And here’s the kicker: your kids are watching. They’re soaking up everything you do, like tiny, sticky-fingered sponges. When you show up for yourself—when you say, “I deserve to feel sexy, confident, and alive”—you’re teaching them that they deserve the same. You’re showing your daughter that her worth isn’t tied to how much she sacrifices. You’re showing your son that women are forces of nature, not just caretakers. You’re modeling what it looks like to say, “I’m here, I’m fabulous, and I’m not apologizing for it.”
Read moreThink Your iCloud Photos Are Safe? Think Again.
Apple Photos is fantastic for keeping your photos and videos in sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. But it's crucial to understand this: syncing is not the same as backing up.
The Difference Matters: Syncing means your photos are the same everywhere. Delete on one device, and they're gone from all. A true backup creates separate copies, protecting you from accidental deletion or iCloud issues.
Why You Need a Real Backup: Relying solely on iCloud syncing puts your precious memories at risk.
Your Photo Safety Plan:
Triple Protection: Keep your photos in at least three places: iCloud, an external hard drive, and another cloud service (like Amazon Photos or Dropbox).
Regular Backups: Make backing up a habit. Automate it if possible. ImageEase can show you how.
Check Your Safety Net: Regularly ensure your backups are working correctly.
While Apple Photos' syncing is convenient, don't mistake it for a true backup. To truly protect your photos, you need a separate backup strategy with multiple copies in different locations.
If you need help, or just want help organizing your digital images, sign up to be notified when my photo organization service, ImageEase, launches later this month.
Pawsitively Purrfect Pet Portraits
I’m a cat mom and animal lover, and recently decided to create a gallery wall at home with portraits of our beloved pets, and what better way to showcase their beauty with custom-made pet portraits?
Then it occurred to me that I can offer this service to other pet lovers out there.
Choose from a royal pet or superhero portrait or put your pet on the cover of either Catmopolitan or Rolling Bone magazine.
The Truth About Consumer Lab Prints
It’s also worth noting that consumer labs don’t always offer a consistent product. I ordered an 8x10 metal print from Sam’s Club, and one from my professional lab for comparison.
Sam’s Club 8x10 isn’t actually an 8x10. It’s 9x11, which might not seem like a big deal, especially if you’re printing an image without text, but the aspect and crop ratio changed, which lead to the title and the barcode getting cut off at the bottom. See below.
The lesson here is that before you waste your hard earned dollars taking chances on inconsistent product quality from a consumer lab, consider paying just a bit more for professional print quality from your photographer, or photographer’s pro lab.
This Client's Shocking (But Brilliant!) Plan for Her Album
My 65 year old client was beaming as she placed her album order, but she wondered out loud what she might do with her album once she passed away.
A lot of ladies tell me they will leave it to their kids so they can remember how hot 🔥 mom was, but what to do when you have no one to leave it to?
This client had a much better idea. 💡 She first said that she would have the album buried with her, but quickly realized that would not be a great option since she's going to be cremated.
"I know! I'll have it on full display at my funeral!"
That's the fearlessness and self-confidence I want all my clients to walk away with!
Ladies, we're not getting any younger. Book that session that you've been putting off!
Mrs. S's experience: From Fear to Freedom: How Boudoir Photography Helped Me Rediscover My Confidence and Beauty
My pictures have all arrived and I just simply can not stop looking at them. Now that the process is complete I'd like to take a minute to express just what this experience has been for me.
First, I love the look of boudoir photos. They always seem so classy, elegant, and fun. It's forever been something that I wanted to do, but when the opportunity arrived I almost didn't go through with it.
I've spent almost 40 yrs hiding my body. Gaining weight so as to not be noticed or wanted. I learned early on that being sexy and desirable was formidable. That being a girl was dangerous. I've always saw myself as "girl next door" cute, with occasional pretty days. Ive never felt or wanted to be beautiful.
My wife has spent decades trying to help me see myself, the way she sees me. So when this opportunity knocked she encouraged me to do this for myself. To finally take a moment just for me. Little did either of us know just how hard this journey was going to be for me.
My very first conversation with you I felt so excited, I was thinking about how fun this would be, and then I hung up the phone and the fear set in. I spent days crying in the shower. Feelings and memories I thought I had long ago buried came rushing in and shook me. I spent weeks wondering how on earth I was going to bring myself to actually relax enough to let you take my pictures.
My wife did her best to ease my panic. She set the task of shopping first. If I could just find outfits I felt comfortable in all would be ok. The packages arrived and I almost called you to cancel the shoot. After being talked off the ledge, more shopping entailed. This time with a better vision of what I wanted. Over the next 2 weeks I drove myself and my wife to the brink of drinking. Every time I thought, I can do this, the fears came back and I just wanted to cancel it all.
The morning of the shoot my wife kissed me and pushed me out of the car, telling to relax and have fun. As I reached to knock on your door I again almost turned and ran, but something said not to, I deserved to put my past and my fear away. From the moment I stepped through your door my whole world has flipped upside down. You were warm and friendly and inviting. My hair and makeup process was fun when I spun around and looked in the mirror, wow! I took a deep breath and thought, ok here we go. I'm sure that I wasn't the easiest of ladies to work with but you did an amazing job at helping me to relax and let myself have fun. The process was less sexy and more technical than I expected, which for me was what allowed me to enjoy it.
As the day went I found myself actually having fun and enjoying it all.
Then came the moment to actually see the pictures. I don't know that I will ever have the words to express what I saw, but I can tell you how they make me feel. Beautiful, stunning, sexy, elegant, and most of all free. They look like everything I've always wanted to feel! I saw, for the first time in my life, what my wife sees when she looks at me. To say that I have found a new kind of confidence is an understatement. I feel bold and powerful and flirty and fun. I feel worthy.
I've displayed my photos in my home in places that I will see everyday! In places that visitors to my home will see. I want them to remind me everyday that I Am Beautiful. Remind me that I am brave, and strong. Remind me that I have the power and no one will ever take that from me.
Thank you for doing what you do and making such a positive and life changing impact on my life!!