Recently, I met with my new friend Chris. He volunteered to sit and be interviewed for my project Portraits of Persons with Disabilities, an ongoing series promoting disability visibility. (If you would like to volunteer, sign up here.) Here are some outtakes of his photoshoot. Chris is posing with his service dog, Winston, in Highland Park, Michigan.
This is my first Behind the Scenes post and it’s on cocktails. I’ve set out to improve my skills photographing these popular libations. I’m not much of a drinker, but I do love the aesthetics associated with the cocktail.
Today, I did a deep dive into the research, using this shoot by Carolyn Fong for Punch Drink as inspiration. I read a few articles, looked at online magazines and consulted some videos on YouTube. I found this video by Khandie Photography a great starting off point. I liked that it was an on location shoot with minimal equipment. Then for a more professional lesson I consulted The Bite Shot. There were a few other videos watched in there, but these were the most helpful.
What started as a fun experiment ended in a head-scratching, technical conundrum. I was able to collect a fair amount of data which I will show below, but as experimentation often does, it left me with more questions than answers.
So, what DID I figure out? HIGHTLIGHTS! Hightlight placement is very important when it comes to cocktail photography. Check out the photos I took below and pay special attention to where the highlights fall.
Nothing brightens a winter day like citrus. Fruit packed with the nutrients required to get you through the cold and gloomy winter season. Pair that citrus with a creamy avocado and you are set. Here is a visual ode to winter citrus and avocado!
It happened again. I plug my external hard drive into my computer and my computer doesn’t recognize the hard drive. Unlike the past two hard drive failures, I am slightly more prepared for this one.
A few weeks prior, I backed up the hard drive to Amazon photos, an amazing service that comes included with your prime account. It offers unlimited photo storage, for no extra charge. ***If you are a photographer with an Amazon prime account, stop reading this and go back up your files.***
Another form of backup are the memory cards from my more recent photoshoots. This was a trick I learned from photographer, Kaye Ford. Always leave your photos on the memory card until the files are backed up and delivered to the client.
Moral of the story, backup your files, always! And back up to a cloud service, because external hard drives just don’t cut it.
Happy Halloween!
Currently seeking volunteers with disabilities to have their portrait taken for a series promoting disability visibility. Interested or know someone who might be? Sign up here!
Experiments in still life.
Mushrooms from the Eastern Market. Cannabis from our neighbor. Peonies from Trader Joes.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States voted to overturn the ‘landmark’ Roe v Wade decision. That same evening we met at the Theodore Levin Court House and marched through downtown Detroit. These are the photos from that protest.
This year the Lunar New Year has me reflecting on 4 Lunar New Year’s ago. My husband and I were living in the Uptown area of Chicago. We attended our first Lunar New Year parade days before setting off on our first jaunt in the Eastern hemisphere. Here’s a glimpse of our time in China & Thailand.
A round-up of my favorite photographs from 2021.
Read MoreAutumnal joy in New Lenox, IL with the Drakes!
How about that detail? Give it up for f/22!
This print is available in the shop.
In the last few weeks, I’ve taken headshots for two of my friends, Rebecca and Kit. Rebecca is an actress looking for a headshot more true to life than her current headshot. Kit is a massage therapist starting her own business who needed a headshot for her website. Both ladies are very talented and made great models. Take a look!
In October I helped my friends film a trailer for a production they put on. The show was called Tender Napalm. You can read more about the play in this article from the Chicago Reader where they used my image and I was not credited. I emailed the paper about the issue, hopefully I hear back from them soon. Below is the uncredited image and a few other images I took that day. Have a look!
Back in June, my husband and I packed our bags to head to Dubuque, IA for the weekend. As with most of our Midwest travel, this journey was family focused. Brian's cousin Zach was marrying his college girlfriend Emma at Loras College, their alma mater. Brian was to perform a reading in the ceremony.
To our surprise, we both really enjoyed Dubuque. The bed & breakfast where we stayed was in a historic part of the city and steps away from downtown. Check out our summer fun and consider taking a weekend trip to Dubuque.
This year, Brian and I hosted our first Thanksgiving. A momentous occasion for newlyweds, ours was very laid back. I snapped a portrait of each guest with their dinner contributions. Take a look at our very first, very laid back Thanksgiving.
Last month, my husband’s Grandmother (Carolyn) married her boyfriend Jim. They met a few years back at The Greens, a senior living community where they both reside. Earlier this year, Jim and Carolyn decided to make their relationship a permanent one. They set a wedding date of September 16, 2018. The couple enlisted the help of their neighbors to put together The Greens first-ever wedding celebration. The ceremony was held in the parlor of their senior living community and the bridal party were the couple’s children and grandchildren. All 150 guests were invited to stay for cake and punch after the ceremony. Needless to say, this was quite a special day. Take a look!
At Grandma’s first wedding she had a picture of her father placing a coin in her shoe for good luck. She wanted to recreate that image this time using her daughter, Anne.
At Grandma’s first wedding she carried this bible down the aisle. It was popular for brides to do this back then. This time she carried the bible on her walker.
The couple agreed to each keep their condos at the facility where they live. Here Jim is grabbing one last minute item.
It was important to Grandma to have Don’s (her first husband) siblings at her wedding. They were and continue to be a large part of her life. Above are her sister-in-laws, Karen & Marge. Below are Don’s brothers, Earl & Bob.
Lately, I’ve been struggling with some hefty hip pain. As a result, I haven’t been able to shoot as much as I’d like. Last week, I was able to squeeze in a quick headshot session with my BFF. He needed an updated headshot for an audition coming up. Obvi, he is a great model, thus we had this session done in 15 minutes. Off camera flash and natural light were used. For those wondering, yes, he got a call back. Check out this one shot wonder…
