Light & Dark

Healing comes with time. It’s true. Patience with yourself and the process is key to minimizing further pain and damage. That is a tortuous sentiment for a faced-paced woman like me. No human likes discomfort or waiting. Everyone wants to be healed immediately whenever sickness, pain or hardship strikes. But when we look back, we can see why it’s good to be patient and how much healing was needed and has come from time and the process. Truthfully, the steps that it took to heal would have been made the healing process more excruciating. Be patient with yourself.

I’m thankful to have my friend Megan to document it each year. She shot my resurrection photos when I was in San Diego last summer, and shot some photos that I call “Light and dark” this spring.

To me, these photos feel very honest of who I am. I’m a woman that seeks truth and the light, but I’m flawed and imperfect. I have a shadow that goes with me everywhere I go even though I stand in the light.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Photos by Rise Photo Co.

The Greens Styled Family Shoot

The Greens are one of the cutest families on THE planet, and I had the opportunity to help conceptualize and style them for their family photo shoot with Session Nine Photography.

The Greens are dream clients because they were imaginative off the bat. Meghan wanted a fairytale-like portrait session, and of course, Session Nine and I were all over it. Now, we're not talking dragons and Harry Potter. We're talkin' the Princess and the Pea and forest nymphs - whimsical, beautiful, airy.

Check out this Pinterest board to see what I mean, http://pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/fairytale-family-shoot/

Once all parties were on the same page, I visited the Greens' home to pick outfits. We didn't find EXACTLY what we had envisioned, so instead they decided to do some shopping and Meghan decided to make vests for her boys and an INCREDIBLY cute romper for her daughter Brynlee (Check out Meghan's clothing line for kids!). Isn't she the cutest?!!

After a lot of picture messaging and emails filled with links to clothes, Meghan and Justin found their outfits and them some!

The perfect location for this shoot was the amAZing Rio Salado Audubon Center. It's a nature preserve smack in the middle of Phoenix. There's never anyone around, so it's easy to set up a scene.

I hope you love the photos, and I hope this encourages you guys to think outside of the box for your annual holiday photo sessions! You can see even more photos on Session Nine's website, click here.

Please email me if you would like some help picking out your outfits for your photos, alexandra@avestyles.com. I would be happy to help!

High School Senior Style

Being a senior in high school was one of the best times of my life. You feel invincible, on top of the world and of course SO flippin' cool. Granted, I look back at myself and just laugh at the notes I wrote to my friends, the stupid things I did that year, and what I wore for my senior photos!!! Seriously, what the heck was I thinking?! I wore ALL black and posed with my clarinet! So NOT cool! If only I had my own personal stylist to help me pick the right clothes for my personality and the camera.

Well, I'm happy to say that I've definitely learned from my mistakes, AND I'm offering my styling services to seniors as part of a high-end style experince with Melissa Jill Photography!

Melissa is not only a great friend of mine, but she was my wedding photographer back in 2007 and has since become one of the top wedding photographers in the country. Remember those pictures with my bright red pants? Yeah, she took those. =)

Recently, she has been able to grow her business and bring on Sara Nevels who is one of the cutest gals I've ever met AND a talented photographer in her own right. Along with Tina Burnham who is an uber talented makeup artist and hair stylist (she worked on the Rock 'n Roll Bridal Shoot, Marie Antoinette shoot, and did my makeup), a team of creatives has been assembled to make seniors feel like they are even COOLER (if that's possible) and ensure that they'll look back on their photos and love them FOREVER!

So, what are the specific dets?

Well, each session has four components: The Initial Consultation (Sara), The Styling Session (me & Tina), The Photo Shoot (the WHOLE team), and The Viewing & Ordering Session.

The Initial Consultation is a time for Sara, the senior, and the parents to really get to know each other. Lots of bonding takes place here. Stories are shared, questions are answered, expectations are set, and decisions are made.

The Styling Session is a phone chat with me, where I'll talk through different look options using Pinterest.com. Together, we'll discuss favorite looks and how to achieve them with the clothing the client already owns, or talk about where to go shopping to find the clothes that will achieve the looks they want. I'll also find out what the senior's hair & makeup preferences are, so that I can make sure Tina knows EXACTLY what they want on the day of the shoot. And don't worry, we have plenty of alternatives FOR GUYS to make this time worth their while too!

The Photo Shoot is the main event -- Hooray! Depending on how the senior wants their hair & makeup, it's safe to assume they'll be with us for 4 hours. Better to over-estimate than under! We plan 2 hours for preparation and 1-2 hours for the photo shoot. This also gives a little wiggle room for traveling to their location. We'll start at the Melissa Jill Photography office where Tina will do their hair & makeup and I will put together 3 outfits. As soon as the senior is ready, we'll head out for the shoot!

The Viewing & Ordering Session is the very first time the senior will see any of their images...SO EXCITING! Sara and Melissa will show a slideshow of all their images and have them pick out their favorites while celebrating with sparkling cider. Parents are required to attend, since we give an extra 25% off all of our prints and canvases if they purchase during this session. Sara and Melissa will post the photos online for friends and family to order from, but the discount is only valid for the senior at their viewing & ordering session.

Pretty cool, right?! We think so too.

For pricing information, please contact Sara, sara@melissajill.com.