Where do I begin? I've begun to include the blog posts on my schedule. As most of you may already know, nothing happens if it isn't on the schedule. It's my lifeline. With as hopping as everything has been, I knew that I needed to actually set aside time just for this. It's true that I'd like for each of you to know some of the things that we've been working on, and the adventures that we've had, but I had no idea how wonderful it would feel to share the everyday goings on of the studio.

Lately, I've really been trying to get as much outside training as I can. I feel a lot like a sponge that can't seem to soak up enough information. It's almost indescribable the way knowledge can make you feel. It's humbling and empowering all at the same time. I get a lot of requests for me to share my knowledge with other budding photographers, but I just sorta do what feels right in the moment. I don't know how to teach what I do because I'm still learning, too. Quite frankly, I hope that I am always continuing to learn and grow and improve. If I ever feel as if I have learned it all and reached the peak, then it will be time to set my camera down and walk away because then I will know that I have learned nothing. I've done 2 workshops in the last 3 weeks, and I have many more lined up in the next 6 months. If I can find time between sessions and production, I may even try to get a few extra notches in my belt by going back to school. What is the saying? "The more I learn, the more I learn that I have more to learn." So true.



And since we're getting to know each other so well, here is a quick pic of me. This was totally done in the ol' one arm pose, and I think I may have a hint of the dreaded "duck lips" going on. Rut roh! ^_-

"Hi, my name is Tricia, and I will be your photographer today. Buckle up because this is going to be one helluva fun adventure for the both of us!"

So what have you learned lately? Have you tried something new? If you were given the chance to do anything at all, with no limitations, what would you do?

I'm Newly Commited

Okay, I admit it. I kinda suck at updating my blog. Since it's literally been a year since the last post, I really can't even try to argue about it. However, it's recently occured to me that not everyone visits the fan page on Facebook. Imagine my surprise to learn that the networking site, that has created a life of it's own on my computer, isn't the center of everyone else's universe. Next, someone's going to tell me that there are actual lives outside of my office/studio and that you don't have to view that world solely through the lens of a camera. Mind boggling, right? lol I kid, of course. This particular post is my new attempt at recommiting myself to blogging and letting you in on some of the behind the scenes giggles, the silly antics of the Made You Look Photography team, what you can expect from your experience with us, and a few sneak peeks at some of the finished images.

I'm not even going to put up a front: We are some crazy folks. From consultations all of the way to delivering the final products, we don't even pretend not to be having a great time. I'm not terribly serious myself. I actually have to force myself to do the technical aspects of being a business owner because I have so much fun just simply hanging out with my clients.

We're all just girls hanging out and having a fantastic time. It just so happens that one of us has a camera in hand. After it's all said and done, and your sides hurt from laughing so much, it's almost a surprise to discover that there are pictures of the day. It's as if the experience itself is worth more than the image captured. Don't get me wrong. Those images are priceless. I couldn't possibly tell you how many times I have heard the self doubt at the beginning of the morning evolve into self confidence and self assurance by the afternoon. I have found that tears of joy are not uncommon.

It's always amazed me how much women do for everyone around them compared to how little they do for themselves. A mother will spend days (or weeks) putting together the perfect outfits for her children and husband to wear for a family portrait. She'll then spend the entire morning frantically getting the rest of her family put together in a sort of miraculous picture day masterpiece only to hastily throw on a bit of make-up and hopefully run a brush through her hair in an attempt at not looking disheveled. Women are goddesses in their own right. Women move mountains. And yet, they/we undervalue ourselves more often than not. I know this because I've been in that same boat. I'm the 34 year old married mother of 3 incredible children. It took me up until this point in my life to realize that I truly like myself the way that I am. Could I stand to lose a few pounds? Sure. Should I spend more time doing things that help me to grow as a person? Absolutely. But the fact remains that I love myself just as I am right now. And that is exactly what I want for every woman to feel about herself. We are not formally beautiful. We are beautiful now in this moment just as we are. I was trying to explain this to someone recently, and I think I've finally found a way to articulate that feeling into words. Your body is a visual display of your life's experiences. Each scar and wrinkle tell a story of a moment that helped to shape you into the person that you are today. Embrace yourself as you are now for you are beautifully and wonderously made.

And now that I've made my new commitment blog post a bit longer than I intended, how about some peeks at some recent work that I've done as a reward for hanging in for the long haul during my rambling. ^_-

This is from a glamour session that we did outdoors at a local park. This girl is what you call a natural beauty for sure! I just couldn't stop "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing over her.

Here's a favorite from a boudoir session where we created an entire room in an empty space. That was a seriously fun day! Doesn't she look like a young Elizabeth Taylor here?? Breathtaking.

This is another example of where we created an entire set from an empty space while on location. I don't superimpose backgrounds or objects into my images, so this all had to be done by hand. Don't you wish that the real cupid was this hot??

Okay, so I've never done a bathtub shot before with the exception of my "Picture Parties" over a decade ago. This was a while other ballgame that I couldn't wait to tackle and play with. I've actually got several versions of bathtub shots on the books for upcoming sessions, but this one is different. It was pretty "on the fly", as we'd already started packing away equipment, but I am SO glad that we did it. This girl is just phenominal!

If you'd like to see more samples of my work, please check out our fan page on Facebook. Shoot me an e-mail, and let's set up your life changing consultation.

Catching Up...

Wowee! It's been quite a while since I've stopped to write a blog! Life and business have been pretty non-stop since the holidays. The Facebook fan page is up to over 600 and steadily increasing which makes me smile. There's been quite a few special memories captured over the last few months as well as some surprises. It's been quite a ride, and I'm holding on for dear life while enjoying every moment!!

I've sat at my computer writing and rewriting this blog while trying to decide what to include and share and what would be an oversaturation of information. I've included snippets of sessions and little quips about them and then deleted them again. After all of the indecision and self doubt, I've settled on one idea: tell what you know. So that is exactly how I will start my blog renewal.

While I do a lot of traditional portraits, my business thrives on photos that tend to be of a more personal nature: Boudoir. I've blogged before about this form of photography and the emotional benefits to the subject, but I've never shown how I do it. Don't get too excited; I'm not going to disclose all of my secret techniques and locations. ^_- Instead, I'm going to show you some examples of the much requested Before&After's, SessionInProgress, and the final result.

I often think that I should be as thin as a rail and as buff as a body builder with the amount of equipment that I move up and down stairs and whatnot in order to get the "perfect" shot. Perhaps my assistant, Jhesi, is the one truly reaping the physical benefits from this task since she is always there ready and willing to stand in an awkward position with a light or reflector or drag some heavy piece of furniture out of the shot whenever necessary. I truly don't know how I'd do the special sessions without her. She is in a word: invaluable. I'm not terribly vocal during a session. I like to watch the moment unfold and capture it when it hits its peak. Often subjects need a little guidance, and Jhesi, in all of her mind-reading grandeur, can translate my tongue-tied instructions to a "T" to get everything to look exactly as I envision it. Here she is holding a single spotlight at the perfect angle so that I can create the look from above.

The result were images like this...

and of course I love this one because if reminds me of classic Marilyn...

The Before&After's are simply samples of the procedure for the glamour processing. While this is an automatic inclusion for a boudoir session, the glamour processing is often requested for pageant portraits and special sessions such as Quinceanera and promotional headshots. You can even request a toned down process for a traditional session in order to achieve that "fresh" look. Here are a few so that you can see the difference...

As you can see, I only enhance the natural beauty that each woman possesses. With a little skin resurfacing and other enhancements, even the questionably ordinary photo can become the bell of the boudoir ball. The shoot itself is really only about 10% of the work. I dedicate at least 20 hours per client's session. It is in this process that the magic happens and I'm able to offer the client a variety of options to choose from.

So now you've had a little peek into one of my biggest and deepest rooted photography passions: Boudoir.

Art & Inspiration

I love photography. Love probably isn't even a strong enough word for how I feel about what I do. Not only is it a friend to me, it's also a challenge. While I adore photographing people and capturing those special moments that slip by so easily, I also have a passion for still life.

One of the biggest challenges with still life is that it does not have a personality. There are no smiles or quirky expressions; it just sits there waiting for you to find and extract it's natural beauty. Lighting is just as key as mood. That's my biggest thing, I think, with doing still life: I try to express a mood. I've spent quite a bit of time lately on several ongoing project series. I'm trying my "hand" with a wide variety of textures. Food is one of the subjects that has really captured my eye lately. I was told recently that if you can master lighting and photographing food, you can light and photograph anything. Naturally, I took that as a personal challenge to figure out the secret to that aspect of photography.

I've also had a fantastic time learning how to photograph glass. Lemme tell you that it's not as simple as it looks. Glass is difficult to focus. It has flaws that are otherwise hidden until put in front of a macro lens. What looks smooth and clear to the naked eye is revealed to be pitted and marbled. I find these discoveries to be breathtaking. It thrills me to realize that each piece has a hidden map of creases and inconsistencies that make it all the more pertinent to me.

And how could I resist creating my own version of a classic Andy Warhol painting? I couldn't. ^_-

All of my art pieces are personal in that I take inspiration from them. I can only hope that you are able to do the same. For a better look at more of the photo art that I've created, please click on any of the posted pictures. They will take you to the Art & Inspiration album of our fan page. Thank you for allowing me to share a piece of myself with you.

Glamour/Boudoir Sessions

One kind of shoot that has become very popular lately is the Boudoir shoot. Sensual and sexy is how people think of the boudoir style of photography. Others refer to it as glamour photography, where the photographer’s goal is to make you look better than your best. It is not about having the perfect body, the most beautiful face, or being tall, thin and gorgeous. What a boudoir photographer does is brings out the glamour that is in every woman. Boudoir shoots are basically sexy photo shoots that give you an opportunity to wear different styles of lingerie (or whatever you want). Boudoir photography is about glamour and fantasy. It’s about bringing out that special beauty a woman usually reserves for her lover in a series of photographs. The photographer captures what her lover has always seen in their heart. Lots of brides, in particluar, request these sessions, and the albums that I make are such a great gift for fiancee's on the wedding day--it always gets a great reaction!

There are often some questions about these sessions so I'm going to answer a few of them here in case anyone is thinking of having this done!

 

Q: What if I'm not a size 2 with a perfect body?

A: No problem! My job as a photographer is to emphasize the good and minimize the less than perfect. Besides, your significant other doesn't expect you to look like a different person, and he thinks you are sexy the way you are!

Q: Where will we shoot?

A: If you live in, or have a friend that lives in Shelby or Desoto County, we can shoot at that location. My house is also an option if you can't find any other place. A hotel room is also an ideal location, but please bear in mind that this is an expense not included by the photographer.

Q: What should I wear?

A: Its best to bring a wide variety of different outfits, and photos of poses you've seen in magazines that you like so we have something to start with. As the shoot progresses, you will feel more comfortable and able to try different things on your own, but it helps if you have something to look at to begin.

Q: Do I have to shoot nude?

A: No, of course not! Unless you are in lingerie, I primarily shoot only "implied nude", where you may not be wearing much but you can't see anything showing that you might not want shown. You don't even have to do this if you don't want to--lingerie is just fine. You can also decide at the shoot what you are comfortable/not comfortable showing.

Q: But....are you going to post photos of me on your blog? I really don't want anyone to see them!

A: No, of course not without your permission! The girls whom I have posted in my blog have given me the go-ahead to post those photos up there and I would never post photos of you that you were uncomfortable with.

The albums also make awesome Valentine's Day gifts, but they take awhile to produce, so this next month is the prime shooting time for these sessions! Retouching is included in all our packages to enhance the photographs and make sure you look amazing. Collages are also available.

Tis the Season

Tis the season for garland, bows, and showing off your holiday spirit. Who doesn't love the holidays with all of the colors, lights, and cheerful music surrounding you everywhere you go? It's one of my favorite times of year for many reasons, not the least of which is capturing the joy that is practically glued to everyone's faces from now until New Years. It's hard not to get caught up in that warm and fuzzy feeling as a child regales you with their innocent thoughts on reindeer, snowmen, and a jolly round elf that makes their most heartfelt Christmas wishes come true. These are the things that make me smile. These are the things that give me beautiful dreams and creative ideas that abound until I'm just bursting with good feelings and want to share them with everyone that I meet. Some of those creative ideas have come in the form of custom photo Christmas cards. I've designed flat photo cards for you to choose from. Folding cards are also available for certain templates.

25 5x7 flat photo card w/envelopes $50
25 4x8 flat photo card w/envelopes $40
20 5x7 folded photo card w/ envelopes $60

To help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have their Christmas pictures made and ordered in time to send them to off to loved ones, I have set aside Saturday, November 28th. I will be doing back to back sessions all day in the Collierville Town Square. For those that are in the North Mississippi area, I will also be doing back to back sessions around the Hernando City Hall on Sunday, November 29th. If you would prefer to schedule a private session in a seperate location, please let me know so that we can set this up. All holiday sessions still require the standard $30 sitting fee. Please call or e-mail me to reserve your time slot.

**Templates will be posted shortly

Capture the Color

Fall is upon us, and I couldn't be happier! Fall is one of the greatest seasons for many reasons, but the most obvious reason is the brilliant colors everywhere. Sure the leaves are gorgeous in all of their vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds, but there is another reason that I love this season so much; the color temperature of the light. The light of early mornings and late afternoons are perfect for picking up and complimenting the subtle warm hues of ambers, yellows, and rusty reds. It's an ideal time for family portraits as they can get outdoors, enjoy the space and feel like a family. Autumn portraits also have a great informality about them, so it's easier to relax and simply be yourself. No more stuffy formal wear; just casual comfortable clothes that reflect your true personality and allow you to let that shine. So bring a colorful sweater, break out the scarves and furry boots. Let the rosy cheeks abound. It's time to show Spring that Fall is truly the better of the seasons when it comes to pictures. ^_-

Side note: This is also the time of year to start thinking about and scheduling your sessions for Christmas cards and gifts. Availability is limited and will only get harder to come by as the holidays get closer. E-mail, FB message, or call (901-647-3414) to book your appointment and reserve your date and time.