As a full-time working photographer, I’m usually shooting for my clients. But sometimes I shoot for myself. The shoots I do for myself are to give myself a little change of pace and to keep fresh and inspired for my next client shoot! This photoshoot was one of those creative ventures. The styling and inspiration for the shoot was the work of Amy Schaming, who is an exceptional hairdresser and makeup artist, and also the creative behind the hair and makeup of the Beautiful and Bombshell sessions at Bijou. Amy showed me several photos of Gaga and Tilda Swinton that made her feel inspired and we created this look and shoot based on those images. Special thanks to our amazing model, Lydia, who is beautiful and creative as well. She rocked that bit of tulle fluff we gave her!! Check it out!

This is one of our favorite times of the year. We love Halloween. The absolute joy children feel when dressing up and becoming someone else is like magic. My daughter, at the age of 13, still LOVES this Halloween and professes that she will NEVER stop dressing up and participating in the Halloween festivities. And we LOVE to decorate the house too. Seriously….we LOVE to go all out. Giant spiders, bigger than human ghoulds, moving and howling ghost that travels up and down our porch, graveyard…..we love it all.

Yesterday my husband decorated for the big night and it got me thinking about all the precious trick-or-treaters we will be seeing very soon! And then I thought how wonderful it would be to offer tiny Halloween sessions at the studio this year! So that is what I am going to do! These will be short and sweet and will produce sweet images of your little princess or superhero, ghost or ghoul. Fur babies are welcome as well! There is limited availability for this special day so act quickly to book your space!

Although I love photographing newborn babies in my studio these days, I still visit the homes of those clients that want me to visit their home for their session. Visiting this family in their home to meet and photograph the newest member was an absolute pleasure. And this little girl was so sweet, and obviously adored by everyone, including big sister and brother!
Just a few images from their in-home session:

I’m so happy to be blogging this Beautiful Session!
Meet Jane. She is an amazing woman. I met her when her loving husband booked a Beautiful Session for her at Bijou as a gift. A Beautiful Session is a modern glamour or beauty photography shoot, complete with full hair styling and makeup application. It is a treat from the moment you walk in the door! Jane and her husband were high school sweethearts and were married quite young. They have two children whom they adore – the youngest in college – and have been married for 25 years. They have experienced hard times and beautiful times together and I was able to see a deep and beautiful love and respect for each other when meeting and talking and working with them.

So, Jane has not had a portrait session just for her since she as in high school! Jane works hard…..VERY hard. She has 3 jobs in nursing and her schedule rotates so that sometimes she is working all day and sometimes she is working all night. She is obviously passionate about her work and has a great sense of purpose. She has recently lost a great deal of weight and is enjoying all that means to her life. She does not see herself as beautiful or photogenic and was really very nervous about the portrait session, not knowing what to expect or if she would even enjoy it. But from the moment I met her for her consultation and planning appointment, I knew it was going to be a great session. She has an amazing smile and an ease about herself that I am sure she doesn’t even realize she has. And with her recent weight loss, she has beautiful curves to her body line that I knew we could accentuate with wardrobe and posing.

I advised Jane on the best clothing for her session and she and her daughter did an amazing job picking out her pieces! Jane did send me a few images via test while shopping, which I loved. It is helpful to both myself and my clients when I can be involved in this important element of their portrait session.

When Amy, my makeup and hairstyling goddess,…..no really, she is……she knew instantly what to do to bring out all of Jane’s true beauty. Jane and Amy enjoyed preparing Jane’s look while I set up for our studio shoot, which went absolutely beautifully. We had an a amazing time and Jane was fabulous in front of the camera. I know that when she reads that she will smile and shake her head, still not able to believe that some of the images are really her! At her appointment for viewing all her portraits I believe she was quite shocked by some of the images, barely recognizing the gorgeous woman on the screen. Her husband attended this appointment too and although he knew all along how beautiful his wife was, seeing her in this knew way, and seeing her smile from the results, was obviously exciting for him too. And for me, there is nothing better, than seeing a couple smile at each other with joy and admiration.

Enjoy these images from Jane’s Beauty Photography session and the video at the end.
Ladies, celebrate who you are today through portraiture. It will bring you joy today and tomorrow and will bring happiness to those who love your for generations to come.
And Gentlemen, what better gift to give to the woman you love than a portrait session such as this? Show her how much you appreciate everything she is and does and means to your life. Show her that you value her and want her to know that she is truly beautiful and loved. Beautiful Sessions make an amazing gift that you will both enjoy:)