One word of advice I’ve always heard and always told couples ‘Always remember to date each other.’  It really hit home one day in March when my mom told me her and my dad stopped at Dairy Queen. She had a smile on her face.

One of my most least favorite fast food restaurants has to be Dairy Queen. (It’s mainly because their ice cream and me don’t get along.) But over the years it has become a symbol to me due to my parents. I think almost every June when their anniversary is I always ask them what they did. Usually they have ended up at Dairy Queen. Being a smart aleck kid, I would ask them why they never really went to a fancy dinner for their anniversary. Mom would smile and said that was where they went on their first date. So every year on their anniversary they find themselves going to Dairy Queen to eat sundaes.

I guess you could say that Dairy Queen is a reminder to me to date your husband. It doesn’t matter if it’s once a week, month or year. But you need to take that time and spend it together. The smallest gestures can sometimes mean so muc. And you never want to take your partner for granted. So no matter how much money you have in the bank, take each other on a date! If you are worried about money, do something creative like a picnic in the backyard or Happy Hour Sonic drinks/shakes.

In our crazy busy world’s sometimes we really just need to remind our partners that we can take time for ourselves. Even if it’s just going for sundae’s at Dairy Queen or if you’re me, Andy’s or Orange Leaf.

I still can’t believe that this happened to me! I finally got to shoot my first proposal! My friends, Clay and April started talking to me about doing a family photo shoot. Right after that first discussion, Clay called me and told me he wanted me to also capture him popping the questions! I told him I would be honored and so we started to plan —dates, locations, etc.
When the big day arrived, we met at the Ozark Mill. Clay had already picked out where it was going to happen, a place super special to April. So we just took our time and just had a blast! When got to the spot, I just couldn’t stop smiling as I captured their reactions! Afterwards, Clay, April and I wondered away for some engagement pictures but I’ll save those for another day!

If you are dreaming about the right moment to propose, send me a message. I’d be honored to capture your special moment for you!

Chocolate.
Roses.
Lingerie.
Love.
Valentine’s Day.

It’s that time of year again. Today, my friend Twyla is talking about what she thinks about the aspect of Lingerie.

Lingerie. When most people hear this word, they think of sex. Putting something skimpy and lacey on to entice your partner to rip it off of you in the heat of passion. For a long time, I was one of those people. Lingerie is for couples. I am not in a relationship. I have no reason to buy lingerie.

But that way of thinking has changed for me, by a scene from one of my favorite movies. The main character was admiring a beautiful piece of lingerie, and when she was told to buy it, she stated she had no one to wear it for. The next words her friend spoke resonated with me. Wear it for yourself.

Buy the lingerie. Wear it for yourself. The fabric, shape, colors, are all designed to make you feel pretty. You deserve to feel pretty. If you have a partner that makes you feel beautiful, great for you. But you don’t need someone else to tell you you’re beautiful. Put something lacey and flowy on, put your favorite movie in, and wear the lingerie for yourself!

I recently started selling Pure Romance. Yes, I sell those products! Like lingerie, the same general misconception looms: You need a partner to enjoy those products. Wrong. Like lingerie, which we sell some gorgeous pieces, our products are created to help women of every shape and size feel beautiful! So take my advice: don’t buy it for someone else, buy it for yourself!

http://www.pureromance.com/TwylaBiber

Rings shots are actually one of my favorite detail shots to get. They are so small and shiny that sometimes it’s hard to capture. But that’s where you creative side gets to jump in. There are tons of hidden inspiration moments everywhere in your weddings and sessions. You just have to decide what would be the best look. Sometimes you have to try a few to find out what your favorite is. Wedding days you are looking for items that the couple picked out for their wedding day. Meaningful items. I usually can find some time to just be a little creative with the rings. It’s fun to see what I can come up with. So if your photographer asks for your rings, tell them to be super careful and let them take some amazingness!

For this one, there were some fall confetti style items on the table. They just screamed fall wedding to me. So I decided to see what I could come up with… It turned into one of my favorite pictures.

 
On engagement shoots, it can be a little harder. There is usually not a lot of items that are just the couple. It might be you looking at your surroundings and knowing what the couple likes. If you are shooting outside in the woods, the odds are you can use anything in nature to go along. I have a tendency to incorporate anything around me like twigs, flowers, berries, leaves, etc.  Sometimes couples will bring signs or something else that means something to them. If you want the couple to bring something like that… Ask your couple to bring it.

Here are a few ring shots I got just because I looked around and got creative with what I could find.

Keep your eyes open and your creative ready to fire. Hidden Inspiration is everywhere. Be ready for it!

One of my favorite photographers I have followed for years used to do self portraits monthly. I was so fascinated by her goal that I tried a few times. However being very self-conscious about my body, weight etc., I always was ashamed of those images… So I would stop the project.

Fast forward to the last few years, now I’m following a boudoir photographer who probably every few weeks is taking a BOUDOIR self-portrait! Talk about guts… Talk about me needing to shut my mouth and try again.

Which brings me to my new monthly self-portrait challenge to myself. No guarantees about how long it will last this time, but… This year I’m challenging myself to come up with a fantasy styled self portrait…

…January…