So what's the top question I get asked as a photographer?

Come on- take a guess first!

Let me specify- top question from women?!

Ok.

It's the awkward, self conscious, laughable, "Can you make me skinny?"

And I'm serious.

We, as ladies, feel the pressure to look fabulous, and up to magazine like standards often, especially in a photograph that's going to hang in a large size for all to see in our homes! And I'll be the first to admit, if you're going to freeze me for a moment in time and plaster it up for the world to see, I want to look good! I don't want to be having a crappy hair day, I don't want to be in my bummy clothes, and I don't really need you to showcase the awful side profile I get when I laugh really hard. And, fair enough, no one wants to have a 30x40 of their double chin, their accidental muffin top from sitting on the floor, or a squished thigh from squatting down. I get it!

So- does that mean I can make you skinny? Well, first off, no, I'm not going to do that simply on principal. You are who you are, be proud of that, and if I did this for everyone who asked, I would even be taking 5' 10'' 120 pound ladies and sucking them in. You crazy, crazy girls! Plus, if I did grant your wish, it's going to be even more awful when people realize we've manipulated you and that's not really what you look like in real life!

BUT! Here's what I will do for you, it's what I like to refer to as, "taking good care of you."

First off, I'm going to make you "skinny" on site. And when I say skinny, I simply mean I'm going to pose you, no matter what size or shape you are (children and Dads included!) in a way that flatters your body! I'm going to remind you to not hunch over, cross your legs, turn to the side... We know for a fact we all come in many shapes and sizes and we can rock all of them!!

The picture below is a perfect example of this tactic, and it's so easy! A lot of people think they know what looks good and, to be honest, people do the silliest things when they get in front of the camera. Girls start to give odd "cutesy" smirks, they get into what they think is a flattering pose, and most of the time, it's actually accentuating parts of your body in an unflattering way. Does this mean you're doomed? No. We simply just rethink the pose and get you in something that's going to now accentuate you in all the right places!

The next thing I am going to do and NEVER tell you I did it is, again, "take good care of you" during my editing process. Why do I do this and when do I do this? Well, the last few years have taught me what to look out for, and I make minor changes when I think it will help you appreciate your photo for the moment it captured. People don't like double chins. They don't like awkward bulges. And I understand that, but as a lifestyle photographer, and taking images that are not perfectly posed all the time and are sometimes captured genuinely in the moment, you can't plan around these things, and I have seen people turn away beautiful, intimate moments between their family in a frame due to the fact that 1 person was not happy with how they looked because of a bulge or itty bity imperfection. Again, us ladies LOVE to pick ourselves apart!

When you come to a session with me I want you to be comfortable during your photo process and not be afraid to be yourself, interact, and just enjoy the moment. I don't want you living in fear of what "bad angle" you might create in the process.

I'm NOT making this post to tell you I'm all about changing people, or making them into a standard America has created. I will be the first to say over processed people look ridiculous and fake. I simply want to install comfort in you and allow you to be who you are during your session with me and know, as I guarantee you, that before, during, and after your session, I will be her to "take good care of you!" So laugh hard, sit comfortably, and let life happen!