Collaboration

In October I was contacted by Stephanie Strauss Hall of Retrospect Photography to see if I would collaborate with her on a portrait photography shoot. Stephanie is an amazing photographer. We met over three years ago when she and her husband shot our wedding. And then my sister's wedding. And then my brother's wedding. And then my brother-in-law's wedding.... If you haven't guessed it, we love Stephanie's work. She has the ability to make her subjects feel incredibly relaxed and comfortable. As a result, Stephanie is able to capture moments and emotions as they happen. 

I was so excited that Stephanie wanted to do an artistic collaboration together. What girl doesn't want to play dress-up, frolic in the country and get her photos taken? Stephanie and I have very similar tastes so working together was a dream. She scouted out awesome locations and we laughed our way through a very fun and rewarding day. 

I was nervous about the outcome, only because I tend to get silly and awkward when someone takes my picture. However, Stephanie was a great director and I was amazed by how in the close-ups (Which lets be honest, can go so wrong!) she was able to capture me.  I feel the portraits depict my emotional journey of the last year and a half: Happy, sad, strong, vulnerable, light, dark. The clothes I wore helped convey these various emotions as well. White, black, neutral. Most of the outfits were borrowed vintage from the lovely Tami. 

The photos I've posted are from Stephanie's blog. She is also a great writer and I encourage you to visit her blog to read her take on the day and motivation for the shoot. You'll also find more photos there.