The jumping in and sharing of becoming professional photographers

September 21, 2012

Week 28 : Peppercorn and Me – Flagstaff edition

Last weekend we took a trip away to Northern Arizona with our pups. We stayed in Flagstaff and started our first hiking/photography excursion on Weatherford trail in the Coconino National Forest. We did a little over 3 miles round trip for this hike. We wanted to get pictures with the pine and aspen trees in the area. The weather was fantastic all weekend. We really couldn’t have asked for better weather. We brought our water, snacks, camera, light stand, speedlight and Softlighter II with us. Everyone we met on the trail was very nice and we even met a couple of horses. Lilly of course thought that she could take them out but you know Chihuahua’s.

Week28_013 Week28_005 Week28_008

Day two we started out on the Route 66 trail in the Kaibab National Forest. This trail called “ghost road” is made up of the 1931 section of Route 66. For this hike we wanted to get to the old Forest Service spring house that was a little over a half mile in.

Lilly and Gatsby were awesome all weekend. We were so proud of them. They waited patiently while we took photos [mostly].

My belly is really starting to pop out to make more room for our growing baby boy!

Not only did the pups champion the trails…Lilly conquered the Williams, AZ bear. We had a great time walking around main street of the town known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon…

…Checking out the train…

…And taking a moment to refuel before heading back to the 100 degree Phoenix weather that was awaiting us.

Clothes:

Grey striped shirt from Target

Jeans from a pea in the pod

White shirt from Ingrid and Isabel

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September 10, 2012

Week 27 : Peppercorn and Me

We found out eight weeks ago that I have marginal placenta previa and we’re hoping we’d recover from it but it’s being stubborn. So we’ll see in another four weeks where we stand at our next ultrasound appointment. Outside of the marginal placenta previa, I’ve had a pretty successful second trimester and was interested to see what the third trimester had in store for me. ;p I’d like to say this week has been peaches but it’s the first time I’ve felt truly exhausted for no reason. All that being said, it was time for the weekly photograph and here’s what we did…

This week we tried a high key lighting technique. If you haven’t heard of this before here’s a link to a good description. Since I knew we were lighting for a more blown out look I made sure my makeup would be able to handle the extra light being thrown at it.

For the first set of photos above I was standing between four lights. A Paul C Buff strobe with Beauty Dish in front, above me and slightly off to my left, a Westcott medium softbox in front of me centered on the floor and two Paul C Buff strobes with strip boxes pointed at the wall behind me.

For the photos below you’ll notice there is more light. This is because I took a step back and was leaning against the wall where I was being lit by all four lights directly. The two center lights played more of a fill role in this scenario while the strip boxes off to the side became mains.

Clothes:

Old Navy Perfect Tank
Random pair of leggings that still fit
Coach slide heels I’ve had forever

Makeup:

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer SX03 (concealer)
Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation in Fair
Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
Tarte modernEYES liner and shadow in plum brown
Urban Decay Naked2 shadow in Busted
Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara
Kevyn Aucoin The Pure Powder Glow in Apricot
MAC lip liner in Spice
Lancome Rouge Sensation in Nude 4
Smashbox gloss in Luster

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August 31, 2012

Week 26 : Peppercorn and Me

Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend! This is the time when most of the country is prepping to get in the last of their summer trips before school starts. It’s the first physical sign we have before we actually start to see and feel the changes of the seasons from Summer to Fall. [Even better we know football season is about to officially kickoff!]

This weeks idea was to incorporate a soft look and feel to the images. The good thing about photography is that it’s such a creative medium you can try pretty much anything you can imagine. For this first photograph we actually used two strobes to light me, both with Stripbox modifiers. Then Sean took one of the sheer curtains we have in our studio and covered the lens with it. We were really liking the sheer but wanted to push it a little farther. To do that we used Nik Software to introduce film noise grain and change it to black and white. I kind of feel like it gives the image more mystery. When was it taken? Is it a photograph or from a newspaper?

Dress is from a pea in the pod.

For our second concept we wanted it to be a bit more stripped down, more ethereal. As a pregnant woman you can’t help but be in awe and wonder most days. You’re grounded in a way that you may have never been before in your life. The idea of nine months seemed long to me when we found out we were first pregnant but now we are passed the halfway point and I just want to make sure I’m really enjoying the beauty of each stage and each week.

Dress is from Anthropologie. I’ve had this dress for years and have always loved it. Luckily it’s made from a jersey material that stretches right along with me and Peppercorn. :p

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Sean F.August 31, 2012 - 11:53 am

You are so adorable! Great post, my love

August 24, 2012

Week 25 : Peppercorn and Me

Over the last couple of weeks Peppercorn has continued to grow and with that I’ve started feeling him move predominantly on my left side instead of my right side. His movements are a little more frequent now and for what feels like longer periods of time.

We are loving taking our weekly Peppercorn and me pictures and look forward to the different ideas we can come up with. If you have any you’d like to see definitely let us know and we’ll try to work them into the mix.

This week was fun and sexy. It is incredible what the human body can do, especially the female human body. We wanted to embrace the pregnant silhouette for it’s strength and beauty with a feminine touch.

This week I got my hair done by my dream team Blue Campio (cut) and Audra Zaggia (color) at Steven Paul Salon in Scottsdale, AZ. My goal is to grow my hair out to about my shoulder blades. We’ll see if I can make it. ;p I’m still sporting my Ingrid & Isabel Ruched top. It’s just soo comfortable and looks great to accentuate my baby bump. For this series we went from playful to introspective and dramatic.

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August 17, 2012

Birthday weekend thoughts…

This weekend I turn 38 and it feels a little more special now that I am pregnant with our first baby. I’m thinking about soo many things as I’m sure most mom’s (and dad’s) do with their first child. I chose the below photo for this post because it signifies journey, exploration, fun, wonder and excitement to me. I can look back at my past and say I’m happy with my growth and progress as a person, friend, sister, child, and wife. In retrospect it’s what’s gotten me here to today, but that’s just one part of my story. I want to embrace my present by living more in each days moments which will help mold my future. Remember to give yourself permission to live your best life. Thanks to all of the people in my life…sending you all a big virtual hug!!

This was taken by Sean in Sedona, AZ in 2007.

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