When Embree Photography sent over these amazing images of a recent photo shoot, we darn near fell out of our chairs! She used our "Lafayette" Beaded Curtains and our "Falling Stars" Chandelier to replicate Icicles:

"I have had an enormous amount of interest in "Frozen" inspired shoots recently. I bought two beaded crystal curtains from this company and wow! WHAT AN AMAZING PROP!! I overlapped the beads over the rod and it truly looked like an icicle with droplets!"

Frozen Inspired Photo Sessions for the Disney Princess in Your House | Princess Elsa as Envisioned by Embree Photography

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Beth Beth



If you have a little girl who is between the ages of two and eight (ish), you can hardly help but have been introduced to Disney"s box office phenomenon, OFrozen," starring spunky Anna and her more popular (if icy) sister Elsa. Judging from our Facebook newsfeeds, Elsa is the runaway favorite character, with Anna trailing behind ~ though our own SPF 50 Family appreciates a redheaded main character more than most. (Note to Disney: best song + best dress = best character. Please produce merchandise accordingly.)

In addition to OFrozen" Easter baskets, Anna and Elsa party themes, Olaf lookalike snow men (which we could build way too often this winter if you ask us), and Frozen-inspired dress-up events captured on Instagram, we have seen a number of photographic sessions inspired by the movie, which many are calling an instant Disney classic.

We had the great fortune to talk to Sarah of Embree Photography recently, and she was kind enough to share her vision and some behind-the-scenes tips about her extremely popular and exceptionally well executed Frozen-inspired photo sessions.

We"ve seen good, bad, and ugly Frozen photo sessions, tbh, and nothing we"ve seen comes close to the work that Sarah is doing. When we asked her about her inspiration for these fantastical shoots, we were struck by her response: "The answer is definitely children. Childhood is such a fleeting moment. Kids have so much light and imagination, seeing their faces when they get to be the character they love is the best feeling. My goal is to bring that Omake-believe" magic to life."

Working with a professional stylist, Jennifer Jones of Iced by Jennifer Jones, using Lafayette bead curtains and 30 foot octagon pieces, and sprinkling a little Photoshop fairy dust after the session, Sarah does just that ~ she brings children"s make-believe worlds to life. And the result is a moment in a child"s life, frozen (couldn"t resist) forever in an image that perfectly captures the magic of childhood.

We love the way that Sarah uses a chandelier as icicles to recreate the ambiance of Elsa"s frozen ice palace in a regular old pine forest. It"s hard to say it too often: props to the model and to stylist Jennifer Jones, whom Sarah insists deserve much of the credit for images like these.

We can"t resist sharing a shot that really shows the over-the-top makeup and styling ~ and the beads ~ up close.

This image shows clearly how well the bead curtain creates the ice palace effect. Sarah emphasizes how easy the bead curtains are to work with, and of course they are almost infinitely reusable, as are our chandeliers and bead strands.

We"re suckers for closeups of these real, live Disney princesses. You can just tell how much they"re enjoying every moment of being Elsa in her very own frozen ice palace. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is evident in these images, and even the very humble, gracious Sarah doesn"t pretend that this sort of photographic art just happens when you take some bead curtains into the woods: "I spend many hours collaborating, figuring out props, wardrobe, and execution. Then there is significant time spent thinking of different ways to digitally enhance each shot to make the image pop with that dreamy, fairy tale tone. It"s a long process, but so very fun!"

For photographers who are inspired by her work, Sarah has these words of advice and encouragement: "Don"t compare yourself to others! The best thing you can do is have confidence in yourself and take the time to learn your craft. Practice, practice, practice and don"t be afraid to ask for help. I have done a lot of my own research, but I have also reached out and met other photographers that I have learned from and in turn, they have become lifelong friends. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for these women, and they know who they are. Photography is a never ending journey, and you are always learning. Never give up!"

Proof that creatives are never ready to hang their hats on their last success, Sarah has big ideas about dream shoots that she"d love to photograph. "There are so many themes I"d love to bring to life. I would definitely love to recreate Peter Pan and Captain Hook in Neverland! The setting would be on an island with a jungle and a huge pirate ship!" We can"t wait to see those portraits.

All images courtesy of Embree Photography and used with permission.