Compliment vs Creeper

It’s not unusual for me to strike up conversations with complete strangers. I love people, and I always think that there is something special about themselves that they’ve overlooked or have taken for granted. It’s like a need that I have to let them know what that is and bring a smile to their face. I have no problem going up to a woman, that I don't know, and telling her that she smells nice, has great hair that frames her face flatteringly, is wearing incredible earrings/shoes, or whatever it is that catches my eye about her. We’re constantly surrounded by beauty, and a lot of it is strolling nonchalantly passed us as we go about our daily routines.



Walking up to someone and trying to awkwardly explain that they have a look that makes me want to photograph them is difficult for me though. I certainly don't want to be viewed as a "creeper". (@_@) That would kinda suck. Some people just have something about them that draws you in and makes it difficult to look away. This evening, that type of person walked into the same venue where I had just finished an appointment. She had an elven princess look about her, and the synapses that control the creative portion of my brain immediately started conjuring possible photographic concepts centered around her particular look. Instead of running up to her and blurting out some strange version of "OMG! You've just inspired me," I finalized my client notes from the evening and began to pack up my things. I chit chatted with one of my favorite baristas, was rewarded with an unexpected “happy”, and prepared to head home and get started on the day’s client orders.



As I walked out through the front doors, and bid farewell to some of my favorite regulars, I happened to glace to my left. There sat the beautiful young lady and her mother enjoying their coffee. What to do? What to do?? I took a chance and walked over. I’m sure that I was stumbling over my words a bit in an attempt not to sound like the dreaded “creeper”, but I think I was fairly coherent. Had she ever considered modeling? While I’m not an agent, I would love to help her build a portfolio or simply create a photo session customized just for her. To my surprise, the mother informed me that the girl didn’t believe that she was as beautiful as the mom and I obviously did. I gave them my card, thanked them for allowing me to interrupt them, and left them to enjoy the rest of their evening. Whether they contact me or not is of little consequence. What matters to me most, in this instance, is that this young girl truly knows that she is gorgeous.



As women, I think we all tend to think less of ourselves and our worth than others think of us. Every girl should grow up believing in her own beauty, both inner and outer. As those girls get older and become women, we should continue to reinforce that knowledge. Each of us is wondrously and magnificently made.  

And a Little Bit Rock N Roll

Every day, every client, every session I strive to outdo myself from the time before. I live for the unattainable illusion that one day I might be able to perfect what I do so that it reaches the peak of excellence. Each day, each client, each session reminds me that I am always growing and learning to express, not just my own style and desires, but the desires of my clients and of my subjects. It's not unusual to do the pretty pictures with lots of romantic sensuality, but every once in a while I get asked to do something a little further out of the box. This was one of those sessions. This vixen is beautiful with porcelain skin, firey red hair, and a personality that will set you at ease and yet let you know who's really running the show all at the same time. Once she smiles, you instantly feel like her new best friend. But she also has a sexy side that's a bit hardcore. I had such a great time with this that I can't even write anymore. I'm just going to post one of the images and let your jaw drop as much as mine did when I saw it through the viewfinder. Rock and roll celebrity perfection...

Everyone loves a good story. Isn't that what photography is? We do our best to capture the moment with as much detail and emotion as possible in order to tell the stories of our lives. We chronicle memories. Every story has a beginning. Beginnings are the best because they're so full of hope and possibilities.

Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of helping one young girl with the beginning of her story. Her name is Mackenzie, and you may very well get to know the sound of her name as her story progresses. I am occasionally asked to do fashion, glamour, and headshot sessions in order for current models to build up and update their portfolios. This was the chance to build a portfolio from scratch. Mackenzie is just dipping her toes into the unkown waters of the modeling industry, but I don't think it will be too long before she's surfing it like a pro. You only have to speak with her for a few moments in order to feel the passion and determination that she has for modeling. My team and I are honored to help her begin this wonderful adventure, and I can't wait to see what amazing things that she accomplishes!

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.