52 Wednesdays :: Laughter

It's week 11 for 52 Wednesdays and our theme this week was "laughter."  I was really happy to see the theme this week because I have a little giggle monster at home. =)

As a work-from-home mother, Eva spends a little more time entertaining herself than I'd like.  However, I do try really hard to be intentionally present with her when she gets home from school and preferably until she goes to bed.  It's not always possible if a deadline is pressing... but I try.  One thing that I am most consistent about is taking time from the moment she comes home from school that is completely focused on her.  I found that if she sits on my bed and I sit on my floor I can get a lot more information about her day than if I ask her in the car or even standing around in the kitchen.  Somehow, the bed is like a stage and she tells me all her little secrets and interesting tid-bits from her goings-on of the school day.... or even what she's thinking about outside of school .... and day dreaming about for her present and future.  It's a really special time for us and she's always so disappointed when we have to miss out due to schedule.  It usually only lasts about 5-10 minutes, but I love connecting with her this way.  I'm hoping these are setting a precedent for when she's a teenager and she'll still want to talk to me.  One day, I hope she'll look back on these little chats as very dear times between us. =)

This is from today's after school chat.

So as I mentioned above, Eva is Miss Giggle Monster -- as in this could be her second name actually.  Everything is funny to her, which usually sweet and cute and humorous.  One would think I wouldn't have trouble photographically documenting this character trait, but usually the giggling goes away the second the camera comes out.  Today though, I thought I would have it with me while we did our chat to see what I could get.  So I started talking to our dog Dash (who was sitting nearby) about his day and how easy his life is.  Somehow me talking to the dog like he's a person is the FUNNIEST thing Eva has ever heard of.  It is usually a sure bet for a great giggle and here it is:  sweet laughter from my sweet girl.

Now you have the pleasure to continue with this circle via Ms. Amy Grace of A Beautiful Life Photo in San Diego, CA.  She's super amazing at lifestyle photography and I'm sure her blog post this week is a stunner.  Find it here!

52 Wednesdays :: Green

It's Wednesday again and this week my theme for 52 Wednesdays is GREEN.  St. Patrick's Day is Saturday, which is likely the reason.... but I didn't feel like going the obvious super green route.  Instead, I chose subtle green with a red jacket on my girl.  Red and green are complimentary colors by the way (AKA, not just for Christmas), which is something people learn in Design 102 if you go to school for art like I did.  Of course, these days one can save thousands of dollars and learn this on my blog... or a book, or Pinterest.  

Amidst my rambling about red and green, I'd like to point out that it is 3am (yikes, must get better about this).  I actually did not put this week's theme off; I worked on it twice earlier in the week and didn't like either outcome.  So today after school I asked Miss Eva if she would be my model and this is was my answer.  

 
Seriously.  Scary, right?!

Pretty sure, girl hates being my model.

I remember when she used to actually enjoy having her picture taken... but not now.  Not since her mom has been a working photographer for 3 years and a practicing one for several years before that.  Now she makes fists in the air and squished faces and whiny noises that all articulate, "No thank you."

Really all she wanted was for me to observe her scheduled free time for pbs kids; however, I won her over for about 10 minutes with the coercion method of Eva = Mary Poppins with her green umbrella.

The Mary Poppins persona was able to morph into nice model girl.  With a little bit of dancing of course.

So by this point I was pushing my luck time-wise, but she let me capture this last one, which I LOVE.  And think it's one of my new favorites. =)

After which, she skipped back into the house to do exactly what she had wanted to do since the moment I grabbed my camera.  Oh Eva, when did pbskids.com become more fun than your mom???

Next up for 52 Wednesdays is Traca Miller!  Be sure to continue in the circle to see everyone's interpretation of green.

52 Wednesdays :: Close Up

It's week 9 for 52 Wednesdays and this week's theme is Close Up.  I was kind of excited for this week, but kind of dreading it at the same time because I actually love close up/macro photography (that might seem like a hugely contradicting sentence, but I'll explain).  I LOVE investigating the world and all it's intricacies from a highly magnified vantage point.  However, I've been seriously missing my previous ownership of a macro lens lately, and this assignment only strengthened those feelings.

I actually fell in love with my camera and photography because of macro photography.  Before Simply Splendid existed in my life I was a jewelry designer (I still am technically).  I created custom jewelry pieces with gemstones and fine metals and hated that the photographers I hired to photograph my art couldn't seem to catch my vision of what I wanted.  So, I invested in a DSLR so that I could learn to do it myself.  Along the way, I found how much I loved photographing people and developed my capabilities  over time to where they are now.

I own a 50mm lens and an 85mm lens, which are fantastic focal lengths for photographing people; but unfortunately, I must remain at least 1.5 feet away from my subject for my camera to focus.  This means macro photography isn't in my cards these days.  I managed this week's project with a special magnifying filter and this is what I came up with:

I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce Ms. Amy as the next photographer in this photo circle!  She is an amazing photographer from Southern California and is the owner of A Beautiful Life Photo.  She has such a brilliant photojournalistic style, I can't wait to see what she's come up with this week.  You can find her here.   http://www.abeautifullifephoto.com/blog

52 Wednesdays :: Reflection

It's week 8 of my 52 Wednesdays project and one thing I'm loving as it goes on is how much it stretches me.  Seriously.

In the last several assignments, I've been really skeptical that I could complete the task and have something I'm proud of to show for it.  This week wasn't any different, and by 3pm today I actually hadn't even completed the assignment yet.  I even thought to myself, "Does it really matter if you don't do it this week??  I have a lot going on and no plan... what the heck.  How am I going to pull this off?"  But it does matter, to me anyway.  You see, completing a 52 week project is one of my biggest goals this year.  It's about the dedication and the integrity of seeing the commitment through to the end.  So I'm really proud of myself that I didn't talk me out of it.

You should have seen me at 4:30pm though (with very little daylight remaining), documenting every reflective object in sight.

Because part of the problem is that although I was happy I wasn't giving up this week and waiving the white flag, I didn't want my submission to be lame either.  In fact, I was certain I was going to have to apologize in this blog post for posting such a lame photo.

But yay for you, and yay for me because I'm actually really proud of my photo this week.  So here it is.  I hope you enjoy it.

Next in this photo circle of ladies is the ever sweet and equally talented Lauren Gauthier of Red Dirt Girl Photography.  You can find her post here.

52 Wednesdays :: Ruffles

Week 7.

Ruffles.

*insert chirping crickets*

At first this week was a real challenge for me.  Eva (my daughter) and I aren't easily characterize by typical female things.  We are feminine in our appearance and mannerisms, but any sort of stereotypical femininity starts to become quite grey from there.  She's not a ruffle sort of girl.  I however, have a few tastefully ruffled items that are more architectural than frilly.  I have a soft heart for an elegantly taylored blouse--they usually pair well with red lipstick.

So this is where my saving grace came in.  I had it in mind to create a macro shot of a ruffle, where it would be less discernible.  This is very me.

It seems the group of women who join me in this weekly endeavor, aren't very ruffled either so it will be interesting to see what everyone else has come up with.  I actually saw a sneak peak of an east-coaster who created the most amazing lizard shots ever (hi Traca! love your post this week).  You'll have to keep circling through to see them. =)

Christine O'Connell, a wedding and portrait photographer of A Million Sighs Photography in Orlando, Florida is next.  See her post here:  http://www.amillionsighs.com/?p=1677

52 Wednesdays :: Cold

This is week six of my 52 Wednesdays project and at this point I'm seriously proud of myself for posting every week.  I realize that I'm only 11.5% through, but I'm still happy. =)  As a crazy busy person, it's a small kind of accomplishment to stay committed to something that could easily pushed to the side for the sake of getting more than 6 hours of sleep.  But fortunately, this evening I'm proud of myself because of my progress and I'll be getting 7 hours of sleep.  It's like a dream come true!

This week our theme was "cold," which we have plenty of around these parts this time of year.  Not midwestern cold, but cold and dark and dreary nonetheless.  I did have a session this past weekend that was cold and there were pink little noses and all, but I thought of a different way to keep with the theme and put a very cheery spin on it.

With that in mind, I feel like I'm bursting at the seams waiting for spring to arrive!  Soon there will be crocus, daffodils, and blooming trees like magnolia, plum, and cherry.  Then there will be tulips and the leaves will come back and before I know it; half the year will have passed and I will be wearing skirts with sandals and the sun will warm my skin while a light breeze moves gently through my hair.  I can hardly contain myself thinking about it.  AND--there will be ice cream, gelato, and popsicles with giggles and smiles from the little Miss and me who love, love, love summer.  I'm waiting...

So here is my picture of cold... one of the most delightful kinds of cold I know. =)

Be sure to continue with the circle so that you can see the many other representations of "cold" in our group.  Next is Christine O'Connell, an Orlando Wedding Photographer. http://www.amillionsighs.com/?p=1667

52 Wendesdays :: Emotion

It finally came, and unfortunately faster than I would have liked:  I'm pulling from past images this week to keep up with my assignment.  Luckily, the women who are doing this with me have grace for times like this!  That said, I was unable to complete the vision in my head this week, which is a bummer because it was a good one.  However, I've decided to make up for it with a lot of good. =)  Instead of posting one image, I'm posting a collection of images I've taken throughout the last year that convey our topic this week: emotion.

Next up is the lovely and  talented Karen Porter, a photographer from Austin, TX  (who likely completed the assignment too!).  You can find her here: http://www.karenporterphotography.com/index.php/emotion-52-wednesdays-4/

52 Wednesdays :: Bokeh

Week 3!

This week my 52 Wednesdays project was assigned a bokeh theme.  

Bokeh- photographer terminology for the {intentionally} out-of-focus space in a photograph.  However, I also think of the dreamy orbs of light captured in that out-of-focus space.  The quality of bokeh is determined 1) by the lens; 2) by the settings on the camera; and 3) by the quality of light.  But circles of light can be captured in a photograph through any light source, including artificial (i.e., twinkle lights) and/or any reflective object as well (i.e. glitter, reflective water, light hitting leaves, etc.).

I'm a big fan of bokeh and most of my images have a good amount of it generally.  I like the buttery smooth kind, the round dreamy light kind, and even the artificial kind.  Here is an example featuring circles of light.

Grey gloom (current state of affairs in the Pacific Northwest) does not produce lovely, dreamy bokeh.  So in an effort to not use a past image, I decided to do something very out of the box.  Well, for me anyway.

This week, I am using super-artificial bokeh in my image.  I added orbs of light in my post processing and created a more art type piece.

Here is my original image, which technically abounds in bokeh already:

Garlic with a smooth creamy background, but no orbs of light.

Final Image:

What I love most about it, is that I've never done anything like it.  I rarely use textures or overlays in my work and I also love that my interpretation of the assignment is creative; and the really wonderful part is--I actually like it! =)  

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the other women in my group have come up with this week!  Next up is Rachel Ice:

Rachael Ice - Louisville, KY Photographer - http://imagesbyrachael.com/blog/?p=354

52 on Wednesday :: Morning

This last year I followed a few photographers who were working together on a 52 week photo project together.  I thought the concept was really fun and somewhat genius for helping with motivation and accountability.  Each week there was a theme and each photographer would interpret it their own way and then link to the next photographer in their circle.  

A 52 week photo challenge may not seem like that much of a challenge, not nearly as daunting as a 365 perhaps; but for me, it will take effort and dedication to complete it each week for all 52 weeks.  I'm really excited!  So each week there will be a new theme and this week's theme is morning.  This week actually posed a bit of a challenge for me because my daughter was sick, and then I became sick, followed by a bout of food poisoning = horrible week in the health department.  Normally, I wouldn't want to save my assignment for the last minute, but today I was able take a few shots of what would be typical for me on any given winter morning.

I live in Oregon and in the winter, it is fairly dark.  I wake up at 7:15am and it is still mostly dark and doesn't really reach full daylight until closer to 9am.  I don't generally take pictures of sky, but this morning I was desperate for ideas and there was a bit of blue (rare occurrence in a Pacific Northwest winter) at about 8:15am.

By this time, my daughter Eva was nearly ready for school and being silly, as she frequently is in the morning.  I love her eyelashes, they give me eyelash envy.  So I take pictures of her looking down...intentionally. =)

And after walking her to school, I sat down to enjoy my breakfast -- a Starbucks chai tea.  Also at the table was leftover orange from Eva's breakfast.  It's this time of year that I really appreciate far off foods, as frowned upon as that may be.  If we ate entirely local--there would be no fruit in the winter here and that would be really difficult.  So I sat there thinking of how grateful I was for this southern orange and the farmer that grew it.  However, I ended up putting it away because I've been stomach sick and didn't think an orange would sit well.

So I just enjoyed my chai tea.

And then I went back to bed.  Because that's what sick people do.

Up next, see what a morning looks like for Ms. Traca Miller, a photographer from Stephenville, Texas..

Traca Miller - Stephenville, TX Photographer http://www.tracamillerphotographyblog.com/?p=1473

oh how I love me some babies! :: newborn portrait

I am the baby whisperer.  This may not be common knowledge but in the last few newborn sessions I've had--baby whisperer, that's me.  I think it must be my calm nature and how much I adore holding a new baby in my arms (and not have to take them home with me of course), the little babies must be able to sense that my arms are comfort-safe-haven-city. This last newborn I had the extreme pleasure to photograph put up a little fight in the beginning; but even he was no match for my baby voodoo magic.  Yes, the heat was set to 80 degrees, and I was using my fancy white noise iphone app, and applying the 5 S's method from The Happiest Baby on the Block to said baby, but I still think it's me. =)

See, this lovely little man was no match.  I won.

Isn't he just gorgeous?!  I just love me some babies.

Summer Whimsy Mini-Shoot Extravaganza! A Portland, Oregon Photography Event

Simply Splendid Images is excited to present the "Summer Whimsy Mini-Shoot Extravaganza!"

I have been planning this event for well over a month, each little detail meticulously thought out and decided upon and I am so thrilled.  The full details are listed below here:

Details, Details, Details....

WHEN:  July 15 & 16, 2011.  That's a Friday and Saturday.

WHAT:  My Mini-Shoot Extravaganza is an awesome photo experience opportunity!  Participants will be given 30 minutes of time in a highly styled photo shoot venue.  This event is themed "Summer Whimsy."  My inspiration board below will give you an idea of how the event will be styled.

WHAT cont. :  There will be 3 specific vignettes that will be a great mix of cute and whimsical meets modern.  Think Anthropologie meets West Elm.  Additionally, there will be lots of unique, kid-friendly props.

WHO:  Due to the nature of the styling, this is a special event targeted towards families with children aged 6 months to about 11 years old.

WHERE:  The Mini-Shoot Extravaganza will be in a very safe, private residential back yard in NW Portland.  I have chosen this venue due to it's centralized location; variety of landscape, and it's privacy.  No one will be watching, walking by, or adding to potential distractions.  Location address and details will be given to those who book for the event.

HOW MUCH:  An $85 fee covers the session time for up to 3 people (each additional person adds $20).  Each mini-session will have a guarantee of 10 gorgeous images to choose and will be gifted an 11x14 print of choice.  Of course, all sessions will have the opportunity to order additional print products as desired.

*Session fees must be collected prior to event to secure appointment time.

HOW WILL IT WORK:  To ensure the efficiency of the day, all families must arrive 5-10 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time.  After introductions and becoming situated, we will have 30 minutes to take as many beautiful, fun images as possible.  Each session is guaranteed at least 10 images to choose from, but perhaps more. The turn around time for editing will be 3-4 weeks; however, sessions will be edited in the order in which the sessions are booked prior to the event.  Meaning, that the first family to book a mini-session will have their images edited first.

HOW DO I SCHEDULE:  Contact Marla at 503.984.1823.

WHAT IF:

• What if I need to cancel?  Is my session fee refundable?

Please try to give as much notice as possible so that another family will have the opportunity to secure your appointment time.  Session fees are non-refundable; however, they are transferable.  If for some reason, you need to cancel your session, I will apply your session fee towards a session scheduled for another date.  A minimum of 24 hours notice must be given for all cancellations for session fees to remain transferable.

• What if I am late?

Sessions are being scheduled in blocks.  If you are late, we will have less shooting time together.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS:  Contact Marla at 503.984.1823 or by email at marla@simply-splendid.com.  I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

As an additional note, I can't wait to share this experience with you!  If by chance the response is greater than my capacity for the 2 dates, I will schedule another mini-shoot event for August.

K Maternity Session

Whew!  This is a session from months ago!  Krissi is my best friend from college.  Here she is:

Fiercely stunning, this lady.  This is her while we are relaxing by the pool.

As a gift, she asked if I would take maternity pictures for her and coincide it with her shower so that I could attend.  The catch was that it was at the beginning of August in Phoenix, Arizona. But I love her, so I endured.  I had an idea to use the harsh desert landscape as a backdrop paradox to her photos and the results were amazing!  We were dripping sweat and she wore heeled wedges (she's all kinds of fabulous), but we made it out alive. =)

Lastly, a photo of Krissi with her amazing husband Mike.

Senior Session :: Kaleb

When my friend Arica got married several years ago, she married an amazing man who already had two teenage boys.  In fact, his eldest son was a student of Arica's and thought they should meet. =)  This year, the younger of the two boys is graduating high school and I was graciously asked to shoot his senior photos.

Kaleb, the subject before you, hates having his picture taken.  She told me and he told me several times I think.  Even with that challenge in place, we were able to pull off some fantastic shots.  This first image is Kaleb with his new baby brother, Micah.

On a Personal Note...

Last year, a friend of mine who is also a photographer, took shots of my daughter Eva and I for the Christmas season.  She did an amazing job, but this year I thought I would see if I could manage it by myself first.  Luckily, with the help of a human tripod (in the grouped images) I was able to get the most beautiful pictures of my darling daughter and me.  It was a funny feeling though, running back and forth between my shot and the camera to adjust the settings every so many seconds.

It was a dark, gloomy sort of day; which created the best autumnal ambiance ever.  And thankfully there was no rain in sight!

the importance of being... PaTiEnT

I love photographing children.  A child's world is magically dreamy and ever-changing.  Having the opportunity to shoot with a child is continually a different experience, but it is always special to be the documentarian of that magical dreamy world even if for just an hour or two.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting Miss Zoey, a soon-to-be four year old with a vibrant spirit and an endearing heart.  Zoey's mom is a close friend of mine and warned me that her little fire-cracker was especially difficult to photograph.  Her previous photographer, a very  experienced one at that, said she was the most challenging he had ever worked with.  She wished me luck.

In an attempt to create the least distracting, yet interesting environment as possible, I chose a quiet street in Laurelhurst with a lot of flowers, rocks, and bugs.  I thought it would provide a lovely backdrop, but also keep Miss Z's attention focused.  In addition, I arranged to pick Zoey up for our session and give her mom a little break.  Parents are great for the obvious reasons, but generally children are more distracted in front of the camera if a parent is nearby.

I do have to say that even with all these preparations, Miss Zoey did give me a run for my money (or so to speak).  She was a tough cookie and toward the beginning I actually wondered if I would snap anything good, but it was exactly what I needed to GROW.  I had to become especially creative to get her to open up, to trust me, and to laugh (in the pursuit of real smiles).

So toward the beginning, when she wouldn't look directly at my camera I shot indirectly.  I LOVE these kinds of shots anyway and the two below are actually favorites of mine for the entire shoot.

When she did start smiling, I got her "camera" smiles.  You know the fake sort that all kids do at one time or another.  This is the "can-we-get-this-over-with?" smile.

As lovely as it is, I wanted the real thing.  So I brought out the big guns... a bouncy ball my daughter left in our car.  Bouncy balls are like bottled smiles just waiting to be had. =)  At first I caught a sideways laugh...

But then, it was like magic!

...childhood joy captured on digital media (you know, instead of film).

This last one I am including because I love it, though it was taken prior to the breakthrough. =)  Thanks Zoey dear, it was a real treat!

new baby and a whole lot more

This last weekend was one of the busiest I've had in a very long time.  On Friday I shot a maternity session; then stayed up all night with a best friend as she labored at the hospital; I left on Saturday morning to shoot a wedding for 9 hours; and after that I went back to the hospital to shoot pictures of the sweetest, most perfect little boy I've ever seen (of said friend above).  After I finally was able to fall into bed Saturday night, I had been up and going for 37 hours!!!  The next day I recovered by doing nothing....yep, nothing.  You may or may not know this but sometimes doing nothing is important in life. =)


Back to babies...

I have been craving a baby for over a year.  I make it sound like a meal, and perhaps a woman might better understand how I feel, but I have felt an intense desire to be pregnant again for quite some time.  Unfortunately, I'm not in a place right now to have the freedom to make that decision.  Thankfully, I can live vicariously through my friends who all seem to be popping up pregnant these days.

I am especially connected to the sweet baby pictured below because he belongs to my local best friend Linsey (which differentiates her from my college best friend).  It has been wonderful being a part of his life even before he was born and I even had the pleasure of being with my friend when she found out she was pregnant with him.  He is perfectly precious and as I said above, the most perfect little boy I've ever seen.  When my not-local best friend Krissi has her baby boy in October, I might have to take a different stance, but we'll see.  In the mean time, baby Max is just what I need to fulfill my baby cravings.  I'm sure you'll see why as I anticipate him being my second favorite subject (my first favorite would be my sweet Eva of course).

See, precious.  Oh, and look at his little newborn baby feet!

Now if I had feet that looked like this... it would be a scary ordeal; but somehow, these teeny feet with their new, dry skin just bring me pure joy.

Lastly, here is my wonderful friend, the proud mama she is, holding her new bundle of joy.  She is radiant, which is amazing considering all the pushing (3.5 hours) and the surgery that followed.  But this little man is a million times worth it and the look on her face says it all.

Congratulations lady... you're amazing.