'You Are Here'...and 'Here' Is Beautiful!

I was recently at a museum with the kids when I noticed a "You Are Here" sign on the floor in front of the museum's map...and it struck me as profound.  I took this photo on my iPhone and have been mulling over the seemingly simple statement ever since.

My blog and Facebook posts are a mix of business and personal, and this one is no different.  The fact is that life is busy, which I know does not come as a shocker to any of you!  I try hard each day to find some semblance of balance between my health (why does fitting in a workout seem so challenging?!), cleaning the house, having groceries at the ready, chauffeuring two kids to myriad activities, supporting a  husband who has a demanding job, seeing friends & family, playing with the dogs, AND running Bella Faccia (and now Bella Forza as well)!  Now, I don't claim to be as busy as many; however, aren't we all trying to find our own 'best balance'? 

There have been many days over this past year when I felt overwhelmed and found myself subconsciously wishing things were different somehow - more time, more energy, more help (I do daydream of a housecleaner nearly daily :) ); but then, I thought, "no, I don't wish things were different...I'm loving my life...I'm loving 'here'"!  So, 'here', in this moment, I am letting go of what I think I should be doing, accomplishing, etc....I am letting go of any self perceived guilt...and I am going to step back from work (with one exception) for a few months to allow me time to be a (nearly!) FULL TIME MOM to two pretty awesome kids.  

That one work exception mentioned above is Bella Forza!  My commitment to the women whom Bella Forza can be of service to have my commitment and I will not turn any Bella Forza client away.  If you are wondering what Bella Forza is all about please visit the FB page at www.facebook.com/BellaForzaPortraits and the blog at bellaforzaportraits.wordpress.com).  I'd love to have you click 'like' or leave a comment if you are so inclined; it not only helps get the word out about Bella Forza but it also buoys the women who come to us!

So, during the summer months, from June 1 to September 15, I will only be taking clients for Bella Forza.  I will still be on-line and will happily be taking session bookings throughout the summer for dates after 09/15!

Life - and loving your 'here' - are beautiful!

xo

Lori

What are you waiting for?

There’s a recurring theme when I speak with women about booking a session (be it family or glamour) and it is, “oh, I’d love to have photos but I’d like to {fill in the blank} first’.  The most common hesitation is with regard to weight and I am here to tell you that you are beautiful, right now, today!

In a few days it will be 15 years since my mom’s death and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her.  My mom was BEAUTIFUL…her smile and the sparkle in her eyes brightened any room she was in.  She was generous beyond measure and stubborn and kind and loyal and an honest-to-goodness poster child for her Zodiac sign of Cancer!  She also struggled with her weight.  I believe that because of her insecurity about her weight she never pursued us having family portraits and, in large part, the only images that exist of her are snapshots.  I can’t tell you how much I wish we had professional portraits done before she was ill, before she was gone. 

A photographer ‘friend’ (we’ve never met in person but I think he’s the coolest!), Edward Verosky, published an article last year (http://www.edverosky.net/blog/2011/03/an-important-time-to-be-a-photographer/) in which he wrote about a conversation he’d had with a salesman at a large photography store in NYC.  Their conversation centred around the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and its impact with regard to photography.  The salesman said this, “More people wanted cameras, and I think it had something to do with the fact that they started thinking about how things around you might not always be there.”  And, man, was he right… the people we love, the legs we have today, and the city skyline we grew up with are all transient and we cannot know how long we will have them for.

I recently saw a greeting card that read, “All I want for my 40^th is my 25 year old body”.  Isn’t it true that we are so critical of ourselves, on a daily basis, that we don’t spend enough time (if any) relishing in how great we look, how wonderful we feel, how our hair is softer now that we’ve discovered Moroccan Oil :), how much energy we have, how grateful we are for our health, and the list of today’s blessings goes on and on.   Why do we wait for comparisons to the past in order to realize today’s fortunes?

I know firsthand that a woman wants to get ‘prepared’ for a photo session, especially a glamour or boudoir session, and it makes sense.  I also think that the preparations for a beauty shoot can do wonders for us…it made me more conscious of what I was eating, it motivated me to drink more water, I have never been as disciplined with my workouts as I was leading up to my own boudoir shoot, and I felt like I was demonstrating a wonderful example to my children about finding balance in life and not always putting ourselves, as moms/wives/employees, at the bottom of the list.  We are important, and we need to value our own health, wellbeing, and happiness and, in so doing, we better the lives of everyone around us.  What I don’t believe in is setting unrealistic goals (for instance, "I will do a portrait sitting as soon as I have Elle McPherson's body!") that you feel must be achieved before gifting yourself, and your loved ones, with images of the beautiful woman you are today.

So, for every woman reading this…don’t put off recording your life’s story because of how you think you should look; hire a professional photographer, who knows what equipment, lighting, and posing to employ in accentuating your unique and innate beauty, and celebrate who you are TODAY…trust me, the experience and resulting images will be treasured!

Life is beautiful!

Lori

Switching things up...

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with Candace M.; a successful fitness model/competitor.  I first met Candace last January on a charitable project we were both involved with and I was thrilled when she called to book a session with Bella Faccia.


In discussing the shoot, we decided to experiment with her look a little - unlike most of my clientele, Candace is in front of the camera pretty often as part of her modelling and competing and so switching things up was an easy decision for her!  We thought it would be good to add some softer images to her portfolio and we were both excited to have her don a wig!  She's naturally beautiful, is in amazing shape, and I love the images we made together.  Here are a few from the shoot...

Copyright Bella Faccia Inc. 2012  All Rights Reserved
HMUA: Blush Hair and Makeup

Copyright Bella Faccia Inc. 2012  All Rights Reserved
HMUA: Blush Hair and Makeup

Life is beautiful!


Lori

The Birthday Gift

I was recently hired to do maternity photos for a lovely lady, whom we’ll call S.  She hoped to surprise her husband with beautiful photographs for his birthday…an amazing and personal gift from a very special time in a couple’s life together!

Copyright 2011 Bella Faccia Inc.

S. was referred to Bella Faccia through her friend/my client & friend and was hopeful that the shoot would be fun, comfortable, and that it would result in images that she was proud to gift her husband with.   I was thrilled that, by her own account, we accomplished all she’d hoped for!  Her words, upon seeing the private, on-line gallery, were:

“Thank you so, so much for a great shoot on Saturday! You are amazing at what you do and I appreciate so much how comfortable you made me. I have no doubt that this will be the best gift ever for C. (aside from the actual baby, haha)!”  (S. – I agree, that baby is going to be the best gift EVER but I’m happy that we managed to create a runner-up for the records!)

S. and Bella Faccia worked together (quickly, as the birthday was fast approaching) to create a number of beautiful prints, including a 3 image collage that she had framed in time for the birthday celebration.  When I enquired how the gift opening went, she said, “He LOVED the photos!! I actually surprised him! Thank you so, so much again!”  I was thrilled that the images were such a success that they placed an order for more!

Copyright 2011 Bella Faccia Inc.

 These shoots are so much fun…there is an abundance of collaboration, music, laughter, trust, and a shared dedication to getting the very best shots possible.  It’s always an honour to be trusted with someone’s portrait session; it’s especially meaningful when hired to do a session that will require the person to step well outside of their general, day to day, comfort level in order to create something really special.  S., you are AMAZING and I so appreciate your trust in me and in Bella Faccia, thank you!

Life is great!

Lori

Introducing a Princess

It is with great delight and anticipation that I am planning the addition of a permanent studio space in our home!  Of course the primary reason is so that I can eliminate the need to set up and tear down the ‘studio’ for each shoot (‘cause I’d rather be doing something productive or fun with that time!); the other reason, which is actually really exciting for me, is that I will then have a space to practice lighting set ups and techniques any ol’ time I feel like it!  

So, there I’ll be in the new and wonderful space…but then what?  You can’t really learn to light a subject without a subject!  I do a lot of learning, just like everyone does, on the job; but I wanted more time to play, to fiddle, to experiment, and to be curious.  My first thought was to use models, but they’re expensive and when you're working around your kids’ schedules (which is true for any at-home parent) you want to be flexible…it was pretty clear, pretty quickly, that models weren’t the way to go.  My second thought was an assistant, which is what brings us to the focus of this piece…

I’m thrilled to introduce you to my new assistant!  She has agreed to sit for me whenever I want (in between serving Froot Loops and resolving disputes!), she won’t charge, and she’s flexible/positionable (you can imagine how brutal my web history was last month when 'googling' "flexible dolls"!  I think I had a permanent blush during those few weeks of searching for the perfect ‘assistant’ and had to keep my fingers crossed that the police didn’t need to use my computer for anything!)!  All kidding aside, I am thrilled with the thought of learning whenever I want while not inconveniencing anyone or going broke!

Now, what kind of boss would I be if I didn’t give my new assistant a name?!  For me it felt like naming a baby and I didn’t want to get it wrong.  I desperately wanted a name that would inspire me and so I made a list of things she would serve to represent: grace, beauty, sexiness, intelligence, playfulness, elegance, and confidence all were fairly immediately jotted down (this is how I want my women clients to feel while they’re in front of my lens) and it led me to:  Principessa.  Just like when I named the company; this name simply makes me smile (plus I like the subconscious thought that this very rich, extraordinarily beautiful, and powerful woman has asked ME to light HER!).

Now, this isn’t the ‘secret project’ that I wrote of a few weeks ago, that will remain under wraps for now, but Principessa will certainly play a role in it!

Life is good!

Lori