True Beauty Sessions: A Whole New Kind of Senior Portrait Session

What's a girl to do?

I mean really.  What's a girl to do when her job and her heart find themselves in conflict?

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE my job!  Anyone who knows me knows this, especially when it comes to high school seniors.  I love capturing their unique style, their exceptional beauty, the expressions that make them "them".  I have found the job of my dreams!

But my heart sometimes struggles with this job.  After all, here I am celebrating each girl's beauty- her eyes, her smile, her gorgeous hair, or the way she laughs- but what I really want to do is celebrate with them their inner beauty- the TRUE BEAUTY of their heart, which is so precious is God's eyes.  (1 Peter 3:3-4)

I have been praying about this conflict for a few months now, and just recently had the most wonderful idea.  As I know full well, none of my great ideas are ever mine, so I'm giving God credit for this one!  Thank You, Father!

Starting RIGHT NOW, in addition to my classic Senior Portrait Sessions, I will be offering TRUE BEAUTY SESSIONS.  These sessions are exactly the same as my classic senior portrait sessions in most ways- planning, products, price, technical process, etc.  The one difference is the focus.

With a typical Senior Portrait Session, the focus is on the outside.  We chat about personality and color preferences, we create Pinterest boards to brainstorm poses and lighting ideas, colors and expressions.  We connect with the best hair salon in town (props to Gwendolynn's Salon & Spa) to create flawless hair and make up, and we have a great time.  

With TRUE BEAUTY SESSIONS, the focus begins and ends with the heart.  We begin with prayer and a special Bible verse chosen by the senior and then journey through the portrait experience with a focus inward.  Pinterest boards, hair and make up, lighting, posing, prints and portrait pieces all remain part of the process, but all are grounded in prayer and God's Word.

TRUE BEAUTY SESSIONS go much deeper than the surface, creating an experience that could be life changing for each girl.

I am ELATED to share this with high school seniors everywhere and would love to fill my entire calendar with these sessions, so I'm offering a special price for them THIS MONTH ONLY!

DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, BOOK TWO TRUE BEAUTY SESSIONS (ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR YOUR BFF) FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!  

So grab a girlfriend and let's make a date.

I'm certain it will be an unforgettable experience, both for you seniors, and for me.

I can't wait!

Keep smiling!

Jen

A New Journey…into "Unfading Beauty"

I admit, I've been really slacking on my blog posts, but for good reason.

This summer has been filled with a lot of prayer, a lot of soul searching, a lot of wonderful lessons, and finally, a lot of exciting new plans.  God has been at work in me, and I am excited to share with you.

As a portrait photographer who specializes in high school seniors (aka TEEN GIRLS!), I am very skilled at bringing out the best in all of my girls.  With the help of great hair and make up (thank you, ladies at Gwendolynn's Salon & Spa!), good light, expert posing and my eye, these girls look like they are ready for the cover of Vogue or Glamour Magazine!

But as a Christian photographer, this skill has also brought me some conflict, because I know that our true beauty does not come from the outside, but from the heart. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, " Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and the wearing of gold jewelry  or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

How can I focus my photography on bringing out the outer beauty without also sharing the importance of the inner beauty, the unfading beauty?

And so I came up with the idea of "Unfading Beauty", the journey.

As I began praying over this and working on this project I knew I wanted it to have several facets.  It would be a Bible study focusing on what God has to tell us about true beauty.  It would incorporate portraiture and feature a portrait project of some sort later in the Bible study, and it would have a special  piece for the girls to be part of at the end.  

I had the ideas, and I had the excitement, but I lacked some of the details, some of the crucial skills needed to put this all together.  I knew I needed help.  So I prayed for it.

Then God connected me with Shelley Baumgarten, a friend and former English teacher at Coventry Christian School, and I discovered that Shelley had been praying over how she missed writing lessons and creating curriculum.  She missed teaching and I needed a teacher.  I was lacking lessons, and she missed writing them.  I asked her to join me and she began creating some of the most fun and captivating lesson plans I've ever read.

So together with Shelley's lessons, my camera, and the Lord's guidance, we bring you "Unfading Beauty".

There is so much to this journey.

"Unfading Beauty" is a FREE 8 week Bible study open to any and all teen girls who want to learn true and eternal beauty secrets.

"Unfading Beauty" will meet every other Monday, starting on

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 from 7-9pm.

But it will also include a FB Group for those who cannot make the meetings due to sports, being far away, or whatever else.  Every girl who wants to be part of this should have the chance to be.  So we're making a way.

"Unfading Beauty" will also include lots of photography.  As we learn about true beauty, we will capture it all on camera, both in our Monday meetings, and with a super "Pumpkins & Portraits" photo shoot this November!  

We are praying that these portraits will be the starting point for 

"Unfading Beauty", the digital magazine written FOR teen girls BY teens girls.

This is a huge undertaking, one that can only succeed with God's wisdom and guidance.  We are willing and excited to lead this journey.  We pray for teen girls everywhere to join us.  

And we are asking for your prayers as we embark on what could be a life changing journey.

It already has been for Shelley and for me.

I pray it will be for others.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

For details or to join us, simply comment here or email me at jalebo@gmail.com.

And check out the video invitation HERE! 

Keep smiling- and praying!

Jen