the requirements that you are doing right now.

Real homeschooling is awesome and fun! I want to share with you some tips that may help you during the time that you might be losing your mind. If you are still trying to work full time from home, these tips may not me helpful, but maybe a few will pertain to you!

1). Try to relax. This can be a great opportunity to bond with your children. And if your’re getting frustrated and yelling a lot, it isn’t good for anyone. This is a strange time for everyone, especially for kids who don’t really understand what’s going on. Give them lots of grace. If you can’t keep your cool, how do you expect them to keep thiers.

2). Go outside A LOT! We are outside most of the day. My kids run in and out of the house 100 times a day. we go on bike rides, hikes and exploring adventures. Make outside time a priority throughout the day. If your kids are having a hard time getting work done, take a break and get into nature!

3). Let them sleep in. Kids will function so much better if they are able to sleep as long as they need to. This may be common sense, but may be not. Their brains are developing at a rapid rate and they need rest and sleep, and so do you. So allow yourself to sleep in if you can.

4). Don’t be too hard on yourself This is an insane time in our lives, never in history has something like this happened. So please, allow yourself to make mistakes, and not beat yourself up too much. As a homeschooling mom every day, I try not to let my short comings determine my self worth. Some days, when I feel we have done absolutely nothing, they are still learning something. Which brings me to my next point.

5). Kids are always learning! You don’t need to do a million worksheets, or make them memorize of all the presidents . Allow them to explore their own interests. Let them get in the kitchen and bake, yes it will be messy, but that's OK. Give them some shovels to go dig in the yard to learn about the earth. There are so many natural ways for them to learn, allow yourself to let go of the “curriculum” just a little bit.

Well, I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you with these 5 tips for successful homeschooling.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you’re struggling with the most, and maybe I can help. Absolutely NO judgement here. I’m here to lift you up and help in any way I can.

Me and my family, photo by Jenn Pierce

It’s been a long glorious weekend. We had a SNOW DAY! Y’all, it’s been 2 years since we had snow and my kids were so thrilled. They spent all day yesterday playing in it with the neighborhood kids. Back and forth they went into and out of the house with soggy jackets and soaking boots. My dryer was working over time trying to keep up. After all the action outside, we settled in with a fire and a movie. It was a perfect day.

However…today the snow melted away this morning before they could enjoy it again. I didn’t take any pictures during the snow day. BUT I did take some sweet shots of my boy who melts my heart just about everyday. He loves to build with Legos, pretend to shoot guns, play fight and just about every other boy stereotype there is.

This boy is sweet, loving, kind, thoughtful, happy, athletic, joyful, inquisitive, curious, so very curious. He asks the tough questions. Sometimes, I just don’t know how to answer. He wipes his nose on his shirt, runs fast and loves his sisters. I hadn’t planned on this child, and I my mouth dropped open when I was pregnant and found out he was a boy, but he has been one of the greatest blessings in my entire life.

Incredibly grateful for this beautiful soul that entered our lives.

Whew! What a year this has been. We did so many amazing things and travelled many new places. My kids took an airplane ride for the very first time, and they did so great! We visited Maryland, South Carolina, and North Ga. We also go a new puppy! So many firsts in 2019, my kids are growing up so fast.

I also grew my business, with a new camera and lens, editing software, and updated website. And many more behind the scenes stuff that make life easier. I thought it would be fun to see what my top post of the year were on Instagram, and I wasn’t surprised by this. She is the bee knees.

This little love also made it to the 2nd slot on my list along with her daddy.

This was the third most liked of the year, and not surprisingly. People love those sunsets! If you ever want to gain some likes, post a picture of a sunset. Works every time.

Here are some more of my most liked posts.

Love that this one was included, that little froggy was soooo beautiful.

So there you have it, the top 10 posts on my Instagram. It’s so interesting to me what people gravitate towards. Sometimes it will be my favourite picture and it gets very few likes. Go figure…

I’m looking forward to 2020, I have a good feeling that it will be just as great as 2019. Here’s to you and I hope it’s your best year yet! Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite part of 2019 was.

Fall is here! Even though it’s still 90 degrees here in Georgia. But the Fall mini sessions are well under way, and I was lucky enough to capture this beautiful family at a new location. We desperately need rain, but these dry days, make for some beautiful evening sunsets.

We are two photographer mommas who wanted to do a session swap, and it was such a great idea. We decided to meet at the top of Arabia Mountain and catch the sunset. And it all worked out beautifully.

As photographers, we are always behind the camera. So it was such an important moment for us to allow ourselves to dress up, do our hair and make up and get in FRONT of the camera with our family.

One of my very favorite places to shoot is this park. It has just about everything you could want in a location. As the sun filtered through the trees, it created a magical backdrop for this special family.

One of the things I love best about my job is the connections I make with the people. Especially the children. I have always connected with children in a unique way. It has allowed me to capture amazing shots of them, because they usually trust me from the moment we meet.

Even though they may be running around and not sitting still, that’s okay! It allows me to capture their true spirit, and that my friend, is what makes a beautiful image.

I’ve never wanted to be a wedding photographer. I’m perfectly happy with the much less stressful family and child sessions. But, I’ve shot at two small outdoor weddings now, and I may change my mind about being a small wedding photographer. What do you think??

Weddings photographers deserve so much credit. Before I knew what really goes into it, I would scoff at the prices they would charge. “$5000 for some pictures at a wedding?!” It does seem extreme. But if you know all that goes into it, you would understand why they charge those prices.

This was my cousins wedding, and I gifted her some photos from the day. She hired a photographer for 2 hours and I took pictures after she left. There was absolutely no pressure on me, I was able to be creative and free. And I believe that’s how they came out so well.

This time of year in Georgia is gorgeous! We have azaleas blooming around every corner, wisteria hanging from the trees, daffodils lining the suburban yards and they make excellent back drops for photography.

I’m a windows open kind of girl and none of my family have severe allergies, so the windows in our house stay wide open until it’s too hot. My yard is filled with perennials and the kids love watching them come up year after year. This year we collected some tadpoles in a nearby puddle. Slowly watching them turn into frogs will be such a great way to teach the kids about the life cycle.

Kathleen Haisten Photography Johns Creek, Duluth, Gwinnett, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Roswell, Lilburn.

I recently purchased a new camera, it is a huge upgrade for me and I’m so thrilled. I don’t usually spend a lot on money on myself, but I look at this as an investment. And it allows me to step up my photography game. I’m working on my website and my brand and I want to convey how much I love photographing families. And I believe this new upgrade allows me to do it much better than before.

On another note, this lady in the next few pictures has been my best friend since we were 7. She lived down the street from me for just a few months and when she moved away I was determined to keep in touch. Some people are just worth the effort. And now here we are and I’m photographing her mommy and me session with her first baby. So grateful for this opportunity, I feel so content with life when I have my camera in hand and I’m working with people I love.

This was my last session of 2018. We weren’t sure if it was going to rain, but we pushed through anyway. We were lucky. We got the amazing sky without any of the rain. When you have five kids, you never know what to expect at a family session. Sometimes the parents are running around stressed out and making unnecessary commands. But I’m the type of photographer who just rolls with anything. No matter what happens, I always get the shot. I’m patient and silly with them, and connect with them. So if you book with me, know this, I’m a mom of three and I’ve seen just about everything. Nothing will shock me. Please don’t think I’m judging you because your kid won’t sit still. It’s okay. I actually like action shots :)

These parents are awesome, I think they have seen a thing or two themselves. Laid back and fully involved. We had a blast with this session and I didn’t want it to end.

I’ve watched this family grow for the past four years. It’s such a gift when a family has enough faith in you to come back year after year. It is the highest compliment for me as a photographer, and a person. And to also tell all their friends about me too!

They are always up for anything and willing to make poop jokes to make their kids cackle with laughter. These precious years with young children go by fast and I’m thankful I had a hand in capturing their beauty at this point in time.

This is my second year photographing this family, and once again these kids are angels! I first met this sweet family when our daughters were in a play together, it wasn’t long after Mrs. Connett was contacting me for a session. I think the best way to meet new clients is in real life and they already know you well enough so the first session isn’t as awkward!

I have been fortunate enough to photograph some of the best kids! There are some kids who are just natural in front of the camera. I also think it helps that I’m a “kid person” I’ve always been quick to connect with kids on our first meeting. It sure helps to take great photographs of them if they trust you. It’s been 3 years since I photographed this family. I’ve come a looooong way since then!

The rain has been pouring down here for the past couple of days, but thankfully our weekends have been beautiful. McDaniel Farm is one of my favorite places to shoot and every time I go I find a new area I hadn’t noticed before. This beautiful family did me the honor of asking me to capture them again this year. There is a handful of kids who just know exactly what to do in front of the camera and they do it so well. Their older boy is one of those kids, and it’s so much fun!

I don’t do a whole lot of advertising for my business. Word of mouth has been my primary form of gaining new clients. This family is another example of a friend referral, they were great to work with and their sweet little boy had the most expressive face, I just adore that!

It' finally feels like fall y’all! If you live in the south, then you probably know that while up north fall weather starts in August, we have to wait until November to actually feel the cooler weather. It’s difficult to be shooting holiday pictures and everyone is sweating from the heat!

This family is new to my clientele, and came recommend trough a friend. Which I feel is the BEST way to get new business.

I had the honor of photographing this sweet family and their newborn Evie May a couple of weeks ago. She is the first child for them and it was very special to be a part of it. I’ve known Jamie for 30 years and it felt so natural for me to be in their home and capture candid shots of them with their precious angel. I had rented a 35 mm lens 1.4 for this shoot and I loved it so much, I ended up buying it :)

New babies are so much fun to take pictures of. You would think they would be easy because they just lay there. But the opposite is true. They are much more difficult to capture because they just lay there. Trying to get a young baby to smile on cue is not easy, but when you capture it, all the hard work was worth it.

Don’t you just hate when you are so ready for fall, but the weather just won’t cooperate!? Well after this shoot we were all sweaty and hot. But I couldn’t be happier with the results. At least this family made it look like it was cool outside! I’ve know this woman for most of my life and it’s been such a pleasure watching her children grow up.

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this family many times. It is the best feeling when a clients likes you enough to keep coming back again and again. I’m lucky enough to have many of those families. My clients truly are the best. They love my talent and trust me to make them look their best. It can be a big responsibility, but I embrace the challenge and love every minute of it.