San Jose

Lady In Red | Glam Out Your Outfits!

Red is always a good idea.

Always.

And I absolutely love it when women want to rock a special outfit just because for their photoshoot.

What outfit do you want to glam up and be photographed in? Let’s do it - there’s no time better than the present!

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Image by Heartbox Photography

Hair/makeup by Katie Pheneger

Celebrate Daughters, Celebrate Legacy

I love when clients bring in their daughters to also be photographed - because she is essentially shaping the life of a human that will grow into a young lady one day knowing it is absolutely awesome to celebrate every year of your life, whether you are 8 or 80 years old.

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Celebrate the legacy of girls and women in your family with a portrait to last a lifetime - there’s something beautiful and powerful that is beyond the images itself.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Image by | Heartbox Photography

Hair & makeup | Katie Pheneger

Birthday Celebrations

“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words,”

– Plautus

What’s even better than helping women celebrate who they are through creating timeless images? Celebrating their life whenever a new birthday comes around. =)

Cheers to this month’s #MarchBirthdays!

Image | Heartbox Photography

Hair & makeup | Keziah Dauz

Portraits by Heartbox Photography. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved._0773.jpg

Preview | Monique, 2018 | San Jose, CA | Glamour & Contemporary Portraits

 

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.”

-Sophia Loren

I read that quote from Sophia Loren and was reminded what a great privilege it is that I get to be a small part of that message that reminds women of their inner and outer beauty.

Monique is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and woman-business owner here in the Bay Area and I am so proud to share just a small glimpse with you all into her photo session with Heartbox Photography below.

Happy Friday!

Special thanks to Kalani Brown for hair/makeup styling!

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Ruchi | 2016 | Glamour & Contemporary Outdoor Portraits | San Jose, CA

 

I once heard my old pastor say that in a marriage, a woman is a reflection of what what her husband gives her. I remember him saying that she is the valley that will flourish healthily if the streams of water and care flowed down to her are filled with love and care. For all these years, that sentiment has stuck with me and recently came to mind when I had the opportunity to photograph Ruchi.

Ruchi is a software engineer who just recently graduated with her Master's degree from San Jose State University here in the Bay Area. While the afternoon was planned for a portrait session exclusively for her, her husband, Manas, patiently tagged along to not only help assist, but to also capture a few shots with his own camera. And who could blame him? She is not only a beautiful woman outwardly, but has the cheery smile and spunk that was as bright as the golden light we photographed her against. In every way that she spoke of him and in the quiet smile he returned in response to her teasing, one could tell they absolutely shared something lovely and special.

Ruchi is confident, smart, sassy, genuine...and it is obvious she is filled with love. A woman who is overflowing with all these wonderful things simply brings this beautiful "extra" that you can see in her eyes, in every photograph. And it is beyond stunning.

So proud to share with you all not only a behind the scenes video into Ruchi's photoshoot but also some of my favorite photos from our time together! 

Ruchi, you are stunning. Both inside and out. It was such an honor to be able to capture you in these photographs as a celebration of the woman you are now and the woman you will continue to grow to be in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to not only meet you but also your husband and to see a glimpse into what you hold near and dear. It is indeed special in ways that can not be captured by words. Cheers to you both, to your recent graduation, and to shaping the world as a woman in the engineering world!

**

What do you wish you could say to yourself when you were 18?

"Believe it or not, you are beautiful and always will be. "

"Oil painting and glass painting has always been my passion. In my free time, playing with the colors to decorate my house - and life - makes me happy."

"[I think} there is nothing that can "make" a woman beautiful because [I think] we women are [already] beautiful."

"God has given me a special person who thinks I am beautiful. And having him makes me the happiest person on earth."

 

Many thanks to Keziah Dauz for her styling of hair and makeup!

Van | Glamour and Contemporary Portraits | San Jose, California

It was a unusually beautiful day in San Jose. The weather was warm for a February and if you clicked the radio on or tuned in on your television,  you'd soon learn that the much anticipated Superbowl 50 was about to commence in Santa Clara.

But for Van, instead of football (she's a champ!), it was going to be an afternoon filled hair and makeup styling and some time in front of my camera. 

Van is a wife and devoted mother and also the president of the Silicon Valley-based company, Tempo. Her passion  for all people living healthier lifestyles while maintaining a greener planet, fused together and became the foundation of what Tempo is built on. 

Van, it was a honor to photograph you, to hear the story about Tempo, but even more so, to get to know you as a person. Thank you for allowing me to pull you away from all the afternoon Superbowl festivities, to bask in the afternoon light for these photographs, to trust my camera to capture the very best of you in these images. You rock!

Below are just a few of my favorite shots from Van's photo session with me. To view all the photos, check out the slideshow below!

 

This afternoon light?  It makes any photographer die from sheer happiness. LOVE.

Every women deserves to have a photograph of herself that reminds her that yes, it's totally ok to rock out your inner fiercenss.  

I love red. And teal colored bikes with flowers. And stripes. And red shoes. With golden sunlight. YES.

Van, you just go on with your beautiful self!

For me, this photograph below reminds me of what I'd love to remind other women of - that they are beautiful and uniquely made in such a way that they can be proud of. 

Many thanks to Kat Tinney for the styling of Van's hair and makeup!

Special Announcement| Headshots by Heartbox Photography | Bay Area, CA

Along the way of this journey in photography, I've had the awesome privilege to meet other business owners, designers, actors, models and community leaders in the Bay Area. In addition to my love of providing contemporary portrait services to women, I also provide outdoor headshot sessions and am excited to continue to do so this year!

Prices for headshot sessions will officially be going up as of April 30, so if you or anyone you know of needs an updated, polished, and fresh headshot for Linked In, website use, or other profiles, please contact Heartbox Photography today!





Krystal, 2014. San Jose City Hall, CA. Headshot Photo Session


I always find something so fun about outdoor photo sessions, especially because I love the endless possibilities the Bay Area has to offer. Combine that with the perfect balance of late afternoon light and it's a recipe for every photographer's dream.

I met Krystal for a late afternoon shoot and got the chance to chat with her during her make up and hair preparation by the talented Vlada Fomenko-Haggerty. I love being able to make my client's laugh and relax in front of my camera -with Krystal's friendly smile and wicked sense of humor, I immediately discovered that photographing her would be more like having fun spending the afternoon hanging out with an old friend.

Krystal is a user experience designer in the tech field as well as a talented artist. While her hair and makeup were being prepared, my eyes grazed the walls of her home and saw a beautiful collection of her work. My own painting skills never saw itself past 1st grade so to meet another artist who uses paintbrushes to create beautiful art is a real privilege.

Krystal, it was honor to meet and learn more about you, to share a sunny afternoon of laughing and photographs. Thank you for trusting me to capture your smile with my camera! I truly hope these photographs serve as a reminder to you of your own unique brand of girl-power fierceness for years to come. You rock!

Happy Tuesday!

Many thanks to the talented Vlada Fomonko-Haggerty for Krystal's beautiful hair and makeup!

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