Tuesday, February 23
By The Potter's Hand Photography
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Mommy & Me | Spring 2021 Style Guide from Baby to Tween 


Spring is here in Enterprise, Alabama and it's time to think about clothing and planning for the first outdoor portrait sessions of the year! 

This year, at The Potter's Hand Photography, we're targeting soft pastels for Springtime.  Whether you're planning a beach session, a downtown extravaganza or looking for laid-back greenery garden scenery, this look will fit the bill! You can mix this up and add in a lovely soft yellow or sage green for a more boho feel.  A tween could even rock a solid sage-colored top with overalls if she, (like my teen), just doesn't dig the dressy look anymore. This is a super versatile color palette! For this look, we pulled colors from the floral-patterned baby romper, but we made sure the solid colors compliment each other well on their own as well. If you have little boys, light wash blue denim jeans and solid colored tees within the palette would be a good contrast and would easily fit into this aesthetic.

Hopefully this look will inspire you to get your photographer booked and your Spring session planned for the warmer weather and sunshine coming our way!

Our Studio services the Wiregrass area of Southeastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, so if you're in and around Enterprise, Dothan, Daleville, Fort Rucker or one of the smaller surrounding cities - we'd love to hear from you!


Here are a few direct links to the clothing items pictured that we pulled from Old Navy. We do not receive any compensation for sharing these links and are not affiliated with their store in any way, we simply pulled them for ease of shopping and sharing with you to get you inspired for your next styled photo session: 

Old Navy Women's Crochet-Sleeved Midi Dress

Women's Old Navy Ballet Flats in Taupe

Old Navy Baby Romper

Old Navy Baby Sandal

Old Navy Toddler Girls Jersey Dress in Organdi

Old Navy Girls Romper

Old Navy Girls Strappy Sandal

 

 
Wednesday, January 13
By The Potter's Hand Photography
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Local Photographer's Work Goes to International Exhibition

Alishia Potter of The Potter's Hand Photography is honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography.

Enterprise, AL, January 13, 2021— A photograph created by Alishia Potter of The Potter's Hand Photography in Enterprise has recently been accepted into the General Collection of Professional Photographers of America's 2020 International Photographic Competition. Potter's work will be on display at the upcoming Imaging USA, held virtually January 17-19, 2021. Imaging USA is one of the largest annual conventions and expos for professional photographers.

A panel of 36 eminent jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from over 5,000 total submitted entries at PPA headquarters in Atlanta. Judged against a standard of excellence, 1,706 images were selected for the General Collection and 865 (roughly 17 percent) were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection—the best of the best. The Loan Collection images will all be published in the much-anticipated "Loan Collection" book by Marathon Press.

Titled "Familiar Protector" - Potter's photograph will be in the International Photographic Exhibition alongside other top photographic works from the competition and traveling and special invitational displays. These images constitute one of the world's largest annual exhibits of professional photography gathered simultaneously in one place.

About PPA:

Founded in 1868, Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest and longest-standing nonprofit photography trade association. It currently helps 30,000 professionals elevate their craft and grow their business with resources, protection, and education, all under PPA’s core guiding principle of bridging the gap between photographers and consumers.

Contact:

Alishia Potter

The Potter's Hand Photography

931-401-2488

www.thepottershandphotography.com

 

 
Friday, October 16
By The Potter's Hand Photography
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Fall Family Portrait Outfit Inspiration  for Moms of Boys

So often I get asked specifically about styling photos for families with only boys.  It's easier, somehow, to style girls because we have an abundance of leggings, dresses, blouses, skirts and pants or leggings to choose from.  Now, the guys on the other hand, styling can sometimes feel like it just falls short and they can be more difficult to coordinate.

To make this process a little easier, I have a few steps to keep in mind the next time you're pulling together family outfits. Hopefully it'll be just a little less painful to coordinate the perfect photo outfits for the whole family!

First and foremost - dress for comfort!

You know yourself, your kids and your spouse better than anyone!  Style yourselves in clothing that is comfortable.  You want to be free to move and engage with one another during our session.  We don't want you to feel trapped in clothing you aren't comfortable in. If your husband prefers loose t-shirts to a button-down or sweater, find a coordinating solid long-sleeved tee that he won't mind wearing for an hour or so. Someone prefers sneakers to dress shoes?  That's okay!  Converse and Vans and a few other brands make shoes that are easy to color-coordinate into your palette.

Second, dress to coordinate, not match 100%.  

Find a key piece of clothing to start with, maybe even a patterned shirt - in this case, I found Dad's shirt first and built the wardrobe around the navy, hunter green and rust colors that are woven throughout the modern plaid pattern.  This shirt can easily be dressed up or down to suit the man in your life's preference - khakis or dark blue jeans, sneakers or nice dress shoes - whatever makes it work for him to be relaxed in what he is wearing.

Using the inspiration from dad's shirt, I knew I wanted mom to be in the dark green color that was just an accent in the dad's shirt so that when I put them together later for couples portraits not including their entire family, they coordinate well and compliment one another.

I used the same logic when preparing for the boys clothing.  In this instance, I am styling for two teenage guys and a school-age little boy.  When photographing the boys separately (together as a group), we would like for their outfits to add a little depth to the image without appearing to perfectly match. If we take the outfits apart and also look at just dad with each boy and just mom with each boy's outfit, they coordinate well but there's enough separation in knits and color to add dimension.

Finally, don't get stuck in a box!

If you feel overwhelmed, go back to your inspiration piece. Pulling together outfits can be daunting, time consuming and of course, expensive if you're not careful.  I encourage you to look into your own closets before running out to buy brand new outfits and shoes for each family member.  Not every piece has to be brand new!  Often, most families only have to grab a few articles of clothing to pull together their families outfits.  Usually with boys, it means pants that don't have holes in the knees and shoes that don't squish their ever growing feet. Having raised two teenage boys myself, I understand this dilemma so well!

And of course, if you're a client, give me a call!  Take pictures of the outfits you plan to use and send them to me to have a look at and I'll give you my opinion on what works and what may not.  If you need to go shopping and you'd like for me to join you - just say the word and we'll set a date to make it happen!

In case anyone is curious where the pieces of clothing in this particular inspiration board came from, I did all my searching online and found items from Kohls, Amazon, The Children's Place and Rack Room Shoes and I will link each outfit below so you can explore them for yourself.

Happy outfit building, whether it's through shopping or digging through closets to pull it all together - you've got this!!


 
Tuesday, October 13
By The Potter's Hand Photography
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I first had the pleasure of meeting Alli when we made plans to photograph her maternity session, which was just gorgeous!! She came to the studio to meet me and look through the gowns in our client closet, and chose a beautiful olive green dress that nearly perfectly matched her eyes! I couldn't wait to photograph her in it!

Here's a snapshot look at a few portraits from her maternity session, which took place in a local secluded wooded area with a waterfall, in mid-August.  Have any of y'all been to Alabama in August?  The heat and humidity can be pretty unbearable, and the air was so thick in the woods, by the end of the session, we were all drenched, either by the waterfall or humidity - but the images were absolutely worth it!



On September 2, 2020 in the early morning, Alli woke up to contractions around 4am.  They were 5 minutes apart, quickly becoming 2, and she knew it was time to go in to the hospital. Kinley Nicole made her arrival shortly thereafter, at 9:26 AM, weighing in at 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19 inches long. 

On Monday, the 14th of September, I had the privilege of meeting baby Kinley and photographing her along with her energetic sister, Kennedy and their gorgeous momma!  I asked Alli a few questions regarding her experience of birth during this time of pandemic and uncertainty and you can read her responses below.

  • Has having a baby during a pandemic been harder than when you had your first baby?

 

In the sense that I couldn't have Kennedy at my appointments, I always had to have someone I could get to watch her. Thankfully Brent was working from home! I think the hardest part was just not being able to see my toddler meet her sister until we got home from the hospital. We couldn't have any visitors. I felt kind of trapped in the hospital.

 

  • Has adjusting to life with two little ones under age two been easier or more difficult than you thought it may be?

 

Much easier than I anticipated. I had such a hard time with the first, but I knew what to expect this time. I haven't been as anxious every time she makes a noise or cries. It gives me the ability to being a calmer presence as a parent. 

  • Can you share with us your reason for choosing a lifestyle newborn session in your own home?

 

It seems cozier and closer to reality when pictures are in your home, to me. It's less forced feeling. I missed out on doing one with the first baby so I had to make sure we got one this time!

 

  • What is the one thing you want to remember the most about this time in your life?

 

The feeling of just watching my girls quietly and observing these sweet little moments while they are young, like when Kennedy says something funny or just holding Kinley while she sleeps. I won't ever get these moments back so I'm always trying to soak them in. 

 

    

  • Can you think of any words of wisdom or advice that an expectant mom may need to hear right now?

 

Becoming a mom is so stressful and anxiety provoking at first but you will make it through those feelings to the other side where you will be able to experience the immense joy that is being a mother. It's incredible the love you have for your kids that you didn't even know was possible. It truly is a display of the kind of love God has for us.

Alli - Thank you so much for allowing me to capture these moments for you and your girls and selflessly sharing your time and thoughts with us! ~Alishia

 
Monday, November 28
By The Potter's Hand Photography
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This beautiful family is soon to grow by one more little girl that promises to be just as precious as her 4 big sisters are!
Meghann and Keoni, thank you so much for coming out and spending some time with me yesterday afternoon and allowing me to photograph your amazing family!  Your girls are such precious blessings and I cannot wait to meet the newest one soon!


Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas! <3

 

Purchase a spot for your family TODAY and book before Dec. 24! :)

 

Please call or text 931-401-2488 for additional information or visit our website and purchase quickly and securely at your convenience!