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The Jefferson Family – Greenville, SC

The Jefferson Family – Greenville, SC

This past weekend I had the pleasure of venturing back to Greenville, SC for a two hour session with the Jefferson Family.  I worked with them about a year and a half ago and this session was a complete turn around from the first.  Our first session took place in the spring, this one was obviously in the fall.  The first session took place during what can only be called a mini monsoon.  It poured rain the entire time and confined us to one small space.  We manage to get some great shots, but it was not what any of us had envisioned.  The weather this past weekend could not have been more perfect!  It was a cool, crisp and sunny day.  Perfect for early morning photos!

The first half our session was for the entire family.  Mom, dad and adorable little Ryan were picture perfect!  I know I’ve said it a million times, but I get the most catalog-worthy families to work with!  I definitely consider myself blessed.  The second half of our shoot was for Meliah.  She is a current spokesperson for the Go Red For Women – American Heart Association campaign.  Having suffered a heart attack at the early age of 33 she is now and advocate for knowing your family health history and healthy living on all fronts.  Her story is truly remarkable and I am beyond honored that she would choose me to capture her current journey in life.

Anytime I get to work with this family I am overjoyed and I look forward to capturing many, many more memories for them in the years to come.

Allen Family Session – Rock Hill, SC

Allen Family Session – Rock Hill, SC

The Allen Family session was another shoot that was caught up in the ‘rain reschedule’ of the last couple of weeks.  Mom, Rhyles, and I had been in communication for a few weeks prior to their session and she and I were both excited for their upcoming session.  Unfortunately the weather had other plans, but we managed to move their session from early morning to a beautiful evening shoot.  And boy am I glad we did!  This Sunday evening turned out to be absolutely perfect.  The weather was cool, but not cold.  The sun was shining, but not overbearing.  And as the sun began to fade away we managed to get some stunning lighting!  There really is something to be said for the magic hour.

Rhyles, along with her husband Brendon and son Aden were dressed to the nines for their session and I knew we were going to make some wonderful memories.  Well, Aden had other plans for us at first.  Like most toddlers he had no interest in the camera.  Thankfully mom and dad didn’t become frustrated and just allowed us to work around his timing.  For about the last 20 minutes of our session he finally came around and we got some beautiful candid moments of him playing in the open field with mom and dad.  If you know my style of photography you know that I adore candid moments.  Posed pictures definitely have their place and I enjoy those as well, but there’s nothing like catching a family in their natural habitat truly enjoying one another.  Capturing a genuine moment between father and son or husband and wife is what makes my job truly enjoyable.  I know the Allen Family will treasure these photos for a lifetime and I’m just happy to have been able to play a small part in it.

Tracey B. Maternity Session – Rock Hill

Tracey B. Maternity Session – Rock Hill, SC

If you’ve been in the South over the last couple of weeks, or even watched the news, you know we’ve been dealing with a lot of rain lately.  Thankfully the area I live and work in wasn’t greatly affected by it like other parts of my state, but it was still enough to put a damper on a few sessions I had planned. And the worst part is that the torrential rain came at the busiest time of the year for a photographer…the fall season.  So I had a lot of rescheduling to do (and when you’re already booked solid it’s not an easy thing to do, but somehow you make it work), but thankfully I have the most understanding clients!  The weather this weekend was near perfect and I managed to get a couple of rescheduled sessions in and I honestly think it worked out for the best!

Tracey and I met up at Glencairn Garden in Rock Hill, along with her husband who was an awesome assistant!  She was glowing and looked stunning for her early morning maternity session.  The sun was shining and the temperature was cool.  Those factors along with a near empty park made for a beautiful session.  She was easy to work with and game for anything I asked her to do.  My favorite part of the session was incorporating the mirror into her shoot. It was a wonderfully creative idea that she came up with and I’m so glad she did!  It worked out amazingly well.  I love it when my clients come up with ideas to use during their session to make it unique to them.  I wish her, her husband and Baby Broughton nothing but the best as they embark on this wonderful new journey together!

The Pros of Mini Sessions

why mini sessions are a great option

The Pros of Mini Sessions

This time of year photographers are in full swing.  Leaves are changing, temps are cooling down and the thought of upcoming holiday cards are on people’s minds.  So from September through November, sometimes even running into early December, things are pretty much booked solid for most photographers.  For this reason I, along with others in my field, offer mini sessions.  It allows us to see serve more clients without adding extra stress to our lives.  If, as a client, you’ve never considered a mini session here are some great reasons why you should.

  • It saves you time.  In our fast paced lives rarely do we get to take out the time for a full one hour session.  As much as I wish people would take more time for themselves, I know it’s not always possible.  Especially during this time of the year.  For this reason you’re able to squeeze in a quick 20-30 minute session and still get some amazing images to hang up in your home and share online with friends and family.
  • It saves you money.  The holiday season is fast approaching and every penny counts during this time of year.  So maybe you don’t have funds allocated towards a full session, but would still like to have a photo to send out in your holiday greeting card.  An inexpensive solution would be to book a mini session.
  • It’s convenient.  The date and location is already chosen for you by the photographer so all you have to do is book and show up during your designated time slot.  Not much planning or thinking is required on your part and let’s face it with everything else you have going on this makes life just a little more simple.
  • It’s great for small children.  Most young children (1-5 years old) aren’t going to give you more than 20-30 minutes in front of the camera.  They have short attention spans and get bored easily so a quick mini session will allow you to get great shots of your entire family and keep the tantrums to a minimum.
  • It allows you to book your favorite photographer without too much forward thinking.  So you’ve been putting off a session for weeks and weeks and when you finally remember to contact your photographer, they’re booked!  But not to fret, mini sessions spaces are available and you’re so thankful you’re able to get in on this deal.  I have clients that book fall sessions early in the summer because they know preferred dates fill up quickly.  Maybe you’re not that much of a planner and even though you think to make an appointment for fall, it somehow slips through the cracks.  That’s where mini sessions can become life savers.  It saves you from having to push back your session to yet another year.

Mini Sessions are perfect for anyone looking to have fall portraits done for a plethora of reasons.  Above are just a few reasons why they’re great and I’m sure you can think of plenty more.  If you’re looking to book a Fall Mini Session with me contact me for available time slots.  I look forward to working with you and creating wonderful memories for you during this season.

5 Reasons To Hire A Professional MUA

 

why to hire a professional mua

5 Reasons To Hire A Professional MUA For Your Session

This topic has been on my mind for a while and I originally just wanted to find an article about the subject online and just post it to my Facebook page, but I couldn’t find an article that said everything I wanted to say on the subject so I decided I needed to write my own post.  So here are the 5 reasons why you should invest in a professional for your makeup needs the day of your session:

  1. Expertise – Professionals are called that for a reason.  This is what they do day in and day out and they know exactly how to bring out your most beautiful attributes.    While you may be used to doing your own makeup for a night out with the girls, having camera ready styling is a different thing altogether.  Makeup needed for a photo shoot tends to be heavier due to every little imperfection being picked up by the camera so your Covergirl concealer of foundation may not do the trick.  A MUA is trained in skin types, tones and sensitivities so they know what works best for you.
  2. Relieves Stress – The day of your session can already be stressful enough, what with getting together last minute details like packing your props (which I urge my clients to do the night before!), getting the kids, fed, bathed and trying to keep them clean and making sure you arrive at your session on time.  Why add to that stress with having to do your own makeup?  And if you’re not a professional you’re most likely going to take way too long in doing it and may still not fall in love with your final look.  By having a MUA on hand you leave the hard work to them and it allows you to get pampered a bit on an otherwise stressful day.
  3. Minimal Cost – One of the top reasons people fail to hire a MUA for their portrait sessions is added cost.  They feel like they’re already spending out enough money on the photographer, wardrobe and sometimes location, that they don’t want the added cost of hiring someone to do their makeup.  My answer to that is to budget for it when booking your session.  When planning out your wardrobe and other expenses immediately add your MUA budget to the list that way it’s not a last minute thought.  Most artists that I’ve come across have very reasonable rates.  The work they produce is well worth the money you’ll spend to have it done.  Why look back on a photo you’ll have hanging on your living room wall for years to come and not be 100% happy with how you look in it.  If you’re making the investment in your portraits on all other fronts then why not spend the extra $30-50 to have a flawless face that day too.
  4. Vision – A MUA will complete your overall vision for your session.  Are you wanting something more casual and laid back?  They can come up with a beautiful style that screams ‘barely there’ makeup.  Want something glam for your night session?  They know how to use the right colors to play against that gorgeous green dress you plan to wear.  A professional will bring cohesion to your look and make it all flow effortlessly.
  5. Confidence – This last one is the main reason in my mind to hire a professional.  I’ve had my makeup done a handful of times by a professional, and when I did my confidence shot through the roof!  A woman that feels beautiful and confident on the inside will radiate that in her photographs.  I’ve seen it time and time again with the clients I work with who take the time to hire a professional.  They glow!  And for a photo that you plan to share online with family and friends or hang up in your home, don’t you want to be beaming?  A MUAs job is to enhance your beauty and make you feel special and my job as a photographer is to capture that moment so that you can see how beautiful you truly are.

My advice to anyone looking to book a session with myself or any other photographer, once your session is booked your next job is to search for a MUA.  Don’t know of anyone?  Ask around.  I’m sure you have family and friends that can give you wonderful recommendations.  Or ask your photographer!  I have a list of great MUAs that I work with in the NC/SC area and I would be happy to have you check them out!  Check out their portfolio or do a trial run to make sure your styles match up.  These are photos you’ll have for a lifetime so make sure your face is in good hands with a professional.

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