Simple, Timeless, Modern, Authentic, and Empowering Photos
Earlier this year, I spent the time pouring through my recent sessions and thinking about the feelings I wanted my photos to evoke to viewers and clients. These five words are what I landed on to specifically describe my photography style and here’s why:
Simple
I want my subject to be the main event. This is one of the reasons that I switched from photographing outdoor sessions and moved them into my studio; I wanted to take away all of the props and distractions of the environment and shine the attention and emotion back onto my subjects.
Timeless
There is a classic and timeless quality that I feel automatically comes with photographing in a studio, but I also aim for my photos to move away from photography trends and bring more toward a comfortable familiarity. I want the images I take to last for lifetimes and decades. And may the only comical things about my photos be the hair and clothing styles. Ha!
Modern
Just because my sessions now happen in a studio, this is not your stereotypical Olan Mills photo shoot. Nope! I take my modern use of color, emotion and angles and create images that aren’t overly posed, stuffy and inauthentic to my subjects.
Authentic
My goal is to produce honest and true-to-self images that bring out the realness in all of my clients. I want to show off the characteristics that make people into themselves, the interactions between family members, the connection between couples. My desire is to capture realistic portrayals of my subjects and move away from overly processed and unrealistic interpretations of life.
My photography perspective has shifted toward this theme of authenticity since becoming a mother. I know what my day-to-day with my two kids looks like and I would love for my own family photos to also capture these moments; the good and the wild. Sure, I want the photo of them smiling and looking at the camera. But I also want the one of my three year old son squatting down to hoist his squishy two year old sister up onto the stool. I want to document this for myself and also for my clients.
Empowering
This is my favorite quality of my work! If I had to narrow all of my desires for my photography down to one thing, empowerment is it!
I want my clients to feel confident, brave, strong, self-expressive, and inspired during their session and after when they look back at their photo gallery. My hope is for the young woman booking a headshot session with me to proudly present her photos to future employers with a stance of confidence in her abilities; for the mother seeking to have “one good photo” with her children to view her images with a sense of strength and inspiration to nurture her family for another day; for the great grandaughter to show off the photo of her great grandmother as a nod to her own personality, characteristics, and raw beauty; for the viewer to pause and say “yes, this is a stunning portrait that captures the truest essence of who she is.”
