A Day in the Life

We've been meaning to show our clients what a day at our studio is like. Today ended up being the perfect day to document what it can be like on a typical weekday here. We had two wonderful studio sessions, both of which enabled William to play around with a few new looks. He loves experimenting, so it was a lot of fun to see him work with such excitement! And the resulting images are simply stunning. But enough of an intro, this is what a typical day at the studio looks like...

I arrive a little before 9:00 am and open the studio, check emails and phone messages, and make sure everything is in order for the day. As soon as William arrives we're dashing around the to get an elaborate set ready for our first studio session. We move tables, chairs, rugs, ottomans, pillows, books, and other set pieces. William is working with a candelabra with romantically curling bulbs he's never used before. It takes a long series of experimental shots and miniscule adjustments of the lighting, prop placement, and lens speed to get everything looking flawless.

Our first session is with Lori Bodenhamer and her daughter Brooke at 11:00 am. They arrive with several options of clothing, some of which were just purchased on their way to the studio in a last minute panic that Brooke didn't have the perfect dress. William quickly selects two white dresses, and once Lori and Brooke are ready the session begins! William is incredible to watch, especially working with children. He puts them at their ease and knows exactly how to coax the ideal expression to their faces. During the session I hold our window pane light, ensuring that both Lori and Brook remain well lit throughout the session. This can be tough when you have a six year old anxious to leave and procure the promised post-session Dippin' Dots! Brooke was charming, but squirmy, Lori serene and patient. And Bill was able to create some lovely images that will later be painted into beautiful works of art for their home.

The session ends around 12:15 and William and I hastily put the now deconstructed set back together for our next session. Realizing we each only have a few minutes, we scarf down our packed lunches while standing and simultaneously solving the problem of a broken card reader. This slight hitch could prevent us from backing up the images William just created, but we find a work around, and finish our lunches just as the lovely Ainslee Cullen arrives for her debutante session at 1:00 pm.

Ainslie is glorious in a long, full, white dress with a gargantuan train and layers of tulle that seemingly never end. We are agog at the fact that she does her own makeup upon arrival (and that it is spotless). Debutantes are required to provide black and white portraits on a stark white background for the printed program. However, after the standard images are taken, we get to create more artistic pieces for our debutantes' homes. Today we've created a full, lush set to match Ainslie's gown and we take a long series of regal lounging shots in the style of John Singer Sargent. Ainslee is elegant, poised, and completely comfortable in front of the camera. (As you can see from the poor quality of the image below, a camera phone snapshot does not even compare to the high quality of the images above, taken with a professional camera!)

We have just enough time between Ainslie's departure and our final appointment of the day to check emails, make a few calls, and begin downloading and processing some of the images from the day's sessions. Kathie and her husband T.L. arrive right on time at 3:30 pm for their design consultation with William. Kathie has a certificate for a family portrait from a charity auction for The Queen's Foundation, a statewide nonprofit that prepares young women for higher education and leadership. Kathie is planning to have her family portrait done. Her daughter Jessica lives in Canada and this may be one of the last trips she makes back to the States. We'll be creating a portrait to commemorate the visit and help preserve their memories together. We're touched and honored to be working with them.

As you can see, we keep ourselves busy, and we're always excited and moved by the people we meet and the clients we get to work with. Have any questions about a typical day here at the studio? Comment below!