Sneak Peek: Engagement Session!

Matt and Tiffanie are a wonderful couple who are getting married in July. (Yup, I will have the honor of photographing the nuptials also :-) ) We shot these engagement photos in an hour-long session one beautiful Sunday morning. It was so sweet to see how in love these two are, and capture these moments between them!

The prints are actually going to be used in their wedding reception as a unique backdrop behind their cake table... they are mounting the images to a summery white garden lattice and I thought that was such a creative idea I wanted to share it with everyone out there in cyberspace. (Since I'll be shooting the wedding, you can be sure I will post a pic of it, too! ;-) )

Decorating with photographs is a great idea, not only for a wedding but also within your home as well. Nothing quite expresses who you and your family are as well as collections of beautiful photographs. Be sure to check back and see a sneak peek of Tiffanie and Matt's wedding later this summer!

Be Striking. What does that mean?

I haven't done a personal philosophy post in a while, but I wanted to share this true story that has led me to embrace what it means to Be Striking.

My best friend from high school, Jessica, is absolutely beautiful inside and out. Of course, being beautiful on the inside was what made us BFFs, because she was always there for me, laughed with me, cried with me, got crazy with me (but kept me from going TOO crazy iykwim) :-)

But Jess was also a hottie. Really cute figure, fantastic glossy thick hair and - pay attention- lovely full lips that are just made for bright red lipstick. Angelina Jolie ain't got nuthin' on my friend Jess.

Now here's the thing... I cannot wear red lipstick to save my life. Seriously.

Oh, how I wanted to wear red lipstick the way Jess did! When Jess wore red lipstick, she looked polished and sexy and sophisticated. When I wore red lipstick, I just looked ridiculous and slightly creepy, like Heath Ledger's Joker.

I tried all the different shades but it didn't matter - red lipstick just looks awful on me. I was rather depressed about this until one day out of the blue Jess said to me, "Oh, I wish I could do that glowing natural look the way you do! When I try to do that, I just end up looking pale and washed out."

BOING! And that's when it dawned on me - all the time I'd been wishing I could wear red lipstick, Jessica was wishing that she could do natural. Neither style is 'better' than the other - we both had plenty of dates and boyfriends. When we went out clubbing, we had no shortage of guys wanting to dance with us.

So the moral of this story is to embrace who you are and how you look. Don't try to copy someone else's style, especially for your pictures. Find your own look, dress that way and do your makeup in a way that makes you feel like your most beautiful incredible self.

If you do that, I absolutely guarantee that you will truly...

Be Striking!

Sneak Peek: Dostals' Family Portrait!

It's been busy both personally and professionally here at Striking Photography! School ended for my children and summer activities began, my youngest had his birthday, and I've had several shoots over the last couple weeks. Hasn't left me much time for blogging! Happily, I am back to it and have fabulous sneak peeks of the sessions I've been shooting! Shooting this family portrait out in the beautiful gardens of the Arboretum last week was a real treat. The day dawned warm but cloudy, which actually is wonderful, flattering shooting light.

This shoot was a birthday gift for Joan from her family. (Hint-hint dear readers: most moms would totally dig a family portrait as a gift!) Sometimes family portraits can be a drag (we still did get up a bit on the early side - 8:30am for you later birds *wink*) but we just had fun wandering around the gardens and capturing poses wherever the mood seemed to fit!

No stress and no stiff awkward poses - one of the reasons I enjoy family shoots is that there are so many opportunities to capture genuine interaction between all the family members. My philosophy is that there definitely is a time and place for more 'formal' poses, but there is an equally important place for more candid and fun shots as well. I like to mix it up! :-)

The timing of our session ended perfectly too - not more than 5 minutes after we wrapped the shoot and said our goodbyes, the rain started POURING! Beautiful work, Dostal Family! :-)

If you are interested in having your family's portraits taken, feel free to call Striking Photography at 913.602.8061 or visit our website: http://www.strikingphotography.org/!

Hope to see you soon!