Stacey contacted me because she wanted to highlight her Cabi business as she looks to market it in new ways. Hence, for her “branding” or “lifestyle”  session we went in a different direction in order to highlight various looks from casual, to great-for-the-office, to dressier.

Two days prior, I told Stacey that we were going have one more outfit…one of MY studio gowns. I think she was excited…at least, she said she was, but I did notice that she looked a wee bit nervous. I told her to just let it go and not think of it further.

The day of the session I know that she would have her hair and makeup professionally done. When she arrived, as I settled her and her outfits in the dressing room, I surprised Stacey with Presecco, dark chocolate, grapes, and cheese. She loved it! And, she was now getting excited!

We flowed through the various clothing looks, with me and my assistant changing the backdrop and lighting as needed. We wanted a more lighter and airer look for the lighter outfits, and a more dramatic finish with a darker backdrop for the darker clothing pieces or those great for the evening. For each, I acted out each pose I was looking for so that Stacey could mimic me. She caught on fast. I had her give me serious expressions for each look, and I had fun getting her to laugh out loud for other poses. The afternoon sped by, with Stacey enjoying sips of champagne here and there. Although a bit self-conscious at first, she easily let all go and just enjoyed the session! She made my job so easy!

As I called it a wrap for her clothing line, I reminded her of the gown…she was not sure. “Well, you are here, and this gown will look fabulous on you,” I said. After putting it on, Stacey agreed that she did love the dress. I worked with her hair to dress it up a bit, pulling pieces up on her head into a style that she did not normally do in her daily life. It looked so pretty. And, I added a bit more makeup – some darker eyeshadows and a darker lip color. Looking in the mirror, she complimented me on my work. Yes!

This time, we wanted a few different poses. I have a set of great posing cards for my female clients to go through, and we chose ones that would complement her and the dress and the feel we wanted to have. After a series of images standing and sitting, I was satisfied I had what I wanted!

The next day I edited ONE image, yes, just one. I sent her a Sneak Peak of one of her in my gown – so that Stacey could see how confident and beautiful she is!

Stacey surprised me by immediately posting it on her FB page with the most beautiful and touching endorsement I could ever receive. You see, she had just experienced something recently that resonated with her when she was in my studio. Here is what Stacey wrote: 

Like most women, I am not a fan of pics of myself. I’d always find something wrong with it and so on…until recently. A friend’s mother passed, and they could not find pics of her that were recent. It made me so sad and hit me with a reality check. We cannot live our lives wanting perfect pictures because we lead beautifully imperfect lives, and it’s messy and complicated and all the things that make life…well life! As you know, I own a business where I style women and make them feel like they can find their personal style, their inner Beyoncé or JLo or Martha. I mean whoever rocks your boat, right?! So, I had to get some pics in the new collection and frankly I was like ugh, I needed to lose like 10 lbs., and I had a pimple and my hair was like meh. But I went anyway. I deeply admire LuAnn Warner-Prokos’ artistry in photography, so I asked her to do the shoot with a few outfits in the collection. I went to her studio and man it was a freaking blast. She treated me like a celebrity and spoiled me with Prosecco and chocolates and I was blown away. I have had spa days that were not as awesome as this! She was genuine and professional and focused on all the details a selfie loss! This magician took beautiful images of me in something (a long formal wrap dress with sequins) I would never wear, and she bought out my inner superpower. I highly recommend doing something like this for yourself. I highly recommend her! My husband, as well as the kids loved it…And, I like the fact, as I sit here in my old leggings and tank top, hair in a bun after cleaning this morning, that I’ve got this creature inside! #mom #bosslady #confidence #outsideyourcomfortzone      ~ Stacey Luces

WOW! I brought out her “inner superpower!”  Thank you, Stacey, for coming into my studio, and into my world! Thank you for bringing tears to my eyes with this most lovely post!