My Daughter and being a South Jersey Portrait Photographer

Twirling in the tulip patch in South Jersey.

One reason that I got into photography, is my children. I just wanted to have pretty photos of my kids and to document them growing. I just wanted pretty photos and to cherish these fleeting moments. I purchased a camera in 2010 for a vacation, when I had my first child, Rocco, I would get out my little panasonic lumix and document my little red-head. However, it was time to "upgrade." I then went into the Sony Mirrorless a6000 system and it became love at first sight. Now, I shoot both Canon and Sony full frames, but it was the little push I needed in the beginning, to learn and to grow.. that has gotten to me where I am today.

I feel so blessed that I can capture my own children, HOW I WISH TO CAPTURE THEM. In the fairytale style that I love and taken all throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia. Now, my daughter has not always been a willing participant, she happily loves dressing up my dresses now and putting on a little show/shoot. At first, it was a struggle and she didn't want to wear any dresses, whatsoever. Kind of ironic, right? Now, she loves it. She loves getting to explore new places and being outside and the opportunity to meet other kids.

Picking tulips and giving me her usual “stink eye” look. She’s a trip!

My little lady in the tulips of South Jersey.

I now present you with my little love... Gigi and some of the joys and captures over the years. Hope you enjoy these images, as much as I do.

My little girl taken at Mood's Farm Market in Mullica Hill.

Having a fun day at the Jersey Shore.

My little girl at the Jersey Shore/beach in South Jersey.

Cherry blossom fun in South Jersey.

In the garden in Woodstown. My two loves. Rocco and Gigi.

Enjoy these fleeting years, with your children. You won't be disappointed in capturing them and memories that will last a lifetime. No one can take these moments away and I AM SO GLAD I HAVE THESE.

Happy Shooting, my friends!

Dee Giumetti

Shooting Star Photography

New Jersey Winter Wonderland Sessions

This time of year is THE BEST to have a session!!!!! Winter light is extremely soft and pleasing. It makes your skin look soft and beautiful. My subjects look more magical, due to the pastel light. I know it may be a little cold outside, but if you can withstand it, this is honestly the best time to have a session. When you approach the spring and summer months, lighting becomes a bit more harsh, especially in the spring. Spring light can be a bit more difficult to work with as there are no leaves on the trees, so it's hard to filter the light. You sometimes end up with a more harsh light, depending on the location. For winter sessions, we have you covered. From furs, capes, winter dresses... we have it all! The locations we choose in winter are a bit different from our offerings in the spring and summer, due to better lighting conditions this time of year.  

Why is a winter photography session the best?

Winter light casts a magical spell on portraits, making them truly enchanting! As the sun hangs low in the sky, its gentle rays filter through the crisp winter air, creating a soft and ethereal glow. The quality of this light during winter is like no other—it's delicate, diffused, and creates a beautiful luminosity on the subjects. Photographing portraits in winter light feels like painting with light brushes, adding a touch of warmth and a hint of romance to every image. The low angle of the sun offers long shadows, adding depth and dimension to the portraits, accentuating the contours of the face and creating a captivating interplay between light and shadow. So, grab your camera, bundle up in cozy layers, and let the winter light work its magic on your portraits!

How are process works: We take care of EVERYTHING. Honestly, all you need to do is show up. I have an assistant (my mom) and we get you dressed, get your headpieces going. Then off to shooting in this beautiful winter light. You tend to find us traveling all over the Delaware Valley Region. From waterfalls, to the pine tree forests.. to city this time of year.We tend to be a stylized emotive storytelling photographer. We kind of sit back and help direct you, but we want you to have real moments between one another. Especially, with families, as that is our goal.

We capture REAL smiles, not the, "say cheese" kind. Every location we choose, we style around it. For example, I am sure you don't want to wear something extremely formal on the beach or black.. it won't look right. You want to go for those pastels, lights, brights.. and jewel tones. Black is more suited for city, or forest conditions.  NOW is the time to book your winter session as our spring through fall is booked out. We would love to work with you and give you an amazing photography experience!!! 

Happy Shooting, my friends! Dee

Shooting Star Photography

Southern New Jersey Photographer      

Grandpa and me...

Every single session we do for our clients is truly unique. Not one photograph will look the same because we truly love making every single photograph a true keepsake and piece of art.It's honestly what we we trained to do in this business. As I reflect back on this 2018 year, I have to say it was the hardest year of my life. As I look back, I almost lost my mother, who is my assistant.. She was hospitalized for over a month. It was a nightmare during this time. We thought she may not make it and that she may no longer be with us. She's a huge asset to this photography business. She's the best assistant I could ever ask for and am grateful for everything she does. I am so elated she is still here with us and recovered fully. About 10 days after my mom came home, it was my husband's turn. He had flu-like symptoms and his condition got worse and worse. He was then hospitalized. The doctors were baffled as to what was happening. Every specialist they had on hand, he saw. His condition got worse and worse to the point where we almost lost him. He lost all bodily functioning, he lost his ability to walk. It was a very scary time. They put him on every antibiotic known to man. It was within two weeks, he started to finally show some life again and slowly got better. He was later transferred to an inpatient subacute rehabilitation center to learn how to walk all over again. It was later found out by infectious disease that what he caught, only effects about 2,000 patients a year with about a 60% mortality rate. He's lucky to be here. When I look back on the year, I see myself. I see how strong I was. As a wife, daughter, mother.. and I honestly don't know how I got through it all. I kept every single photography session that I had scheduled.  I did not cancel on anyone. In fact, the sessions were very therapeutic for me as I was going through this. It's true how art can soothe the soul. There were some delays on editing galleries, but very understandable in the situation and I did inform customers of the situation. Under normal circumstances, most folks would be able to take a leave of absence from their jobs. However, as a single business owner, I unfortunately was unable to do that. I just trucked through.  I realized how strong I really am and how I kept it together. I know most folks would crumble. I just feel fortunate to have both the folks I love dearly still here with me. In any event... as I look back and everything I went through. I realize how very important photographs are. I made a point to get myself photographed with my children this past fall.. as I didn't have any. I also made an appointment with a photographer I admire for 2019 and I plan to make an appointment with another one as well. It's very important. This is why I am sharing this... This is grandpa. He doesn't live in the US (hopefully, soon though) and I told my customer it was important to bring her father so that he could be in some images. This will be a keepsake for the family for years to come to remember. Our children get older every day and the folks that we love.. we continue to lose, year after year. Time does not stand still. This is why it's important to capture these moments. I truly hope this mama got this blown up and proudly displayed in the house. It's beautiful. Get those photographs folks. Capture these precious moments. One day you may not have your loved ones with you.. and all you have left are these. This is why I love what I do and why I got into photography in the first place. If you would like to book your family session, please reach out. We would love to customize something special for you!!! Happy Shooting, my friends!!!! Dee Shooting Star Photography

South Jersey-Fall Family Sessions are in full swing!

South Jersey-Fall Family Sessions are in full swing!

We've been very busy over here in South Jersey land. The weather has been absolutely beautiful this past week. We're getting that yummy fall light that every single photographer dies for. The kind of light you want to reach out and eat because it's so delicious!!! And the kind of light that makes you look gorgeous!!! We're sold out for the year! What a blessing, right? It's been a great year with our clients. I have loved every moment of it! We did originally keep this weekend open in the event of Halloween and also for potentionally peak foliage. It turns out, that it is looking like peak foliage this weekend. Hopefully, if the weather holds out!!! Every year around Halloween, it seems like we get a little rain as cooler weather starts to fly in. However, some years we get very lucky with gorgeous weather through November! Let's cross our fingers for this year! If you would like to book this special day we reserved aside, we would LOVE to work with you! The place we chose has beautiful light and a variety of different scenery. If we don't get a frost, there are wildflowers!!! We'll also provide dresses, hairpieces and make you and your family shine. We love making our clients feel like a million bucks!!! It's our job to capture your love and realness! If you are interested in booking a session, all info is provided here! All you need to do is show up and smile!!! Or let us even make you laugh to get that gorgeous smile!! My job is to make you and your family feel important and to capture unique moments for you to plaster all over your walls! https://shootingstarphotographyllc.bigcartel.com/product/2018-fall-sessionsWe would love to see you!!! Any questions, feel free to reach out!!! Happy Shooting my friends! DeeShooting Star PhotographySouthern New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware photographer  

New Designers To Watch Out For!

We are always on the lookout for new designers to add to our collection at our New Jersey photo studio!

Carnival photo shoots can always be a fun way to enjoy a photo shoot. The bright and vibrant colored backgrounds make your subject pop!

 Every year, it seems more and more handmade designers are popping up! Mostly, from the United States, but you see people from all over the globe! I LOVE IT! I love unique hand made items. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg to own a one-of -a -kind dress! Below, I created a list of new designers to watch out for this 2018 year! They are all handmade, beautifully crafted items. Sometimes, only one unique piece is sold in a set. Sometimes, a few in each size. However, this list is full of funky, vintage and different looks! Designs from the newest couture designer, vintage pieces and everything in between!For myself, I am loving more and more vintage items in my work.  I do still enjoy utilizing couture dresses, but it's nice to switch things up from time to time! !This is from one of my favorite designers from last year! Lulu Stars! They are a clothing designer based out of Australia.Every single year, there's always something new to look out for! We used Lulu Stars for a Carnival themed shoot last year. I am posting a few images below! 

2018 HOT DESIGNER LIST

Little Dreamers Tutus

• https://littledreamerstutus.com/

• Hot Couture Designer. Check out her NEW couture line. She is STEAMING right now and many just launched!!! Butterfly gowns to big poufy pretties, down to simple and sleek! 

Bentley and Lace

• https://www.bentleyandlace.com/

• With a new revamped website and luxurious fabrics.. They are killing it for girls to tweens! I am going to be photographing a lot of tweens and teens soon. They'll be one of the designers I will be looking into... as well as Little Dreamers!

Love Izzi

• http://www.loveizzi.com.au/

• I am OBSESSED WITH THESE ROMPERS.

Little Willow Tree

• http://www.littlewillowtree.com/products

• Affordable custom made items!!! High quality

Feltman Brothers

• https://www.feltmanbrothers.com/midgie-dresses/

• Great vintage selection of items!

8 Track Threads

https://8trackthreads.com/collections/new-releases?page=2

• Funky everyday threads

Pepa & Company

• https://www.pepaandcompany.com/girl.html?

• Adorable girl and boy wear!!!

Beyamade

• https://beyamade.com/ecofriendly-baby-and-kids-clothes/

• Their clothes are made of "bolt wear" and sustainable products!!! Environment is big with them

Children of the Tribe

• https://www.childrenofthetribe.com/collections/girls?page=2

• Reminds me of vintage/ jak and pepper!

Ellieshandmade

https://www.ellieshandmade.com/

• Sweet little dresses.. like Care Bears and My Little Pony!!!

Sugarplum Tree

• https://www.sugarplumtree.com.au/collections/all

• Adorable rompers and dresses! Pricing is sooo affordable!

Little Alice London

• https://littlealicelondon.com/collections

• Very old vintage pinafore style. Very affordable.

Nurture the Nest

• https://www.nurturethenest.com.au/All-Handmade_c_181.html

• Cute Handmade outfits made in Australia

The Baby Cave Shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBabyCaveShop?ref=s2-header-shopname

One of my favorite Etsy shops at the moment!!

I hope you enjoyed this list of neat and affordable  designer collections! Off to buy a Little Willow Tree romper stat!!!

The popcorn hat makes this shoot! I love it!

Getting her popcorn on! At the Gloucester County, NJ fair!

Happy Shooting my friends,

Dee

Shooting Star Photographer

Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Photographer