Hi there! My name is Emily Smith and I love telling stories through pictures! I started Elders Ridge Photography in 2011 — “Emily Smith Photography” and many variations of that were already taken… one downside to having the most popular name ever. One upside: never being asked, “can you spell that?”
I’ve met so many amazing families and couples over the years and I can’t wait to meet you! You’ll like me — I’m nice! And funny…at least I think so!
My home base is a small country town called Elders Ridge, hence the business name!
My current favorite sessions to do are family sessions. Maybe it’s because I’m watching my own kids grow up (too quickly!) right in front of my eyes and I want to capture these fleeting moments for my clients. I also love the excitement of weddings. The days are long, but they offer so many opportunities for every type of photography: portrait, landscape, still life, photojournalistic – and I love the fast pace of it all and the raw emotion.
So what’s it like to work with me? I’m a laid back person by nature, so I’m easy to talk to and get along with, but I’m also good at giving direction you’ll understand and keeping people organized and on task. Yes, even little ones. Getting you comfortable and making sure you’re not in an awkward pose is always my focus during our sessions. I demonstrate poses (you’ll laugh – so will I) and we tweak it until we get it. And then you’ll get comfortable and we’ll just shoot away! Some things you’ll hear me say:
- “alright, just one more.” And that is always a lie.
- “I promise it won’t look weird on camera.” And it never does.
- “Look down at your knee, then when I say ‘go’, look up at me…ok, 1, 2, 3, look at me.” And I never say “go.”
- “Hands off her belly – this isn’t a maternity shoot.” Unless it is.
- “You look so beautiful!!!” And then I’ll turn my camera around to show you…and you’ll agree.
Some non-photography things about me: if you’re reading this, I’m probably at a hockey rink. Our whole family is embracing life on the ice, from playing to coaching to building rinks. It’s insane, but we are all loving it. During the off-season…haha…j/k there’s no off-season…so, like, before/after going to the rink, I love riding my bike on local trails. My husband and I are always in search of good sushi (taking suggestions!!). I always have a house project going because clearly I don’t have enough going on, why not rip up carpet or replace the ceiling in the kitchen?? And my favorite place to be is anywhere sunny and warm: beach, desert, my yard in July, whereever! Give me all the sun!!
So that’s a little bit about me. If you think we’ll get along, check out the pricing page and send me a message — let’s get started! Or, just email me at emily@eldersridgephotography.com