Diary

Imagination brings a creative release. Sometimes it comes in the last minute or months of planning. I was ready to create something different and fun for Shelley's photoshoot when she gave me full control of the look....what a great gift, thank you Shelley for believing in me and putting up with me coaching you along the poses. :) I made the backdrop months earlier, created the head dress the night before the shoot along with my designer friend sewing the skirt. He also created the black head dress the night before. Thank you John for your dedication to see my vision.It was a challenge getting that red head piece to stay in her hair. I believe Heather Valentine must have used 100 bobbie pins and a few small grips. Heather did a remarkable job on the hair...thank you Heather! Thank you to my summer intern, Tiana, for all the help, especially the fabric throwing...hehehe.

A girlie girl and a heart of gold. Her idea for her portraits was shabby chic, pink & vintage. I met Bree many years back and only now did I get the opportunity to photograph her. She had no idea when she arrived that I would be putting huge paper flowers in her hair and putting her in one of the studio's vintage night gowns, but she was all for it. I was really excited when she wanted to wear the custom designed corset that has been in the studio for almost a year waiting to be photographed.The tutu was also designed by Raegan Mederios (Tulsa) on the spot. Watching her sew the tissue paper and the tulle was educational...I learned I Don't really want to ever sew. Within minutes she was finished and we were ready for the next outfit.Thank you Raegan AGAIN for your support and beautifully designed goodies you have done for Voulez Vous!Thank you Bree for being such a precious soul! And! letting me play dress up with you :)

Dreams can bring winds of imagination! When sitting quietly it gives your mind time to relax and thoughts and dreams can become clear. I have had many dreams about flying and floating above the earth like an eagle and I always woke feeling happy and refreshed. Over the past few years I imagined how I could create those thoughts and dreams into a visual image. A weekend away in the country gave me an opportunity for my mind to become quiet. As I sat on a tree swing with the wind blowing through my hair I watched the leaves on the trees twist and turn frantically from the wind and the calming sound it made. I wanted the wind to carry me across the land like a bird flying. My mind began to drift and imagine; I wanted to create an image to remind myself of those thoughts.It was a cold and windy day. With my camera on a tripod and my Iphone sitting on top of the camera I began to play. I laughed a lot at myself and also at the silliness of the video, but I loved it. If my imagination could have carried me that day I would have taken flight.This will be the first of several images I will create over the next few years. I will one day Fly Like An Eagle...paragliding :)

Listen. I hear you. You’re a few pounds heavier than you like (or a 100lbs heavier than you like). I completely understand how you feel. I get that same blah feeling about myself when I think about booking new head shots or long overdue pictures of me and Justin. Precious, I even picked a career that has me permanently behind the camera rather than in front of it. Seeing myself in pictures actually produces the faintest sick feeling in my stomach. Isn’t it amazing we can see the beauty in our best friends, sisters, mothers, and aunts without the slightest thought to their flaws . . . but can obsess for hours on our own imperfections? We fixate on our flaws to the point we shirk at any documentation that our round faces and curvy bodies ever walked the earth. No pictures to show how we LOVE, how we laugh, how we are treasured by our families. How is it possible that a double chin can overpower the beauty of a mother cuddling her child? How does arm fat distract from the perfect shot of a spontaneous hug? I swear y’all . . . how is it that we can put more value on a TUMMY ROLL than the captivating way you throw yourself into a roar of laughter during a shoot?In our warped minds pictures become frozen mirrors that we can stare at as we pick apart our features over and over again.I know girl. I know.My personal duck-and-cover (or signature “make a funny face”) approach to having pictures of myself changed completely when I had aserious car accident last year (and started over). In the flash of a second (or a flash of the text message the young woman was reading) my entire life changed. I nearly left this earth with no physical evidence of the goofy, wide open and loud love I have for my life, my husband, my family and friends. I haven’t had professional pictures done since our wedding in 2006 . . . always waiting for this elusive moment where I would be thin enough (pretty enough) to have such a permanent record of me. Because, you know, HEAVEN FORBID there be any proof that I look the way I actually look.So here is the harsh truth y’all. Listen good. Our vanity is no longer enough of a reason to avoid the camera. Life doesn’t wait until you “get thin” enough to capture it. Life is happening . . . it is happening right now and the only moment we are guaranteed is the one we are living. I shudder at the thought of leaving behind no pictures of my life with ME in it. My mom says of the accident she is “just glad that we’re still awhole family.” My gift to her this Christmas was a family portrait showing just that, 9 months post-accident . . . a whole family.

A few of my favorite fashion couture images from my photoshoot with Brittany. Kelly Kerr was filming the behind the scenes video for my website.Here's the story of how this happened:It took me a long time to visualize what I wanted; Fashion couture look, wardrobe, location, backdrop, a young lady that I could look at everyday (which is my niece), the composition...this thought process took me a year to plan and put together. I started with the wardrobe. Red is my favorite color so a red dress seemed a no brainer. When you need help who better to call than mom! I sent several dress ideas to my mom. Tulle was the look I chose, Soft, elegant, and feminine, 60 yards. Mom had ideas of her own. She, literally, hand ruched every few inches and stitched little black beads into the tulle. The skirt turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined.I wanted white for the red to pop so I created the backdrop using white 12x12 scrapbook paper. Brittany and I brushed the edges with black paint, scrunched it up and taped it to the backboard. We did this until 1:00am the night before the shoot. We used constant daylight balanced lights that Jeff Anderson (photographer friend) brought in to use with the videography.The black dress you see is four yards of fabric I picked up the day before the shoot and my mom and sister literally wrapped Brittany in it moments before we started shooting. I loved the texture and elegant look of the fabric. We took a few in the studio using constant daylight balanced lights before heading to a downtown location.I was relaxed, energized, anxious and excited all at the same time. Doing a photoshoot with someone videotaping the whole experience was intimidating, not to mention I was still wearing a cast to my armpit.

Get your Glam on when your feet hit the floor first thing in the morning! I met Erin a year ago at After Dark Edu when she was modeling for a boudoir session. I was taken in by her relaxed, happy-go-lucky attitude and the beauty she radiated when she laughed and giggled. She was one of those girls I knew I wanted to be friends with. A year later we planned to attend After Dark EDU again and began planning her personal photoshoot, including the headpiece she designed. I loved the wallpaper in the Union Station Hotel in St. Louis and knew that was going to be my backdrop.Thank you Erin for making time in your crazy schedule to spend time with me. I LOVED every bit of it! You are truly a doll!LoveLoveLove. LanaHere is a little bit about After Dark."After Dark Education is an Experience! It’s neither a “conference” nor a “workshop”; it’s the best of BOTH worlds. Get the intimacy of the small group interaction you’d find at a workshop AND the multitude of topics, class opportunities, and educators (the mentors) you’d find at a conference. The “UN-conference” as described by some, After Dark Education focuses on helping you to build a strong, stable, business foundation along with pushing creativity and craftsmanship to create a unique top-quality product for your clients.What makes someone “successful” in this industry? Personality and personal style are just as important as fine tuned technical skills. Being able to create an overall experience for your client paired with a unique tailored product makes you stand out from the rest. With After Dark Education, you’re able to learn those technical aspects in small groups, along side the mentors AND gain an insight into how to develop a personality style that suits you. Talk with the mentors and your fellow attendees, see how their mind works, where to do they gain this insight, creativity, idea generating mindset and how to they pull their clients personality out and into their images."

I needed an image I could use as a billboard on the side of my two-story, 100-year old, brick building downtown Tulsa. It took me a long time to visualize what I wanted; Fashion couture look, wardrobe, location, backdrop, a young lady that I could look at everyday (which is my niece), the composition...this thought process took me a year to plan and put together. I started with the wardrobe. Red is my favorite color so a red dress seemed a no brainer. When you need help who better to call than mom! I sent several dress ideas to my mom. Tulle was the look I chose, Soft, elegant, and feminine, 60 yards. Mom had ideas of her own. She, literally, hand ruched every few inches and stitched little black beads into the tulle. The skirt turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined. Since this I have photographed a 55-year old woman in the same outfit! Classic!I originally planned a couple of locations, the woods and the studio, using natural light. Two days before the shoot I panicked and called my past teacher, friend and cinema videographer Kelly Kerr and ask his thoughts, rooftop and studio he said, I agreed. Now for the backdrop in the studio. I wanted white for the red to pop so I created the backdrop using white 12x12 scrapbook paper. Brittany and I brushed the edges with black paint, scrunched it up and taped it to the backboard. We did this until 1:00am the night before the shoot. We used constant daylight balanced lights that Jeff Anderson (photographer friend) brought in to use with the videography.The black dress you see is four yards of fabric I picked up the day before the shoot and my mom and sister literally wrapped Brittany in it moments before we started shooting. I loved the texture and elegant look of the fabric. We took a few in the studio using constant daylight balanced lights before heading to a downtown location.I was relaxed, energized, anxious and excited all at the same time. Doing a photoshoot with someone videotaping the whole experience was intimidating, not to mention I was still wearing a cast to my armpit. This was out of my comfort zone for sure.I AM GRATEFUL!Thank you Mom so much for your long hard labor of love. This experience is one I truly cherish, and I will talk about to anyone who will listen :)Did I mention to you all that Brittany is my niece! If I am going to see a 10x20 foot billboard everyday I want it to be someone I love seeing. Thank you Brittany for supporting your aunt and being such a trooper when I was coaching poses to you, laughing with you, and being bossy! I love you like you are mine. Thank you to my sister Mila for all her help in wrapping brittany up in that lovely black gown and for supporting me all the way! I love you more than eternity!Thank you Kelly Kerr (Special K) for all your support and seeing my vision come to life. You are awesome! And a special thank you to Jeff Anderson who was a machine this day, setting up the videographer, the lights, moving equipment...always there before you had to ask.Thank you to my friends Melanie Patterson for the beautiful hair. Thank you Alicia Foster for the fun makeup (and those lashes!). Watching these girls work was so fun and educational.I will post a storyboard in the next few weeks to go along with the video, so stay tuned.LoveLoveLove. Lana

A must see video for all those women who believe they are not beautiful. Get your tissues!

I had another grand opportunity to learn from one of my favorite photographers this spring, Brooke Shaden, at After Dark in St. Louis. She is an outstanding conceptual photographer, has a heart of gold, loves to teach, and is so inspirational in her journals. Since finding her and learning from Brooke a few years back I have started my personal journey of reaching down inside my mind and soul. I have started my journal of inspiration and will begin putting together the pieces of my past, present & future to make my imagination come to life. I will begin later this month with the first concept :)Thank you Brooke.http://shadenproductions.com/blog/LoveLoveLove. Lana

Penni Shelton, a vegan and raw food chef, was asked by Garden of Life to do an editorial spread for Extraordinary Health magazine. I met Penni a year ago Christmas at a friend's party. I instantly loved her vibrance, charm, wit, and bubbly personality. A year later Penni called me asking if I would photograph her for this editorial in Garden of Life's magazine. Our mutual friend and my fellow photographer offered her kitchen. It was perfect for this photoshoot. Since we were all about raw foods and health it made since to use natural light.I'm honored to have been a part of Penni's journey. Thank you Penni for including me. Thank you Kim for the use of your kitchen and for your help.PS. You can pick one up Extraordinary Health Magazine at your local health foods store!http://www.gardenoflife.com/heheh....I finally made it to print (see bottom left center) :) LoveLoveLove. Lana