Ross, the daddy, emailed me today and it made me smile inside and out:

“Thank you so much for the maternity photos, they are beautiful.  You have made my wife feel wonderful in her last few weeks of pregnancy.  I see how beautiful she is every day, but she needed a reminder. ”

I am delighted to present Recherché’s Best Children, Family & Maternity Portraits of 2009! We had a very difficult time narrowing this set down. So much so that we decided just to create a slideshow of the final selections. Enjoy! Please share with friends & family! Looking forward to working with you in this new year!

~CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW~

Marion, you are gorgeous and as sweet as ever. Jason, thank you for doing an impromptu examination of MY baby, Obadiah, before our session. Very generous of you. It is such a pleasure to work with both of you and I’m waiting with baited breath for our first session with your baby this fall!!

It was too beautiful of day to work inside the studio, so we quickly moved outside. I just tacked up a piece of lace on our front pergola. Love the combination of natural light with a soft vintage backdrop.

I am so happy with the way our front porch is working for portrait sessions! The trick is always to find the balance between lush and cluttered; to create a beautiful setting that doesn’t distract from my subject. This happy couple seems to be oblivious of my presence. I find this common occurrence  ironic because I would not describe myself as a wall flower! But I guess my happy chattering and fidgeting with my camera puts my clients at ease. Maybe I’m kind of like a white noise sound machine.
Behind Marion is my whimsical vegetable garden! Super happy that I threw in all those cosmos and morning glory seeds! They are a MUCH better backdrop than the onions or squash- or bolting lettuce.
 
As you know, I have traditionally created more black and white images. But these colors are just sublime. So I guess that’s my approach- I want to be knocked out by a photograph. Sometimes color is just a big muddle and very distracting from the shape and emotion of an image. If my reaction to a color image is not, “oh my GOSH those colors are gorgeous!!” I will convert it to black and white or sepia. But I have to play with each image to see where it needs to be. Honestly I do not have a very efficient post-processing routine. David Jay highly recommends not having a “creative workflow” and I can see his point 100%. It’s not good business. I just can’t get there. I want every one of my images to be just right.
To view the complete set of these portraits & to order images, please visit Marion & Jason’s Online Gallery: www.pictage.com/715005

In celebration of the new space I am delighted to offer Studio Portrait Sessions for only $199 through the end of October! Call 303-665-2708 or email to book your session!

Also, I’ve had many many requests to see both the new space and our new puppy so I’m having an OPEN HOUSE with sangria, snacks and puppy smiles this Friday (Aug. 21) from 2-6pm! Please come by and enjoy a tasty treat! See you soon!

Christy and I had breakfast last week and she gave a spectacular argument for waiting until the little ones are born to find out the gender. I always thought I would just want to know so I could try to get my head around who was coming into my life, but she said it is like Christmas times 100. After all, when again in your life will you be able to live with that much anticipation…and let family and friends savor the excitement along with you? Hmm, lots to ponder there.

In the meantime, here are a few photos of the babies-to-be and little Kate Hayden (who I’ve been photographing since she was 3 months old!! see past blog posts!)

2007 was a year of milestones for Recherché. We celebrated our first anniversary in our gorgeous studio, and I’m finally feeling as if the business has “grown into” its new location. All of the settling in has happened amidst a whirlwind of shoots, starting and nurturing a brand-new portrait business, beginning to focus more on family and child shots, and getting involved in the community with events like Taste of Louisville and the Live Nativity Scene that took place in our front yard for the Parade of Lights.

Travel was also huge on the agenda. As soon as I unpacked my bags, it seemed like another trip was upon me — I bounced from Atlanta for a Hindu wedding to Vegas for WPPI and every where in between: Florida, the Bahamas, and even a road trip through Wyoming, Yellowstone and Montana. Most exciting of all is my chance to start off 2008 with a month of work and travel in Australia and New Zealand! Looks like the bags weren’t meant to be unpacked, after all.

When I look at all that’s happened in 2007, it’s hard to pick out Recherché’s most significant accomplishments. Still, the year’s end is all about closure, and when I reflect I realize that I’ve managed to create a process that really brings closure to clients whose weddings have come and gone. Our new album design process is accessible and so rewarding. I can’t express how amazing it is to help clients wrap up their wedding so they’re free to move forward and put their full energy into their new lives together. It’s a relief to them and me to lay their pictures to rest in a gorgeous package they’ll treasure forever.

Speaking of relief — it feels INCREDIBLE to have finally settled into the studio space and adjusted my mindset accordingly! Luckily, it’s become a real home away from home and has taken the business to a far more professional level than I ever could have dreamed. Helping that process along is Jason Sinkey, my new office manager, who will be helping Recherché transform and thrive in the new year. I’m so excited to introduce him to my clients (and give him a chance to take the reins during my absence in January!). His presence in the office will give me the chance to focus on what’s really important to me: shooting, spending time with my precious clients, and developing more innovative ideas for Recherché.

The new year is truly a blank slate at this point, and nobody is more excited than me to see it take shape! The studio is growing, I’m growing, and I’m finally reaching a point I’ve longed for since I began taking pictures. Looking ahead, I see growth and long-anticipated changes like:

• studio events
• consistent blogging (promise!)
• a specialized wedding experience that includes more one-on-one time with clients
• new and improved portrait packages…

…and much more.

Holidays are more than just a date on the calendar — they’re about relationships, about connecting with yourself and the people you love. That’s how I view Recherché, which has grown to be so much more than a simple photography studio in 2007. I’m so blessed to be in a space that allows me to nurture relationships just as much as my career, and I’m even more privileged to be able to share those relationships with all of you. Enjoy, get some rest, and get ready to hear much more from me in the coming year!

With love,

Regina

(and here are a few favorites to sum up the year!)