Kelly McMillan Photo + Video

10/06/2021

So I learned recently how hard it is to take nice pictures of toddlers! 😆 A couple tips I’m keeping next time we do a session with a toddler—

1.) Give them an activity to do! We brought this beautiful rocking horse (thanks !!) and at the end we ended up playing on that which kept her still and happy!

2.) Bring a sweet treat! I didn’t do that one but I’m sure if I let her eat a cupcake or even smash a cake— she would have had fun and stayed still.

3.) Understand you’re not going to get a pretty posed picture and embrace that! 😁

4.) Pick a location you know they’ll enjoy. We went to the and she LOVED running around looking at the pretty flowers here! These guys do a wonderful job. And I haven’t even seen what it looks like when everything is in bloom!

PC-

09/22/2021

Hampton roads truly has some great spots for taking family photos— one of my favorites is First Landing. You can take some photos in woods, then take a couple steps and get some shots at the beach! It’s a really great spot to get the most variety out of one session!

I’ve been brainstorming some locations to take pictures of our little toddler soon and this place comes to mind!

09/20/2021

Oh man- if you get invited to a vow renewal- GO! This vow renewal was absolutely beautiful! Couples who have been married for 10 years really know how to write honest and hilarious vows. These guys inspired me to want to rewrite my vows in 10 years! Kasturi and Joshua- thank YOU for inspiring me in my marriage and for being such an entertaining and inspiring couple! I can’t wait to finish these photos and deliver them to you!

09/17/2021

I absolutely love the mismatched bridesmaid dresses that Emily chose for her wedding— Same dress texture, and color, but the contrast with assorted lengths, styles, and shades creates so much beauty!

The same— but different. It works so well!

12/06/2020

How not to take a family photo 😆

But I can tell you how to spend less than $10 on Christmas cards!!

1. Use to make your Christmas card. They have templates. Email that to yourself

2. Order 4x6 prints from Walgreens online with that card you made on Canva.

3. Use the honey app to get yourself a sweet discount code for half off!

4. Buy invitation envelopes at office max (or hobby lobby, or probably really anywhere)

I feel like a champion tonight after doing all this. 🎉🎉

11/01/2020

I am so pumped to share the blog post of Ahna and Austin's wedding! Their day was absolutely beautiful, they overcame planning a wedding with changing military orders and on top of that, COVID restrictions. But their day finally came!! And it was BEAUTIFUL!! Check out this blog post to see more photos from their day!

http://www.kellymcmillan.com/ahna-austin-married/

10/27/2020

I’ve been researching a lot on Swedish culture. No reason, I’m not really the "gotta travel!" type, I love home! But I get into these phases where I’ll get nerdy about one certain topic, and Sweden you’re it right now!

In Sweden, they have this word they live by: Lagom. It means, not too much, and not too little. I love that, it applies to everything: food, social media consumption, entertainment, clothes, whatever you wanna apply it to! Pretty sure I’ve said it to myself lately when it comes to snacks 😏

Is there anything from a particular culture that you love that they do, or think?

09/15/2020

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something” -Pooh, in Christopher Robin

We just watched this movie and I’m loving Pooh’s character. Such gold!

I think this quote hints that maybe 100% productivity 100% of the time, isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be; that boredom ignites creativity, and you can have a blast doing it!

09/15/2020

Had such a blast this past Saturday taking senior photos of Aubree! The vibe district is as colorful as her dreams for the future. She told me about her plans after high school, the careers she’s excited about diving headfirst into. If you’re ever discouraged about 2020, hang out with someone from the class of 2021 for a minute— they’ll give you a fresh perspective about the good that’s soon to come!

07/28/2020

Amelia is the graphics designer and woodworker (with her husband!) at , (which Ian has worked with PLENTY of times!), she’s an incredible mom, encouraging friend, lover of all things nature, and most recently— obtained an environmental science degree with a concentration in geospatial technology 🎉 🎉 how legit and cool is that?

I love how real, creative, hard working, and encouraging Amelia is! I am so pumped for her new chapter, and her new job opportunities. Whatever place she decides to work at with her new role, she’s going to be amazing at it!

Last weekend we walked around the Chrysler Musuem getting head shots for her professional career. She was so easy to photograph, and so fun to be around!

07/18/2020

I can't get over how much fun it was to shoot and edit Justin and Megan 's engagement session. If you've ever hung out with the two of them-- you know what I mean! It only makes me more pumped for them to get married!

We went to the Norfolk Botanical Garden for their photos, which is such a gorgeous place!

July 18, 2020 Justin + Megan at Norfolk Botanical Gardens Justin and Megan are both co-workers and friends of mine, so their engagement session was a huge honor for me (and so much fun!)! The two of them spend their days working in broadcast tv and live events, making others look and sound great on....

07/11/2020

For a couple who spends most of their time behind the camera, making others look and sound good— Megan and Justin owned it at being in front of the camera!!

Such an honor to celebrate some friends and co-workers on their engagement!! (Also, Megan, red is definitely your color!)