Great start to the year | Atlanta Photographer

Welcome to week two of the new year. So, how’s it going so far? I’m doing well, in spite of what happened last week. In fact, I just had my first session of the year. This session was actually put into the works last month and I was so looking forward to it. It’s an excellent way to start off the year. My new friend/client Crystal was referred to me by a mutual friend. She has a special book project in the works and she needed an image for her book cover. That’s where I come in. She already knew what she wanted the cover to look like. This included having a special dress, makeup, and concept to convey what her book is about. It was so exciting to discuss with her and I couldn’t wait to bring it to fruition. As we talked about her project during the consultation, I felt like I had known her for a while. She has a very fun and easygoing personality which made it easy to get to know her and help her bring her idea to life. Since she’s still working on this major project, I won’t be sharing any of those images from the session. Sorry. All I can tell you is that it is a very personal and powerful story. How do I know? Because when Crystal was telling me about it, she stated that the fact that the project was coming to fruition made her really nervous. She has so much to say and I’m sure it will be something that many can relate to.

What I can show you are images I captured during the headshot portion of the session. You might be wondering if I actually do multiple types of sessions in one session and the answer is, no. This was a branding session because she needed to not only create images for her book cover but also branding images to help promote her and her book. Plus, she needed the author’s headshot on the back of the book. You know that is mandatory, especially if the book is about you. In addition to this, I was reunited with my favorite makeup artist, Jamecia of Beauty by Bowers. The last time we worked together was last October. By the way, if you need a wonderful MUA, contact Jamecia. 

When Crystal and her friend, Allenia arrived, we all had a great time introducing ourselves and chatting while Jamecia did her makeup. It turned out that we all are women who love to laugh and those are my favorite kind of people. Once Jamecia was done, the session began. First things first…we need lotion. I didn’t realize it until she put on her dress because when she arrived she was wearing an Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. sweatshirt. It was about 37 degrees that day and that kind of cold tends to dry out your skin. I don’t know about you but I keep lotion on hand just for occasions like this because I am not good at editing away ash. Besides, there are other things I would rather be doing than removing ash. Now that was taken care of, the session began. Crystal has such a sweet and fun spirit and that made it easy for me to capture the feeling that she wanted. She was great at taking and giving feedback to make sure I captured what she was looking for. I do hope that I will get the chance to photograph her again. If not, perhaps we’ll just meet up for lunch after the pandemic is over.

As with all my sessions, there was a lot of talking and laughing. There was even some music to help her relax. When in my home studio, I like to play music to enhance the ambiance. So, during the consultation, I ask what type of music they like. Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera so I try to make it as easy for them as possible. When we’re done, I want them to say that they enjoyed themselves and it didn’t even feel like a portrait session. I do believe that that goal was accomplished because we laughed the entire time. At the end of the session, Crystal was like, “We’re family now!” Below are a few of her headshots from the session. Can you tell which ones I captured after I made her laugh? I think she has such a beautiful smile. What do you think?

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.” ~ Richard Branson