Heidi and I are constantly dreaming up ways to show you how amazing and beautiful you are. We feel blessed that this is our work ~ innovating ways in which to reflect back to our clients their inner and outer magnificence. In an industry full of photographers chasing after the next hot trend {side note: boudoir has become "boredoir" around here because *yawn* everyone is doing it} ~ we are always trying to think outside the box and offer you something unique and transformative. 

In Her Imagination is the next stage in the evolutionary development of our business. We were dreaming up ways to satisfy our clients who had already had 2-3 sessions with us . . . Where do we go from here? And rather than just do something a little more fantasy-based and "out there" {which any photographer can do}, we delved deeper into really wanting to tell a woman's story. We want to show her innermost self ~ bring to life the archetype inside of her. We aimed to create a self-exploratory journey for a woman that resulted in a beautiful piece of art to remind her who she is, at her very core. When brainstorming about this new session, we jotted down: Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? When do you want to be? In Her Element. In Her Era. In Her Imagination . . . 

When we would talk about this new project with close friends, they would get chills and immediately, they would begin imagining what their art would look like. So we thought maybe we were onto something . . . 

The next step was to show some examples of what this session might look like and result in. This is where I saw Heidi reveal her superpowers and create something from nothing in no time! Somehow, she had gathered 11 models, 3 hair and makeup artists, a jewelry designer, a boutique that generously lent us gorgeous dresses, 2 wardrobe stylists, 3 assistants, the marvelously talented Swoon Films, and the most beautiful venue in Sonoma County . . . Oh, and a horse. The BEST horse. 

The models, who are all clients we've photographed previously, weren't told what they were in for, but they all agreed to show up at the crack of dawn on a very chilly Fall morning. Unfortunately, we had to keep all of this hush-hush {we've been burned before, so while we hate keeping secrets, we felt it necessary to ask for confidentiality from all participants}. There would be no selfies from the day and no talk of this top secret project until after it launched. It goes to show how amazing our Goddess Army is ~ everyone played along and respected our wishes to keep it under lock and key. 

We picked ONE DAY to photograph these 11 models, which in hindsight, was entirely batty. We took a site tour the day before the shoot. Julie Atwood of Atwood Ranch sped us around acres and acres of gorgeous scenery on a golf cart. Wendi {from Swoon Films} and I cracked up while white-knuckling it from the back seat, as Julie pointed out to Heidi all the beautiful areas on the property we would be able to create in. It was the best day at work, ever, for all of us. We felt so blessed and invigorated. We will be forever grateful to Julie for allowing us to photograph and film at the ranch.

So the next day, we were up at 4AM and headed to Glen Ellen. Our first model, Lara, was to be there at 6AM to meet our team for hair and makeup. Honestly, it was a beautiful blur after that . . . Women kept showing up throughout the day and jumping right in to help. All kinds of women from the beloved little community of Mendocino traveled down to be a part of this day for us. I can't tell you how incredibly blessed we feel to know and be able to collaborate with these Goddesses. Danielle {assisted by Athena} from Bloom Skincare and Makeup, Cristina and Rasean from Hook & Loop Jewelry, Amy from Mendocino Beauty, Meaghan, our talented stylist, Amanda & Sam to model . . . And that's just the North Coast women!

Locally, the beautiful and generous, Janis, from Bella Vita of Sonoma came with a garment rack full of amazing dresses. Brittney, of Makeup by Brittney Lee, our key hair and makeup Goddess rocked all of her looks like she always does, my dear friend Tina, my cousin Emma {who was also modeling}, and the delightful team at Atwood Ranch, all chipped in to make magic happen! I have never seen 25 women so seamlessly, and with such radiant positivity, work so hard to create together. While the golf cart site tour the afternoon before was an absolute delight, THIS day became the best day at work, ever. 

Wendi was all over the place filming all kinds of video deliciousness. She would speed off with one of the models in a golf cart and return 20 minutes later for more . . . I can't fathom how she created the amazing promo video that she did for us.To watch the finished product was beyond our wildest imagination! There is no one else in the world who could have told the story of this new session {and of that day} like she did. We are so grateful to call her our friend. She is a visionary artist in the truest sense.

Heidi & I ran around in a flurry. At one point, women were handing us plates of food to eat, knowing there would be no pausing for us . . . Time flew by and before we knew it, the sun dipped and we lost light. What came of that day would be revealed by our camera's CF cards at another time . . . It was time to toast and take it all in. There was still so much more work to be done to bring this new dream into fruition . . . 

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Part II coming soon.

So, Heidi's sister Kim in Australia calls us up one night and leaves a very serious message on our voice mail . . . "I need to discuss something with you both. Call me back as soon as you can." 

Messages like this freak both Heidi and I out. We try not to assume the worse, but our minds race all over the place, nonetheless. We called Kim back with a worried little tone in our voices . . .  

In a nutshell, Kim told us she wanted to start a business selling products with our imagery ~ all the photos we take that aren't of Goddesses. It would be an e-commerce web site that sold from California and Australia. She would feature not only our work, but other women artists and crafters. She would donate some of the proceeds to the organization Kiva so that women worldwide could start businesses to sell their wares . . . 

Not only were we honored, we were entirely on board. We started dipping into our library of images to give to Kim to curate and start putting on fun little products like note cards, magnets, wall and shelf art . . . After all, these photos were just sitting on our hard drives. We were humbled that someone else would want to share them with the world! 

Months later, Picture This Sister was born and then launched in Australia! Our images started filling the homes of people on the other side of the world ~ such a surreal feeling for us! 

When Kim, Heidi, and I were discussing products to develop and sell, we began looking into Goddess themed goods for our In Her Image community, specifically. Heidi and I had always wanted to make t-shirts for the Goddess Army and we all agreed that collaborating with Picture This Sister to offer these items would be perfect. And so, the beginnings of the Goddess Wear collection was born! 

Of course, the first message we wanted to put out into the world onto t-shirts was our universal motto: Love Yourself. We also knew that we wanted to source ethically made garments to screen print on. We are big believers in organic agriculture, sweat shop-free production, and staying as local as possible with goods we buy/sell . . . We had no idea what a tall order it would be to find such shirts! After months of research and asking local print houses for help, we finally found something that met our criteria ~ produced in America, made of organically grown cotton, and from California! And because we are committed Do It Yourself-ers, we decided to screen print these ourselves, using non-toxic, water-based, eco-inks. The design warrants a unique, one-of-a-kind print process and no two shirts are alike! We couldn't get more handmade than this, shy of sewing the shirts ourselves! And because we believe so strongly in the work of SF Women Against Rape, Kim is giving a dollar to them for every shirt sold. 

We had the best time gathering some Goddess models together for the photo shoot showcasing the Goddess Wear! Heidi and I gathered some longstanding clients, new clients, & dear friends in downtown Petaluma and whooped it up in our shirts! It was such a delight to introduce these women to each other, or in some cases, bring already acquainted women together for this. It gave Heidi and I a taste of what a Goddess Gathering would be like ~ a total riot! 

So, the American launch of Picture This Sister happened on Friday and Goddesses were given the opportunity to grab their Love Yourself shirts and shop the site for all kinds of gifts! We could not be more proud of Kim for building this from scratch and we are so grateful that she believes in us enough to include us in her journey!   

If you are looking for some unique, handmade, woman-crafted goods to gift to yourself or your dearest, please consider stopping by our sister's site. We want her to see just how powerful the Goddess Army is!

Speaking of the Goddess Army . . . We are asking that you send us a "Love Yourselfie" photo {y'all know what a selfie is, right?} wearing your t-shirt so we can spread the message online! email it to: [email protected] with the subject #LoveYourselfie and we will gather them up and spread the LOVE! 

Happy shopping, friends!

With Gratitude,

Tara & Heidi

It's the second rainy day of the season and we are hunkered down editing, dreaming, planning, making . . .

We sometimes refer to our "busy season" when talking about our workflow for the year. We realized this year that we don't really have a "busy season". There is a rhythm to our work that ebbs and flows. We are always working in some way or another. That's the beauty of work that you are enthusiastic about. It's impossible to slow down sometimes.

We usually set aside a few weeks at the end of each year where we don't shoot and we catch up on editing {as of now, we have 52 client albums waiting for attention} and to finalize all plans for the following year. It's not time off ~ we are most energized!

We are launching new sessions next year, releasing a line of Goddess Wear, planning new ways to keep you all involved in our mission of Loving Yourself . . . There's lots of work to do. 

But, we know this season calls for an internal journey, a "going within" so to speak. So we've stocked up on pellets for our wood stove. We've taken down the hammock so it doesn't get soaked. We grab some vegan Nog whenever we see it. I load my Kindle up with books to read {a ritual I miss terribly since IHI's inception} . . . We remain in our pajama pants and cozy slippers long into the afternoon. 

The wild turkeys visit our little farmlet several times a day maybe because they know they are safe here. Heidi can't help but feed them. We're suckers for critters like that. We've committed to feeding and providing water and shelter for all manner of birds around us, so several visits to the feed store are always in order. This is the time of year where they rely on us most.

Most people have Spring Cleaning rituals, but we save those around-the-house projects for this time of year. We have a vintage trailer in our driveway just waiting to be renovated, so we can't wait to continue to turn that into our guesthouse . . . 

Something about it getting dark by 5PM every day makes us want to sit by the fire and make stuff! Who can hibernate when there's so much to create? 

Once the rain subsides and we don't have to look at our Weather Channel App every day to see if it's OK to shoot outside, we love photographing amid the wild mustard and green hills! We love living in this area and never take its beauty and what it has to offer for granted. 

We can't wait to share with you what's been brewing over here at IHI headquarters. We can't believe that 8 years ago IHI was merely a seed waiting to be planted and because of you that seed has been tended to, nourished, propagated, and LOVED. Thank you. 

Cuddle up Goddesses . . . It's a magical time. 

For the last few months we've been dropping hints about some upcoming changes here at In Her Image Photography. We thought about waiting until the first of the year to break the news, but we're really excited and wanted to allow for ample time for the changes to organically unfold.

Beginning December 1st of this year, we will be rolling out a whole new menu of services and saying goodbye to some of our existing sessions, including Little Ones, Mama & Me, and Loved Ones. While some of these sessions have been our most beloved, our mission has always been to create a personalized, unique, one-on-one session experience for women to capture heirloom images in which they feel beautiful. We want both the experience and the final product to be unique to our business. Over the years we have strayed from this mission a bit and it's time to return to our roots. 

Because we know this news will come as a great disappointment for those of you who have been enjoying annual Little Ones sessions with us over the years, we have been discussing the possibility of carving out a week in 2014 dedicated to a limited amount of sessions for our existing kid clients. If we can make this happen, we will send out an email notifying you of when these will be scheduled. These sessions would need to be offered on a first come first serve basis. Stay tuned. 

We feel so thankful and honored to be a part of so many families' memories. We are humbled to know the work we created together adorns your walls. We love kids and meeting multiple generations of women. We will miss this work, but we know that in order to accommodate the ever increasing requests for sessions from Goddesses next year, we have to make these changes. We're hoping that those of you who have already had family sessions with us will have a session just for yourself, too. 

What's also super exciting is we will be adding a whole lot more menu options for Goddesses! We won't give all that away just yet, but even if you've already had a few Goddess Sessions with us, you might just want to experience one of the new ones, too! It's a blessed and exciting time for us at In Her Image!

We will also be catering to women business owners and entrepreneurs with our Goddess Branding Package to include video by the marvelously talented Wendi of Swoon Films. We are thrilled to be working with Wendi and will be finding all kinds of creative ways to include her services. Her remarkable way of storytelling is something that everyone needs to experience!

And now with the wonderful Makeup by Brittney Lee on board, we will continue to offer outstanding, professional hair and makeup services to meet your needs! 

Oh, we want to keep writing about all the wonderful things in store for next year, but will save that for another post!    

For now, we only have a handful of sessions left for this year (less than 15), so make sure to book now if you would like any of our existing sessions, and to lock in 2013 rates.    

As always, we are so honored to be a part of this community and to have a small part in telling your story. We will happily answer any questions or concerns you have about these changes. In the meantime, we are so excited for the coming year! It's going to be amazing!

With Gratitude,

We first met and photographed Andrea Davis-Cetina of Quarter Acre Farm in Sonoma a few years ago. She has since become a friend and someone we admire greatly. We were thrilled when she decided to do a Goddess Branding Session including the amazing services of Wendi from Swoon Films. We were so excited to tell her story! 

Watch her video and learn all about her here!

As you can see, she is a total rockstar farmer, ridiculously intelligent, charming, and committed to being a compassionate steward of Mother Earth . . . What's not to love?

Listen to her Radio Show podcasts for all kinds of information, ask Andrea gardening/farming questions, visit her at the Farmer's Market, and attend one of her classes! 

We are all blessed to have people like Andrea not only walking this earth, but tending to it with loving hands. 

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Some shots from her branding session . . . 

What does your family's photographic legacy look like? Do you have stacks of photo albums, shoe boxes full of old snapshots, CDs containing digital files, scrapbooks using archival methods? Or are you young enough to have all your special moments stored on your phone or Facebook? Are your photos the first thing you'll grab in a fire emergency? 

At the end of our lives, we have memories and photographs, the evidence of our existence. Some of us have more ~ books we authored, monuments to our work, art that we created, memorials, honors . . . but all of us have stories and photos. 

Depending on when you were born, the photos from your life will represent the times. Heidi and I were born in the same year a few months apart. Heidi's Dad is a photographer and cameraman; mine was a tattoo artist, machinist, and Marine. I think my Mom did all the photo taking, as there aren't many photos of her and I together. Heidi has quite a few photos of her Mum taken by her Dad, which she cherishes. 

I inherited our family's Vivitar point and shoot when I was 7 and sent off to summer camp. One of the most fun things I remember doing as a child was going through the drive thru Fox Photo kiosk and picking up the envelopes with our name on them and pouring through the prints. We would then take the time to place them in those {awful} albums with the sticky glue pages and plastic cling. I've since had to rescue some photos from those albums and the glue stays on the back and the photos get bent . . . Not the best preservation method, those things. 

Heidi's Dad has always been a professional. She remembers being told to stand next to landmarks and pose often. Road trips took a little longer as Dad would want to stop frequently and jump out to get the perfect shot. Home movies were cinematic, complete with artsy zooms and pans . . . Many of her photos she has now are printed on lab paper; they're in rich black and white tones, they are creatively composed, and there are lots of them. 

Compared to the few photos I have of me and my Dad when I was a kid, Heidi has less. If I could make any recommendation to help preserve your family's legacy, it's pass the camera around! We hear from so many of our Mom clients that they are thrilled for our specialty because they are the ones who take the photos and they aren't in any of the images. A Goddess Session is not only a gift to you, but also to your family who will SO appreciate having beautiful, professional images of you that they will cherish forever. 

When we first started out, we hesitated to sell prints because of the environmental impact of the chemicals, materials, shipping, etc. We also wanted to do something a little different than what our industry was doing by not having a session fee and then a separate print requirement. Since, we have found a Bay Area green-certified print lab that offers beautiful products at an affordable price. We still don't require a print order and, in fact, include a set of 4x6 prints of your Deluxe session with us. 

Don't get us wrong. We don't require you to order prints, but we highly recommend it. We provide digital files of your images, but do you remember Beta, VHS, Floppy Discs, or Cassette Tapes? Information Storage and File Formats become obsolete in our lifetime. We would hate for you to have your images ONLY on your computer, hard drive, phone, or CD on the cusp of a technology revolution. Document your life in a tangible way that your family can enjoy for generations to come. 

I would give anything to have more photos from my childhood. And I can't attach enough value to an heirloom video like the ones Wendi from Swoon Films creates for our clients. Heidi has several beautiful movies {sans sound, because we're that old} that her Dad just transferred to DVD for her, but I only have little 8mm snippets of me and my family in moving pictures format . . . 

I do have some really cool framed photos of my Grandparents and older ancestors because there was a tradition of more formal photography back then. It was a fairly new technology, and like most things that are older, they were built to last. The paper was thick, the ink rich, the subjects committed. I love photography from long ago. Our kids and grandchildren will likely walk around with holographic images on some kind of robot device, so let's leave them with something they will honor, love & marvel at. 

It's up to you to build a photographic legacy. Start now. Leave behind evidence of your life that you can be proud of. Don't regret later not documenting this time, now. I can say without hesitation, I cherish my family photographs more than any other items. For my fortieth birthday, my Mom gave to me a gift that she called her most prized possession: a gorgeous photo of her mother, hand tinted and signed. It will be an heirloom that gets passed down indefinitely. 

xoxo ~ Tara

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See some of Heidi's and my family photo collection below. 

My "newborn photo" looks nothing like images today where photographers specialize in studio art, creative posing, trendy props, and gorgeous macro details.   

This ridiculously cute photo of Heidi is creatively composed, rich in tones and detail . . . While the preservation is still not perfect, you can tell it was taken with loving intention. 

  My mom with a 70's appropriate backdrop and Me in my fashionable stroller . . . And we were all Yellow. 

  Heidi & her sister, Kim and Heidi with her Mum on the right . . . similarly preserved & printed images as the ones above of Me and my Mom . . . My most favorite little Heidi that ever was on the far Left . . . Gah!

  Me and My brother . . . Clearly, I haven't changed a bit and my love of Star Wars endures. So wish this image wasn't in shades of red.

Heidi hasn't changed a bit either. Still silly and glammin' it up!

  Me with my Dad and then my brother and I sleepin' with Dad . . .

  Heidi & I both adore the nature of black & white photos. The richness is like nothing else and it endures through the years. Heidi's Mum on the Left and Little Heidi on the Right. 

  A scanned B&W of My Mom {right} and My Auntie . . . I tried to scan my old family photos in just to preserve them a bit, but the old scanner technology I used back in the day is still sub-par for long-term preservation . . . 

    This is the first ever photo taken of Heidi and I not long after we met. It's all grainy, my head looks freakishly giant, Heidi looks a little frightened, and it's preserved forever digitally on the web site that is flickr.  

Heidi growls at me a bit when I refer to her as a "poser" but that is precisely what she does, along with a million other things, for In Her Image Photography. 

We know that the majority of our clients don't have modeling or posing experience, and in fact, are extremely uncomfortable in front of the camera. We didn't start this business to photograph models; we wanted to photograph real women who, ultimately, feel beautiful & empowered in their images. 

   Before our clients know that we take care of the whole "posing" thing, one of the first things they asks us is, "What do you want me to do?". We  reassure them that we have that covered and will guide them every step of the way. 

You see, Heidi has a background in both acting and directing and has spent a good portion of her life either in front of an audience or on a stage. She also owned and ran her own theater company in Boston. Because of this, she knows exactly what she wants to see and capture in images. She will pose you down to your pinkies and toes in order to create a beautiful look for you. 

   If the sessions were left up to me to pose, the result would be a lot of cute, but boring head shots. I'm one of those dorks on the dance floor who doesn't know what to do with their arms, so I keep a bottle of water in one hand and the other hand in my pocket . . . Thank goddess for Heidi's posing skills. I only ever have a vague idea of what to ask clients to do. Frequently, she refers to me as the "shy" one and to herself as the "bossy Australian". But it's more about her director's mind creating and choreographing, than bossiness. Unlike her, I don't get told all the time by clients that I must be a dancer or a yogini because of my moves. Like, never. 

We start our sessions with a little chat about how it's all gonna go. We reassure our clients that they didn't need to practice their poses before their session, that we will walk them through every step, and if anything feels completely unnatural to let us know . . . While we want you to feel like yourself in your images, we will bring you a little outside of your comfort zone knowing that it will look beautiful in an image. 

I'm always impressed with what Heidi comes up with during sessions and often amused by some client responses. Most play along trusting the process, which isn't to say we've had some rebels. Actual quote: "Who sits like this?! Freaks, that's who!".  I still crack up when I think of that moment. 

Ultimately, our clients remark how fun their session was and how easy we made it for them. We seriously love hearing this. It reaffirms our commitment to changing how women feel about being photographed. If we get at least one, "Wow, I'm gorgeous!" then we know we've done our job well. 

I imagined In Her Image a few years before Heidi and I met. It took the two of us coming together, with all of our diverse experiences and skills for it to come to fruition. I know I'm working with someone special, but it is this specific talent of Heidi's that makes the journey with IHI unlike any other. 

I can gush all day, and tell you why working with us (and being guided through your session by Heidi) is so special, but instead, I'd like to end by sharing the lovely words of Sonya Keller, who was both directed by Heidi onstage and many years later, in front of the camera:

"Heidi has a particular talent, a unique quality that is all her own, which allows women to feel both cared for and challenged at the same time. I have had the distinct honor of being directed by her on the stage and in front of her and Tara's lenses. In both cases, she has truly pushed me to find strength and beauty inside of myself. On the stage, Heidi's direction allowed me to explore my potential and to do things I didn't know I was capable of doing. In front of the camera, I discovered a bombshell inside of a sometimes awkward goofball. Heidi's gift is that she creates a safe space and then pushes you to step outside your comfort zone, where you might think you will fall, but where you suddenly find yourself flying."      

  With Gratitude ~Tara

Did you know we offer an entire Goddess Branding Package that includes a photo session, hair & makeup, AND a video to promote your business? Email us for more information and to get a quote for your project: [email protected]

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Go to Cordelia's web site to learn more about her amazing work!

BFF Session

We love it when moms come back to us, sans kiddos, to get their Goddess on! Check out this Goddess' amazing business ~ Girl Friday!

{all you need is love.}