I have my prints, now what?

This year my focus is educating people. I know I keep saying that but I feel like it's really important! I want them to understand what an awesome experience professional, custom photography is. I want them to understand it's far beyond walking into a room, smiling, and then placing a simple order.

To help with that, I've reconstructed the way I do things.

NOW when you book a session with me you get a pre and post session consultation, along with other bonuses.The presession consultation helps me better understand you and what you are looking for and it helps you better understand me and my creative process- but this WHOLE thing is for another entry!The post is where we do a viewing and put together an order for you.

Along with that I want to show people how their portraits can become their OWN art and how it goes past just ordering some prints. Why fill your walls with images from places you've never been, or $20 mass produced meaningless sunsets? Why not take what you love, what you base your whole life around, and showcase THAT on your walls! Not only will it constantly bring a smile to your face, it will help keep you in check in times of a pitty party- it will remind you of what truly matters most in life...

With that being said, that also evokes what I hope to be, again, a whole new blog entry sometime soon (picking out print sizes and wall layouts for your home) yet also brings me to my main point-

What happens once you get your prints!?

First off I want my clients to know I am there to help, 100% beginning to end! You need help with frames, you call me! You need help figuring out a wall collage at your house, I'll come over! I'm not going to ditch you at the most important part of this project- the final display. Although, if you have your own handyman or are good with visuals, then you got this! It's not a scientific method, it's whatever looks right and makes your room feel whole!

In short (bc like I said, this is a whole new entry) you have prints in hand, you've picked your wall, you know your configuration.... now what? 

Here are a few tips I have for you:

On a budget- Hobby Lobby.

This store has the answers to all my life questions, I swear! Better yet- they offer sales ALL the time! You can wait and purchase frames for 50% off or just download the Hobby Lobby App for your smart phone and you have 40% at your fingertips 24/7! Brilliant!

When purchasing a frame try to get something that will complement your image and the style of your home. Don't go cheap- this is the finishing touch.

Try to find a frame with matting included. This will not only make your print look more finished it will prevent the print from being pushed directly onto the glass, causing air bubbles, and if it gets moist, damage.

Custom look on a budget- Hobby Lobby Backless Framing

Backless frames are just that- backless. Most common in large sizes, they are not 100% custom due to the fact that are premaid but they can give you that custom look by you getting a larger size, adding matting in the color of your choice, and having HL finish it off for you by cleaning the glass, securing the image in, paper the back AND putting a hook on it for $1. You seriously CAN NOT beat this option!

You can still use your 40% off on the frame, bring a friend, have them get 40% off your glass for you, and now you have a custom look for a lot less!

Not only does it make your print look "finished" and more special, look at the size you gain! In the example below you can see how we've taken a print and added atleast 3 extra inches to it's width and height by adding a thick frame and matting- this is good bc it not only protects the print like we talked about and makes it look very high quality, but it also can save you some money on your prints if you are on a budget. You can now "fake" the next size up by adding matting and a frame!

Handmade Options- I'm going to be honest, do I really like doing "shout outs" for big box stores- no, not really, but I like to think realistically and in a way that makes things simple for busy people. BUT! Let's not forget about the DIY projects. Pinterest is OUT OF CONTROL with DIY projects. Get a can of spray paint and go at it!! Look out of the box at resale shops like Kristy's Kloset in Port Huron or even the Goodwill! Don't want to do it yourself, look up amazing handmade products on sites like Etsy.com I am all for supporting the local art community so ask around!

Custom Framing-

Although people think of this as a pricey option, sometimes it's a must. Sometimes your house, the shape of your wall, the look of the room calls for something 100% custom. This is where they build a frame to exactly what size you want, they cut the matting in the style you choose, and they insert the images, finishing them off with the paper back and hook like I mentioned above. This option is great for wall collages bc it allows you to mix and match sizes. It's also great for sequence images or images you need to showcase together to create drama. Above all else this look is YOUR look 100% and is MADE to fit YOU! I'm sure there are several great options out there but one local business that has a great reputation is Proper Framing in Down Town Port Huron.

The "skinny" on my editing

So what's the top question I get asked as a photographer?

Come on- take a guess first!

Let me specify- top question from women?!

Ok.

It's the awkward, self conscious, laughable, "Can you make me skinny?"

And I'm serious.

We, as ladies, feel the pressure to look fabulous, and up to magazine like standards often, especially in a photograph that's going to hang in a large size for all to see in our homes! And I'll be the first to admit, if you're going to freeze me for a moment in time and plaster it up for the world to see, I want to look good! I don't want to be having a crappy hair day, I don't want to be in my bummy clothes, and I don't really need you to showcase the awful side profile I get when I laugh really hard. And, fair enough, no one wants to have a 30x40 of their double chin, their accidental muffin top from sitting on the floor, or a squished thigh from squatting down. I get it!

So- does that mean I can make you skinny? Well, first off, no, I'm not going to do that simply on principal. You are who you are, be proud of that, and if I did this for everyone who asked, I would even be taking 5' 10'' 120 pound ladies and sucking them in. You crazy, crazy girls! Plus, if I did grant your wish, it's going to be even more awful when people realize we've manipulated you and that's not really what you look like in real life!

BUT! Here's what I will do for you, it's what I like to refer to as, "taking good care of you."

First off, I'm going to make you "skinny" on site. And when I say skinny, I simply mean I'm going to pose you, no matter what size or shape you are (children and Dads included!) in a way that flatters your body! I'm going to remind you to not hunch over, cross your legs, turn to the side... We know for a fact we all come in many shapes and sizes and we can rock all of them!!

The picture below is a perfect example of this tactic, and it's so easy! A lot of people think they know what looks good and, to be honest, people do the silliest things when they get in front of the camera. Girls start to give odd "cutesy" smirks, they get into what they think is a flattering pose, and most of the time, it's actually accentuating parts of your body in an unflattering way. Does this mean you're doomed? No. We simply just rethink the pose and get you in something that's going to now accentuate you in all the right places!

The next thing I am going to do and NEVER tell you I did it is, again, "take good care of you" during my editing process. Why do I do this and when do I do this? Well, the last few years have taught me what to look out for, and I make minor changes when I think it will help you appreciate your photo for the moment it captured. People don't like double chins. They don't like awkward bulges. And I understand that, but as a lifestyle photographer, and taking images that are not perfectly posed all the time and are sometimes captured genuinely in the moment, you can't plan around these things, and I have seen people turn away beautiful, intimate moments between their family in a frame due to the fact that 1 person was not happy with how they looked because of a bulge or itty bity imperfection. Again, us ladies LOVE to pick ourselves apart!

When you come to a session with me I want you to be comfortable during your photo process and not be afraid to be yourself, interact, and just enjoy the moment. I don't want you living in fear of what "bad angle" you might create in the process.

I'm NOT making this post to tell you I'm all about changing people, or making them into a standard America has created. I will be the first to say over processed people look ridiculous and fake. I simply want to install comfort in you and allow you to be who you are during your session with me and know, as I guarantee you, that before, during, and after your session, I will be her to "take good care of you!" So laugh hard, sit comfortably, and let life happen!

We Can Do It!

As Ricky would say, "Lucy, you got some 'splanin' to do." And I do. I owe it to you ladies to truly explain to you what Pin Up is all about, bc it's not what many of you think, and I think after this little "chat" you will find the inner pin up in you, as I have as well.

Why do I LOVE pin up photography? Is it because I am a sexy girly girl? Don't make me laugh! I am far from sexy! I love to wear tall army boots, high top sneakers, or throw on a back pack and hike into the middle of nowhere. I'm just growing my hair out from a mohawk and I just upgraded my closet from 2 dresses that I wear about once a year to 3. So- do I have some hidden side to me? No. I appreciate Pin Up for what it is- creative, fun, angelic, timeless, and above all else- confidence.

Pin up isn't about being a size 2, it's not about being Vogue cover material, and it's not about being half naked in a centerfold. It's about having confidence in yourself, stepping out of your box, not caring, appreciating yourself, and producing an image even your grandma could enjoy- and I really mean all of that!

Let's have a short history session- pin ups were originally photographs or paintings that men would literally 'pin up' on their walls, next to their bed, or when they were off in the war. They weren't scandalous, they were simply a flirty version of your everyday girl!

This all started last year when I ran my first pin up special. I only did it bc it was close to VDay and I wanted to try something different, plus it was as close to model / fashion photography that I was going to get, which is a passion of mine. I was pretty naive about the true essence of pin up, looking back now, but it has truly taught me so much.

Like what you ask? Well, last summer was the first time in probably 10 years that I have went into public with shorts on. Don't understand what I am trying to say? I'm saying that even at 5 foot 2 and 104 pds I was too self conscious to go out, anywhere, in shorts bc I didn't want ppl looking at my body. I would sweat and die in the middle of summer in jeans before I would put on a pair of shorts- you might catch me in a skirt... Then I started doing these pin up parties. I started dressing up for them too. I started photographing myself for promos. And before you know it, I had bought a pair of high wasted black shorts and wore them out to an event our town has that draws in more ppl than you could ever imagine, and I didn't think twice about it. I liked those shorts, I was going to wear them, I was going to rock them, and I did not have one care in my mind about who saw me in them bc I felt good! And I 100% accredit that to my Pretty Little Pin Up Parties.

Was it because being around group after group of these girls who were booking parties was empowering? Was it because I saw myself in some of these nervous yet beautiful girls? Or was it because it taught me curves are awesome and there is not 1 girl out there with a "perfect" body and that's even more awesome, bc all that means is that we are real, living, human beings that can all relate on the same level- we aren't perfect and you're a joke if you think you are!

Aside from it being a great emotional experience for me, let's talk about you really quick. Sure, you can book a party with me, it can be a girly day, but I want it to be more for you! I want it to be that day when you realize you have the potential to be timeless, a show stopper!! I'm not here to judge. If you do want to get photographed as a nude goddess, well girl, you work it!!! But that's not what I'm offering at my parties. So when you book a party with me, yes, your price includes my set up, my time, my props, your hair done, your make up done, and all that jazz. But it also pays for that first day in your life when you realize you're a women, you're strong, you don't have to hide under that coat, no matter what size you are, no matter what shape you have, and you're going to do it in a way that is SO classy it's going to make even the sexiest of girly girls jealous.

And above all us, keep that inner child alive- no girl should ever turn down the chance to play dress up. <3

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

― Marilyn Monroe

Anything is possible, while driving

So my husband and I have this thing. Every time we go on vacation, or drive fairly far away (and I find we actually do this quite often...) we find ourselves talking about "crazy" things we hope to one day accomplish or ideas we would love to live out. I say "crazy" bc, really, are they so crazy? Or are they just crazy because we've been taught to live safely, to not take unneeded risk, to be happy with what we have. And while I AM happy with what I have, and I don't really consider myself risky, and I am one to worry about everything, I am, by far, probably more than anything, 

a very big dreamer.

The "problem" with this? So is my husband. This causes my dreams to, at times, get even further out of control! That's why I think we have gotten this far in our relationship without killing each other though, especially during times of actually living out some of our "crazy" dreams- like finish the construction of a house (that contained only plywood and studs) by ourselves at the age of 20, both start our own business by the age of 25, and the countless DIY projects we have taken on,bc we secretly love it. 

With that being said, my latest road trip talk was taking my business to the next level this year. It consumed several hours of our trip to Savannah from Michigan. This talk was different though. This talk felt really in my grasp, and I was EXCITED, so so so excited about it.

I keep saying I'm really looking forward to this year, but it's here! We're living it! 2013 has begun and I feel like in a few short weeks I've kicked it into high gear. 

I'm READY!

Are you..........?

So,when do you dream? What's your "crazy" talk?

Make it not so crazy. Make it not just your dream.

Live your dream.

Today.