Celia came to me with a request for very natural looking images she could use in marketing her business. She’s an acupuncturist and herbalist and loved the look she saw here, but didn’t want to be too made up since she has a very natural business. In addition, since she works with a lot of female clients and female issues, she asked if we could show off her own budding belly for her expanding family, of which I was happy to include for her!

We started with a lace and floral top, fitting with the herbal work she does. From there she changed into a maxi gown that she claimed made her look pregnant. I’m always nervous when I hear those words because as women, we often feel like we look different than we actually do. But she came out of the restroom and did the glowing pregnancy claim some serious justice. I noticed it the minute we started shooting – she just came alive in that dress and knew she looked great! This is my favorite part of any session, when my subject comes alive in front of the lens with confidence.

But in the end, even with a goal of natural photos, we both ended up loving the drama of the black. Funny, that. I’d say the black on black images have a very contemporary edge to them, very modern business headshots.