Michelle Moore Photography | Blog

melissa - what can we ask? about what?

Michelle Moore - @Melissa anything!!

Nicole - Hi Michelle! - A few questions for you: 1.What is your "go to" lens for natural light portraits? 2.How do you approach posing with your clients while making it look "natural?" 3.How did you learn about posing techniques? Thank you!!

Michelle Moore - @Nicole 1. The 35mm 1.4 ALL THE WAY 2. I just keep moving around a lot during the shoot, running, dancing, laughing and having fun! Always keep it light and fresh :) 3. Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!! And then studying your own work to see what looks good, what doesn't, and of course FASHION magazines. I always have a huge pile, I mean piles, all over my coffee-table and desk :)

melissa - Ok. I have one for yea. So when someone wants to meet with you to discuss and probably book you for a wedding - what steps do you take from there? If you are meeting at their place or something, what would you bring and what is included (contract, letter head, envelopes, sample books?). Did that make sense? lol. I am curious :)

Michelle Moore - @Melissa For a wedding I typically have my clients come over to my loft (I have a client meeting area). If you don't have this a classy unique coffee shop always works! We discuss details about their wedding, answer questions, and I really try to listen and find out details about them. I always have products on hand, and a contract handy! Just be yourself and provide a relaxed environment and you will do great! Hope that helps ;)

melissa - Ok cool, thanks, that's what I've been doing and it seems to work fine so far :) Here's more since I am around! 1. Most of my clients are from word of mouth, what else would you suggest to do for exposure and booking more weddings? 2. ( I am curious because I will probably be hiring you for my wedding if you are willing to travel) - when you do destination weddings (if you do) what do you do. Do you stay at the clients house? Charge for the wedding package/plane ticket/hotel/etc? p.s. you're awesome :) lol. I am never awake for these chat things, so I'm excited to finally catch you!

Michelle Moore - @Melissa 1. Word of mouth is great! I also use facebook to network with clients and increase brand awareness. There are so many things you can do, and it's best to experiment and find out what works for YOU. 2. For destination weddings when starting out it's best to create a travel fee that covers your true expenses so that you are not paying out of pocket for the job. I recommend staying in a hotel room (that you have booked, not the client) and planning for 2 or 3 days of travel. I usually arrive on a Thursday night before a Saturday wedding in case of weather and/or flight delays. Thanks for stopping by!!!

Nicole - Thanks Michelle - you're awesome!!! Adding onto Melissa's question: what about meeting with potential senior/portrait clients before/after the session? I don't have a place to meet and I have been doing everything on-line. Before the session this hasn't been a huge deal - I don't think. However, this doesn't bode well for me after the session cuz I can't show them books, canvas, prints, etc... to help with placing bigger orders.

Michelle Moore - @Nicole That's a great question! I typically correspond with my senior clients by email/phone before their session. If a client requests a meeting I'll have it here at my loft (again you could meet at a cute coffee shop if needed). For sessions, my clients arrive here first to get their makeup done, so I'm able to chat with clients/moms whoever about products and such. Seeing the actual product is SO important, and I've found this to be the best time to show people! I think you can easily find a way to work this into your client relationships, be it having a meeting afterwards to place print orders in person, or having a comprehensive online ordering system where clients can view and imagine products in a way that makes sense to them :)

melissa - One last question and it's for Jenny: I am redhead. Fair skin and freckles (hate them hahaha). I typically wear my usual, black eyeliner, black mascara and blush. I would say I have nice skin and don't typically need concealer or anything but would like to spice up my life lol! The black really brings out my eyes which I find are one of my best features, I like the smokey look but don't want to look like a ghost cuz I'm practically albino lol. What colors around the eyes and techniques would you suggest? * Sorry for the long question. I was rambling* Thanks guys :) xxo

Jenny Bowker - Hi Melissa! Mmmm i love your coloring! Im a redhead fan! I would recommend warm golden browns and rich golden plums for your eyes on the days you want to switch it up! First use a thick, gel based pencil smudged all around your yes and then top with a richly pigmented shadow in the same tone. Then Blend up towards the crease of your eye. Finish it off with a sunny bronzer (my favorite is NARS laguna for fair skin) on forehead, cheeks chin and nose. And of course lots of mascara and lip gloss! Hope that helped! Check out the MAC counter and ask about rich warm browns and plums, and they will get you all set up! Best, Jenny :)

Nicole - Ugh - I really need an ordering space. My house isn't an option as it's too far out from where I usually shoot. It's just really not feasible for me right now so I guess I will just have to keep fumbling through it for now. One last question - what do you think of the 70-200/2.8? Useful for portraits or don't waste the $$ ? Thanks again for this super insightful information.

Michelle Moore - @Nicole No worries!! I used to be in that position too :) As for the 70-200mm I prefer to be much closer to my subjects. That lens is heavy and clunky, but I know many people love it (especially for weddings). For me I prefer primes, so I would choose the 85mm or 135mm, and then a wide-angle like the 24mm or 35mm :)

jen - didn't you just mention your live chats? :) can you talk a little more about using facebook? do you post happenings there or is it mainly extending word of mouth through "being friends"?

Michelle Moore - @Jen Facebook is a great multi-faceted tool. I have a group for my photography, and a group for my high school seniors. It's a great place for all my past, current and future clients to connect! Facebook also has targeted ads (just like google adwords). It's a great little tool for advertising! Word-of-mouth through "friends" works excellent, as well as tagging photos. PLUS!!!! I've read some GREAT books on marketing! I have them listed in my "gear bag" which is the little box at the very bottom of my blog called "what's in my bag & more!"

Ash - what could be a good natural everyday good looking make up?

Jenny Bowker - Hi Ash! A great simple everyday look starts with beautiful skin! My favorite foundations are mineral, they look completely natural and are extremely easy to use. (Some of my faves are Susan Posnick, Urban Decay Surreal Skin Mineral Makeup and Philosophys mineral line) Next highlighter adds light and brightness to the face, choose a shimmery nude eyeshadow and place it on the inner tearducts of the eyes, under the brows and on the tops of your cheekbones. Load up on BLACK mascara (max factor lash perfection is THE BOMB!) and choose a bright blush that makes you look flushed from the inside out! Dont be afraid of brighter blushes, you can use less and they actually mimic your natural blood flow! Lip gloss is a must of course, my favorites are natural nudes with some peach or pink to add color. (try victorias secret beauty rush glosses or mac lipglass in love nectar.) I guarantee you will be turning heads and feeling hot! Best, Jenny

Nicole Neff - Can you explain your editing process? I love that your images are fun but you still keep your skin texture looking real. I'm having a hard time achieving that.

Michelle Moore - @Nicole Neff This is a GREAT question, and one that is asked so frequently I actually gave it it's own post! Here is the link to a complete break-down of my post-processing technique :) [CLICK HERE!] (You can always reach stuff like this by heading to the bottom of the blog and clicking "Photographers" under the "Categories" list :))

jill - Hi Jenny! I love your work and I'm actually doing makeup for my senior project, and am a little stuck on what i should focus the project on! Would you recommend doing a before/after portfolio with all of the different areas of makeup? (everyday/basic, movie, film, fashion, stage). Also, do you know of any good makeup classes around the area that would benefit my new learning? I would love your feedback and opinions! Thanks so much!

Jenny Bowker - Hi Jill! You could certainly do a before/after theme, but dont be afraid to be really creative either! Concepts are really fun to come up with, and you can take them as far as you like. Think about your favorite movies, books or famous times/people through history use them just as inspiration or base a whole shoot around them! I keep galleries on my computer of all sorts of things that inspire me, pictures from places i want to visit to 70's movie stars. I generally dont recommend makeup classes as they usually turn out to be a waste of money, i tell people to snag anyone they can get there hands on, friends or family and try to replicate looks you see in magazines on them. Make it a goal to do makeup everday, whether its on yourself or someone else! Also look into MAC classes, they come through seattle every couple of months and happen often at the pro store in Vancouver BC, they are amazing for instruction and are certainly worth the money (usually redeemable for product.) If you have more specific questions please feel free to contact me through facebook or just email me at jenny@jennybowkermakeup.com Good luck and all my best! Jenny

Nicole Neff - Thank you!

Jenny Bowker - Thanks for all your questions everyone! You all rock! Good luck in the new year!!! &hearts Jenny

Michelle Moore - @EVERYONE! Thanks everyone for stopping by! Hopefully next time there will be less technical difficulties with the blog! Hopefully we answered some of your questions! Jenny had *awesome* answers for all your makeup questions!!!! Yay!