I’ve been mulling over, for some years, the idea of doing a fun fashion shoot with some of my clients but it never seemed like the right time. During the pandemic when people were favoring comfy clothes, for good reason, I started to think that once we emerged there may be a longing to dress up more, especially for special occasions.

It always seemed slightly absurd to be me that much younger women and men (the models) are hired to sell clothing to people much older than them and not only that, but as we all know and has long been acknowledged, the models don’t look like us. Here’s where I’ve landed on this; I think that the people who buy the clothing, should have a chance to model the clothing. Everyday people, us. So, that’s what some of my Boulder clients did and we had a brilliant time of it!

I had fun picking out the outfits along with the accessories, envisioning how each person would look in what I had chosen, specifically, for them. I chose things that perhaps my clients (both the men and the women) wouldn’t necessarily choose for themselves. A few weeks before the shoot, I invited each person to come to my home, to try on the ensemble that I had chosen for them, so that there would be no surprises on the day. After some tweaking, all was set.

On the day of the shoot, after everyone was settled in, my clients applied their make up (for most of them, amazed at how many coats of mascara they would need to apply, not to mention the brightness of the lipstick, so that they wouldn’t look washed out in the photos) and then they dressed in the outfits. There were many oohs, as they appreciated how gorgeous each one of them looked!

None of my clients are professional models and as you will see below, it really didn’t matter, they all did a brilliant job. For the women, I had them doing moody, dramatic and fun poses and some times caught them in more fashion artsy poses. For the men, they were best when just chatting, forgetting there was someone in the room (me :-)) taking their photo!

On a professional photoshoot, there are all sorts of experts and helping hands; lighting, set, stylist and of course the photographer, to name a few. For this holiday shoot, I wore all those hats and had an amazing time doing it!

The entire process was so fun and uplifting (isn’t it wonderful that fashion can be fun and uplifting?!) that I’m planning on making this an annual event. Stay tuned!

And now meet my fascinating, talented, beautiful and handsome clients, from this holiday fashion shoot! Their bio’s are below. I’m so grateful to them, for coming on this journey with me.

Kathy Dessau moved to Colorado in 1995 and has two kids, Michael 26 and Jessi 24, and a Havanese, Kona 14. She’s a physics Ph.D. but works for a non-profit project at Colorado University, that makes interactive science and math simulations and PhET Interactive Simulations. Kathy has been a client of mine since 2018.

Nancy Kirkendall has been a local real estate agent for much of her professional life and she enjoys introducing her clients to the richness of Boulder County and assisting them in the process of buying and selling their homes. Nancy is also a painter, writer, spiritual seeker, and lover of nature and has recently written and is self-publishing her memoir, Broken Eggs, and Other Tales, How Life Broke Open My Soul. website. Nancy has been a client of mine since 2012.

Lisa Metrick was born in Colorado and is a licensed physical therapist, currently working for the University of Colorado, in Boulder. When she isn’t hanging out with her two children, Cassie and Quinn and husband Sean, you can find her gardening, hiking or in the winter time, skiing. Lisa also loves to travel. Lisa has been a client of mine since 2015.

Dana has lived in Boulder for 26 years. She is a real estate agent and an Inner Space Techniques Practitioner - a meditation based therapeutic technique. Outside of helping her clients find and buy the perfect home or smoothly selling their current property, she can be found enjoying moments with her two teenagers. website. Dana has been a client of mine since 2012.

Renee Shannon is currently a practicing psychotherapist in Denver and Lafayette, specializing in life transitions, anxiety, grief and trauma. In addition, she has been in private practice as a life coach and meditation/mindfulness teachers for over 20 years. Renee is both a thespian and singer. website. Renee has been a client of mine since 2013.

Tom Kirkendall was, for years, the other half of the Kirkendall real estate team along with his wife Nancy. He recently retired from real estate to follow his passion for trading the financial markets. Often he can be found hiking with his wife Nancy along the front range or playing his jazz or bluegrass guitars, in the quiet of their mountain home, or delving deep into his daily yoga and meditation practices. Tom has been a client of mine since 2012.

Jon Krigsman invests in real estate and has been a client, since the beginning!

Sean Metrick grew up in Boulder and works as a geographer. He spends his spare time hunting, hiking and skiing. He is the dad of 2 kids, ages 16 and 13 and is married to his lovely wife, Lisa, of 23 years. Sean has been a client of mine since 2015.

I hope you enjoyed viewing these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Client Holiday Fashion Photoshoot!

Cheers to you and happy holidays!