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This month’s photo shoot was meant to include a person as I had mentioned on my Facebook Page. I had someone in mind, but our schedule’s didn’t quite match up in order to do the shoot. However, I did manage to get some photos of something very Springy. These photos somewhat match the phrase, “spring is in the air”, but they fit the phrase, “spring chickens” to a T!
Thanks for the great phrase suggestions! Keep ’em coming for next month!
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Many of you may already know that I am a travel fanatic. I’ve been all around the world, and I’ve never wanted to stop. Unfortunately, I have had to put that on hold while working on my photography business, but I never stop thinking about where my next trip will take me. There just never seems to be enough time or money to go anywhere amazing. Recently, I decided to plan a travel themed wedding style shoot with some other vendors. Since I’m so passionate about the subject, I’ve become obsessed! I “collect” ideas on Pinterest, where there are countless beautiful images to inspire. And I am inspired! I come up with ideas almost daily and I find myself wanting to buy anything travel related. Today I found a cool old looking clock with a map on it. I ended up buying it in the hopes that we could use it in our shoot. The problem is, I’m not the only one working on the shoot and I have to be willing to let go of some of my ideas. Besides, there would never be enough room for them all! Anyway, I realized that I could satisfy my obsession by doing a mini travel themed shoot of my own, with whatever I wanted to use. So, I gathered up a few things that represented travel to me. I have old postcards and letters that were sent from people all over the place. Some of them talk about their travels, but some of them just have cool stamps. I used my globe, a cuban cigar box that I was given on a trip, and the clock. The map clock looks cool, but more importantly, it is a symbol of time. To me, it means that I should make time to travel. It means that it’s time for me to travel again. And it means that time is such an important part of planning a journey, but when you arrive, time can disappear. At least, that’s how I like to travel. Finally, I pulled out my passport. It’s been well used and with me for so long, but it’s due to expire in May. I’ve been sad about not adding more stamps to the final pages and letting go of this icon of my past adventures. However, this shoot ended up satisfying another need that I didn’t know was there. The need to document such a significant piece of my history, while treasuring the symbols of the subject I am so passionate about. I also realized that I could use my own images to inspire myself, because the items in them hold so much meaning for me. I think I’ll add them to my Pinterest travel board right now. Also, in honor of Pinterest and all the inspiration it’s given me, I’m adding a Pinterest button to my blog. 🙂
And guess what! I’m going on a trip in about a week! Nothing fancy. No stamps to be had. Mostly just another family and friends visit in Virginia. But after the visits are over, and I’m out on the road, I am making time to travel. 🙂 I had the pleasure of photographing an Indian Mehndi ceremony with this gorgeous bride. You are probably familiar with henna, the dye which colors the skin. Mehndi is the application of the henna, and there is a huge ceremony that takes place around it before an Indian wedding day. Mehndis usually take place at the bride’s house. The hands and feet of this beautiful bride were skillfully and elaborately decorated by Sarah of Sarahenna. After that, Sarah applied henna to the women in the bride’s family and her female friends too. Several fascinating rituals followed the mehndi, which allowed me to get lots of colorful and intriguing shots. And then, of course, there was the dancing! This event took place over two days and was so much fun!
This is what the bride’s hands looked like after the henna dyed her skin. Cool, huh? As you may know by now, this year I will be doing a monthly stock photo session. To learn more about the project or to see images from January, click here. This month the suggestions that came in were for love or Valentine’s related subjects. I’ve decided that suggesting a phrase is probably the best practice for stock photos, and the chosen phrase was, “be mine”. Since I’ve ended the monthly self-portraits of last year, I ask for other people to model for me. This time I decided to combine a couple’s photo session with the “be mine” theme, just for the convenience. Here are my favorite stock worthy images from the shoot. I couldn’t help but simply write out the phrase for this particular theme. 🙂 Not many couples realize this, but an engagement session really helps prepare people for having an entire day documented (this is especially true for the guys!). Imagine meeting your wedding photographer for the first time as you’re getting ready in the morning. That could be quite uncomfortable for everyone. If you’ve already met your photographer AND had photos taken by him/ her, you will have less to stress about on your wedding day. Another reason why engagement photos are important is because you can practice being in front of the camera. Sure, you can feel free to practice your diva pose, but I really mean that you can practice ignoring the camera’s presence. Ideally you will forget that I’m there on your wedding day, and just carry on as you would if I weren’t. This is hard for most people because we are taught to “say cheese!” at an early age. And while I still want a little cheese action, I also want there to be a good mix of natural and posed… and everything in between. Want an obvious reason? Well, you have more photos of course! Perhaps you haven’t thought of what you can do with those photos though. Guestbooks, invitations, thank you cards, or even a little something for your guests so they know where to see your online gallery of wedding photos. Cool, huh? Don’t forget, you’ll also have a nice set of professional photos to choose from when you want to update your Facebook profile. When you include an engagement session in your wedding package, you’re walking away with a great deal! Speaking of great deals, don’t forget to take advantage of my WeddingWire offer for a free engagement session when you book before Valentine’s day. It’s just around the corner, so hurry! |
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