Bold, effortless, compassionate and my favorite client to adventure with, if this girl were a goddess she'd be Alectrona, the goddess of sun and morning. I took a yoga class from her last summer but we didn't meet till October - over teapots and spring rolls. She told me she wanted to use yoga as a modality for healing her shame. I almost spit out my tea in awe. Her ability to dive deep with fervor and intensity...while giggling, dancing, joking...simply amazes me. She is one of the first supporters of Woke Beauty and easily the most loyal - booking not just my largest package, but a gathering and my membership program, when it was only just brand new. Our sessions are always early morning, usually a place neither of us has been before. Shooting with her is simple. We're just...hanging out. I feel like I can show up *as I am* because she'll be there every time: reliable, mindful, connected. Thank you, dear Francesca, for your 7am rants, selfless companionship and fearless soul. From lying in a bed of grass surrounded by bees to dangling your feet off of a 30 foot high ledge...we should really get insurance. Scorpio soul sisters forever everrrrr.

A little recap of our time together thus far in order from December, 2018 - June, 2019. This first set of images is from our first photo session. Francesca picked The Chic package. We went to a random green house I once discovered in east Austin; pretty sure it lives in the back of a marketing firm and is technically private property…but it was a Saturday…so…

I absolutely love shooting in Travis Heights neighborhood; it might just be my favorite. There’s nothing like frolicking around a homey residential neighborhood with a stranger and discovering new beauty - an oak tree bent just so, a gate with bamboo peaking through, a dilapidated, abandoned home, flowers, flowers, flowers.

In early March Francesca came to one of my portrait session gatherings. We all met at Zilker Botanical Gardens. It was chilly and gloomy; not my favorite kind of weather but definitely my kind of light.

It was neat to see the juxtaposition between these moodier shots and another more vibrant, power pose taken at the end of our chic session. Easily one of my favorites ever. When I look at it I think of this quote:

Some women fear the fire. Some women simply become it. -r.h. sin

Francesca was one of my very first members and I couldn’t be happier to see her on a monthly basis. The sessions allow us so much freedom to create…seamlessly. I love how she takes yoga and makes it accessible, dance like and graceful. We’ve had so much fun blending in everyday fashion and playing with different earthly elements. Every time we meet we make something different and new.

I can’t wait to continue making images with this beauty! I’m so grateful for her presence in my life as a client and now, friend. Some sweet words about our time together from the beauty herself:

From the moment I met Riley, I knew she was an incredible soul. She is caring and really works to understand your vision and the "why" behind you as a person. Things have always felt out of the box in terms of poses, clothing and locations for shoots. Normally, I'm used to people taking you to the same old spots taking the same old pictures. Not very personalized. It felt special because I know she thought very fully and completely about why we were doing what we were doing. Riley has a special talent to bring out inner beauty and creativity you don't even know you have! I would suggest her to anyone!