Nate and I shot these portraits just for fun with our friend, Heather, waaaayyy back in October. She was helping us by modeling while we scouted out out some fun, new locations and I am such a jerk that I am just now getting around to finishing them. I figured that since tomorrow is her birthday (everyone say “Happy Birthday Heather!”) I should finish them up so that she can see them. Especially since she was such an amazing model!

The funny thing is, I had edited some of these images back in October and when I looked at them I could instantly see how much my editing skills have developed in just in the past 4 months! I went in and re-edited them all and am so much happier now with how they look. This was a much more artistic portrait session than some of our others and I’m excited to keep heading in this direction with our portraiture.

Speaking of portraiture, we are going to be making an announcement about a special portrait event that will be happening this spring but you’ve got to be on our mailing list to get the inside scoop on it. So, if you’re interested in having some portraits done and you are not already receiving emails from us…

Heather, thank you for being such a ridiculously amazing model! You gave us so much to work with and we loved your personal sense of style! We hope you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow and a happy Valentine’s Day!

A lot of clients ask us what to wear for their portrait sessions. We want you to wear whatever matches your personality. And bring a few different “looks” so we can switch it up during the shoot. Here are 5 very simple guidelines that we have created to help you in your wardrobe-selection process:

1. Above all, we want you to feel confident. So wear something that makes you feel amazing!
2. Show us your personality. If you like hats, bring hats. Wear scarves? Bring em! A cowgirl? Bring those boots! If you are a high heel woman, bring your most amazing pairs! And for the guys, dress up a bit. Even jeans can be dressed up with a slick top and nice hair. If you’re a casual guy that’s fine but try to make casual look stylish by being clean, pressed, and put together.
3. Forget the rules. If you have a patterned piece that you LOVE, then wear it! Don’t worry about matching if you are a couple, just try to keep the level of dress similar between you both. Accessories are your friends. Accessories give us a lot to work with. Necklaces, scarves, ties, shoes, cardigans, hats, glasses, etc. If you ever wear them, bring them!
4. Ladies, wear a bit more makeup than you normally would. It will show up better in pictures. Even better yet, pamper yourself by going and getting your makeup done. The artists at the MAC pro store in the Millennia mall are especially talented.
5. Let go of your insecurities. You hired us because you trust us. Don’t forget that! The more insecure you feel, the more it will show up in your pictures. So let go, move around, vogue, whatever helps you let loose. We’ll bring speakers and an iPod if we need to. :)