Wednesday, October 31, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Spooktacular Halloween Edition

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! It's my favorite holiday of the year! I'm like a big kid at heart; I adore carving pumpkins, decorating, and dressing up. So...I went a little crazy with this weeks What to Wear Wednesday and used some festive Halloween colors. I think you really could pull an awesome look out of the items I've compiled. Don't you think?!

Since you know mine, I want to know what's your favorite part about Halloween?

Spooktackular Halloween

Spooktackular Halloween by nattyjphotography featuring hollister co

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

Monday, October 29, 2012

The D Family | Jackson, MI Family Photographer

Meet Tina and her awesome family! I had the pleasure of connecting with Tina through a Craigslist ad I posted looking for a web coder. We got together and talked for a few hours about what I wanted to do with my website and how she wanted updated family portraits, in the end we worked out a pretty sweet trade. Her children attend school at Michigan State University and we decided somewhere on or near campus would be a great place to do the photos. These were at Cooley Gardens, which I had never been to before, and was pleasantly surprised when the place was gorgeous!! I love the little hidden treasures that are nestled around the city; Cooley Gardens is located right off of I-496 and I would have never thought there would be an awesome garden there. Michigan threatened rain, but once again it turned out to be a gorgeous day and the rain held off until later in the afternoon.



Friday, October 26, 2012

Fill in the Blank Friday | Jackson, MI Photographer

I borrowed this idea from an amazing photographer in Portland, Motormouth Studios (seriously check out her blog, I love her design style and her photography work. I have this feeling that if we ever met in person we'd be great friends!) Anywho, she posts a series of random questions and answers them as a little deeper insight to who she is, so I thought it would be fun to do that as well.

What makes you happy?
My two dogs, a good cup of coffee, and a cozy bed.

What's one piece of clothing you can't live without?
I'd definitely have to say either my flats or a great pair of jeans.

What's right with the world?
That there are people who still care about others and will go out of their way to help their fellow man/animal.

Are you a morning or night person?
I am 100% a night person (I think most photographers agree), I get most of my work done at night when things have calmed down and I can really focus.

Name one quirk about yourself.
I have to put everything in order. CD's/DVD's/Books are all in alphabetical order in my house and my closet is organized in order of the rainbow. Things are just easier to find that way :)

What is your favorite food your parents make?
Okay this one is hard because I LOVE to eat and my mom makes such good food, but my top three are her homemade pizza, vegetable beef soup, and mush (I've heard mush called other things, but it's just fried cornbread that you eat like a pancake with butter and syrup). My favorite food that my dad makes is crawfish  etouffee...seriously the best thing ever! Think a creole dish with rice, garlic, butter, lots of herbs, and crawfish, NOM!


And I can't leave without a photo, this is me (left) and my little sister when we were young. I'm probably 10 years old and she's most likely 2 years old.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Robins Egg & Mustard

With these last few days being so nice out, I could help but think of spring when I was searching for outfit ideas.  Mauriciofredes did an awesome job of balancing pops of color with subtle neutral tones. Great for any portrait session.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

YURI PARK Sara sweater

Monday, October 22, 2012

N + J | Jackson, MI Family Photographer

I went to college with N and have known her for awhile now, so of course I was thrilled when she asked me to take photos of her and her boyfriend. Aren't they just the cutest?! Plus, her hair is gorgeous! I've always loved the color of it. The Michigan weather threatened to rain all day long, but in true Michigan tradition it did just the opposite, which was PERFECT for this session.





Wednesday, October 17, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Maize & Blue vs. Sparty

As soon as I saw this collection from Mariciofredes, I immediately thought of college football here in Michigan and the rivalry between the University of Michigan and Michigan State, but more feminine. Especially with this weekends game coming up, this would be an AWESOME way to show your school pride in a stylish, subtle way.


La Garçonne Moderne / Cotton Pullover Sweater

La Garçonne Moderne / Cotton Pullover Sweater by mauriciofredes featuring guerlain

RAQUEL ALLEGRA / PERFECT TEE


Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Me & The Boys | Jackson, MI Photographer

Over the last few months I've been working really hard to lose weight, which if you've ever tried you know is no easy task. I have fallen off the wagon a few times here and there (darn sour cream and onion chips!), but I have always dusted myself off and got back on. When I first started eating right and working out I emailed a photographer friend of mine, Shawna Gerry Photography, and asked if she wanted to trade family photos this fall. It was a great motivation to keep going and my goal was to lose 25lbs by the time the session rolled around. I didn't quite make it, but I'm down 21.5lbs and see those pants in the images? They are a size smaller than when I started, so I really can't complain!

I am absolutely in love with these and I can't wait to hang them up. It's my favorite time of year, so what better time to get family photos done?! Hurry, book your family portraits with your favorite Jackson family photographer before the colors disappear!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Kennedy | Jackson, MI Senior Photographer

Kennedy booked one of the Senior Style Collections complete with hair and makeup done by ToughLove MPD. She was dazzling before, but the makeover just gives her that extra wow-factor for her senior portraits. There's nothing better than having the day dedicated to looking beautiful and feeling confident; then getting stunning portraits done by your favorite Jackson senior photographer. Anyone can do their hair and makeup, but having a profession hair and makeup artist makes all the difference in the world. They know how to help you look your absolute best. Just check out these before and after images from Kennedy's session.


Seriously?! How gorge is Kennedy? From the moment she mentioned wanting a calf in her senior portraits, I knew that her session was going to rock. We started out at her grandparents dairy farm where she had pre-screened which calf would work best. This little month old guy had some spunk, he fit right in with the cowgirl boots, flannel shirt, and daisy dukes.


From there we moved on to Hidden Lake Gardens. I had never been there before, but had heard that the grounds were breath-taking. The fall colors were a perfect compliment to Kennedy's eyes, she's definitely got the Tyra Banks "smize" down!




If you're interested in booking a Senior Style Collection, give Natty J Photography a call 517.499.9380.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Sunshine in Winter

I really hate to say it, but winter's right around the corner. It was 48F a few days ago! However, you do get to wear some really cute coats in the winter like the one below. I am completely in love with it, I need to find a knock off one at TJ Maxx or something because the one in the image is $2,200!! Yikes! It's still really cute though and would be absolutely darling for winter engagement portraits, especially with that dress to add a pop of color.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Staying Creative | Jackson, MI Photographer

Just like in fashion, there are trends in photography; so how do you stay trendy but fresh at the same time? Easy, draw inspiration from everything around you and add a little of you in there! Anything that catches your eye, it could be something in nature, the way a building is designed, or even in something abstract. Look at other images, find what you like, and put your own spin on it. Sometimes, I will go on Pinterest to get some new posing ideas, or just Google the type of session I'm about to shoot. I make a mental note of what I like and go from there. Or I just practice in front of the mirror, what poses will look good, what kind of light I think should it be, what angle the camera should be at; all of these can effect the outcome of an image. Another good source of inspiration is magazines, from fashion to parenting they're filled with images of all kinds. Definitely a good place to draw new ideas from.

Try things from a different angle, most people get stuck taking photos from their standing height. Be brave! Jump on a chair or get dirty on the ground, just find a new angle and shoot from a different perspective. I got a piece of good advice the other day from a fellow photographer and they said, "Once you compose your image and take the shot, take one step back and look again. It'll be a completely different image." This is so very true. I can't even tell you how many times I've done that and they will both be beautiful images, but will have a different feel to each one. Also, try switching the camera from landscape to portrait and vice versa once you have the pose down. A perfect example of this below, he didn't move his body, just shifted his hat a little.

The last piece of advice I have for you is to get out there and keep shooting. Plan "just for fun" photo shoots where there's no pressure to please anyone. You can play around with different ideas and if they don't work they way you wanted, who cares! They could lead you to something entirely different than what you set out for. That's half the fun of being creative, not knowing where you're going to end up.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Mother Nature Pt. 2 | Jackson, MI Photographer

Some of you might remember the first half of these photos I posted a few weeks ago (click here to see them), well I finally had enough free time to finish editing them. They were inspired by Sue Bryce posing episode on Creative Live. We even did some images on a trampoline, but those will have to be used for another project, so keep checking back for those. We had so much fun doing these, hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Models: Amber & Jena


Right: A little behind-the-scenes, of how we got the shot below.





Wednesday, October 3, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday | I Wear Pink

As many of you already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so in it's honor I'm doing a special pink What to Wear Wednesday.

Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women and 1 in 1,000 men. For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer. However, with early screening, awareness, and advanced treatments the death rate is slowly being lowered. So if you know someone with a history of cancer in the family or you do, please remind them to get their mammogram. I know it's not the most fun thing to do, but it could be the difference between being able to treat it and living or death sentence.

So back to a more positive note, if you or someone you know is a survivor or still fighting against cancer (of any kind), let them know that I am a Shoots for a Cure photographer here in Jackson, MI. What does that mean for them? It means that they get a Celebrate Life portrait session and 10 Gift Prints free of charge. Take time for yourself and Celebrate Life's little gifts, treat yourself to beautiful portraits of how gorgeous you are, or just update that family portrait that hasn't been done in 10 years. This is your time and you're a fighter, celebrate!

Pink to Raise Awareness
Pink to Raise Awareness by arabicacup featuring pink heels

To book your Celebrate Life portrait session please call Natty J Photography at 517.499.9380

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