Welcome to the blog...

My passion is capturing photographs of heartfelt moments for families to savor forever as keepsake memories. Whenever I'm not helping your family, you can find me loving on my own. Camping trips, boba tea, and card games are our favorite ways to connect!  

I'm Kelly

Hey!

Greensboro Family & Lifestyle Photogapher

Categories

My passion is capturing photographs of heartfelt moments for families to savor forever as keepsake memories. Whenever I'm not helping your family, you can find me loving on my own. Camping trips, boba tea, and card games are our favorite ways to connect!  

I'm Kelly

Hey!

Greensboro Family & Lifestyle Photogapher

Categories
With winter almost over and warmer weather on the way, I’m already looking forward to my beach family photo sessions this summer! The beach is just special, right? I take any chance I get to go, but I especially love the family sessions I get to photograph there. It’s the perfect setting—naturally gorgeous, with incredible light that gives photos that warm glow I’m always after.…

February 28, 2025

What to Wear: The Best Dresses for Moms in Beach Family Photos - Kelly McPhail Photography
If you’re prepping for lifestyle newborn photos and wondering about what colors will look best, let me give away a major tip. Neutral colors for family pictures are magic for these sessions! As a newborn photographer, I’m all about capturing those sweet, fleeting moments when your little one first arrives, and choosing the right colors will play a huge role in making those photos truly…

February 4, 2025

Treen Newborn Photos - Kelly McPhail Photography
Congratulations to Katherine on her Spring 2024 graduation from Duke University! What an honor it was to capture her Duke graduation photos to celebrate this incredible achievement! I am SOO SOO happy about how these turned out! Although I’m a UNC grad, I can’t deny how beautiful the campus is. It’s a graduation photographer’s dream! Plus, Duke Chapel is such a marvelous structure (I recently…

January 21, 2025

Katherine's Duke Graduation Photos - Kelly McPhail Photography
Have you ever wondered why some family photos online look so effortlessly stylish while others seem a bit off? In many cases, the answer to styling outfits for family photos lies with color theory. What is color theory? Not to get overly technical here, but in short, color theory is the study of how colors are perceived and used in design. It describes the relationships…

September 23, 2024

Color Theory: Your Secret Weapon for Family Photo Outfits - Kelly McPhail Photography
It’s a question clients ask all the time: When is the best time to schedule newborn photos? The short answer is, it depends! While there are some general guidelines and ideal time windows, it’s actually never too late to capture these precious early moments. The Sweet Spot: 5-10 Days Old In my experience, the “sweet spot” to schedule newborn photos is between 5 and 10…

September 17, 2024

When is the Best Time to Schedule Newborn Photos? - Kelly McPhail Photography
There’s something truly magical about capturing wildflower family photos in the midst of a blooming wildflower field! Last spring, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the sweet Treadway family in a sea of larkspur. As you can see, the golden hour light was absolutely perfect! (That warm glow in all the photos is what I am after in every single session.) After first speaking…

August 13, 2024

Wildflower Family Session at Dogwood Farms in Belews Creek, NC - Kelly McPhail Photography
There are so many things I’m looking forward to about living in Greensboro, North Carolina. Being closer to the beach is one! But being near family again is of course the major reason we’re moving back. In this post, I’m combining both beach and family by highlighting my beautiful sister’s summer family beach photos at Ocean Isle Beach! Ya’ll, these are some of my most…

June 5, 2024

Summer Family Beach Photos at Ocean Isle – Etheridge Family - Kelly McPhail Photography - Kelly McPhail
Honestly, I’m honored by every single senior who chooses me to help celebrate this incredible year in their lives. But, I’m especially honored when someone from 1.5 hrs away reaches out about booking a session with me for their senior photos! That was Ryane, a 2022 senior, I am featuring in this urban senior photos post! Last year, Ryane and her mom made the drive…

February 29, 2024

Ryane's Urban Senior Photos - Kelly McPhail Photography
Whenever life is hurtling obstacles my way, I’m typically a “just-watch-me-overcome-and-persevere” kind of person rather than a “it-must-be-a-sign-the-universe-is-trying-to-tell-me-something” kind of person. It’s probably stubborness! (Just ask my husband or parents…) So when I tell you it took three tries to get the Armentrout’s family photos at Indiana Dunes this past summer, you’ll understand that I was going to make these beach photos happen no matter…

January 22, 2024

Family of 5 with 3 young kids sitting in the sand at sunset at Indiana Dunes.
Gosh, it’s been cold here! I just opened up my spring and summer 2024 calendar, so I’m already getting excited for warmer weather so I can start shooting outside again. During these coldest days of winter so far, spring and summer still feel a long way off. But my booking calendar always keeps me thinking months ahead! Although it’s only the second week of class…

January 17, 2024