nc photographer Archives

UNC Graduate: Allison

Published on November 14, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

Congratulations to this sweet UNC Fall graduate!! Allison has the warmest heart, a joyful spirit, and I LOVED working with her! This graduation session was full of style, beauty, and fun props! I love when my clients get creative and bring their friends along!

Being a Tri-Sigma sister of mine, Allison showed me exactly what it means to be a sister and a friend. After meeting her at the session for the first time, she invited me to join the sorority for dinner in their home or to at least go over and meet some of the other sisters! Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t the best and I couldn’t make it happen. But, the point is that she was so kind, welcoming, and made me feel so thankful to have a client like her!

Thank you, Allison, for the most amazing review after I delivered your gallery- you are too sweet!!! Wishing you nothing but the best after graduation! You will be so successful if you keep shining your light and spreading the love! XO

NC State Graduation Session

Published on October 13, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

This was my first visit to NC State and I LOVED it!!!! Emily was so easy to work with as Eli (my hubby/reflector assistant) and I followed her around to the main spots on campus! It was so beautiful and I had the best time shooting in a different location than normal! This senior showed up with my favorite props- GLITTER & CHAMPAGNE!!! Those turned out to be some of my favorites from this session! Keep scrolling and you’ll find all the action shots towards the bottom, plus the cutest outfit EVER that Emily ended the session with on a dock by the water. Perfect weather, a stunning location, a beautiful and sweet senior, a lot of red (a color I never get to photograph), my favorite props, and SO much fun!!! Loved this graduation session and LOVE my clients!!

Introducing One-On-One Mentoring

Published on August 11, 2017August 11, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

Well, I think the title may have given away the big announcement! 🙂

YAS, it’s true!! I am now offering one-on-one mentoring to budding photographers who are looking to improve their skills, invest in their education, and grow their businesses! Mentoring is the best way to take your business to the next step and start making your dreams a reality! Having a mentor, someone to push you in the right direction, and someone to encourage you to keep going, is the most valuable resource you can invest in! Over the past year or so I have been getting a lot of emails and messages asking photography-related questions. I LOVE that so many people choose to come to me for questions and it makes me feel so honored! That’s when I knew I had to start trying this whole mentor thing, to take helping other photographers to an entirely new level.

When I first started photography, I felt seriously confused about EVERYTHING. I decided to reach out to just about every photographer I could find and asked if they were offering any type of mentoring. Some people just didn’t respond and most didn’t offer anything. Then I found workshops, and decided to go that direction instead. I love workshops, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be in my business when I attended my first one! I wish I would have found someone to sit down with me and break it all down piece by piece. I was frustrated, discouraged, and totally annoyed that I couldn’t find anyone in my area to help me. You don’t need to feel that same way.

Now, it’s MY opportunity to help YOU. I want to offer mentoring to those photographers who are starting out just like I did. If you are willing to work hard, learn, grow, and chase your dreams, this is for you!! I am here to guide you, teach you, encourage you, and help you succeed in the business you are meant for! This is your time to take advantage of something that could completely change your business. I want you to feel confident in your brand, style, skills, and the goals you have for the future!

If you are interested in knowing more about my One-On-One Mentoring, please email me for details at remybthompson@gmail.com! I would LOVE to get to know you and everything about your business! It’s time to celebrate, because you are about to start investing in yourself and making your dreams reality!!

For the past few months I’ve been planning a 6-Hour Mentoring Session located in Midlothian, VA with Colleen Megan Photography. Colleen originally messaged with a question a while back. After we spoke, I learned she wanted to really grow as a photographer, so I offered her some mentoring packages to choose from. She was ALL about it! Finally, the mentor day came to life this past Tuesday! We both met at a coffee shop to review the power point lessons that I had prepared and we talked for hours. I LOVED hearing her goals and being able to push her closer to achieving them. We had an awesome day getting to know each other better through our passion for photography! Our time together was jam-packed with a ton of material and great conversation, but the fun didn’t stop there…

The package she chose included a portrait session at the end with a model. I ended up surprised her with a full photoshoot including three stunning models, a variety of session types/outfits/props to practice with, a makeup artist, a florist, and a beautiful venue! THIS WAS CRAZY FUN!!! We started our session in the golden sunshine and finished just after sunset to practice the new lighting techniques she had just learned. She left feeling SO confident and she killed it during the photoshoot!! I was so proud to see her practicing the new skills I taught her during the lessons and learning more and more as the night went on. We were both exhausted by the end of the night, but our hearts were so full! I will never forget my first One-On-One Mentoring Session thanks to Colleen, these awesome models, and amazing vendors. I am so excited to share the beautiful images from the photoshoot!

Before that, I want to share Colleen’s testimony from after our Mentor Day together! She is so so sweet and I love her enthusiasm for life! She is going to be so successful as a girl boss and I can’t wait to see her business take off!

“When starting my business I was struggling to keep a float in the photography world. As many say it is an intimidating, overwhelmingly lonely game, and I couldn’t agree more, that is until I met Remy. She went above and beyond to comfort me and remind me I am not alone in this. Driving away from my mentor session I was ready to take this adventure in my business head on! Her fun loving attitude broke me out of my shell, and allowed me to drastically step out of my comfort zone. I went from hiding behind my camera to taking control of it. The future is is bright for Colleen Megan Photography, and that is all thanks to my incredible mentor Remy, her words of wisdom and, guidance ignited a fire inside of me I didn’t know could exist. I am a better photographer because of her, and for that I am truly humbled for the opportunity of working alongside her! If anyone is looking to grow their education and business Remy Thompson is a game changer!” -Colleen 8/8/17

First… headshots, of course!! 🙂 Isn’t Colleen stunning?!

NOW.. the photoshoot!! Huge shoutout to the vendors and models, they killed it!

AnnMarie is SO talented, I was thrilled to have her as a vendor!! Check her out on Facebook and Instagram @makeupbyvnnmarie_

We started off with a mini graduation shoot of these two cute friends, Compton and Maddy. Next we moved into bridal portraits with Brenna! You’re about to be blown away…

AND IN COMES THE BEST PART!!!…

Just wait until you see the horse with it’s owner, Compton. SO CUTE!!

Engagement Session in RVA

Published on July 21, 2017August 3, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

In honor of these two lovely people getting married this weekend (EEE YAY!!), I figured I would share their sweet engagement session from this past winter! Kayla was my random roommate during my first year at East Carolina University. Sure enough, after her soon-to-be hubby proposed a few years later, she reached out to book their engagement session with me!

I was seriously SO excited for this! Kayla and Randy are crazy fun, so in love, and they just radiate happiness!! This particular winter day was, of course, absolutely FREEZING. I don’t know how she did it, but she was really a trooper wearing those dresses in that frigid weather! She looked stunning and these images are some of my favorites!! Cloudy skies turned into the most perfect golden hour. You’ll definitely want to stick around to see how this session ended on Libby Hill! Allll the heart eyes for that lighting and these two love birds! 🙂

Photography For Hubbies: Lesson 7

Published on July 14, 2017August 3, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

Well, this is exciting! We haven’t been able to do a lesson together in a loooong time. Probably because we’ve been home for 3 days in the past 2 months- crazy!! Today we are talking about something that might come easily to a lot of people, but maybe not so easily for others.

SERVING YOUR CLIENTS

This lesson is about serving your clients, or simply, putting your client’s needs before your own! This can be hard if your client’s want something specific that isn’t your typical style. This can also be difficult if it is something you wouldn’t normally do or want in your portfolio. Another challenge in putting your client’s first can be a situation where you begin editing the album and you just LOVE the lighting and composition in some of your images, but the client’s pose or expression isn’t as flattering as the other images. This is when you have to make the decision to make your client’s feel beautiful in every image, and ask yourself if they would appreciate you sharing a not-so-perfect picture. Put your client’s first. Do not send them photos because the lighting is beautiful. Send them images that will make them say, “WOAH, is that really me!?”. Think about how they might feel when viewing their photos.

My sweet hubby is getting a lesson in WHY you should be putting your client’s needs first and at all times. He will also be learning about HOW you can please your client’s even if it’s not something that lines up with your typical style or practices.

Photo by Hope Taylor Photography

1.)Flattering Posing— One way to prevent some of your favorite photos going into the cyber-trash due to bad posing is to LEARN what the most flattering poses are for their body types, and to take your time directing your clients into a flattering pose with a complimentary facial expression. Also, EDUCATE your client’s. They trust you to make them look good- they have no clue what they look like in the pictures- so that is your job!! Be sure you’re paying attention to their facial expressions AND the way they’re posing.

2.)Be Flexible– I believe it is so important to understand what your clients want and to listen to their thoughts and ideas. Here is an example… Shooting sunset images may not be my typical style because they’re too dark to match my Instagram feed, but… put your clients first, you guys!! If your client’s want to remember that special night and the beautiful sunset during the session, just do it!! Why not give them the images that are your style during sunset and the other images that please the client? Remember to think outside of your ‘instagram box’ and go above and beyond for your clients!

3.Plan In Advance– Another example… There is nothing worse than delivering an album, but the client comes back to say she doesn’t like the way she looks in the outfit she chose. One way to prevent something like this is to plan, plan, plan in advance! Plan out the outfit changes, colors, accessories, makeup and hair, etc. Your client’s will love their images if these things are planned in advance and they are told what looks best before getting to the photoshoot.

4.Make It Work— It is up to you as the professional to make it work in any situation. If they chose the location because it’s special to them, but you don’t like it, make it work!! If you can’t stand the lighting but you had no control over the time of day, make it work!! If your clients want this or that, but it’s totally not your style…make.it.work.!!

5.Ask Questions– Before your session begins, sometimes it is best to ask your client if they are concerned about anything specific in regards any worries or insecurities. For example, I have the smallest head in the world, but the thickest hair I’ve ever seen. Therefore, I don’t want my hair swallowing my face and making my head look even smaller! I would tell the photographer to take note of my hair while posing because if it’s all in front of my shoulders or in my face, I won’t like the pictures! It is great to know the small details that we wouldn’t just know right off-the-bat, this way we can prevent them from disliking their photos because of something you weren’t aware of.

6.Distractions– Try not getting too distracted when you get over-excited about the sunshine coming through or the perfect background, etc. If you’re too concentrated on everything else around your clients, then how are you supposed to adjust the way she or he is standing, or know if her smile is fading and you need to make them laugh! Remember you are there for your client’s and it is your job to think of them AND everything around them at the same time!

Photo by Blessed Beginnings Photography

Beachy Headshots on Hatteras Island

Published on July 12, 2017August 3, 2017 by Remy PhotosLeave a comment

Today we have not one, but THREE pretty faces on the blog!!! I mean like..really pretty. Oh, I just LOVE taking portraits on a windy day at the beach… well, unless it’s too windy. Nobody wants sand in their eyes and hair in their mouth while trying to be cute. After a few days of figuring out the crazy weather in Hatteras, Anna and I finally met up in Frisco for her headshots! It was cloudy, but just right..and it was windy, but the kind of wind that makes your hair look fabulous and makes you feel all dramatic and such. Getting together for new headshots with Anna was so much fun! This gorgeous yoga chick is super down to earth and a joy to be around! I also had the opportunity to photograph Jennifer and Lagen for some friend shots and individual portraits! These two are absolutely stunning and laughed just about the whole time. I loved doing this with them!! Hope you enjoy these beautiful humans!! 🙂