https://www.janellelyfordphotography.com/

Janelle Lyford Photo, Dana Warp Mill, Westbrook, ME (2026)

05/19/2025

A huge part of being a wedding and elopement photographer is being able to chat with not only your couple easily, but also their guests, family, and especially the parents!

Having those interpersonal skills will ease everyone overall — the first impression really sets the tone for the day. Being timid and shy usually leads to the conclusion that you’re not very confident in yourself, and if you aren’t, how can others be? Throughout the day, we want the couple and any of their attendees to feel sure and safe that you know what you’re doing and that all they need to do is follow your lead.

I mainly coordinated with the bride’s mom leading up to the day, so finally meeting her in person was exciting for us both. Over the years, talking with the parents actually has become one of my favorite ways to start the day.

It’s easy to come off as the expert while hiding behind a screen through sending emails, it’s a whole other thing to actually be that cool and confident business person in real life. While having photography skills is integral to this job, so is being personable!

Photography is a very social job, and having strong social and interpersonal skills will set you up for even further success ✨

04/03/2025

Same spot, different time of day 📸

The time of day will greatly impact the type of lighting you’ll get for your session! Some lighting is harsher, while some softer, and often times the difference between these two types of lighting is about an hour! 💁🏽‍♀️

✨1st slide: sunrise, 6am
✨2nd slide: 1 hour after sunrise, 7am
✨3rd slide: 2 hours after sunrise, 8:30am
✨4th slide: 1 hour before sunset, 4:30pm
✨5th slide: 30 mins before sunset, 5pm

Some clients may not have a preference, but it is always important to inform them of how different lighting may/will affect how their final photos will look! My editing is greatly influenced by the type of lighting.

It’s also important for photographers to keep in mind when positioning clients to avoid the sun in anyone’s eyes, having them be too backlit, and to make sure that the sun will be hitting the chosen location as flatteringly as possible! For example, I try my best to avoid photographing at this spot at certain times when the sun is hitting a little too harshly against the cove!

What’s your favorite type of lighting?

03/26/2025

Sand Beach in Acadia is perfect for a romantic stroll… and proposal 🤍

October is not typically a month you spend at the beach in Maine, but when it comes to proposals, most rules become irrelevant. While I would’ve preferred to have been dressed in beach attire and face makeup free to catch a tan, I showed up as I usually do: all black, my hair sleeked back, and a face full of makeup 💁🏽‍♀️

First impressions are incredibly important. The way I dress and present myself for the first time meeting my clients is crucial, and even more so for surprise proposals when one part of the pair has literally never spoken to me before and did not even know I existed before that moment.

I add that last part because proposal photos are once-in-a-lifetime photos, and I want my couple to feel at ease with me while being photographed, especially the person who was just proposed to. Showing up put together signals that I’m confident and therefore trustworthy, which signals I’ll most likely deliver stunning results. That may not always be true, but it’s a rule I try to follow.

If I can make my clients feel that way about me, I hope that leads them to be more at ease while being photographed, rending more authentic results. If I showed up looking unkempt, I am almost positive that my clients would assume that I didn’t know what I was doing and probably be stressed about how their photos were going to turn out. Appearance and first impressions are everything.

Being put together and looking my best at weddings/elopements signals confidence and trust both to my clients as well as to their families and guests. Showing up looking like I just rolled out of bed is firstly, super unprofessional, and secondly, a sure way to make people think that I don’t take myself nor my job seriously.

Do I think you should you dress or do something that isn’t “you”? No. But I do think that how you present yourself, especially in a job that revolves around aesthetics, is crucial.

I also do a lot of hikes, so it’s not always possible to be dressed up, but I always make sure I look presentable and show up as someone who looks like they’d give really good advice 😉

03/25/2025

Something about morning golden hour in Acadia☀️

I mentioned in my previous post that I photographed 3 sessions in 1 day in October (actually, I did that a few times last year), and this session kicked off a long but beautiful day! While wanting to do an early morning session, but not a sunrise, we started moments after the sun had risen for that glowy, bright sun ✨

While I mainly shoot during sunrise or sunset timeframes when the light is much softer, I certainly love how bright it is shortly following sunrise. I probably would’ve been terrified to shoot in these lighting conditions when I first started photographing because it’s certainly a learning curve. I’m still learning new techniques to master this type of lighting, but I fall more in love with it the more I shoot in it!

That’s the beauty of photography: there’s always something you can learn, become better at, and master. And once you do master it, you can use those skills and combine it with composition, diverse posing, so on and so forth.

It’s a mistake to think that we’ll learn all there is to know about photography. Maybe “evolving” is a better way to say this — constantly refining our style, techniques, and perhaps seeking new niches every now and again.

While I don’t believe we should change our style based on current “tends”, I do believe that we need to evolve. Evolving is growth.

03/24/2025

Here’s a crazy admission: this proposal was photographed the morning of the engagement session in the post right before this, and also shot after a different engagement session about an hour before. Yes — 3 sessions in one day, and 2 of those before 11am😅

While I don’t believe shooting 3 sessions in one day every day is sustainable, there are always exceptions to the rule. It just so happened that each client inquired for times that made it all possible without me having to prompt or suggest a certain time for clients to begin with. It felt like everything had aligned to make all of these sessions possible without my intervention, so I simply couldn’t turn any of these sessions down 💁🏽‍♀️

I would not have agreed to do this the first or second year of my career. It takes a lot of experience and confidence that you can pull it off successfully, and certainly a lot of audacity. But I guess that’s the name of the game: having the audacity to believe you even have the right to succeed in the first place.

The majority of being a successful entrepreneur is having the courage and audacity to believe you deserve to be in this space to begin with. The audacity to believe that out of everyone YOU can make it. I always joke that you really gotta have the same type audacity that a mediocre man with a trust fund does who owns a tech startup 😂

Instead of asking, “why me”?, you need to start asking “why not me?”. Be so delusional that the chances of it NOT happening for you are more far fetched than the chances of them happening for you.

That isn’t to say you don’t have to put in the work. And that’s what it is: WORK.

If something is easy, then everyone would be doing it. And if something is simple, then there’d be no payoff.

And that perfectly describes entrepreneurship.

03/23/2025

Mid-coast Maine is for engagement sessions on a warm fall evening ✨

While downloading photos from this gallery, I realized that this session was on October 18th, making it a just about halfway through the busiest month for me, and pretty much every other photographer. I photographed a total of 38 sessions, elopements, and weddings this month, and I honestly have no regrets 😎

People ask how I managed to get through this month sanely, and most wondered how I delivered galleries so efficiently and quickly. I will be honest — some of these queries seemed a little passive aggressive, but that’s a whole other post 😅

My response to both of those questions was and will always be this: Intentionality.

I’ve always believed that how you do one thing in life is how you do everything in life. For me, being intentional has been a very consistent theme for as long as I can remember (aside from the occasional impulsive decisions to uproot my life while abroad multiple times, but again, a whole other post).

Being intentional forces me to make decisions based on consequences, both positive and negative. Every inquiry I receive I run a list of scenarios in my head over the pros and cons of saying “yes” and “no” before responding one way or the other. This can do with scheduling, location, the type of session, and future opportunities that may be rendered as a result of said session.

When it comes to editing, I’m very intentional with when I plan to sit down and edit galleries. I know that I always have time in the middle of the day to edit (when I don’t typically schedule shoots), and spend most afternoons behind a screen. I can’t let galleries pile up too much because the thought of having a handful or more galleries I need to edit gives me intense anxiety 😆

Clients hire me and rely on me to deliver the best galleries that I can of them. I’m super intentional with how I edit each gallery to ensure it reflects the individuality of each client.

So if you’re wondering how I do it — by “it” I mean anything — the answer is: Intentionality.

(Will I shoot as much in one month this year? Stayed tuned for “I’d like to say no but probably will just because I can.”)

03/22/2025

Fall weddings in Maine 🤎

I don’t think I’d be able to choose between photographing big weddings or elopements, which is a crazy admission for most photographers. While I do love the smaller scale of everything with elopements, there’s just something about the large celebration with weddings that last all day into the evening that truly give me *life* and genuinely excites me to be a part of ✨

While the recovery after a 10-12 hour day is not always enjoyable, the hours spent with my couple and their friends & family certainly is. Some of my best memories as a photographer have been at weddings 🤍

I was chatting with a fellow videographer/photographer just yesterday, and we talked about how photographers need to have both a lot of feminine and masculine energy in this industry, especially at weddings. As a photographer, I aim to be the calm on your day amidst chaos, and provide the emotional support you may need. I’ve also been the confidant brides vent to in the bridal suite when guests may be getting on their nerves 😅

More importantly, I aim to be the person who you can always count on to come up with solutions/get things going if the timeline may be behind, when you have a large group of people that need to be photographed in a timely manner, and overall, that one person you can rely on (aside from your coordinator!) when you need something taken care of 🤝🏽

Photographer, emotional support, and director all in one ⚡️

03/19/2025

For you, it’s about:
Connection
Calmness
Emotion
Quiet glances
Subtlety
Stillness
Serenity

For me, it’s about:
Observing
Understanding
Connecting
Compassion
Creating a safe space

03/18/2025

Acadia maternity photos in October 🤎

I go through periods of time where I post almost every day, and then where I post every few days. Sometimes I just don’t have the mental energy to go through my past galleries and then decide which galleries to choose to even begin with, and then having to pick 10-15 favorite photos to post, and then writing a caption for it, and then trying to post it at the “right” time for the algorithm. All this to say: posting on Instagram is a task that I give very little priority to.

I recently read how my Instagram page doesn’t even technically “belong” to me (or to any other users) and I’m just renting space on this platform. Because of this, I should use it to drive traffic to my website (which does “belong” to me) and use Instagram as supplemental to my portfolio. I’ve found this approach to be the most beneficial for me and my business!

Truth be told, I only get a handful of inquiries directly from Instagram anyway, so I don’t see it as integral for my business. I do however like being more personable on here, and find myself connecting with so many fellow photographers, wedding vendors, and even clients in my DMs. Those interactions are much more meaningful, and truly remind me of why I love this career so much.

I’ve finally stopped looking at my like and comment count (and others’ as well) to validate if my post/photos were “good enough”. Remember — you can be rich with likes but poor with dollars (or clients), and seldom do social media metrics give proper insight into a business’s success.

I guess my point is: Instagram, while a great complement to my website, is not a platform I prioritize, but I do prioritize connection, so I hope to find you in my DMs 😉

03/13/2025

Photographing Rochelle from tomorrow 🍸

It’s always a pleasure meeting other vendors in the industry at weddings, and making both business and personal connections with them that sustain once the event is over 💕

You can just tell how much joy was radiating throughout the welcome drinks party the night before S + K’s wedding! The energy that we as vendors bring to a wedding or event sets the tone for the guests, which is also reflected in photos. When we as vendors emit energy that is calm, cool, and collected, guests can be at ease and simply enjoy their time together knowing that they are in good hands 🙌🏽

For me personally, I always try my best to bring an energy that is both calming yet assertive — I’m there to comfort my clients or guests when needed, but also take control and take any stress off of them should a situation occur. Instead of my clients going into their wedding thinking “what is Janelle going to do?”, I hope that they go into it thinking “Janelle will always know what to do.”

While I may be there to photograph, I’m also there to make sure that your day goes as smoothly as possible and be there for you when you may just need a peaceful reminder that everything is going perfectly 🤍

03/13/2025

There was no shortage of smiles this evening💍

Whether you propose kneeling, sitting, or standing, I’ll be there to capture it! We had the most perfect evening for their proposal at Portland Head Light last fall. K had been trying to decide between there and Kettle Cove, but ultimately went with his initial location! Although my videos and photos of sunset at Kettle Cove ALMOST persuaded him otherwise 🤩

If you’ve never been to Maine before but need location suggestions, I have more than a few to recommend! I’ll let you know any and all pros or cons for each and my top timeframe suggestions, especially if you’re looking for privacy! Photographer, planner, and consultant all in one 🫶🏽

Headed to Acadia or elsewhere in Maine and need an engagement or proposal photographer? Message me today! 💌

03/09/2025

What’s better than newlywed portraits in Acadia? Newlywed portraits with your four legged family member 🐾

While these two were certainly naturals in front of the camera, so was he! We adventured at all my favorite spots in Acadia, and ended with my favorite hike at the end of the evening — The Bubbles — for a truly magical session ✨

If you love the idea of getting all dressed up and running around Acadia for photos but don’t want to commit to an elopement, or maybe have already gotten married, my Newlywed Portraits package is just for you! It’s the perfect excuse to get all dressed up (again) and capture all of those classic “forever photos” + then some 💕

Planning a trip to Acadia or Maine and are in need of photos? Reach out today! 💌

Janelle Lyford Photo

05/19/2025

04/03/2025

03/26/2025

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03/24/2025

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03/09/2025

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