Every year, I sit down to do one of my favorite (and hardest!) traditions: picking my top 10 images from all my client work. Narrowing it down to just 10 is no easy task—you’ve all kept me so inspired this year! These images aren’t necessarily the 10 “best” in terms of technique or lighting (though some of them definitely qualify). Instead, they’re the ones that tugged at my heartstrings, made me smile, or stuck in my mind long after the session was over.
Sometimes it’s the look of pure joy on a child’s face. Sometimes it’s a connection between siblings, a fleeting moment of grace in a dancer’s movement, or the way golden-hour light wrapped around someone in a way that felt like magic. And yes, sometimes it’s just because the colors were chef’s kiss perfect or I managed to capture a fairy tale come to life in the way I imagined.
This list is personal to me. It’s not about perfection but the emotions behind each image—the stories, the personalities, and the unforgettable moments. I’ll share more about why each one made the cut in the captions. Here are my top 10 favorite client images of the year, camera gear and lens info included, in no particular order. Let’s celebrate the magic we created!
So this first image is actually my niece so of course I had to include one of her! I love this little gold starry theme going on here. This is a funny image for me because it was taken in the basement of their house in Seattle. I traveled with my newborn fabric and lighting, set it up in the guest bed that I sleep in when I stay with them, and with a space heater to warm up the area. I shut the door to keep the heat in and had a white noise machine going on. They have an older toddler as well, so when I was done with this session I opened up the door and came out of the basement and the house was completely empty. It was such a weird feeling that they trusted me enough with the baby to take everyone out for a walk. I had never been alone in the house with a baby before and it was kind of a new thing, LOL! Sony a7rv and SIGMA 24-70mm, Nanlite F120b with 30in softbox to left.I don’t think I have ever loved a maternity image more than I love this one. This woman is an absolute stunning goddess of a mommy to be and she was going for an edgy but elegant vibe and I asked her if she would let me do this particular hose and lighting as an experiment and it happened to be one of my favorites of the session obviously and I knew as soon as I took it that it would be one of my favorites for the year. Sony a7rv and SIGMA 28-105mm, Nanlite 8ft pavotube to right a bit behind her.Look at her little perfect nose and her little perfect cheeks and her little perfect cupid mouth. She’s seriously one of the prettiest kids ever. But she made me work hard for this image. She lives in Pennsylvania and her daddy brought her down for this fairy session. Her pa is a longtime friend of mine so I met them at a restaurant prior to the session and she hid under the table and didn’t speak to me for the entire thing and I was sure that the whole weekend was going to be a disaster. Like, that’s never happened to me. After a four hour nap however, she was completely restored and skipping about like a bubble. Sony a7rv and SIGMA 50mm 1.2. Natural light only.These are graduation photos and this particular boy happens to be my second ever newborn session. I know that I am old, but jeez. So my favorite thing about this image is of course his hair. His mother describes it as ‘violently purple’ and I think I agree with her. He’s one of those people that is completely deadpan about everything he says, even when it’s a joke. I love that sense of humor. My other favorite thing about this photo is the arch behind him. I always try to frame within the frame in a photo if I can and I definitely think it adds to the image. Sony a7rv with SIGMA 135mm 1.4, natural light only.This was taken at an after hours session at ShutterFest. I have never done dance images at night before and I was determined to do it this time. I knew that I would need a good dancer of course, and I knew I would need some off camera lighting which has never been my strong suit. Grace is this dancer’s name and she is perfectly suited to it, managing that dress and difficult dance moves with ease. Sony a7rv with the SIGMA 50mm 1.2, Nanlite fc-120b with 6in reflector to the left.This kid has my heart. Probably one of the smartest kids I’ve ever met, sweet without giving empty compliments, and so incredibly funny. I just want to hang with her everyday. She finished the photo session by telling me that “you are the most kind, most fabulous photographer I have ever met. You are a good person!” And then she opened the car door again to shout “I expect to talk often, bestie!” Y’all, she’s NINE. If I had half the confidence of her at that age I feel like I could have ruled to world. I love her to pieces. She picked mostly of her own poses through this session and zero awkwardness. Sony a7v with the SIGMA 135mm 1.4, natural light only.I think this girl is actually a pixie. Just look at her perfect skin and little ears poking out of her perfect hair and her amazing green eyes. This is a session I did as a preview of a new Sigma lens and I just felt like it all fell into place with this one photo. The bokeh, the color, the light on her hair, the light on her face, her gentle pose.. I just love it all. Sony a7rv with SIGMA 135mm 1.4, no additional lighting.Ahhh this photo was so hard to choose because I loved another one from this same session nearly just as much, but I ultimately picked this one for the pose. This is a tough jump to do one-handed, but that’s pretty much what I asked her to do because in order to get this she has to jump with her hand glued to her head and make it look effortless. She’s SO good at it. Sony a7rv with the SIGMA 200mm 2.0, no additional lighting.I am so honored when a client comes to me with a vision. Meet Nona and Nona. Mother and daughter. Wee Nona is half the age of her Mama Nona and wanted a fairy photo session to celebrate and be elegant with her mother. These two picked the dresses specifically and Wee Nona made real flower crowns herself. I loved the feel of this session and I really felt like I was a part of their inside crowd for a little while. Sony a7rv with the SIGMA 50mm 1.2, no other lighting added.Red. I never ever use red. I don’t love red. But here I am, in love with red. This session was taken while I was teaching a maternity posing class at Bedford camera in TX that inadvertently turned a bit into a lighting class as well. She actually is expecting, but she has about 4 months to go. Since the bump isn’t bumping as much as we’d like, she’s wearing a faux belly on top of her real one. Sony a7rv with the SIGMA 24-70mm ii, one Westcott FJ 100 with 16in softbox to the right behind her.
We are a luxury portrait studio based in Athens, GA specializing in creating unique and vibrant images for clients who want joyful, light-filled dreamscape photos.
leave a comment