Heidi Jo | Pensacola Florida Fashion & Editorial Photography

Friday Flashback.

I’ll admit it.  I’m a bit of a perfectionist.    I am constantly going back and re-editing some of my favorite images I’ve taken to bring them back to life.  It’s encouraging to see how far I’ve come in a short time and how my editing has evolved.  When did I ever think it was acceptable to pile on vignettes or overdue some sort of blur?  White Balance? What’s that?  Blech.  But. We’ve all gotta start somewhere, right?! Always move forward! ;o)

I always find myself drawn to this shoot.  Rewind to 2 years ago.  My business was brand new, and I was just waiting for some “light bulb” moment that would help me hone MY style, my talent and an opportunity for all of these images that swirl around in my brain to find a way to shine.

A few months before this, my Grandfather passed away back home.  My Aunt had moved from Chicago after he died (ironically enough into my husband‘s Aunt’s old home. I’ll give you a moment to process this…;)  Okay.  Moving on..  When she moved, she brought with her all the relics leftover from my Grandma and her twin sister, Helen.  She was kind enough to pass on a few of my Grandma’s & Great Aunt Helen’s fur coats and vintage luggage, which I used in the shoot too. 😉

PINIMAGE

 What else is a girl gonna do with a mink wrap in Florida other then use it for a photo shoot?! So…I did!!

Cue Heidi Jo.  This amazing little fireball was just popping up ALL over my newsfeed.  Photo shoot after photo shoot, she was just stunning in every one.  I knew she would be perfect.  It was my VERY FIRST time EVER doing something like this.  So, I took a deep breath and decided to go for it and sent her an email with my idea.  In the back of my mind I’m thinking…

“How in the world was I gonna ask this girl (whom I had never even met) to show up for a photo shoot in the middle of an abandoned train track in an um…interesting part of town??!!” I was totally convinced that she was gonna think I was crazy pants and decline.  But, thankfully, after a lot of email back & forth, we decided on a day to meet.  I’m still kind of surprised she showed up… 😉PINIMAGEPINIMAGEPINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE PINIMAGE That was then…PINIMAGEThis is now!!  So glad that I made the decision to follow my instincts…not only did it help me discover who I was as a photographer, but I gained a friendship in the process.  <3

PINIMAGE

xo, Christina