On Location Retro Pinup Session in Middle River, Maryland

Vintage outfits and the retro pinup look are so much fun! I loved every minute of this fantastic session on the beach in Middle River, Maryland.

The key to a great pinup look is to make sure your hair and makeup match the traditional 50's look.

Am I the only person who goes weak in the knees when I see a vintage parasol? I try not to buy them. I really do.

You can usually find nice vintage bathing suits on Etsy, but there are new suits with retro style almost every where. I saw a lot of cute vintage looking suits at Target last year.

Make up and hair by Tattooed Brookie
Model - Tattooed Brookie

Why Photographers Want to Schedule Early and Late On Location Sessions

As a photographer, I can work with less than ideal light, absolutely awful light, or even no light at all. I can use studio lighting and modifiers to enhance or add light. I can pose you so that midday sun doesn't affect the quality of the portrait. However, the look of early morning and evening light is so beautiful. Skin glows as if it is lit from within. The sun's light seems to caress hair. Photographers call the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset the "Golden Hour" because the sun's light is truly golden.

If you'd like to be sure your on location session has beautiful light, ask about scheduling an early morning or evening session. During the summer, I'm recommending starting sessions between the hours of 6:30 am and 9:00 am or 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm to take advantage of the best light.

Of course, if you can't book your session during those times, I still will be absolutely thrilled to create some beautiful images for you, either in studio or on location!

Easy Floral Crown Tutorial for DIY Brides

Floral crowns were a big wedding trend for last year's brides and are still pretty popular this year, especially for spring and summer ceremonies. You can buy a lovely handmade crown on Etsy, but they are pretty easy to make on your own, too.

To do this quick and easy DIY project, you will need:
- Several bunches of artificial flowers (I got mine from the dollar store - enough to make 3 crowns for $7.)
- Heavy florist's wire
- Hot glue
- Florist's tape

Simply bend some heavy florist's wire into a circle that is big enough to fit nicely on your head. Then, pull the flowers off of the artificial stems they are attached to. If any of the flowers seem like them will fall apart now that they are off the stem, secure them with hot glue. Arrange the flowers in a pleasing design. I went with a half circle of flowers for the first crown and a 3/4 circle for the second. The third has a few flowers spaced evenly around the crown.

Once you are happy with your design, glue the flower that will be on the center front of the crown into place on your wire circle. Glue a flower to each side. Continue until all the flowers are attached to the circle.

Step back and take a good look at your crown. If it looks great, you are ready to wrap the exposed wire portion of the crown with florist's tape to make it look finished. If not, add more flowers between the ones already glued into place.

How easy was that? And it only cost a few dollars!

Maryland Creative Beauty Portrait Session - Stream in the Woods

This is part three of a styled beauty shoot in Harford County, Maryland. When you pair a talented dancer with graceful hands and a gorgeous location, you get magic. I'm usually all about props and accessories to help enhance the story of a creative session, but they weren't needed here. I loved the serene awesomeness of this session.

Creative Musical Cecil County Maryland Senior Portrait Session

I love working with creative juniors and seniors to create amazing senior portrait sessions that highlight who they are. Fashionista? Musician? Star lacrosse player? Together, we can create a senior portrait session that is nothing like the cookie cutter school portraits being offered. First, I'll ask some questions to help you decide what you want your session to be about. Then, I'll help you choose a wardrobe and the right accessories. To pull everything together, I will create an inspiration board that reflects your interests and helps me plan your shoot.

I offer on location senior portraits in Cecil and Harford County, Maryland, Delaware and the Oxford, Pennsylvania area. Not sure whether you have an amazing location like this near you? I'll let you in on a little secret. It is just a bend in a little trail in a tiny hiking area up the street from my studio and looks completely underwhelming at first glance. I can find something pretty about almost any location!

 

What to Wear for Spring Portrait Sessions - Wardrobe Ideas for Family Portraits

Part of every successful portrait session is wardrobe styling. It can be really overwhelming to put together outfits for an entire family, so I like to provide some tips when you book your session. My biggest tip? You don't have to be matchy matchy any more. Pick a shirt, dress or skirt with a pattern or design you love and build the rest of the outfits around this piece. (Or if you want to hang portraits in a specific room, use that room's inspiration piece as your color wheel!)

Still not sure where to start? I've discovered some awesome guides on what to wear that have some great wardrobe options for families. Here's a perfect option for spring clothing for a family portrait. Pink, Kelly green and a great navy blue. The polka dot pattern of the little girl's skirt carries through to the older girl's belt and the inside of her sweater. (The skirt is the foundation piece for the entire wardrobe. Note how all the other garments match the colors in this cute little number!)

If you literally want this selection, you can shop Gap, Old Navy and Piperlime for the different pieces. However, I'd encourage you to make the look your own so you feel your best. So, if mom loves dresses, a pretty pink or green number would be amazing. If dad is positive he won't feel right in pink, he can choose to add a touch of green to his outfit instead.

Need more help with your family's wardrobe? Just ask. I am more than happy to help with wardrobe selection!

Fun Portrait Session in Harford County Maryland - Red Parasol in the Woods

I adore the simple beauty of a single prop, an elegant dress and a lovely woman in a natural setting. When I saw this parasol, I knew immediately that it was a perfect addition to my prop closet. I was right. It really helped create the perfect images for this fun portrait session in Harford County, Maryland.

Props like this parasol give people something to do with their hands and enhance the overall feel of a photo.

Another lovely, simple portrait with the parasol.

I like to be sure to capture some images without props in each location, too. It adds variety to the image gallery.

Of course, your surroundings are pretty much one giant prop bin. This tree got a lot of use and was the basis for a lot of gorgeous images. This is one of my favorite from this part of the session.

Want to see more of Aura in this Harford County area creative shoot? I blogged the red balloon portion of this session the other day.