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Ivy in Bloom: A Floral-Inspired Creative Portrait Session

By: Cynthia Bennett Photography

Sometimes a portrait session begins with a simple idea and grows into something much more.

For Ivy’s session, the starting point was flowers and color. We wanted something feminine, creative and visually rich, with room to experiment as the session developed.

Ivy is a teacher and a creative artist who is also beginning to explore what it feels like to step in front of the camera as a model. Rather than creating one single look, we treated the session almost like a series of small visual stories, moving from soft and romantic portraits into more editorial images as the day progressed.

If you’ve been considering a portrait session, this is your sign to create something beautiful, personal, and entirely your own.

LETS GET STARTED

Beginning with Softness

We started in our studio's bright white setting surrounded by shades of lavender, violet and purple.

Ivy’s soft blush dress gave the first part of the session a light, almost dreamy quality. The flowers became part of the environment rather than simply props, filling the room with color while still allowing the portraits to feel clean and delicate.

I love beginning a creative session this way because it gives us time to settle in. The wider portraits establish the setting, while smaller details begin to reveal personality.

We incorporated a few playful elements, including Ivy’s handbag, and allowed some of the images to feel less posed and more like moments within the scene.

Finding the Details

As the session continued, we moved in for more intimate shots.

One of my favorite parts of the session was using the mirror. Instead of a traditional portrait looking directly into the lens, the reflection creates a quieter moment. It feels personal, almost as though we are observing Ivy rather than asking her to perform for the camera.

Those types of photographs help give a gallery rhythm.

Not every image needs to be a big statement. Sometimes the smaller moments are what connect everything together.

Becoming Part of the Flowers

From there, the flowers moved from the background into the portrait itself.

We introduced the flower crown and began creating tighter beauty portraits where Ivy was surrounded by color. The purple makeup, lavender flowers and blush wardrobe all began to work together, making the floral concept feel much more immersive.

Instead of simply being photographed beside flowers, Ivy became part of the composition.

We experimented with different angles, expressions and posing, including photographs created from above as she rested among the florals. These images have a slightly more editorial feeling and gave us the freedom to move beyond traditional portrait posing.

That experimentation is exactly what I enjoy about creative portrait sessions.

There is space to ask, “What happens if we try this?”

And sometimes that is where the most interesting photograph happens.

A Moment in Black and White

In the middle of all that color, I wanted a couple of images that felt completely different.

Without the purple, blush and lavender tones, the focus shifts to Ivy’s expression, the texture of the flowers and the light across her face. It becomes quieter and a little more timeless.

I love including unexpected black-and-white imageS in a colorful portrait gallery because it creates a visual pause.

It also shows how the same creative concept can take on an entirely different mood with one change.

From Lavender to Blue

For the final floral look, we changed the environment completely.

The bright white setting gave way to a deep blue backdrop, and the flowers shifted into cooler shades of blue, green, white and lavender.

The transition immediately made the portraits feel richer and more dramatic.

We brought in a large floral arrangement and used it almost like wardrobe, allowing the hydrangeas, orchids and greenery to frame Ivy’s face and body.

These final images feel very different from where the session began.

The first photographs are light, airy and romantic. The blue portraits are stronger, moodier and more editorial.

But they still belong to the same story.

Giving Yourself Permission to Create

One of the things I enjoyed most about photographing Ivy was that this session did not have to fit into one specific box.

She is a teacher. She is a creative artist. And she is exploring modeling and becoming more comfortable expressing herself in front of the camera.

All of those things can exist at the same time.

A creative portrait session can be about celebrating a milestone, but it can also simply be about curiosity. It can be an opportunity to experiment with style, discover how you like to be photographed or see a side of yourself that you may not encounter every day.

You do not have to already consider yourself a model to step in front of the camera.

Sometimes you discover that part of yourself while you are there.

If you have an idea you have been wanting to bring to life, let’s create something that feels uniquely yours.

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