Strong Women Breathe Fire

Woman finds power and love inside herself through empowerment photoshoot

   After years of struggling with self image Betsy was finally ready to celebrate who she is and who's she's been her entire life through an AJBC Photography photoshoot.
   She expressed how for years she felt the pressure of how she was supposed to look, what she was supposed to do, the type of mom she was supposed to be raising kids, that restricting and guilty feeling of not being what other people think is right.
   When in all reality the BEST part of Betsy, and other women who are unafraid to be unapologetically who they are, is that she made a CHOICE in her life instead of following the herd of sheep, and a lot of people can’t understand that.

I so understand that.

In fact, I live for that.

Here's Betsy's visual representation of letting go, breaking free, and finally believing in herself, exactly the way she is. Burning societies rules of beauty and perfection to the ground. 

---

Check out our Full Beauty Gallery!

For more edgy portraiture check out Autumns Shoot!

For more in-studio boudoir check out Cotys Shoot!

Commercial Fashion Shoot for Duende Decor Spring Line Release

A Fashion Designer and Etsy Shop Owner looking to make big impact with the release of her new Spring Line.

We travel to a tropical wonderland to give her
unique images sure to sell. 

   Let me start out by making a list.
   I’m jealous of Tiffany for the following reasons:
1- She’s a fashion designer (doesn’t that just sounds so friggin chic to say!?)
2- Kinda off topic, but.... She has long gorgeous hair (hopefully me if I keep growing my hair out for 10 years!)
3- She’s got adorable friends who also model
4- She runs an Etsy shop (this one really hits my jealously bone!)
5- Annnnndddd she just released her 2018 Duende Decor Spring Line   

Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way.
   
   Tiffany, the Owner of Duende Decor, and I met up mid winter to start planning the launch or her Spring / Summer line! I LOVE fashion! It’s one of my fav things to photograph, so that’s why every shoot we do comes with Style Guidance and has that fashion flare to it because I’m obsessed with looking at magazine ads and just want to help my clients shine on that same level.
   Tiffany came with an Inspiration Board to show me when we discussed her Professional Branding Shoot. It was full of tropical plants and fun colors. Not gonna lie, I had a silent freak out. Where was I going to find a tropic oasis with snow on the ground!? And if shot indoors how many backdrops would I have to buy so it wasn’t horribly repetitive!?
   I always give myself some time to brainstorm alone before telling the client exactly what we are doing, and within a couple of weeks it hit me, I knew exactly where we would go!
   I ran my vision past Tiffany and told her if she was willing to go on a little trip I had the PERFECT location.
   The day of we made the 70 mile drive to the big City of Detroit to photograph HERE!
   8 kimonos, 3 natural beauties, and 1 hour later we walked away with fresh images straight out of a Spring Catalog.

Yas Queens, Yas, we did it.

To shop these stunning kimonos check out Duende Decor's Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DuendeDecor
But be fast.... these are one of a kind, hand made pieces.

---

View our Full Beauty Blog!

If you like this high fashion look check out Ruboo's Commercial Shoot

For more outdoor portraiture check out Kayla's Photoshoot!

Caleigh's Winter Senior Portraits- coffee, snowflakes, and dancing in tunnels

   Caleigh is only a couple of weeks away from graduation. We squeezed in her Senior Couture Photoshoot in late Spring, which still means snow for us photographers in Michigan.
   We started the shoot out in the studio. Chic and modern, yet still natural. When I used to think of “studio” portraits I used to think of boring, overly posed, basic portraits, but not anymore. I love movement and emotion and that is highlighted beautifully in the studio with such a simplistic approach. Not that you guys care but I also just got the biggest, most glorious lighting set up for the studio so the light looks incredibly natural even when we shoot at night now! Yay!
   After that we snuck outside to get a few shots tucked away in the pine trees. The snow was just starting to come down and it was perfect for these fun outdoor shots, and look how cute she is with that fur hood on!
   Next we traveled to down town Port Huron where the backdrop was mute, foggy, and had such a somber feel to it. Right on the water, it would have been perfect for a pirate scene in a movie. The rain boots and that pop of red was perfect here! When the flakes REALLY started to come down Caleigh changed and we took shelter in an old  train tunnel! This location has morphed over the years- I remember shooting here when it was full of graffiti and train tracks. Now it’s cleaned up but it still pairs awesome with her leather jacket for a edgy city girl look.
     At this point in the shoot Caleigh was used to us making her dance, do hair flips, spin, laugh, and she was really starting to work the camera. I know it’s hard to drop that guard but once you do in front of my camera it’s beautiful! I won’t push you to that point, but we do our best to effortlessly and naturally pull it out of you!
   This is honestly why our Couture Collection is so awesome- because of the diversity in outfits, locations, and because of the time together! It’s easy to see after the first 30 mins, and especially after an hour, the confidence that starts to come out and the personality that starts to show!
   The last thing we did was celebrate our shoot with some Starbucks coffee, and that’s also where we shot the last outfit. With a little creativity and an artist's eye we were able to work around the people and the chaos to grab some really stunning images.

   I absolutely love the portraits that we create with you, but honestly, the adventure of the shoot is just as important to us, because images will spark memories of the day, and we want you to look at these images years from now and relive the whole experience, relive how fun it was, how amazing you looked, and how free, confident and beautiful you felt! 
The days of- we went to a studio, I got my pictures taken, here they are- are SO not what we’re here for.  
I hope these images evoke laughter about how many times I asked Caleigh to flip her hair or spin for me! I hope recalling how HARD it was snowing and how cold it was will make them remember not only the time, the place, how it felt, how it smelled, how it looked, but also the moment and who she was at 17 years old, graduating high school, because they'll never get that time back, and it deserves to be preserved .

---

Check Out Our Full Senior Gallery

If You Like This Coffee Shop Look Check Out Nathalies Senior Shoot

For More Winter Photoshoot Inspiration Check Out Celines Winter Shoot

Boldly breaking out of her shell with Boudoir

Edgy Boudoir Photoshoot
proves this shy girl has a lot to say.

   Let me start out by saying I am not a liar. Just remember that as I tell you these things and you see these images.
   Ok, so Coty tells me that she’s shy, her friends think of her as the reserved one of the bunch, and she’s not really about showing off her body or getting all done up.
   Now stop, I told you I wasn’t a liar. And I don’t think Coty is either, so... pick your jaw up off the floor as you look through these in your face, hot, bold, powerful portraits and remind yourself that ANYONE can break out of their shell during a shoot!
   Although Coty looks young, this petite thing is almost 23 and ready to celebrate and love her body again. She called inquiring about a shoot and we talked about how boudoir can be a great way to feel empowered and gain your confidence back.
   The day she came in for her shoot she brought a few clothes options, accessories, and was getting her hair and makeup done. I think a lot of us have been taught- pretty boudoir pictures = curls and pearls. Well. Not here.
   She brought a few bralette and undie sets, overalls, a comfy sweater, and these great ripped, patched jeans. We decided to incorporate them all, just swapping out outer layers for a different vibe. We opted for a thick silver choker over pearls.
   During hair and makeup she asked for it curled but Taylor, 1 of the hair and makeup artists we have here said- with these bags, are you sure you don’t want to pull off something a bit more edgy? And so she did. This is also why it's really awesome to work with us as your stylist, we can see things you in that maybe you haven't yet.
   Instantly I knew this shoot was going to have some attitude and sass, plus with all of Coty’s energy we were all excited to get out to the big studio and start shooting.
   We put on some music, some Britney Spears to be exact (bc Coty says it’s healthy to listen to Britney every once in a while) and just started having a girl's dance party, hair whipping, laughs filling the room. We started with the cozy, sweet bedroom look first and then progressed into this fashion icon. We finished with this in your face rockin little powerhouse. As you all know I scream when I get really excited, and I did a lot of screaming after looking at the back of my camera this day.
   This is the BEST example I can give you to date to just LET IT ALL GO. I want you in my face, I want you going wild, I want you having fun, I need you to be FREE. You owe that to yourself. It’s beautiful, it’s strong, and it’s the new age of beauty, so get with it.

---

Check out our Full Beauty Gallery!

For more Self Empowerment, Check out Jodi's Gorgeous Photoshoot!

For some more Boudoir Fashion check out My Animal Instincts Session!

---