Divalicious Behavior...

The Dynamic Duo is BACK!


We recently joined forces with our MUA, Tynita Lee, for a style concept shoot, and I must say that this lady has something special. If a class was being taught on how to be FIERCE without over doing it, Tynita would definitely be the instructor!

Tynita is a make-up artist from Nashville,TN, who has the gift of making her clients look amazing (I know because I am one of them)! She also has the innate ability to work a camera, which is a skill you cannot teach. In addition to being fierce, she has a killer walk and a glance that can stop you in your tracks! 

Sean and I have worked with Tynita for about three years now, and she continues to deliver quality results and an excellent work ethic. She is intent on continuing to grow in her craft in an impressive way. We titled this shoot, "Divalicious Behavior", because of Tynita's style and knack for walking into a crowded room and owning it! Check out some of the images from that day, that had onlookers stopping to watch! She was DIVALICIOUS! 

 

For booking inquiries:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeupbytynita

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! We hope you enjoyed it! 


Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at  Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder  (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com

ILEAD ACT Prep, Inc. - Preparing Middle TN Students for Collegiate Success

If you have a high school student in the Middle Tennessee area, who is in need of a successful ACT Prep program with proven results, we have found just the program for you!

 
ILEAD ACT Prep, Inc. is a newly formed not-for-profit organization, which previously operated under the auspices of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund of Rutherford County, Inc. since 2014. ILEAD ACT Prep, Inc, led by the organization's program director, Mrs. Erin Abernathy, provides ACT Prep classes for students enrolled in Rutherford County schools and schools in the surrounding areas. 

This 5-week program includes a review of students' prior ACT diagnostic results by licensed educators. This review provides an actual picture of any skill deficiencies by subject, to assist students in developing a strategic approach to addressing their main target areas. For students who have not yet tested, a benchmark test is conducted during the first Saturday session, to assess their areas of need.

Mrs. Erin Abernathy, Program Director

The program is designed to aid high school students who want to apply for admission into college and qualify for scholarships early. Through the program, students achieve higher scores, which gives them a more competitive edge in the application process.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Mrs. Abernathy about why she has such a passion for helping the students in Middle Tennessee achieve, and hear is what she had to say:

"My passion is driven by the lives of everyday people, losing sleep over how they will cover the expense of college tuition. In 2008, God revealed to me a plan of action that would remove the anxiety from my life in this area. I love to share that plan of action with our students and parents.  Many of our students receive full ride scholarships. Several are on the Dean's list at their respective schools. 

I am passionate about helping young people reach their highest potential, as they transition from high school to college.  Achieving the required composite score to gain acceptance to your school of choice is more challenging the one might think. Whether the student is an athlete who’s looking to play division sports on the collegiate level, or an honor student depending on a high score to make them competitive in the scholarship arena, they must meet minimum scores on the ACT/SAT. Our ACT Prep program is designed to help the student familiarize themselves with each section of the test, what each section is testing over and what is expected. I desire to help families provide opportunities to their children to receive adequate tutoring-style prep, without the large dollar amount attached.  We operate a program that’s open to all students who are willing to go the extra mile to reach their dreams.  On average, our students come in with composite scores between 12 and 31. Since our inception our average increase for students has been a minimum of 2 points but as high at 5 points with a 5-week prep course. 
 

 

 

 

We move the program to different schools in the county so more students will have an opportunity to participate, that have limitations on transportation. Partnering with local schools shows that ILEAD ACT Prep is not here to compete with the school’s program, but to support the schools’ initiatives for improving the States ranking across the nation.

Working with parents to better understand how to use the results of the ACT by analyzing the diagnostic scores on the test and how to use them to help the students improve is also something I enjoy. Assisting parents who know they are unable to cover college expenses is an area that is near and dear to my heart, because that is the situation I was in only a few years ago. Maintaining a good grade point average, along with a history of leadership, a solid community service portfolio, great essays and a strong ACT score, places Tennessee students into position for scholarship awards."

ILEAD ACT Prep, Inc. will continue to host classes throughout the Middle Tennessee area in conjunction with area schools, community centers and universities for a small donation per student, which helps to support some of the resources needed to keep the program going. The program is also open to middle school-aged children taking Pre-Algebra and are on a collegiate pathway. Parent volunteers are much needed and always welcomed. For more information on how you can get your son or daughter involved and on the right track in preparation to take the ACT test, please contact Erin Abernathy at 615.653.6458 or by email at ileadeas@att.net.

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Education is POWER!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com

2016... A Year End Perspective

Greetings All!

This post is a bit different from our previous posts, as we wanted to just give you our perspective on this past year. When we begin to reflect on our successes and our failures and all of those elements about the year that keep us hopeful for things to come, we decided to provide our readers with an opportunity to check out some the work we did over the course of 2016, just in case you missed it!

We began the year by shooting a beautiful Valentine's Day wedding for our amazing make-up artist, Tynita Lee (Instagram.com/makeupbyTynita) and her new hubby, Adam. We had the pleasure of working with this young couple for the first time when they hired us to do their family/engagement shoot in the fall of 2014. Since that time, we have been their family's photography TEAM and we have truly enjoyed every single minute of it! Check out samples from the time we have spent with the Lee family in their "Love and Fairytales" story. See it here or below.

Love and Fairytales

In March, we decided to get four gorgeous women together to celebrate womanhood and Women's History Month by doing a "Sexy at Any Age" concept shoot. I believe that sometimes as moms and working women, we lose the essence of what it means to be sexy. It is easy to get caught up in the routines of our day to day lives and forget that we are human beings, WOMEN, and we can be very sensual while still being completely covered. I think the ladies in this session proved it is not only possible, but totally ok! Take a look back at our sexy as you want to be session! See it here or below.

Sexy at Any Age

When April rolled around, it was time to work with Erica, a business professional who was looking to refresh her brand and get some new images to use for speaking engagements and promotional purposes. She knew the importance of keeping her look and the images she used to represent herself up-to-date and fashionable. Check out details from her "Poised With Purpose" sessio. See it here or below.

Poised With Purpose

What can I say about the "Mr. ADONIS" series? Well, aside from the obvious eye candy, I can definitely say it is our MOST popular and most viewed blog post year after year after year. This series project, which started in 2013, is my "baby" and has been shot during the month of July for the past two years. I hand select each model, coordinate the vision for the session and communicate my vision throughout the process. It really is a lot of fun, and the models are always so real and down-to-earth. The 2016 choice was very modest on top of all of that! Check Reggie out in his debut gig with the TEAM! See it here or below.

Mr. ADONIS 2016

The "Blue Lagoon Meets Melanin Magic" was an idea that kind of just came to mind the minute we wrapped up the Mr. ADONIS shoot (for those of you who do not know, I absolutely LOVE shooting in or near water, so definitely look for more of that in the coming year). The Blue Lagoon was one of my favorite love stories growing up and will probably always hold a pretty significant place in my memory. The "Melanin Magic" piece came from the sheer beauty of all shades of brown skin and how amazing it looks when photographed. 

Anyhow, I knew Reggie would be perfect for this shoot as well, so I called him up to see if he was interested and he answered the call! I actually stumbled upon the leading lady for this session, Simone, as I work (day gig) with her mom. The September match up was set. It was a tough shoot with many twists and turns, but definitely worth the work in the end. See it again here or below.

Blue Lagoon Meets Melanin Magic

Guess what? We did a COSPLAY shoot! 

So what is cosplay? Cosplay is a combination of the words, "costume" and "play". It is growing in this era of pop culture and we wanted to get in on all of the excitement! It was our first time shooting one and I honestly believe we will be doing this type of shoot again next year. Shooting cosplay characters is a lot of fun and it lends to a broad stretch of the imagination, so let us know if you are interested! Check out Shay in her debut as, "The Little Red Riding Hood". See it here or below.

Little Red Riding Hood

 
Of course, we could not wrap up this exciting year without a recap of our family's summer vacation! We are really big on spending time with our kids. Family time is a huge priority in our lives and everything else that we have going on is scheduled around it. Making real experiences for them to remember as they get older is what matters most, so check out our fun times below! See it here or below.

Ponder Family Vacation

Well here we are, at the end of another year...a year of achievement, a year of joy, a year of sorrow, a year of disappointments and a year of growth. We have enjoyed every shoot for 2016, from families, to seniors, to couples, to concepts; we would not trade our clients for anything! This has been an incredible year for us, and although it did not end the way we had hoped, we are definitely still finishing strong! The best part about the end of the year is, we can reflect on the things we had on our list to accomplish that were left undone, and add them to our new list for the coming year. We always keep a rolling list of new goals so that we are always productive and on track. We hope that all of you also understand the importance of maintaining a goal list. It really is the key to success! #writethevision

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light! Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com

The Little Black Dress... Essential Elegance

Tis the Season!

The holidays are finally here! This is the most exciting time of the year, when there is plenty of Christmas cheer and holiday parties galore! So what better time than now to start getting our wardrobes ready for all of the celebrations? Well, here are some tips to help get you ready to step out in style this season.

As women, the single most important essential in our holiday arsenal is the Little Black Dress! The little black dress is a must-have fashion staple for any woman who likes to get dressed and go out on the town. It is a timeless look that is versatile and practical all at the same time. It's the ideal go to option when you have a special event to attend and you have no idea what to wear. Whether the event calls for an after-five look or something simple and informal, this one item in your closet can be easily transformed into something amazing with just the right accessories. The little black dress communicates style, class and sex appeal in a very subtle way, and it is easy to wear for just about any occasion!  

Now accessories are going to play an important role in how you present your overall look. From dainty earrings to choker necklaces and even layered pieces, you can decide just how fancy or conservative you want to be. You can choose from high heels to low heels or whatever suits you (psst... the higher, the better. Trust me.) However you choose to accessorize, if you cater to your own unique personal style, you can never go wrong. Remember though, that the whole purpose behind wearing a little black dress is to be sexy (oh and flirty), so don't be afraid to be adventurous with your accessorizing. It's your night, so feel good and have fun!

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  




PhotographybySeanPonder.com

The Little Red Riding Hood - A Cosplay Shoot

Hi All!

So a few weeks ago my hubby posted a video on his FaceBook page about the rapid growth of cosplaying in American popular culture. Cosplay is a combination of the words costume and play. Cosplayers (as they are called) are actually adults who dress up as their favorite character and take on the personification of that character and come to life as performers, either at events, venues or even on the street corner. It is a pretty neat phenomenon, and it lends to the thought that dreams really do come true in the mind of every child that believes, the moment they lay eyes on these real life characters. It's Fantasy meets Reality!

The video hubby posted came with a suggestion that we basically host a cosplay shoot of our own and I was ALL IN! I absolutely LOVE the creativity in what we do! Well, we had a taker... Shay Kura, a brave soul, commented on the post that she was interested in doing a cosplay shoot with us, and so our Fantasy meets Reality experience was officially solidified. With Halloween just around the corner, we thought it would be a great idea to complete and present the shoot in time for a Halloween blog post. It was right on time! Shay ended up choosing the Little Red Riding Hood as her character, which we thought was perfect! Ideas began to flow on props, location and creative ways to present the results, and before long all of the details were decided. We took Shay to a creepy, wooded area for the shoot, as we really needed her to get into character and of course, we know that the Little Red Riding Hood walked through the woods to grandma's house, right? 

Here are a few images from our very first Cosplay shoot with Shay...

  

Needless to say, it was a super fun shoot and we were SO pleased with how Shay just stepped right into it and worked her own magic with the costume. Also, many thanks go out to Tynita Lee (Instagram: @makeupbytynita) for the amazing work on Shay's make-up! This is definitely a shoot we would love to do again... any takers?

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com