They met at a business college years ago in downtown Indianapolis.  They shared the same circle of friends, and after hanging out, realized that they had fallen in love.  He moved to be with her from his hometown farm in northern Indiana.  She loved his witty one-liners and his handsome smile.  He loved her sparkling green eyes and positive outlook on life.  Denny asked Marcie’s father for her hand in marriage, and they wed a few years later.  While overseas in Thailand during the Vietnam War, he wrote her letters every day.  She still has each and every paper treasure.  Earlier this spring, I had the honor of photographing the two of them on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  These two people happen to be very special to me… they are my parents!  And I’m so blessed and so thankful to have their love, support, and encouragement in what I do.  It means so much to me!  They are some of my biggest fans!  Mom and Dad, thank you for being such wonderful parents, and for allowing me to capture your love for each other.  I love you bunches! 

 We had such a pretty spring day with great light!

We’re already 20 days in to the New Year!  Last year, I did a post featuring some of my favorites from my 2009 sessions, and thought it would be fun to do it again for 2010!  I truly love my job, and I have to admit that I really do have the best clients!  Each of my clients is unique and wonderful, and I enjoy getting to know what makes them tick.  I cherish the friendships that I’ve made, and feel so honored and grateful to be the one to capture hugs, love, laughter, smiles, and togetherness. Thank you to all of my clients for making what I do so incredibly rewarding. You rock!  Now let’s get on to the images!

Their love story began years ago in Indiana.  She had lived in Argentina and Mexico before coming back to Indiana to graduate from high school.  During that time, she met him…the one who smiles at her when she’s not looking.  Larry stole her heart, and they married 5 years later.  They have visited countries and continents all around the world, and spent 3 years living in England and 3 more in Hungary.  Now they enjoy the seasons that are so famous here in the Midwest.  I was honored when they asked me to spend an afternoon with them.  Thanks again, Cindy and Larry, for a tasty lunch and a fun-filled day in the sun.  (If you missed their Sneak Peek, click here!)

Tracy and I met in college at IU-Bloomington, and have been great friends ever since. After discovering that our workplaces were less than a mile apart, we would meet for lunch and talk about our lives, our ‘9-5’, and other happenings. We soon discovered that we shared something else in common…we both yearned for more out of our career, to doing something that we truly enjoyed, to create something all our own that would have meaning and a positive impact on others. We would toss various ideas back and forth, most of them sounding silly to our own ears as soon as the words were uttered. Tracy had come up with something. Something good, something promising, something real. I remember the spark in her eyes and the sheer excitement in her voice as she told me what that something was. I’m very pleased to introduce Frangipani Body Products! And I was so honored when she asked me to photograph her line of products! We got together for some portraits, and I asked her a few questions about Frangipani and running her own business. Check out Tracy’s Lifestyle Session!

Meet Tracy!
My dear friend, the one with the chair. She’s got even more style…check out her living room!
I’ve been very excited to do her portraits…see why?

And “the chair”! Tracy, you are beautiful, inside and out! I love this one!

stewart imagery: Why & how did you start Frangipani? What were some of the influences that inspired you to create your products?

Tracy: I started Frangipani after suffering from a combination of sensitive, acne-prone skin with rosacea. I was so frustrated with the products on the market I started reading and created my own products. It wasn’t long before I started noticing a real difference in my skin and decided to create the whole line!

stewart imagery: What is your favorite thing/best part about having your own business?

Tracy: Since graduating from college, I had a very structured job. Long hours that were sometimes completely out of my control. It was an adjustment at first but I have really started to enjoy having the freedom to work when I want. If I want to take the afternoon off, I can. It might mean I work that night but at least I have the choice! Having your own business is really rewarding as well. All of the successes are so much sweeter!

stewart imagery: What words of advice can you share that may help someone go for their dream? What was the best advice you have been given?

Tracy: Wow. What a hard question! It is so scary to go after your dream! I consider myself lucky for being given the opportunity to work on Frangipani full time. I guess I would tell people to remember life is short. Do what you love. The best advice I have been given is to remember what your contribution should be to your company. Early on, I thought I could build my own website. I had built them years before and thought it would be like riding a bike. It wasn’t! My friend told me to remember that my commitment to Frangipani should be through the product line, not the website. I could pay someone to build the website. I couldn’t pay someone to develop the products. So that is what I did and my time was spent in a much wiser way.

Tracy loves to laugh! When she laughs, it’s just contagious, and this is SO her. Favorite!

stewart imagery: What is your favorite Frangipani product and why?

Tracy: I think that is a toss up. The Protective Serum is my favorite because it was my first product. It helped heal my rosacea flare-ups and convinced me that oil was actually good for my skin. The Shea Butter Softening Lotion is my other favorite because I tried MANY different versions before I got to the final product. It was a labor of love and I was so happy when I finally created something so wonderful!

The Environment Triple Set for Oily Skin contains Tracy’s favorite products!

After doing some indoor portraits, Tracy had suggested we go play in the snow…
what a perfect idea!

stewart imagery: What would you like for people to know about Frangipani?

Tracy: Frangipani is all about peaceful, natural skin care. There are no chemicals or synthetics, just pure plant-based ingredients. You can buy everything online or local to Indianapolis at Georgetown Market, Just Hair, and Nature’s Pharm with retail outlets expanding every day!

Workin’ it in the snow! You rock, Tracy!

Tracy, I am so happy and excited for you! You are reaching for the stars with your dream, and I couldn’t be more proud of you! You are an inspiration to me and to so many others, and for that, I can’t thank you enough. And thank you so much for totally rocking your session, both indoors and braving the cold, it was well worth it and TONS of fun!

Happy Weekend! Here is a Sneak Peek from a recent portrait session…including a snowball fight! Stay tuned to see who won!

Also coming soon to the blog…an adorable newborn session, some stylized vintage portraits, and a special look at some new beauty products, made by my dear friend pictured above!