Bay Area Portrait Photographer : The lovely Allison Miller

I think if any one shoot could describe my style, this one might be it. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for romance and beauty. My mom told me once that when I was a baby and I wouldn't stop crying she'd put on the local "smooth hits" radio channel and dance around with me to ballad after ballad. I like a song with a story, a song that tells of love and loss, triumph and failure- so what if they all follow the same chord progression? My favorite photographs are like this too- pretty, feminine, romantic, lovely, expected, comfortable. I've learned that in this industry people expect you to experiment, to use new techniques and products, have the latest gadgets, keep up with the Jones's if you will.  It's easy to get lost in all that and forget yourself. Forget what you want your work to be about, how you want it to feel, or more importantly, how you want it to make people feel. I want people to feel the way they feel when watching a candle flicker, or when the wind blows, or raindrops fall, or the waves crash against the sand. Nostalgia, memory, thought. These goals might be grandiose as, really, I am competing with God there. But if my photographs can cause one person to smile, to breathe in a little deeper, to be reminiscent, or inspired then I know I am on the right track. Obviously, we all take pictures to not only fulfill our creative bones but to also pay the bills- so not all shoots can have this effect. But, I encourage you to take the time to shoot for yourself- to remember, deep down, what you're really creating.

I have been wanting to photograph Allison for awhile now but between her filming schedules and my non-existent free time we haven't been able to arrange anything until now. Not only is she a super talented actress but she's also a writer and a fabulous baker/cook specializing in vegan recipes. We decided to use these talents and bring them into the portraits- a la Meg style, in the woods. ;) Thanks, Allison for being such a joy to photograph and for bringing me back to my basics.

Those who are local, you can find her muffins at Stories LA on Sunset Blvd.

Thanks to Morgan, too, for assisting me that day!

Contact MEG | View my portfolio | Follow me on twitter | Friend me on Facebook

Holiday mini-sessions: Dates announced!

Amanda and Andrea : Sisters! The Palace and Fine Arts, SF

BEFORE WE START: I have made it to the final round of the Pacific Weddings Magazine "Hit me with your best shot!" contest. Basically, if my shot of Helen and Tyler wins then it gets a full page spread in their Winter/Spring edition. Voting ends on Oct. 23rd (yeah I know, I have NO idea how they think they are going to manage counting all of those comments with a contest that long but... hey!) so if you haven't already and or you have and you want to give a 2nd opinion head on over to: http://pacificweddings.typepad.com/love_notes/2009/10/vote-photo-contest-finalists.html

and leave a comment with something along the lines of, "My vote goes to With This Kiss!" ... or whatev...

Onward!

I have been looking forward to sharing this shoot because I just love the feeling these images evoke! When Andrea emailed me and told me her and her sister Amanda (who was in my graduating class at Pres. and used to swoon over BSB and NSYNC and whoever else with me during free period) wanted to get some cool portraits of themselves done as a gift for their mom the ball started rolling with tons of fun ideas as to what to do for their images- they totally get what I am about and were ready and willing to have as much fun as I asked for! Thanks so much for such a great afternoon guys!

 

Erin and Steve : More portraits! :)

Erin and Steve are no strangers to this blog - their downtown engagement shoot and wedding pictures have been both posted in the last 6 months! Their wedding day timeline didn't allow us to get as many portraits of them as they wanted so we set up an additional bridal shoot and took the light and timeline into our own hands! Here are some of my favorites... aren't they just ridiculously good looking???

Senior Portraits : Emma, Krista, Nicole, Angie, and Sarah

One thing I was super excited about doing while I was up here was shooting some senior portraits for my sister and her friends. In 2010, I plan on introducing a Senior's section to my business and am starting to lay the foundation for it. Photographing Seniors is SO much fun- the nature of today's teenager fits right in with my vision. They like magazines, fashion, they understand cool locations, props, make up, hair, etc. They don't want a dumb photo of themselves in a cap and gown and would much rather see themselves in a stylish outfit looking fabulous. Parents are starting to get it- we're working on them, right girls? :) They were prettied up, styled up, and then we all jumped into my dad's Volkswagen bus and headed to the grounds of my aunts convent in Burlingame. We had such a fun day and I think these photos show it!! Special shout out to my mom who drove the bus on the freeway all the way to Burlingame. She was a trooper! Any Seniors wanting some creative portraits of themselves, give me a shout at meg{at}megperotti{dot}com! I'll be introducing a Senior rep program in 2010 so look out for that!

Motivation: 5 best friends, leaving for college next month, all taking one last rendezvous- but these girls do not know how to travel on a budget, instead, they just travel with style.

Make up + Hair: Leah Mee

{emma}

{krista}

{angie}

{nicole}

{sarah}

 {friends}

{love}

{gossip girl}

{love}

{thanks mom}