Please welcome Monica from The Chic Boutique! She is my fashion guru friend and will be contributing here every Thursday. She will be posting a different outfit idea for your clients each week. I think you all will love her!

Hey, Monica here from The Chic Boutique! I am going to do a fashion Thursday here on Hannah’s blog for a while! It’s gonna be so much fun! I’m using Forever 21 for these outfits. So I’ve been looking at what’s ‘new’ coming out in the ’fashion world’. It has inspired me a lot.  This fancy outfit has some edge to it. A for sure a head turner…jaw dropper… and all that good stuff I like to add my own little twist to the outfits I get inspired by..so tell me what you think.

Plaid Flannel Top w/ Tie Belt $18.90 (just the shirt)

Fab Classic Bootcut Jeans &14.50 (just the pants)

Grommet Sides Shoulder Bag $26.80

Floral Field Earrings $3.80

Rainbow Hinge Bracelet $9.80 This accessory gives the ‘edge’ to this outfit. It has just enough color on it.

London Button Booties $35.80

This whole outfit costs up to $109.06  Note: Total amount will vary on your local sales tax.

I thank Hannah so very much for letting me post on here today! I am looking forward to posting every Thursday. =D By the way, I did a fashion post like this one on my blog a while ago too. Click here to check it out.

*these are not my real glasses..they are movie theater glasses with the lens popped out* ;D

It’s me, Monica! I blog at The Chic Boutique. I am 15 years old and I am home-schooled. I have a very good taste in fashion and my drawing skills help immensely in designing outfits! When I was little I used to draw little outfits in notebooks and color them in with colored pencils. As I grew older my mom got me a few different Harumika sets. I love them sooooo much to this day! I have also gotten a Project Runway light box design set. I thank God for my talent. All the praise goes to Him.

~Monica

The other day I posted about where I get my inspiration from and how I edit. If you noticed in the comments, Jenn posted the following comment wanting to know more about white balance. I’m sure that she’s not alone.

White balance is super easy! See? I’ll show you. (In crappy iPhone pictures, because I don’t own two snazzy big girl cameras.) This is a Nikon tutorial, by the way. Canon is probably very similar, but I know it can be confusing. I might have one of my Canon friends come in and guest post for y’all on that.

Pretty simple step, no?

As a note, you’ll turn this wheel while holding the white balance button (pictured before).

See that little cloud in the box that the arrow is pointing to? This is the icon that tells you what lighting your camera is set to set the white balance for. (Did that make any sense?) Different white balance settings are represented by different icons. You can see photo examples of that here on the Ree’s blog.

Was that clear as mud or what? Feel free to post any questions you have about white balance or photography in general in the comments below. I’ll be more than happy to chat with you!

Every once in a while, I just have to show you all what fabulous, hysterical (Ruthanne…), soul-touching content my wonderful friends pump out. My invisible friends that make me feel at home on the web, that curl up on virtual couches with me, and drink sweet tea with them.

Ruthanne the hysterical recently blogged about a dream she had. The dream involved some of her blog friends. It truly sounded like something that would only happen when bloggers get together. I laughed until I cried.

Kirsten at 6th Street Design School blogged a post full of Etsy goodness. Full of Etsy, y’all.

My good friend Darcy gave a short, yet easy and descriptive, tutorial on how to make those over exposed skies blue.

I don’t know if you saw it or not, but Dawn at My Home Sweet Home welcomed us into her studio a while back. She made things work with what she could afford. Love.

The MCP Action blog (Jodi) posted the whole shebang on senior photography. If you are a photographer, you’ll want to check it out because senior shoot season is here! Also on the MCO Actions blog is How Photographers Can Respect Music Copyrights and Licensing Fees. [That's really important too. Those artists work just as hard as anyone else.]

Ann Voskamp blogged a short while ago on figuring out how to parent teenagers. It was so refreshing to see it from a parent’s perspective.

Sarah Markley shared on Living Life With Others, little did she know that was the very thing I needed to hear the day she posted it.

In the Photojojo store, there is this lens mug. It looks exactly like a lens.

My good friend Love posted a few weeks back about her spa day with her girls. I’ll be honest and say that I get kind of angry when I see titles like this pop up on various social media sites. Why? Because in the season my family is in, we simple cannot afford to take my sisters, my mama, and me to the spa. Then comes Love. She blogs in only a way that she can and touched the depths of my soul with those few words and the photos.

Jamie Delaine posted about the Mercy Ministries house and the photos she took of it. You can feel the love.

What has God spoke through and touched your soul with? I’d love to hear.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

God has called me to walk humbly with Him wherever He leads. Whatever that means for me. He has called me.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Right now, I’m sitting at my kitchen table feeling overwhelmed, flooding my brain with Meredith Andrews and “Breathe, Hannah. Breathe.”s. Just keeping it real. Anyway…

Today’s FAQ will be on where I get my inspiration from and editing the photos. I’ve been asked these two questions multiple times, but I don’t want to keep it all about me and my answers. I want to here where you, as photographers, get your inspiration from and what you use for editing and your editing process too! Tell me how you express your brand through your photos!

I get my inspiration from multiple places. As far as poses go, I look at other photographers’ work on blogs and in magazines. There are some seriously creative people out there- you! For color, pattern, and texture inspiration, I look on fashion blogs, clothing sites, boutiques, Etsy, and the Martha Stewart magazines. There are also little things I run across in day-t0-day life that I think would be neat to incorporate somehow like Jones’ Pure Cane Soda bottles, the dark chocolate color that is our nativity brought back from Africa, and cute pieces of clothing and accessories.

I try to make how I edit part of who I am as a photographer. I like my photos to have lots of natural lighting, nice white balance, perfectly exposed (even though I still can’t nail it perfectly) and sometimes a little over exposed, a nice color pop, accurate display of the emotion, and to have the subject’s personality very accurately displayed. It’s very lifestyle. That’s just part of my style. For that reason, I just adore Adobe Lightroom.

I know photographers have completely different style than that. My friend Natalie takes gorgeous photos. I love her work. However, you can just tell by looking at her photos that her style is a bit different than mine. That’s okay. It’s what helps set us apart as photographers. (<3 you, Natalie!)

What sets you apart as a photographer? How do you display that throughout your business? What inspires you and what do you use for editing?

P.S. Adobe has no clue who I am, nor did they sponsor this post in any way. If I fell of the face of the earth tomorrow, Adobe would have no clue. (But the blogosphere would, because then I wouldn’t be tweeting. Heh.)

This photo describes what I plan to do with my weekend. What about you? What’s been going on in your life?

I *love* creativity, Etsy and Big Cartel Shops, and fabulous companies that all began with an idea. I’m looking for your favorites! I want to feature family-friendly companies, businesses, and shops here. If you have one or several that you think are fabulous, do share! You may email them to me or leave the link(s) in the comment section. If you are a business owner, please contact me! I am very interested in hearing about your story, business, and product.

Some of my favorites are:

Gussy

Let Love Grow

The Vintage Pearl

Tweet

Eclectic Whatnot

The Pleated Poppy

Shootsac

*Shey* [B]

DownEast Basics

Christa Taylor

Blush

Epiphanie

Moirai

31 Bits

CurlsLikeUs

Bel Kai Designs

Kelly Moore Bags

Something Blue

Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics

Pretty Presets

Spunk & Sass Designs

Allora Handmade

Cotton Candy by Natalie

Love is Loud – Africa Shirts

Wild Olive Tees

What are your favorite shops? How would you like to see them featured on here?

I was in a really icky mood today. Have you ever been in one of those moods where even you just couldn’t stand yourself anymore [not to mention my poor family]? It was one of those.

I thought fresh air might help, but the battle between my mood and enjoying the day ensued just like sunrise in the early morning [that I so love], like the wind that frequents this hill I live on [frequenting my hair and tossing it about <3]. I started blaming my mood on things out there in the quiet.

I can’t blame it on my situation, though.

I can’t blame my nasty mood on the things I want.

I can’t blame it on the date on the calender.

I can’t blame it on anything except me choosing to let it take over.

I also realized out there, that I needed to fill my hands more with the things around my house. So, that’s what I did. I filled my hands with swimming with my sisters, taking in the sounds of my daddy making a table, spending more time talking with my mama, laughing a little more, and getting those precious baby (3 years old. Who am I kidding?) brothers of mine snack, after snack, after snack.

I want to always remember that full hands equal a full heart. What do you want to always remember?

Enjoyable is all my favorite photos on Flickr. You all take such gorgeously real and beautiful photos!

Enjoyable is a fabulous {surprise} 30 day beach party at (In)Courage.

Enjoyable is a mama’s blog post when she shares her heart about what she wants to remember.

Enjoyable is an Etsy shop full of hope. (I could get lost in Etsy. You all are so creative! Love that!)

Enjoyable is the everyday.

Enjoyable is dirt.

Enjoyable is a blog post full of the nature of little girls.

Enjoyable is a beautiful letter written by my friend Bianca to her stepchildren.

Enjoyable is an army of  women sharing their hearts, beautiful, yes, but hard, I know.

Enjoyable is people speaking up about things that matter even when it’s painful.

Enjoyable is my fabulous best friend Darcy’s Sweet Shot Tuesday. (Man! Y’all are getting awesome at photography! Wowzers!)

These pictures are proof that the best camera is always the one you have with you. In this case, it was my iPhone. It’s not the greatest quality- kinda fuzzy. It’s the memories that count, though. It’s one of the top reasons I am a photographer. When my future children look back on these pictures, they won’t notice the quality saying “Man! That’s a really cruddy picture!”

So, that being said… These are the pictures from this summer- Braboy Summer 2010. I’m so thankful.

Napping babes. Pink little cheeks. Light summer blankets. Creamy sheets. Cool pillows.

Ice cold cranberry lemonade. Frosted Mason jars.

My sister Alli and I making blueberry pancakes for lunch. The hot sizzle of the griddle. The muscle woman you have to be to lift the heavy thing.

Listening to Meredith Andrews in the dark. The babies eyes that close shut as soon as we cross the Tennessee-Kentucky line. The soft orange glow of the Tundra’s stereo system.

Goofing off in Old Navy.

Flag shirts bought just hours before a party with our friends. (Hi R’s! Hi C’s!) Fireworks. Mudding on ATV’s with our friends. Muddy, sweaty children. The soft smell of hay in the barn. The sound of all the ATV’s starting.

Vegetable chip-eating children.

Tractor pulls with friends that may as well be family. Smoke in the air. Hot dogs. Squirmy little children. [Yes, cotton candy kind of took charge there at the end.]

That’s part 1 because, yes, I just needed to publish the draft already. [Raise your hand if you are the queen/king of drafts!]

Over and out.