SELF-EXPRESSION PHOTO SESSIONS
a CONFIDENCE-BUILDING photo experience for tweens, teens & high school seniors
where THEY’LL get pics that they love…
and YOU’LL get an easy way to show them how much they’re loved for being exactly who they already are.
in Bend, Oregon
ALL sizes, shapes, colors & gender expressions welcome!
🌈
ALL sizes, shapes, colors & gender expressions welcome! 🌈
where a photo session is just the beginning…
Because being a teen or preteen in today’s world is hard. Maybe even harder than it was for you & me.
it’s a notoriously rough age, when self-esteem can be developed or crushed in an instant.
But while we all have “survival stories” of our own, today’s kids are also facing cyber-bullies, social media FOMO, fake AI filters, & bad influences on a 24/7 basis. That’s a LOT to have to face.
And you want them to know that they’re not facing it alone.
Which is why every Self-Expression Photo Session also includes a copy of “Your Hype Squad Book” for YOU to fill out & give to them
how it works:
YOU write a few words about how awesome they are by answering the prompt at the top of each page.
Pass the book around to a few of your kid’s most supportive loved ones, to gather even more good stuff said about them.
Print & add a few favorite pics from their photo session (a $10 print credit with Mpix.com is also included).
And then gift the completed book to your kid…
So that when they’re getting down on themselves, or are feeling alone…
they can flip through & remember exactly how LOVED & SUPPORTED they actually are!!!
“What a beautiful reminder of who you are and why people love you…
as one mama put it…
-
“We've been having a hard time with 5th grade this year, and D has been struggling with finding self-worth. He came home angry from school the other day and started saying some pretty disparaging things about himself.
I told him to go grab his photo book and take a moment to sit & read the comments people that love him made about him.
We left him alone on the couch reading the comments & going through the book, and after a while I heard the sniffles.
I took a look at him and he put the book down and came to us with a big hug and apologized for his harsh words.
It worked! I knew it would, but seeing it in action was so great.
-Jenny S., D’s mom
and the actual PHOTOSHOOT is pretty dang awesome, too
With me, it’s NEVER been just about smiling for the camera or getting “pretty pictures.”
It’s about capturing a piece of who they are. For REAL.
So we’ll play their favorite music to help get the good vibes going, and I’ll show them the back of my camera so they can see EXACTLY what we’re getting. And even though I’m the one directing things, it’s a tooootally collaborative experience, where they get creative input & influence.
And they’ll get pictures of themselves that they frickin LOVE.
Let me SHOW YOU what I mean…
I’m Michelle Simmons, your new fave photographer
(she/her)
I’m the “chel” of love, chel…
And I’m a people-cheerer-on-er extraordinaire.
but who am I?
So what makes me “ME,” and a bit different from other photographers out there?
I’ve been a pro photographer for nearly 20 years now. (I went by “The Suitcase Studio” for 15 years before burnout hit & I took a little break to take care of myself… but now I’m BACK, baebeeee!!!)
I’ve been featured in Click Magazine, voted as a TOP 100 senior photographer by Senior Style Guide, and a few other awesome things. Check out my article in Click Magazine (pages 16-18), which describes a LOT of what I’m still doing.
I’ve got a degree in psychology & spent years working in kids’ group homes. I’d wanted to become a child psychologist, but my body couldn’t handle the stress. So I’ve discovered different ways of doing GOOD, instead. Like photographing kids as I do. Creating Your Hype Squad Book. Becoming a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor to a trans teen. And teaching a kids’ camera class where they learned how to see themselves & each other differently.
I’m (most likely) neurodivergent. While I’m still self-diagnosed at this point, being AuDHD would help explain sooooooo MUCH of my life. So not only do I have special needs of my own, I’m great at accommodating others’ needs, as well.
And I’ve got adolescent “survival stories” of my own. I was majorly awkward. A geek, a nerd, a choir dork, and a creative wallflower, I never felt like I truly fit in anywhere. And even though my parents were wonderfully supportive, it still took me a loooooong time to actually feel confident in mySELF.
So now that I’m on the other side of it all, I’m doing what I can to help teens & tweens feel more comfy in their own skin starting NOW, so they have less to heal from later in life.
are you ready for it?
Here’s what each Self-Expression Photo Session includes:
a detailed planning guide for a stress-free experience where your kid can show up with their FULL personality.
25 minutes of camera time together
photographed wearing 1-2 outfits. I’ll bring a pop-up tent for quick & easy changes.
A copy of “Your Hype Squad Book,” with detailed instructions on how to get the most out of it.
$10 print credit to Mpix.com (for new customers/accounts)
15+ digital images to download, print & share to your heart’s content!
a new sense of SELF-CONFIDENCE!
for:
$250
but first…
Are we a good fit?
FULL DISCLOSURE:I don’t want to work with just ANYONE who will pay me.
Because in order for me to give you my best, and get the BEST out of YOU, I need to make sure that our hearts are aligned.
What this looks & feels like:
You support diversity, LGBTQIA+ equality, trans rights, etc.
You believe in women’s rights, empowerment, bodily autonomy, and equality.
You believe in freedom of speech, and the READING of books over banning them.
You are not a MAGA/Trump supporter.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
In order to create in the way that I do, I need to be able to offer a SAFE SPACE where my clients can be their most vulnerable selves, and I cannot do that unless I feel safe as well.
still with me?
let’s do this!
Available Photo Sessions
in Bend, Oregon
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Sat, October 3
at Shevlin Park
Surround yourself with aspen trees & whimsy in one of my all-time FAVORITE places to take portraits.
6 spots available
$250 each
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Sun, October 11
at the open meadow just PAST Sparks Lake
Picture yourself in golden fields & yummy golden light, with as pop of trees and mountains.
6 spots available
$250 each
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pick your OWN date & location
snag a FULL-LENGTH 3-hour photo session all to yourself OR split between you + up to 5 friends to create your OWN day of mini-sessions!
Great for those wanting more photos, locations, and creative control
-AND/OR-
for ALSO getting BFF pics, couple pics, sibling photos & MORE!
3 hours
50+ imagesdate & locations(s) of your choice
for up to 6 people total
ONE per month available
$1500
have questions?
get in touch below!
Current Response Time: 1 - 2 business days
michelle simmons
(she/her)
photographer & people-cheerer-on-er