Renae was so poised in front of the camera from the very first shot that I wondered if she had done professional modeling. She hadn’t, but she did have over ten years of dance experience before COVID-19 interrupted. The years of training have given her a rare sense of body awareness and particular attention to graceful details like hand positioning that I typically have to instruct throughout a session. Renae had the easy grace thing covered from the first click.

Autumn chill had arrived, which was well and fine while we were moving along the trail. When we had to stop and pose, it was a little harder to stay warm, especially since she went from a favorite pair of jeans to dresses. Three dresses, actually. She managed to pull off seven different outfits during a two-hour session, and we still stayed on time. Granted, four of the outfits included the same jeans, but it was still a pretty neat trick. The other person I remember who could change that quickly was also a dancer. I’m guessing years of costume changes in the wings teaches you efficiency.

You would think after all the use my portable changing tent was getting, I would be extremely efficient at collapsing it into its bag, but this was one the days that my tent and I were struggling for domination. Maybe the cold was making the metal frame less compliant. In any case, it may have taken a few more awkward tries than usual, but eventually, the tent did submit to the bag each time as Renae patiently applied a lip gloss touch up that she really didn’t need.

It was a pleasure to work with her and her family, and I hope the beautiful results of her session make up for the cold she had to put up with! She definitely earned a mug of hot chocolate to finish the day!