As your photographer, I know I make you (my client) sign all sorts of contracts. Parts of them are directed towards me but most of the contracts are to clarify things for you and make you promise all sorts of things (such as show up for your scheduled photoshoot – so difficult I know haha) Anyways, I’ve decided to make a few promises of my own to all my present and future clients. Trust me, there are a lot more things I try to do, but these are a couple that stood out to me.
– I promise I will strive my best to make you laugh. Honestly, the cutest, best pictures are when you’re naturally smiling and having a good time. I may be overly corny & dorky, but hey. If it gets you smiling, I’m doing it right.
– I promise I will never say anything I don’t mean. If I say that you’re pretty or handsome or that your eyes are stunning, you better believe it! Be confident when you’re in front of my camera – it makes a difference!
– I promise I will always pay attention to details. The clasp of your necklace is showing? I spotted it. You got the outline of your massive smart phone showing through your pants pocket? Let me hang on to that for you instead. — It’s o.k. Your kid’s got a snot bubble…. I’ll let you get that! 😉 jk! Germs help build my immune system anyways. It’s my job to be on top of these things. Might not be perfect, but I do my best.
– I promise I will always be open to suggestions. Don’t be afraid to speak up! You spotted a spectacular location? Don’t be afraid to tell me. Do you have a “good side” of your face you’d rather pose on? I totally get it! (My left side’s my good side haha!) Do you want to try a certain pose or angle? There’s no harm in trying – I’ll be sure to let you know if you look silly or not. In my opinion, two minds are better than one. Together we can find your natural groove, and, as a result, produce some of the best pictures ever!
– I promise I will never over-pose you. You know those photographers that want to pose their seniors like “high-fashion” models? –Yeah. I won’t do that. Natural is best & natural is timeless. Besides, I don’t want to be liable for someone pulling a muscle. 😉
– I promise I will NEVER ever make you look plastic. (Can you tell this is a big peeve of mine??) I despise making my models and clients look like they stepped fresh off the barbie-press. Sure, you might have a little bit of an acne problem or a scratch you want covered up, but I like making it look like it was never there – not look like I just dipped your face in liquid plastic. The point is to get people to admire you in the picture and the event or moment I’m capturing and not to draw away from the true subject by bizarre edit-jobs, overly-edited skin, etc. etc.
– Lastly, I promise I will always put my whole heart and soul into every shoot I do. I love what I do so why wouldn’t I want to?? My career as a photographer didn’t begin with the pursuit of money or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow haha! It started with a passion to create unique pictures and to take moments (the hilarious, the romantic, the dorky – you name it!) and freeze them for generations to come. I bought my first little, point n’ shoot camera when I was twelve, my dad bought me my first semi-pro camera when I was a sophomore in high school as party of my art class, and then I shot my first paid gig (my best friend’s senior portraits) when I was a junior in high school. Even though I kept shooting on the side, I went to college for accounting because I thought I couldn’t make photography a living. Fast forward two years into college and 10k+ thrown away on half a degree I won’t ever use (*sigh*)… I took a “breather year” to give photography a go since I was noticing things were starting to pick up. Now, after a lot of long hours and passion-driven motivation, here I am! Every time I get my camera out, I do my best to improve my product and my client experience. I’ve spent over a decade mastering my craft, so of course I want to use all that knowledge to create portraits for you that will stand out! I want you to have a few semi-quirky pictures loaded with belly-laughs & candids alongside natural moments & personality-packed portraits that embody who you are as a person, as a couple, or as a family! I always try my best at every session & wedding to give you the best pictures I’ve ever taken up to that point. THAT is my daily goal as your photographer.
P.S. Believe it or not, I lit my self-portrait above with a strobe in my studio and absolutely zero natural light. If you’d like naturally-lit portraits in-studio don’t hesitate to ask! 🙂