embracing your inner skinny girl

It's the holidays. EVERYONE wants to take your photo, they want a family photo, they want the WHOLE family in the photo. You can't get out of it. And you don't want to be in front of the camera because you never look good, right?
I'm not assuming this about you, it's just what I'm told by you over, and over, and over again. 
"I look bad, I look old, I have 3 chins, I'm too fat."
Lies. 
I'm sorry, but even the littlest of girls have an inner fat girl. Even the youngest among us have creases and skin that moves. We're human. That's how bodies work. I'm pretty petite and I'll tell you what, catch me when I'm not looking and I can sprout jowls, 2 chins, and all kinds of neck rolls. 
Don't believe me? Let me show you. 

And while you look at all my imperfections see how I teach YOU how to avoid it all!

You don't need awesome light, and you don't need to lose 20 pounds. You just need to be aware of your body! Every session I do I spend time to make sure every pose my beautiful ladies get into flatters them, because I'm not relying on photoshop to turn them in to someone they aren't. I just need to help them move their body in a way that says, "I'm confident, I look good, watch me work."
The following photos were taken with my cell phone in my bathroom. Nothing fancy. 
They were NOT edited (only background stuff was removed.) The quality is below average because I want to show you what REAL life looks like, and what SIMPLE tricks can be done to make a HUGE difference in real life without a professional posing you. I have my girls tell me all the time when looking at their final photos- "Oh my gosh- photoshop does wonders!" No... NO! This is YOUR body, just like it is EVERY DAY, just being demanded by me to look it's best for you.
Now it's your turn to demand it.

When we're comfortable we tend to sink in to our own bodies. Our shoulders curl in, our chins drop, and our necks relax. Yay for several chins and a sleepy looking face. 
Now- roll your shoulders back, make your neck tall, and pop that chin out. You look more vibrant, younger, and better posture will give you better confidence. Try it!

Oh- you're comfortable? Good for you and YAY for neck rolls!
Now- elongate the neck and stick your chin down. Good. Instant slimming. 

Hey, what's down there? Are you reading, are you just sitting? Are you comfortable? Good, because everyone else is wondering- Jesus, with those jowls did you fall asleep and not wake up for 10 years!? Make that neck long and pop that chin! Instant facelift! Hold your head high- literally and figuratively! It looks good on you!

Know your body, be confident, and hold your head high. 

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Want to see more tips and tricks on how to slim down your whole body? Check out my body transformation story and how I changed my appearance almost instantly!

2015 recap

Two Thousand Fifteen. 
Where do I begin?

All these beautiful, unique, life changing squares before me. 

My gosh. Every single one holds a face that has made me in to the artist, photographer, and person I am at this very moment, after another full long year of connecting with people through squares and rectangles that define who they are in just 1 moment of time.

   The beginning of 2015 started out with snow, love, pin ups, and models. I got to photograph people in the first few months of this year that would become friends of mine, have babies, get married, go on to be successful in their careers, win awards… Every person in those first squares are so much more than faces to me when I look back.

   At the very beginning of March my husband, Jake, and I went to Las Vegas for the biggest Photo Expo in, possibly, the world, WPPI. On the plain ride home I exploded a small notebook with ideas, inspiration, things I wanted to change, and ideas I wanted to create. That’s when The Revolution was born.

   Around May I took about 1 1/2 months off of work. I go through phases with my art, like we all do in life, but at that point I had realized that, if I didn’t make a change NOW I wasn’t going to be able to make that HUGE jump in to the art that I've always been drawn to, that really makes me happy and keeps me feeling alive. I had to make a cut in the timeline, so I disappeared for a bit. 

   You will see a lot of little squares that are of me this year. It’s not because I love myself that much but I find that inverting inwards helps me understand situations better. Sometimes I find messages to myself in my work before I’m even fully aware there’s a message to be found. Through my self-portraits I pushed past what I was comfortable with, what I thought I knew, and started over. I let go of what was holding me back and pushed towards what made me happy. I found myself outside more, exploring more, and having a better understand of what actually made me happy when it came to creating for others. 

   From that time The Pillow and The Pond and Floating through the Veil was born, as was another piece I am still waiting to release. 

   After that the squares starts to shift back to everyone else. The people who keep my art alive- you.
We did so many gorgeous seniors, hot bridal boudoir, families, even a few babes! We got to experience being with hundreds of people for weddings, big commercial shoots, I even climbed 100 feet up in to a giant Michigan Sequoia to get some shots of climbers. You rolled around in leaves, climbed up and down hills with us, got sassy with an old retro truck, sun gazed, and threw around flour. You laid in ponds, jumped on trampolines in sweaty haunted buildings, and stuck antlers in your hair.

   You made 2015 beautiful, truly, unremarkably beautiful. And I thank you for that. Over and over and over again.

   Here’s to another years of beauty, stories, and fairytales brought to life.

Tomboy crosses over in to a fairytale at sunset- St. Clair High School Senior photo shoot

   Jordan has an eye for seeing beauty in the things many other people might not, like rusted out jeeps, overgrown greenhouses, tall grass, and crumbling tree forts.
   I photographed her brother 2 years ago, so I was really, really excited when her mom (who is just a little, bubbly, hysterical ball of sunshine in a petite package) called me to say she was coming back to me with her daughter!
   When we met in the studio to talk over what she was envisioning she told me her boyfriend’s family has a ton of property with a TON of stuff on it, and then proceeded to draw a little map for us. Let the treasure hunt begin. Oh, and horses, they have horses!
   This gorgeous tomboy had decided on jeans and flannel, what you can usually find her in while riding, a couple of cute tops, and then, a dress, because, why not!? This was my first clue she was hiding something under those t-shirts and yoga pants.
   My assistant and I pulled up and hopped on the deck, which towered over everything we had been told about, and more. It was a rusted out playground for us. I’ll take rust, rot, and chipping paint any day over perfection, it’s totally over rated.
   Jordan can definitely keep up with the boys, which I dig, but… this rough and tough girl gets in front of my lens and I just watch these layers of what I thought I knew about her melt away. Once hair and makeup was done we dove in, hopped on top of the Jeep, and started to shoot with the sun pouring in from behind. Her eyes told me she secretly wasn’t afraid. She knew how to move, she knew what I would be looking for before I even said it. I’m certain in that exact moment, a model was born, or had been hiding and waiting for this exact moment to bust out. Sometimes we just need an excuse to release a different side of us.
   Next we headed back towards a tiny cabin in the woods. You want to know what a true life fairytale looks like? Drive a few miles back in to the woods with a pretty girl, put her on a golden horse, and watch as the sun sets behind the trees off in the distance. There came a point where Taylor and I had to physically peel ourselves away from everything so we could pack up and go. I could have photographed Jordan for hours.
   Cant’ you see why?

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Check Out Our Full Senior Gallery!

For Some More Country Outdoor Style Check Out Delaney's Session!

For More Beauties With Their Horses Check Out Madison's Photoshoot!

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Fashion Photo-shoot with Algonac High School Senior

1 beautiful Senior girl, 8 rockin' outfits, 2 photo-shoots, and a HUGE collection of gorgeous shots that make your jaw drop. 
Meet Zoe. I met her Mom last year when I was photographing at a womne's retreat. She mentioned maybe we would be able to work together for her daughter's Senior pictures, and she kept that promise. Thank god! I can't imagine missing out on ALL this! 
We had a blast. The first day we met to plan everything we knew we were going to have to break the shoot up in to 2 different projects because she came with 8 outfits, none of which we could part with. 
Normally, most people can only pull off a certain look but Zoe could pull it all off. A baggy sweatshirt, and oversized cardigan, a sassy dress, crop tops, boots, heels... Man! 
So we started our adventures in the Summer, on a crazy day with down pouring rain, and vicious winds. But it made for the best sunset, and her hair dancing literally made me, my assistant, and her mom yell and jump up and down at how amazing everything was coming together.  
Imagine being on a cliffside, waves crashing, the deep blue water crystal clear for as far as your eye can see, your model just working her beauty, and the wind comes up on set, blows her dress, whips her hair and you get the shot. If it sounds perfect, that's because it was perfect. 
See for yourself. 

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Check Out Our Full Senior Gallery!

For more Downtown Beauty Check Out Marissa's Photoshoot!

If You Like The Studio Look Check out Logan's Fun Senior Session!

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