Settling in to this long weekend with FUN on the agenda. Our town hosted a local wine/art walk yesterday and the weather cooperated to make it a very festive day. It was a pleasure to meet local Oregon winemakers, and finally meet Insta-friends IRL.
The Self Portrait Studio is in full swing with a lineup of powerful guest speakers and the members sitting for their very first session this week. As we continue with the curriculum together we will also kick off the 8-week challenge of curated prompts - and I'll be sharing sneak peeks soon.
Our photo session calendar is filling up nicely with several projects ranging from branding images to working with some truly stellar interior designers for Domino and Apartment Therapy. Most will be shot virtually but I do have travel planned for a few, can't wait to take you behind the scenes!
SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK'S GOODIES
Spotlight.
Abby is one of those rare people who can make you feel special simply for existing. She has a singular ability to make you feel safe, enough, and celebrated. As a member of the Self Portrait Studio we've always admired her vibrant warmth and ability to light up any space. We praised her for it and rewarded her with love for how she made us feel...until we began to question why. That was the challenge round when we explored a photo prompt called Masculine Edge. The parameters for that self-portrait session were: take up space in the frame, resist the urge to smile, to put on a facade or be pleasing. Simply claim space and let the camera do the rest. It was challenging for everyone who had previously relied on a megawatt smile to light up the frame and on their ability to make other feel good. It asked the members to think of themselves first. Abby rose to the occasion, moving through the discomfort into new territory and explored a new side of herself. Here is Abby's journey, in her own words. →
Focus.
Long weekend vibes.
Develop.
Everyone wants to show off their latest DIY project and space on Instagram these days. Get our top tips to getting the best images out of your mobile phone camera.
Extra.
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Tone.
Weekly visual inspiration and mood boards.
A departure from my usual mood boards. This week I'm sharing a peek into my personal inspiration stash with items and images influencing everything from style to food, home interiors to self portraits. I'm feeling drawn to the opulence and warmth of darker homes these days and loving the end of light & bright images. I'm here for all the naturally lit photos making a splash in my feed. Also feeling drawn to the quiet confidence of these portraits and sharing a few items I'm also on the hunt for vintage versions of. What do you think? What's on your mood board this week?
Photographers Choice.
Extra flair for your week. Click below to visit. xoxo L. Have you met Lone Fox? We love Drew's highly curated online shop for home goods.
How to care for yourself if you have seasonal depression. (Good for PNW friends)
Here for the New Prep Aesthetic.
Excited for Ruth Reichl's documentary.
Slow-cooked Pickled Pulled Pork Tacos - you're welcome.
LOVE this Superbowl ad campaign.
The staircase in this California home.
Julian Lennon’s photographs are a love song.
Q's.
Have a question? Sunday Stories subscribers may submit them here.
Q. I'm wondering what program you use to send your photography contracts and what service you use for emails, they are so pretty!
A. Well first of all thank you! I'm tickled pink to hear you love these emails and am happy to share my resources with you. I've been almost evangelical about the magic ofFlodesk for years now. Once I realized my resistance to sending emails was tied to needing a better aesthetic and user experience, I made a beeline to sign up and haven't looked back. Click here to get 50% off your subscription, you won't regret it.
Regarding managing client contracts, I use a combination of Flodesk and Unscripted App for photographers. I tried Honeybook and Dubsado but found them too time consuming to maintain. With Unscripted I'm able to easily update a client contract and share it with them to sign electronically. The app alerts me when the contract has been signed. Easy Peasy.
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