I mentioned in this week’s studio newsletter that I realized I had stopped writing little personal blurbs that would kick off our weekly Pink Door Post, and that it was because life has been, well…..life-y.
So what has gotten so busy in my life that tasks like newsletter copy have been put on the back burner? Well…how much time do you have? 😅
We all lead such busy lives nowadays and I think that sometimes we don’t see the changes in our lives happening until after it’s happened.
One thing I have tried to focus on this past year is being a lot more present in my everyday life. Recognizing the things shifting around me, the energy in the room, the people I am making memories with, the daily habits and choices I am making and how it all impacts my life and everyone else’s around me.
So it was no surprise to me that a few months ago I could feel some big changes on the horizon. I didn’t know exactly what they would be, but I knew they were coming, whether I liked it or not.
We announced recently that I will no longer be photographing high school senior portraits after the end of this year, and that there have also been some team adjustments happening lately as well. I will come back another day to elaborate more on those things, but I will say that these changes are huge for our studio and we are all feeling it – both the good and the bad parts.
These are some of the growing pains that my business has gone through that have not been my favorite ones to accept. But they are necessary. They are necessary in order for me, my family, and my team to continue working towards our goals and to be living our most fulfilled lives. Which is ultimately the most important thing.
Some of the other changes are on a more personal note. My son‘s dad (whom I have the absolute best co-parenting relationship with) is in the Air Force and recently received orders to Oklahoma…and has to be there by August. If you are a parent in any capacity, military related or not, you realize the impact of that news just by reading it. That is a huge change for a child. It goes without saying that there have been many sleepless nights, tear-filled conversations, gut wrenching decisions, and soul-searching discoveries as of late.
To top it off, my “baby” just turned 12 yesterday! Some of you may know that I started my photography business when I was pregnant with Bentley. And may remember seeing him as a toddler, running around one of my older studios. Needless to say, this past preteen year has been the biggest change of all for the both of us. It’s fun and scary at the same time, and I’m holding on tight to this wild ride.
Lastly, I just want to say, because of my extremely talented and amazing team and the support of our beautiful clients, no matter what changes may come, Pink Door Photo Studio will continue to be an empowering space for women in our community, and I’m so grateful for that. ❤️
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LET’S GET PROPPY
Props are an essential piece to the puzzle that is the perfect branding session! We know it can be overwhelming to look through your office or home trying to figure out what screams you and your brand, which is why we want to help you out! Here’s a few things to consider when choosing your session props…
Q: What do you use the most? If it’s something that’s central to your business, it might be important to include it in your session.
Q: What matches your brand aesthetic? Having a cohesive brand style is so important to having photos that you’ll use often. If it doesn’t match your style, you won’t share it!
Q: What story do you want to tell? Some business owners want a more personal touch to their sessions, while others want to keep things focused and professional. The props that you bring will impact the story you want to tell
Think of our studio as a blank (but very stylish) canvas that you need to paint with the colors of you and your brand’s aesthetic. The props and pieces you bring in to spice up our space will help the photos to stand out and show off your true style. That’s why it’s important to think outside the box a bit when it comes to the props you choose!
Some very common props for branding sessions include laptops, coffee mugs, books, iPads, and tools of your trade. While these are great stock photos for practical posts, we also recommend getting creative with your ideas to really stand out from the crowd of competitors.
When the Pink Door team shot our very own branding sessions, things got pretty wild. Sure, we’re a bunch of creatives, but a lesson can be learned on thinking outside of the box while still staying true to your style. Whether it’s a piece of fruit that perfectly aligns with your brand colors or a knick knack on your desk that perfectly summarizes your personality and passions, pack it up and bring it to your session! We’ll help to style our sets to include the best of your brand.
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Bringing Spring Locations to the Summer Season
Attention seniors looking for gorgeous flowers and sunny skies for their senior portraits! What if we told you that this stunning spring-y session was actually shot in smack-middle of summer?!
Destiny’s Senior Session brought all of the best spring-time vibes with all of the convenience of shooting in the summer! If we could, we’d shoot ALL of our seniors during the summer months. Between the freedom in your schedules with no school, consistent weather with no fear of rain, and ideal sunrise times to keep you cool and bright – summer is the season to beat.
But we totally get it, having a floral backdrop for your session is a want for a ton of our seniors! And while the spring time does offer some super beautiful and unique blooms, don’t count out those summer flowers!
Looking for proof? Just check out Destiny’s session below!
Bright, Golden Fields
We started Destiny’s session in the wide open wheat fields. This location is one of our summer favorites, since we can edit it to any aesthetic. Wanting these fields to be a proper golden oasis? Or a bright, neutral haven like Destiny’s shoot? Either way, these fields can give us the best of both!
Vineyard Greenery
A senior session classic. Vineyards are a gorgeous way to incorporate greenery in the summer. While fields like our first location are dried up, vineyards stay lush and vibrant through the summer months! This helps to bring some gorgeous natural color to your session.
Angelic Orchards
We’ll be honest here, the lighting at this orchard on Destiny’s session day made it our favorite of the shoot! Between this adorable outfit and the country-ish field, our cottage core aesthetic hearts were beatin’ fast 😍
The Flowers You’ve All Been Waiting For
Ending Destiny’s session off with a beautiful POP of color! These hydrangeas were such the perfect find to bring Destiny’s entire session together. I mean, how sweet is this color palette?! We couldn’t have wished more a more perfect bundle of florals for this shoot.
Believe Us Yet?
You can check out even more from Destiny’s session below to decide for yourself! This session just goes to show that you don’t need to wait until the spring for a spring aesthetic session! Save yourself the stress of a rained-out shoot, late bloomers, and cloudy showers. Summer sessions are the ultimate opportunity to get the best of everything!
Are you a Class of 2025 senior and ready to make your summer session happen? Visit the link below to learn more about our sessions!
For our Class of 2024 seniors still needing to squeeze in before graduation, make sure to click that button below to get started on your session planning!
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DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY
How much does a session cost?
The cost of a session can vary greatly from person to person, so we ALWAYS suggest getting in touch with us to book a one-on-one phone consultation where we can discuss your specific needs and answer all of your questions!!
The Breakdown
Our Signature Boudoir Sessions are broken down into two parts:
the session fee and the collection purchase.
Your session includes:
✨ Professional hair & makeup
✨ Full wardrobe styling from our Boudoir Client Closet- stocked with lingerie in different styles and colors sizes XS-5XL
✨ An unforgettable photo shoot experience
✨ Same-day viewing session to review and purchase your final images and products
✨ and More!
Your Collection
When it comes to purchasing your photos from the session, we’ve got a variety of options to choose from! This gives several options to customize and tailor your collection to YOU.
We have two different collection types:
1. Digital-only Collections
Digital-only collections makes it super easy to do whatever you’d like with your photos! These images will be delivered via online gallery directly to you, so once you download every gorgeous photo, you’re free to print, post, and share them as you please!
2. Print Collections
Print Collections are the best of both worlds! Every Print Collection includes an album of your favorite images from the session. Albums are the perfect way to store or gift your photos, so this is one of our favorite products available!
As our Print Collections grow, you can receive not only custom albums, but also your choice of prints + digital images for a little bit of everything!
READY TO LEARN MORE?
When you book your 1:1 phone consultation with our team, we review all of the pricing and collection details based on the type of products you’re dreaming of! You can visit the button below to schedule yours and learn all about your session at a date + time that works best for you 💖
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ABOUT OUR GIRL GANG
We’ve been running our Senior Sorority Program for almost 10 years now! Although, once upon a time we called it the Senior Model Team. Regardless of the name, we hold the gals of this program in a special place in our hearts.
But what exactly is the Senior Sorority and what do they do? Let’s talk about it!
What is the Senior Sorority?
The Senior Sorority program is a great chance for girls in their Junior year of high school to get on our senior session calendar early, while ALSO receiving a ton of extra perks throughout the year! From extra themed bonus shoots, to volunteering events, and even internship opportunities, these girls have the chance to participate in a ton of extra activities with us here at the studio.
These extra shoots and activities help the girls to get to know us and get comfortable in front of the camera, so that their senior session is nothing but fun! All of the time we get to spend with these gals also helps us to get to know them and their unique personalities which is a huge help when taking their senior photos.
If you’ve been thinking about having your senior portraits shot with our studio, you should 100% be signing up the Senior Sorority to receive all of the year-round perks!
What does the Senior Sorority do?
Every year, the specific shoots and activities for our Senior Sorority will vary!
YOUR SENIOR SESSION
Every girl on the Sorority will do their individual Senior Session with us! This shoot is 100% your own, and we’ll help you plan everything from locations, to outfits, and props. This day will be entirely yours, and by the time this shoot rolls around, you’ll have already had a ton of practice shooting with your photographer, Brianna, on our Sorority themed shoots!
You can learn more about our Senior Sessions here!
THEMED PHOTO SHOOTS
Speaking of themed shoots, every year we decide on a variety of themed photo shoots for our Senior Sorority to participate in! Check out of few of our past favorites here!
These themed shoots often include full wardrobe styling, hair + makeup, and an opportunity to shoot with and make new friends with girls from schools across the community! You’ll get to choose the shoots you’re a part of and receive those photos as a perk of being on our Sorority!
EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
But it’s not ALL about photos. The girls on our Sorority also have the opportunity to attend and take part in events and activities throughout the year. Our Sorority internship is an exclusive opportunity for girls to receive work experience and credits towards their senior portraits. This internship is a great little bump for college applications too *wink wink*.
This is all in addition to events like our Meet + Greet at the beginning of the program. This is where all of the girls will meet for the first time!
What does the Senior Sorority cost?
Being on the Sorority comes at no cost. The girls on our Sorority are only paying for their Senior Portrait package – the same as any of our other seniors. The perks of being on the Senior Sorority (photo shoots, activities, events, internship, etc.) are just bonuses for signing onto the program so early in the year!
How do I sign up?
Every year, we host Sorority Info Meetings at our studio to give a presentation on the program details, Senior Session pricing, and more! This is a great chance for parents and seniors to get all of the information they need, meet us, and tour the studio before deciding if they’d like to be a part of the program.
To get on the waitlist to join us for a Senior Sorority Meeting for our Class of 2025 program, make sure to text “SORORITY” to (707)285-9338!
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YOUR DREAM BRANDING SESSION
Planning for your branding session can seem overwhelming, but when you break it down, it’s not so scary! It may feel like you need to fulfill every current trend or show off every aspect of your business, but we actually don’t recommend it. Zeroing in on the key pillars of your business and brand is super important when planning your branding session.
Where to Start
Forecasting your upcoming goals, events, and plans for the coming months will help you decide what type of photos will be most useful to you. We recommend doing a session once per quarter to make sure things stay focused and organized.
Picture the promotions, advertisements, and holidays that will be coming up in the next 4 months. Those are the hallmark inspirations for your upcoming session!
Once you have an idea of what kind of photos you’ll need, finding the right tone and style you’ll need to achieve the vision will come easily.
Pinterest Planning
Pinterest is a great place to start when planning out your branding session! In fact, before your session, your photographer may create a Pinterest board for you to help plan out your session. Based on what we know about your brand following your questionnaire and a little social media sleuthing, we’ll put together our vision for your shoot.
This board will cover style choices from posing, to set decor, to outfit inspo, and beyond. You’ll be able to collaborate with your photographer to make sure you both have a clear idea of your session vision. The board will help guide us through your session for the most effective session possible!
When you’re creating your board, feel free to start by pinning whatever your heart and mind desires. See a picture of a tiger that caught your eye? Pin it. How about that picture of a girl with a towel on her head? Pin it. A random graphic with a color combo you love? Pin. It.
PIN. IT. ALL.
Anything and everything that you feel describes your brand gets saved to this board. Think of it as a brain dump to get all of your ideas and dreams out there visually. We’ll be able to narrow down what you really want as your session approaches. You may find that your pins all fall into a couple major categories, this will really help when it comes to solidifying your major pillars!
And bless the web designers that added the sections feature to Pinterest 🙌🏻 Once you’ve got a solid board, you’ll be able to separate those pins into sections based on the main pillars you’re able to identify. A few section ideas: colors, outfits, aesthetics, locations, etc.
We also recommend doing a little stalking of our Blog, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts to give us an idea of your inspirations (especially if you plan on shooting at our studio). Getting familiar with our sets and their potential will help a ton with set design and posing later!
Once your shoot date arrives, we’ll be super familiar with your inspirations and ideas and ready to make them a reality! If this still feels like quite the load, just remember that we are happy to take creative control as you’re comfortable!
Here’s a little example of our long-time client Lindsey’s branding session, mixed with photos pulled directly (and indirectly) from her session vision board!
READY TO PLAN?
Visit the link below to schedule your 1:1 phone consultation with our team! This call will be your gateway to all of our session, pricing, and scheduling details!
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FOR OUR MAMAS-TO-BE
Maternity Sessions take an already special experience, and make it even more magical and meaningful! Boudoir is about documenting you right now, in this stage of life, whatever that may look like. What better way to document these major changes than coming in to do a Maternity Session?? Pregnancy (while being a crazy experience) is such a beautiful thing. We would love to capture the strength you’ve shown as a part of it!
POSING
Maternity Boudoir is just like any other Boudoir Session, with the exception of not doing certain poses that will be hard with your pregnant belly. We always want our mamas and their growing babes to stay safe and healthy. We’ll never compromise that by doing anything that can be deemed unsafe.
While the bump may be a focus, you are the star of this show. We’re dedicated to capturing that sweet belly AND the beautiful woman bringing it life!
STYLING
We have several options in our Boudoir Client Closet that work for Maternity if you’re looking to show some skin. Two piece sets are a great way to show off the belly. Simple maternity gowns and our Luxe Robes bring a little extra drama to your gorgeous frame. Or, if you’re really wanting to capture your body here and now, a lil birthday suit look is always a good one! We LOVE maternity nudes
For our mamas that are wanting to add some casual touches to their shoot, we recommend bringing in options you know you love! Think, jeans + a simple bra or a long flowing dress that hugs all the right places. Including more casual looks are a great option for PG insta posts!
Just remember, you will look amazing no matter what! We know A LOT of things are changing for you – you’re literally growing a human in your belly. We’re here for you every step of the way to ensure that you’re feeling comfortable, confident, and beautiful!
COUPLES MATERNITY
Oh, and don’t forget, your partner is invited too! If you’re hoping to incorporate a little couples maternity into your shoot, your extra plus-one is welcome to join us. While we don’t have a Client Closet curated for them, we do have posing prompts. No need to stress about how “awkward” any one is in front of the camera or whipping out their own poses on the spot. We will guide you both through every pose, expression, and outfit!
Hopefully, you’re feeling a little less stressed and a lot more excitement in documenting this insanely fleeting (although, it may feel like it’s never-ending) time in your life! Whether you’re just flirting with the idea of shooting a Maternity Session, have questions, or are ready to shoot, make sure to click the button below to get more details on our Maternity Sessions!
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Our biggest event of the year!
That’s a wrap on our third annual Shades of Beauty Campaign! We could not be more grateful for the support we received for this year’s campaign.
THANK YOU to our beautiful participants, generous donors + sponsors, incredible vendors, and the over 100 attendees that joined us for The Shades of Beauty Gallery Reveal Event!
Thanks to you, we were able to raise $2,500 for the Sol Sisters Organization!
The meaning and purpose for this campaign means the world to our team, and we could not be more thankful to those that helped us make it possible for the third year in a row!
ABOUT OUR DONATION RECIPIENT: SOL SISTERS
Sol Sisters is an Oakland-based, nonprofit organization for optimistic, community-seekers looking for a diverse and safe space that supports their personal growth.
Our event donation will be going towards the organization’s November Empowerment Service Day Event, in which 10 low income, deserving women will receive makeovers, professional development + mental health workshops, a fashion show, surprise gift baskets, and more!
We are so excited and honored to have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing organization and the women in our community that they serve!
We’ll share more about that event in an email update soon, so make sure to join our email list to hear more about it!
ABOUT OUR EVENT SPONSORS
ABOUT OUR RAFFLE DONORS
ABOUT OUR EVENT VENDORS
WANT TO BE A PART OF SHADES OF BEAUTY?
PURCHASE YOUR SHADES T-SHIRT
$30
three neutral styles available in a variety of sizes XS-2XL. Text “SHADES TEE” to purchase!
BECOME A 2024 SHADES OF BEAUTY SPONSOR
Text “SPONSOR” to offer your support, products, or services for next year’s event!
JOIN THE 2024 SHADES OF BEAUTY WAITLIST
Text “SHADES” to stay in the loop for our 2024 sign-ups to participate!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR 💋
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“A Present for Myself”
Bodies change. We all know it. We all go through it. And yet, we’re often judged for it or made to feel shameful when it happens. Societal standards are a b*tch. They’ve influenced us to care more about what we look like than what we think and act like. No matter the reason behind our changing bodies or the other things in life we’ve accomplished, nothing feels more important than having the “right” look.
When Angela booked her Boudoir Session as a part of our Body Love Project, this was an area of struggle for her. An obstacle that she has been working hard to overcome.
“Having my worth based on the way I look has been a huge struggle.”
Let’s start this off by acknowledging the fact that Angela is a total badass. She’s got a master’s degree and runs her own business for crying out loud! And yet, it’s the comments she’s received regarding her body that have impacted her most.
“…it absolutely kills me.”
As a former D-1 athlete, Angela’s life and body have gone through natural changes. The body she once knew at peak fitness, has transitioned in ways that feel unfamiliar. Not only has she worked on getting to know her body as it is now, she’s also had to experience the new treatment she would receive from others.
“…society is mean when you’re not itty bitty”
Angela confesses that her body, once a non-issue, is now a topic of conversation that she must endure, unwarranted. The entitlement that people feel to offer their advice and opinions to people that aren’t thin mints, is exhausting and unnecessary.
NO 👏🏼 ONE 👏🏼 ASKED 👏🏼
And yet, they’ll offer their “help” anyway. Altering the way that people perceive their bodies forever.
You are worthy at every shape and size.
“I look at other big, beautiful women and I don’t think the same things about them that I think about myself – they’re beautiful, amazing, AND worthy. But I just can’t see myself the same way.”
We were so excited to give Angela the space and encouragement she DESERVES through her Boudoir Session with us. And we are so happy that she took the leap, gifting this session to herself as a devotion of her newfound self-love. You can tell from the gorgeous photos below, that Angela OWNED this session!
“I’m still strong, I’m still athletic, and I can still hit the sh*t out of a ball, even if my pants are a little bigger now.My worth isn’t based on my size, I have achieved and overcome so much more.”
See, we told you she was a badass.
CHECK OUT ANGELA’S GORGEOUSNESS
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE LEAP?
You can click that little button below to schedule a phone consultation with our team! We’ll chat about all things boudoir, pricing, and scheduling. You might as well explore.
