MY JOURNEY.MENTOR DAY.

Where on earth do I begin to describe the AWESOMENESS of a day spent with incredible photographers who are so generous in nature and talent?

Jessica and Vanessa, the dynamic duo that makes up Contemporary Portraits, based in the Dallas area, spent an entire afternoon with me, brought business information, album info, and a TX goodie bag for me, then after lunch had a model meet us in the Fort Worth Stockyards.  Lauren, as you will soon be able to see, is GORGEOUS and has a darling sparkle in her eye.

Even though J & V brought their fancier cameras and lenses, my goal was to learn to get better on my camera, so that I would be able to get some images SOOC (straight out of the camera) that I could be proud of.  One way we made that happen was by using reflectors.  I couldn’t believe how beautiful reflectors make the skin look.  Not one of these photos have any facial retouching!  Yes, my subject was incredibly gorgeous, but I usually have to touch up a little something here and there.  So, on my Christmas list goes a reflector, yay!

The other cool thing the gals taught me was the use of off-camera flash in sunlight, for a high fashion look, and to allow for gorgeous skies!  While I prefer natural light, it was so fun to be able to try something different and learn more about the use of flash.  The things they taught me will also come in very handy during night shoots and at wedding receptions!

Ultimately, the main thing I got out of this mentor day was to have confidence in my own skills.  Yes, they taught me some killer poses, and how to achieve better crispness while shooting in manual mode, but they also showed me that I can hang in this business and shoot photos that I can be proud of!  And speaking of which, here are a sampling of the photos I took of the lovely Lauren.  Enjoy!

My fabulous mentors, Vanessa and Jessica!  Ladies, again, thank you SO MUCH for your time and friendship!  I truly hope that our paths cross once again and that the Lord continues to bless your business richly!  XOXO, JJ

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