I’m Still Here!
Welllll…a couple weeks, huh? I am well aware that it is nearly the end of January, exactly one month since I last posted. And when I last posted, I promised I’d put up some stuff within a couple weeks. Time goes by too quickly I tell you.
So, without further ado…let me dive right in and play catch up!
The first shoot I’ll share with you is with the “L” family. Their son, Aiden was a ball full of energy, but one of the sweetest little guys I’ve ever met. It’s the first time a client has invited me out after the shoot! Yes, Aiden asked if I wanted to join his family over at his aunt’s house to celebrate a family member’s recent birthday with cake and ice cream. Of course, I had to decline, but it was pretty much the cutest thing ever. 
The next session I’ll share is Stephanie’s senior shoot. I’m a friend of Stephanie’s sister and she tagged along for the shoot. Stephanie was a little nervous at first (which I can’t really blame her, I react horribly when I have a camera put in front of my face), but she soon loosened up and we were all cracking up every two seconds.
And last but not least, here’s lil’ Miss Zoey. You might remember her newborn pictures from last January! We took these pictures early October (actually I had back-to-back sessions with Stephanie in the morning and Zoey in the late afternoon) so Zoey was nine months old and full of smiles and energy. She’s going to be a big sister this summer and I am sooo excited and honored for the opportunity to photograph them as they grow. 
Merry Christmas!
Soooo…once again I find myself assuring the blog-o-sphere that I have not fallen off the Earth! Student teaching was a bit of a wild ride…I’d be lying if I said I loved EVERY second of it, but I sure did love the majority of it. I miss my students tons and I think about them a lot. I’m getting some stuff together in the next couple of weeks so I can substitute teach at the school. Hopefully I’ll get a lot of assignments for the eighth grade so I can see my kids.
It’s going to be a fairly short blog entry today. I’m slipping one in among the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations. But stay tuned because I have plenty of catching up to do in the next few weeks. I have quite a few sessions I’m really looking forward to sharing with all of you!
In the meantime, I want to share a little “howl” iday lovin’ from my critters. We hope the next couple of days are safe and filled with fun, family and cheer!
Summer Fun Time Shoot!
Here are a few images from the shoot with makeup artist Molly Krause. We both decided we wanted to have some fun with this shoot and do something a little different from the norm. Molly was looking forward to playing around and creating a look totally different from what she typically does with her brides and I thought it’d be a good idea to mess around with my studio lighting, as I’m generally much more comfortable shooting in natural light. So we chose a few bright tones for a color scheme, came up with the premise of old fashioned sundae cups and ice cream and went at it.
I still wanted to squeeze in some outside shots, as I wasn’t totally ready to zip out of my comfort zone. For the outdoor shots, we kept the make up a little more simple. The entire time I was shooting, I was so taken with all of the girls’ beautiful eyes and how much they popped against the green grass and overcast skies. I was sooo excited to get working on those shots.
After being chased down by mosquitoes (they’re really vicious this year…they’re one part of summer I’m anxious to leave behind), we ventured inside to play around with the studio lights. And…uh…let’s just say we had some technical difficulties. Erm. 
Still, we made do with what we had and the girls were totally game for it. I had such a lovely time working with these ladies! It’s no wonder we’re all already talking about our next collaboration.
Here’s a few of the images…For more, as always, check out my Facebook page.
So Long Summer
Well, it’s the eve of my first day student teaching and I’m a bundle of miscellaneous emotions…I’m a little nervous, crazy excited and sad that summer is coming to a close. I’m happy to report, however, that my last week of summer was pretty fantastic. Last Saturday I went to a bachelorette party for a very good friend and I spent a good part of last week with my mom and one of my aunts. They came with me when I went out to photograph some new horses at HAHS on Tuesday (pictures to come soon). On Wednesday we visited the Chicago Botanic Gardens and Friday we did some shopping and had some lunch. Yesterday I did another fun photo shoot with makeup artist Molly Krause. The models were all delightful and great to work with. So it was a good day filled with laughter and beautiful image making. And it was also totally exhausting. So after this post I’m headed of to bed to catch some quality sleep before my big day tomorrow! Stay tuned for pictures from HAHS and the pictures from our photo shoot. Both should be up sometime later in the week.
And now I have a few images to share from the past week…
Pi going for a swim at my parents' house...
Clue
Jake
Mr. Phineas McGee...Looking slightly pathetic.
Phinney and Pi patrolling the yard...
...Phinney doesn't seem particularly happy about it.
And a couple images from the Botanic Gardens…
Meet Oliver
On Thursday I had a fantastic shoot with one of the most adorable, happy and photogenic babies I’ve ever met. We were out on his grandparents’ property, which was absolutely gorgeous. From the little cornfield in the backyard to the beautiful vegetable and flower gardens, everywhere we turned provided a perfect backdrop. They have also converted a little barn into a sun room, so we shot quite a bit in there (actually, we were chased in there since the mosquitoes were so terrible). But the room got great light and really brought out the blue of Ollie’s eyes. (I mean, check out those eyes, folks. They’re fantastic!) Ollie’s grandma did a wonderful job as prop master, pulling out all sorts of things to keep him entertained while I snapped away. And Ollie was a treat the whole time. He wasn’t fussy a single second, which was amazing considering the shoot went past his bedtime and mosquitoes were eating us alive nearly the entire time.
Here are a few of my favorite images. For more, check out my Facebook page.
Call For Artists (Especially Those That Love Horses)
Back in June, I participated in an event organized by Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Center, a non-profit organization that offers therapeutic riding to people with physical, developmental, emotional and social disabilities. The organization is hosting an ongoing call for artists. On various dates, artists are allowed to roam around the facilities and take inspiration in their surroundings. (And the surroundings are breathtaking indeed!) Beginning in February, artists may submit their work to a jury with no entrance fee. Next summer, all accepted artwork will become a part of an exhibit. The pieces will be up for sale—50 percent of the earnings will go to the artist and Main Stay will get the other half. All artwork not sold will go back to the artist. Seriously, it’s a really great deal, so all interested artists should sign up, as there are more dates available in the fall. It was a fun day to go out shooting and fraternizing with horse people. (And the horses are a blast to spend time with. They’re so personable!)
For more information about the Art of Main Stay event, as well as information about Main Stay’s classes and volunteer programs, visit their website.
Images of Detroit
Soooo, I have some images stored up and I want to share them with you. We visited some friends in Michigan over the Fourth of July. They live about 20 minutes away from Detroit, so one day we went on a little photo excursion. We visited the abandoned Packard Plant and checked out the Heidelburg Project on Heidelburg Street. The Heidelburg Project is seriously one of the coolest places ever with some truly ingenious pieces of installment art. I can’t believe that it’s been going on for 25 years and that as a once-upon-a-time-art-student, I’ve never heard about it. For more information about the Heidelburg Project, visit their website.
