being photographed is a vulnerable experience
Asking someone to see you–maybe in your space or some other special place–and then to take a photo of what they see can feel uncomfortable and even a little intimidating. I am committed to capturing your most honest and radiant self and therefore to creating the conditions to illuminate it. This includes: prompting you with little movements and checking in about what feels authentic, emanating calm energy and gassing you up when you’re serving looks, all while meticulously keeping an eye on every detail–from “moments” in our setting to whether every wisp of hair is in place. Imagine you’re meeting a friend for a stroll and she happens to have her camera on her (…and is hyper-fixated on taking your photo).
Scroll to learn more about the creative process!
demystifying the creative process
Before Our Session
Because photography is a personal/[ized] experience with a desired outcome (product), it’s important to orient yourself to the photographer, their process, and their artistic style before deciding to engage. You might ask yourself if their work and general presentation align with what you are envisioning for your session and who you would feel comfortable with guiding it.
For example, I shoot almost exclusively in natural light and love the so-called “imperfections” that come with it (e.g., lens flares, light beams, backlighting, etc). I also love movement (including blur) and dimension (through foregrounding). I want my photos to tell stories. So while we will get some posed shots (i.e., looking directly at the camera), more will be of a moment (and all will be deliberate and considered). I edit true to color and soft but still vibrant, leaning warm and rosy. I don’t tend toward these but am open to shooting in landscape (versus portrait) and to editing in black and white if you desire!
If you are looking for (e.g.,) an event or crowd session, studio style photos with specific posing, lighting equipment or other gear, sharp or high contrast or high saturation editing, cool (blue) tones, retouching or photoshopping, and/or a high volume of photos to meet a quota, then there won’t be alignment.
During Our Session
Once we commit to our session and the business and logistics are settled, you’ll hear from me immediately before our session date to reconfirm when and where we are meeting. How much we communicate until then is up to you–I am very open to any inspiration you’d like to share as it comes (e.g., sample photos, Pinterest boards, etc), things you’d like me to know about you over time (and your partner/family/etc if applicable), even questions about what you might wear. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, if you’re clear on what’s happening and you’ve said your piece, then I’ll see you on our date. :)
On the date, I will arrive at our location before you do to set up, get my bearings, and scope out any particularly photogenic areas. Once you arrive and we’ve said our hellos, I’ll start with some “test shots,” which is really us just getting to it!
The pace will be slow but the time will pass, the movements will be intentional, and the shots will be considered. We’ll yap as little or as much as we desire.
After Our Session
Post session, I will be culling, sorting, selecting, reselecting, editing, refining, and finalizing the ultimate chef’s kiss photos we took of a collection of likely hundreds (even thousands for extended sessions or elopements). You will definitely receive excited messages from me during this time with sneak peeks here and there.
Your photos will be delivered digitally within or by the agreed upon time. You will first receive a watermarked gallery from which you will select your set number of favorite photos (and purchase additional ones as desired). Once selected and finalized, your gallery will be updated with the unmarked edited, high resolution versions of your selections, closing the loop.
From here, the dream is that you send a note absolutely lavishing the experience and photos; we reconnect in another season for another session forevermore; you refer everyone you meet who is looking for a photographer to me; (if the vibes are vibing) we follow each other and become friends?… :)