In the mean time . . .

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! And we have PERFECT Gifts for ‘him’ or Gift Certificates for ‘her’. Don’t be afraid to email us and ask about our sessions!

catwoman ks_vstoosh rd_uscpanty sq_bed a4 asmall janabw3

gallery . tommehilton @ gmail . com

*don’t forget the . between gallery and tommehilton!

Yesterday I spent 4 hours holding / cuddling / loving / smiling . . . oh yea, and PHOTOGRAPHING these lil’ sun shines! I must say . . . twins are MUCH harder than I thought. I learned that when I photographed my twin girl cousins born in December 2011 . . . and I remembered when we got into our session yesterday! When one wanted to participate, the other didn’t . . . when one wanted to be awake, the other wanted to sleep . . . and vice versa. Oh boys . . .

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But overall, I think they turned out great because you can truly see their personalities in these photos! They may be Newborns, but they have lil’ manly personalities!

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If you are interested in a Newborn Session with Tomme Hilton or Erica Billingsley, please contact us at gallery.tommehilton@gmail.com! We look forward to the cuddle!

Why Boudoir?  You deserve to be beautiful. Eternally.

We chose to celebrate the human body in it’s most beautiful form, it’s natural form. Many women have issues feeling beautiful . . . and this isn’t an issue many women have after babies or as they get older. This is an issue that we have noticed in young women as well . . . even in some of our brides! How is this we ask? How is it that we don’t feel comfortable and beautiful in our own skin? I mean, let’s face it . . . no one is perfect. No one has that body that has been airbrushed on the front of magazines . . . and those that do . . . God has blessed you. But that doesn’t mean we all are not beautiful and that we all can’t feel as beautiful as the lady on the magazine. We should all feel beautiful in our own skins . . . and know that how we were made, is beautiful.

I get such a ‘high’ photographing Boudoirs by the reaction I get from my clients. Hearing the, ‘Oooh, Tomme.’ and the, ‘I can’t believe you made me look so pretty.’ and the, ‘I can’t wait to show these off, I look so good!’ — these make me smile soooo big! Knowing I showed a woman how beautiful she REALLY is. I helped her. I helped her in a way that she will never forget. In a way that will make her smile more . . . OR not be scared to wear the bikini on the beach . . . OR show off her shoulders at 50 . . . OR not be scared to ‘drop the towel when he’s looking’.

And to those of you who think Boudoir is similar to ‘soft porn’ . . . think again. I have many clients who don’t get naked for me. Wearing a cute nighty and some heels is enough to make a woman feel like she is the hottest thing that crossed his mind! There are MANY ways to photograph Boudoirs without getting naked! If you need help brainstorming ideas for your session, let us know! We will be happy to help give suggestions that will suit you!

Also, Boudoir photography is not just for the upcoming bride or the perfect anniversary present or for the long lasting married couples . . . Boudoir Photography is for Y O U.  You chose who you want the session to be for! Sometimes, it’s best to do a session just for Y O U.

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Thank you for reading and understanding our our vision of Boudoir Photography . . . Now, we want you to do the same for us! However, yours doesn’t need to be so l-o-n-g . . . just a lil’ blurb on why YOU want a Boudoir Session.

Submit a photo of YOU and a blurb on ‘Why you chose Boudoir Photography’ to our email.  We love to understand why YOU chose to do Boudoir Photography. We will post your lil’ blurb to our Blog and Facebook along with your image and then YOU VOTE! Most votes will win a
FREE flirt Album (a $250 value)  with purchase of promotional session!
Our normal Sessions run about $500. We are giving this lucky winner the chance to have her Boudoir Session for a slight discount. Our Promotional Session values at $400. The Session includes a two hour boudoir session + two outfit changes.

Please enter and get the word out about Loft Noire! Remember, the Contest ends January 31, 2012 at midnight!!

Don’t forget to email you image and blurb to us at –  gallery . tomme hilton @ gmail . com — don’t forget the . between gallery and tomme!

gallery.tommehilton@gmail.com

We are aware of our price point. We are aware of our quality of work. We are aware of those other photographers out there in our line of business. We are aware of the competition. We know that not everyone can afford us. However, we also know that there are a number of people out there who just don’t know how to think about the ‘importantance’ of things.

We recently were sent a blog post by email this week . . . that discusses a woman who booked a $500 session with a photographer. She at the last minute cancelled because she knew she couldn’t ‘afford’ the session at the time. — I’m not going to explain the entire post because we want you to read it first hand — But, after a few life altering things happen to her and her family, she calculated $200+ of non-necessity items that she could have ‘lived without’ and put towards a session all within a matter of two weeks (correct me if I’m wrong on some calculations).

Please go and read this post. It just amazes me how things can change. And how often we don’t think about how to ‘preserve’ the time we have with our loved ones.

Now, these moments, are the reason I love my job . . . thinking about the fun / excitement / smiles / laughs / priceless moments that are captured . . . and to think one day, those smiles and laughs will change and alter thru the years . . . at least they were captured once. Okay, sappy moment there. Sorry. I will have a blog post next about ‘sappy moments’ and the reason we love our job and the reason our job is important. Stay tuned . . . till then . . . take a look at a few precious kiddos . . . or crazies! j.

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Today, we announced the winner to our Creative Wrapping Contest! Shannon Hughes is our special bride who wins an awesome wedding package for her 2012 wedding! We are excited to work with her and her groom!! More details about their wedding and their prize to come!

The Holiday Season is quick to come and go . . . But we want to remind you all to be safe in your travels and stay warm!

Now, let me share some of my favs. Some I just love and some, you may just love. Feel free to send any of these my way if you are feeling overly generous.

I love this belt. It seems homemade, but as in my case of ‘homemade,  much better quality. Hey, what can I say – I will admit that I HAVE HOT GLUED BUTTONS ON instead of sewn them. Ahem. So I really appreciate someone else’s handi work when it comes to fabric art.

This is one of my favorite stocking stuffers: MOOSE-staches!

If I knew how to embed the image into the blog, I would, to keep you from having to click here and there. I guess you can see how much I blog and how fluent I am with – umm, just adding my pics and that’s about it.

I love the idea of this photo journal. For many photography forums/classes one of the first things they want you to do is start to see the beauty in your world. What moves you and the best way to begin this process is a 365 day photography journal. Take a photo a day of something, of anything, even when you don’t feel like it at all.  JUST DO IT! Once you do start taking photos and making it a daily routine – somehow you begin to look for the beauty in things you had taken for granted in your ordinary every day life. Love this idea!!

If there is one thing I really really love – besides coffee, chocolate, photography, art………I love good bedding. I am actually borderline obsessed with it. If you have never had a really ‘GOOD’ down comforter… I have to recommend Pacific Down Comforters. They are AMAZING. I actually just threw mine away after I have to say 15 yrs. It got washed in the regular wash and feathers ended up all over the place one too many times, so I’m having comforter envy and really missing my comforter. If you are one of those folks who love ‘SOFT’ things, this is the softest, comfiest comforter I’ve ever had.. and I’ve had a few. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this brand.

One of the ‘bucket’ list items for me was to get back into my art. Where I’m very happy and I found these markers that are AWESOME. For any of you that sketch visual journals and want to add some color to your world, I recommend these. They are smooth, easy to use, seem to have a lot of ink in them, although I haven’t used them all up yet, so I’m not sure how long they actually last – I do know the colors are vibrant and impacting if that’s your thing. It just so happens to be ONE of my ‘things’ so I know the product is a good one.

Perhaps this one is a little ‘out there’ for some, but this is a wish list of sorts and winter……so this bolero is so beautiful I think I’d feel guilty wearing it. It’s so soft and feminine that it just screams beautiful and an occupant that will stay in a bubble as to not let anything spoil it’s beauty.

I grew up in the midwest and have always had a fondness for cows. I understand it doesn’t seem too humane to love cow hides, I rationalize that they died for someone’s dinner plate so may as well not waste any resources. I am a resourceful animal lover. I will, in my lifetime have a cow hide.

Stocking stuffers: These are really cool but I think they’d be even cooler if they were personalized with your own photos but anyone can use Magnets.. and cute ones at that.

I used to get weird soaps like this when I was younger and thought……EW! GROSS. They looked funny, the bar was too big and awkward and the smell was usually not like the bath and body works fragrance fest I had grown accustomed to. Lately tho, since I’ve matured, I appreciate the artisian-ship that goes into these hand made soaps and I love that it doesn’t smell commercial.

Turquoise is a stone that has power. The power of the Turquoise is usually ‘protective’ and when I had my piece a while back, I used to keep it nice and snug in my bra against my heart so that my heart was protected. I have somehow misplaced that stone over the years, but this necklace would be a great way to keep it near and dear to you so the turquoise is always right over your heart space.

Since the dryer gets hungry about the time I take the socks out and end up with ONE of any set, I seem to go on the hunt for socks often. I can’t resist these socks and any girl I know would love a fun pair of these.

Clock collection? I have plenty of friends that have them and trying to find an unusual clock is on my check list. This one was fun! This prolly won’t fit in a stocking so don’t try to stuff it if it won’t fit.

Me and High Fructose Corn syrup aren’t friends on any level. So, I look for products all the time that are made with actual SUGAR instead. This is a process and a half to say the least. The funniest thing I’ve found is most european products are all made w sugar while America is a cauldron of HFCS in pretty much everything. I wonder if they are doing studies on that being the reason America is so overweight.  Some examples are Ketchup, yogurts, drinks.I was really CRAVING candy the other day and I set out to find something with sugar instead of the syrup concoctions and there was NOTHING, not one single option – bc every sweetened product in America, is made with Corn Syrup. YUCK! Sugar is hard enough on your body, that’s a given but then introduce that foreign stuff that not only raises your glycemic index but is a foreign toxin that your body doesn’t know how to metabolize. Booooo! Needless to say, I found Italian Sodas that are made with Sugar instead and fruits with carbonation. Delish. World Market makes a really good one too. These do the job and seems to be less artificial ingredients. I haven’t heard of any Italian Sodas being able to clean crime scenes.

I’ve always been an advocate of letter writing. I know I’ve found old letters from my mom, my grandparents and when I see their writing, their penmanship, it’s like they are right there with me. I say, make an effort to write letters so your handwriting is out there somewhere to be found and cherished. Don’t underestimate the astonishment and appreciation someone will have when you send them a letter you sat down and wrote for them. I love going to Barnes and Nobles and having a Starbucks while checking out this department. Write someone a letter!

It would take a special woman to appreciate this and not get offended by it instead. I love how frilly and sweet it looks, so I’d be thrilled to sport this hoot!

Umbrellas are always one of my favorite props, but I love the hearts AND that it’s see through! I can just seem this paired w a cute rain boot.

Organic, smells like you belong on an island and hydrated skin. Happy Girl! Lotion.

My apologies for all the open links. Someday when I figure out how to embed the images, I will do a better job at blogging. I hope you get everything on your lists and extend your humanitarian spirits to those lonely or less fortunate this year.

Merriest Christmas From Tomme and Erica!

The tent is so romantic and cozy and they seemed so at ease together, it just fit perfectly into plan. If I had to camp, this is the way I’d want to go – Chandelier, Russian Christmas Ornaments, Moroccan tapestries, soft pink touches, and a few vintage items from this couple’s family to make it their own. Camping USED to be a man’s world, but somehow I feminized it with soft hues and pastels, now the girls want to just hang out there. I LOVE THE TENT!! Whenever I put it up, each time it’s just a little different than the last, I keep saying to myself – give me a space heater and I may never go back into the house again!

I’m always willing to do more tent sessions, for some reason, right now – they are my favorite thing to be shooting. I enjoy doing the set design & watching it unfold, then toss in a GORGEOUS couple and WHAaaaaatTT? You’ve got a magazine ad in the making!

Take a look and leave the couple some comments and love!

Until next time! xoblog bloga blogb blogd blogdd blogddd blogdddd bloge blogf blogg bogc DSC_9164mm DSC_9181m DSC_9207m DSC_9273m DSC_9296m DSC_9329m DSC_9337m DSC_9371m DSC_9421m DSC_9438m DSC_9463m DSC_9485n DSC_9490m DSC_9587m DSC_9610m DSC_9629m DSC_9636m

Kim picked wonderful Charleston SC for her destination wedding location!

Location: Charleston Place Hotel 

The spectacularly talented Jessica Jaskiewicz Smithson took care of all the planning and the day went SMOOTHLY AMAZING. Thank you, Jessica for making my job E A S Y!

The forecasts called for rain, but typical Charleston style meant it most likely sprinkled somewhere else and therefore weather quotas were met in the weather-sphere and all were happy in the land.

We dodged the rain and it turned into a gorgeous gorgeous location with warm smiles and In my own humble opinion, some perdy darn good photography.

Kim beamed, Louis beamed………..since the sun wasn’t shining so bright, their bright smiles led the way.

Downtown Charleston can sometimes be met with plenty of street vendors, while I was setting up a shot -we had them sit down and lean up against the wall someone came by thinking they must be a ‘street act’ and threw some dollar bills at them. The best day of their lives and they even got ‘tipped’.

It was a fun day indeed, so enjoy some of their images.1 2 2a 2b 3 4 5 5a 5b 5c 5d 6 7 8 9 10 10a 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 18a 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 27a 28 28a 29 30 31 32 33 34 34a 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48