In July we had the honor of helping Bathurst Family Therapy tell the story of their dynamic and life-changing couple’s retreat on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii through destination branding photography.

As with every session we provide for our clients, we didn’t pick up our cameras until we sat down with owners and founders Dr. Stephanie and her partner in work and life, Alex, in order to fully understand what’s most important to them in communicating their message. 

Together we collaborated to devise a photography session experience that would create a comprehensive portfolio of imagery featuring the inspiring surrounding landscape of Hawaii. This would set the stage for showing the deep, rejuvenating connection experienced by every couple who says yes to the great adventure of a couples retreat with Bathurst Family Therapy.

Here’s what Dr. Stephanie had to say about her experience working with Lux Summit Studio as her official Personal Branding Photography Provider. 

“The personalized care and detailed attention received from Lux Summit Studios always surpasses my expectations. Kristen and Dave have been my core photographers for family photos, professional portraits, and formal business branding. Each day of shooting is preceded with a well-organized agenda and communication of timeline so that I could come prepared with my wardrobe changes prepped and an idea of how the shoot will go.”

Everything was streamlined, easy, and playful. Both Kristen and Dave have such compassionate and playful demeanors that whether you want to talk throughout the process or be calm in a state of inner peace, you feel at ease with them.

Each with their unique photography specialties and styles, Kristen and Dave both bring invaluable contributions to the session to create a comprehensive creative experience that shines through in the personalized, expressive and interesting portraits that they process for you. 

My professional portraits have been used for ad development, website profiling and to increase general professionalism in media statements. I receive much positive feedback on these profile images and happily refer colleagues to Lux Summit Studio whenever I get the opportunity. My business branding photoshoot is being used to rebuild my entire website for enhanced visibility. 

I [Dr. Stephanie Bathurst] continue to work with Kristen and Dave as my core photographers. They are worth it. The experience and product that they offer simply cannot be compared.

The post Capturing Transformation: Destination Branding Photography appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

Live Life Lux Events are an opportunity to create space for joy and fun, to stop and reflect.

Through Live Life Lux events we can connect deeply with this one precious life with great intention.

Our first event was a BYOB event at Rosebridge Farm & Sanctuary in Montgomery County, PA. Rosebridge is a self-ascribed “hidden piece of paradise, as it is home to many rescued animals.” They are 100% correct about that. They offer in-person bottle feeding and snuggle animal husbandry sessions and so much more. This truly is a magical place nestled in suburban Montgomery County, right outside of Philadelphia.

One of our Live Life Lux events included a farm tour and piglets!

Lux Summit Studio, in line with our Live Life Lux philosophy, hosted an event which included baby goat snuggles, calf feeding, piglet pets, and a farm tour. The evening concluded sipping wine with the goats while the piglets were put to bed and the rescue camels (you heard me right) settled in for the night.

We were so grateful to be surrounded by familiar faces of past clients and friends as well as fresh faces.

The very first Live Life Lux event was a huge hit. We were so grateful to be surrounded by familiar faces of past clients and friends (like Maria, founder of Life Foundation, and Liz Italia, Cat behaviorist and owner of Liz’s Kitty Boot Camp) as well as fresh faces. Mark your calendars for September 15th when we’ll host another Live Life Lux event returning to Rosebridge Farm for more rescue animal therapy.

Check out the official behind-the-scenes video from our very first Live Life Lux event at Rosebridge Farm.

Caution: Contents of this video may melt your heart.

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Live Life Lux:

Perspectives From Philadelphia Entrepreneur, Photographer, Author and Speaker Kristen Kidd

The importance of joy and fun in life can easily be lost in our hectic daily living. Prioritizing joy and fun in our adulthood can feel frivolous. In the midst of a never-ending to do list, it’s the first thing to drop off. We wonder, “How could I possibly go for a hike right now? How could I join that club or take that class or go on that vacation?” Sometimes we take it a step further. We label the desires of our hearts as selfish. Surmising that so many around us need so much from us, we couldn’t possibly divert precious resources for our own joy. We can’t “afford” to prioritize our own joy, let alone fun. What science is teaching us (and our inner voice of our highest self, if we listen) is that we can’t afford not to make joy and fun a priority. It is essential to being our best self, living our best life, and doing the best for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around us.

As Simon Sinek says, “Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your happiness and health first before you can be of use to anyone else.” 

“With joy your don’t have to put on a happy face.

You can be joyful in the midst of the toughest situations.” – Neal Samudre 

It’s important to differentiate between joy and happiness. Joy is an embodiment and state of being that transcends a feeling. Whereas happiness is a feeling. In a fantastic article in Medium by Neal Samudre, cofounder of Enjoyco and therapist specializing in joy, he differentiates happiness and joy this way, “Happiness is a fleeting emotion based on external circumstances…But joy is an internal positivity that’s connected to hope. It’s the feeling that everything will turn out okay. With joy, you don’t have to put on a happy face. You can be joyful in the midst of the toughest situations.”  

Joy can help ward off the daily grinds to our well-being.

In that same article, Neal shares three reasons joy is essential to our lives. He qualifies each reason with scientific evidence. These reasons include the fact that joy makes us resilient and resistant. He explains, “If resilience is about bouncing back from disturbances then resistance is about being immune to disturbances.”

Of course, we will experience devastation in our lives, but joy can help ward off the daily grinds to our well-being and help us heal when challenges do come our way. Neal shares the third reason joy is essential is because it makes us healthy. Citing research indicating that one of two reasons life expectancy dropped in 2018 was despair and research linking laughter and high-quality relationships to longevity. 

Cultivating a practice of fun can feel like a whole other level of self-absorption. In the face of continual global and personal devastation, who would be so entitled as to make fun a priority? Writer Jack Gilbert answered this best in his poem, A Brief For The Defence,

“If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,

we lessen the importance of their deprivation.

We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,

but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have

the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless

furnace of this world. To make injustice the only 

measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.”

Jack Gilbert

In the article How Having Fun Makes You Healthier And Smarter, Outside magazine makes an argument for prioritizing fun citing research that shows playful adults live happier, more satisfying, and healthier lives. As if that weren’t enough, studies have shown that the more you laugh, the longer you’ll live. 

Joy and fun, like every way of being, is a practice.

It takes time, intention, and other resources to cultivate and maintain.

Did you know humor can ­reduce stress-related hormones that suppress the immune system? Outside magazine’s article also shares that when we have fun “the body releases the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which leads to elevated mood and a healthier cell-proliferation process. Hormonal balance is crucial for our immune system’s strength and our ability to recover after strenuous athletic activity, as is cell growth, which helps the kidneys, lungs, and other organs regulate body functions. Meanwhile, some studies suggest that serotonin released by enjoyable activities could help promote neurogenesis, or cell growth in the brain.”

So, what brings you joy? Joy and fun, like every way of being, is a practice. It takes time, intention, and other resources to cultivate and maintain. It’s not something that we can phone in or squeeze into our schedules. It starts with a choice and choosing over and over again. We look for joyful moments big and small every day. Talk about it and share it with loved ones.  We’re honest with ourselves about what we want and choose to embrace the desires of our hearts. Then, we create time and space to plan the bigger joyful experiences. Chunking down the bigger pursuits into manageable steps. Even the act of clearing space for big acts of joy and making a baby step towards them is life-changing.

One small step at a time, one choice at a time we begin to see joy show up in our lives and become an indelible part of who we are. 

Family, pet, branding, and boudoir photo experiences are one way our clients choose joy. They celebrate the love of family (furry or human), their own personal strength and resilience through their boudoir experience, or the joy of their career achievements and goals through branding and headshot photography.  

The post The Importance of Joy and Fun In Life appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

A Philadelphia Photographer’s Expert Advice

What do you look for in a headshot and branding photographer? It’s important to work with someone who takes the time to understand you, your brand, and your goals. Otherwise, you may find a photographer that can take a good photo, but that image says nothing about you and your brand other than you have the capacity to look professional. Your Photographer should ask questions and come to the table with solutions and ideas for your branding that resonate with you. Let’s talk about how to find the best personal branding photographer for you and your brand.

You may be wondering how to know if you need personal branding or just a headshot. Many people come to us and confess, “I don’t know what I need.”, to which we enthusiastically exclaim, “Neither do we, but let’s find out together.” By the end of our conversations, we both have an idea of what a clear path forward looks like. A Discovery Consult is a great place to start your journey.

Whatever you do, don’t simply check a box and price shop or you will get what you pay for.

When it comes to branding photographers, whatever you do, don’t simply check a box and price shop or you will get what you pay for. Ask your circle of influence (especially those with similar tastes and preferences)  who they’ve loved working with and why. Search online to see who fits the style and approach you’re looking for. 

Photo session experiences are the perfect opportunity to practice self-compassion and kindness.

Above all, enjoy the experience. Choose a branding photographer who helps you feel comfortable and at ease. Nearly every client that crosses the threshold of our studio shares that they hate having their picture taken. Moreover, they’re shocked to hear they’re not in the minority of people having this feeling. Most people likely look at portraits of their loved ones and scroll their feeds thinking how marvelous those friends all look and surmise that they, surely, are the only trolls that could feel this way. What they don’t know is all those beautiful people are being just as judgemental to themselves too. We’re all our worst critics and terribly hostile to ourselves, until now. Every moment is a new opportunity to choose differently.

Photo session experiences are the perfect opportunity to practice self-compassion and kindness. They’re also a beautiful space to step outside of one’s insecurities and lean into affirming your values, passion, hard work, or whatever it is about you that you uniquely bring to this world. It should be fun. So let go of that which doesn’t serve you and cling to your best self. The more you do, the more you’ll succeed.

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Life Lessons from a Philadelphia Photographer

Last month in the Live Life Lux blog we touched on Mary Oliver’s question “What is it you plan to do with this one precious life?” At face value, a beautiful and completely overwhelming question. That is, until we put it in context. The stanza’s preceding the question hold insight. We discover that it is in practicing stillness and presence – it is in simplicity of stopping that we “do” the most. 

“I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?”

This month we’re exploring the third tenant of Live Life Lux; being present and connecting deeply to this one precious life. Like all things worthy of our time and energy, presence and connection are a practice. We don’t master it instantly, or maybe ever, but there is joy in becoming. We use intention to create space and time to connect what matters most to us. Regularly, we make little choices to keep us grounded and balanced. We go for a walk, play with our kids (furry or human) or meditate. Periodically, we make big choices that anchor us to our why. We bring new life into the family (furry or human), we take a vacation and discover a new world or we have a photo session and create beautiful art to treasure for generations. 

Here are some ways our clients shared their connection to the presence and this one precious life through their photo session experience.

Denna shared her family session experience, “Our individual conversations with Kristen about our life right now really encourage us to open up as individuals about what life means to us, what our family members mean to us, what we love most about each other and JJ and our little furry family members. We both left each of our conversations with Kristen enlightened and feeling very joyful and present. What I think was really amazing, was watching the emotions unfold in Jon as he walked through his own experience with Kristen. I could see a difference in him after he shared his view of our life with her; he was refreshed and more present than before. It seemed as though our individual conversations with Kristen gifted us new eyes to see our world.

All of our emotions were brought to the surface during our session. We played, smiled, and laughed. We hugged our puppies and snuggled the chicken. We were once again left with an amazing sense of presence afterwards. We continued on our special Friday by going out to lunch and spending some more time as a family – a day we wouldn’t usually have together due to work schedules.

One client shares how creating space for a new experience like a boudoir session transformed how she saw herself, connecting her more deeply to her best self,  “I never thought I’d do a session. I’m single, go to church every week. Didn’t think it was for me. Not skinny. Dislike my body. But I decided that I wanted this for me. And I’m so happy I did it. Just for me. I love seeing my body the way I’ve never thought it could look.”

Even in a branding photo experience, we can be transformed, as Craig shares, “I think it’s helped my confidence. It’s kind of a very profound experience to have someone capture the ideal, best you.

There will be times when we lose focus. We forget that we’re doing all this – life –  to have daily joy. We’re not waiting for joy to happen once we magically arrive at a destination. The destination is never reached because it’s not real and an ever moving target. Joy is now, a choice and a creation. We say yes to joy every time we choose ourselves, everytime we choose to let go of our expectations, our own time lines and open to possibilities bigger than we could’ve ever imagined. We can always choose again when we find ourselves disconnected. The future and the past don’t exist. They cease to exist anywhere beyond our minds. We can always embrace the present. 

How do you practice presence daily? How are you creating space for bigger moments to connect to this one precious life? 

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Answers from a Philly Branding Photographer

The first question we get at the studio is “What is branding photography?” We all know what a headshot is, but branding photography is a nebulous concept to many. So, let’s demystify it. Personal Branding Photography (or simply, branding photography) is a portfolio of photographs that tell the story of your brand. The portfolio often includes a stellar collection of headshots (of you and often any team members that are essential to your work and client experience) tailored uniquely to capture your brand’s voice and style. These images distinguish you and your team as professionals, and experts in your field and are captured in a way that represents the essence of your brand’s energy.

The body of work is designed to set you apart and captivate your audience beyond cookie-cutter stock imagery.

The portfolio also often includes a series of images that creatively use storytelling to share your brand’s values, passion, mission, and more. These images can give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your work. They can be photojournalistic in style and/or stylized and staged using sets, scenes, props, etc. depending on your brand’s aesthetic and the goal of your messaging. The purpose of these portraits is to create compelling, eye-catching, personalized content for your social media, website, newsletter, blog, print media, press releases, and more. The body of work is designed to set you apart and captivate your audience beyond cookie-cutter stock imagery. Your clients and potential clients won’t be able to simply keep scrolling when they see one of these images in their feed. They’ll want to know more.

Now you know what branding photography is. You can see why some might opt for a personal branding photography experience, but are there any other reasons why this marketing tool and/or even simply headshots might matter to your success? Let’s explore. 

First impressions matter. A large percentage of your future clients are meeting you for the first time digitally. Your current clients, peers and circles of influence are digitally experiencing you continually. If you want to be taken seriously, it’s a good idea to present yourself in a capacity that speaks to your professionalism. That does not mean your headshots need to be stuffy. Far from it. They need only be intentional and authentically you. 

If your headshot is a selfie or cropped-out photo from an event, that’s not professional. Rather, akin to arriving at the team meeting in pajamas. It doesn’t instill confidence (unless you run a pajama company, then totally have at it.). Similarly, your headshot should be updated every year or two (or more if there are dramatic changes in your appearance or if you make a career shift.). As studio client and friend Ian Wright recently said, “Having a 10-year-old professional photo is just as bad as having a 10-year-old pic on eHarmony. Do. Not. Do. It.” 

Attracting the ideal client

Speaking of eHarmony, a branding photo experience can go beyond your marketing portfolio and serve many purposes. Many of our clients come in for both a headshot update and dating profile portraits. Others combine branding and family or pet portrait sessions. Often, for small businesses and professionals utilizing some of these family and pet portraits in branding and marketing content can demonstrate approachability and relatability to your avatar. Showing this personal side of your life can often increase your “know, like, trust” factor – the holy trinity of attracting your ideal client. This benefit is in tandem with creating deeply meaningful personal art for you and your family to appreciate for years to come. As a bonus, personal photographs that become marketing content can be written off on your taxes*. Regardless of whether you opt for a simple headshot session or an entire personal branding photo experience, family and all; just be sure to make the most of your photo session opportunity.

Show what sets you apart.

Another reason many invest in Personal Branding Photography is to set themselves apart in a saturated field. Real Estate professionals, Life Coaches, Nutritionists, Therapists are just a few examples, but the services, approaches, styles and vibes of each provider are as unique as the individuals themselves. So, showing what sets you apart, can send all the signals to the avatars that want to work with someone just like you. This cuts through the noise, can be sanity saving and lead to a higher quality clients. 

You deserve it.

Lastly, you deserve it. A branding session can be an act of affirmation of how hard you’ve worked and how far you’ve come. You are worthy of photographs of yourself that make you feel proud and confident. Branding or headshots can be a great way to get intentional about connecting to your sense of purpose and path forward. It’s also important to claim days for yourself where you can step outside of the daily grind, see your world a different way and experience something new. Oftentimes these are the spaces where we receive our greatest inspiration. In the book The 12 Week Year this practice is referred to as Breakout  Blocks. Branding photo experiences can provide this much needed respite and reflection. Investing in yourself if investing in your business. You’ve worked hard to get here. So get out there and share yourself and your talents with the world with style and intention. You’ll be amazed what happens next.

The post What is Branding Photography? appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

Bringing intention into our daily lives

Recently we’ve been talking about what it means to Live Life Lux – the official motto of Lux Summit studio. In our previous blog, we discussed bringing intention into our lives daily in order to fuel our purpose and fulfillment. It can be as simple as going for a walk or it can be as bold as a boudoir photo session. There is a magic that happens when we open up and create space to experience something new, no matter how big or small that experience is. You see yourself and the world around you in new ways and come to realize truths you never knew were there. That’s the power of intention. 

Meet a few of our inside-out beautiful clients (Lux Summit Studio, Philadelphia photographers) who share their intentions behind their boudoir photo session and what happened when they showed up for themselves with purpose and passion. 

“Seeing photos of myself looking beautiful, graceful, powerful and sexy every day reminds me that I truly am all of those things. This is especially important on the days that I feel unattractive or when I don’t have much confidence.”

Alexis

Alexis’ experience

Alexis’ intention behind her boudoir experience was to see her body differently. She shared, “I have always struggled with body image issues, and this gave me an opportunity to feel confident regardless of the flaws I perceived in myself.” Alexis gained just that from her boudoir session. She says, “Seeing photos of myself looking beautiful, graceful, powerful, and sexy every day reminds me that I truly am all of those things. This is especially important on the days that I feel unattractive or when I don’t have much confidence.”

“I feel more confident when I think about this experience because if I can shoot boudoir I can do anything.”

Colleen

Colleen’s confidence

For Colleen, her experience was all about confidence. “I feel more confident when I think about this experience because if I can shoot boudoir I can do anything.” Like so many of us, Colleen felt like she lost touch with herself, and like so many who have had a boudoir experience, she was reminded of who she really is. “[The gift of this experience was] confidence in myself. I felt like I lost myself for a few years and after this experience I feel like I’m the same person I was back when I danced in high school, just older and wiser.” 

“Boudoir isn’t just for women. Boudoir is for everyone.”

Elliot

Elliot’s gift

Elliot wanted to stop time for a moment, be present and immortalize where he is right now. He was able to connect more fully with himself and create space and time to give himself the consideration he deserves. For him the gift of boudoir was reflection. 

“When I was describing this to my husband he said that I was finally seeing myself the way he sees me!”

Kerri

Kerri’s takeaway

Oftentimes, when we arrive with our intention, the universe has even bigger plans for us than we could’ve imagined. Kerri booked her session with the intention of celebrating her birthday and giving her husband an unforgettable gift. He was elated. Yet, the magic that showed up for her was a huge confidence boost. She says, “It was surreal in the best way seeing my own photos! I couldn’t believe it was me! Also when I was describing this to my husband he said that I was finally seeing myself the way he sees me!”. A big takeaway from her experience was a newfound knowledge that she could try new things and enjoy being out of her comfort zone. 

Connect with yourself

Boudoir can simply be a fun way to celebrate a moment in your life, but it can also be a transformative way to connect with your sense of purpose. It can lend a new perspective on yourself or the world around you and who couldn’t do with a little more of that in their life?

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