Dreaming of convertible meringues

Growing up in Argentina, I spent countless summers in the heat of Santa Fe's embrace, hanging out with two of my cousins and my sister, discussing a myriad of utopias. Our wedding plans for a then very distant future were a recurrent topic. And the main point of agreement on these dreamy chats (when I wasn't being a rebel and declaring I was never to get married) seemed to be a longing for a meringue wedding dress. Full on '80s.

I was so disappointed to find out we didn't coin the term... for those of you rebels out there yourselves, a meringue dress is one in which the skirt looks like a meringue (the cooked egg white blobs you make in the oven). But we went a step further: we were going to have convertible dresses. Equipped with a detachable full skirt that could be removed at the reception for free dancing. Those days are so far now; three of us have gotten married and not a single one of as has wore the puffy gown or longed for it. But still in my mind, when the words "wedding dress" come to mind, that is the first thing I think of (and I am not a UK male).

In the beginning of the month I was fortunate to be a part of a pop-up trunk show by Parade, traveling version of a&bé bridal in Denver, at poppy's. Essentially, brides get an appointment, come in, and find a selection of dresses from this store in the Colorado capital specializing in new and upcoming wedding dress designers. They look around, they try several gowns, and fortunately they walk away with THE dress. My role in the shoot was mostly detail documenting, and it was delightful to share the behind the scenes and setting up with Rachael (from poppy's) and Rachael (from Embellish Wedding and Events Design). And we even got to see the very first bride set her mind on a breathtaking dress she will rock on the big day.

 

Venue & Floral Design: poppy's
Dresses: a&bé bridal
Event planner: Embellish Wedding and Events Design
Treats: Sweets Cakes & Pastry
Promotion: Rocky Mountain Bride
Sponsored Photography: Honeybee Photography

Outwards

You have already met Jennifer. Lightfolly photographed her and her family when she was 8-months pregnant with baby Katherine. There was one photo from that session that I couldn't share with you back then, because the baby's name wasn't yet known to the world, but I would like to open this post with it:

Katherine came on a Monday. Her mama described her as "... a big, healthy baby with lots of fat rolls :)". I found her snoozing in Jennifer arms, ready to nurse. As I set up, she awoke and that was that. She was awake for almost the entire session.

If you are not familiar with newborns, let me tell you, one of the advantages of photographing them is that they sleep a lot. All the time. But not Katherine. It was almost as if she could tell that I was there to capture her and she didn't want to miss a second of it. Yes there was crying. Specially when somebody other than me or her mom tried to hold her. So I didn't struggle, as it's common, with getting photos of her awake and engaging with the camera, but the opposite: I struggled (a little) getting her in that peaceful dream-like state newborns are usually captured in.

If you are not familiar with how I photograph portraits, and how I photograph portraits of newborns, let me tell you, I like to take my time. I like to set it all up (styling) so that then the subject can relax and do what she does and be herself in the space I created. This means that I need at least 2 hours with a fresh, unpredictable, squiggly little person. Due to family circumstances, I had an hour and a half to work with here. And one thing after the other seemed to go wrong. 

Considering all of the challenges this session represented for me, the end result was an exhausted but appreciative family, quite a bit of post-production, and lovely photos of Katherine that they will treasure for years to come.

Unassumingly stunning

Her name is Stephanie and she was the subject of a recent photo shoot with Lightfolly. Oh but she was so much more.

She wanted to have framed photos of her, as an anniversary present for her husband of 11 14 years. In the beginning, she wasn't very excited about the whole thing. I feel she was interested in the idea of sexy photos as an anniversary present, but maybe she had a hard time envisioning herself as the subject. But why, you may ask?

Stephanie is not a model, at least not in the conventional sense of the word. She is 5' 2'', blonde, curvy. She lives in a small Colorado town. She is a mother of three. She has recently closed her business, an indie bookstore into which she poured her mind and soul for years, to refocus on her family. She is trying to reconnect with her massage practice that she has not actually practiced in a decade. "How can those lines translate into "sexy"?", you may also ask. May be she was asking herself that same question. What she had perhaps lost sight of was that she is also a lover and a loving knitter who makes coziness out of yarn. She is also a walking smile who can cook up a storm (kale chips and maple granola!) and get her food to taste like her eyes. She is also an avid reader, an avid learner, an avid coffee drinker. And she is gorgeous.

My lens found a bright and meek profile, a shy bellybutton, strong calves. She allowed herself to be and to dwell in the space between shielding blankets and intimidating bravado. She had fun and saw herself pretty, bat her never-ending eyelashes (they are not fake!) and let the light caper about. The results, those photos that could be shared, follow. Enter, unassumingly stunning, Steph.