Where are you locateD?
I personally live in Gulf Breeze, the tiny little beach town that houses the iconic Pensacola Beach, Florida. You have to drive through my little corner of paradise in order to get out onto the island! I love to work anywhere in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties, including Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Navarre, and of course, Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze.
What makes You Different?
This is such a great question! You can throw a rock nowadays and hit 10 INCREDIBLY TALENTED photographers. Most are self taught, most are natural light, and most classify themselves as Lifestyle...and I do too. However, I got my start in photography a looong time ago with *classic portraiture*. I know all about the "rules" in photography, I know about what the human eye is drawn to and why in composition, and I know that showing the bottoms of your shoes is a turn-off, haha! Basically, with me, you'll get the best of both worlds--casual, relaxed imagery that still includes some good old fashioned classic portraits as well...you know, the ones Grandma wants for her piano top!
can you photoshop that?!
The short answer is yes. I've spent two decades inside Photoshop and at this point, with the inclusion of AI technology there is verrrrry little I can't do to a photograph, and I can handle whatever needs to be done to make an image what I want it to be. The long answer is more complicated though. While I can nip-tuck and edit you to within an inch of your life, I deeply value celebrating you for who you REALLY are. I promise you, your grandkids want to look back at photos of YOU, not someone you wished you were. You are absolutely beautiful the way you are and the right photographer will make you feel that.
So-- can I take out that goose egg your kiddo got literally getting into the car on the way to the session? Yes Mama, don't sweat it. Can I remove every wrinkle that has ever thought about popping up on your face? Nah, sis. You're stunning!!!!!
What if my kids are wild??
Ha, so, they're kids?
Seriously, I love kids. I have two of my own (that are stinky teens now!) and I have spent so, so much time with children of all ages, there's very little that can scare me off! Wild is actually super fun to photograph, in my opinion! I can keep up with high-energy, I am patient with stand-off-ish, we can work around sleepy or sad, etc. I photograph YOU, and I photograph your kids, and I promise you those serious glares they give me for a few frames just miiiiight be your favorite photos of them in 10 years as you remember back to the "perpetually suspicious" stage and miss it a little. It's all ok, it's going to be great, I promise!!
What happens if it rains/I'm sick/You're sick?
Rain is an unavoidable part of living and working in Florida, and at this point I think I qualify as a meteorologist, I swear. A rain chance less than 40% is generally not an issue, especially on the beach. Over 40%, we'll stay in pretty frequent contact leading up to the morning of your session and make a call then. If we need to reschedule, there's no penalty and we'll work out a new date.
If you or I come down sick, the same applies, we will find a new date for your session.
All other reschedules need to be communicated at least 24 hours prior to have your deposit applied to a new date! Within 24 hours, deposit is forfeit and a new retainer will be charged. A lot of planning goes into our sessions together, and no shows make me sad.
Sunrise or sunset?
Apples or oranges? Both are fruit, but with a wildly different color scheme and vibe, right? This will be part of our consultation conversations, because we need to pick the best time of day for your family as far as kids schedules and such. From a lighting standpoint and my personal opinion, the 30 minutes after sunrise are just unmatched. It's a natural beauty filter, you're up and ready to go with the rest of the day ahead of you, everyone is running on a full night's sleep, it's great!
You can't go wrong with a glowy sunset either though! There's a warmth at sunset, especially on the beach, that is dreamy, and you have plenty of time to get dressed and ready without rushing, or having to get up super early.
See? Preference ;) we'll find yours!
Can you copy this pinterest photo?
Hmmm....this one is touchy. I could hop on a soapbox about ethics in photography, but the shorter answer is: No.
Now, I LOVE to have you look at Pinterest and send me photos that stand out to you. I don't do that, however, to copy them, I do it to analyze what kind of images make you feel something. Do you love the editorial feel? Are you swooning over the way he's looking at her? Does the monochromatic atmosphere speak to you? We can match a vibe, but I'm photographing you and what makes you unique. If you just LOVE a pose, we can use it as a base and make it our own, but since my style includes a lot of movement and connection, and I have my own style, it won't be an exact replica.
On time or early?
A little bit early, please! Pensacola is a hopping little city sometimes--and events and unexpected issues do pop up that can make you run late for your session. I completely get it, but I will-since we're talking about it--ask that you try to get there a little early to account for that. Natural/sun lighting is an unforgiving light source, and when it's gone or no longer optimal, the only option is switching gears pretty hard to artificial light or rescheduling. I want you to have a full session's worth of great photos with exactly the look we planned on, so please do your best to make sure we're ready to go at our planned start time!
What should we wear?
I have a style guide for this! It includes basic tips for choosing a color palette, how to layer textures, and more. I'm always available for a consult too! Here's the link to that guide: **coming soon!**
can i post on socials?
Yes pleeeeeease!! My few requests are:
- Please tag me! Your endorsement of my work goes a loooong way in supporting my business and helping future clients choose me as their photographer. I appreciate it so much, I can't even adequately express it.
- Don't edit your photos in any way. No filters, no cropping (Instagram's square/matching crop shenanigans is the only exception, I get that), etc. My work and the brand that my images represent are a product of both the photography and the editing style together, and each element is a carefully chosen and deliberate. Changing my images in any way makes them unrecognizable as mine or inconsistent to my brand, and that hurts my business. As much as these are photographs of YOUR family, and I do honor and respect that, they are my work, a product of my heart, and legally mine. Thank you SO much for protecting the integrity of my photographs, it means the WORLD to me.
**Note: if, in any way you are unhappy with an edit to one or more of your photographs, let me know. We can talk about it/work toward a resolution!**
Do you post on socials?
If you are okay with it, yes!! I fully respect your choice to control your online presence. Having your images included in my marketing materials is part of my contract, but is a clause you can opt out of. There are absolutely no hard feelings if that's what you choose!
Did I miss your question?
Send it to me here:
