Winter Hues

inspiration in my own wonderland

The last time I shot with Emma, ​​I was trying out my old Canon Rebel while on a family camping trip in Oregon. It would be years before Enlightened Bee was even conceived of. After all, I had to try my hand at a fashion magazine first.

It's the holiday season again and things have been a little hectic at the Enlightened Bee studio. My husband and I moved across the Bay in mid November, so I've been playing catch up ever since - getting the new studio space in order, making a new house comfortable, and keeping up with holiday orders on top of it all. Now it's finally time for my much needed vacation, but because I'm becoming your typical workaholic entrepreneur, this year's vacation will include a lookbook photo shoot with my lovely sister-in-law, Emma Lawson. It will feature jewelry from my Winter Hues Collection already up in the shop along with a few beauties I have yet to share with you all.

I've been so thankful for my background in fashion and photography as I settle into my role of jewelry designer. Owning a creative business is never just about creating your art. It also means spending hours sending and receiving emails, designing marketing materials, interacting via every social media outlet available, packaging and shipping orders, and for me, product photography. To be honest, sometimes the maintenance of a creative business is just overwhelming. One of these days I'll have enough cash flow to hire some help, but for now, it's just me here.

Taken from Gypsum Style's January 2013 Lookbook , this photo sets the mood and color palette for the Winter Hues shoot for Enlightened Bee.

Every once in a while I have to allow myself days dedicated to Pinterest surfing as I struggle to rouse the neglected muse from her hiding place. I'm constantly fighting with myself over whether or not this counts as work, but in the end, I know that pleasing my inner artist is really what keeps this venture rolling. I'm finally redefining What it means to be "productive". It used to be that "productive" was actually creating jewelry pieces to share with the world, but as with everything, there is a balance to be made ​​- a bargain to be struck. So, I listen to that little voice in my heart a little more carefully now. Some days are for maintenance of the business, others for maintenance of the muse.

To prove the success of this method to myself and the rest of you, I thought I'd offer a little insight into my creative process and how I plan the photos that bridge the gap between my studio and my beautiful clients.

For all of you curious fashion junkies out there, I will tell you that this lookbook will consist of three looks in all. This post is your chance to explore my aesthetic senses outside of the jewelry realm. I've really been missing the fashion photography and magazine worlds, so I'm excited to use this opportunity to create once again in these mediums. (Pun intended?)

First, let's focus on the hair. Emma has some Scandinavian features, so I'm going to play that up with some unkempt styles worn by girls across the region. It'll be a blast braiding Emma's gorgeous blond locks for the first few looks. The plan is for the braids to be set free toward the end of the shoot to cascade onto her shoulders in naturally wild waves.

A messy fishtail braid is both wild and refined which reflects the essence of Enlightened Bee Jewelry.

I love a messy fishtail braid. It's one of those hairstyles that appears both wild and refined, which is exactly what I go for with my jewelry. The pose and makeup shown in the first photo are equally gorgeous. This will be a great way to show off the new rings and earrings with the hair out of the way.

A braided updo takes some time, but will accentuate Emma's Scandinavian features.

For the second look, I'm going to call forth spirit of the ladies in the far north with a braided updo. It will definitely take some time, but will be totally worth it in the end. By spritzing the hair with some water (and letting it dry before going out in the snow!) it will be wave ready by the end of the shoot. I love the frosty, Scandinavian feel it gives the model in the second photo too.

Long, bohemian beach waves will add a youthful spirit to the lookbook and allow statement pieces to take center stage.

Lastly, I'm going to go with the classic bohemian beach waves (which I'm going to go ahead and call "snow waves" because ... Winter). I really don’t think I can make it through a shoot without employing this hairstyle. I may or may not dig up an old hat of mine or use a necklace like a tiara for these shots. With the hair now free to roam about, this look will focus more on statement necklaces. My favorites!

For me, hair is essential to providing on element of texture to a photograph which is probably why I prefer braids and waves. I'm not going to go over wardrobe in this post, but while on the subject of texture, I thought I'd mention that the clothing will consist of blacks, whites, and grays to keep the focus on Emma and the jewelry. I may bring some faux fur and cable knits into the mix to provide more texture where I think it's needed. This will reiterate the winter theme.

Now for the matter of makeup. The men in my life are constantly questioning my use of it, but makeup can really make a difference in the way one presents themselves to the world. I'm more of a barely there kind of girl when it comes to painting my own face in the morning, but for photo shoots, I like to get a little more creative. It becomes a form of expression at this point. And while I'm no expert, I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing makeup artists in my time as a photographer. Below are examples of what I'll be doing for the Winter shoot with Emma. The order of the makeup looks corresponds to the order of the hairstyles used above.

A sunny gold eyeshadow and blush will bring out the 18k gold accents used in many of the new Enlightened Bee jewelry pieces.

The first look will include a shimmery gold eyeshadow to bring out the blue of Emma's eyes and complement her golden hair as well as the 18k gold accents in my newest collection. Beige blush will further serve that purpose. The pink lip color will be very muted. This adds a polished, mature mood to the overall look - a feeling I think reflects a lot of this season's Enlightened Bee pieces.

Ombre lips for the win! This look paired with rosy cheeks is reminiscent of snowball fights and popsicles.

For the second look, it's all about the lips. I've recently fallen in love with the radial ombre pattern. My first thought upon seeing it was "popsicles". Using a pink / red color will for the lips and rosy blush on the cheeks will make sense in the snowy surroundings. The yellow eyeshadow shown in the photo will be replaced with a simple cat eye to add a hint of playful sophistication.

Burgundy lips and dark, sculpted brows add a little more sex appeal to the shoot while maintaining air of sophistication to.

I'll be mixing it up a bit with the third look. Bold, burgundy lip color with minimal eye makeup will work beautifully in contrast with blond hair, snow, and Chrysoprase stones. A perfectly sculpted brow will echo the darker essence of this look makes it a little more vixen and a little less angel.

So there you have it. I hope you're all as excited as I am for the upcoming lookbook as it'll be the first one I've done for Enlightened Bee. Yay! Be sure to let me know what you think and if you have any ideas of your own. My Facebook page is always available for conversation and collaboration.

If you'd like to see more photo inspiration for this shoot, check out the Pinterest board here . And you can always stop by my Etsy shop here. Stay tuned to the blog as I'm hoping to post photos from the shoot on Medium in mid January.