A few years ago I had the opportunity to watch a class online that is hosted for aspiring photographers to learn new techniques of different photographing styles or to improve their photography skills. Anything from the wedding, posing of children, teens, families and even pets… to lighting, editing of the images aspect to the business end, such as marketing and running a photography business. On this particular day, live-streaming over the internet from a studio in Seattle, WA was an Australian photographer who has made her living photographing women in natural glamour environments. She talked (with her amazing accent) about the process of her business and showed her before and afters of women she had photographed, bringing out their inner beauty within them. I was an awe. I knew this was something I wanted to do. I could not get enough. My head was spinning with ideas. I don’t think I slept for 2 weeks after watching her. What I love about the photography world is that there is always someone a few steps ahead of you who will share their information to help you reach your goal, your passion… and this amazing photographer did the same thing. She created a Facebook group to show others (and there are thousands of other photographers around the world learning from her now) how she went about setting up this particular style of shooting style. Even down to the details of backdrops, colors, make-up artists and how to display the images afterwards.
I have been soaking up the information here and there, I’ll admit I’m slow to the process, fears that I have block me a lot. But in all my session’s since watching and learning from her has been incorporated since then. This year I decided to take it a bit further and launch the new line of shooting style to my business. If you have been receiving my monthly newsletter you have seen bits and pieces of what this is. It’s Be·YOU-tiful. “Improve the Appearance Of”. It’s just not glamour, it’s family, it’s business, it’s about you. You are already beautiful, I’m just bringing out the inner beauty in you.
How?
One can not just jump in and say “Let’s Do This!” I had to have some practice, learn my mistakes, what I needed to improve on and see if this really was what I wanted to bring into my business. Photographing indoors with natural light is not the easiest thing to do. For the most part with my high school seniors, I’m outdoors already in natural light. Up till now I have been learning more about studio lighting. This new style? No studio lights. What!? How does one learn this?!? That’s where your best friend comes in. After 4 years of spending high school band time together and now an additional 4 years of walking with each other on weekly basis, my friend Diane had heard me sound this out for months, it was time to put it into action. With the backdrops purchased (and painted) we got together to see how light would bounce with this new style.
On a cloudy January Saturday afternoon, Diane and I set up the backdrop (3 boards) and started shooting. Opening curtains, too much light, shading the curtains, too dark – finding the right light… making Diane move forward and backwards, to the left, to the right, moving the boards closer, backwards, moving a white board at different angles, we could see the light bounce from outdoors onto her face…and just so she could see what I was seeing, we would trade places and I would become the model and we moved the boards again. I posed her in new ways that were flattering to her and brought out her inner beauty. It was such a fun and exciting time.
What did we achieve? Some pretty amazing images – even if they were test images. Diane and her family loved them and now I get to share them with you!
What happens next?
I’m still learning this new style of photography – and have some specials going on right now to be able to grow more with it. All current sessions have a little something incorporated from this new style. Having a Make-up Artist, to the posing, to how you order your images is being added all the time. It’s an experience you will never forget as it’s all about you, as it should be.
Welcome to Be·YOU-tiful- Modern Beauty.
