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:)








1 Year Cake Smash sessions are one of my favorites! Sometimes its a baby returning to me after their newborn or 6 month session. And sometimes its a baby who is brand new for me. In either case, these sessions are fun and precious and yield priceless portraits to tell your child’s story! Right now 1 Year photo shoots are available as a package that includes the short session and 15 fully-edited and careful retouched digital files, delivered electronically and ready for you to print. The package is currently being offered at $500.

I first photographed this princess when she was a newborn and was thrilled to see her happy smiling face again!
Enjoy!







Some time ago a fellow photographer and friend asked me to participate in a collaborative with other photographers from across the country. Each photographer would submit one image for inclusion in a online publication. There were no rules behind the project and we could create our image in any way we saw fit. We were only given a theme…..fairy.

I decided I wanted to create a studio image that reflects my style of beauty photography. I enlisted the help of my lovely daughter as my model and my makeup and hair goddess, Amy Schaming to help create our fairy look. Riley was a wonderful model and Amy’s work was other-wordly! It was a fabulous exercise in imagination and creativity. Here is the image we submitted to the publication, plus a few other favorites and a closer look at Amy’s incredible work.




Please check out the publication and the work of all the other photographers who worked so hard to submit such beautiful images!

And if you love this theme, you should really check out my friend Heather Larkin’s work at fairyography.com! I had the great pleasure of visiting her in Athen’s last summer. She is not only an extremely talented photographer, but a kind and caring person with a beautiful spirit:)

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