Thank you to my uber talented and wonderful friend Kathleen Frank of Kathleen Frank Photography for spending the day with me during one of my beauty portrait experiences and creating this amazing behind the scenes video for me to share with the world. 

Kathleen did such an amazing job capturing the feel of the day and I believe it is a beautiful represention of the whole portrait experience.  I hope that you enjoy watching it as much as I do!  And endless thank yous to Kathleen for all her hard work and for Sara for allowing us to capture her session for the video. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Last week I introduced you to Jessica and mentioned that she had a +1 for her beauty experience.  Sara, was that +1.  Sara too is a mother at two and a wonderful wife.  She is charismatic and has so much spunk.  Sara leads a very busy life as she not only is a mom and wife, but a student too!  She currently is studying to be a dental hygienist.  I have to give her so much credit for continuing her education while raising two little ones.  With all that activity on her plate, there doesn't leave much room for pampering, so a day of beauty, friends, and photographs was the perfect escape.  

Like Jessica, Sara was such a positive person to work with.  She smiled all day (with the exception of the "pensive" poses) and kept us laughing.  There was so much good energy throughout the session that I could have shot for several more hours without noticing the time.  She worked the camera and never squawked when I contorted her into awkward poses.  I loved the variety of looks we got from Sara too.   She just kept transforming.  And with her that day, she brought a unique piece of jewelry that she requested be part of the images.  The necklace (worn in the upper right hand picture) was the necklace that she wore on her wedding day.  What a beautiful piece to adorn a beautiful woman!  I loved that she brought it with her and was able to incorporate it into the session.  Whenever I look at those images, I always think of a modern day Greek Goddess.  

Because Sara is such an amazing sport, she had agreed that it would be okay for a dear friend of mine, Kathleen Frank (of Kathleen Frank Photography) to film the experience in order to make a behind the scenes video for my website.  I am excited to say that the video is in the final stages of production and Kathleen has done an AMAZING job!  I am eager to share it with you.  So this won't be the last you will see of Ms. Sara!  Til then, here are some of the images from her portrait experience.  

And as I said previously, even more rewarding than a good image, is the positive feedback from a client.  Here is what Sara said about her experience:

For the past few years I have been focusing on finding my niche in the world of photography.  Ever since high school I have been drawn towards portrait photography - especially head shot style or modeling composite style images.  Over the years I have explored wedding photography, newborns, kids, and families, but nothing excites me the way that beauty photography has.  There is something energizing about working one on one with an individual to construct the very best image of them.  So, after years of exploring the industry I decided that I really wanted to start focusing on what it was that I was passionate about and so I overhauled my business plan, changed my logo, redesigned my website, and got to work creating a whole new experience for my clients.  

Jessica was one of my first clients to book a beauty experience.  She came with her good friend Sara (who you will meet next week) to experience a unique day of hair & makeup, champagne & laughter, and unforgettable memories.  Jessica is a wife and a mother of two beautiful young girls.  She is an artist herself, so in addition to valuing a day of pampering, she also seemed to value the creative process.  

Jessica basically radiates positive energy and has a smile for days.  Her laughter filled the studio and was absolutely contagious.  It was wonderful to watch Jessica slowly transform from this radiant girl (during the basic beauty look) to this stunning, sexy, woman for her glamour look.  Despite her nerves at first, by the end of the shoot you would have thought that Jessica lived in front of a camera.  Her energy connected so well with the lens.  

It is this natural progression of confidence, that I love most about my work.  Despite always telling them to trust in me, have fun with the experience, and just let go of all insecurities at the door, there is certainly a warming up process.  It is such a beautiful experience in itself to see the women I work with gain confidence and start to rock the session.  By the end of the day, these women are owning their beauty and the images can speak for themselves.  And this was definitely true with Jessica.

I loved the images that we were able to capture of Jessica - she truly looked stunning.  But even more rewarding than good images, is the knowledge that a client truly enjoyed their experience.  Shortly after our session I received an email from Jessica about her beauty experience.  She wrote:

"It truly meant the world to me. It's been a long time since I've felt like I wasn't invisible so to have an opportunity to spend such a lovely day with such lovely ladies felt great. I love the creative process and knowing how committed you were to us having such a great experience gave me the green light to try my best. It gave me a new found confidence and I thank you for that".

Wow.

As a wife and a mom of two young kids myself, her words resonated within.  I could identify with her use of the word "invisible" so well.    I also feel like each woman I work with makes me grow as an individual and a photographer.  There is a true vulnerability with being photographed, but when you let go and trust the process - the images come out so genuine and so true.