Today’s inspiration comes from a fabulous photographer out of San Francisco that just happens to also be a Clickin Moms mentor!  I love the light she captured in these photos!  It is so warm and inviting!

And check out the fabulous hats!  How fun!

Meg shares a little about this session below.  Be sure to check out her other work here.  Thanks for sharing Meg!!

What was your inspiration for this photo shoot?  This shoot was completely about Maddy and what she wanted.  I try to connect with all my seniors to find out what they want and the things that they like before I even start thinking about about locations.  I knew that she loved nature and with her red hair, I knew I wanted to keep her around earth tones and a ton of natural light.

Where did this photo shoot take place?  This shoot was done at Briones Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.  It’s this adorably cute “ranch” that dates back to one of our town pioneers.
Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing for this session? Yes!  As much as I could.  We talked about outfit selection before the session and she brought 5 or 6 outfits to try that day.  I always tell my clients to bring the whole closet.  It’s fun to mix and match during a session.  Make-up for this session is by Sandra Martin

What camera, lens and equipment did you use for this session? I brought my Canon 5d (original), 1DsMarkiii bodies, my 50mm 1.2, 85mm and 24mm.  I also shot a roll of Portra 400 on my Contx 645 with an 80mm lens.

What time of day was this shot? Completely during the golden hour!  It’s my favorite time of day to shoot!  
Can you share any tips on how to work with the sun as you did in these images?  There is nothing I love more than beautiful light.  And I love shooting into the sun, so I try to position my subject so that i can have that little bit of light peeking out from behind something in the background.  (For example, in Img 52, the sun is directly behind the tree.)  That little bit of sun gives me a gorgeous burst of light, and not as much haze as you get with a full blast of sun flare.  I also try to make sure I have something to reflect the sun back onto my subject.  In most of these images, we were shooting on a grey pathway that sent light right back in Maddy’s lovely face.    
Can you share any post-processing techniques that were used when editing these photos? I am currently obsessed (Obsessed!), with the Clickin Mom’s film art presets for lightroom.  I used them for all the black and white images.  Hello yummy grain!  I do just a tiny bit of WB correction, lightening and cross processing on the color images, but I try to keep it minimal.  I stick to lightroom as much as I can.  
What is your favorite thing about these photos?  I love that Maddy’s personality completely comes through.  This is her!  She’s funny, bubbly, and a joy to be around.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your photography business? I try to bring out the beauty that i know is in all of my clients. Beautiful light, a little direction, and fabulous clothes are the perfect start to making everyone feel fabulous.   And feeling fabulous is the secret to looking fabulous.  If I had a photography super power, that would be it!

What is one tip about senior portrait photography that you can share with other photographers?  Get to know your seniors!  Talk to them before the shoot.  Their personalities are full of inspiration.  
Tell me about you…where are you from?  how long in business?  favorite thing about photographing seniors? ETC.  I’m Meg.  I’m a wedding and portrait photographer in the San Francisco, CA area.  I have an obsession with coffee (lattes), a fondness for smooshie faced pups (I have a boston named Lola), and a bit of a weekness for anthropolgie and Madewell.  (I also seem to really enjoy parenthesis.)  I’m also honored to count myself among the Clickin Mom’s mentors.  I started my photography journey on a 1950’s Leica Rangfinder camera of my fathers and I still pick it up to shoot from time to time.  I’m married to a social media addict that pushes me to connect better with the amazing network of photographers around me and I have a 3 year old son that continues to inspire me to shoot more, and shoot better.