Fashion Shoot: Will you go to Prom with me?

17 May Filed Under: Fashion, Features, Inspiration, Shalyn

We all remember the time when Prom was the biggest and best event of the year. ”Will you go to Prom with me?” encouraged and plagued us all! Once we planned to go, we scoured the local stores and tried on countless dresses until we found the perfect one.

These days, prom has turned into a big business especially as teens look online for inspiration. Many photographers and vendors team up to create inspiration shoots to help inspire teens as they go on the hunt for their perfect look. Gil Strickland and two local dress and fashion stores, Bridals by Lori and Formal Elegance, did just this by creating a fun prom-themed shoot to inspire Prom dreams as well as day-to-day high school style. The sparkle tops on the short dresses add a fun twist to the traditional prom dress look! And it’s always nice to have inspiration for the everyday, not just those special dates. We really appreciate how this team incorporated those everyday looks into this styled shoot!

Thanks again to Gil Strickland for a great submission and stellar photography!

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Filed Under: Fashion, Features, Inspiration, Shalyn

Fashion: Old Trains and Vintage Cars

1 May Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Lauren, Lifestyle

What’s more fun than a 1940′s vintage fashion shoot? TWO vintage fashion shoots, of course! Revival Photography and RobinsonPortraits each captured the era of the forties and fifties with their themed photoshoots, complete with old fashioned cars, trains, and plenty of vintage flair. Our first feature from Revival Photography of Newton, North Carolina was styled to show off and promote the studio’s new vintage styled shoot! Stylist Shady Lady Vintage and hairstylist Salon Beyond transported their lovely model back seventy years with big curls and chic clothes, and a classic car is the perfect setting for this sassy shoot!

RobinsonPortraits opted for the train instead in their shoot! Model Krista and photographer Deandre had wanted to do a black and white vintage photoshoot for some time, and took advantage of a sunny day to head down to Old Sacramento for a shoot. The old rail road depot proved to be the perfect location for “something old, something new!”

Thanks to Revival Photography andRobinsonPortraits for sharing these fun shoots with us!

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Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Lauren, Lifestyle

Styled Shoot: Ghost Town, Nevada

25 Apr Filed Under: Education, Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Natalia

We always like to see a creative styled shoot, but we simply love it when photographers put their talents to work for a great cause! The Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot is an annual shoot that occurs during WPPI, Wedding & Portrait Photographers International. Started by Mike Colon, Luke & David Edmonson, and Jim Davis- Hicks, founder of Thirst Relief International, the goal of the shoot is to raise money to provide a clean drinking water solution to people in third-world countries. The money raised will provide 2,000 people clean drinking water for the next 25 years. This year’s shoot was held in an old ghost town near Las Vegas with corset creations from Glamtastik. From the natural desert setting of Nevada to the old cabins, we just love all the creative old West details incorporated into this shoot!

There were four lead photographers for this extensive photo shoot: Mike Colon (California), Rocco Ancora (Melbourne, Australia), Luke Edmonson (Texas), CM Leung (Hong Kong) plus 25 participants put work into this shoot. Roberto Valenzuela (Beverly Hills) & David Edmonson (Texas) were also a part of the evening portion. In the words of one of the instructors, Rocco said, “It was a true honor and privilege to be involved in the Thirst Relief Charity shoot. It has been, without doubt, the most rewarding thing I have ever been involved in. The money that we raised will give 2000 people fresh drinking water for the next 25 years. A huge thank you to all the organizers for making this such an awesome event.”

Thank you to Edmonson Weddings for submitting this fantastic WPPI shoot via Two Bright Lights!

Reception Venue: El Dorado Mine and Ghost Town

Other: Thirst Relief International

Fashion Designer: Glamtastik

DIY or Handmade Goods Designer: Kelly Moore Bags

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Filed Under: Education, Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Natalia

The Art of the Portrait

20 Mar Filed Under: Education, Fashion, Featured, Features, Shalyn

We have noticed a wonderful explosion of portraits uploaded to Two Bright Lights, and this makes our day. Why? They are such intimate and personal celebrations of the human spirit, and remind us of the beauty of uniqueness. In light of our excitement, we decided to both feature three great examples of portrait shoots and to highlight some of our editorial partners who are on the lookout for your talented portrait submissions.

Senior Portraits

Deandre Robinson of Robinson Portraits did an excellent job blending fashion, editorial, and spunk in her California Senior Portrait Shoot. Being a rural California native myself, seeing that oaks studded landscape in perfectly filtered light made me want to jump on a plane and head on home!

Styled Fashion Shoot

Chelsea Maras Photography partnered with locally and independently owned Newport Beach surf shop Even Keel to coordinate this fabulous shoot. The images do an excellent job capturing the California surf culture and fashion, and Laguna Beach provided an incredible backdrop.

Fashion Shoot

Senior portraits to a great job of bridging fashion and lifestyle. And this senior shoot does a great job transitioning into a fashion shoot. The subject of this shoot, Jeremiah, had such a distinct flair - and he incorporated some creative details into the shoot like his dad’s coat and his uncle’s brief case. In this shoot we also loved how Marvelous Things Photography used a Nikon film camera for some shots.

Editors

Hopefully these fabulous portraits will inspires you to submit yours! Here are some editors who are excited to see and feature your talented work!

Senior Style Guide

Let the Kids Dress Themselves

If there are any editors who you would like to see on Two Bright Lights especially in this category let us know!

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Filed Under: Education, Fashion, Featured, Features, Shalyn

Real Engagement: Love With Big City Style

16 Mar Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Inspiration, Mohini, Real Wedding

Casey Connell Photography struck wedding photo gold with this trendy Big Apple bride-to-be. She’s a designer with Ralph Lauren, he’s a Wall Street man, and together they make one formidable New York power couple. Danielle and Mike live together in Queens, but they plan to marry in a historic upstate home – so photographer Jessie Weatherwax took them on a tour of four different burroughs to make sure their engagement shoot incorporated several different flavors of the city that the pair loves so much. At each location, Danielle made sure she was dressed to impress with high fashion threads and shoes to match. Jessie was delighted by Danielle’s eye for detail as well as the couple in general. She said of Mike and Danielle “even surrounded by people they only have eyes for each other.”

Thanks Casey Connell Photography for sharing this stunning city shoot!

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Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Inspiration, Mohini, Real Wedding

Styled Shoot: Spring Awakening

6 Mar Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Sophia

Revival Photography awakens our excitement for the coming spring with stylish looks brought to us by Lee and Julie Watson, the fashion masterminds behind Tuck & Bonte, who directed and styled every look in this photo shoot. Tuck & Bonte create adorable, vintage accessories like festive garlands, posters, cake toppers and dresses for special events and every day life. Their look is vintage yet simple in its classic portrayal.

The photo shoot reflects Tuck & Bonte’s style by infusing pops of spring color and interesting little details–like the cut, the patterns, accessories, and even makeup–into the collection while toning it down with some classic and practical neutral pieces. It’s almost like the colors and elements that represent fall and summer came together to make these outfits. Check out the intricate lace ruffles, the reoccurring black and white swirl pattern, the texture of the belt, and a collection of leggings that rival the range of colors in a rainbow.

Thanks to Revival Photography for sharing this awesome photo shoot and to Tuck & Bonte for brightening the day with dazzling spring fashions!

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Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Sophia

Lifestyle- Ideas for Senior Shoots

9 Feb Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Lauren, Lifestyle

Remember the senior portraits of old– black and white, starched shirts, uncomfortable poses? Well, those days are gone! Today we’re featuring three fresh, relaxed photo sessions to inspire your future senior shoots. What better way to remember one’s high school years than by cherishing the style and interests that make each teen unique?

This first shoot from Lydia Photography features recent graduate Kristin, and shows off three different styles and makeup looks to inspire upcoming senior shoots. Lydia teamed up with makeup artist Jessica Palmer to style Kristin for her shoot: “I wanted to give seniors ideas on how to style their portrait session as well as different makeup looks. The first style was sweet and simple with a naturally glowing look. For the second styling we added a brown eye shadow and liner to define the eye and and a pink tinted lip gloss. Adding more shadow and a winged liner helped give the third style more of an edge.” Most of the pieces of Kristin’s looks came from Target, JCPenny, and Forever21, with a few fun designer accessories thrown in. We love how she looks sweet, natural, and polished!

Everyone wants to look their best in their senior photos, but most importantly, you want to look like you! We love how this next photo shoot is full of its subject’s personality. Sean (or “Young Studda,”) is a senior from Brazil, Indiana and loves to rap. He was completely self-styled for his senior shoot with Taffy French Photography, and his comfort in front of the camera definitely shows! “We started out in downtown Greencastle, Indiana and worked our way around on some rural roads in that area for the other shots. We finished up with a phenomenal sunset shot on the Depauw University Campus. Sean and his family LOVE his photographs–his mom has thanked me numerous times for capturing the quintessence of Sean!”

For this last senior, the perfect shoot was all about the location– and the outfits! Astudioproductions, Inc. took Claire out to a charming Texas town for her sweet portraits. “ The town of Aubrey, Texas has an old abandoned peanut mill and right down the road you’ll find the most charming little white church. Our senior specifically asked for a location that would match all of her outfits. No problem! We chose the abandoned peanut mill for her glamour/drama dress look; a little white church for her vintage look and we topped it off with gorgeous sunset shots in a wide open field across the road from the little white church!” The photos were a big hit with Claire and her parents. But what makes a senior shoot standout for this photographer? “We feel that including creativity with good, solid portraiture is key for a senior photo shoot.” We agree!

Thanks to these three fabulous photographers (and equally fabulous seniors) for sharing these shoots with us!

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Filed Under: Fashion, Featured, Lauren, Lifestyle

Bridal Shoot: Whirlwind Romance

2 Feb Filed Under: Design Elements, Fashion, Lauren, Real Weddings

When Mulberry Lane Studio shared these *gorgeous* bridal portraits, and told us that bride Lindsay met her beau Brad in a “whirlwind romance,” we just had to hear the details! Lindsey and Brad met in November of 2010, and after eight months of travel and adventure, the couple knew they were meant to be together forever. Brad popped the question at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, where Linsdey later returned with her photographer for a pre-wedding photo shoot! Here’s what Lindsey had to say about their romance:

“Brad and I have definitely had a ‘sweep you off your feet’ type of romance! We met through friends in November of 2010 with our first date in January 2011. Our first date quickly turned into our second, and we have been inseparable ever since! On our second date, I was Brad’s date to an Indian wedding in NYC, which is where we quickly knew we wanted to be together forever. It was a weekend I will never forget!”

“Brad lived in Houston and I lived in Dallas at the time (it’s too funny that now Brad always says he “imported me” from Dallas. Ha!) Many of our first weekends together were all over the map. We went to Corpus Christi for a Valentine’s Day wine tasting, San Francisco and Napa Valley for a fun getaway weekend with friends. We had Rodeo’s in Houston, and of course spent time in Dallas! Our excitement quickly turned into love, and we knew that we wanted to be together forever. We quickly realized that our core values were the same: family, faith, and passion. At the end of the day, what brought us together and continues to bring us closer together are these three things.”

Brad and Lindsey planned a destination wedding in Peninsula Papagayo, in Costa Rica. They hoped to capture the adventure of their romance with an exciting affair– golf, spa days, fishing, and even zip lining on their honeymoon! Most importantly, it would be a chance to celebrate their deep friendship and love– ” I can’t wait to marry Brad. He’s my best friend and genuinely the most amazing man I know.”

Thanks to Mulberry Lane Studio for sharing this submission, and to Lindsey for sharing her story with us!

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Filed Under: Design Elements, Fashion, Lauren, Real Weddings

Styled Shoot: Dare to be Familiar yet Unconventional

23 Jan Filed Under: Author, Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Real Wedding, Real Weddings, Sophia

Cassie Jones Photography wanted to astound her audience at her first bridal expo with a photo shoot that showed off a modern feel of chic fashion, yet infuse the shoot with a rustic and classic feel. After finding inspiration in a local downtown area of Arkansas, the photographer (Cassie Jones herself) took advantage of the familiar location to create some unconventional contrasts of light and dark, vintage and modern.

The Binkley couple modeled with a body language that exuded comfort, with many intimate, close shots of the married couple hugging and kissing. But Cassie Jones Photography also took some shots of the couple in more model-esque poses with the bride putting only her arm or elbow against the groom–a more edgy take on traditional wedding photo shoots. Cassie Jones Photography also contrasted this chic model feel against a dilapidated and almost grungy backdrop, creating a unique brand of beauty in the contradiction.

The photographer also employs high contrast in lighting to really make the bride’s vintage pearls, veil, and hair piece shine against the dark background. And instead of using a traditional black suit that could blend the lines of the groom against the background, his navy suit and bright tie stand out. The lines in these photo compositions are clear and defined, following a trendy high definition look, and the bold silhouette of the couple is never lost.

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Filed Under: Author, Fashion, Featured, Features, Inspiration, Real Wedding, Real Weddings, Sophia

Hats Off to Cute Babies–Lovable from Head to Toe!

29 Dec Filed Under: Author, Fashion, Featured, Features, Lifestyle, Stephanie

Get ready for cuteness overload! Today we are featuring two cute baby girls, and both played dress up for their first photo shoots! Baby Abby was pretty in pink crochet for her portrait session with Schmitz Photography and Harlan Clements also donned some adorably stylish headpieces for her photo shoot with Lauren Whitney Photography. We love how a simple accessory like a hat can add so much character to a photo!

Abby is absolutely adorable from top to bottom with her pink crochet hats and diaper cover. And don’t forget those precious baby feet!

Like any fashionista, she had a quick wardrobe change from her simple pink hat to her funky stripped stocking cap. Even in pink and brown, Abby manages to pull off a cozy holiday feel to her photo shoot–perfect for holiday greeting cards!

Here are some suggestions if you are searching for hats like Abby’s for your own baby’s fun photoshoot:

Santa Stocking Cap

Stocking Cap

Crochet Hat

At just five days old, Harlan Clements started accessorizing with fun hats and headpieces! Her delicate flower headpiece was a perfect match for her delicate baby fingers and toes.