We've all skimmed through our Facebook and Instagram feeds and witnessed the endless amounts of cell phone pics that were taken over the weekend right? More times than not they're groups of friends. Often they're posed at an event - maybe a wedding or concert, at a table for lunch or if they're anything like my friends they're holding up their glasses of wine ;) Friends are a HUGE part of our lives! They're there through the laughs and the tears, give us a sense of belonging and boost our happiness. And if you're lucky enough, over time your friends become like family. So WHY are we not giving our friendships the true spotlight they deserve!?!?!
I knew I HAD to do a best friend shoot so I found two willing friends and my favorite hair stylist (and friend), Sarah Martini, to collaborate with on this styled shoot!
As with the majority of my sessions, I knew I wanted to shoot during golden hour and I had the perfect location in mind - Ballas Park. Located in Wind Gap, PA, this park has 35 acres of wildflowers! I repeat, 35 ACRES!! It's basically everything I dream about having in my backyard and with the wide open space it's what every photographer wants for a golden hour shoot.
With the date, time and location set we moved onto wardrobe (check out last week's blog for a breakdown on wardrobe tips & tricks). Maddy found her dress in Kohls and I found Katie's dress at Label Shopper for $16 - you can't go wrong there. I didn't want too many accessories because I wanted the main focus to be on their connection and the beautiful landscape, so we kept it simple with two adorable hats.
Sarah had been scouting out several fun hairstyles to play with weeks prior to the shoot. Not only did the styles she chose come out beautifully, but they complimented each of our girls! She kept things light and fun while STILL managing to give us plenty of time to arrive at our location. Our session day was HOT and humid well into the evening. Let me tell you.. those hairstyles made it all the way to the end of our session - even while frolicking through a wildflower meadow. I was one happy photographer!
My golden hour shoots are roughly 1hr long. In the summer months I have my clients arrive at 7:30 (sunsets are usually around 8:30). I'm always there 15-30mins beforehand to make mental notes of the location - which direction is the sun setting? what do I want behind my subjects? where can I get really creative? - Since we drove as a pack I made sure to check things out a few days prior. You can express so many different emotions through photography and lighting plays a huge part!
We started off with a few simple poses before I got the girls moving. Getting your clients doing something familiar like walking allows them to really warm up and shake off any pre-session jitters. Although I doubt these girls had a nervous bone in their body because they were total rock stars straight from the start!
I like to joke that I'll do anything and everything to get the perfect shot I want but it's the honest to God's truth - even if that means crouching shoulder high in grassy meadows. If you know me well, you know I despise bugs but such things don't exist when I'm in the zone. Plus when your fabulous hair stylist remembers to bring bug spray and insists on spritzing everyone down beforehand, you have nothing to worry about right?
These girls were such pros it was a challenge to get them to bust out laughing, but who doesn't love a challenge am I right? As a photographer I always have a blast using little tricks to capture a client's true authentic self in their expressions. Let's talk about their serious faces though.. they. blew. me. AWAY!
Once the sun sets and the golden glow is gone, we enter what's known as blue hour. I honestly think I love it more than golden hour. The colors in the sky give off a gorgeous blue hue. Think back to my previous mention of emotion through different lighting.. compare these photos to the golden hour images and take note of how different they make you feel. Want to know one of the best parts about photographing during blue hour? You won't find your session location crowded which really just adds to an already peaceful and serene atmosphere.
I spotted these gorgeous pink peonies (paeonia lactiflora for all my fellow plant nerds out there) on our walk and knew I couldn't leave without capturing Katie and Maddy immersed in them. Lucky for me they were totally up for it. There's no better feeling then when you have an idea in your head and your clients trust you enough to allow your creativity to flow. The flowers were amazing but the girls stole the show! We all made sure to stick around for a few extra minutes just to indulge in the beauty of our surroundings - in my humble opinion it's the perfect way to end a session.
Now it's time to grab YOUR BFF and book a session!
xx Melissa
Want to see more photos from Katie and Maddy's shoot? Check out my Facebook page!
You can follow Sarah for more styles here:
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