Beauty photography- Dry lake Bed Las Vegas

WOW! can't believe how fast December is going. i thought i'd be able to get at 3 posts done a week, turns out.. it's been crazy even during the slower months! I plan on doing lots of traveling again in 2014, so especially if you're in Vegas or Minnesota, don't hesitate to plan a session with me :) whew! i also wanted to completely redesign my website so... keep me accountable people! 

I drove to Vegas again in early December to do a few shoots. What keeps photographers fresh, motivated, and not cranky are some of their own concept shoots (you'd think added shoots would make us crabbier.. it doesn't) i asked the lovely Amelia to model for Jose and i at the dry lake bed. what is so fantastic about our own shoots is we can try whatever we want, no pressure of what's expected or needed and trying lighting, and even crazy stuff! i stay with a wonderful photographer friend Vanessa, who let me borrow the lovely fabric you'll see. it was a tad chilly but Amelia did so AMAZING!

 

 

Ladies, i have to mention again that Valentine's Day is coming up and even if you're too nervous to do some boudoir shots for your spouse or even for you!- this kind of shoot would be great. Beauty shots to show off, feel good about and having fun! I try to do photographs of me or my family every couple months, not only to show progress and changes, but for future family to treasure those too! 

so show off your hotness this season :) 

gorgeous ladies beauty photographs- River Falls

i was beyond thrilled when Danielle mentioned that her mom was looking for photos of the three girls in their family. some of my favorite.. beauty photographs, and even more so when all the women are beautiful both inside and out. We scoped out River Falls for some locations and found some flowers and urban area. perfection! here's a few of my favorites. 

i absolutely love how infectious these girls' laughs and smiles are. they've always been beautiful women, and i felt right at home around them, laughing and having a seriously fun time! 

one of my favorite things about them (which i told them already) is their relationship. They're real, have fun and you can tell they love one another. bold honesty and all :) 

They can do it all! serious, cute giggling, i couldn't stop clicking. 

i had Betty jump in for a few with her girls too.. i couldn't resist! 

and to no surprise.. she had the serious smirk down too and they all made each other laugh which made for some wall-worthy beautiful photographs. 

when i finally stopped clicking in that beautiful field we found, we headed downtown and switched outfits! thanks creepy alleys.. you were perfect. 

This shoot inspired me to get even more excited for photographs with my friends and family and also to encourage you too! if you're looking to decorate your home or office.. what better way than images with your sister.. or a close girlfriend!? my whole living room is covered with photographs of my friends. so hop to it! book a shoot with some girlfriends. i even made a pinterest board on what to wear for photo shoots with friends if this one didn't help enough ;) click HERE to see what to wear

i am sitting here incredibly excited to see such happiness in photographs and i can't wait to even print some of these for my office! 

Thank you ladies for an incredible time, i'm so glad we were able to get some wonderful moments captured! i leave you with the first verse that popped in my head when i thought of our time together. 

 I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. -Philippians 1:3-4

Beauty Photography in Minneapolis

Good morning gorgeous! (or handsome men.) i have been so excited to share just a few of the beauty images from earlier this summer. Glamour is still one of my favorite things to photograph and sometimes women aren't quite up for it.. but i urge you to try it! the ones i did in my coral dress.. (if you forgot click HERE to see them again) made me feel so confident, and now they're going to be printed for my new house! you have photographs of kids, pets, weddings, engagement.. and sometimes just our significant other.. so it's time for YOU. i'm thinking someday, my kids will really appreciate them and cherish those photographs. 

this is all natural light.. as soon as i left.. i purchased the same type of curtain to use for future photo shoots. it's just so lovely and light! 

what can i even say? perfection. she's absolutely stunning. and it was such a fun shoot! she had some of the most beautiful outfits to change into! 

She's lovely inside and out and i'm so glad we were able to get those photographs! 

whether you choose and outdoor location, to get a hotel room or even right in your home.. they all can be special! we chose to photograph right in their bedroom and it created such an intimate feel, that will always be cherished.. their home together. 

if you've been thinking about some beauty or boudoir photos, i hope this encourages you! serious or giggly.. we'll get your best looks! :) 

Beauty is how you feel on the inside, and it reflects in your eyes. -Sophia Loren 

beauty photographs, my turn!

It's been a couple months since i've done some photos of me or my family, so it was about time again! :) I usually love to capture moments of my family, but with brandon gone it's been about trying new poses, light, and  new ideas. If you follow me, you might know i do boudoir and some women might be skeptical to jump into that type of photography but there is another option... beauty photos. Ya know that old glamour shots you had? you might have had fluffy hair, huge earings, and a jean jacket. well gorgeous, these are the updated, modern version! It's becoming more and more popular among women again to get these done so to show you a quick 20 minute session, i photographed.. myself. I'm also going to show a before and after!

So why should you do beauty photos? There are so many reasons women are jumping into this type, i did some a little more casual, a gorgeous flowing dress always works too, or even jeans! one reason for me was i'm finally getting back into working out and eating clean (for the most part) my body is just starting to change and i wanted to show some progress! but even if that's not the case for you, i think about if i have kids someday; they'll be the ones to hold on to photographs and everyone always treasures photos of their mom. so ladies, i know a lot of you don't want your photos taken.. but your kids do! one of my favorite photos of my mom is when she had these tiny little shorts on a top that showed her stomach when she was about 19, she's adorable. 

in these, i decided to be real. i did a few serious, but my personality is just a LITTLE outgoing, so i wanted to show who i am and yes kept the crazy ones too. my set up was my camera on a tripod going off every 5 seconds, and a blow dryer sitting on a pillow and a box, that simple with my white walls. i ended up with about 9 favorites, and am SO happy i'm going to have them printed (and pretty big sizes!) for wall art when we move. i have some photos of just brandon, so why not me! :) 

as a woman, i could pick a part these photos. i've been working hard to eat clean and lift, but i still have days where those flaws just pop out at me. i know most women feel this way, but when i take photos of myself i try to see a woman with lots of personality, who's happy and loving life. i also try to always look at photographs of me from a perspective of my husband or my best friend, and what they see is a beautiful woman.  

i didn't want to touch up, liquify, or change too much in these because i wanted to show you that by a cute outfit, light, and posing can make the photograph, not changing how you look. so here's a before and after. the only thing i changed before any of these, is i cloned out the light switch. what i did to this photograph is lighten and add warmth in lightroom. In photoshop i used two of my favorite actions and then changed how i wanted them. i also touched up my skin but only on 20 percent. did i want to do a lot more to make me look perfect? absolutely. but the best part is i look happy, and i look like me.. i love it! 

So, if you've been interested in photographs but aren't sure about doing boudoir, beauty could be perfect for you. get your hair and makeup done and let's get some fabulous photos! 

another great part? you can hang these anywhere in your home, where boudoir usually is a little more kept away. so show off your gorgeous self! 

Floyd Lamb Park- Kenna and Audrina

Two gorgeous girls. 

If you don't recognize this beauty, you're missing out on some fabulous moments. We met last year and i was able to photograph her maternity photos, newborn, and now i asked her if she'd model for me; and she was thrilled to. she definitely made my job easy, and i had so much fun catching up and squeezing on her baby girl Audrina. She's in kick butt shape, and is a perfect model. I didn't realize that she had done modeling in the past and had fun with her outfits she brought! 

poor little pumpkin, i did partly a concept shoot with a canvas saying "pucker up" which is why there are tons of kisses for this cutie and here she is after a taste of a lemon. she did so good! 

look at those eyes, FIERCE. we talked about some red lipstick and how great it would be with the outfit, she hadn't worn it before, but I'm thinking she should more. :) 

this grease inspired outfit was my favorite, and Kenna completely rocked it!- we're hoping to use it again with a few more ideas so stay tuned! The two images below are my top two from the shoot. 

i'm so thankful to know such lovely people both inside and out, and Kenna we'll have to get together soon for more shoots! 

These kind of shoots are great for women who aren't sure about boudoir, but want to feel sexy and good about themselves, beauty photo shoots. if you're interested, email me anytime and we can talk about all the details!

so what are your favorite images from the shoot? does it inspire you for beauty photos? i hope so! Have a great thursday all!