Happy 2014! After posting my mega year end review of 2013 last night, I knew I would post my top 25 artist selections today. I’ve been in constant debate with myself for days now. Why? Because truly every session has at least one or two images that have stuck with me long after the sessions are done, even now after 100s of clients. Some have many more (as you can see from the giant post yesterday!) So then, where to begin in picking my favorites from the year?
If you say a client’s name, a visual immediately pops in my mind. I remember moments that I have preserved in portraits like they happened yesterday. This is the beauty of keeping low client numbers in my business model, low client numbers can equate to high end care for each client. Clients can have a make over with my stylist Jill prior to their session to start off their time with a bit of pampering which helps them feel fabulous–perfect start for creating art from life!
My goal is to create portraits that capture the essence of each client, revealing sides of themselves they have never seen in portraits before. This takes time. This takes connection. This takes incredible clients who are willing to do the crazy things I ask at times to bring a vision into reality. Yes, I create the standard portraits as well, the ones I like to call ‘records’ of our family, but I am not content to stop there. I want to create something engaging and evoking from every single session. There is no one else in the world just like you, so why should your portraits look like everyone else’s?
So what you see below is not the 25 I promised…it’s 40. These are the ones that, for whatever crazy reason, my ADD brain grabbed a hold of and would not let go. Thank you again for celebrating the creative process with me and believing that I would do for you what you have seen me do for others! I love it when a client says, ‘Oh i just can’t take a good picture, never have!’ I love rising to that challenge and presenting them with their own beauty! Thank you for valuing the pricelessness of what we create and I pray they continue to be launch pads for your stories to be told among family and friends in 2014!
Lastly, I will always remember this moment, which was not an actual portrait…it was an in between moment neither of us was expecting. Stacey had a portrait session done to surprise her husband. She was thrilled with her make over and I began to photograph her. I was coaching her, we were laughing, and then I knew we had landed on incredible beauty for her. I showed her the back of my camera. She gasped, covered her mouth and began to cry. She could not believe it was her! It was magical! Several minutes later, it happened again and this time I caught the tail end of her reaction…priceless!
