Really now, how many of us have a beautiful portrait of ourselves other than when we were graduating from high school or getting married? We just don’t take the time to do something like that for ourselves or the people we love. I know I don’t have one… and quite frankly I understand why people shy away from doing this. I would be afraid of not having deleting rights, or someone capturing a picture I won’t like of myself, or the photographer won’t be sensitive to those things that I really want to downplay in a photo. Because I know how I feel, I am extremely sensitive to others and really watch for the most flattering angles, I coach you through positions and we laugh a lot… I share images along the way, all in the attempt to make you feel confident that we are capturing you the way YOU want to be captured.
Suzy calls these her “Cougar Portraits”… she is so funny! Maybe we can open a whole new market for fabulous photos over 30, or maybe 40… not sure what the age limit is on the “Cougar” category :D.
I also try to turn the images into fine art pieces… not just snapshots that anyone could take from their point and shoot. I spend time finding the right affect for each photo, so they are special in every way.
I usually take hundreds of images in just a short period of time. I think Suzy and I spent about an hour on this shoot and I left with 500 images, which then got trimmed down to about 70. This next image was both of our favorites and you need to click on it to take a closer look… the bracelet and earrings were my mom’s and the necklaces were Suzy’s. It was fun planning this session out.
I love the vintage look. I grabbed a mirror off my wall, stuffed a bunch of pillows and blankets into a garbage bag and we were off to our location.
To prepare for my shoots I always first get into the “mood”.. I look for inspiration in magazines or review past thoughts I have journaled. I look around my house and see if there is anything I can use. I ask my client to do the same and see if they have any vision… if not, I am comfortable planning the whole thing. My mind is usually overactive with photo ideas, so I am glad to take that fully on and I LOVE doing it!
Suzy brought a couple of fabulous dresses and I grabbed a few scarves to add some interest. Did I already say that we laughed a lot! I just love her! She is honest and makes me smile.
Her blue eyes just popped out with the beautiful light coming in from the “window.”
There are just so many I would like to share, but will keep it to just a few more…
Promise, almost done… love how the necklaces stand out in this image…
Can you blame me?
Aren’t these fun? What I have enjoyed lately is finding my own style, not trying to emulate someone else’s style, but just doing what I love and envision. It is comfortable to get there and I am excited to explore that some more.
This is Suzy’s author pic, now she just needs to write a book.
I will leave you with one final image… xoxoxo
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