The Sweetest Thing...

The struggles make you stronger 

and the changes make you wiser 

and happiness has a way of taking it's own sweet time...

God Bless you Lori & Hailey.  

You are both truly beautiful on the inside and out.

Thank you for such an amazing and inspiring day...

What to wear???

Clients often ask me "what should I/we wear for our photo shoot"? 

This is a great question and awfully important when you are preparing for a family or individual portrait session.  

The answer varies significantly based on the time of year, weather, individual, family and location of the shoot (not to mention...YOUR personality!).   

I love working with every client individually to help them feel their best and most comfortable on the day of the shoot but sometimes, they want to tackle it on their own.  In such cases here is what I tell them:

Color is good.  Layers and accessories are great. Avoid chunky sweaters (they add bulk), thick horizontal stripes and too many patterns will add weight on (ok for kids though!) Be yourself!
(but please keep it simple and try for timelessness!)

Coordinate with you family/loved one's...don't "match"

Please avoid too much white.  The all white shirt/dress w/dark jeans look is ok but lacks personality and immediately draws the eye to the clothes and not the faces where you want them.  If you must have white, layer it with other colors that you like as well.  

Once you see your portraits, you will thank me for this advice!

Same goes with too much black.  It is better than white but still lacks personality and can rob your family of vibrance in the portraits/photographs.  If you like dark colors try some brown, burgundy or dark blue or dark green mixed in.  


I LOVE dark reds, green's, yellow's and blue in photographs, it's gorgeous!  These colors are lovely and photograph beautifully!

All the images above are clients form last season.  I love each and every wrong of these outfits and there were no "wrongs" here :)
Below are some more examples of how to coordinate a family's outfits.  Also these are good examples of layering your clothes.  These are by no means what I expect clients to wear or conform too but a simple way to describe to you what I am saying.  

As always, call me if you want help and I would LOVE to assist in any way possible to make sure your photo shoot is a day you will remember fondly and will give pictures you love for a lifetime!


Enjoy these inspirational outfits below.  I hope they help!

Special thanks to: (Melinda Brookshire Photography and I Heart Faces)  for allowing me to post these fashion boards!!!

La Familia Bonita

I met Maria about a year ago when my photography business was just getting started.  We had mutual friends and after hearing I was starting a new business, she believed in me enough to become Smooch Photography's first client.  

 We did this shoot in early 2010 and I gotta tell you,  after many other clients and many other shoots, this is still one of my favorites.  Shot with nothing but my Sony a100 DSLR and a 50mm f/1.4 this is proof that you don't need the latest and greatest equipment to achieve images that resonate with your heart and with your client.  Would I do shoot it differently now (a whole year later)?  Probably.  Mostly because I know more and have better equipment. But that would be a shame because I love this day just as it was and it marked the beginning to my new life as an artist and photographer.  

So why now?

Yesterday was my last day woking in my "day job" after 15 years and I decided to celebrate and commemorate it by posting sharing my first Smooch Photography client (and one of my most favorite families)! 

I love everything about this shoot and the day will remain as one of the highlights in my mind.  We had wonderful energy, a beautiful day and an amazing location.  This is a truly gorgeous and very blessed family. Thank you to my friend Maria and her family for this special day.  You will never fully understand what this shoot means to me. 

Thanks for the trust and for the love and for being one of my most fond memories...  

Cheers to new beginnings!!!