Family Glam- The Dewitt Family

Something that I decided was important to my brand and business is including hair & makeup with my family portrait sessions. Nothing is more stressful to a mom than preparing for family portraits, so I love that we get to alleviate some of the stress by taking care of the women.

Stacey is a mom to two of the CUTEST kids around, and we had a blast rolling around photographing her sweet little family. And their co-ordinating outfits were to die for!

Gorgeous Mommas Month

Now until Mother's Day I'm going to be featuring all the beautiful Moms I get to photograph every week. There is nothing more gratifying than taking a woman who is too tired to brush her hair most days, and turning into a sassy lady behind the camera.

First up, is Krissi- this lady has the three most adorable boys and is married to the most fun Baseball Coach of a husband. These two coach their youngest son's team together, and Ben coaches the other boys' teams too! We spent the day at the park & baseball field to create some family photos to perfectly reflect them. We snuck in some gorgeous shots of Krissi too- a shoot with me wouldn't be complete without a touch of Glamour.

Ask and you shall recieve

In the beginning of the year, I decided to launch a little genre of photography into my business. And now, most of my time is spent planning, shooting, and marketing my Glam Portraits.

This is my absolute favorite thing to shoot. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gorgeous weddings and adorable kids; but there's nothing quite like the reliability of a studio shoot where external factors rarely throw a wrench into your plans (like weather or a 3 year old in a bad bad mood). Working with other women that have such unique but similar stories about their lives is so incredible as well.  I also love that I get to reconnect with old friends; many of which I haven't seen since high school.

Amanda has been my friend since my sophomore year of high school. We danced together in Euporea Dance Company at Mesa High School, and she was the girl I most looked up to in school. She was always so kind and helpful (even though she was a senior and I was a silly little sophomore) and she is the freaking funniest person around. She's loud and crazy and she has a knack for getting people that just met her to fall in love with her. She's just so much fun to be around. I would photograph her and her family every week if I could- they are that beautiful and sweet.

It's Friday! Hip Hip Hooray!

It's a pretty exciting day over here. First off, it's my sister's birthday

Happy Happy Birthday Ashly!

Secondly, it's pouring rain here, which is always an event in the desert. My most favorite days are cozy, rainy ones - eating soup & watching movies or reading books.

AND it's the first day of the mother of all Photography Classes- 28 days With Sue Bryce!


I cannot even tell you how stoked I am for this. I know it's kind of geeky to be so obsessed with education, but honestly taking these online classes is the biggest motivator for me. Hearing the most successful people in the industry sharing their experiences, knowledge, and business strategies is so so exciting and uplifting and makes me want to work even harder and become better.

Sue Bryce is the reason I started a Glamour Photography line and it is quickly becoming my favorite genre to photograph. You not only produce beautiful work, you get to make women feel amazing, and in turn, you feel amazing. It's a real gift to have been introduced to Glamour Photography and I know that after this class I am going to do big big things this year.

Now I'm off to make some tea and some soup and settle into my class on this drizzley day <3

If you can't stop the train, at least slow it down

When I met Kim, I knew that I had a glimpse of my life in about 10 years. She has two amazing kids, Erin & Brandon, and they are all so close. Her son has a love of baseball, and her daughter has a love of dance. We made sure we took photos of them with the things that they love, so she wouldn't remember the little things like her son tossing the baseball throughout the day, and her  daughter lovingly holding her pointe shoes.

There were other photographs I wanted to make sure I took. I wanted her to remember her kids being as close as they are now; both living at home with her. Before she knows it, her kids will be graduating, going to college, getting married, and starting families of their own. This precious time she has with them will be a happy memory and she will look at these photographs and remember. Remember how tight her daughter holds on to her arm, how her son laughs with her, and how her kids have the best time together even at a photoshoot with a stranger. 

I am so lucky to have been able to photograph this family and remind myself how fleeting the golden age of your children's childhood is. I know that in the blink of an eye, my kids will turn into teenagers, and then in another blink- adults. I have to remember to slow down and soak it all in while I have the chance.

My Beauty Squad: Leah Fitts

As much as I love doing hair & makeup, I love having an AMAZING hair stylist & makeup artist to work with for my clients to look gorgeous for their portraits. 

Leah is my go to hair & makeup guru, and of course she can make herself up to look this fabulous every day. It's funny because she was the most nervous of all my Glamour clients because she was worried she'd be awkward; but honestly, check. her. out. Stone cold fox, that one.

She's also the most fun girl to hang out with ever, and I couldn't be luckier to be able to work with such a talented friend.

Pinterest Tips: Client Inspiration Boards.

Not sure if you are following me on Pinterest, but if you ARE you may have noticed a few changes I have made

I have done a ton of research on how to utilize Pinterest for your business. Here's a new tip I found that really made me realize it was time to stop randomly pinning every single thing all over the place and take the time to purge my collections and start curating my content more. I mean really- 13,221 pins? Now you know what I do with my life.

I recently watched a creativeLIVE class on Building a Successful Boudoir Business. I don't know if I'm going to take the Boudoir plunge or not, but it's always interesting to me to see how to integrate other people's business models into my own. Jen Rosenbaum had a TON of really interesting elements to her business, but my favorite tip was that she creates custom Pinterest Boards for her clients so they can get a visual idea of her vision and everyone can come into the shoot on the same page. I was making pinboards for my glamour clients anyway, but wasn't sharing them with the clients. Getting your client's input and suggestions for their own shoots is a brilliant idea, and it also shows that you are spending a little extra effort in planning the perfect shoot for them.

After my consultation with Jessi, I knew she was looking for photos to use online for her various internet projects so she needed a lot of headshots both professional and more showing her funny personality. So, when I was coming up with her Pinboard, I specifically looked for images that featured women in comedy.

Source: msknope.tumblr.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

I found some amazing images of Amy Pollard, Tina Fey, and Zooey Deschanel and this one was especially inspiring to me. I thought that this would be the perfect shot to recreate with Jessi, and here's what I came up with.

Creating pinboards for clients is very addicting, the sky is really the limit on how elaborate you want to plan your shoot. I have a ton of shoots coming up in March, so keep an eye out for my client's images that are inspired by their own custom pinboards.

Who's That Girl????? It's JESS!

This is Jess.

She slays me.

I've known her since high school, and she's always been a riot. Her blog, Shuggilippo is filled with hilarity, and her numerous numerous projects (sounds familiar ;) are filled with her huge personality and wit. This Glam Shoot was a little different due to the fact that she specifically wanted "funny" pictures of her doing hilarious things and laughing, and I was totally down to oblige.

The whole shoot was pretty much a whole lot of this with a little "glam" sprinkled in for good measure. Most fun shoot to date. Best thing ever is being able to connect with your clients and give them what they ask for, in your awesome version.

Sister (In Law) Style

As if I didn't already have enough beautiful sisters, I married Braden and acquired this girl for a sister in law:

Lindsey is the business. She's funny, she's cute, she laughs at how dumb I can be, and she's always down to go out to eat and brainstorm about business. The last time we got together, it was more like a brain-hurricane, and I am so.excited. to help her get her new Fashion Styling business off the ground here in AZ. This girl's got impeccable style and she absolutely adores helping other people find their own personal style and work with their own closets and budgets to create a perfect wardrobe for all. We've been working on her new website, and at her Glam shoot we took a bunch of fun shots to put on her new site, Style Me A Lady. Come back tomorrow to see how her brand is coming together!

A Very Weston Valentine's Shoot

I've said it before. One year olds are the hardest age for me to photograph. They all are just learning how to walk and once you put them down, they are OFF. As always Gloria, Sarah, and I spent our morning with Weston, running and chasing him down, making sure he wasn't choking on rocks or leaves, laughing as he got SOAKED in the water fountains, making sure he wasn't jumping out of the wagon, or smashing his fingers in the adorable suitcase props his Grandma brought along.

But, as always, it was all worth it to be able to capture this beautiful little boy with his equally beautiful mom and grandma. So I will gladly spend more days with all the one year olds of the world, working up a sweat and relishing their curiosity, adventurous spirit, and speed.

Sister Love: The Middle Child

You've seen a TON of images of my sister Eryn lately, and my sister Ashly thought it was high time I take some photographs of her too ;)

Ashly is the middle child of the family, and she is the most fiesty and fierce one of us girls. She's hilarious too, and her greatest gift is the ability to quote any movie she's ever seen. It's always a blast when we get together, and we had so. much. fun. taking her portaits. There were so many good ones, it was crazy hard to choose a few to show. My most favorite shot though, was the one I sneak peeked on intagram the day of her shoot.

FIERCE.

My Photography Wishlist

Remember when I tried to switch to Wordpress, and I got all stressed out and frustrated and confused? Well, I'm back here and want to share my wishlist for this year on here in case you all missed it.

1) Sue Bryce & Hailey Bartholemew’s creative LIVE class on Showreels is coming up at the end of January and I can’t wait to learn everything I can soak up about video. I need a new camera that takes HD video, and the Canon 5D Mark iii is the perfect camera to get me up and running.
2) There are so many choices when it comes to lenses, but I think the one I’d like the most is the Canon 35 mm 1.4. Perfect for video, and for those gorgeous wider portrait shots.
3) I’ve been needing a new camera bag for a while, and I just found these gorgeous Ona Bags that I’m coveting. Not too girly, utilatarian, and super durable- just what I’ve been wanting. The Union Street Messenger bag is my pick.
4) My little ibook laptop has about reached it’s maximum storage space, and it’s software is almost 5 years old, so it’s getting about time for an upgrade. The new Macbook Pro Retina’ s are what I’ve got my eye on- faster, stronger, smarter, and the display is unreal.
5) The perfect sales tool on the go, you can show slideshows, wall displays, product options, and so much more with the iPads with Retina displays. Plus, it will keep my kids busy for hours.
6) I died when I saw these Bloom Theory camera straps. There are so many gorgeous ones, but I think I love the Petite Cheri Bow strap best.
7) My kids need this Wooden Toy Camera by Keepsake Toys. Also, it would be so fun as a photo prop for my kids sessions.
8) I have an awesome white wood floor drop, but I need a couple more for some upcoming newborn shoots I have. Swanky Prints on Etsy has a ton of fun little floordrops and backdrops.
9) My iphone is great, but how fun is the Instax camera? I love the idea of mini polaroids and giving them as little gifts to clients and using them in scrapbooks.
10) Last but not least, EDUCATION! Education, education, education, people. Everyone needs it in their lives and businesses. I watched Sal Cincotta’s Wedding Photography Bootcamp when it was live, but I think I really need to purchase the course. Sal included so. much. information with the downloads, so I need to really save my pennies and purchase this course.

What are you dreaming of adding to your arsenals this year?

A Little Bit of Glam Goes a Long Long Way

This girl. Easily my favorite photography subject. She can bring it like any other model, and when she smailes, you can just see the spark in her eyes. 

She was the perfect person to launch my new Glamour Portrait Line with, and I cannot wait to get more and more ladies in on the action. Gorgeous Victoria's Secret Model hair, dramatic beautiful makeup, and lots of fun fun fun posing, directing, and shooting in my "pop- up studio".

Small Business Love: Glorious Floral Designs

There's nothing I like better than finding other small business to work with that "get" my style, my work, and my aesthetic. When I picked up Gloria's business card, I just new I wanted to work with her. I called her up that day, and sent her an email that night outlining my plans for a Valentines Day promotion for a bouquet of flowers and a portrait session. 

We came up with a plan, and she ordered the flowers she thought would look amazing together, she found a gorgeous model Nicole, and we got together for a fabulous shoot. I am so thrilled to be offering her flowers as a promotion for my business, and I can't wait to work with her in the future!

Order your Modern Love Bouquet from Glorious Floral Design by February 1st for Valentine's Day delivery! There's a limited supply available so call soon to get in on this gorgeousness. 

A Wedding for The Baby

Most families have a "baby of the family"; the youngest child that growing up, everyone looks after and  is loved especially by the rest of the kids because they're always the littlest. They're a little more protected, a little more spoiled, and a little more sweet because you long to hold on to a baby when you know there will be no others after they've grown up.

My family is lucky enough to have two babies. My sister Eryn is six years younger than I, then six years later our family adopted my other baby sister Barrett into the family so we've always grown up with the two. The day after Thanksgiving the first of our babies got married, and the day was just a bit more special and bittersweet because she was all grown up and officially on her own.

My parents have thrown four weddings in five years and now since Barrett is 15, they luckily have  a little break before the last of us are married off. I'm exhausted already thinking of the work to be done for the littlest baby's wedding. But, of course, when the time comes, I wouldn't rather be doing anything else.

Kobe At Three Months

I've known my friend Rene for over 10 years. She was actually my high school cheer coach my Senior Year; and then about four years ago I was hired to be the JV cheer coach at Mesa High and she was still the Varsity coach there. When she announced that she was pregnant with her first baby girl Makinlee, I of course had to be a thunder-stealer and try and quietly announce I was pregnant too. With twins. 

Twelve months later she was pregnant in a new baby girl Brylee and I was super happy to not have anything to announce for once. She was getting used to life with two kids 12 months apart and I was getting used to 5 kids 5 & under. Then, when her second little girl was just 3 months old, she confided to me she was pregnant AGAIN. Another baby twelve months apart! And, shockingly enough, just one week later, her oldest girl was playing in my purse at a basketball game and pulled out my pregnancy test I had just took and was, surprise!, positive.

So, she had her baby boy Kobe on September 11th last year (her second daughter Brylee is also born on September 11th!) and I had Clementine on September 22nd. I love seeing the similarities in Kobe and Clementine. Three months old is such a magical time. Babies are so so happy and smile at everything and just so fresh and beautiful and amazing. I'm so thrilled to be able to watch our babies grow bit by bit and try to capture a bit of it to love forever.  

The Modern Love Bouquet, Just In Time For Valentines Day

I am thrilled to bits to announce my Valentine's Day promotion for 2013. I'm working with Glorious Floral Designs and offering this GORGEOUS bouquet- The Modern Love Bouquet

Isn't it fabulous? Gloria from Glorious Florals is a doll, and she has some of the most stunning and unique floral designs that I have seen. She does weddings, holidays, any flowers arrangement your heart would desire. She came up with some extra special and so chic for Love Day exclusively for my clients. Here are the details:

Tell your husband, boyfriend, your dad for your mom, your brother in law for your sister- any woman would swoon over these stunning blooms. Roses, ranunnculas, and some succulents are the stars of this bouquet, topped with a silver metal heart.

Supply is limited and is first come, first served, so order by February 1st to be sure to have your florals delivered by Valentines Day!  

Happy Happy Happy Booth

You know I love me a good party, and my sister Eryn's Bridal shower was no exception. For the party I designed a fun, festive photo booth, complete with a 8' x 8' Celebration wall with pom poms, tassels, honeycomb balls, and glitter sequins! There was also cute photo booth props galore, and it was hilarious seeing everyone get down with their bad selves and let loose in the Happy Booth. 

My newest Wedding client just booked a Happy Booth for her Reception, and I can't wait to get together with her over coffee to create the most fun Happy Booth ever.

To see more of Eryn's Happy Booth photos, visit her client gallery!

Clementine's Newborn Album

I recently found some fabulous mini accordian albums for my photography clients and I decided I definitely needed one for my sweet little Clementine's newborn photos I took. So, I whipped up this darling little album using Paislee Press's Meant to Be Kit. 

I love these little close ups of her face and hands. I can't wait to see this all printed up on a little accordian album; I may go accordian album happy for christmas gifts!

Our Darling Clementine Has Arrived

In case you missed the big announcement on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram- Clementine arrived last week! She is the most lovely thing around town, and we are head over heels smitten with her.

Last week was spent getting into the groove of life with 6 kids, but I think we've gotten acclimated and I even snuck in her first photo session- more of those photos to come!