I got my hair did.

It has been a year since I colored my hair, which is a LONG time in Alex hair terms. The past year I had the cool ombre look, but mostly because I was trying to avoid further hair damage and save some money by growing my color out. Well, last week I finally broke down and dyed it dark brown. I just couldn't take it anymore! What can I say? I'm addicted to change.

My friend Christine Valero of Hair Story did an awesome job! I hung out with my dear friend Gina Meola afterward, and she just couldn't help but snap some pics. Thanks, Gina!

Oh, and you'll also notice Wendy got a TERRIBLE haircut over at Smelly Dog. Don't go there!

Alice in Wonderland Family Portraits

Yes, you read the title of this post correctly...I got to help a family create a lifestyle family portrait session photographed by good friends, Session Nine Photography, centered around this family's favorite story, Alice in Wonderland. SOOOOOOOOOO FUN!!!

You may recognize Christine Valero from a disco styled shoot I did a while back. I mean, how can you forget her awesome red hair?! Christine is a hoot! This girl is a fireball of energy and joy. I LOVE being around her. Her family is just as awesome, even their ridiculously strong, fluffy dog Delilah.

The Valero family drove all of the way up to the Westfork Trail in Sedona, Arizona to have their magical dreams come alive. I would definitely say it was WELL worth the drive. We got to use a run down apple orchard that had old stone and brick. Of course, the green ferns and grass were just as perfect to create the setting.

Christine didn't want the clothing to be the exact costumes of Alice in Wonderland, so we took what we could find in closets and created the Queen of Hearts (Christine), the Mad Hatter (Steve), Alice (Paris), Tweedle Dee (Valen) and the White Rabbit (Delilah the dog).

Christine also had great props such as vintage chairs, glass apothecary bottles, keys, mushrooms and the story of Alice In Wonderland, of course.

I mentioned this in the 40's style engagement shoot I posted about yesterday, but I LOVE working with clients that aren't afraid to think outside of the box and express what they enjoy. This shoot was not only fun to create, but the family REALLY enjoyed themselves. It was awesome to watch them bond during something that can often times be wild and nuts. Sure, there were some crazy moments - most can be attributed to Delilah the strongest dog in the world - but I don't think many families get to be creative in mall photo studios.

If you could have a creative family portrait session, what theme would you center it around?

I think Ryan and I would do something about being nerds. We both consider ourselves to be nerdy. We have glasses and geek out on our computers every night.

Make sure to check out more photos from the family portrait session on Session Nine Photography's blog!

Disco Fever

Session Nine Photography and I teamed up to create a fun and funky disco shoot for their good friend Christine Valero.

At first this shoot was supposed to be 70's bohemian inspired, but once I met Christine I realized what a fire cracker she is. I mean, this woman has three pairs of disco boots. No lie! She's a talented hairstylist with engine red hair, she has this charisma that is infectious and a closet full of clothing that represents every time period. So even though she had elements of 70's bohemian...this gal was all disco in my eyes.

We combined the tomboy spirit of Farrah Fawcett with the colorful and crazy rock vibe of Debbie Harry from Blondie. I just pulled fun clothes and shoes from her closet and she brought a truck load of fun things like a skate board and a bike. Jessica and I took her to a giant vacant parking lot near my house.

Jess brought some tunes, and we just had a blast being silly and loud. Side note - if you're not have a blast, laughing and playing on shoots then you're missin' out.