Reaching for the stars | Lifestyle Fashion Photographer in Bend, Oregon

Stretch high + reach for the stars.

Who knows... you might just become one, yourself.

•

Truth time.

There's been a LOT of stretching + reaching.

And a lot of growth.

When I first started out as a photographer, I was HORRIBLE at posing people.

Like, deer in headlights kind of horrible.

See, I loooooove candid photos, and excel at capturing real moments.

But back in the day, I didn't realize how important it was to CREATE the moment + GIVE people a way to interact so they could express that emotion.

I was awkward.

They were awkward.

And thank GOD a friend who'd been in front of my camera finally told me just how awkward it really was.

Because then I got better.

And better.

I studied posing techniques for different body types.

I studied lighting techniques.

I learned how to make people comfortable in front of my camera.

I learned to multitask... keeping up a steady stream of conversation with my "models," while making technical calculations in my head + adjusting my equipment.

My skill set grew + I began to blossom as an artist.

And subsequently, time and time again, I've been told by those who nervously step in front of my camera that the experience was actually FUN.

They say "Wow... you made me look beautiful."

And my reply is always the same... "That beauty was already there. I just helped share it with the world."

•

Tomorrow, you can see for yourself.

•

Because tomorrow, the Fall Arts + Fashion Issue of @sourceweekly hits the stands, and one of their main pictorial stories (and the COVER) features 12 models of the zodiac signs, photographed by ME. And the "models" weren't actually models at all. They were REAL people. Which makes my heart even happier.

•

This was a collaboration of soooooo many awesome people here in Bend... project stylists, hair + makeup artists, jewelry artisans + more. And I can't WAIT to see our work in print.

•

Go grab the issue as soon as it hits stands... I'd love to hear what you think. ❤️

•

(Pssst... this isn't an image from that shoot. Those pics are secret till tomorrow. This image is from a past workshop, as I was working on some posing skills.)

minted magic and holiday fun

Several months back, Minted.com asked if they could use a few of my photos as samples for their new holiday cards. It was fun to see my images start to pop up in several new designs, but yesterday was a FABULOUS surprise...

Out of THOUSANDS of entries, a card design which showcased one of MY images was selected as one of four Guest Judge winners of the Let it Snow! Holiday + New Year’s Photo Card Challenge! (squeeeeeeeee!!!!)

Guest Judge Elaina Sullivan, Market Editor at Domino selected the "Handwritten Noel" design by Sarah Curry.

Here is a snippet of this fantastic announcement, as seen on Minted's blog:

minted card design winner - photo by The Suitcase Studio

(See all the winners by clicking here.)

Although I REALLY should give a lot of the photo credit to my fabulous clients... this family was SUPER-adorable and it was their idea to bring the little car with the tiny tree tied up top. And, oh yeah... they all showed up in JAMMIES! (I puffy-heart people with this kind of creativity.)

Check out how much FUN we had together during last year's mini-session:

Ready to PLAY? I am holding Holiday Mini-Sessions this year on October 11 and November 9. Contact me to learn more and sign up for a session of your own.

As Seen on: Fashionably Geek

I never truly realized I was a geek until I got older. Long after the girls around me began to focus on makeup and boys, I'd still loved my cartoons and superhero movies. So when I met my husband, it was a match made in heaven. I mean, come on... during our first date we were even singing some of their theme songs together. Ha! Tony helped me delve even further into the land of geekdom, and I have since fallen in love with many of his passions, as well. I can tell you which character is of what universe (talking Marvel vs DC here), why the new Star Wars trilogy never should have happened the way that they did, and can fully defend my position on why Batman and Iron Man are possibly the best "superheroes" ever, even though they're not actually superheroes at all (hooray for the self-made man!). Tony also introduced me into the world of Cosplay, where people dress in costume to pay homage to their favorite characters, shows and the like. With his amazing design skills and my mother-in-law's mad sewing skills, they created this beautiful Steampunk-Lady-Iron-Man costume for me to wear at WonderCon. It was soooooo incredibly fun, and I felt amazing in it. Almost like a superhero, myself.

So, especially on the day that Iron Man 3 hits the movie theaters, imagine my delight to see that my costume and I had been featured today on the website Fashionably Geek.

Click here to see the full article.

I'll be wearing this again at ComicCon in July, so if you see me, PLEASE come say hi.  Hope to see you there!!!

as featured on: the wardrobe code

I had the priviledge of working with Nicole Longstreath of The Wardrobe Code recently, and it looks like this might be the start of a beautiful friendship. If you haven't yet heard of Nicole or The Wardrobe Code, you must go visit the site right now and check out what it's all about. Go ahead... I'll wait. Pretty awesome, huh?

Because we ALL want to look like a fabulous version of ourselves, wearing the fashionable outfits that seem to fill up our pinterest boards, right? But some of us (myself included) just don't know where to start and don't have the big bucks to be dropping on a brand new wardrobe. Enter Nicole. From showcasing the latest trends (and how to actually track down and translate this stuff to fit your own style), to organizing your closet, to breaking down the concepts of how to actually piece an outfit together... her site offers so much information and is simply fabulous on its own. But Nicole also offers wardrobe consulting services, addressing your individual needs and helping you to create the best possible wardrobe for YOU.

Nicole has a fabulous feature on her site called The Thifted Wardrobe where she showcases fashionable outfits that are put together primarily from pieces she found at local thrift stores, proving that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look (and feel) like a million bucks. I had the pleasure of photographing her in some of these thrifted outfits, the first of which is showcased on her site here.

And remember... The Wardrobe Code would also be a fabulous place to start when trying to answer the age-old question... "What should we WEAR for our pictures?"