SPRINGING INTO SPRING WITH CREATED COLORFUL

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What better way to prep for spring than with a color consultation. Keep reading to see what I’m talking about. A few months back I had the pleasure of working with the amazing Created Colorful team to figure out my best colors.

What is Created Colorful?

Created Colorful is a team of amazing color experts devoted to helping you find your best colors. They are there to help you unlock the many possibilities you have with your wardrobe and help you learn to choose clothing in colors that highlight your best features. The brains behind this whole operation, the beautiful Lindsey, Owner of Created Colorful, set-up an amazing color consultation for me so that her team of trained experts could find my best colors.

Initially, when the Created Colorful team reached out regarding a consult, I was a bit hesitant. Passed experiences around make-up and wardrobe styling had me thinking that a color consultation might be a flop. I had my make-up done before by people who didn’t really understand choosing the right colors for my skin type. I’ve sat in the chairs of experienced make-up artists who didn’t have my foundation shade or didn’t quite know what lipstick colors would look best on me. I’ve been sent clothing items from brands in colors that I felt really didn’t bring out my best features. Needless to say, as a woman of color, I’ve trained myself to always come with a plan B in situations that involve wardrobe styling, make-up and hair. I’ve trained myself to never assume people know how to style women of color, curvy women, and in my case, dark-skinned women. I’ve trained myself to believe that not every space is created for me and therefore, I have to create that space for myself and hope that with time, others will be able to see the need for inclusive practices, but with everything I do, I try to step out on faith and decided to give the Created Colorful color analysis a shot. FYI, this was my first time doing a color consultation.

My Color Consult

So, the first order of business was to complete a brief questionnaire. I was then asked to share several selfies with specific color fabrics draped over me . After those selfies were reviewed, I was asked to send just a few more colors to complete the full analysis. This part of the process was actually pretty fun because I got to dig through my closet and I discovered I had quite a few colors in my wardrobe. I think I was able to get almost the full list of colors they asked me to share, but they asked for a few more as well and after all my pics were sent in, it was time for the real magic to take place. I received a full analysis via email with kind words from Lindsey, the owner of Created Colorful. Additionally, I was given a full break down of my best colors, courtesy of my assigned color consultant, Tressie.

And the results are in … <<<drumroll>>>

I am Warm Spring, but I can also pull off some of the colors in the Clear Spring palette as well. Tressie, my color consultant, provided me with a very detailed analysis of why these colors work for me and how they would work with my wardrobe and highlight my features. To say I was shocked at what my colors were is an understatement. I remember filling out the questionnaire and thinking, if they pick brown, navy or light yellow for me, I’ll be so disappointed because I thought those colors really didn’t look all that good on me, especially brown, mostly because my skin is brown and I felt like it fell flat on my skin. Well, surprise, all of these colors are in my palette of the best colors for me and I’m not AT ALL disappointed. In fact, it just further proves a color analysis was needed. After getting my full assessment, I immediately wanted to take action, and started scrolling through old photo albums to see if I was already dressing in the colors that suit me. Below are a few of the pics I pulled from throughout the years where I was getting it right with the Warm Spring palette vs where it was not the right color for me.

Yes to grass green
No to olive green
Yes to sunshine yellow
No to mustard yellow
Yes to pumpkin orange
No to rose
Yes to turquoise
No to gray dusty blue

Scrolling through old blog pics post color consult was like looking at my wardrobe with fresh eyes. Now that I’ve been schooled on what my best colors are, some old pictures revealed that I was wearing colors that really weren’t my best colors. I’ve done so many shoots for my blog and for brands I’ve collaborated with in the past and some of the final photos for these shoots haven’t been my fave. Taking a glimpse back through old pics with the info I know now has me thinking perhaps the images weren’t my fave because of the colors I was wearing. I never thought the colors I wear for photos could make such a big impact on the final product. Often times, location, lighting, weather and a subjects energy level are the main things I consider when producing a good photo. Since receiving my color consultation, I’ve really changed the way I style myself for shoots and am way more attentive to the wardrobe colors I buy and while every shoot situation doesn’t afford me the opportunity to avoid my worse colors, I can at least be creative with the colors of the locations I shoot at and accommodate with the right make-up. Speaking of which, the pics below are from my most recent brand shoot. Keep scrolling so I can explain…

My color consultant, Tressie, mentioned increasing the warmth of my photos to enhance my features. For the above brand shoot, I was able to do this in editing along with wearing a flamingo pink (a color in the warm spring palette) and shooting at a peachy colored backdrop. I feel like everything aligned with the warm spring palette and it made such a huge difference in the photos and brought out the warm tones I have. My color analysis also recommended a few tips for Warm Spring make-up and I thankfully had a gloss that aligned with the palette and topped it off with a warm rose blush that definitely helped with bringing out my best features and played to the warm tones that I have, and not to brag or anything, but according to my color consultation, Beyonce is a Warm Spring, so there’s that, LOL.

My Created Colorful consultation has been such a game changer in how I prepare for photoshoots for brands I partner with. So much of the final photos I produce weighs heavily on the colors I wear and what shoot locations I choose. I’ll definitely be using the Warm Spring and Clear Spring palette to guide me on what colors I should wear on shoots and even use it as a guide for how I edit the final photos. This experience made me feel heard, not only as a woman of color, but as a woman period. It’s nice to feel included in spaces where I once felt like I had to be the expert all the time, and while I think we’re all experts over how we style ourselves, it’s nice to know efforts are being made to embrace the unique beauty of women of color, so they can feel supported in their goals as well.

Interested in a color consultation? Click here to learn more.

Till next time.

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

FALL TO WINTER FINDS WITH VERA BRADLEY

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Baby it’s cold outside. Sort of, I feel like my version of cold is so different from real North Carolinians version of “cold”. Since I’m originally from Massachusetts, cold has a whole other meaning to me. Between the endless winters and blizzards, a North Carolina winter is basically a walk in the park. And while I’m still waiting for things to cool down here in NC, I’ve been on the hunt for fall to winter items that make a smooth transition into the holidays.

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram page, then you know Vera Bradley has been a brand fave of mine lately, meeting all of my needs as an on-the-go mom. I always said I wouldn’t be that mom with many bags, and here I am, I’m the mom that has many bags, many bags in many prints because apparently, Deidra as a mom means finding super cute Vera Bradley pieces to truly compartmentalize my life and as you all know, October is breast cancer awareness month, so I was gifted some darling Vera Bradley pieces that satisfy my obsession with prints and bags. Check them out.

You can shop all these new October arrivals and more by clicking here.

Vera Bradley is also serving up a bit of plaid early this year to get you in the spirit of the holidays coming up. Now you all know how obsessed I am with plaid and mixing all the plaids around this time of year. Vera Bradley plaids are no exception to this rule and as with every VB piece, I love a good backpack because as a mom, being hands- free is the way to be. I’ve styled this bag three different ways using different accessories to give you some inspiration for the transition to winter. Check it out:

Hope you’ll love the new fall arrivals as much as I do. Check out my plaid backpack here. Here’s to a VB fall ya’ll.

Till next time.

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

10 TIPS FOR FINDING & MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SHOOT LOCATIONS

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A LOCAL AUTO BODY GARAGE

Hi all! I know it’s been a hot minute. I’ve been focused on work. I got a new job and it’s a bit time consuming, so I haven’t had much time to post anything on the blog lately, but I’m happy to be back and sharing a few of my tips and tricks for finding shoot locations and making the best of any location. One of my favorite things about creating content is finding the beauty in my city and making it come to life on camera. For those following along on Instagram, you may have seen my IG reel of my favorite shoot locations for 2021. All the locations I’ve highlighted are right here in my city and all are so unique. So I’m dishing all the deets on how I find the most colorful places in my city and how you can make the most of the locations available to you.

THINK ABOUT YOUR AESTHETIC

The most important thing to remember when seeking out shoot locations is your aesthetic. Believe or not, I’m often drawn to these amazing neutral Instagram feeds I come across. The whites and tans of these influencers pages draws me in on another level, I appreciate the look and feel of a muted or neutral page yet as you all know, color is my jam, so when I’m on the hunt for a shoot location, I’m always looking for color. It can be a colorful wall or colorful car or door, no matter what, there is color at almost all of my shoot locations because simply put, that is my aesthetic. I occasionally, veer from color for some posts, but there is beauty in consistnecy and what’s constant for me is some form of color in all that I do, also, I think your audience will appreciate knowing what to expect when they visit your social media pages.

DRIVE AROUND A BIT

I’m always out and about and I’m always looking for dope locations to shoot, which is why my husband does most of the driving when we go out, he knows I’m scanning for new shoot locations. Grab a friend or a family member and just ride around your city. This is how I get my inspiration. For me, this is most effective when I just drive and I’m not looking for anything specific. Just drive around and wait to see something that moves you. If it’s a place you can shoot, aligns with your aesthetic and if you’re an influencer or seeking a location for a brand shoot and it aligns with what the brand is asking for, I say go for it. Some days, I find absolutely nothing, others days, I find the perfect location. Pro tip: when you’ve spotted a location you love, take a pic and if you can jot down the street address or get a landmark do so! This is helpful if you’ve found multiple shoot locations during your outing or if you just have horrible memory, LOL. The photo below was a lumber yard my photography friends and I spotted on the way to shoot a wedding a few years back. I snapped a pic of the location and kept it in case we had time to stop and get some content for our separate photography pages.

GO FOR THE UNEXPECTED

If you’ve seen my most recent IG reel, then you know most of the locations I shoot at aren’t so pretty and that’s okay. I love that challenge of taking the not so pretty locations and showing people how you can really transform this location into something worth looking at. All that said, when scoping out new locations, be open minded, envision yourself shooting in that location and ask yourself, are there ways I can shoot this to make it pretty. That may be holding the camera at a different angle or taking a little extra time during editing to retouch the trash or parking lot lines out of the shot. That could also mean wearing outfits that help the location look better or outfits that compliment the shoot location so it looks very intentional. Whatever the case may be, don’t be so quick to overlook a location. Really take some time to see how you can make a location work in your favor. Case in point, the photo displayed below which was taken at an abandoned brewery just down the street from my house. The location was blah, but I had on a funky striped outfit to really balance it out. Pro tip: Shoot your photos vertical to block out any unwanted objects or subjects you don’t want in your shot. Also, play with angles, have your photographer shoot the wall your posing up against at an angle or position yourself far up or down for uniques perspectives. Sometimes, how it’s shot makes more of a difference than where it’s shot.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ABANDONED LOCATIONS

For my camera shy bloggers/influencers, abandoned locations are just the ticket for you. My city is going through a major revitalization process right now, not to mention, some locations are still closed because of the pandemic, so I’ve taken advantage of this by shooting in locations I’ve always wanted to shoot at that I couldn’t pre-pandemic because it was always crowded. Case in point, the local movie theater in the image below. I also love capturing images at abandoned buildings. Case in point, the orange trash can door of an abandoned Burger King turned Hube Bowl now Gym Tacos joint.

One of the movie theaters that was shutdown during the pandemic
Trash can door at an abandoned Burger King

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WEEKENDS

I create most of my content on the weekends, mostly because I work during the week, but also because that’s when most businesses are closed and I can use their location for content shoots. Block off some time during the weekends and scope out some areas in your city that only operate on weekdays or find locations that operate on just a few weekdays and head out there for a shoot on their off days. When I had my baby, I had to get real creative with timing and when I could shoot and since she goes on shoots with me, I had to make sure parking was okay or it has to be somewhere where I can park my car, shoot and still watch her from a short distance. Lately, I’ve been shooting at auto body garages and food joints that only operate on the weekdays. The image below is a cute little law office in downtown that has pretty easy parking and is closed on the weekends. I can watch Charlee from my car while I get a few content shots, so I shoot here regularly. Think about your needs and things that may limit you, this will help you choose your locations wisely and it’s a great way to plan ahead.

Law office open M-F
A local restaurant closed on the Sundays

CONSIDER A PARKING DECK

I love a good parking deck shoot, especially shooting content on the top part of the deck. Most of the time you can find open space to shoot content and it’s a fresh perspective on content. My favorite thing about parking deck shoots is that you can shoot in different parts of a parking deck that all look so different. You can shoot on the inside, at the very top or on the sides of walls or on the outside parts of the parking deck. This is great for shooting bulk content where you want to make it look like you’re in a different location for every shoot.

Parking Lot

PROPS ARE A GAME-CHANGER

Sometimes the only thing missing to make the location feel like it’s the appropriate place for you to shoot is props that spruce up the photo and tie your concept together. I often use props at locations to really help drive the point home about what I’m trying to say. If your location isn’t speaking loud enough to get the point across about the vibe and mood you’re going for, then props are a great way to help out in that respect. I’m a firm believer that your images should speak before your captions do and an easy way to do that is with a little help from some handy dandy props. Props make a photo fun, engaging and are a way to accent your location and communicate the message you’re trying to convey.

CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL PARKS

People know me for my colorful content and my ability to find a colorful wall, but I also love my local parks, parks are full of natures color and bring a nice earthy vibe to my feed when I get bored with colorful walls. If you’re wanting to keep it colorful, you can still do a park and dress in very colorful clothing to maintain that colorful aesthetic.

LOOK FOR MURALS OR LOCAL ART

Murals and local art are great backdrops to really spruce up your IG feed and no one mural is the same. My city has an ongoing partnership with local artists to highlight their work in various areas painted around the city, its a great way to promote local artists and capture some dope shots. Check your local city website and see how they are supporting local artists in the area or go to your local art museum and see what type of art backdrops they have available for you to take pictures with or near.

USE CLIP ART

Sometimes the locations you have available to you in your city have absolutely no redeemable qualities. When that happens, I usually just find a very plain Jane backdrop (i.e. a solid colored, a brick wall or a garage door) and add some clip art to spruce it up. I’m currently using the PicsArt app for all of my art images. Peep the pics below to see how I spruce up a blank or not so pretty wall.

I hope these tips and tricks on shoot locations were helpful to you. Remember, location is everything, but it’s all in what you make it. Get creative, don’t be afraid to shoot in not so pretty locations and always remember your niche and aesthetic and you’ll never go wrong.

Till next time.


Sincerely,


Deidra Marie