After all that she's endured in the last few months, this is proof that Lauryn Hill still has the X-Factor! YES! She has it.

This piece is about 12 minutes long, but worth every, single minute.....the ending, the best part. I hope that one day she makes peace with the music industry so that the world can regularly enjoy her art. We deserve that much.

Every girl has had a moment in her life where her chickens come home to roost. In other words, you have to face the music and deal with the consequences of bad behavior. If you haven't experienced it yet, just hold on....your day is coming. It's happened to all of us.....more than once. But it's not the end, there's always a bounce back. There's always a renewal, a rejuvenation, a re-emergence. You can choose to recover or wallow in self-pity. But you will always get a chance to do the thing that defines you and it breathes life into a space that needed refreshing. This is Lauren's moment. She DID THAT!

This will make your smile... GUARANTEED!

You'll watch this video....and smile the whole way through. And if you're really awesome.....find a mirror, stand up....and TWIRL!!!!

This video is my motto to every girl who says she's too ugly, too fat, too (insert negative adjective) to do boudoir photos. Make 2014 the year to do something different!

Watch and smile!



My favorite beauty tips from this video....

1. Start thinking of your 'flaws' .... as differences....we all have them
2. Sometimes you need to break fashion rules and just wear something .....simply because it feels good.
3. Being vulnerable means that you are open to fully experience JOY! (Sidebar: currently reading Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown ---- OH MERCY, I must write about that....powerful!)
4. Decide that you are going to control your own perspective. Perception is reality
5. Another word for sexy? Confident. 
6. Breathe
7. Express Yourself....kindly, without apology
8. Go on a personal adventure.....whatever that means to you.
9. Never stop looking and appreciating wonderful things around you.
10. Create YOUR own story. 

Ok....so I loved all the tips. All of them!

Surprise Wedding :: Who does that!?!

When it comes to surprises, this one tops the list.

Proposals are always beautiful and usually a surprise but this is a surprise proposal and surprise wedding all in the same day. This groom used his brides Pinterest board to plan the wedding of her dreams for her. She almost didn't make it but she did and he pulled off the surprise of her lifetime. It was beautiful.

Since we're talking about surprise proposals, this one is still one of my all time favorites. It was beautifully done but one of my favorite photographers Ross Oscar Knight.

Unrealistic Perceptions of Beauty

Too skinny? Too fat? Nose too wide? Hair too thick? Hair too fine? Thighs too big? Or too skinny?

The grumbling and complaining just goes on and on. Women are continuously finding fault with their body. Here's the truth....you'll NEVER be prefect. Perfection only exists in magazines and those bodies are painted on. They're not real...NOT.EVEN.CLOSE to real.

The truth is that you are beautiful and finding the flattering angles and well fitting clothing make all the difference. I am not a size 2 anymore...in fact my size has a 1 in front of it....but I'm beautiful. Not Perfect, beautiful.

This 37 second video proves exactly why you shouldn't get all excited about the women in magazines. They've usually had a lot of work done...and by work I'm not talking about exercise.....nor plastic surgery....I'm talking about Photoshop.

         

This is what real beauty looks like. A woman with her hair done. Her make-up tastefully done. Great lighting. A good photographer. A genuine smile. That stuff above....is just depressing.

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Love is beautiful :: Stone Mountain Photographer

I think love is incredible. To think that a man and woman meet, talk, bond and fall madly in love is just simply amazing. To find someone that makes your heart smile, that makes your heart skip a beat is pretty awesome. Everyone deserves to find a love like that. Even on a cool day, you can lean in and snuggle up with your honey for some body heat. You like being in their space and they want you there. Love is beautiful. It's incredible. It's fantastic. It's indescribable.

 

Dahlia and Charles :: Eatonton Wedding :: Intimate things.

Everything was magazine perfect. The weather was cool, not too hot, not too cold. The estate was golf course green. The white picket fence, the long drive from the gate, the ripples on the lake, the ducks, the band playing as you walked up the steps, all made for a perfect wedding day for Dahlia and Charles. Their dearest friends and closest family stood by as they held hands, looking into each other's eyes, said "I do" and kissed. 

I enjoyed your wedding and I am honored that you chose me to create the art that will be a living legacy of the day you said "I do." 

God Bless, 

Pru

This is really a do or die situation.

Truthfully, I never thought it was possible. I never, ever thought that it was possible to do something that you love and to get paid for it. That's what hobbies are for. My mind told me that you're supposed to make a living doing something that you can tolerate by day and something you love to do in your spare time, if you have any. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could do what I loved and get paid for it. This is almost too good to be true....but it is! Pinch me because I must be dreaming. Helene Cornell, Photographer and vintage trailer renovator says it best, "People who follow their passion are happier people." Find her photography online at www.photographybyhelene.com

 Last week I had a long conversation with a good friend. She is a talented creative spirit who is not pursuing her passion project. She has all the ideas, and the talent, but none of the action....at least not yet. The conversation has lingered with me. I think creative people who are currently creating are the happiest. Creative people who are not creating are always frustrated. But the thing that stands between the two groups of people is not money, not clients, not even time but perfectionism. If it can't be done exactly perfectly, we freeze in our tracks. (I'm talking about myself) Perfectionism is of the devil....it's a killer. 

Today, I watched this video. It's a part of the American Express Passion Project. It made my day. This is the kind of video that has stopped me in my tracks and reminded me that I am living my dream. Everybody needs a Passion Project, something you love so much that not doing it is out of the question. Share your passion project. Live it, dream it, do it, fulfill it. Oh and one more thing, don't compare yourself to someone else....the journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step. Everybody started somewhere.

Happy Monday Ya'll.
 

My passion is to create beautiful images of people. This is art that you will treasure for a lifetime and when your lifetime is over your children and grandchildren will find them to be priceless.

4 reasons why Candice Glover inspires me

There are girls that are the prettiest, coolest, flyest, best dressed, most fashionable, etc. There are also the women who are the most confident, the smartest, the most secure, the most talented. Sometimes the two circles collide and sometimes not. There are many women I admire, for many reasons, but the gals that fall in the the second category get much more of my attention. Candice Glover of American Idol is on the list of women that get my attention.

She is a contestant on the hit show American Idol. There is a way that she sings that goes beyond just stringing sets of notes together. She sings with power, with passion clearly understanding the words that she sings and completely determined to make you believe the story she's telling through her music.

But it's more than that. Candice is not the typical Hollywood type. She is an average sized girl with average looks and average fashion styling BUT (and there's a big but) she walks on that stage with supreme confidence. She may truly feel that way about herself....or she may be in the 'fake it till you make it' category. Doesn't matter.....outwardly she has convinced me of her skills. She does her job so well that you are forced to stop and wallow in the beauty of her voice and her presence.

She is grateful. Week after week she sings. Sometimes she's great and sometimes she's just good. But she is grateful when she gets compliments and just as thankful for her learning experiences. It's no surprise that she is on the finale show.

She is determined. It takes a chick with some chutzpah to love something, want to do it passionately, get shunned over and over again, yet pick up and try again. That's Candice. She tried out for American Idol repeatedly and wasn't 'good enough.' So she honed her gift until she was ready for just this moment.

I photograph women from all walks of life. I don't photograph models. I photograph the everyday woman. I photograph the girl who likes her legs and hates her butt, who is a great accountant/nurse/teacher but a terrible housekeeper/cook/fashionista, the girl who only dresses up on weekends (and for photoshoots), the girl who is a great mother and a loving wife, the girl who has life experience full of joys and a few regrets, the girl who works hard and laughs harder, the girl who has tons of fun but remembers that she has a reputation to uphold. That's my client, my peeps, the chick I love the photograph. Candice reminds me of that girl.....and that's why I love her.

My favorite Mother's Day photo

Grandma, Mommy, Sister and Me. This is/was my circle of 4. My grandmother is gone now. I miss her. I miss that my children won't know her like I did. I miss that they won't get advice from her. They can't taste her soup. She can't make them a nice cup of Milo with extra condensed milk. Instead they get to call the woman she raised as their grandmother.

I am the woman I am today because my mother was raised by a woman with a strong commitment to her children. There was nothing and no-one that could stand in the way of my grandmother and the vision that she had for her daughter. Every child deserves a grandmother that is a little indulgent and a gives out lots of hugs and love. My children have my mother as their grandmother.

This morning my mother called me to say, "Happy Mother's Day." She told me that she was proud of my dedication to my family, proud of the way I mother. I wanted to say, "I got it from you." I wanted to tell her that I got every bit of it from her but I was interrupted by a bouncing 3 year old who realized that her grandma was on the phone. Those two love each other without bounds. They go on dates, they talk for as long as necessary and one of them cries when it's time to leave (I won't say who). The stern, loving and self-sacrificing woman who raised me is now a doting grandmother. I love watching the way she is with my children. She's a bit unrecognizable yet charmingly familiar. Grandmothering suits her. It's a beautiful dance of love.

About 10 years ago, before I was a mother, I gathered the most important women in my life and we took a picture....together. Now that my grandmother is gone, this gift is the one thing that I treasure the most. I am happy that on mother's day so many years ago, I invested in a gift to my legacy that will probably outlive all of us. I am eager for the portrait session this summer with my kids and their grandparents because the legacy continues. The memories never end. The stories keep going. The influence of generations of mothers is beautiful.

Living in two worlds and loving it :: Photos by Pru

It was a pink satin dress with perfectly matching pink shoes and a matching pink, flowery hair piece. My hair was pressed and then pinned into an elaborate up-do. It was gorgeous. I was gorgeous, drop dead gorgeous. My older cousin was getting married and I was a bridesmaid.....a 13 year old bridesmaid. The only thing I remember about that day was the way I felt. I felt amazing! I am a girly girl.....always have been.

But there was more to me. I was in college when I got my first real fix. I'd dabbled before but I hadn't gone all the way. But today was the day that I would make my Daddy proud. I was going to change the oil on my car.....and I loved it! I was addicted to grease under my finger nails. I am a tom boy.

I am a convergence of opposites.....and I like it!

I am not a mass produced  human. I am fully and completely complex. I like my hair straight and I like it curly. I like photography and taxes. I am quirky and funny, yet stern, rigid and opinionated. I am a girly girl and a tom boy. I am Pru.

Boudoir Photography explained.....

What is Boudoir Photography?
noun \ˈbü-ˌdwär,
Boudoir is a french word for a woman's dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room.
Boudoir Photography is artfully photographing a woman at various stages of getting dressed.

What to wear to a Boudoir session?
You can wear anything, nothing at all, or perhaps something in between. A man's white dress shirt + his favorite tie,  paired with cute girly underwear is very sexy. Maybe you've invested in delicate lingerie, fishnet stockings and to-die-for heels.......then girl, wear that! Or if that sexy, little dress that makes you feel fabulous.....rock it! Maybe you're the girl who just loves her silhouette, then bring it and let's do some figurescapes. The options are endless.

How can I book my boudoir session?
In a few days, there will be a special boudoir marathon, just in time for Valentine's day. You can find all the details about Valentease, here. However, I shoot boudoir all year long. If you are interested in a boudoir session, drop me an email (pru @ photosbypru.com) let's chat about your vision and bring it to life ;).

Is boudoir for skinny gals only?
Not at all. There are no mass produced humans. You are beautiful at any age, shape, size. Some of my most beautiful boudoir portraits are of woman with massively sexy curves. Those images have been loved and treasured by their spouses.

What should I expect a my boudoir session?
Expect to be pampered. You'll get your hair done, your make up done ..... by professionals! To top it off, I will be there to photograph you. Don't worry, I am a regular woman too and I know first hand all about the jitters and the mental jibberish going on in your head. IGNORE IT! You are beautiful and it's my job (not yours) to find your most flattering angle and the photograph.

What happens after the session?
You'll be on pins and needles to get that email with the link to your private gallery. When you do, you'll be completely surprised at how beautiful you are. You may laugh, you may cry but you'll be happy.

Every woman loves..........

Every woman loves...........a good picture of herself. 

Women all over the world understand that value of a good portrait. Don't believe me? Just go to a restaurant and watch a group of girlfriends hanging out. If the gals are anything like mine, we will laugh hysterically over and over again. We will talk about all kinds of silly stuff and we will ALWAYS stop before the night is over to take a picture, even if it's just one. Women love to take pictures of themselves and of each other. 

Still, doubt me? Just hang out on Facebook and check out all the self-portraits that the women have, then check out how many the men have. Sidenote: We need to talk to men. I struggle to get my husband/son/father/brothers to give me even 5 minutes in front of the camera. They're cute, handsome and make me happy. A good photograph of my favorite guy(s) -- together or alone -- would be priceless.

So, why do women love taking pictures?

Must capture the pretty.

Women love to feel pretty, at work, at play, at church, wherever. We like knowing that our hair is on point. Our shoes are fierce and our outfit is to-die-for. Being well put together can make a good day better and make a bad day not so bad. For most of us, getting pretty takes work. It ain't easy. So after the process of getting pretty is complete, it needs to be documented.

Show off a body they're proud of.

I may or may not be a size zero but I'm on FIYAH and sizzling hot! 

Somebody made me do it.

Truth be told some of us are camera shy. We don't see our own beauty. Year after year, we promise ourselves that we will book a session after we lose weight, get our hair done, save up money....etc, etc, etc. Then you attend or plan a photographer-required event like your wedding......can't avoid a photographer there. Perhaps, your lover, who is completely convinced of your sexiness, insists that you do a boudoir session like Valentease.

To do something for themselves, finally.

One day, some of us will look up and realize that we ARE beautiful. Strikingly beautiful. Stretch marks and all. The kids will be grown. We won't be a size zero. But we will finally have the courage to make the investment into good portraits.

I am convinced that every woman loves the camera. At the very least, every woman knows the value of having a very good photograph. If you don't have a current very-good-photograph then it's time to come up with a plan. Call your photographer and book a session. Commit yourself and start the planning.

Like Photos by Pru on Facebook and I will help you with the steps to get ready for your next photoshoot........this year.