|
I hope you all had a safe new years! I got to spend time with family and we played card games and ate lots of food! I'm still trying to recover! anyway! I thought I would share with yall what I bring to a portrait session over the years my camera bag and supplies have changed quite a bit! When I first started doing photo shoots I would bring literally everything, my tripod(which I legit never used lol), all the lenses that came in my kit, all the colored filters, whatever I had I brought, not knowing exactly what I was going to need. I started to down size the more I got comfortable with all my gear but it still felt like a lot because the camera bag I had purchased was so heavy I hated carrying it. NOW: I still like to bring a lot of my gear with me because I don't wanna miss out on an opportunity to capture something amazing! but it's still not as much as what i used to carry, so whats in my camera bag? First and foremost my camera bag is from House of Flynn, https://www.thehouseofflynn.com/  absolutely my favorite companies for camera bags! they are a little pricey but so worth it! their stylish, comfortable, spacious, and extremely durable! next of course is my camera, I shoot with a canon 6D Mark, what I really love about this camera is the fact that it shoots full frame and the quality of the photos is so clear and beautiful! I have only been using this camera for a few months because I upgraded from the canon Eos t6, as much as I loved this camera the 6d mark II is truly an upgrade and I have been so happy with the results, this camera has improved my work so much and I can't wait to see the growth I make with this upgrade! the next thing I bring with me is a few different lenses, I shoot with a canon 85mm f/1.2, one of my absolute go-tos for portraits, and I bring my 50 mm f/1.8 lens for a large frame than my 85. with my lenses I love to have my macro filters that just screw onto the front of my 85 mm lens. these are amazing for detail shots, this way I have the best of both worlds and now I don't have to carry macro lenses as well! I also bring a lease tulip to help block the sun flares, I love to use this in harsh lighting and it fits perfectly in my bag! the next thing in my bag is SD cards, I have little containers that I purchased off amazon to hold them but they fit perfectly in the front pocket of my camera bag. I carry about 6-7 SD cards for extra back up! you can never have too much storage and I always make sure that I have those extra cards because I know I always used to forget the cards I used from a previous shoot still plugged into my computer so showing up to a photoshoot without SD cards would be a terrible situation for all of us. a few other things I like to bring with me are the visitor mini flash, its super light weight and fits right in my camera bag anytime I might need a little extra light. as well as a lens and screen cleaning kit, I always clean my lens before a session just in case there is any smudges or finger prints!  I usually drive myself to my sessions so I keep my reflector and my step stool in my truck so I don't have to carry them back and forth, and knowing me, I am always rushing to get out the door so I always forget things, those both fit perfectly in my trunk so I just keep them there! https://www.amazon.com/IV-Wireless-Speedlite-Fujifilm-Panasonic/dp/B00PGTOX26/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1546745300&sr=8-3&keywords=yongnuo+speedlite+yn560  Depending on certain sessions I will also bring my flash, if I know I will be shooting in low lighting I will bring along my Yongnuo speedligh YN560 II flash with me. This flash I also just purchased right off of amazon and it works wonders! I've had it for about 3-4 years, I don't used it very often so its basically brand new! along with my flash I make sure to bring a couple spare sets of rechargeable batteries. I always try to come as prepared as possible so having back up batteries is a great thing! Lastly, I typically like to bring along my laptop and portable external hard drive, especially when I'm traveling because then I can edit wherever I am! or if I do a collaboration with another photographer or business I am able to transfer photos to them and vice versa! always a great tool to have on the go! Photographers!! what do you bring to your sessions??! let me know in the comments below! Until Next Time!
-XoXo, Jess Lauren
0 Comments
Happy Monday y’all! And happy New Years eye!! I thought about writing out a long list of things wouldn’t mind having as a new year resolution BUT I know I probably won’t stick to any of them haha SO I figured I would just tell ya what I hope to work on in the new year!  #1. Being that I continue to grow my business. I absolutely adore what I do and making people feel beautiful and comfortable in front of the camera is something I’ve worked really hard at. I always want to make my clients feel like they are family! Like they can come to me for questions and concerns! I see my business as more of a family for me because I create relationships with them and want to continue working with them and want them to want to bring their friends with to join my photography family! It’s fun for me to take portraits everyday and wish I did it more! I want this to be something I continue to do for the rest of my life! And bringing more people into my photography family would make that possible! So continuing to grow my business is definitely at the top of my list for what I want to work on next year #2. Is to do more traveling. I feel like I find a comfortable spot and never leave. I am okay with comfortability and I want to explore and see more of this beautiful earth God created! I have so many ideas for potential photography projects and I hope to do them all and traveling would help to make that happen #3. I hope to make more time for myself as an individual. Just take time to enjoy my life and enjoy the blessings I have in my life. I deserve a break to breathe from the craziness of my life. I sometimes forget that taking time to self reflect and just relax without worrying about what I have to get done and what my plans are coming up. And that takes a toll on a person so focusing on myself and giving myself time to just unwind and just let my body relax is something I really need to work on #4. Of course we all have this one but going along with giving myself time, I just want to really work on taking care of myself and start eating healthy again. I told myself that I wouldn’t say this was a New Years resolution because I never stick to them so started a few days early to trick my mind into saying it’s not something I’m doing for the time being but something I want do forever! I want make that life style change for not only for my physical health but also for my mental health. When I eat healthier, I have a clearer brain. I think better, I plan better, and of course I preform better so this is a change that I hope sticks this time because I know I’ll be so much happier.  What are you wanting to work on in the new year?? I would love to know!! Comment down below! Xoxo, Jess Lauren
This sweet little family is one that I hold very close to my heart. I've know Maija for a little while now because we used to work together, I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to get to know her! I haven't know Austin for too long but he has such a big heart and has been so kind and supportive of my business! getting to photograph their little family for Christmas was definitely the icing on the cake! I can't wait to see what the future holds for them and I hope to be taking many many more photos of them and their life! check out some of my faves from their shoot! 
Xoxo, Jess Lauren
 Before any session I always get questions about what the client should prepare for the session, what they should bring, and of course what they should wear. Well have no fear because I'm here to save you the trouble of having to ask all those questions!! What Should You Prepare For Your Session? Anytime I book a session with a client I always ask them a few things about what they had been hoping to get out of their session such as if the session is just for fun or more of a professional setting such as business head shots , or if there is a theme they were following, etc. These types of questions help me as the photographer put together an idea on how the session will go as well as giving me a little bit of inspiration for the photo shoot. So to prepare you for your session I suggest having an idea of what you are wanting to have done! what type of session, the theme,if there is one, and what you are wanting to get out of your portrait session with me. What Should You Wear? I get this question more than anything, unfortunately I don't know what everyone has in their closet to be able to tell you exactly what to pick! BUT! Something I can do is aid in deciding on the perfect outfit. I have a style guide that I send to all my clients before a session to help decide on a and answer any other questions they might have before a session. I want my clients to feel comfortable and happy in front of my camera. so of course I want to make sure that my clients wear something that is going to help with that confidence because I know when I know I look good, I FEEL good! I do a few other things to help ensure all this too Pinterest is AMAZING for this especially because they've done all the hard work for us! we can just do a little searching and up pops SO many amazing ideas and gives great examples of outfits and styles that look amazing in photos! I have my own Pinterest page that I'll send my clients to have a look at. I am a natural light photographer and my goal is to capture photos with beautiful light, I absolutely DROOL over light and airy photos so I suggest when picking out your outfit to stay with in a lighter color palette, colors such as, pinks, baby blues, lilac, tan, and all things pastel are colors that make for that style I crave because lighter colors help aid in getting those beautiful photos!  What Should You Bring To Your Session? Because I am an Arizona Photographer, and a lot of my session locations are desert themed I make sure that my clients bring water, I can't tell you how many sessions have been dreadful because we all forgot water, its hot! stay hydrated! During Sessions I am notorious moving around a lot in a location. I like to capture the beauty of a location and find the perfect light, so of course with being a little picky at a location I end up traveling a lot around a location, so because of this, if you plan to wear heels to a session bring an extra pair of shoes like flip flops or flats so you can change out and save your feet when walking from place to place. Another thing I suggest in preparing for your session is packing 1-2 extra outfits just in case of a wardrobe malfunction or we have extra time! its always better to be over prepared than under! and of course be sure to bring your smile :)
as always if you have any other questions I welcome all your questions and would love to answer anything you need!
stay lovely! -Jess Lauren, Xo I had so much fun with this super cute, end of summer session with Janelle and my honey. She was so stinking sweet! she had purchased an amazing all sequin gold dress that was so beautiful!! she reached out to me and asked me to model for her with my honey, which y'all haven't officially met yet, but I'll get to that in a min ;) We met up at the location and it was beautifully sunny and there was SO many other people there taking pictures too so we quickly snuck under a tree for shade and snapped some pictures and let me tell you guys! I am ABSOLUTELY in LOVE! For my little announcement, My boyfriend, Virgil, is accompanying me on some upcoming shoots!! he's been learning the ins and outs of the camera and we are both so excited to team shoot your next session!! check out the amazing photos from our photoshoot with Janelle!  So to start off, I have been absolutely obsessed with this girls instagram and her photos! she takes such beautiful photos and what is even cooler about her, she runs her business with her MOM! how cool is that?! I love my mom, but lets face it, she's absolutely hopeless when it comes to camera technology, but thats okay she makes up for it with her scrapbooking and crafty-ness. So I had this super awesome idea about a couple weeks ago, to collab with another photographer, and possibly more coming soon, to do a summery, styled shoot and make it a couples collab! so I contacted Ashely, her insta is: @dawn_ashley_photography, check her out, you won't be disappointed! and I told her about my awesome idea! so we talked a little while and came up with a few ideas I thought would be super cute and we bounced ideas back and forth and finally came up with a place, right out in Gilbert! so we met up, and btw she's even cuter in person, and such a sweet soul, love her! and we created STUNNNNINGGG pictures! I am literally obsessed! she even let me play with her camera, she has the one I'm thinking about investing in and she made that clear so take all my money! On top of that she showed me some seriously fun spots I'm gonna have to go back to and try them again! any takers? but without further ado, check out these beautiful images we created together. 
and now for the ones she took of me and my boyfriend! 
This cute little session was so much fun! I got to work with this little one and her mama that I've been working with since she was fresh out in the world! I wanted to play around a little bit so I also took my very first video of my shoot! and I have to say, for someone who has never filmed a shoot before, it came out pretty darn good! enjoy!
 XoXo, Jess Lauren
One thing I absolutely love during the summer is being able to collab with other creatives! and let me tell ya! I've done lots of collabs! starting with one of my favorites, and one of my favorite people. Tara and I went out and took each others updated headshots! we started out at the desert botanical gardens, and by the way, they are only free on the SECOND Tuesday of every month, not every Tuesday, smh .Anyway, so we didn't end taking any pictures inside the gardens, but we took some outside of the entrance, and we ended up getting kicked out because we stepped into the rocks...again smh. so after we left there we went down to the open park at Papago, and we captured such beautiful sunlight during the golden hour. totally worth getting kicked out! but I'll tell ya, it is always an adventure with Tara. I swear I am never bored when we get together! so please enjoy the stunning pictures we created together! 
Now for The pictures Tara took of me!! because I am OBSESSED! they came out so dreamy and beautiful! 
 XoXo, Jess Lauren
I am SO excited to finally be able to share all these amazing photos!! I cannot even express how exciting it was to be able to shoot my first wedding!! Like how crazy is it that I've been a photographer for almost 10 years and I've never shot a wedding alone before! I've shot a wedding as a second shooter many, many years ago that I don't even count it as me shooting a wedding, I was just starting out so I didn't really know what I was doing. but, my beautiful bride, and friend Bree got married!! I am so happy for her and Tony! they have so much love for one another and the love is so genuine that it literally gives me wedding fever! I have been planning my wedding since I was little. I literally have so many pinned posts on my Pinterest. I dream about how my wedding day will go and be like. I can't wait for my own wedding to have an amazing photographer capture the love I have for my S.O! anyway enough of me going off on a tangent. Back to the beautiful bride and her new hubby!! let me know what you think!! I am literally so obsessed with how beautiful these pictures came out! no matter how much I was doubting myself! I trusted that I knew what angles to shoot at and what moments to capture. ENJOY! 
  
I was SO excited when my girlfriend Tanya texted me asking if I could help her friend out by taking her photos. Unfortunately the photographer she originally had scheduled with had a schedule mishap and had to cancel their session, thankfully Tanya came to Dena's rescue and suggested me! and I am SO glad she did because I had SO much fun with Miss Dena for her last minute senior photos! she was so stinking sweet and funny! I am so happy for her graduation! such an amazing accomplishment! but we got some really amazing photos that I am seriously so obsessed with! I am so excited to share them with you!! Congrats for graduating from ASU again Dena! You have such a bright future! I cannot wait to see what you do with it my dear!! 
 |
The Photographer behind all the gorgeous images! I wanted to be able to show case some of the other amazing photos that I don't post to my social media pages! so you can get even more of a feel for the beauty that my images hold!
Archives
January 2019
|
