People often ask me, “what do you do”?  My standard response is that I am a portrait photographer.  That typically leads to what kind of photographer are you?  Do you photograph weddings, or families or something along those lines.  I tell them,  while my passion is definitely kids and their families, I love photographing all people.  Take the beautiful Brittany for example.  We met many years ago when she hired me to shoot her wedding.  The great thing about Andy and Brittany’s wedding, was that I had a lot of advance notice.  We spent time planning out a fun engagement session (still one of my all time favorites) and then by the time the wedding rolled around, we were old friends.  

You may think the actual wedding was the end of this story, but we continued to keep in touch.  I told her if she ever got pregnant, I would love to gift her a maternity session.  Soon I got the call that Brittany and Andy were expecting their first baby and Brittany wanted to incorporate vintage airplanes into a photography session. The best part was that she scouted the location, got the permits to me and got the session all set up.  

That brings me to today.  Brittany became a makeup artist and has been working with Blue Sky’s for over a year providing beautiful “Model for A Day” sessions, wedding makeup and makeup for my family clients.  Her sweet, warm personality is a perfect addition to our Blue Sky’s staff family.  And as many of you already know, she is expecting baby number two and I am so fortunate to get to photograph this beauty once again.  

For this session we decided to create images of her alone that were more glamorous, but we didn’t forget to include the boys as well!  Here is the sneak peak at the session.  Enjoy!

We all know those women who seem to look flawless in every photo. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I wish I was photogenic like that.” You can be! I’m going to pull back the curtain today and share with you just a few of the posing tips I use with my female clients.

Ladies, get ready!

The two most important things to keep in mind before using these tricks are: you need to experiment a little bit at home first, in front of the mirror and work on trying to get comfortable practicing these different poses. A little practice goes a long way.

 

know your good sideKnow Your Best Side. Most of us do not have perfectly symmetrical faces and we usually prefer one side over the other. If you don’t know which is your “good side,” take a few moments to look in the mirror. Look a little to the left, then to the right. Which side is your favorite? Need help deciding? Try taking a selfie, just remember to do it with your front facing camera, or you will have a flipped mirror image of your face.

 

  Barbie arm posing trickBarbie Arm. If your girlfriends haven’t let you in on this trick it just might change your photo world. ;) To avoid your arms looking larger than life (an oh-so-common complaint), hold your hand on your hip and bend your elbow slightly toward the back. This creates a nice slimming effect which utilizes the white space between your body and arm.
 

push back your assets trickMind Your Assets. Push your assets to the back (ladies, that means booty and hips).  The other leg (the one closest to the camera) should be slightly bent.  You do this by putting your weight on the foot that is farthest from the camera and push your front hip away from the camera.  This causes you to lean a little towards the camera so the eyes are the closest thing to the lens!  It always looks lovely.

  lean in posing trickLean In. If you lean forward a little bit (not too much), with shoulders back, it can define the chin, elongate the neck, highlight the eyes, and allows your hair to fall forward over your shoulders, creating a stunning feminine look.
  natural smile trickWait for it. To get a more authentic, natural smile, wait until just before snapping the picture. Holding a smile fatigues your facial muscles, so take breaks between shots. Even better, when it’s time to smile, if you can think of a favorite thing, something that naturally makes you happy, hold that thought while you show your pearly whites.
  posing hairHair. Try different hair styles ahead of time to determine which look best on you–the ones that really compliment your face and body: hair down, behind one shoulder, all forward, swept up, whichever it is play up your best look, by posing not only your face and body, but your hair as well.
   

 

 

Beautiful Sarah is such a sweet soul! Her Mom, Janice, wanted to do something special for her sweet daughter, and thought a photo session to show her just how beautiful she is both on the outside and on the inside, was just in order. Brittany from Brittynortonartisty, showed up early to decide on a fun, youthful look for Sarah. Deseree was on had to provide styling, but Janice got the clothes just right, and we didn’t even need to use any of our wardrobe. We started Sarah’s session in my studio and the surrounding area, but quickly jumped in the cars and headed for an open field. Sarah’s sweet, natural look blended in perfectly with the small purple blooms surrounding the field.

It was such an honor to work with this amazing family. Enjoy!
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Where did this summer go to??? It was too fast, and I want it back. Thank goodness that we still get amazing weather in September and October. I vow to spend a least one beach day before the leaves start changing color.

Anyway….one of my favorite things about being a photographer is the great friendships I have made over the years with my clients. I feel like a small part of lots of great families, being there to document the changes over the years both in how the kiddos look and how their personalities evolve.

I have been photographing this absolute beauty for many years with her gorgeous sister and family. I have never had the opportunity to spend a lot of one on one time with her, so it was such a pleasure to photographer her for her budding modeling career. She is a truly talented dancer and well as a natural beauty, so we focus the session on both.

Thankfully I had her sister and Mom to assist me during the session and we had lots of laughs getting the perfect expression. Thanks for making me a part of the Hulley family! Enjoy!

Right now, & these last few weeks, is the most beautiful time for natural, warm light of the year.  Each morning, I take just a moment to truely appreciate the crisp sailboat blue ocean and the white puffy clouds in the sky (granted that is when the mornings are not overcast).  I love shooting this time a year because I feel I have more time to spend with families and my creative muscles need a good stretching.  Though these were shot in 2013, I still love both the light in my studio and in the field just a few blocks away.  Not to mention that this beautiful family is always a pleasure to work with and the kiddos are always dressed to the nines (Mom and Dad look pretty great as well)!  Enjoy!

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