Such a gorgeous day and the perfect excuse to have 2012 Senior Natasha channel her inner (and clearly her outer) Super Model!  This gorgeous girl has such a fabulous energy about her ….and honestly, with a row of passing traffic to her left staring as I made her model walk for my paparazzi-sized camera — she’s got a fair amount of confidence too   Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t point out how much I am loving her striped skirt, skinny double belt and simply sweet flow-y tank — a fashion do from head to toe!

This was the last outfit that we photographed for Auburn Mountainview 2012 Senior Lauren’s photo shoot and as soon as I saw this cutey pastel frock…that’s when inspiration struck.  This next thing I’m about to tell you will either make me sound like an amazingly creative senior photographer or a woman bordering on being a hoarder.   Here goes –  I regularly shop for people I have not met.  Oh Lord, that even seems weird to me as I write.  Let me clarify.  When I’m stalking Pinterest, shopping BelSquare or reading one of my 8000 fashion magazines…sometimes I’ll see something that I want to try photographically.  I then go and find that perfect element that will make the vision come to life in the Studio B Portraits way.  The missing ingredient of course is…um, well the subject.  Sooooo, I wait.  Then…in walks Lauren with her amazing fringe bangs and Spring dress and I tell her…wait a minute — and out comes the new leather headband (a la Nicole Richie) that I’ve been waiting for weeks to try.  Well worth waiting for — LOVE IT!  Thanks for indulging me for a few frames Miss Lauren! Oh and kudos to our in-house make-up artist Margaret for the flawless face!

Meet John and Jennifer!  We had the most fun during their maternity portrait session and as you can see, we did it all! I know they look like professionals, but…believe it or not, this is their first time!  Does it make you wonder…what is your maternity style?  It’s a question that you likely haven’t given any thought to at all — and then — you become pregnant, decide to do a photo shoot and it’s literally all you can think about! A little earlier this week I was talking about how I approach sessions prior to starting a photo shoot with a new headshot client and I thought it might be fun to share a bit of the same dialogue that takes place behind the scenes of a maternity session.   All maternity photo shoots have a similar premise for a Mommy-to-be and it begins with the following idea: As expecting women we want to look pregnant — NOT fat.  You’re laughing, but you know it’s 100% true.  With that as our baseline for success, we’ll move onto the types of maternity that we do here at Studio B Portraits and for simplicity sake, we’re going to make just two categories… the first we’ll call “Modern Lifestyle” — this is you looking fabulous like Jennifer here  in your choice of your very favorite maternity outfit (Daddy must look great too)…regular clothes, but gorgeous (of course) – outside or studio, these are fun, colorful,  energetic and inherently happy .   The second category, we’ll slide into the column known as “Artsy”.  These portraits are typically more thoughtful, dramatic and distinctly different from your average day in that your baby bump is on prime-time display…think:  skin, wraps, a glamorous fan for flowing tresses.   In my world…the artsy stuff is usually showing less than your average swimsuit day at the beach but even still — it still might not be for everyone   Big thanks to John and Jennifer for the awesome photo shoot — can’t wait to welcome your baby girl!  For more modern maternity visit our gallery here

Spring rain didn’t put a damper on a fun senior photo shoot with Bellevue Christian High School 2012 Senior Kellie…although at times I did wonder why on earth I thought suede shoes were the footwear of choice for myself.  (Really Seattle?  Rain ALL DAY LONG?)  You know I’m very rarely content to share just blog shots so we’ve added another sneak peak to our Facebook page of Kellie here

Loved this denim and scarf look that Lake Washington High School’s Rachel brought for her senior photo shoot. (I’m sure her bouncing and behaving shiny curls and her perfect skin didn’t hurt the overall results either) I was so excited to pair her layered look with our new mod-inspired floral backdrop.  I’m dying over these wallpaper prints and retro designs because they pair so well with the new senior styles that we’re seeing this season….it’s the best mix for creating retro modern chic!

Is she not the cutest ever?   I’m about to tell you what Kings High School senior Karleigh said to me 4.2 second before I was going to snap her senior pictures.  She said “I’m not very good at this…and also, I seem to always fake smile”  I don’t know why that struck me as funny…but it did — which made Karleigh then laugh and smile really super cute. It seemed a waste that we would settle for fake when the real deal was that stunning so  it was right then and their that I decided that each of her smiles would be because she was genuinely have a good time or we’d just have fun doing the artsy model-rific look.  Either way, I knew we had a win/win scenario!  More from Karleigh’s photo shoot is featured on our Facebook page here

We do A LOT of headshots here at Studio B Portraits and I start every single professional head shot photo shoot with a variation on the same questions — “1. What line of work are you in? 2. What are you trying to communicate with this image and finally 3. What’s your style?”  It’s important to know that my photography style is inherently going to lean toward a fresh, contemporary look but these portrait sessions are a collaboration.  Real Estate professional Christine Woodcock told me that it was time to refresh her look for websites and collateral — I knew we’d be doing a media white for one of the backgrounds (it’s just so versatile for all things marketing) but since her industry requires that she cut through the noise and differentiate among her competitors, I wanted to give her a completely “now” look with the chevron elements as well. LOVE it!  If you are looking for a little professional business headshot inspiration for yourself, be sure to visit www.StudioBheadshots.com

As promised more from King’s High School Senior Helle.  We first “sneak peaked” you (yes…I know that I just made up that word) earlier in the week with the awesome shots featuring she and her friend Karleigh on the motorcycles and with the retro bus but I just had to showcase gorgeous singles of Helle with the Spring flowers.  She’s a perfect example that great senior pictures don’t need any special props…simple sun, fun and a a pretty smile will do just fine thank you.

” Back up Moms…don’t every one crowd the door as you rush to sign up for this Kodak moment.  And No need to panic, I’m a professional children’s photographer.”   Heehee.  Oh I know…I’m supposed to be showing you happy, smiling children but it’s Saturday and this was my giggle for today.   Of course we got the sweetest most adorable shots of these cousins (posted one here on our Facebook page) but once again I think it’s important that we go ahead and embrace the journey to the perfect picture which is many times a road paved with Cherrios bribes and adults sacrificing their dignity for that one amazing grin from our children.

You are smiling at the screen right now aren’t you? I mean honestly, who can blame you — Kings High School Seniors Helle and Karleigh look like they are having a ball…and uh… they are   Shooting senior pictures with your BFF is fun.   The comedy of this shot is that…the motorcycles are SO not ours.  We just kept inching closer and closer until the owners finally said…”did you want to get on?”  “Heck yes” I reply and off we went!   If you’re wondering how to schedule senior pictures with a friend, here’s the back-story — Each of the girls scheduled individual senior portrait sessions, we just made arrangements and scheduling to allow for extra time to photograph a few shots together too.  We’re running a Book with a Friend Special in June so if you are interested here’s the link  More from Helle and Karleigh’s individual shoots coming soon!