Laura Malischke ~ Photographer

alls I got...

2012-02-01T21:20:00.001-06:00

This is alls I got. It's so lame I didn't even bother to put my logo on it! ack! It's the top of a kid's roacking chair with books in the background. yeah. intriguing, I know.

In other news, sadly that little shutter release gizmo wasn't the correct make for my camera. Sent it back today and promptly ordered a new one that will work. Uber excited.

AND...I taught my first adult photography class at the Fitchburg community center last weekend. "Photographing Your Babies and Toddlers." It went well! 12 students and I hope they thought it was good. I suppose I could've had them fill out a survey, but that seemed a little formal.

LASTLY, I just got accepted in the March RAW artist show. Once I learned of all the details and commitments, I'm not sure if I'm going to accept their awesome offer. Just not in a place for that at this time. Still thinking about it though.

ok ok, I promise to take a cooler photo, heck, maybe 2 cooler photos later this week. I can do it!

new toys! yippee skippy!

2012-01-26T21:37:00.001-06:00

Ok, I'll admit it...I LOVE shopping on Amazon.com They have so many cool things. Lately I've been busying stuff for the home or for the babies. But! Ahoy!

Yesterday I bought this! A remote control for my camera! I'm going to take another kitchen scene...probably prepping dinner :)

And on a REALLY random note, this song is stuck in my head. Although, back in the day we said "Wisconsin Avenue" because that's the street we lived on. We were so cool.

I think I need to go to bed.

through the window

2012-01-26T13:25:00.001-06:00

Today I thought I would show you my straight out of the camera photo and the one that came out of my photoshop playing.

Original:

Photoshopped:

Beefed up the blacks and boosted the contrast a tiny bit. Obviously natural window light...yippee!

Family portraits

2012-01-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure to take photos of a lovely family a couple of weeks ago! The daughter is about 7 months older than Dax, and it was cool to see her interact with and understand her parents so well. Here's a pic of the cutie doing a cute pose:

Here's a pic of the smart family. No really, they're math research people. They would cry if they saw me try to remember my multiplication tables. Actually, I never really learned them well right off the bat. ANYWAY.... their cutie daughter will probably never have that problem, haha.

Lunchtime madness

2012-01-20T22:15:00.004-06:00

So, a typical day in my house involves me making three meals a day (plus at least 2 snacks) for Mr. Dax. I set the camera on a gorillapod and used the self timer to take a few pics during lunch prep.

WHAT'S THAT BEEPING??

Yes, Dax was uber intrigued by the camera (which I never let him play with). Thankfully, he didn't try to dislodge the tripod.

So, this image below is obviously a composite. Didn't turn out as cool as I envisioned, but I will have to get a remote shutter release. Anyone want to lend me one, or know how much they cost? haha That toy could be fun fun. Then I could set up the camera and take sneaky photos of Dax.... I really wanted to get a photo of him clinging to my leg, which he often does when he gets hungry. Which makes me move slower!

This reminded me of this bathroom photo. Ah, I do know how to entertain myself.

Through the door

2012-01-18T18:59:00.000-06:00

So, I caught Trevor and Dax having a quiet moment reading a book in Dax's room. It was so adorable...I had to grab my camera. I wanted to shoot from my vantage point, which was the hallway, so I slapped on my wide angle lens and had to maneuver into the corner to get the best shot. Don't think I was even looking through the viewfinder for this one! haha

I often take close up photos, so it's nice to intersperse them with ones that are from father away. :)

heads a plenty

2012-01-18T11:57:00.000-06:00

Whoops! I'm a day or two behind!

I've been working on my family's 2011 yearbook when I saw all these cute pics I took in Oct of Dax. I decided to make a composite like I did many months ago...

I touched up the saturation and shadows a bit, but otherwise this is how the photos were. This time around I got more emotional range. I'll post a new photo I took yesterday tomorrow (follow that?)

Scandal! Caught kissing in the kitchen!

2012-01-15T20:36:00.001-06:00

Here's a girl who knows what she wants, and won't take no for an answer! Little E. and Dax were having (what he thought) was an innocent ride around the kitchen in the laundry basket by E's mama. Until he realized it was a blind date! As you can see, he was unamused when E decided to take some initiative. Unidentified sources say she just might've wanted to chew on something and Dax was the closest thing. But seriously folks, he just can't keep the ladies off.

Switchin' in the Kitchen

2012-01-13T21:29:00.001-06:00

What do I do every day? Use our stove! For at least 2 meals, if not all three. So....here I am using it for a little hot chocolate treat for myself at the end of the day:

I took a long exposure and moved my hand to get a sense of stirring (which I was actually doing).

Lemme say, gas stoves used to freak me out! All that clicking when you turn them on, the open flame, not to mention gas ovens that I expect to explode in my face. I have since come to terms and now really like it!

I love long exposures with movement and/or multiple images of the same person. I haven't done any goofy ones in a while, so methinks that will be a photo sometime this winter.... yes yes

-Laura

abandoned bench

2012-01-12T09:52:00.000-06:00

There's a cool walking path in my neighborhood that weaves between trees and behind some fancy-schmancy houses. You can really see into their backyards in winter! Dax was in the backpack when I shot this yesterday. Cute little bench that is no longer usable. Behind me is a moss covered old rolled up abandoned carpet.

2012-01-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of doing an in-studio family session. Trevor played with Dax in his room while another little girl played with his toys (*shhhhhh*) and I took photos. After they left, we had a little family photoshoot. Why not since everything was set up in the living room?

Here's a couple of pics of Dax:

Later this week I'll post a couple preview pics from the family's session!

P.S. I've been brainstorming a lot of fun (non-Dax) photos to take for my 'every day experiences' project.

Photography class I'm teaching

2012-01-06T15:59:00.001-06:00

Hello!

Just a quick post today about an upcoming class I'm teaching. Photographing your Babies and Toddlers. Yippee! Here's the info for the one time class later this month.

I started some of the though process earlier on this blog a few months ago. This will be a more formal approach with more info!!

And for your viewing pleasure, here's another photo from the cafe yesterday.

Cafe au photo lait

2012-01-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

Barriques Barriques I love you so
My son and I did sit
Inside your lovely cafe today
Our face the sun did hit

With camera in hand
and toddler on floor
My purse on the table did lay

In spite of what the others
there thought
That's the subject of my photo today.

I present: My purse =

He was a skater boy, she said see you later boy

2012-01-03T20:49:00.001-06:00

Yes, I just quoted an annoying Avril Lavigne song as my title. And every time I heard the song at the horrible office I worked in in 2002 I thought of my ice skating boyfriend (who became my hubby).

ANYWAY....
Here's a pretty average photo for my post today.

At best, it's a "memory jogger" as one of my awesome mentors would call it. Man ice skating with a baby. Pretty standard, doesn't tell an interesting story, draw in the viewer, ask questions, or evoke emotion. Wait, scratch that last one. If you're this kid's mama it sure will make you smile.

I'll try to ramp it up later this week! haha

window love

2012-01-02T10:28:00.001-06:00

So, I'm not sure if this activity is entirely normal, but Dax likes to kiss mirrors and windows. But oftentimes with tongue! So, here's my daily photo which features him licking the front door. It was getting steamy!

My skater

2011-12-30T19:06:00.001-06:00

I found today's inspiration as my husband playfully skidded down the driveway while shoveling. :)

Took this through the front door.

Head Start

2011-12-29T20:36:00.001-06:00

Can't wait!! Must take photos of my every day experiences! Grabbed the camera after we cleaned up dinner (a FAB linguine dish with alfredo/tuna/pureed beans/cheese sauce I made up. Off topic.

da-dada-duh-duh-daaaa! A colander!

Poor Dax had just caught his finger in a drawer and wanted the nuk to calm down. Then I stuck a colander on his head. Baby with colander. Cause, you know.

2012 photo GOOOOOOOAAAL!

2011-12-28T13:35:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm not a football fan (soccer for the US peeps) but I love it when they say 'goooooooal!' with extra enthusiasm. So as I set my 2012 goals, I want to show just as much gusto as those crazy announcers.

I have many many goals for the coming year, all lofty and standard, like eating healthily, being more focused and organized, exercising, and not going crazy with two kids under 2.

But I didn't have any photo goals (shame!) until I saw my friend Danah announce that she was going to take a photo a day of her every day life experiences. oooo....sounds good, and actually do-able. Now, knowing how many other goals I'm loading on myself, I think I will aim for 3 photos a week.

My everyday life, huh? Well, I expect I'll create a lot of photos like this:

And this:

Hmm. What's the essence of my every day experiences? Initially, I'm worried this will turn out very boring. I suppose this will be a good challenge to keep myself (and my loyal viewers such as yourself-haha) mildly interested, at the very least. Let's aim for more, Laura!

I can do it! BTW, Danah's lovely blog is here: http://danahzoulek.wordpress.com/ Check her out, yo.

And an unrelated goal will be to update this old looking blog. yep, facelift time!

Photos of design

2011-12-02T14:52:00.000-06:00

I'm nowhere near as creative as my interior decorator/designer friend Shana, but I can get creative in the home once in a while! I was particularly inspired to go all out with Dax's room. The theme is airplanes and bold colors (would've been that for a boy or girl).

Here's some photos of Dax's room:

-Books next to the crib

-dim photo of Dax's airplane wall. The wallpaper underneith is like burlap (? yuck!) so I covered it up with old white studio paper of mine. The airplane are removable decals we purchased at the EAA Airventure.

-the house came with closet doors painted with chalkboard paint. cool!

-NikkiNicole made the coolest rocket shelf!

-the fan was just so 80s (can you say ugly?) so I put red contact paper over the designs. Much better!

-photos I took of Dax when he was a week old hang above the changing table

-bold colored letters from El Salvador adorn his door

-I love this rocking chair (I hate gliders) and I looked high and low for red cushions. Eventually, I'll paint this little table in bold colors, and perhaps decoupage it with airplanes or something

-love the run from my Aunt Kathy!

-the taxiway lamp Trevor won during Morey's flour bombing contest many years ago

-photo I took at EAA Airventure in Oshkosh

-and of course, airplane books and toys!

Next kid's room will be cartography themed!

Photoshoot at the BEST martini lounge in Madison!

2011-12-01T17:12:00.000-06:00

Before Thanksgiving I was granted the opportunity to do a fashion photoshoot in my absolute favorite bar in Madison: the Opus Lounge. I used to live a block away from it, and have celebrated 4 out of my 5 last birthdays there.

The model 'M' and I worked together previously in studio, and it was awesome to work together again. She has such flair. In the photo below I stood on a chair...watching a pregnant photographer climb onto a chair seems to make models a little concerned at first. no prob people - queen of balance is me.

We got in an hour before opening on a Saturday, the same time that the protesters were breaking camp around the capital. A couple of them glanced in and wondered what my flashes were all about.

After trying this scene above with my flash, I didn't like the outcome so I turned up the modeling light and used it as constant lighting instead of a flash. I employed my new gijundo reflector (see below) for fill light. Above, she's leaning on the bar.

I stood on another chair for this one. This below I did use a flash.

Here's my little set up.

There's a cool painting hanging in the hallway enroute to the loo. Had to get a few shots there!

As a side note, this model is truly awesome, because she said her plan for Thanksgiving was to volunteer at a soup kitchen. Rock on sister! Way to pay it forward. I bet she didn't wear this outfit though. But it would certainly give the less fortunate a holiday they wouldn't soon forget...

So much fun, and we wrapped up just at 4pm when the bar opened. When I booked this gig, I initially wondered, "who goes to a bar right when it opens at 4pm?" Well, we did! We ordered some beverages (ice tea for me) and became 'those people' that hit a bar the minute it opens. As the model joked, "cross that off the bucket list." HAHA There we were sitting at the bar, she all glamed up, me wearing frump clothes, and having a ball.

Hold that baby, yeah!

2011-11-26T13:39:00.000-06:00

Here's a little project that took me about 10 minutes to put together this afternoon while Dax was running around (way overtired I might add).

Top pic is his first month of life, middle pic is six months old, and bottom one is 13 months old. Yeah, I meant to do it when he was 12 months but (ack!) I forgot. Oh well. He didn't grow that much in that month.

Besides all that hair (!) it's fun to see him get pudgier and longer. Trevor had to get steadier and stronger for each passing photo! haha Dax is about 20 lbs now.

Photoshop in 1898

2011-11-14T22:04:00.000-06:00

As I've been working on a family history project for the past three years, it's been fun to think about the photography from a history perspective too. I love the backdrops with fake windows, and the props like potted plants. (Besides the fact that nobody smiles. When did smiling become popular? When life got easier? When the latest war ended? hmmm....)

But what really cracks me up about my old family photos is the old 'photoshop' work. I guess it was common practice to have a stand-in pose with a family if one of the members was away at war. Then, and I can just imagine a little guy hunched over the photos with an exacto knife, they took the head of the missing family member from an old photo and pasted it into the family photo. haha! Here's an example:

This is my great grandpa on my mom's paternal side. Some dude (was it the photographer's assistant? Friend of the family?) stood in for the body in the family photo. Combine the two shots and voila! Instant family photo! Love it. What's even awesomer is the fact that the stand-in is facing the complete opposite way that the head is looking.

Ha! And look at the lady on the right = she's way ahead of her time being all smiley smiley. (I think she's Barbara, my grandpa's aunt. My great great aunt??)

Figure model

2011-11-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

In late October in my week of three photoshoots, one was in the studio with a woman who was entering a figure contest that following weekend. After touring in the middle east (the army kind, not the taking photos and going to museums kind of tour) she decided to press herself even further.

She was buff! Very nice, and very fun to work with. I tried to show off all the hard work she'd put into getting her bod to look this way.

After the contest she and her boyfriend were taking a well earned vacation in Mexico. Bring on the margaritas!

A little pagen perhaps?

2011-11-09T20:36:00.000-06:00

What do you do when your private location for an outdoor nude photoshoot doesn't pan out and you're standing on the side of the road with the shoot crew?

Head to the nearest state park! That's right, after trying to walk in so we didn't have to pay to park our cars in the park (and the little ranger told us we had to), we paid our fee, and trekked into the thickest brush right off the parking lot.

It was around 50 degrees out!!!!! She was a trooper, and her two friends held her coat at the ready while keeping an eye out for that lovely Ranger who was driving his little golf cart to and fro.

This one above I cropped a little off the bottom for my blog audience. ;p

It was fun, and in spite of a little rain near the end of the shoot, it turned out great.

Arboretum fam pics

2011-10-31T21:12:00.000-05:00

I was so eager to use my new reflector on my friend's family in the UW Arboretum. It worked wonders and was easy to use (especially with helpers holding it where I aimed it).

Love love love beautiful October days.

Cutie with her aunt (above), and with her mom (below)

Sisters and daughter pic!

I was worried that all the leaves had already fallen, but mother nature cooperated superbly!

Anti Raccoon Eye!!!

2011-10-25T22:42:00.000-05:00

I recently added a gujundo reflector to my arsenal of photo equipment. I don't know how I lived without it!

My fam hit the UW Arboretum to check out the foliage before I did a shoot there. The pic on the left is without the reflector, just the natural light as is. On the right is me shining the reflector into T's face. Love the look! Natural looking, and no raccoon eyes!

NOLA cemetary

2011-10-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

Eek! Has it really been a month since I blogged last? What kinda blogger am I? haha Lazy, that's what.

We had a blast during our family vacation in New Orleans. We went during the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, a crazy wild dance event, which we participated in a little. We kept the vacay low-key 'cause babies about to turn on can only pack so much touring into one day.

And trying to breastfeed in the park next to a guy doing drug dealing is kinds creepy, ain't gonna lie.

We stopped in a cemetery, I think this was #3 (?) They have real original names. The neat thing is, the graves are above ground because of the high water level.

I asked Trevor to take some photos of me running around.

I told him where to set up and everything, and he shot away whilst I trotted back and forth. The resulting pics were a little cooler in my mind's eye, but alas, it was worth a shot. Get it? yuck yuck

Thanks for taking the photos babe! It was fun! Someday I'll have to post the photos I took of myself in the graveyard in Paris...those were really cool.

Dax on the hill

2011-09-19T21:49:00.000-05:00

Before I moved away from downtown Madison I wanted to sneak one more photoshoot in with Dax by the capitol. It was a pleasant August morning, and we shot over at the South Hamilton entrance around 7:45am.

The lighting at this time was especially nice, and Dax was mostly in the shade so it was comfortable for him.

He was so distracted by the noise of the city and all the buses going around the square that it was hard for me to generate a smile from him. Eventually I began singing from behind the camera, much the amusement of the politicians heading to work around us.

He was a great sport and afforded me many great pictures.

These are all shot with my 50mm lens, at 1.8/f

Senior photos

2011-09-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

Can I just say, ever since I started photography many years ago, EVERY time I hear the term 'senior photos' I think of senior citizens first, and THEN realize that people mean high school seniors. You'd think I'd catch on, especially since I've shot a bunch too. haha

Since my last post, I have moved to the west side of Madison. But during this crazy time, I did a photoshoot with a lovely senior (the high school kind for those of you like me) who needed yearbook pics, but also pics to start her post-high school journey into modeling. She's certainly got the look!

We shot a few that were inspired by the old 1940s look. Lauren Bacall was a particular inspiration.

I just love this pose above! And the photo below she picked for her high school year book. It turned out very nice!

I took a few shots that were unplanned. I just HAD to have her pose on the hardwood floor. This was my last photoshoot at my old apartment (sniff) so we had zero furniture there, so lots of floor space to work with (and, unprofessional of me - no place for her Mom to sit during the shoot. oops.)

I love how this photo shows just how glowing this gal is...she has a very friendly looking face and personality to match. I think it's my favorite! I used natural light for this one.

Her pretty long hair reminded me of when I was a senior in high school (waaaay back in '97!). My hair was down to my butt, but I didn't think of it as 'long'. (until once I got about 4 inches cut off and no one noticed).
Senior portraiture has come a loooong way since I had mine done. Which is a VERY good thing because these poses below were pretty much the same ones all my friends had and we all went to different photographers.

Geez! I'm such a kid! I hadn't had bangs since the 7th grade, so what possessed me to get some cut a week before my senior photos? I started growing them out a month later. (I just took photos of these photos because my scanner's not hooked up)

I played percussion in band and orchestra. Above I'm holding quad mallets which is what I played in marching band. I was so proud of the shimmery tape on those mallets *sigh*.

WHY ON EARTH AM I WEARING FLANNEL??????????????????????

I would've posed with something Star Trek if my mom had let me!

Sleeping Angel

2011-08-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

When I put Dax down for a nap I noticed how cute his yellow onesie was against the yellow sheet, so I just had to take a photo! Unfortunately with all the loud focusing in the low light and shutter noises I woke him up, but thankfully he was able to go right back to sleep after I quickly tiptoed out of the room.

I love the streaks of light :)

My little angel. I love him SO much it's crazy.

(Please do not reuse this photo without my permission)

Fashion!!!!!! (<-more exclamation points)

2011-08-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ah! I just HAD to post again! As I was wrapping up the initial run of post processing, I kept exclaiming out loud, "Wow! That's hot!" or "oooo...I like that one!" So here are a few more of my top picks:

I particularly like this one because it's one of the few where she's not looking at the camera. And her expression rocks. Sometimes she reminds me of Emma Watson. (I'm not talking about Emma as Hermione here people, Emma the model)

Having fun and getting crazy!

Nice headshot :)

Fashion!!!

2011-08-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I had a fun fun photoshoot...M is a new model but she already knows how to rock the camera!

I kicked Dax and Trevor out of the studio and we set to work.

I might photoshop out the fingers on her right hand in this photo below...

These photos are still 'in the works' as far as final editing goes. I'm just posting my personal favorites, (so far...I'm not done editing them all)

M has awesome legs, so we wanted to show them off as much as possible.

M's friend came along to give moral support and was certainly useful in pointing the fan in M's face (haha)

Look at these eyes! -->

We were inspired by a magazine shot for this one below...

I can't wait to work with her again! We already have many ideas...next time will be an outdoor shoot, maybe using the capitol grounds at night (!)

Heahshot at Olbrich

2011-08-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the good fortune to take headshots of a dance friend. We hit Olbrich gardens on a beaufitul day. I love taking photos there - so many fantastic settings that cater to all sorts of 'looks'. This gal is a massage therapist.

Of course we had to get in line to take pics by this popular fountain :)

Incidentally, I had Dax in the stroller during this shoot. What a sport he was!

This one above is my favorite from the whole session. I was excited that the sun peeked out and enjoyed playing with giving her a halo. Softens up the whole photo, making her seem approachable and friendly. At least that's what I take away from it!

With such busy nature around the park I was tentative to have her put this floral top on, but it really worked!

Take action!

2011-08-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

I just couldn't wait another moment to blog about this. My friend Danah put me on to these free Photoshop Actions online and I'm a big fan. Actions are photoshop effects that someone 'recorded' and all I have to do is upload it, apply it and wha-la! My photo has a new look!

Though I feel like a cheater because they're so easy to use. AND...I've seen many a photog go waaaay overboard with Actions. Sometimes I see a whole wedding album with a vintage-y yellow glow. Seriously? At least have a few pics with regular skin tones.

Any hoo...today I took my camera to a lunch date and snapped a few of my cutie son Dax while we were waiting for the others to arrive. The Monona Terrace is so picturesque. Madison really is an awesome city for photos.

It was sweltering out, so we worked quickly. I've found that it's hard to make a kid smile when the thing he most responds to -your face- is hidden behind a big ol' camera. Thankfully he's easily amused and smiles at most things.

Dax is learning to walk now, and wants to constantly come back to me. I used a 50mm lens so I needed to stay about 8 feet from him to get the shot I wanted to. Each time I placed him in the desired spot and he'd shimmy his little body back toward me. (OK, my son doesn't shimmy...his mama does!)
This one below he was crawling back to me and I just put my camera near the ground and shot without looking. I liked the result! haha

This photo is so cute I tested out a few other Actions. Alls I did was click a couple buttons and voila! instand effect. Again, am I cheating??

You can't really see but this is Polaroid shape

motocicleta

2011-08-04T09:55:00.000-05:00

yowza yowza yowza it's been too long since I blogged.

This July I had the chance to photograph my high school Spanish teacher's husband. (they are a great couple!) He needed new headshots and decided that the standard boring ones were too cliche.

How about this for a headshot instead? yeah yeah! He found a fantastic stretch of road just west of Madison that showcased his classic bike. Swealtering day, but we survived and were able to create some great shots.

Up and down and up and down he went as I snapped away. There's my little car "Ur" at the bottom of the hill. Gladly, no one seemed to peeved that we were loitering around.

Cute kids

2011-07-08T14:59:00.000-05:00

Just one of my favorite photos I've taken of late. This is in Atlanta, GA. My sister and I took our kids to the bowling alley since it was in the 90s outside. Here my niece and nephew are watching her ball roll toward the pins. Fun fun!

Pregnancy Photos: not mine!

2011-06-26T14:15:00.000-05:00

First of all, a shout out to my Aunt Helen who this past weekend told me she checks my blog frequently. Thanks Helen! You rock.

Whoops, Dax just woke up. So this'll be quick...

Pregnancy photos...super fun to shoot, awesome couple. Used the big window in my place for this one:

love this pose below!

And hardwood floors are so versatile!

Super fun and the model (and her hubby) were troopers for trying anything. I enjoyed the afternoon with them!

Capitol wedding

2011-06-21T21:06:00.000-05:00

The wedding in the capitol was so much fun! First off, the couple were so relaxed and super giddy. Especially the groom; he and his family were certainly gigglers. It was awesome to see two people so in love and comfortable with each other and themselves.

I was glad that the lunchtime protest choir didn't meet in the rotunda that day, nor were there 300 4th graders touring. On Thursday when I went with Trevor and Dax they all distracted me from concentrating properly.

So as a random security guard congratulated the couple, they found out they were all from the same Wisconsin city....so the guard said, "Where's your photographer?" "I'm right here." "Wanna go up to the rotunda?" "Uh, YEAH!"

THANK YOU Don for lending me your fish eye lens! It was extremely handy and I would never have gotten such a cool shot as this one above without it!

I had to use the awesome side stairway for this cool shot, and just thought it looked better in black and white. No flash used for this one.

The couple said they liked silly photos....so this one I just had to shoot! This is the same staircase as above, just looking in from the hallway on the 3rd floor.

We ventured outside and had more fun shooting out there. Being a Friday, there weren't many other people to contend with, and thankfully very few strangers to get in the shots.

The couple liked the doors at Grace church so we hit those at the very end of our session! Here they are being goofy again :)

Capitol Building revisited

2011-06-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

Today I went to the capitol to take a few test shots for a wedding I'm shooting there tomorrow. Dax cooperated for a little while in the stroller (I tried taking photos in the capitol around his head yesterday and it didn't work so well.)

There's a fantastic little alcove on the 2nd floor, and I bounced my flash off one wall onto my subjects. The result was certainly not romantic but rather creepy, B movie, moody, dramatic feel. As you can see, I mentioned this to Trevor and he got into it.

Dax however, was unamused.

I won't be using this technique on the wedding couple, though they might think it's funny, perhaps I should--haha

Definitely going to come back here some day with costumed models and a dramatic theme. Great place to create a photo 'story'. Perhaps in the winter when there aren't about 200 4th graders stomping around! haha
Oh, and I still love the capitol's elevators....so classic.

(In writing this post I finally looked up the difference between capital and capitol....aha!)

Chicago trip

2011-05-23T22:33:00.000-05:00

When I visited Chicago my friend took me to the old Chicago library which is now a cultural center. There were some fantastical rooms, and one I thought I could take a bunch of photos and have the awesome photoshop photomerge feature put them together into a wide angle photo for me.

However, when I entered the dozen or so photos in the program, it returned this odd, fantasy like image:

It's like the world is a dream....so I altered the image a little to make it more eerie:

haha...just messing around :)

Not what the real room looked like, but a fun surprise nonetheless.

more babies!!!

2011-05-17T21:46:00.000-05:00

I'm finally processing some of the photos I took as favors for my friends. Below is a little pumpkin who was born in April, and she had photos taken, hm, about when she was a week old.

Little "E" happened to be in a good mood and was awake for her whole photoshoot. Cute little outfits and even cuter expressions made great photos!

I've been making the photos of babies I take in this style all in black and white, but a couple really looked great in color. Plus, then you can see the pink!

She hung in there all the way to the end of the shoot when her daddy held her. She's even smiling! (or was it gas?) :p

Below you can see my photo set up. I face us into the corner so I have windows on two sides, which makes for lighting from two directions to light the baby. The black is just black cloth from the fabric store and I lay it on my coffee table with a black couch pillow to place the baby on. For the photo above, I place the black fabric on the parent's lap, and actually take the photo standing in front of their knees. So in reality, the above photo is flipped upsidedown. It's tricky because the parent usually wants to gaze down at their baby but if they do we smack heads!!

When the baby is laying alone, a parent is right next to them in case a newborn wants to roll (like my little guy!)

2nd wedding of the year

2011-05-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

One week after shooting my first wedding of the year I had the opportunity to shoot my friend's wedding. It was so much fun to take their photos - they looked so much in love :)

Here's a few of my favorites from their wedding. Thankfully the weather was decent enough to take these outdoor shots. Windy, but no rain!

The venue had a cute footbridge and gazebo which was great to work with. This photo above I think is so sweet :)

Being dancers, taking photos of their first dance was a special treat for me. (so much more interesting than a sway-back-and-forth type...but if that's all you know go for it because nerves can get the best of you at a time like this so going out of your comfort zone can be hazardous and stressful)

Good job Mr. S, look at those lines! (below)

Of course, there were some opportunities to take photos of cute kids. In the photo below is the groom from one of the weddings I shot back in my early days. Wow how time flies!

hmm, maybe I'll consider cropping this photo in closer...hmm....

Costumes in April - getting bitten

2011-05-01T21:01:00.000-05:00

I did 6 photoshoots in April, plus one photoshoot for a friend. What a busy month!

I met some creative, and beautiful people. Among them, was a fun lady who came for some pin-up shots and her hubby tagged along (managing to get in a few shots himself). They had gone to Vegas not too long before and there they were approached by a guy on the street who said he could make them fangs. He later met them in their hotel room where he measured their incisors and made them some fake teeth inserts.

(Side note...what would your reaction be if some guy on the streets of Vegas came up to you and said, "hey hey, want me to make ya some fangs....I'll come to your hotel! heh heh."

Apparently custom made fangs are the rage (can we thank Twilight?) and they looked pretty darn cool on the models. They came up with this fun shot below, and I added a little extra drama by darkening the corners (lens vignetting effect).

I like it a lot! FUN FUN :)

Wedding #1 2011

2011-04-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I shot my first wedding of 2011. It was a morning affair, with a tasty brunch afterward. The Overture Center and the pretty nice weather outside afforded some awesome photos. And the couple was great to work with to boot.

The ceremony was only about 8 minutes long. So to get this shot below, after taking their photo walking down the aisle and a couple from the back of the seating area, I RAN to this location. As I sprinted away from the ceremony, I wondered if anyone thought, "where is the photographer running away to?"

haha

The architecture just lends itself to nice wedding pics.

The farmer's market was in full swing, and there weren't too many protesters, so we were able to get some nice capital shots too. I thought this one below looked nice black and white.

The bride told me the groom wasn't that into photo taking. But when it was his turn to pose for groom-only photos, he was more GQ than I think any other groom I've photographed...haha It was great to take his photo and I got some really nice ones. He's got the look!

Emotional Collage

2011-04-16T14:48:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been doing several pin-up/glamour shoots (3 so far this month to be precise) and I may post some of those photos here once I get permission from the models, but until then I'll post some personal projects I've been working on. What else? My son Dax!

Below are two versions of the same collage. One on black and one on white background. I think I like the black one better.

I also tried a variation of making all the photos black and white on a black background, but then you can't see my son's beautiful slue eyes (tee-hee)

I took these photos in front of my black fabric backdrop using my window light. Most of them I wasn't even looking through the camera lens, but aiming at Dax's direction and making faces at him over the lens. If I do this again, I'll try to get more emotional variety.

Photoshop funness

2011-04-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, I really should be in bed now, with a 6 month and all about to wake me up a couple of times tonight and what with taking the hubby to the airport at 5am...but I just had to post this little project I worked on today.

No....Dax can't stand up on his own yet. But he's very strong and Trevor and I thought it would be funny to photoshop him doing something cute by himself. So take these 2 images:

Combine them to get...

Ta-Da!

Dax doing a football-esque move. haha

Lake shots - behind the scenes

2011-02-17T14:01:00.000-06:00

As Lake Monona begins to melt, it reminded me that I should put up some photos of the behind the scenes from that dancing on the lake photoshoot.

In case you were wondering how these sorts of things get planned and ran....

First, get some crazy, talented people to model for you.

Scope out a scene to take them to, but don't be like me and take the looong route to the spot. Walking in deep wet snow is tough an sweaty work.

Secondly, let your models come up with ideas, like this one above...tee-hee But be organized and have plenty of your own ideas. No one will model for you again if you sit there scratching your head and waste their time. Above, I look like a wild turkey, but I'm really just bending over to get a lower perspective. Eventually, I did lay in the snow and get all wet.

Trevor took these photos. Thanks babe!

Behind the camera laid all our stuff. One of the ladies was clever enough to bring flat cardboard boxes so our stuff wouldn't get all wet. Now why didn't I think of that??

If you want people to keep modeling for you, be prepared, be on time, and courteous. I didn't pay these people, they volunteered. So I try very hard to honor their time by being organized yet have fun too.

(English majors please don't critique my grammar in the previous paragraph)

One side note: these photos are from the canon point and shoot. Snow is very bright, and camera tend to read all that light and underexpose the photos, so they look a tad dark.

Capital in and out of action

2011-02-16T11:04:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago on a particularly windy and snowy day Dax and I ventured to the state capital to take a shot I've had my eye on for quite some time. It was a composite of a cool view I see as I enter the King St. side (though I'm sure the same view is on the other entrances as well).

I wanted a day without tons of people to get in my shot. I expected to get yelled at for having a tripod and a pro-looking camera, but the copactually just said hello to us. I guess if you have a model in your shot then you get yelled at. hm....

I wish I had taken a few more pics of the stairway walls, but alas, I'm not proficient in this form of stitching together photos like this yet. Maybe next time.

Always time for a quick self portrait :)

Yesterday the scene at the capital was the complete opposite. Protesters were rallying against a proposed bill, so naturally Dax and I headed out with camera in hand. I opted to take the small point and shoot Canon Powershot instead of my 50D since my main objective for this trip was to hit the Credit Union on the other side of the square.

I had no idea that protesters were allowed inside. I suppose that makes sense since the building is technically a public space. The only other protest I attended was the anti-war one many years ago and it was at night so the building was closed.

This photo above is another composite using Photoshop's Photomerge feature (which is so awesome!) I just take a bunch of shots, stick them in the tool and they are automatically put together like a puzzle by the little photoshop fairies.

Laura; "oh excuse me while I elbow my way to the front and stick my arm in front of your face to get a good photo."
People around Laura: "hey! oh hey...look at the cute baby! aw... sure, cut right in front of me....aw...."

Dance Photos on a Frozen Lake

2011-02-07T08:35:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday brought myself and 6 of my dance friends out to the middle of frozen Lake Monona. Recent snowstorms and extremely high winds had made deep snow drifts out there, so we already got a workout just getting ourselves and our gear in the best spot in front of the city's skyline.

In a couple of weeks this lake might not be safe to walk on anymore. The longer I stood in this spot taking photos, the more the top layer of ice and snow melted....eek! Every once in a while we'd step in a puddle of water. The ice was probably over a foot thick, but that doesn't mean it wasn't wet on the top!

Everyone was a trooper as we got things rolling. This photo above was our first pose, and probably took about 4 tries. I had the photo on a tripod, but this was the only one I did that for. It wasn't bad for our first attempt, but it's not the strongest of the bunch. The rest I decided to hold the camera in my hands and make the scene a bit more closed in.

The snow was about 8 inches thick here, so lindy hopping wasn't really an option. So they did minimal movements to get into these poses, hoping that the energy was still there. I think it worked.

This was a fun one and took a bunch of tries to get just right. I like how my friend 'L' is in front creating a line which takes you to the back couple on the left, then my eyes drift to the couple on the right. In retrospect, I would not have had as many people looking at the camera in this shot, but oh well, I think it turned out well. I'm glad we can see the capital building.

This pose was a fun fun one, and this particular photo I'm still planning on editing a bit more. The energy that the models put into this one is great, and I love the snow flying in the air. Yeah, they're not photoshopped in in front of the scene--really there! haha

This is essentially the same pose with a few modifications. My lips and brain began to freeze so thankfully my friend could interpolate my garbled instructions.

These two are my favorite, and as someone described them, the 'standard wedding party jumping shot'! haha People got incredible air, and the hardest part was getting everyone to jump at the same time. But everyone here was really in this position when I took the shot. No photoshopping in or out people. I called out a '5 6 5678' for the timing. It almost looks like they are in front of a billboard or something. I mean, who does this on a frozen lake? It was about 20 degrees outside.

I had wanted to do something with scarves flying in the air, so I decided to do a girly one and had the opportunity to join in the shot. My hubby Trevor took this one above, and my friend Brandon took this one below. Which might be printed and displayed in my home in the not to distant future. What's cool is that you can see our downtown apartment building in the background - third tall building from the right. Thanks Mom for babysitting Dax while we did this!

I look at these and think, 'Wow! We really know how to live!' I know that I'll remember this and think that we really embraced life. Life is too short to play it safe, not relax and goof off, or not be a little (or a lot) extravagant every once in a while. Gotta go over the top now and then. You'll be glad you did.

I'll post some behind the scenes photos soon :) Gotta show you how we froze our feet off and the igloo that was being built right next to us.

How to take better baby photos Part 3

2011-02-04T13:32:00.000-06:00

Continuing the Taking Better Baby Photos topic....

Tip #1: (uh, maybe it's already tip #5??):

Turn that flash off! Having a nice SLR camera in this case certainly has it's benefits. However, simply shooting in non-flash mode on point and shoots can also work, just make sure to hold the camera steady.

Put your cutie pie in front of a window and snap away! Even on SLRs these days the P setting works pretty well to get exposure right. Avoid the green box setting because the camera will sense a dark subject and try to pop the flash open. P will adjust to the light where you focus the camera. This might result in a few spots that are 'blown out' - meaning too bright to record any color data on the photo, and no matter how much photoshopping you do it will always be bright white (see Dax's line on his forehead above). I'm ok with this look in moderation. I think it gives an angelic glow.

The darker the situation the harder it will be to keep the point and shoot steady enough to take a crisp photo. But give it a try.

It's also easier to take photos if someone else is holding your kid. But depending on the wideness of your lens, you can shoot one handed. However, it gets tricky if you're holding the sleeping baby with your right hand as I was in the top photo. Ever notice that cameras are NOT made for lefties?

The light doesn't need to be natural either. Here's a photo of Trevor and Dax after dinner one night, and I used the light from the table lamp.

Directional lighting (coming from the left or the right) instead of a flash flatters EVERY subject. And don't you want flattering pics of your bambino?? Also, you can click away and they won't get the stunned-flash look.

All of these photos above I took with my Canon 50D in the P setting, I only adjusted the ISO depending on the situation.

Tip #2 in taking better baby photos:

Use depth of field! This one might be exclusive to SLRs. Point and shoots don't give you the option to change the f-stop. Sorry.

The aperture in your lens is like the retina in your eye. It opens to let in more light in the dark, closes to a smaller hole when it's bright out. When it's open really wide, it makes the background in your photo go all nicely out of focus. Below, Dax is in front of some artwork on our wall, and sitting in front of our Christmas tree. Each f-stop (of the aperture) was about 2.0 or less. Remember, smaller f-stop numbers = bigger opening = fuzzy background.

Hope that helps! Keep snapping, parents!!

More tips next week.

Please don't reuse these photos w/o permission

How to take better baby photos Part 2

2011-02-03T12:03:00.000-06:00

Here's a couple more tips for taking better baby photos that are easy with any kind of camera.

Tip #1:

Don't be afraid to crop it in close. If cutting off part of your kid's head reminds you of that photo of disappearing people from Back to the Future, fear not! Getting close shows your baby's cute eyes, facial expression and makes for a mood of intimacy and tenderness. Try it!

The key aspect of the face is the eyes. If you crop those out, you better be focusing on something the viewer can rest their eyes on, like a cute dimple or a funny expression on the mouth. But not including at least the baby's eyes is tough and tends to make the photos unrelatable.

You can even go to the extreme and leave nothing BUT the eyes like I did in one of these photos--haha

TIP #2 on how to take a better baby photo:

Change up your perspective! Even I get caught taking most of my photos from my standpoint, which means I'm often leaning over Dax and taking photos from above him. Get down on your baby's level. Yeah, this might have you ending up laying on the floor, but, hey, you ought to be doing that when playing with your baby anyway!!!

Changing perspective will also give you more ideas about getting creative, like looking through the slats on the crib. This photo above is still taken from an 'above' standpoint, but includes the mobile so it's a little more interesting. (at least I think so! haha). of course, don't get your camera strap in the photo like I did above. Geez, you'd think I was an amateur. I stood on a chair for this pic too.

Try getting below your baby (above) or on their level on the floor (photo below)

Sometimes my baby really has a serious look on his face. tee-hee
Please don't reuse these photos without my permission.

Ok, more tips coming soon. This weekend I have a big photoshoot on the frozen lake with some dancers. I'm eager to show you those!!!

visions in the snow...

2011-02-02T08:49:00.000-06:00

OK, what does this look like?? Besides snow on the corner of Wisconsin's capital??

Any ideas???????????????
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Ok, to me it looks like a squished storm trooper's helmet from Star Wars---haha

How to take better baby photos

2011-02-01T10:22:00.000-06:00

At the risk of sounding incredibly pompous here, I'm going to write about a few tips on how to make your baby photos a little better than the run-of-the-mill ones most people take.

The first easy trick is to have plain backgrounds. Yes, sometimes it nice to see the living space that is the baby's first home, but if you're going for a more artistic approach, then the focus should be the kid and not the TV in the background.

Our baby room theme was bright bold colors (and airplanes). My step-mom made a set of crib sheets for us in some awesome solid colors. These have proved very handy for nice photos.

Especially if the outfit compliments the sheet color.

If you don't have sheets like these, any fabric laid on the floor will do.

Or you could go the opposite route: busy background, like a quilt or play rug like this one, and a plain outfit. Still a colorful photo, but not too busy for the viewer's eyes.

These are all headshots as you can see. But try this simple idea and see if you like your photos. This trick makes for good pics for the fridge or for your baby's profile pic for their own new Facebook page. :)

Ok, I'll have more tips for better baby pics soon, discussing point of view, directional lighting, and depth of field.

P.S. None of these photos have been processed for finishing touches. Please don't reuse them w/o my permission.

Baby Basie

2011-01-27T09:28:00.000-06:00

Not a very technically exciting photo, or even nicely shot or composed interestingly. But, I got the idea to put him in Trevor's dance shoes this morning when I put this onesie on him, which reads, "Who needs Baby Mozart? I listen to Baby Basie." That's right.

Dancers on TV

2011-01-26T19:28:00.000-06:00

Dax Hock and Sarah Breck were on TV recently competing in a reality dance show. It was the best lindy hop televisionland has ever seen (usually on these dance shows they do 'the swing' which ends up essentially being very jive-ish). Although they didn't make it to the final round, I was quite proud of them. It was awesome to see people on there that I've met and danced with, and very refreshing to see actual lead and following on TV. Hopefully if another opportunity comes around they, or another awesome couple (or team), will feel the urge to represent again.

I also gotta hand it to them - I would be WAY too nervous to even THINK about dancing on live TV. My following would go right out the window and my poor leader would be left looking like an idiot because of me.

Dax and Sarah also happened to be the subjects of one of my more awesome photos from Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown in 2006 (above). This happened to be during the diversity round.

Awesome job Dax and Sarah!

Night shots

2011-01-20T14:02:00.000-06:00

Yes, I've taken this photo once or twice before. But I really do love the view from my apartment. The moon was so big and red two nights ago that I grabbed my camera (with one hand since I was carrying Dax), set it up on my windowsill with the gorillapod, and snapped away. As the light faded my exposures got longer and longer. Too bad the moon had a double reflection due to the window, but oh well. Dax was very patient sitting in my lap as I snapped for about ten minutes.

Baby Laundry

2011-01-19T18:17:00.000-06:00

Fun fun with the little one! I had this idea for a while and finally decided last weekend to get in gear and do it. Trevor, always my wonderful assistant, helped get Dax to smile :)

Professional Portraits gone urban

2011-01-14T15:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I set up a mini studio in the living room to take headshots of my friend T. She wanted to look older and reliable. Okey-dokey. Dax thankfully took a nice nap for most of it.

Then we ventured outside for a little fun fun with more of an urban feel. King St. is perfect, and I've used it several times for shots before. Dax hung out in the baby carrier facing outward, watching the goings-on. He smiled a lot. Can't blame him with such a pretty model!!

I see this one above as the 'visionary' or something photo....haha

We had a lot of fun and T was a good sport. It was only about 24 degrees out!

And what would a public photoshoot be without a random stranger asking to be in a photo--NOTHING! And this one didn't disappoint... ha.

ISO 200, 50mm lens, Canon 50D

FOG FOG FOG

2011-01-09T20:42:00.001-06:00

Recently there were some veeeerry foggy days in Madison. Photo op time!

On New Years Eve, I snapped a bunch of photos around the capital as I made my way to the bank.

It was unusually warm (hence the fog) and there were many people out and about. I also saw a wedding party at Grace Church on the square. I bet those bridesmaids were happy it was 40 degrees out! Coulda been a lot colder!

I thought about the wedding photographer a lot. I see a trendy trend in wedding photography that pushes the contrast in the photos, and makes sure the blacks are a dark black. I wondered if the couple would realize that all there photos would not have a black in it that day, but only various shades of grey, and I hoped they were ok with that. Might not be what they had in mind, but it sure was moody.

I looked like one of those tourists I always pass as I cut through the capital to get to State Street. It was fun fun!

Happy Christmas

2010-12-24T10:03:00.000-06:00

I recently took photos of my friend's little girl....and this was the last shot of the session. Good thing too because she was done with that nonsense! She only held this pose for half a second--haha!

I love taking photos by Christmas tree light! Thankfully my subjects weren't moving a whole lot.

Merry Christmas everyone!
I wish you health, love, and prosperity this coming year!

foot shot

2010-11-20T12:00:00.001-06:00

OK, I'll admit I totally stole this shot idea from a greeting card. I received it multiple times so I took that as an omen-haha

You can click on the image if you want to see it larger.

That's Trevor on the left and me on the right. Dax in the middle in case you haven't guessed. Trevor said he needed to sign a waiver for me to post a pic of his feet online...the little stinker (teehee, I made joke, stinker...feet...kidding, he has very nice non-smelling feet as you can see.)

oye. I need more sleep.

flipbook

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

Finally got to the office to finish this project. Just picked a random song since Dax was fussing in my lap.
It's a very low-res video, but eh, I have little time to wait around for uploads these days. You get the idea!

Film Noir Dax

2010-10-27T09:52:00.000-05:00

Hahaha....I discovered the manual settings on our new little point and shoot. Of course I needed to play with the black and white options.

So when Dax was so nicely sitting in my lap, I had so much fun trying to shoot some 'film noir'-esque photos. I laughed my head off which made Dax give me funny looks.

This one reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's famous profile! Dax needs a cigar.

These photos are straight from the camera and if I was more of a pro I would lighten the up and tweek the contrast, but oh well. Maybe another day.

And no, this blog isn't only going to have photos of my son from now on. I do have some other photo gigs coming up, but he's my latest project :)

Dax's first week

2010-10-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting the studio shots Trevor and I did with Dax when he was 6 days old (or was it 5 days old? My lack of sleep that week makes those days meld together).

These hands are Trevor's. There were a few he took of me holding Dax, but I haven't had time to process the RAW files yet though.

It's interesting that each baby I've photographed has had quiet a different personality, and therefore quiet different photos were taken.

Dax has been a side sleeper since he was born. None of this back sleeping for my kid it seems!

This one below is my favorite! Dax was not used to being on his stomach, so we're glad he relaxed into this pose. The cloth diaper is so big on him! I might photoshop this a bit more to remove Trevor's left hand, we'll see.

He was probably about 6lbs 5 oz in these photos. Not quite back up to his birth weight.

I need to take more photos before he gets much bigger! He's growing before my eyes!

My Baby Dax

2010-10-19T09:57:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while because on Oct 2nd I gave birth to my firstborn - my son Dax! And let me say, he is very photogenic!I took these photos this morning. Dax is 17 days old today (wow-time is flying!) I used my Canon 50D with my 50mm lens. Dax was in my arms so every shot was a close up! I had to hold the camera upsidedown in my left hand. This is hard to do....I even wrapped the shoulder strap around my wrist so I wouldn't accidentally drop the camera on the kid. Screaming kids are not photogenic--tee-hee
This is natural light from my windows.

I couldn't help myself! What a cutie!I did a photoshoot with the black backdrop (like the other babies) with Dax when he was about 5 days old. I still need to process the RAW files which my laptop is having trouble with. So when I get back to the office, that's on my to-do list!

Untitled 17 show 2010

2010-09-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

We're at it again!

Two years ago I participated in a group photography showing, called Untitled 17. The same organizers stirred us all into action again to create another showing to coincide with PhotoMidwest.

Here's the flier for the show:
I think I'm listed second because I have a long name...I'll take it!

Everyone is invited to attend the opening reception, or just drop in to see the show another time.

I plan on attending the reception - at least for the first half or however long my newborn will permit me. Thankfully, I'll have my Mom and wonderful hubby nearby to help out with the little tike. Super excited!

My series this time is not as complete as the 1950s movie posters were last time, but I took a stab at another time-consuming photo series and am happy with what I actually did. Especially since my main project this summer was 'ohmygosh I have to get ready for this baby!' I'm glad I forced myself to create any photo project. Feels like too long since I did an in-depth series (and might be a while before I do another!) who knows?

10 Billion Beats for Peace

2010-09-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Gimme some sticks and a drum! I feel like pounding!

I just attended the 10 Billion Beats for Peace, and international event to promote peace through drumming. One and half blocks from my house = have camera will shoot. Make way! Uber pregnant lady with big 'ol camera coming through! haha A lot of friends from my Unity of Madison church were there.

**Disclaimer - these photos are straight out of camera so the levels are kinda flat.***

The event was so Madison.I know it's hard to hear what the drummers 100 feet away are doing, but from my percussionist viewpoint it's kinda amusing to see something like this separate the rhythm havers from the rhythm have-nots...haha Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, though I think we temporarily displaced a few of the regular homeless people who usually camp around there-haha

I don't often shoot this sort of photojournalistic style. It was nice to do, even though I had already stood too much today and my feet were quite tired. oh well.

Here's a photo of one of the organizers, Pete.

These photos I took at either 1600 or 2000 ISO (film speed) with my f/1.8 50mm lens. It let me shoot without a flash until about 7:40 when it became pretty tough to use auto focus. I tried my hand at manual focus, but only managed to do it decently about 40% of the time! I thought my eyes were pretty good too.... huh.

My fav photo of the evening is Rev Marshall and his wife Shanti rockin it out with the Park Bank building in the background.

Interesting. In camera, I didn't notice that these photos all had a blue hue. Now I see them and am like, "whoa! gimme some color correcting, stat!" tee-hee I'm just anal. It was twilight after all.....

Finals for Oct showing

2010-09-09T12:21:00.001-05:00

Inspired by Cirque du Soliel, I created an photo series idea that as a society we tend to suppress our inner muses, stick to the straight and narrow and look away when the deepest parts of our minds want to play.

Well, my goal to have this series done before my baby came is somewhat fulfilled. I'm not sure if three photos constitute a series, but I certainly had a lot more ideas in my head, as illustrated by this first picture (it's so photoshopped, I can't really call it a photo).

This shows my crazy inner workings. My brain loves manufacturing grand photo ideas, and then I'm set to task of creating them outside my head. They do and don't always come to fruition. As you notice in one of Gina's drawings in this picture, the alley idea is still only in my head.

Gina Schiappacasse made these drawings for this series based on my ideas. They were very helpful in getting my ideas out of my head. In this picture above, you can see my written ideas and her drawings.

These are the other two that will be displayed in the Untitled 17 collaborative photography show in October:

This window one I toned down the character's head a little from my first draft. Looks more like a real reflection now.

I would've loved to have done at least one more, but this was one of many many projects on my plate now (getting ready for baby was numero uno project for this whole summer!)

I'm also going to show my lamp at this showing as well. Why not?

My pregnancy photoshoot

2010-09-07T17:41:00.001-05:00

On my long pre-baby to-do list was to have Trevor take photos of me and my baby bump. I've seen other photographers do this, and people pay money to have this done, so I figured, I have a studio--and a guy who has a great eye, let's give it a go! So we did on Labor Day.

I set up the studio, arranged the lights, set the camera to the correct settings, then passed it to Trevor to work the magic.

Here's three pics from the shoot:
We did the cliched hands-making-heart of belly shot. Took a few tries to cover up my belly button. Love the 9 second self timer!

Trevor told me to goof off and have fun...OK! I'm wearing one of his shirts in this photo :) This one below is actually quite cute in color but I decided to make it black and white to keep with the feeling of the others I processed.

There are many many others, some which include Trevor and I might post one of them soon...and some where I'm showing a lot more skin which I will not post--haha

2nd Go at Baby Photos

2010-08-27T16:50:00.000-05:00

This morning I had the pleasure of photographing my friend J. and her almost 2 week old daughter Sarah. When I first met Sarah, she was a sleepy baby, but today she absolutely loved the camera and her eyes barely shut the entire time. Future model perhaps? ;)

I used my black t-shirt to wrap around her for a few shots. She wasn't digging the classic foot shot, but wanted to kick and squirm instead. Well, ok! We definitely got many other cool ones instead. Feet shmeet.

I especially like this one above. It was just a moment before she realized she didn't like being held this way!

Near the end she finally dozed off a little nuzzling into Mom. Awww....she's so cute. I'm glad I got to do this. More experience for me and it certainly takes my mind away from my own pregnancy aches and pains (and I get practice for my own little guy!)

Cirque inspired window shoot

2010-08-23T13:27:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how much one can get done when the internet is not installed yet. I cranked this photo out in one afternoon waiting for the Charter guys to come to our new office. I'm pretty darn happy with it. The only thing I would've done differently is to take a few more photos with more variety of expressions. Some pretty outlandish ones, just to have the option.

All in all, I'm pretty proud of it.

The reflection of the character was too dark, so I had her look my way instead. It's a compilation of these photos:
This, along with my office shot, will be displayed in the Untitled 17 showing at the Commonwealth Gallery on the near east side, with a reception on Oct 17th. If you come, I'm sure to be hanging around with my new baby! I hope to take one more photo for the show.

What do you think of this one??

Behind the Window

2010-08-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

Last week I finished the headdress for the Window shoot for my Cirque series. My little watermelon from the Farmer's Market served as my model head. Artist's foam, acrylic paint, lots of hot glue, ribbon, cotton balls, and feathers.

Today Ashli came over with her fiance Russell and we shot the second in my Cirque series. Based on this drawing. These photos below were graciously taken by Russell.

Jeez louise! I had no idea my bump looked so big. Wow! Anyway...we had to wait until this Coke truck left. I'm not shooting such a blatant image of Coke without a little corporate sponsorship (aka $$$) coming my way.

Thankfully it got sunny out for the actual shooting. It made the buildings across the street pop out a lot more than had it been cloudy. Don't get the porta potty in the shot!!!

Next phase was the character makeup! I hadn't had the chance to try it out of myself first like I usually do, but I think it turned out great. Here we're attaching the eye brow feathers with spirit gum.

By the way, have a raved about Mary Kay's makeup remover? It's the best ever and got all this goop off Ashli's face.

And the headdress stayed on! I little spirit gum went a long way. Yippee! I swear, the most useful class I took in college turned out to be Stage Makeup. Thanks Dr. Bill!

I was afraid the headdress was too heavy to stay in place so Ashli held it there until I was ready. Great photo Russell! Nice composition!

It was getting close to 11am, and thankfully there weren't people in the Sushi restaurant inside the window. Though Ashli said a little girl inside just stared at her....

You can see the reflection of a cop car parked there. I think we intrigued him 'cause he watched us. I didn't pay much attention to the other people on the street, but later Russell did a pretty hilarious reenactment of an old lady giving us a double take.

This headdress and makeup was designed by Gina Schiappacasse. Thanks Gina!

Ok, with moving our home office to a remote office and setting up the baby room, it might be a couple of weeks before this finished photo is ready to show the world. Stay tuned!

More Progress

2010-08-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

Cirque inspired photoshoot #2 is coming together. Once I figured out how to approach the manufacturing of the headpiece it was pretty easy to start. And I think I've found a window to use too. Maybe this weekend I'll ask Trevor to be a good sport and stand in front of it so I can practice my idea. I got a few stares today whilst taking this photo. haha...I'm used to it. It's a window in the Rastuarant Muramoto--the sushi place in the first floor of my apartment building. I could see a guy inside giving me a curious look.

Here's the first few pieces for the headdress!

Progress

2010-08-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

Today I was on the other side of the camera, and was a model for some UW Health OB/GYN promo. Don't tell anyone that I go with Dean Health ;) But, seriosuly, how many people actual use the products they endorse? I bet the number is low.

It was a fun shoot to volunteer for, as I will get copies of the photos. It felt a bit weird to get so dressed up on a Wednesday morning and putz around the Farmer's Market on MLK Jr. Blvd. It was fun and I got to talk shop with the photographer. I checked out his equipment (--his lenses people!) People stopped and stared at us...it was memorable! My friend Angie took pics of the shoot, so I'll have to post those too.
Whilst looking so cute I had to take a photo for my prego flipbook, so here's the latest:

From my visual perspective, I don't look this big. I've definitely got the basketball in front pregnant look going :)
For reference (mine probably more than yours) here's a pic from around Feb. haha

Office - Cirque Series

2010-07-21T15:02:00.000-05:00

Here it is! The fruits of my labor from this photoshoot. I've picked the two best photos and did some photoshop magic and came up with this:

I liked this angle the best because it had a bit more tension that the straight-on shot. It's hard to see it small here, but if you click on it, I think you'll get a bigger sample.

Thanks again Nikki for your awesome modeling, Maureen for your assistance, and Mike for the use of your office's cube.

I'm not sure if it's missing something....thoughts anyone? Is there another photoshop technique to use to get the character in the monitor to look less 2D? I would like it to look 'real' :)

Thanks!

Next Cirque photo

2010-07-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

I know y'all are eager to see the fruits of our labor from the first Cirque-inspired shoot, and I assure you that will be forthcoming soon.

In the meanwhile, I'm starting the gears turning for the second one. Lovely Georgia has offered to help with makeup--which I'm very excited about as I know she is a creative and patient soul.

Gina Schiappacasse was so nice to draw my mind's creations for me. Below is the description I gave her....
And here is what she drew. It's like she looked into my head!!

I would love to use the grand mirror at the Ruby Marie B&B down the street from my house. It's regal, mysterious, and the walls are the awesome shade of weird green. Although, as my notes point out, I might want to try a street window reflection to add an extra real-life dimension.

My goal in this series is to show how no matter how strongly society suppresses (or we suppress ourselves) our inner creativeness and muses, they sneak up and reveal themselves to us. Might be more dramatic if she is out in the street.

Must think about this.......hmmmm......

I think my inner muse is trying to get out right now. My son is kicking my insides as I type this--haha

Sour Grapes and a little analysis

2010-07-16T14:43:00.000-05:00

This spring I submitted three photos for the Seven State Juried Competition, a biannual photo competition that is part of Photomidwest (a very cool local, month long photographic event). I submitted my Restaurant Magnus shot - the same one that got onto National Geographic's Your Shot website, and another photo from my Orpheum balcony series. I think it was the kissing one.

Both can be seen in this slideshow.

The third photo I submitted was this blue dancing one of Dax.

I took the time to look at the website of the one juror, Russell Joslin to see what kind of photos he takes. Lots of himself--I can relate to that! haha

So I was a bit surprised by his final selection of exhibitors for the competition. Here's a slideshow of them. I am familiar with maybe three of these photographers, and I know their passion for the art and the thought and energy they put in to it. Which I love. The rest I don't know. I don't know which photos in the slideshow go with which photographer. But I thought it would be interesting to the readers here (if there are any) as to why I'm scratching my head just a little bit over this whole thing.

Here's a few factoids before I begin:
1) My work is not the end-all-be-all. I would love to be bet in a competition by photos that blow mine out of the water. I love being inspired. I don't feel that happened here. I'm not partial to nature photos in general, but try to keep an open mind.

2) It's hard to see these slideshow photos with such a small thumbnail. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these in person and larger. Then perhaps I will see more detail I might've missed online.

3) Oftentimes other photographers and viewers interpret things a lot differently than I do when we look at the same photo. I tend to make judgment much quicker than others. Go figure, we're different people.

Here's my comments on a couple images from the slideshow (for whatever it's worth):

#7: It's a tree. While the background is kinda mysterious and moody, the tree is smack dab in the middle of the photo. I don't feel it. Maybe just me, it's a tree.

#8 & #9: Maybe I need to see these bigger, because it looks like there is some little writing on the bottom, but it looks like a backyard. 9 looks more interesting than 8, but I guess I will check them out on the wall.

#11: This one succeeds in my mind in creating tension, mystery, and intrigue. The lighting is nice, the perspective, and I can begin to create stories about who might be around the corner.

#14: I love the curve of the parking ramp, the biker leaving the frame, the contrast, and the echo of a shadow on the wall. What bugs me is the main shadow of the photographer and the tripod. Ruins the mystery for me.

#16: It's two trees. I don't feel any story, feeling, or reason to look deeper into the photo. Dunno.

#21: Intriguing. I want to see bigger.

#24: It's a mushroom behind glass. I do like the lighting though, that's nice. I don't like the fact that the top of the display case has been cropped off. Maybe that was intended tension in which case, it worked! But it's still just a mushroom in a glass.

#26: Might be my favorite. haha--one of the few with a person in it! :)

#33: One of the stronger ones I think, simply because of the subject matter. It's intriguing, I want to know what happens in this room, what's going to happen next, I like the corner perspective, like we're trapped in the corner... Good choice to make it black and white.

#37: I've seen this photo a billion times. Not this exact one, I'm being sarcastic here.

#46: I want to like the eerie sky and the telephone pole, but the horizon in the middle is just too right there for me to get around. Would love to see a different perspective. This has potential.

Ok, that's a quick run through of my two cents. Take with a grain of salt if you wish. I was just surprised that the same mood was in nearly every photo. Had a known the theme was 'foggy outdoor moody shot', I would've picked a few different entries! I've got a few contenders in my portfolio.

Wedding in Milwaukee

2010-07-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I attended my cousin's wedding. It was a fantastically beautiful and extravagant affair. They used the Milwaukee Art Museum for the reception. I had been there a couple of times before, so I knew that it would be gorgeous. I was not disappointed!

And the cooler thing was, this building is so uniquely designed that it just begs for photos to be taken. Being after hours, I didn't have to deal with a lot of random people getting in my photos. Perfect!
Trevor was more than excited to pose for this photo. It was his idea in fact. I angled the camera a bit for more dramatic effect. Natural light was very nice at this time of day.

Whenever I shoot weddings, I love taking dance photos the most. So naturally I had to scamper around near the band and the official photographer to catch a few shots of the first dance. They did a fun one, which makes dance photos even more enjoyable to shoot.
Here's a somewhat shotty panorama of the museum ceiling. It was so pretty!

Then it was Trevor's turn to take a photo of me in the hall. I wanted to jump. So I adjusted the camera settings and after a few tries we got a good one! Nice job Trevor!

If I was ever hired to do a wedding at this facility, I would seriously want about 3 solid hours to take photos of the wedding party. This is the best place ever. Although Madison's Overture Center is pretty awesome too.

First Cirque-inspired shoot!

2010-07-02T22:31:00.000-05:00

Whoo-hooo! I shot my first Cirque du Soliel inspired shot today! see here I spent all week making a ridiculously simple top for the character, a slightly more complicated head piece, then practiced the makeup on myself last night.

My assistant Maureen and the model Nicholas were awesome and together we made some kick-ass photos. The finished product will be a few weeks off, but here's a sneak peak from behind the scenes:I took me about 50 minutes to apply the makeup and another 15 to figure out how to pin the top on him. I'm certainly no seamstress, so this proved a bit half-baked. Improvisation is key. And a few staples in the fabric also help. This photo above was taken by Trevor.

A little orange light makes any photo look good! We couldn't decide if the character looked cool or just creepy like a scary clown. Either way, I got a few good ones and from multiple angles. Options are good! Above photo by Trevor.

We took Trevor's office chair out from under him and ventured over to Sonic Foundry where Mr. Mike so graciously let us use the cubicle next to his. It was empty, and bless his heart, he had the foresight to bring some cleaning materials from home. It was quite dusty in there. The above photo was taken by Maureen. I'm employing the pregnant wall squat. I should take photos while doing wall squats all the time, it's a great distraction!
Then I stood on a stool. I feel ok with having skipped my workout this morning, because I was sweaty and beat after this shoot. It was super fun and I'm very excited to put the shots together in photoshop. I think we have a winner. Above photo taken by Maureen.

BABY!!!

2010-07-01T11:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took photos of my friend's 6 week old baby Soren. Although he wasn't inclined to smile for the camera, he didn't need to do much to look cute anyway.

I used the natural light from my plethora of windows in my apartment, and it worked out pretty well! Don't you just want to kiss those little toes? I had no idea how to get this type of 'foot shot' so I wrapped one of my t-shirts around him. haha

My friend was actually just trying to shush him in this position with her hands, and I said, "Oh, come sit over the black backdrop!" and we got this photo just as he was dozing off.

He was a little too big already to get into the cute curled-up-nude-baby pose. He was having none of that. But these shots are just as good if not better!

It was fun to do.

Lovely G. and Photoshop tricks

2010-06-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the summer solstice and I always try to spend the whole day outside. Aside from the torrential rain in the morning and the tornadoes that swept through the state in the evening, I was still able to spend a good chunk of time out-of-doors.

One opportunity was to take headshots of my friend. I've known her for years and was delighted to do so. At the end of the shoot (in which we braved spits of rain and mosquitoes sucking the life from us) I told her I would work with the photos before putting them on a CD for her. To which she asked, "What do you do to the photos?"

Good question!
So here's a behind-scenes-secret-look into what I do with photoshop after a photoshoot and why I don't like to just give my photos away straight out of camera.

Assuming I've done my job and taken a decent photo in-camera (proper exposure, focus, and composition, even color correcting) I don't have much to do in post-processing. Hopefully during the shoot I also noticed things like lint and wonky hair and did something in the moment about it.

Ok....here's some before and after photos:

BEFORE:
The color from the grass was tinting my friend a little green, and even though this was decently exposed, the photo was a little flat. Flat meaning that the darks could be darker and the lights could be lighter in order to make the image more interesting, or to 'pop' out a bit more.

AFTER:
So I corrected the color to warm it up, and boosted the contrast just a bit.

BEFORE:
I thought this photo was a bit flat straight out of camera.

AFTER:
Boosted contrast a little and darkened the darks.

BEFORE:
Once again, thought the pic was a little flat and boosted the blacks, lightened up the shadow the hat made on her eyes, sharpened the entire image just a smidge, and added a dash of higher contrast.

AFTER:
This photo I think is my favorite from the shoot!

office shoot - Cirque idea

2010-06-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

Mike B. was kind enough to let me into his office space to check out possible cubicles for my photoshoot (the one in this post . I figured the office one would be the easiest shot to start the summer with.
The cube is unoccupied so I can bring in props, sneak in a monitor and make it look thoroughly miserable! When in actuality, Mike's office was very nice, with views of our lovely local Overture Center directly behind me! I'll take the shot with the make-upped character in studio, then have fun Photoshopping it all together!

Now I need to find a male model...

Waukesha wedding

2010-06-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was my first wedding of the summer, and so far, the only one I have scheduled. Not knowing what to expect as a pregnant wedding photographer, it worked out fine! There was a handy ladies room right next to the outdoor wedding location, and since it was so muggy outside, my 16oz of water I chugged while taking photos didn't even run through me. (is this TMI?)The only problem I encountered what that my back really began to ache by the end of it. I was happy to sit down for dinner. Oddly enough, my back hasn't really hurt at all yet during pregnancy, but apparently 5 hours of climbing, walking, carrying equipment, and crouching down will do it! Go figure.

I'm sad but glad that I turned down the weddings I was offered in August, Sept, and Oct.

The couple was very nice and relaxed. The rain held out just enough to keep us all from running for cover. Frame Park in Waukesha is a beautiful location, and oddly enough, where I am going to have my baby shower with my family in a few weeks, and had my bridal shower 7 years ago. Funny though, I never noticed this outdoor amphitheater.
I love getting a photo of the couple walking back down the aisle immediately after the ceremony. That's usually when the most unguarded smiles are produced, and the pure excitement is truly shown on their faces. I remember making that same walk with Trevor and the emotion is just so powerful! You're married!!

I scoped out this scene when I visited Frame Park with mom a few weeks ago. What a cute little creek, and I'm glad we were able to squeeze this one in before heading to the next location. I really couldn't tell the couple what to do since there was a very loud train going through right behind them! haha (if photos could talk!) I think I just yelled, 'Kiss!' and they got the idea.

I desaturated this photo just a bit, because I thought it made her dress stand out more.

Fun fun!
Oh, I forgot to add...I of course had to take a mirror photo of myself. I'm half in the stall because I was worried someone would walk in...haha

Spontaneous photoshoots with an awesome man

2010-06-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

Trevor and I had a wonderful time on our 'babymoon' vacation (where you take a vacation before you have your first baby!). Loads of time to relax and reconnect.

The first dressy night on the ship led us to the deck for a romantic walk. Seeing the blue light and lack of crowds on the desk, we spontaneously did a half hour photoshoot! I was on cloud nine! I love taking photos of Trevor, and self portraits, and combine that with a cool atmosphere and fun clothing, it was nearly the highlight of the trip for me!

It was a bit of a challenge because the surf was so loud we couldn't hear the beep of the timer or when the shutter snapped! haha So we just had to guess when we could move again.

Let me just reiterate how cool Trevor is. He's the perfect man for me! Why? Because he does stuff like this with me, and secretly I think he gets into it too. He even came up with this kissing scene above and did the running back and forth to the camera propped on the garbage can to press the shutter button.

This dancing one took a few shots, but this one looks cool. You can see my baby-belly :)

This pose was also Trevor's clever idea.

3200 photos in one day!

2010-05-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I took photos for A Step Above's annual dance recital. This is the fourth year I've done it, and I love the way the photos turned out. These kids are so talented! They range from 4 or 5 year olds to high school seniors. It took 5 days of hard work to process and post them all online. whew!

Here's a few of my favorites:There's a few more favorites, but I already had to clear them off my computer.

camera decision time!

2010-05-10T17:05:00.001-05:00

Hmmm.....

Trevor and I are about to embark on a cruise! (disembark on a cruise???? haha)

Neither of us have ever been on one. I'm trying to decide what cameras to take. This decision is getting to be as tough as what clothes to pack! jeez!

Definitely taking the old point and shoot. And I have a pretty simple digital underwater camera I'll for sure bring. Trevor will be bringing the Zi8 video cam too.

SLR? or no SLR? I'm leaning toward SLR. I might leave it onboard if we plan to spend a load of time on the beach at one of our ports of call. I might want to swim with Trevor and would hate for my camera to walk off.

I think I'll take my old Rebel XT (if I still remember how to work it!). The day immediately after we return I have a big photoshoot that I need my Canon 50D for.

Hmm.....

pregnancy and boudoir???

2010-04-29T17:42:00.001-05:00

So today I did a slightly risque photoshoot with a client, and I went to demo the sexy pose and in my 4th-month pregnancy stage and nearly grunted when I got up! So unsexy, right?

Did I tell you about the flip book I'm making? I've seen people do this during their pregnancy...take a photo every week or more and then put it into a video that flips through the photos. So here's photo number one and the most recent photo from earlier this week (my week 17)

These photos are taken in the mornings. My friends primarily see me at night when I'm about 1-2 inches bigger than I am in the morning! haha Ah, wonderful digestion....

Also notice how my plants have died at the same time spring has sprung behind me! I'll post the flip book video up here when I'm all done.

More Lauras

2010-04-12T17:42:00.000-05:00

More photos from the double-Laura photoshoot...

I kept this one a little orangey.

I desaturated this one a tad--wanted it to look like a jean ad. Though, these days, if it were a jean ad she'd be half naked pressed up to a 18 year old boy. I digress...

Gotta love the Union! Nice sunny days...and my coat from Maxwell St Days.

Thanks Laura N, it was fun fun!

The Lauras unite

2010-04-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

I worked with a fun model, who incidentally is also named Laura, at the UW Memorial Union here in Madison. I'm only done processing a bit of the photos, but here's one to show the world:
I opted to keep a little of the orangey tint that the walls provided. This was natural light.

I decided to crop this one on the longer side, just to see what it would look like. I kinda like it.

More to come!!

alley idea continued...and progress made

2010-03-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

Last Sept I made a post about an alley photoshoot idea. Well, I've finally taken some steps to make it happen!! And in the meantime, the shoot has turned into an entire series idea. Merging Cirque du Soliel type characters, shadow and photoshop, I'm going to make this happen!

I've enlisted the help of a few creative friends, starting with the lovely Gina Schiappacasse. I emailed her some similar Cirque images like the one above, roughly sketched out some ideas I had, and asked her to go to town.
This is one of the lame drawings I have Gina. She had quite the task ahead of her...but came up with some really awesome stuff:
Hmm...I think I'll leave it hanging at that now....don't want to give up to much of my project idea...
:)

Ethereal MG&E

2010-03-10T14:54:00.000-06:00

I was kinda moping around today because it is sooo foggy and uninspiring outside. I was working on the couch, and looked up to see the top of MG&E plant peeking out from the fog that had been covering it for pretty much two days. I was suddenly very inspired to take a photo!

And this was the best of the lot:

10 minutes later the scene had changes entirely.

Gels in the Kitchen!

2010-03-08T17:51:00.000-06:00

So I was in a snappy mood (get it?) one night when Trevor and I were working hard on his website a few weeks ago. I took a break to play once again with my new flashes and trusty theatre gels.

Put my camera on my gorilla pod, and with a long exposure, set my flash off several times in one shot. This one here is actually 3 shots put together. This won't be winning any awards, but hey, it was fun and got my creative juices going :)

The longest project = Completed!

2010-03-01T12:32:00.000-06:00

Yay! Huzzah!

My longest ever project has successfully been completed. when I was about 14-16 years old, I saw a lamp in a storefront window while on vacation, and this lamp had a lampshade made out of slides! Well, I can do that, and someday I will, I thought to myself. Well, fast forward to when I'm now 30, and the lamp in my head has taken physical form on my nightstand.

I needed to borrow my sister Margo's film SLR camera last August, and I popped some slide film in and took a bunch of photos around her house and neighborhood. BUT! 36 slides was not enough :( So, fast forward a couple months and I'm digging in my Dad's old photo boxes, and come across countless slides of when I was a kid. I decided to pilfer a few to complete my lamp.

Three lamp purchases later (one returned, two destroyed), my project is complete.

And here's a close up of some of the slides from my Dad's basement. That's me as a little girl on the left, a celebration of my grandma's 70th birthday on the right (the one that says Mom on a big cake), and a pic of my Grandpa Malischke laughing at my aunt and uncle's wedding on the bottom left. I've never seen a photo of him looking so happy, so I just had to let it see the light and be preserved on my lamp.

Here's the inside view. I hooked them together using strands from hanging wire usually used on picture frames. It took a while. I hot glued the ribbons on the top and bottom.

Gina's new website

2010-02-26T09:29:00.000-06:00

I'm honored to have this and another photo included in Gina Schiappacasse's new website. I know someday she'll be big and famous, and maybe she'll give me a discount on her awesome clothing line.

http://ginaschiappacasse.com/

Here's a pic of me taking photos at that shoot. This was in Lazy Jane's Cafe on Williamson St. I saw that awesome purple staircase and natural lighting and just had to do a shoot there.This photo is taken by Gina :)

back in the bathroom

2010-01-26T17:53:00.000-06:00

It didn't take me long to get back into the bathroom.

I had to try out my new wireless flash trigger and it works like a charm. The style of photography that I got this for works best if it's not a self-portrait because multiple exposures are needed and it's hard to get myself into the same position after moving. But alas, there was no one else around to try it on. This photo above is three photos merged together, as I stuck my flash into the dirty laundry with a couple of theatre gels on it. (Thanks UWEC). I had two more photos with purple gels, but it didn't line up because I wasn't in the same spot and it didn't look quite right, so they got the ax.

This photo is just one shot gelled with orange. yay! I think I like this $25 investment very much!!

camera bag

2010-01-25T10:04:00.000-06:00

Long and hard has been my quest to find a cute camera bag. I now have a small collection of cute diaper bags, cute large leather purses, and the trusty Canon bag that screams 'boring'. Well, none of those hit the spot.

Jill-e, I am your new biggest fan. not only did I find your website, my favorite bag is now on sale. aw, thanks!

My trusty Canon bag is great for weddings and other professional gigs, but do I really want to trek around Paris this May with that on my shoulder? uh, no. This little yellow puppy will hold my SLR, two small extra lenses, and won't be a pain to open and close in the middle of a place like, say, Times Square. Maybe I can even mush my gorilla pod and flash into it if I only have one extra lens.

Yippee!

Bought a new toy!

2010-01-20T11:34:00.000-06:00

So I finally bought a wireless hot shoe flash trigger! super excited. It's on the cheaper end, not the coveted Pocket Wizard variety. But all two product reviews were positive, and it fits into my budget in the dead of winter. I'm planning on using it for several shoots, including the (now) infamous alley photoshoot that I am still planning on doing, dangit!!This photo has nothing to do with this post, but I took it yesterday during my walk on the lake.

Rubin's Couture Showcase

2010-01-16T14:06:00.001-06:00

Last night's reception at the Couture show at Rubin's was amazing! I had such a blast meeting Normand Couture, and associate Jeff Velick (who rocked an awesome brown, pinstriped suit). Lovely Shana introduced me to Normand immediately when I arrived, and it was perfect timing as he was able to chat with me for about 10 minutes. I must say, that tie belt I purchased at the Young Designers Market in Manhattan when I visited Gina last March is quickly becoming my prized fashion possession. Normand instantly complimented me on it and said he might be inspired to base a new work on it....haha...I guess I'm the liaison between two designers inspiring each other in a round about way. :) Speaking of Gina, her piece was right by the delicious food and the bar...Normand also liked my photography and asked me for my business card. SO GLAD I rode back up my elevator after getting to my first floor and remembering that I forgot them! He also told me which piece on display he didn't like and would take off the wall immediately given the option. But that's a secret between him and me (and anyone else that he shared it with!!) Later on lovely hubby Trevor arrived and was so gracious to take a few photos of me (see above and the ones below). Trevor has a really great eye for photography; I think it's time I bought him his own camera :) Here's a photo of me and my triptych of the Santa Monica Pier's Ferris Wheel. Trevor says I need to define "triptych" (no, you don't get it from AAA for a road trip, that's a TripTik...Triptych is really just a three paneled work of art. But how not-swauve is it to say it that way?)My friends Sarah Sassypants and her lovely hubby Mike arrived, which afforded of course many more photo opportunities as we checked out the incredible furniture. We were having such a blast, that Normand took photos of Sarah and I too! I told him if he looked at the portfolio on my website half the photos on it had Sarah in them! ('tis true!) And he showed us how versitile the couch we were sitting on was. I think it's now a goal of mine to someday own a piece of his furtniture...that same someday when Trevor and I hire Shana to deck out our whole house. My friend Natalia and her boyfriend Shawn also arrived. So naturally she had to pose on the couch again with us...I love how in this photo you can see a reflection of Trevor and Mike. :) Miss Shana also rocked the house with a fantastic new dress that showed her off perfectly. I wish I had gotten a photo of Shana and I together, but she was running around doing official business (like rearranging food below--haha) and frankly, I forgot. Sad.And I told Gina I'd take lots of photos, so here's one more. And quite possibly the best photo of the night....Sarah reclines in a chair for sale elsewhere in the store. The lamp was right in my view, and I decided not to move it when I took a photo of her. You know me, I'm all about realism. ;)

Rubin's showcase

2010-01-14T14:36:00.000-06:00

Rubin's Furniture is a local furniture store that consistently wins local prizes as being the popular favorite. Their furniture is contemporary and awesome, consistently inspiring me in what I could do with my home, and making my husband shake his head at my crazy ideas.

My friend Shana works there and graciously asked me to display and sell some of my photography works in their new Couture International showcase. I was eager to come up with some new images and work with fresh ideas.

I already posted about my Gina photo, which is printed 3x5 feet, and I also made the blue dancer photos of the same size. A third piece of the Santa Monica ferris wheel completes my three pieces for the show. Tomorrow night is the Grand Opening. I'll take photos and post them here!!

Favorite Place on Google

2009-12-23T10:37:00.000-06:00

Well, ya gotta love this! I received a letter from Google...thankfully I didn't recycle it thinking it was junk mail. They sent me a very nice letter saying that I'm listed as a Favorite Place on Google.

I'm not sure how prestigious this is or anything, but I felt proud of myself. I really haven't done any marketing, and this really doesn't mean that this has necessarily translated to great traffic and clients, but hey! It's a bragging right. Right?

They gave me a little window decal to put in my storefront window. I think I'll put it proudly in my 11th story window! Then the peeping Toms will be impressed. ;)