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Valentine Sessions

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A Heartfelt Invitation to Our Indoor Daylight Studio Boudoir Sessions at Luxe House Studio

February 3rd, 2024, at Luxe House Studio. This session offers a soulful journey of self-love, creativity, and a celebration of you.

Location: Luxe House Studio, River Arts Asheville.

Session Fee: $300 includes a 45 minutes of portrait session time, image editing, a viewing/ordering session, and a 7×10 fine art print. Additional art work, prints and digital negatives sold separately.

Booking: To secure your spot, reach out to us at info@luxehousephotographic.com or fill out this form: We’ll find a time slot that suits you and guide you through the booking process.

    What to Bring:

    • Yourself
    • Creative and inspiring garments
    • Unique and lovely lingerie
    • Fabrics, ribbons, accessories, and props that resonate with your spirit
    • Bring naure inside with botanicals (flowers, plants)
    • Your favorite nature items

    Attire: Allow your wardrobe to be an extension of you. Find some things to bring that you love to wear. A favorite robe, lingerie, leather, lace, nothing, it’s up to you and you can decide as we go.

    Hair and Makeup: Come with your hair and makeup done.

    After the Shoot: Following the portrait session, we’ll arrange a viewing and ordering session. Choose your complimentary 7×10 fine art print and explore additional artwork if you so desire. Our fine art offerings can be found here.

    “If you are curious and courageous, you can experience a relaxing yet revealing photo session that will gently bring you face to face with your essence and whisper that it is okay to be exactly who you are.” -J

    For any questions or to share your thoughts and wardrobe plans, feel free to contact me at 828-279-3047 or info@luxehousephotographic.com.

    See you on February 3rd!

    With warmth and excitement,

    René
    Luxe House Photographic

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    Capturing the Resonance: A Journey Through Smoky Mountains

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    In the heart of the Smoky Mountains, where time seems to have slowed to a gentle crawl, I found myself in the company of the Resonant Rogues, a two-person band that carried the weight of ages in their melodies.

    There’s a raw, unspoken poetry in the decaying architecture of forgotten times. The weathered walls and creaking floorboards tell stories of lives lived and dreams dreamed. Against this backdrop, the Resonant Rogues found their voice, harmonizing with the whispers of the past.

    In the tradition of the great storytellers, I’ve spent over a decade crafting narratives through my lens. It’s a pursuit that takes patience and an understanding of the silent language spoken by every ray of light and every shadow.

    Photography, to me, is not about capturing perfection; it’s about freezing moments that carry the weight of authenticity. It’s about capturing the grit and grace, the unspoken stories that dwell in the wrinkles of time.

    The Smoky Mountains, with their misty peaks and quiet valleys, have a way of grounding you in the present while whispering tales of the past. There was no need for elaborate setups or forced poses; the authenticity of the moment spoke volumes.

    Under stormy skies that carried the scent of rain, I witnessed the undying spirit of the mountains. In the distance, amidst the rolling mist, elk clashed their antlers in a battle that echoed through the valleys. It was a reminder of the untamed, wild heart that beats within these ancient hills.

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    🌿✨ An Enchanting Journey Awaits: WildChamer Portrait Sessions Amidst Nature’s Embrace ✨🌿

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    Greetings, wild-hearted women, fellow nature lovers and self-explorers!

    I am thrilled to extend an invitation to you, a heartfelt call from the depths of the Appalachian hills, to join us for an extraordinary experience at the upcoming Steady in the Fire Retreat, (A 3 day/2 night Yoga Retreat of communion, relaxation, practice, and friendship.) These portrait sessions are an addition to the retreat by Luxe House Photographic, the WildChamer Portrait Sessions are an exquisite blend of nature’s beauty, self-love, and artistic expression.

    Embrace Your True Essence: WildChamer Portrait Sessions

    In this enchanting session, you will indulge in the following delights:

    • Participation in the captivating WildChamer Sessions held on Saturday evening.
    • Expert editing of your images.
    • A personalized viewing and ordering session.
    • A stunning 7×10 fine art print, capturing the essence of your individuality in a tangible form.

    What Awaits You: A Journey of Sensual Self-Discovery

    Ladies, embrace your inner Maiden, Queen, Mystic, Huntress, Wise Woman, or Lover! Embark on a voyage of self-discovery amidst nature’s grandeur. Together, we will craft portraits that embody the essence of self-care, sensuality, and serenity.

    Book Your Session Today!

    Are you ready to embrace this empowering journey of self-discovery? To book your WildChamer Portrait Session, simply reach out to us at info@luxehousephotographic.com or call 828-279-3047. See more detailed info here.

    Note: A Group Expedition into Nature’s Arms

    These soul-stirring sessions are conducted in a group setting, allowing you to bask in the beauty of nature alongside kindred spirits. Together, we will wander the mountain property, capturing your essence in intimate one-on-one portraits amidst the calming presence of the river and the enchanting splendor of fall.

    Embrace Your Essence, Embrace Self-Love

    If you are curious and courageous, this experience offers a relaxing yet revealing photo session. It gently guides you to confront your essence, whispering that it is not only okay but beautiful to be exactly who you are.

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    Unveiling Your Essence:  WildCharmer Portrait Sessions in Enchanted Woodlands

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    Booking Fall and Winter 2023

    In the heart of the majestic Appalachian Mountains, where the whispers of ancient trees and the melodies of clear rivers harmonize, Luxe House Photographic invites you to embark on a transformative journey. Our WildCharmer Portrait Sessions are not just photographs; they are a celebration of self-love, empowerment, and your unique essence. Step into an enchanting forest where dark mossy allure, ethereal beauty, and the magic of nature converge, all delivered on heirloom-quality prints made of cotton archival paper.

    An Enchanted Setting: The Appalachian Woodlands

    Imagine yourself surrounded by towering, ancient trees, bathed in dappled sunlight that filters through the leaves, and serenaded by the gentle murmur of a nearby river. This pristine forest floor is adorned with a lush carpet of soft ferns, and the air carries the earthy fragrance of moss and soil. It’s a place where magic and nature intertwine, creating a breathtaking backdrop for your portrait session.

    Capturing Your Essence: Dark Mossy Ethereal Magic

    Our skilled photographer doesn’t just capture your physical beauty; they seek to encapsulate the very essence of your spirit. The final portraits radiate the dark, mossy allure of the woods, creating an artistic representation of your inner magic. These images are more than mere photographs; they are timeless heirlooms that encapsulate your unique journey of self-love and empowerment. See more images from past Wildcharmer Sessions here.

    If you are curious and courageous, you can experience a relaxing yet revealing photo session that will gently bring you face to face with your essence and whisper that it is okay to be exactly who you are.

    -J

    What to Bring: Express Your Creativity

    Bring your authentic self and whatever empowers you, making you feel beautiful, in alignment with your chosen archetype. (see more on Archetypes here) Whether it’s unique dresses, alluring lingerie, or captivating accessories, this is your canvas to express your creativity. Consider incorporating botanical elements to infuse a touch of nature’s wonder into your session, complementing the enchanting forest surroundings. Come, play with the idea of archetypes. Are you The Mother, the Maiden, the Huntress, the Mystic, the Sage, the Queen, Lover?

    Your Peaceful Empowerment: Guided by Our Photographer

    Throughout your session, our experienced photographer will be your gentle guide, helping you feel at ease and in tune with your own power. Your journey into self-care and self-acceptance will be a serene exploration of the profound connection between you and the natural world.

    Luxe House Photographic invites you to rediscover your essence, celebrate your individuality, and create timeless heirlooms in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. Embark on a day of self-care, self-love, and self-discovery in deep nature that captures the very essence of your being. These portraits transcend mere images; they are a celebration of your uniqueness amidst the natural wonders of the Appalachian woodlands. Join us!

    Session and Booking Information

    Session Fee: $300 includes a 40-minute session, expert editing, a personalized viewing/ordering session, and a luxurious 7×10 fine art print on 100% cotton archival paper.

    To secure your spot in our upcoming session, reach out to us at info@luxehousephotographic.com or call 828-279-3047.

    I would recommend this experience wholeheartedly to any female-identifying person who is looking for or curious about a transformative gift of self-love.” -S

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    Summertime is Here! Let’s make some portraits!

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    Hurray! Asheville, It’s June 21st. First day of Summer so, let’s make some portraits!

    Would you like to have heirloom portraits of yourself, your child, or your family made to remember this year, this age, this summer? if so, I can help you with that.

    Are you feeling ready to celebrate this season of green and blossoms?

    Booking a session is a terrific idea! Here are my top 7 reasons I can think of….

    1. It’s Summer and the world is in bloom!!
    2. Your kid is really cute
    3. Your kid is changing super fast.. so hurry!
    4. You’re cute
    5. We live somewhere beautiful
    6. You will love the portraits we make together
    7. You and your family deserve it

    I have a few more open spots for summer and an exciting announcement coming soon for past portrait clients!

    Reach out to me to book your session and we will find a date and plan something amazing! I look forward to it!

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    Family Portrait Sessions

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    We love documenting families over the years!

    Have you done a portrait session with us in the past and ready for an update?  We are offering 50% off our 2022 session fees for our repeat clients.  This is for summer sessions booked now through May 1st.

    Why?  Because things change, kids grow, and well, we love you.

    Message us to book your family portrait session today.

    Beautiful locations are plenty.  We can go to a mountain top or to simply gather in your back yard.  Let’s make some fresh art of those ones we love.

    We love photographing you, your kids, and your animals!!  Let’s get outside in our beautiful mountains and make some portraits together!

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    Children’s Portrait Sessions

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    We are looking forward to our Spring and Summer Children’s Portrait Sessions!

    We are offering a day of Kid’s Portraits on April 23rd at the Botanical Gardens in Asheville, NC.  (Rain date the 24th)

    **We have a super special invitation/offering for our cherished past clients***

      Have you done kid’s portraits with us before?  Yes?  The session fee for the April 23rd portrait sessions at the Botanical Gardens will be 50% off for you.  These are easy, breezy, and fun 30 minute sessions by the river and around the beautiful grounds.

    The sessions are 30 minutes and are 150.00 (75.00 for past clients)

    We do ask that participants put some thought into their wardrobe and that it leans towards the vintage side of things.  This means no logos or sports clothing.   We also welcome any and all botanicals.  You can browse our family portrait gallery to get some good ideas here:  https://www.luxehousephotographic.com/gallery/familyportraits/

    Want to come?  Send me an email and I will get you on list. Limited space is available.

    Want your own slow paced deep nature session?  I am always up for those!!  Reach out and I will make a plan that fits your family’s dreams and needs.  We have a few dates left for May and June.

    Capture the beauty of your kiddos as they are right now.   You will be glad you did.

     

     

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    Charmed by the Wild Portrait Sessions

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    Come, mother, maiden, queen, mystic, huntress, wise woman, lover.

    Come celebrate your power and uniqueness in deep nature with one-of-a-kind portraiture by Luxe House Photographic.

    I am thrilled to offer Charmed by the Wild Portrait Sessions On May 21, 2022.

    (Rain date same time/ same place May 22nd, 2022)

    Each session will be an incarnation of deep nature-laden portraiture, where we can create images of self-care, connection, sensuality, celebration, and serenity.
    These private sessions will offer comfort in a nest of privacy—add your own native magic, feathers, flowers, draped fabrics and ribbon, your favorite garments, under or outer clothing…..and YOU.

    Come for a deep journey into self-love. contact us at —info@luxehousephotographic.com or 828-279-3047 to book your session

    If you are curious and courageous, you can experience a relaxing yet revealing photo session that will gently bring you face to face with your essence and whisper that it is okay to be exactly who you are.
    -J

    I would recommend this experience wholeheartedly to any female-identifying person who is looking for or curious about a transformative gift of self-love. -S

    I loved my shoot! And would highly recommend this experience to other women as a journey of healing, empowerment, and self-discovery.” -K

    I love that Rene has been able to capture these times in my life. I’ve been able to express where I’m at in life through her photography. It’s now a tradition, not just pictures 🖤-N

    Wild Charmer Sessions – Fall 2021

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    Local Mothers Day Gift Ideas

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    Flowers

    Shop Flora Botanical Living for local Mother’s Day Blooms and much much more.

    This Mother’s Day Flora is coming together with a group of local flower growers to curate magical bouquets and gift packages for mom.  Our floral arrangements will utilize a variety of flowers including those grown locally in the Flora Fields & Gardens, Blue Ridge Blooms, Flourish Flower Farms & Full Sun Farms.  Also available, chocolate, wine, and candles.  Yes Please!

    Flora  (828) 252-8888

     

    Portraits

    Book the nature-based heirloom portrait session Mom has been dreaming of from Luxe House Photographic!

    She can pamper herself by journeying into deep self-love and nature to do a Wildcharmer session, do one of a kind portraits of the kids (while they are still kids), or a session with the entire family.  Luxe house specializes in portraits that honor and celebrate the human, the spirit, and the amazing landscape in which we live.  Oh…. and also in beautiful fine art printing!

    Session fee $150.00 (30min) or $300.00 (I hour), we shoot at a location of your choice + you can purchase extra $’s to go towards the print order.

    Email us at info@luxehousephotographic.com or call 828-279-3047 to purchase a gift certificate.

    Style

    Shop the Nest Boutique! Their lifestyle boutique features not only women’s clothing, sizes 0-24, but is a haven for exceptional home decor and gift items.

    Shop here.

    Yum! 

    Take the day day off from cooking and order brunch from Strada!

    Mothers day Brunch for Four ‹◊› 80

    FEATURING

    Asparagus, Fontina, Fresh Tomato and Basil Quiche (GF)

    Strawberry, Cream Cheese, Honey and Walnut Stuffed French Toast (GF option available)

    Seasonal Fruit salad (strawberries, grapes, blackberries) (GF)

    Turkey Sausage Links (GF)

    Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Home Fries with Caramelized Vidalia Onion  (GF)

    Bottle of Sparkling Wine

    ORDER BY PHONE AT 828-348-8448 OR EMAIL INFO@STRADAASHEVILLE BY 8PM ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH

    PICKUP BY 8PM ON SATURDAY MAY 9TH

    Full info here.

     

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    Oh, how I love the forest!

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    I love the sunset shining

    over the trees and mountains

    It just feels like you could

    Shout into endless space

    I can feel the breeze

    Almost taking me away

    The open sunlight casting on my face

    The way the forest gives me

    the feeling of eternal hope

    The way the moonlit sky casts a spell

    on my heart

    It makes me feel like I just want to

    float away and dance

    With every star

    In the night sky

    Oh, how I love the forest!

    -Trumie Roberts, Age 9

     

     

    An ode to our love of the forest.  I’m so proud of my daughter for writing this poem.   It’s a challenge she was pretty unsure about.   I thought she would come back with just a few words minutes later and be done.   To my surprise, a while later,  she came back with that sweet illustration and beautiful poem.

    Writing poems, needlepoint, drawing penpal comics, walking in the forest, swimming in the river,  baking, and making an outdoor fire are the things that seem to be time well spent while staying home with a 9 year old.

    I look forward to returning to our less traveled favorite nature spots when they reopen.  We promise to always leave no trace and take great care of our mountains.

    We are doing our best to keep our germs to ourselves.

    The only gloves I have are some satin black “prom gloves”

    Trumie is fascinated by what happens underground.  Amazing art by Nocik.

    We were thankful to live a while in this handcrafted work of art, the Nook.

    Hanging out.  Stretching the body.

    Relaxing.

    Trying on our new masks, and going outside to pick flowers.  <3

     

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    Staying Home

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    We are currently staying home to keep ourselves and our community safe.

    We look forward to making art with you once this is over.

    In the meantime, we are offering fine art prints of our dream series delivered by mail.  <3

    The gallery of the work can be seen here:  https://www.luxehousephotographic.com/gallery/dream/

    All our Love,

    René

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    Digital Art Project for Today April 7th

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    I have a new photo/art idea for today.  Please let me know if you want to join by emailing me at info@luxehousephotographic.com

    I will be walking the Longview/Garden Circle/ Ridgelawn loop 6:30-7:30 today and can branch out if time allows.

    What if we spread some love by making a virtual art piece for the people we are most trying to protect from the virus right now?

    I will be doing a walk by front porch image of you (neighbors) with a LONG lens, holding a piece of art you and your household make to send (digitally) to a living loved one.  Be it an elder, or anyone who we most hope to protect by staying home and following the rules set to protect those most venerable.  It can include words, glitter, stickers, paint, photos, poetry, flowers, really anything.  It can also just be a simple photograph you hold.

    I’d also like to promote ” the CDC is advising that every person in the US wear a cloth mask or face covering in certain public settings to combat the coronavirus pandemic.”  So, if you have face masks, please wear them in the photo.

    There is no session fee and there will be nothing for sale.

    10ft distance and all rules of social distancing MUST be followed with no exceptions.

    If you would like to make a donation to Beloved Asheville to help those most in need, you are welcome to do so by clicking here.

    If you would like to make a donation to Masks of Love,  you can do so by clicking here.

    I will share a digital image you can download and send to your loved one (digitally to keep germs away)!

    That’s my love project for today.

    René

    828-279-3047

    “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”– Buddha

     

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    Fall Portraits

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    Ready to Book a Portrait Session for the ones you love?

    We have Fall dates open for booking!

    Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve a spot for yourself, your kids, your family.  Most Sessions are at around 5:30/6pm for best light.

    Open dates in bold.  Need a weekend or morning date?  Just ask and we can try to find one that works for you.

    Oct 10th, Black Balsam -booked

    October 15th, Botanical Gardens

    October 22nd, Bent Creek

    October 23rd, Biltmore Grounds

    October 24th,  your home -booked

    October 29th,  your home 

    October 29th,  Botanical Gardens 

    October 29th, Craggy Gardens

    Nov 5th,  Your Home -booked

    Nov 7th, Biltmore Grounds

    These location ideas are totally flexible.  Have your own location idea?  Let’s hear it.

    View our full gallery here:  https://www.luxehousephotographic.com/gallery/familyportraits/

    Booking a session is a terrific idea, and here are the top 7 reasons I can think of….

    1. It’s almost fall and the world is getting cooler and lovely.
    2. Your kid is cute
    3. Your kid is changing fast
    4. You’re cute
    5. We live somewhere beautiful
    6. You will love the portraits we make together, especially 10 years from now
    7. You and your family deserve it

    It is always great honor to get out in the deep nature that surrounds us and make beautiful portraits for families.

    Present day….  I think about what portraits like these will mean to my clients when they unwrap their packages and hang their portraits on the walls of their homes.  I hope they add beauty and bring joy.

    A little later…… I think about what these portraits will mean to my clients when their 7 year old is 27 years old.  I hope they bring the sweetest memories.

    A lot later…. I think about what it will be like for the children in the portraits to show these images to their own children someday.  I hope they show history.   I hope they show love.

    I love making family heirlooms with people, nature, light, ink and fine papers.

    Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve your spot.

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    Family

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    We love doing Spring and Summer family portrait sessions in our beautiful Appalachian mountains.  We try hard to make our time with kids and parents relaxed and fun, but also work diligently to create beautiful heirloom soulful images a family can treasure through the years.

    We are very excited to finish the job by offering beautiful in house printed fine art prints on gorgeous cotton rag paper.  They can truly be handed down through generations.

    It’s an honor to do this work.

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    Fall Wildcharmer Portraits

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    Come, mother, maiden, queen, mystic, huntress, wise woman, lover.

    If you are curious and courageous, you can experience a relaxing yet revealing photo session that will gently bring you face to face with your essence and whisper that it is okay to be exactly who you are.
    -J

    Here are images from my WildCharmer portrait sessions that were held on 150 private acres outside of Asheville, NC.  The sessions included some self-reflection and a whole lot of self-love.

    Mixed in here with some of our images are some of the participants’ own words on their experience.  It is amazing work to do.  It is an honor to gently guide a woman down the path of loving, honoring, and celebrating herself.

    I recently gave myself the incredible opportunity to have my portrait taken in one of Luxe House Photohgraphic’s WildCharmer sessions. I’ve admired Rene’s work for years, and I’m so glad I chose to book one of her spots as the experience turned out to be a sweet and profound offering to myself.
    Rene has a special kind of magic: the power to capture the extraordinary in every person and in the surrounding landscape. In preparation for my photos, she suggested that I might be inspired by connecting to an archetype I felt represents me in this current iteration of myself and at this time in my life. That suggestion offered me the opportunity for deep reflection and a sense of recognition and remembering of myself. I wondered, “who am I if all my roles were to fall away? What would be left behind—my very essence and at my very core?” The WildCharmer session and my intention behind it opened a door for me to find some answers to those questions. 
    During my session, I felt comfortable, safe, and celebrated in a way that told me each person who came before and after would be as well.   For me, Rene’s pictures captured my connection to being a woman whole unto myself.
    I would recommend this experience wholeheartedly to any female-identifying person who is looking for or curious about a transformative gift of self-love. -S

    “My boudoir shoot with René Roberts was an incredible experience in self-love and acceptance and finding the beauty in my body, despite its suffering. 
     
    I have uterine fibroids. Not small uterine fibroids that you can’t see. But very large, aggressive uterine fibroids which grew to over 9lbs in my twenties.
     
    I have already had surgery once and they are growing back again. Likely, the next time will require a hysterectomy.
     
    I wanted to give myself the experience of loving my body and seeing its beauty despite the shame and pain that I have lived in because of this disease.
     
    My shoot with Renee was the perfect experience for nurturing this awareness. Being outside, in nature… feeling the support of a loving group of women around me… having access to such beautiful props which complemented my form and receiving gentle guidance from Renee to bring out my beauty all culminated in a gorgeous set of photos that gave me a sense of pride and acceptance for who I am and all that I have come through to express in this physical form.
     
    I loved my shoot! And would highly recommend this experience to other women as a journey of healing, empowerment, and self-discovery.” -K

    Working with Rene doing the wild charmer series for the second year in a row has been a really wonderful experience for me. I feel like she captures the Devine feminine in her lens. She can have me move just so slightly and get the image that is my favorite for the rest of my life.
    Doing the wild charmer series has been a journey for me in so many ways. The first year I did it I was very chronically ill and battling a lot inside of me. I was just coming to a point of maybe feeling like a person again. The second shoot, this past one, I really felt the strength and perseverance I’ve conquered and you can see a difference. I was even motivated to work out and change my lifestyle to feel beautiful in my body.
    I love that Rene has been able to capture these times in my life. I’ve been able to express where I’m at in life through her photography. It’s now a tradition, not just pictures 🖤-N

    The WildCharmer shoot was a journey of deep-reflection and soul-discovery resulting in a new level of self- acceptance and peeling back the layers to invite my TRUE SELF to show up on the lens. 
    Because of this opportunity to be photographed by such a talented artist, I originally felt the need to portray my self/story with elaborately thought out pre-selected props, clothing, and exact scenes in mind. Rene spoke with me on the phone and by the end of the conversation, I found myself remembering and accepting the truest truth I know to be – for an artist to truly capture a soul on film requires the subject to let go of control and allow themselves to be present, trusting that they will be seen. 
    I made the choice instantly to show up and trust fully. This was me embodying my wild – believing all of the inimitable qualities and charms I possess would come out. 
    Never have I felt more comfortable as a subject on camera. Rene is calming, confident, and has the ability to connect and read her subjects. 
    In our dialogue during the shoot, I expressed my desire as a filmmaker, teacher, and movement artist, to step into being the storyteller of my own story and the leading lady in my own life. I was able to articulate my purpose is to encourage other artists to go beyond the belief that others’ stories are more valid to tell than their own. I want us all to be able to turn the cameras on ourselves – either literally or metaphorically, as we step into our dreams and desires, despite imperfection, and become a “life artist.”
    I felt relaxed, empowered, and explorative all at once during the shoot.
    It was a time of play, seeming like time didn’t exist. 
    As the scenes began to take shape, I didn’t pose much or try to “be” anything I wasn’t. I wasn’t asked to do that and I trusted that what I am is enough and valid and beautiful. 
    I was given the correct amount of direction to give me something to “do” – where to look, or what to hold, or how to turn. But I wasn’t asked to embody any random emotions or be anything outside myself. 
    My favorite part was being asked to close my eyes and take a deep breath, and then she took the photo at my most relaxed and natural state when I opened my eyes,
    Her direction was brilliant and the vibe was “chill” yet I knew my story, and these images were of the utmost importance to her. 
    I felt my ability to be real, truthful, honest, wholesome, and good-intentioned was all captured and it didn’t feel mundane or not exotic enough. It felt acknowledged and validated. 
    I felt all that I was, and I began to bask in the seemingly simple but true depth of the purity of my being. 
    When I received the photographs, I saw myself in a way that is usually not captured. 
    It was the real me, not someone who is smiling because I was told to, but someone choosing to be present and content and self-loving. 
    In the photos, I can feel my quiet confidence, my deepest fears, and the glimmering hope of my dreams. I feel like I can take myself more seriously after this photoshoot and have a deeper respect for myself than I did before. 
    I would recommend this shoot to any woman who wants to discover herself a bit more fully and to see herself through objective eyes. 
    If you are curious and courageous, you can experience a relaxing yet revealing photo session that will gently bring you face to face with your essence and whisper that it is okay to be exactly who you are.
    -J

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    Portraits in the Park

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    I have a crazy Idea….

    I want to reach out to my local Asheville community with portraiture.

    I will be hosting a “Portraits in the Parks” series on select Wednesdays in July.  The first one will be July 11th.  Want to come?  Email me at info@luxehousephotographic.com

    These will be 10/15 minute long kid/family portrait sessions set in our beautiful landscape in town in Asheville.

    The usual session fees will be waved.  What!!?? Yep.  no session fee, no order minimum.  Prints and digital files will be available at our regular pricing.  Feel free to email for full print pricing info.

    I do ask that participants put some thought into their wardrobe and that it leans towards the vintage side of things.  This means no logos or sports clothing.  Come lookin awesome!!!  You can browse our family portrait gallery to get some good ideas here:  https://www.luxehousephotographic.com/gallery/familyportraits/

    Want to come?  Send me an email and I will get you on list. Limited space is available.

    Want your own slow paced deep nature session?  I am always up for those!!  Reach out and I will make a plan that fits your family’s dreams and needs.

    Capture the beauty of your kiddos as they are right now.   You will be glad you did.

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    Summer in Appalachia – Portraits by Luxe House Photographic

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    Ready to have portraits made of the ones you love?

    summer2018

    We have some Late Summer dates open for booking.

    Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve a spot for yourself, your kids, your family.  Most Sessions are at around 5:30/6pm for best light.

    Need a weekend date?  Just ask and we can try to find one that works for you.

    August 21st, Black Balsam Mountaintop

    August 24, Biltmore Grounds

    August 30th, Craggy Gardens

    August 31st, Your backyard

    These location ideas are totally flexible.  Have your own location idea?

    View our full gallery here:  https://www.luxehousephotographic.com/gallery/familyportraits/

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    Booking a session is a terrific idea, and here are the top 7 reasons I can think of….

    1. It’s Summer and the world is in bloom!!
    2. Your kid is cute
    3. Your kid is changing fast
    4. You’re cute
    5. We live somewhere beautiful
    6. You will love the portraits we make together, especially 10 years from now
    7. You and your family deserve it

    It is a always great honor and pleasure to get out in the deep nature that surrounds us and make beautiful portraits for families.

    Present day….  I think about what portraits like these will mean to my clients when they unwrap their packages and hang their portraits on the walls of their homes.  I hope they add beauty and bring joy.

    A little later…… I think about what these portraits will mean to my clients when their 8 year old is 28 years old.  I hope they bring the sweetest memories.

    A lot later…. I think about what it will be like for the children in the portraits to show these images to their own children someday.  I hope they show history.   I hope they show love.

    I love making family heirlooms with people, nature, light, ink and fine papers.

    Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve your spot.

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    France

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    A little dream of mine came true in France.

    Not only did I get to explore tiny villages set in the most amazing rolling hill vineyard laden landscapes, I got to teach the encaustic process at Parker Pfister’s workshop in Burgundy, France. IN A CASTLE!!

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    I have always wanted to teach really anything I am passionate about in the photography realm, and what a absolute joy it was to get to do it in this amazing setting with a group of wonderful people.  I will forever remember this week as one of the best times of my life.

    Here are just a few photos from my wanderings around Autricourt on our first night at the castle.  The amount of wonder was overwhelming.  I meant to just walk down to the end of the driveway of the property, but could not stop.  I kept going in the light of the most lovely sunset and ended up alone at the top of a tiny mountain.  Insane uncontainable joy filled my soul!!

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    Want to know more about the workshop? Check out Parker’s recap.  Want to know even more about it?  A great human, photographer and attendee, Joe Payne gives a brief yet beautiful overview of the workshop.

    I highly recommend jumping into one of Parker’s future workshops.  I do not feel I can eloquently type how profoundly magical the learning experience is.  The next workshop is in Asheville and the full info can be found here.

    I do have some images I made while in France that I am very excited to share, but they will be saved for the inks, cotton papers, wood, and wax you will just have to come see them in person.

    For now……. snapshots from town, a photo of the class taken by Michael Brühlmeie, and a video still I swiped with permission from the maker, Artemus Mott.

    Most of the town photos were taken on my new Sony camera with a borrowed Lens Baby Trio lens.

     

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    Archives

    Deep Nature, the best kind

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    Fall Portrait Sessions

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    Ready to have portraits made of the ones you love?

    may2017-14

    I’ve got some October dates still open for booking.

    Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve a spot for yourself, your kids, your family.  Most Sessions are at around 5:30pm for best light.

    October 5th, Biltmore Grounds (booked am)

    October 10th, Craggy Gardens

    October 12th, Botanical Gardens

    October 13th, Catawba Falls (booked am)

    October 17th, Warren Wilson College (booked)

    October 19th, Craggy Gardens

    October 24th, Biltmore Grounds (booked)

    October 25th, Anywhere you want (booked)

    October 26th, Your backyard (booked)

    October 27th, South Asheville Parkway trail (booked)

    November 2nd, French Broad Riverside

    November 9th, Your Home

    November 16th, Bent Creek Forest

    These location ideas are totally flexible.  Have your own location idea?

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    Archives

    Too Much Screen Time

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    Help!!

    I’m stuck inside of a screen

    tap

    tap

    tap

    I can’t get out

    I’m tired

    want to relax

    l lay down to unwind

    An hour and a half later

    I’m just getting off

    this tiny screen in my hand

    I’ve looked through

    instagram

    facebook

    email

    criagslist

    real estate listings

    website linked to websites about

    things I don’t ever remember

    I’m not relaxed

    my brain is scrambled

    It’s like

    mixing every food I can think of

    put it in a blender

    I can’t digest it

    It hurts my stomach

    I can’t digest

    this media

    it hurts my spirit

    it hurts my brain

    they” say it’s reshaping our frontal cortex

    And here I am again

    on this screen

    I’m addicted

    quite addicted

    Help!

    I’m stuck inside of a screen

    tap

    tap

    tap

    somebody let me out

    There’s all these healthy choices

    above and below

    there’s nature out side

    waiting for me to dip my toes into it’s mud

    But I’m just here scrolling on this rando

    That I used to know in high school

    I’m trying to figure out exactly

    how many children he has

    Who cares

    I need to go outside

    and hug my neighbor

    I need to go downstairs

    and ask my child

    Love, what is your greatest dream?”

    Facebook just told me

    my dad and I are celebrating

    .9 years of friendship

    that’s funny

    cuz I’m 41 years old

    and he knew me before I was born

    you don’t know me, Facebook

    You Don’t Own Me, Amazon

    you don’t know what I want

    you do not have it

    I want to give it all up

    but look

    I’m checking back

    to see if anybody read my story

    I’m checking back

    to see if anyone

    can hear me?

    I’m screaming

    at the top of my….

    wait!

    No, No I”m not.

    I’m only typing, I’m typing into a void

    and nobody’s listening

    I’m screaming

    at the top of my lungs

    and nobody

    can hear me

    maybe I should look inside

    maybe I should go outside

    maybe I should talk to a human

    maybe I should go to a meeting

    maybe I should go to class

    maybe I should go to a church

    maybe I should phone a friend

    maybe I should find myself

    maybe I should get off this screen

    Bye.

    Archives

    Summer Rain Summer Green

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    LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-6
    LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-8It is a great honor and pleasure to get out in the deep nature that surrounds us and make beautiful images for families (like this awesome one) to treasure.

    Present day….  I think about what portraits like these will mean to my clients when they unwrap their packages and hang their portraits on the walls of their homes.  I hope they add beauty and bring joy.

    A little later…… I think about what these portraits will mean to my clients when their 8 year old is 28 years old.  I hope they bring sweet memories.

    A lot later…. I think about what it will be like for the children in the portraits to show these images to their own children someday.  I hope they show history.   I hope they show love.

    I love making family heirlooms with people, nature, light, ink and fine papers.

    ——————————————–

    Are you ready to document this chapter of your life?

    I’ve got some September and October dates still open for booking.  Contact us at via this site or email info@luxehousephotographic.com to reserve a spot for yourself, your kids, your family.  Most Sessions are at around 5:30pm for best light.

    Sept 28th, Catawba Falls

    October 5th, Biltmore Grounds

    October 12th, Botanical Gardens

    October 17th, Pisgah Trail (booked)

    October 18th, max Patch (booked)

    October 24th, Nature

    October 25th, Black Balsam (booked)

    October 26th, Your backyard

    These location ideas are totally flexible.  Have your own location idea?

     

    Archives

    Deeper South

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    LuxeHousePhotographic (1012 of 16)We have been at the beach all day and diner is on the table, but let’s do a 5 minute photo shoot with tangly haired kiddos.   Add some mosquitoes.  Go!

    I am thankful for moments like these in my life.

    Kiawah Island, June 2017  Shot with Canon 5d mark III, 24-70 2.8 and lots of lens fog from the deep swelter.

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    Portraits of the ones you Love

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    Hi world!

    Would you like to have heirloom portraits of your child made to remember this year, this age, this summer?

    Booking a session is a terrific idea, and here are the top 7 reasons I can think of….

    1. It’s Summer and the world is in bloom!!
    2. Your kid is cute
    3. Your kid is changing fast
    4. You’re cute
    5. We live somewhere beautiful
    6. You will love the portraits we make together
    7. You and your family deserve it

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    Here are my open dates and location ideas:

    July 3rd – Botanical Gardens (booked)

    July 6th – Catawba Falls (booked)

    July 8th – Wherever you want

    July 11th – Black Balsam

    July 13th – Biltmore Nature Spots

    August 4th  – Black Mountain River (booked)

    August 8th  – Your Home (booked)

    August 10th  – Max Patch (booked)

    August 15th – Catawba Falls (booked)

    August 24th – Your Home

    August 31st – Craggy Gardens

    Sept 5th – Botanical Gardens

    Sept 14th – Max Patch

    Don’t have the time to travel outside of Asheville?  Want to book a session in town?  There are also some beautiful locations within just a few miles of downtown Asheville.   The options are endless.

    Email us at info@luxehousephotographic.com for booking.

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    This week I borrowed an interesting camera from an awesome friend.  With a loss of knowledge on how to operate said camera and about 20 minutes of daylight left, I feel in love with imperfection (and even deeper, if possible, with this child).

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    Cuba

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    Cuba

          Vacation, adventure, travel: You have a few precious weeks each year when schedules overlap, the stars align, and you can, or need to, leave the paradise of home to remember something important about life that is too easy to forget.  You want to go somewhere warm, but not too warm.  Somewhere safe but exotic, somewhere you can recharge your joie de vivre without deleting your bank account.  You want to make some incredible memories, and calendars are filling up.  Well, here it is: if you want Disney, go to Florida.  If you want close, go to South Carolina.  If you want easy, go to Cancun, Costa Rica or Dollywood.  But if you want something special, something to be experienced, if you want to share a moment of cultural history with the world, then you need to go to Cuba.  And you should go.  Now.

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    We went, and it was epic.  24 days in country.  We’d seen pictures of beautiful beaches in the north and south, exotic mogotes (beautiful mountain formations) in Pinar del Rio, and romantic colonial architecture in Old Havana.  Cuba has this and much more that will hook and delight an imaginative and adventurous traveller.  And on top of all that, this is a historic time as Cuba under goes a post revolution evolution of its national identity on a world stage and for its people at home.  This was an opportunity to better understand, experience, and perhaps even feel the tidal shift within the cultural momentum of this thing that is Cuba.

    To start with, it was my wife’s idea.  She is an Asheville Photographer whose pursuits through the lens are Fine Art and Adventure-Travel.  These passions blend and her work shows up in our world as portraits of people and the still lives of time.  She’d wanted to go to Cuba ever since someone told her that she wasn’t allowed to.  The good news is that border bribes and Cancun layovers are no longer required! There are at least 12 perfectly legal reasons that a United States Citizen might receive a Cuban Travel Visa.  Visiting family, participating in exhibitions, performances or contests, or pursuing religious, educational or humanitarian activities in country are a few of the valid reasons for which you would receive a visa from the Cuban Embassy in Washington DC (our mutual Embassies technically reopened July 20, 2015).

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    While we saw a lot, there are lifetimes more to see and know about such an intriguing and mysterious country.  We concentrated our visit to the western half of the island.  Using Havana as a hub, we spent time at the beaches in Guanabo east of Havana, in the mountain valley of Vinales in the far west, and in Trinidad on the southern coast.  Instead of hotels, we stayed at Casas Particulares: private homes in which families rent rooms.  These can run the gamut between home stay and bed and breakfast – and are an awesome view into Cuban culture and daily life.  We rode in classic cars, went horse riding through coffee and tobacco farms.  We saw amazing art, and soaked up the sun on beaches in paradise.  These were some of the gems of our trip.  But every country has the good, the bad, and the ugly.  With over three weeks on the ground, we saw a little bit of everything.  This is how it went down.

    Havana

    We got to Havana on February 26.  It was gloriously warm and sunny.  Flight time is less than one hour from Miami to Jose Martí International Airport just south of Havana.  Customs are thorough, but certainly not stressful.  Soon enough we’re on our way to Vedado, a neighborhood whose former residents of renown include Meyer Lansky and Al Capone.  Shuffled like the cards from mobsters casino decks are the preserved glory and fallen decay of stately homes and beautiful parks with their columns, porches, statuary and huge trees, as a microcosm of Cuba’s decadent, if checkered past, its problematic present and the beginning waves of its potential future.
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    Once known as the Paris of the Caribbean, Havana is where the romance begins.  Breathe deep and let the tropical ocean air pull you into the capital city.  Enter along the  Malecón, a dramatic seaside avenue into the heart of Havana.  The sweep of the city fans out along the road toward the harbor and the Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana beyond.  Old Havana, where the colonial architecture has been amazingly preserved, and the Capital, where restoration efforts are currently focused, occupy the peninsular arm that forms the western shore of Havana Bay.

    Of course, there is the feeling of being inside a time capsule.   Cars, farm machinery, and durable goods come predominantly from the American 1950s, the Soviet 80s, or the last decade of growing imports from China.   Hundred year old cane bottom rocking chairs, cuckoo clocks, curios and heirlooms hold memories of golden times from Cuba’s more distant past.

    But Cuba has outgrown its cocoon. While rhumba and son pulse their beat in the life of the nation, a deeper rhythm is rising.  Like a sleeper thick from a dream, awareness of how far the rest of the world has spun onward in time is gaining momentum.   In the expanding glow of a liberalizing political economy, Cuba is beginning to make a new legacy.  The arts in Cuba  are entering another powerful time as freedom of expression and access to the outside world grows.  The modern dance performance we saw in a small theater in Havana was as innovative and polished as anything similar in the States.  Galleries boast collections from Cuban sculptors, painters, and other mixed media artists that will definitely attract world attention for the quality and originality of voice and vision.

    As a city to see, Havana is replete with historic walks and driving tours that take you through various sections of the city and its surrounding lands and parks.   Of course if you are traveling with children, your tour radius and access to the midnight jazz is probably going to be somewhat limited.  In the same breath, traveling in the company, and from the perspective, of a child is a tour of the world in its own right.  Same house, but different doors to different rooms.  By the time we left Havana for Guanabo and Vinales, our daughter told us she had already made 7 new friends: 3 children, a turtle, a dog, and our Cuban Hosts.  We’re friendly people, that’s how we roll.

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    In Country

    After leaving Havana, we went east to the beaches of Guanabo, then west to the mountains near Vinales, and finally south to Trinidad and Cienfuegos (which are two beautiful towns designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Preservation Sites).

    Guanabo was a technicolor, Hi-Def view into a part of Cuba where the people and the economy struggle against architectural decay, the grind of poverty, and the squalor of neglect.  This is the town where many from Havana will stay when they go to the beach for the weekend.  As always, a colorful array of characters animate the scene, making life happen in their work or their hustle.  As usual, our hosts were among the most kind, generous, and gracious people, expanding our adopted Cuban family by two more.  We’ll remember our time there for the horse and carriage rides, the unnerving tens of thousands of dried up portuguese man o war that color the hi tide line a dusty blue, and the amazing Inflatables Fun Park in the town center that we rocked…every day.

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    Vinales was almost the opposite of Guanabo.  The town itself is rooted in flat, alluvial valleys surrounded by mogotes – steep sided, sometimes isolated, mountains and hills … think Cashiers, North Carolina. There is a central plaza flanked by regal, yet humble colonial era buildings, including a church.  This region could be the focus of an entire visit.  The mountains cover an expansive area, and trips to the coast and its idyllic cays launch from Vinales as well.  For us, a highlight of our whole experience was the horseback tour of coffee and tobacco farms inside the national park near town.  The coffee we sampled was delicious, Trumie got to hold a baby chicken and eat fresh sugar cane, and we even went through a natural cave tunnel to the other side of a mountain.  We also learned something fascinating about a class of cigars called “puros”.  At a certain point in the tobacco harvest, 98% of the nicotine of the plant concentrates in the stem.  The farmers then remove the stem to make the cigar enjoyable but not addictive.   At the end of the tour, Trumie even got to ride a horse with the Gaucho’s five year old son….who could already ride standing up in the saddle if he wanted.  Their insta-friends smile was something to take home for a rainy day.

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    A four hour car drive across the remarkably unpopulated Cuban highway took us through  the city of Cienfuegos and on to Trinidad.  For us, this was our favorite leg of the trip.  We stayed the week in the Blue House in La Boca, just southeast of Trinidad.  Our hosts were two sisters in their 50s and 60s and one of their husbands, a retired farm veterinarian who now tended the productive gardens of the home.  Many who visit the area tour historic military sites, sugar plantations, and waterfalls in the nearby Escambray Mountains.  We spent most of our days at some amazing beaches.  The coastline in the area varies from clear rocky waters favored by snorkelers and a sandy hotel zone toward the end of the peninsula.  We found the perfect blend in a beach where a ridge of uneroded rock formed a natural and very calm pool for swimming.  A palapa serving drinks, sandwiches and a big grill out on Sundays rounded out paradise.  Trumie learned to love snorkeling and we continued to love the fresh Caribbean wind washing over us looking at the mountains that run into the sea.
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    Before we get back to Havana, we need to talk about food.  The best food in Cuba is made in private homes – especially at the homes in La Boca.  Eat there if you can, and if you have to eat out, look for recommendations from locals. Overall, restaurant fare was worse than disappointing.  The first time I saw Gordon Blue in the poultry section of a restaurant menu, I thought it was an endearing misspelling.  But then it was on every menu in every restaurant.  In fact, menus in most restaurants were nearly identical.  A state run cooking school provides most of the gastronomical training available in Cuba.  Unfortunately, that Cuban sandwich you are dreaming of…sizzling ham, melted cheese, spicy mustard, vinegar pickles, all grill pressed to perfection…you won’t find one farther south than Miami.  The mustard left in 1959, and I think most spices must have run out shortly thereafter.   What you can order everywhere – gas stations, restaurants, private homes, and more, are plain ham and cheese sandwiches on highly glutinous, un-toasted, un-pickled, un-mustarded, un-lettuced bread rolls.  It seems that flavor and food could be one thing that sees sharp improvement in the coming years.  But just in case it doesn’t, my wife is bringing a first aid kit with spices and condiments the next time we visit.

    As our days added to weeks and the weeks added up, the idiosyncrasies of culture and place assembled a broader portrait collaged from a thousand snapshots…a young man with old eyes, chewing a cigar stub in deep repose.  This was a country of patience and endurance, deep imagination and resourcefulness.  People are used to slow change or no change.  Growing access to broadband internet and American music video bling glory may accelerate that desire for change.   Most people we spoke with were cautiously excited about the prospects of an opening relationship between Cuba and the United States, and even Cuba with itself, as its leadership undergoes a slow, but undeniable evolution toward a modern world.

    Havana Redux

    We came back to a different Havana.  Quite literally, in the wave of preparations for the first visit of a sitting U.S. President since 1928, the city had undergone extensive road re-paving, building repair, and landscape artistry, transforming it into a world capitol of global promise.

    Our last few days in Havana took us through the Plaza de la Revolucion to the Necropolis of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus).  The Plaza is a huge public square and massive obelisk to mark the triumph of an era of Cuban history and transformation.    The necropolis is a huge cemetery: 140 acres, which is 7 and a half football fields by 7 and a half football fields.  Its avenues of white and pale yellow mausoleums and chapels seem to intensify the heat and light of the mid day sun.  Initially constructed in the late 19th century,  it now inters a century and more of Cuba’s people.  Care and neglect alternate amongst the tombs and graves, applying Cuba’s recent historical legacy to the living and the dead alike. Its historical weight and architectural scope definitely beckon a visit if you’re in the neighborhood.

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    As scheduling would have it, President Obama arrived the day before we left.  The city was more relaxed and less patrolled than I would have imagined, but the people we talked with buzzed with an inner tension of optimistically anxious fatalism.  Many watched the live broadcast of Air Force One landing and some were moved to tears by the power of what they hoped represented a watershed moment in their lives.

    We celebrated our final night at Kilometer Zero, a corner jazz bar that fronts the Capitol building by a block.  Its music, patrons and dancing spill out onto the sidewalk through large open windows.  The house band, Zona Libre, is an all ladies group of five multi-instrumental performers just owning it up there, night after night.

    The rain cleared as we arrived at the airport.  I had my last ham and cheese sandwich, slugged back a final cafe cubano and boarded the plane for home.  Gaining altitude, we could gradually see more of the city, more of the land, and more of the sea.  To us, with some time shared in a country of new friends, Havana looked as though it were crouched by the shoreline like a grandfather and grandson watching from the pampas and the cane across the vast potential of the unknown blue atlantic.

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    Written by Billy Roberts

    Photos by René Roberts

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    Asheville Family Portrait Session

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    Here are the pages of an album I made from one of my favorite family portrait sessions ever!!  Thank you to this wonderful family for doing this session with me.

    I am very excited to be offering 4 Fall Family Portrait Sessions in 4 amazing Mountain locations. Let’s get out of town and out into the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us!!
    – – –
    October 6th, 6pm Max Patch (booked)
    October 13th, 6pm Cataba Falls (booked)
    October 20th, 5:30pm Black Balsam
    October 27th, 6pm Craggy Gardens (booked)

    Don’t worry there are more open dates for November, email us for availability

    Don’t have the time to travel outside of Asheville?  Want to book a session in town?  There are also some beautiful locations within just a few miles of downtown Asheville.   From the Biltmore grounds to your backyard, the options are endless.

    It’s time the best time of year for kid’s portraits!

    Here is my top 7 reasons why booking a session now is a great idea…

    1. the heat of summer has broke
    2.  your kid is cute
    3. your kid is changing fast
    4. you’re cute
    5. we live somewhere beautiful
    6. you will love the images we get
    7.  your family deserves it

    Email us at info@luxehousephotographic.com for booking.

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    Night Portraits

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    On an amazing trip to the Colorado Rockies, I met an wonderful new friend.

    Here are some photos we made together.  Here is her story about it.

    I loved doing this night shoot with her.  The idea that you can make art that heals warms my heart and gives excites me.  I will leave the fancy word crafting to her….

    She is an inspiring human and a talented writer.  Check out her books and blog.

    Thank you Ksenia for trusting me.

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    Technically, if you want the DL on the light.  I shot this on a tripod at a 13 second exposure.  I really wanted to get the sky detail.  I light painted her with a borrowed head lamp for a quick 1.5-2 seconds.   The mountain in the background was light by a parking lot street lamp.  (Which at first I was annoyed that it was there, but ending up being glad it was just so.)  The image is the middle of the triptych is light by just the candle.

    Try it is fun.  And hard.

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    Family Portraits

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    As winter’s chill finds its’ way to the mountains of North Carolina, we’re slowly watching nature shed it’s skin. With that grand disrobing, come wondrous textures from fallen tree bark, thorny chestnut hulls, pinecones, evergreens and golden grasses which blend together with nature’s new color palate into a breathtaking dreamscape. While many think of warm summer days as the ideal weather for a family portrait, the winter weather brings a special kind of magic like no other season. I adore taking family portraits in it and capturing a family bundled in their favorite sweaters and scarves, nestled into their beloved outdoor spaces.

    Here are a few ideas for you to consider in creating a family portrait of your own this season:

    1.     Consider your favorite outdoor space—a summit to a nearby mountain, a local trail with tall old trees that would tower over you with their wild limbs reaching into the sky to create a grand natural setting or maybe a creek close to your home filled with all of those wondrous winter offerings or maybe even an enormous rock you could picture everyone sitting atop.  And yes, your favorite place can even be your own backyard. I would love to take a peek at your favorite outdoor spaces and help you choose one that will work best for your photo.

    I love the natural settings she chooses. She has an eye for the perfect light and scene, even if it is the 4 of us walking or laughing or my son running and making silly faces. Rene mentioned Max Patch and I thought it was a perfect location! Who doesn’t want a photo shoot that looks like the Sound of Music?,” ~Millie Whitworth

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    1.     Are you considering new art for your walls? Think of your portrait as art and not simply another digital photo. I’ve created a three-piece photoset showcasing an entire landscape—the family portrait beautifully captured within and a mountainous landscape making up the other two.  Play around with the idea of your family being part of the outdoor setting you choose and how that will display as art on your walls. I even have a fun program that will allow me to virtually hang photos on your walls to see what they would look like in your living room or dining room.

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    1.     It’s never an unwelcome moment in time to capture yourself, your pregnant belly under a weeping willow with your husband’s arms wrapped around you, your children running through an open field, or your entire family in this season of this year within a favorite local landscape. One wish that I hope to convey is the relevance of creating cherished portraits of ourselves and those we love that are timeless and capture all of that person’s sense of self—the strength and sensitivity, the wit and charm, the funny way one holds their hips or smushes their lips. I do not simply create a digital photo for you to download and share. In fact, a digital portrait is an option to purchase, yet the focus of my work is in creating printed photos that are matted, framed and hung in your nest for many moons to come.

    The photos she took are perfect–just breathtaking. I especially love the pictures of me breastfeeding my daughter Georgia on top of a mountain. I feel like we look like an ad in a mothers’ magazine if I do say so myself! Georgia was getting fussy through the session and I took a break to feed her. I asked Rene to snap a few because I realized that we didn’t have any photos of our nursing relationship. Nursing is such a special relationship between mother and babe and I love that we have documentation of ours.” ~Millie Whitworth

    Learn more about what is included in your upcoming family portrait with me and the team here at Luxe House Photographic. Investing in professional portrait photography is a priceless treasure.  You won’t just receive a “photograph”, but rather a carefully crafted piece of art that features you/your family. Feel free to reach out via phone or email to discuss your ideas so we can dream up the perfect portrait for you.
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    Some dates we have open for Family Portrait Sessions are

    Thursday December 8th 4-5pm (just filled)

    Tuesday December 13th 4-5pm

    Thursday December 15th 4-5pm

    Thursday January 5th 4-5pm

     

     

     

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    Waterfalls and Thunderstorms

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     asheville senior portraits (1000 of 1)-3 asheville senior portraits (1000 of 1)asheville senior portraits (1000 of 1)-5 asheville senior portraits (1000 of 1)-6 asheville senior portraits (1000 of 4) asheville senior portraits (1001 of 4) asheville senior portraits (1000 of 1)-4asheville senior portraits (1003 of 4)From a magical day in the woods with Eva.

    Shot for use in my dream series.

    Eva happens to be a high school senior which is such a lovely age to photograph.  And to be photographed. We offer nature based senior portraits.  It’s best to do them before winter gets here.  I have a few October sessions still available.  Email us to schedule.

    Head dress and Neck piece by The Royal Peasantry

    model Eva

    photography and Styling by Luxe House Photographic

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    Lost and Found Sessions Explore Natural Wonder and Mystery

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    What began as an exploration in bringing the outdoors inside of my studio during portrait sessions with little ones three years ago, evolved this year into moving them outside entirely. The ‘Lost and Found’ series are nature-based photo sessions I hold once or twice a year, asking each little one to spend some time in nature and find a fascinating object they’d like to share. Sometimes I see wonderfully crafted objects like flower crowns hand-woven by local florists or last minute roadside wildflower up-rootings. Sometimes the child and their parent pick something together, like the skull of a deer their dad hunted and they harvested together as a family.

    Every time I hold these sessions, there are new surprises and endless stories to be told. This year, I finally made the decision to move that facilitation of bringing natural wonder indoors to truly take that feeling full circle because I feel that the never-ending divinity in natural structures is entrancing to all, young and old, and appears magical, invoking a sense of wonder and awe. That is exactly the essence I yearn to capture during photography sessions and much easier to do when children hold flowers, feathers and shells or roadside shrubs with roots dangling wild and free beside their young faces. It’s a curiosity, a true sense of wonder and an honest capture of their innate nature in a specific moment in time.

    “Rene’s pictures preserve Juniper’s particular wide, beautiful smile and soulful brown eyes perfectly.  They capture the magic and wonder that is just below my daughter’s skin.  They capture her innocence but at the same time her deep ancient knowing.  I also love that Rene’s photos create for my daughter proof of her strength, courage, and wonder:  they create a kind of reality for Juniper that is, perhaps, more beautiful and real than her real-life reality.  She can look at her pictures and see her inner world represented in the outer world.  And for us grownups, they are beautiful, fine works of art.  They will be on our walls forever,” says Meg Winnecour of her daughter Juniper’s participation in the Lost and Found sessions.

    As someone who is most comfortable in nature, I feel the outside world truly provides the most stunning landscape. That comfort holds us and evokes a stillness and peace that you can’t find indoors. Our bodies simply attune to the outside world and awaken our senses to the divine order of creation. That is exactly why the majority of my work is done in a natural setting—whether it’s family portraiture or a wedding party. I’m inspired watching the feeling it invokes and being able to capture that moment is magic.

    “We always look forward to our shoots with Rene.  They are as much fun for Juniper and me as they are productive.  They’re a chance for Juniper to dress up and play– be a fairy or an owl or a snow queen– and for me to sit back and watch another adult connect in a deep, real way with my kiddo.  It is such a treat,” says Winnecour.

    Next Sessions will be on October 15th, 2016

    Contact me if you feel called to a so Lost and Found session info@luxehousephotographic.com

    Enjoy the images below from my latest Lost and Found session…..

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    All content © 2016 Luxe House Photographic

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    Spring by the River

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    An awesome sunny evening at the Biltmore with some really sweet girls.  Playing dress up will never get old to me.  I loved shooting this!

    Thank you Lindsay for all of your assistantly help.

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    Encaustic work

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    These are my images from my dream series.  They are mounted to cradled panels, brushed with acrylic, beeswax and demar resin.

    Sizes range from 12×12 to 26×38.

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    Asheville Kid’s Portrait Session

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    Another little peek at a few favorites from one of our kid’s portrait sessions here in Asheville.  Travel, Fine Art, and Children’s portraiture, when it come to photography, those are forever my top three.  Look for a Kid’s Lost and Found Session coming soon.

    Here is a link to more of our family portrait work

    And the Kid’s Lost and Found Sessions

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    Asheville Children’s Portraits

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    I had the pleasure of working with one of my favorite families on planet earth!!  These kiddos melt my heart.  Three kids is no joke.  I went home muddy and happy!!  Thanks guys!!  Here is just a peek of a few of my favorite black and whites from the day.

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    Cuba

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    Just a tiny sneak peek of some of our Cuba trip.  What an adventure to such an amazing land.  I can not fully express the kindness and care we experienced during our month long stay in Cuba.  Never have I had a trip where I was treated with so much love.        Very excited to share more soon.

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    Senior Portrait Sessions

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    We are so excited to offer 2016/2017 Senior Portraits!

    The last year of high school, it was a time we all remember so well.

    We at Luxe House Photographic love creating unique heirloom portraiture that features this amazing stage of life, the end of childhood, the begging of adulthood.

    Let us help preserve this time, this right of passage with artful personality, spirit, and nature based portraits.

    Contact us for spring/summer bookings.

    info@luxehousephotographic.com

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    Bridal Portrait

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    aastral-4This one my favorite bridal portraits thus far.  I got to photograph this bride and her amazing dress by Ship to Shore before it was cut and shaped into it’s final form.

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    Ten Cent Poetry

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    I was captivated by her voice when I first heard it a few months ago. Her kick-starter campaign came up in my news feed. I was like, what? This is lovely.

    Ms. Chelsea LaBate, of Ten Cent Poetry.  (check out her music)

    We raced the setting sun up this large hill and did this shoot to celebrate her new album.

    I included a tiny movie of the 20 something images that got put together to make the flying book photo.  I hope you like it.

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    Summer in the Mountains

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    • Pay attention.

     

    • Be astonished.

     

    • Tell about it.

    I was struck today by one of my favorite poet, Mary Oliver’s,  instructions for life.

    Pay attention, be astonished, tell about it.

    It made me immediately think of my work.  I feel thankful for the great satisfaction that comes with being able to do these three things on the daily through my photography.

    Pay attention and tell about it, it’s what I do.  Being astonished, it’s the gift I get in return.

    It is so touching to get a window into the world of a family with young children.  With kid’s it seems the astonishment comes so easily.  It easy to forget how to feel that wonder.  Witnessing the immense love and connection that flows between family through the lens of my camera is my happy place.  It’s like finding time to play music and sing loudly.  It’s like reading my favorite book.  It’s like sitting by the fire.

    Thanks to this sweet West Asheville family for doing this family portrait session with me.

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    Ritual Runway

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    It was awesome to see the creations of some Asheville’s design creatives.  The show Ritual Runway was put on by the very industrious and talented Danielle Miller of The Royal Pesantry.  Here a a few of my most favorite shots from the night.

    credit for photos listed in order from top to bottom

    1. Model Natasha Vengen, Dress by Airweaver Apparel, MUA Rïtual Body Art, hair by Nebula Beauty Lab

    2. Model jessica ray, designer GhostRiver Art​ by River Hendricks makeup by Rïtual Body Art​ and Sophicide Jekic, hair by Britton AtLola

    3. Model Misty Brooke, Designer Patti Byrd, MUA Sophicide Jekic and Rïtual Body Art, hair by Britton AtLola

    4.  Model Devi Anvita, Wardrobe by Pearla Swank, MUA by Rïtual Body Art and Sophicide Jekic

    5.  Model Sarah Nicole Snyder, Hair and top by Amy Day of Nebula Beauty Lab, MUA Rïtual Body Art and Sophicide Jekic,

    6.  Model Liz Grieco, Wardrobe by Pearla Swank, MUA  Rïtual Body Art and Sophicide Jekic, hair by Britton AtLola

    *i always do  my very best to credit every person involved, if i ever have left someone out please let me know and I will fix it ASAP.  😉

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    Lake Eden Wedding

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    LuxeHousePhotographic (1019 of 21)What a lovely wedding to get to photograph at Lake Eden.  Every detail of this day was beyond beautiful.  Thank you so much Kate and Tripp for choosing me to capture this day for you.  It was such a pleasure.

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    Family

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    I so loved getting to enjoy the summer breeze at the Biltmore Estate while photographing this amazing and growing family.  It’s a long story, but I will be forever grateful for these people!!!    LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-4 LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-5LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-10 LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-9 LuxeHousePhotographic (1000 of 1)-11

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