I heart Kathleen because she brought me cool things:  a cool hat, some cool boots, and lots of things that were PURPLE!  She’s a senior at Buena Vista High School and I think she is incredibly fun.  She seemed so comfortable in front of the camera, and she has this awesome Amelie-esque hair cut that I love.  Kathleen told me that she decided to go with Cedar House Photography for her senior portraits because I do fun, non-traditional portraits, and I don’t, in her words, “Photoshop people until they look like nothing more than flesh-colored blobs”.  Ha ha… but she has a point.  In my opinion, it’s only a great shot if it’s a great shot straight out of the camera.  Editing and touching up might make it look slightly cleaner or more “finished”, but Photoshop can’t be relied upon as the ultimate tool for a flattering portrait – it all has to start with lighting, posing, and angles.  Photoshop can’t fix everything, and shouldn’t be relied upon that heavily, which is why you need someone who knows what they’re doing behind the camera as well as behind the computer screen.  Personally, I think that your pictures should look like you on your best day, not like a plasticised mannequin version of you.

The patio umbrella shots were kind of a random thought but they ended up being some of my favorites.  As soon as I saw all the purple things she brought, I knew I had to take her to this purple bench down one of the neighborhood streets that I’ve had my eye on for a while.  It’s in the front yard of this cool, funky brick house that I’ve always loved.  So, we’re taking some shots on the bench, and the front door of the house opens, and in my mind, I’m thinking, “Uh-oh… I should have knocked and asked permission, and now someone is going to yell at me for tresspassing…”  Then a voice says, “Molly?”  It turns out my friend Larkin owns that cool house that I’ve always loved.  “Come in!” she says.  “You can take some in the backyard, too, if you want.  Bring people over any time!”  And, of course, Larkin’s backyard is just as cool as the rest of the house, complete with a – you guessed it – purple door and amazingly colorful bottle tree!    Yet another random, super-fun shoot experience :)  So, thanks Larkin, and Kathleen – you’re incredible.  I loved hanging out with you!