Makeup or Bust

I know, I know, we are located in Central Wisconsin; not exactly L.A.  Despite our location we still like to keep up with the current Senior Photo Trends. Guess what is hot right now? The Bold Look. That's right, no more soft, sweet, drab, pale, boring images... they are on the way out!  What we need now are sharp lines, bright colors, and daring poses.  Something that can help keep your photos bold and in style would be your makeup!

The next time you pick up your favorite fashion magazine, start to look for makeup trends that stand out for you. Love Scarlett Johansson's red lipstick? Fergie's hot purple eyeshadow in her MAC campaign? Lady Gaga's fake eyelashes? Well, we do! If you really want your Senior pics to stand out then YOU need to stand out. Afterall, these pics are of you; there is only so much we can do with lighting, posing and backgrounds so you need to bring it, girlfriend!Thoughts for your makeup - Assuming you are planning on steering clear of the Natural look
Lip Color: Most people associate lipstick with Grandma, but there are some things that are never out of style. A little lip color or lip stain can go a loooong way in your photos. The color adds one more point of interest to your photos - sweet! Current trends are pointing toward peach, orange, and deep purples.Blush: Why did you buy that expensive makeup brush set if you aren't going to use your blusher?! Want a sweet, country girl look? Add some pink to the apples of your cheeks. Want a higher fashion look? Brush some dark tans on your face below your cheekbones. This thins your face and adds angles.Eyeshadow: Wear it dark, wear it bright! Whatever you do, wear a LOT of it! When a flash of light goes off, it lightens your face, and your makeup! Apply double the eyeshadow you think you need so that when the flash goes off you won't look bare.Eyeliner: Not always necessary but doesn't hurt! Watch your line thickness and opt for waterproof in case it rains.Fake eyelashes: Hello! Every girl loves long lashes! Get some fakes at your local Wal-Mart! They are sure to open your eyes and add an incredible effect that most of your friends' images are missing.

If all of this sounds overwhelming, call a friend who knows what they're doing and ask them to do your makeup prior to your session. And be sure to bring your makeup with you just in case you need to reapply!

Outfit Advice: Skin Tone and Clothes

If you are a young woman, the odds are that you have worn foundation at least once in your life. Have you ever mistakenly purchased the wrong foundation and ended up with a streaky face that just looks wrong? Your foundation didn't match your natural skin tone.  The same goes for clothing:  choose outfit colors that compliment your natural skin tone.


What colors do people rave about when you wear them? If you have an honest friend, invite them over to judge your clothes when you hold them up to your face. Maybe they can tell you what looks best with your skin/hair/eyes. You can also go online and look up your skin tone to find colors of makeup and clothing that will work best for you. Wearing the right colors can make your eyes look bigger, your skin look brighter, your hair look less drab, etc.


Making sure that your clothing compliments your natural skin tone will help ensure you look great for your Senior Photo Session.

Pack Your Personality

What do we love most about the Senior Photography Experience? Duh, you! Your personality makes the portrait! We have had such an awesome year of wild and wacky personalities! You make the job we do just that much more fun.
Granted, your personality isn't necessarily an outfit option, but to us it is just as tangible. It doesn't matter if you are wearing Victoria Beckham jeans if you stand as still as a deer in headlights! We watch our 1,000+ friends on Facebook and they are hilarious, but the moment their feet hit our studio they become perfect, silent, immobile children . . . yawn.
Our plea is that you bring your personality along to your photo shoot. When you come to choose your portraits, we want you and your friends and family to say, "That looks just like you!" We hear that a lot and it is the greatest compliment because we didn't have to make you into someone else, or force you to change to create a better picture! We are able to capture you, but we need you to bring it! So be you, because we are looking for wilder and wackier Seniors this Summer.

Can't wait to meet you and your personalities!

Senior Photo Outfits 101: Clean & Pressed

You only get your Senior Portraits taken once.  It should be a special time because unlike all the other years of school where an amateur photographer shot one quick picture of you on your way back from gym class, these will be pics you will actually want!  These pictures aren't going to be stuffed in the drawer along with your freshman yearbook photo.  These pictures are going to be sent to everyone in your family, given out at Christmas, posted on Facebook, framed in your home, and be presented at your graduation.  Please consider how many people are going to see these portraits before you show up for your appointment with a wrinkled shirt and dirt on your knees.


That's right, I am asking you to wash and iron your clothes. I can't force you to come to your Senior appointment looking GQ but I can at least ask you to consider the appearance of the outfits you plan on wearing in one of your most famous pictures.

Senior Photo Outfits 101: Accessorize!

 We have all been there; bored out of our minds in a waiting room.  Suddenly, a wrinkled, outdated magazine calls to you from the coffee table.  A beautiful celebrity on the cover holds your gaze as you reach for the mag.  You flip through the pages and study the kings and queens of Hollywood; getting ideas for your next trip to the mall and the salon.  Something you didn't notice: the accessories!



This is probably where most of our customers are lacking.  They take the time to match the perfect outfit with the perfect hair but are neglecting an opportunity to show off their personal style and add some spark to their portraits!  If you study the pages of magazines you will see celebrities with rings, dangling earrings, cuffs, headbands, watches and more!  Yet, after studying our Senior Portraits most of our Seniors show up with barely a class ring.




Maybe they were concerned that their accessories would overpower the portrait?  Or get in the way?  Or maybe they thought that their accessories would have to be in EVERY portrait.  Not true!  When we get sick of the headband we will ask you to take it off.  If the earrings are tangled in your hair then they are history!  All we are asking is that you take the time to bring the items you love to wear.  They don't cost extra, and they can become a really beautiful part of your Senior portraits.  If you want to make your Senior Session truly unique, don't forget to accessorize.

The Little Things - Wedding Portraits

Lately there has been an uprising of beginning photographers who refer to themselves as "lifestyle" photographers. They post lots of pictures of "the little things" and claim that those pictures set them apart from their competition. There is nothing wrong with this, actually those still life portraits are quite pretty. But every photographer takes these pictures...

The truth is, Timber Creek Photography has always gotten the little things. Every professional does. You can come to our studio and view all our work from the passed years and we will prove it to you... or you can take our word for it :)

Let's take wedding photography for example. We always get a portrait of the rings, the shoes, the flower girl, the petals, the food, the flowers, the reception hall... we just don't post those portraits all over Facebook because those are the easy portraits, and because we personally would rather show portraits of the bride and groom because, let's be honest, those are the portraits you will be hanging on your walls. You will get anywhere between 300 and 1,000 portraits here for your wedding; we post ten to facebook. Not ten pictures of the candles and horses and buildings, but ten stunning portraits of you.

To prove we do the "Little Things" take a peek at some portraits from our most recent wedding.

Shannon and Dan are stunning together. There was so much red hair at this wedding! Shannon has already gotten to see some of her portraits and she loves them! We are so glad to have been a part of their romantic wedding; the sand-pouring ceremony that symbolically represents their two families becoming one was so touching. Each child had their own colored sand and everyone was blended together.

Enjoy both the big and the little things!

Rain for Prom - Plan for it!

Rain for Prom - Plan for it!

Listening to the weather this morning got me all upset. I heard that this Saturday we are supposed to get storms and rain ALL day. This shouldn't surprise me, after all, this Saturday is MHS Prom.

Every year on the night of Mauston's Prom we get a storm. Am I making this up? NO! I went to three proms when I was in high school (I know, I am, like, sooooo cool) and every single one got rained out. One prom had rain AND tornadic wind. Sucky.

Plus, we take portraits at proms, so I have been to a few more MHS proms as of late and the weather is RARELY favorable. So I have decided to share some tips and tricks to make a rainy prom a great prom.

Usually I share these secrets with brides. My husband has been in more weddings than I care to remember. We have been married for four years and he has been in about 15 weddings (not including our own). Our first year of marriage we were flat broke and we spent nearly $1,000 just on tuxes for the weddings he was a part of. Not to even mention the money we spent on shower gifts, bachelor/bachelorette gifts and parties, and the wedding presents, plus gas to get to the receptions, and every weekend of my life being booked!!! I could have had a second wedding for the amount of money we have spent in total over the past four years on other people's weddings!! But, I am getting off track...

Proms and weddings have a lot of similarities. The girls get their nails done, their hair done, their makeup done... they buy a fancy dress and shoes... and if it rains on their big day they cry like adolescents. Guys have to rent a tux, a limo, buy flowers, make reservations for a fancy dinner with friends.... Proms are just mini weddings without the gifts.

So what do I tell brides when they start panicking and thinking their special day might get rained out? The same things I am about to tell you!

1. Get your hair done. Okay, I personally look like a giraffe when my hair is up so I know what it is like to want to wear your hair down, even on special occasions, but seriously, wear it up. It will keep your hair from getting frizzy. If you are getting a professional updo (I recommend Jess Bouchette at "The Salon" on State Street in Mauston for trendy up-dos) be sure to request the stylist use lots of gel or other styling product. Your hair should stay perfect in rain or wind.

2. Get a good waterproof bag. You can look in Target for a waterproof bag on sale, and you should... You don't want your valuables (or your bag) to get wet.

3. Get a really great umbrella. Don't get cheap ones since they tear really easy and you will loose your chicness trying to control a snarling junk umbrella. Maybe you can get a nice big one so you and your guy can walk under it together ;) At prom I would go for something sweet and colorful to match my dress or to just be funky! Something hot pink and striped would be adorable!

4. Get a pair of boots. They come in solid colors, but, they also come in fun colors and designs. They are comfortable, and they look cute when it is raining. You will look like you planned for the rain and had your whole outfit all put together for it. You could wear the boots to dinner and then change shoes at the dance. I would totally do this. I have seen girls wear cowboy boots to prom, why not rain boots?

5. Waterproof your face. Uhmm, Ladies... waterproof makeup has been around forever! Get some waterproof lipstick (yes, it is back, in hot pink and blood red and this Summer's latest color will be orange-red so heads-up fashionistas! J-Lo is already wearing it on Idol, and the latest issue of Lucky magazine was all over it). Buy waterproof liner and mascara too!

The last tip is something I have seen all bridal makeup artists do to the brides before they walk down the aisle. I have stolen the tip and it works incredibly for holding all your makeup in place for HOURS! Although I do not know it's effectiveness in the rain, I would give it a shot... Hairspray your face. OK. Weird, right? I know. But I do it ALL the time. Take a light aerosol hairspray like TreSemme and gently spray in smooth, quick motions across your face a couple of times. It holds eye makeup, blush, and foundation firmly on your face. Close your eyes and hold your breathe, and DON'T overdo it! As little as possible will work just fine.

Although I am sure you all will do your best to look gorgeous on the outside, let me give you one more piece of advice that is absolutely true (trust me, your date will appreciate this tip more than all the others, and if he doesn't then dump him fast)!

Natasha's personal tip, A quote from the lovely Audrey Hepburn:

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."


Good luck at Prom ladies, I can't wait to see you all there!


Timber Creek Photography