I have been greatly anticipating this post! I am so happy to share these images of Julie, who came to me with some ideas of what she wanted in a beauty photography session at Bijou. Being newly married and with her child now off at college, Julie decided it was time to do something special for herself. She has been working hard at bootcamp and feeling fantastic and that is a great reason to celebrate with custom portraiture.

Julie loved both the Beautiful Sessions and the Pinup Sessions. During her consultation we discovered the elements she like in both and what her dream session would be like. She is a natural beauty with gorgeous long blonde hair and when we talked about how much she loved photographs of the old movie starlets, I immediately thought she would be perfect for a Veronica Lake inspired shoot. So that’s how we came up with Veronica as inspiration for one segment of the session. Marilyn became part of our inspiration later when Julie found this amazing dress at Revente’s Second Chances (for a song I might add!), one of my favorite boutiques to recommend to clients. It was so much like Marilyn’s white dress from Seven Year Itch (LOVE that movie) that gets blown up by the air from the subway. So of course, we just HAD to make that shot happen too:)

Of course, the looks couldn’t have happened without the amazing skill of Amy Schaming, my partner in women’s portraiture. I think you will agree that she totally nailed the two looks and I know she made Julie feel like a million bucks!

Wardrobe was also an important factor in the shoot. Julie and I worked closely from the time of her consultation all the way through her shoot on the details of the wardrobe, where to find the items for the look, and what would work and what wouldn’t. I consider this an important part of the service that comes with a session. As you can see, it worked out BEAUTIFULLY for Julie, who looks amazing in BOTH of her looks.

I am thrilled with our images, loved working with Julie, and hope you enjoy looking at the images as well:) Please come back tomorrow for the announcement of THE savings on sessions with Ashley Ward Photography at Bijou for the holidays! We are dieing to work with you! Book your session now and take advantage of 2012 pricing;)

I have yet another beautiful boy to blog this morning. This little man was 8 weeks old when his mother brought him in for a newborn photography session to my studio in downtown Columbia SC. At 8 weeks it can be difficult to capture the kinds of images that have become so popular with “newborn” sessions. But with patience and experience during the session, we were able to obtain images for beautiful portraits for his family! He was a beautiful big boy and a good sleeper when he did sleep. And with such gorgeous skin and eyes he was a wonderful subject:)
Enjoy!
Next week, I will be blogging more Beauty work!

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:)

Return clients make me so happy. When they enter my studio I feel as if I am meeting with a dear friend. And it is so wonderful to hear about all what has happened in their lives since I last saw them. This beautiful mother came to me a few years ago for a newborn session for her son. And now here we are working together again during a newborn session for her precious daughter! She was perfectly sleepy during her session, letting me try on several hats and bows, and to pose her peacefully. I love the images from this session and hope you enjoy them as well:)

Just a reminder that those booking certain newborn packages will also receive a complimentary mini beauty maternity session, complete with makeup application and hair styling:)