Staff Group Portrait for Salem Law, Winston-Salem Estate Law | On Location Brand Photographer | Headshot and Branding Photographer | Jasper & Fern

The hot sun glanced against my cheek, breaking through the dense overhanging pine needles. The citrus-y musk of the pine tree sap wafting through my open car window. It always feels like returning to my mountain home when I visit the Salem Law team. I could easily see why Daniel, the founder of the business and an avid outdoorsman himself, would be drawn to this location for his small business.

Pinecones crunched underneath my tires as I ascended the blacktop drive up to the Salem Law office building. Not much had changed since I was here last time taking their brand photographs. I breathed the sap and earthy smells into my lungs, closing my eyes so I could memorize them and revisit their scent later. Moduled light danced across my closed lids as a warm “Hi!” met me from across the parking lot. Smiling, I opened my eyes, greeted by Lindy and Caroline’s sunny dispositions.

”Is it okay if we do the headshots out here like last time? Daniel really liked having the trees in the background,” Lindy said as she stopped to greet me. “Oh, and is it okay if Daniel’s dog joins us for the group shot?”

My eyes lit up in excitement and I couldn’t hide my glee, “Wait, Daniel brought his dog?! AAAH! YES, PLEASE!! I’d love to meet him and have him be part of the portraits!” I was already excited about taking new headshots for Daniel and his team and getting to spend time with them. Adding his dog to the mix was the icing on top of the cake!

Re-focusing from my excited dog distraction, I surveyed the shadows in the row of pine trees behind where I wanted to take their headshots. I knew I’d be editing the tones in their photographs to compliment their brand colors and getting the right shadows was key.

As always, we had lots of laughter, fights with the wind blowing hair about, and a careful avoidance of the pokey pine cones on the ground. The heat quickly warmed us all as we swiftly moved to capture the best body language and expression for everyone - pupper included.

Sad to leave the covering pines and good company, I packed my gear back up to head to the next location. Waiving goodbye to Lindy, Caroline and Daniel - and sneaking a few last puppy pets - I headed back down the blacktop, the crunching pine cones and citrus-y musk softly drifting further away.

Nervous about how she would look, Anna, a young dancer, entered our studio quietly. It was easy to see that she was special. In moments, she eased into herself. When Anna put on her first leotard and her instructor, Kay of Juxtaposition Studios, began coaching her through her first pose, she unfolded. Her elegance and spunk perfectly balanced. She was giggling in one breath and gracefully flowing in the next. She was beautiful to watch. People like Anna, who you know have had to face obstacles, posess a quiet strength; a resilience that makes them shine from a deeper part of their soul. She's proof that you can overcome and, even in her initial nervousness, you could see she had a this beauty.

"Dance is a poem where every movement is a word."

Pop into our Winston Salem, NC studio for Anna's dance portrait experience.

This radiant woman right here is a beautiful, beautiful person. She holds a quiet strength, like a fortress you know was built to protect and nurture. She is gentle and understanding, compassionate and listens with her heart. She is support in her community and a pillar in her family. I've absolutely loved spending time with and being inspired by her. 

As a elementary school principal, yoga instructor, and mom, Sharolyn wanted to do something to celebrate where she is in life as well as have photographs that will help her promote her yoga classes. Here's the session we designed for her, enjoy!

Her face may be familiar to you, as she has graced our blog and social media several times. If you're just now meeting her, she's one of the sweetest, most compassionate women. Jen is gracious and graceful and I always love photographing her. This time around, she wanted to do something different, something that let her branch out, something creative, something that excited her. 

She sent me oodles of images for inspiration, mainly featuring a parachute dress. Whilst I don't have a parachute dress in my collection, I knew I could create a dress for her. We sent styles back and forth to each other and then got down to selecting a location. Now, being frank, I was a bit apprehensive about photographing at the Arts Park in downtown Winston-Salem. I'm definitely a bare-feet in the grass, fields of flowers and waterfalls kind of lady! However, if Jennifer was willing to push herself, I was willing to be right there with her. 

The final bit of inspiration was a story Jennifer sent me. I asked her to send me a story or a feeling she wanted to have captured with these images. This is her story.

"Once there was a girl who was a dreamer, a lover of life with a big open heart. She believed so much in the good in others and had hope for a fairy tale life for herself. Unfortunately, she tended to let the wrong people into her life and she often got left behind holding the pieces of her heart. These pieces were all that were left for her to start over and she did it again and again, opening her heart and being shattered once more. Yet, she remained strong, and kept building her strength, because she knew God had a beautiful plan for her. Her parachute represents the perseverance that has kept her going all these years and her realization that nothing is going to stop her from believing because she always has always been filled with hope and had her own back."

This is what we created to celebrate her strength and her journey, her love and her resilience. Jen has titled this series "Becoming Fearless" and I couldn't love the name any more than I do because it's perfect for her!