Maternity Session Tips

This post on maternity tips for our clients will help you prepare for your session!

Even though pregnancies are anything but easy, considering bed rest, ultra sounds, the works, when we think about each growing soul, I get a little lump in my throat and my heart soars a bit. The entire birthing process is nothing short of amazing which is why the maternal bond develops long before baby arrives. Photographing your baby bump is a special way to capture that pregnancy glow so that you can have something to reflect how you looked and felt being pregnant with the most precious gift!

NE Wyoming based photographer Deanna Phoenix knows a thing or two about capturing the joy of pregnancy. She has an eye for unique settings and uses light and creative posing to showcase the essence of her subjects. Deanna also specializes in child and family photography, to continue working with her clients as their families grow! Here is Deanna's favorite tips for a successful maternity photo shoot.

1. GOAL: Capture this special time in your life in a natural, fresh, comfortable and fun way. Family members are welcome to join in your session as well.

2. TIMING: I recommend scheduling your baby bump shoot sometime around 32-35 weeks – perfect timing to show off your belly before you won’t feel like showing it off anymore.

3. OUTFITS: Color & comfort is key. Pattern is also a good way to add an element of pop to a photo. I often tell families to pick 3-4 colors that tie everyone together and the same goes for a baby bump shoot – An example: navy, turquoise, yellow and lime green. Sometimes we even incorporate the colors of the nursery as a starting point. I also recommend wearing something more on the form-fitting side – a dress, a long skirt with a fitted tank, statement necklace, and a bright cardigan. We want to see the bump but also be comfortable doing it. Comfort translates through the camera, it's imperative you are not uncomfortable with your selected wardrobe. Although we love to feature bare skinned photos, it is never required if you are not interested! If you need help styling, we recommend a couple local boutiques that would be happy to assist in your wardrobe for your session.

4. LOCATION: I prefer to capture your beauty with natural light. Typically our sessions would be scheduled either early in the day or closer to sunset to capture the best light possible. Being a full service studio, we do offer our indoor sessions as well. Styling and scheduling is the same for indoor sessions.

The perfect dress

Today we prepared our studio for a cake smash for the cutest little one getting ready to celebrate her first birthday. As we pieced together our set, we received a message from her mom. She sent three sample images of a young girl, wearing her mothers wedding dress. She was requesting her daughter slip in her wedding dress before her cake smash. We quickly altered our plans to accommodate, and we couldn't be more thrilled to reveal the outcome. 

Theres a subtle beauty about these images. One day, this sweet pea will look back, and cherish these memories her mother captured with her. Children grow to quickly, and life passes us by. I loved seizing this moment for this family!

Miss E - 6 months

I cannot believe how quickly the first year for this little one is going by! She is getting so big, and playful! I have always said that 6+ months are always the sessions that are the most fun. Lots of little voices, smiles, and milestones being met. When we see Ms. E again, she likely will be scooting all over the studio! Enjoy some of our favorite portraits from our time with little Miss E.

These are some of the wedding flowers her parents used when they got married! They brought them along to include in her session. It's always fun to include special family items in a child's session! 

Why Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer

Why Hire A Professional Wedding Photographer?

Let’s be honest. Weddings can get pretty expensive, especially considering today’s tough economy. If you’re getting married, it’s likely that you’re looking for any way possible to save some money, or score some great deals.  One of the ways some couples consider saving money is to have a friend, or family member photograph their wedding instead of hiring a professional photographer. Nowadays, digital cameras are everywhere, and everyone becomes a photographer. Is this a good idea? Well, you are the only one who can make this decision, so we outlined a few of the reasons why WE here at PhoenixPhotos believe that you should leave your wedding photography to a professional photographer.

Top Ten Reasons To Hire A Professional Photographer for you Wedding Day.

#1 – Experience: During  the course of a wedding day, many of the most important moments only happen once – for instance, the exchange of the rings, the first kiss and first dance. The biggest factor to take into consideration, by hiring a professional wedding photographer you have their reputable photography experience, which reassures you that you will come away from your wedding day, with high quality images to show your kids, and grandkids. Portraits that will stand the test of time. These are not events that will happen again, or get replayed, it is important to have a photographer there you can trust to document the shot – on the first try.

#2 – Knows What Shots To Capture: There are tons of photographs to capture during the course of entire wedding day, with some being more important than others. A professional photographer will know those shots by heart (rather than having to look at a list) and ensure that all the important moments of the day are documented for you. This skill takes time, and experience to develop and can’t be taught overnight, so if it’s the first time your photographer has shot a wedding, (or even the second, third, or fourth) the photographer will likely miss a bunch of key shots you'd want. Its important to add that we do provide a list or moments to capture, and review it with our couples, this helps us know who/what is vital to you for your wedding photographer to capture. In consultations, I go over how our studio will not know Grandpa Larry for Arkansas that was your best friend growing up... We won't know those relationships if we just showed up to take pictures. Planning your wedding event takes time, skill and expertise. 

#3 – Ability to Anticipate and Catch Split-Second Action: This somewhat goes hand-in-hand with the previous reason, but takes it just a step farther. Not only will a professional photographer know the shots that need to be captured, but the professional photographer will be able to anticipate the action, and put themselves in the correct location for the best angle. Though weddings don’t move as fast as sporting events, they do move quickly and the photographer needs to be observant, ready, in the right place – with the right lens on at any given time. If any of these things are missing, your portrait will be missing too.

#4 – Posing & Coaching: To obtain great portraits of couple’s, the photographer needs to have practiced it many times. If you have ever had an inexperienced photographer take your picture, you probably felt stiff or even silly. Most importantly, you may have felt like you didn't know what to do, or how it looks.  This is likely because you didn’t receive much coaching. The inexperienced photographer may have been too overwhelmed with operating the buttons on the camera to make sure you were positioned in the most flattering way. We pay attention to these details to get the best photograph. The dress, the hair, the flowers, the rings, your faces - all will be positioned accordingly.

#5 – Lighting Skills: Advanced lighting skills are critically important to good wedding photographs. That’s because many of the venues where couples get ready or hold their receptions are very dimly-lit, often times to create a special atmosphere. A professional will have the skills to shoot in even the darkest of light, where an amateur may struggle to get a usable frame or something in focus. Hiring  a professional photographer assures that they have the knowledge, and equipment to achieve your desired portraits in any given circumstance, even low-light situations. 

#6 – Organization of Group Portraits: This is an area where a professional photographer can add value to your wedding photographs. These are important photos for many couples since weddings are often the only time the entire family gets together in one location. It can be very hard to successfully organize and arrange a large group of people if you haven’t done it before. Can you see everyone’s face? Are all the people there? And is the arrangement orderly and well constructed? And what about the people who have started drinking already and are feeling a little tipsy, distracted and are not following directions? A professional can anticipate, and execute these images well. They also have a skill set that can offer advanced options to create the picture perfect image in editing and post processing procedures.

#7 – Wedding Etiquette: During a wedding day, there are some things that a photographer just shouldn’t do, like walk right in front of the main aisle during the ceremony. Faux-paus like this won’t ruin your wedding, but they can raise your tension on an emotional day. A professional photographer knows the “does and don’ts” throughout the day, and can make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. They can also assist in the flow of your day by providing expertise to your wedding moments.

#8 – Post Processing and Editing: After a wedding, it is common to come home with hundreds of images to import, sort, edit and then export. It takes a significant amount of time to do this, and a professional photographer has a process for dealing with this many images at one time. Also, the professional photographer is skilled in editing, and create the portrait in the digital darkroom from RAW image data, at the same time, making sure all the files are backed up in multiple locations so your wedding memories are safe and sound.

#9– Equipment: Nowadays, everyone has a camera. Even cameras with really high “mega-pixels” as is the buzzword for most consumer grade products. And most cameras capture nice pictures given the right lighting situation, or when people are standing totally still. But what if the light isn’t good? Or what if the people are dancing? Rather, professionals worry about things like autofocus abilities, ISO levels and noise capabilities. These are some of the factors that allow us to catch sharp photos, in dark settings, even without a flash (which may not be allowed for your ceremony in many churches). In addition, there are big differences between consumer and pro lenses. While they look nearly identical, pro level lenses often let in 8 to 16 times more light than consumer zoom lenses. And that can be the difference between getting sharp, bright photos – compared to dark, blurry ones.

#10 – Access To Pro Level Photo Labs and Album Companies: There is a huge difference in the quality of the prints, and albums a professional photographer will have access to in order to showcase your wedding photos compared to a consumer. Nearly all of the premium album and print companies reserve their services to a professional photographer, leaving amateurs with more automated, and less premium, albums and photo books. Our studio is color calibrated to provide the optimum outcome. We also offer UV protection on our images, so that over time, they will not yellow like Grandma's had. This guarantees your images and memories are able to stand the test of time.

Creative Series Photography Assistant

We posted about an opening on our creative team for a photographers assistant. We have scheduled our next big photo shoot March 5th and 6th, in Deadwood, SD. 

The project is titled GET LOUD: A photographic journey through the human emotions. 

Our creative team has recently selected 3 beautiful women to model for our studio, to depict a variety of categories. Our team has completed several projects together, each for a specific purpose, or for magazine submission opportunities. You can see some of our previous creative series projects on our website under the option Creative Series.

The ideal candidate will assist not only studio photographer, but also all facets of the photo shoot. We have 3 other professionals on our team, who might at times need assistance. We would require the selected individual to be willing to step in and assist any of our professionals.  

Our team consists of the following business and professionals:

Deanna Phoenix - PhoenixPhotos Photography, LLC - Photographer
Jade Novotny - Gypsy Soul Salon - Hair Stylist
Lezly Delgado - Bonitabeauty Makeup - MUA
Kaylee Phillips - Tin Wagon Boutique - Styling
Videographer will be named to the selected candidate


There is no training necessary for this position. We are willing to train the right candidate on our studio lighting and equipment. This opportunity is not a paid position. For compensation, we will provide transportation options for the assistant, all meals, as well as their own hotel room. They will be required to attend and actively participate in any/all team and group meetings. 

We always have a great time, in a professional environment. Come have fun with us! 
 

Meet Jade

One thing about owning and operating a photography studio, is having the opportunity to come in close contact with some of the most beautiful people. Whether they know it not, we love to produce breathtaking images of these clients and models, to expose the inner and outer beauty.

We look at the human body as a gift. Our studio also places a fine tuned focus on art. This being said, when we plan a photo shoot, we pay close attention to the details. From the wardrobe, tothe  makeup and hairstyle, to posing and lighting... planning these intriquite visions takes quite a bit of time, and preparation. But, we don't do it alone! We have valued assets that work with our studio to help achieve this perfection. Maybe it's a lighting profectionist who is assisting, or an added hand pinning and clamping dresses.... point being we have a lot of support that goes into making each image a fine art peice. From the planning to the capturing and producing, it's a process.

One of our assets is Jade, who runs her own small business in Gillette, Wyoming. Jade is the owner and operator of GypsySoul Salon

She has worked in many facets of the modeling and fashion industry for over 10 years. Jade attended Headlines Academy in Rapid City South Dakota, under the supervision of some of the most talented stylists. With her widespread experience, Jade has quickly grown to become one of Gillette's most highly sought after stylists. Her talent and expertise speaks for itself.

You can follow Jade  by visiting her salon page below!

Www.facebook.com/salongypsysoul

We talked Jade into modeling for us last year for our Gorgeous Blondes photo shoot. She is a classicly beautiful subject, with a heart of gold. Thank you Jade for helping PhoenixPhotos grow to the success it is today!!!

Boudoir - What to Wear

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR FOR MY SESSION?

What you wear can make or break a shoot, so be sure to leave yourself time to prepare the outfits you’d like to use. Your outfits should make you feel confident, and beautiful. It's our job to assist in posing, to capture the most flattering angle. Typically, I recommend 3-4 different pieces. If you’re not sure on your final selection, we are happy to look over your options, and decide together. 

 What you wear is your choice! We’ll discuss wardrobe thoroughly before the shoot, but in general it’s nice to have plenty of variety so your album, or gallery is a page turner. Everyone looks great in an all black look and stilettos. This is an opportunity  for you to dress up or down however you want.  You can wear anything from lingerie to your favorite sports teams’ jersey or formal cocktail/evening dresses to your favorite pair of ripped jeans and white tank.  It’s about having fun and feeling great about how you look.  Wear whatever you feel the most confident in!

For curvier clients, corset-y type pieces and shapewear are always popular choices. If you’re planning a surprise or a gift for your significant other, you may also want to bring along something from his wardrobe (white dress shirts are great), his favorite team jersey, or any other items that are personal to the two of you.

The single most important thing for a boudoir photography sessions is that your lingerie fits you well.  If it’s been a while, treat yourself to a girly shopping trip, a bra fitting, and pick up something that makes you feel beautiful, and that you love. For our area, shopping online almost always proves to be a necessity. Please allow plenty of time for processing and shipping of your pieces. Without fail, every year we get a client who has their wardrobe arrive the day prior, and it doesn't fit. Allowing yourself some time will help you feel more confident in your selected options.

If you need a little lingerie inspiration, we have a Pinterest board with some ideas that are appealing. We gladly will share this link with you to gain some visual inspiration while shopping! There are lots of other ideas too, so please feel free to shop and look around.

Heels can be a perfect addition to your session. We are able to utilize heels in sexy & fun ways. 

I happy to offer wardrobe suggestions for your session, should you require extra assistance. We do have on hand, a few pieces that can be used as well. Use of our studio wardrobe must be communicated prior to your session! 

***Ask us about our Glam to Cam option - which includes professional hair and makeup application.***  

Mario Bros.

Today Mr. Bently visited the studio! We haven't seen him since he was in his Mommy's tummy! Bently is turning one in a couple weeks, and got to celebrate with us at his Cake Smash session! We absolutely adore this sweet little one! 

For more information on our cake smashes, visit our website www.phoenixphotoswyoming.com and click on the family tab! 

Cake: J-Cakes

Bowtie/Suspenders: Little Ties for Little Guys

Mario Cutouts: Carter 5 Designs

Step Into My Office

We finally have everything unpacked and organized from the show this past weekend! We are in love with our new desk, and chair for the studio office! Check out the beautiful model Maryann Lugan whose stunning on our studio walls!   We have enjoyed all our clients, models and friends over the last few years! It's now fun to display some of those memories in our studio to share with others! 

Welcome to my office!  

We are  #wyomingproud. We are #Wyomingstrong. 

2017 Gillette Wedding and Event Expo

What a whirlwind of a weekend for our studio. We have packed and unpacked our call all weekend! It seemed like we'd never get it all put away! But, we had so much fun out at the camplex for the wedding show! We met so many amazing couples, and families. We laughed and talked our heads a off until we were left with sore cheek bones and aching feet. We were extremely successful this year at the expo, and it's all due to the positivity of our great community. After a tough couple of years for many in our county, we seem to have had a phenomenal and optimistic turn out for this upcoming wedding season!  

For the brides we didn't get a chance to visit with personally, I apologize! It was extremely busy! But we do want to talk to you, so message us, come grab some hot cocoa, let's catch up! I'd love to hear about your big day, and the possibility of PhoenixPhotos being a part of it!  

For more information regarding our wedding packages, please contact us today!