Modern Prairie Girl

I have a very sweet family that have been clients for awhile at LBI. The mum is English and is game for anything session-wise, so we decided to really do it up for her daughter Alice (who has an accent also—how perfect!) out in the Magic Forest. To say that this was a fun shoot just doesn’t do it justice. Everyone involved (including my two friendly make-up artists/costumers who saved the day–thanks Julia and Robin!) made it very special for me and for Alice.

OX.

The amazing Richard Avedon…he was incredible.

Avedon’s a fave. He was the pioneer in stripped down, white backdrop portraits…the master.

His images were raw…but powerful.

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So in admiration for Avedon’s amazing style I’m capturing B/W images with a white background lately.

I’ve been using this fun new lighting toy that makes this kind of portraiture super portable…which is great for just on-the-fly capturing of faces…

stripping it down to the essence of the person…

which, of course, the Blair kidlets aren’t really that into…but it just melts me because I know these expressions so well.

These lovelies were captured at a recent portrait session…sisters who are close…I am especially drawn to the expression below…wow.

Some other work from this month…

Beautiful scene, lovely guitar-playing prairie girl…so dreamy!

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Recognize the chair?! Almost broke it with this trick…think it might need to stay in the house with books on it.

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I did an event called “Pooches in the Pearl”—an uber cool area to live is in the lofts in downtown Portland in a hipster spot called The Pearl District (best shopping and restaurants ever). Anyway, met some lovely new dog friends…here are a couple..

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The sweetest little punkin’ who comes to us regularly…sparkliest eyes ever.

Photography is definitely something (whether canine or human) I love so deeply. It’s fun for me to work with people who are just learning how their cameras work. If you interested in attending an awesome retreat in July with moi and Elida Field (an amazing artist) at the Oregon Coast. Ignite the Heart info here.

Happy weekend, lovelies!!

OX.

I’ve had some of you ask me why I don’t sell fine art prints on Etsy….

Well, good question!

So–tonight I added my first few on there. I’m working on some custom shabby frames for mini canvases to go in. Will post those sometime in the next month.

Here is one of my fave prints I added to Etsy. One of my lovely MPG’s out East bought a 20×24 canvas of this “tushy pear” and I can’t wait to hear how it looks in her kitchen! Thanks, girl, for buying my art. ox.

Take a look at the rest, if you have a moment.

Happy Wednesday, lovelies–

OX.

The incomparable Kelly Corrigan…

She’s an amazing woman with a lot to teach the ladies of the world…I think her message is hope-filled and I really like that and need it in my life.

Some Kelly good-reads~

Get it here.

and here.

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Making a dream come true…Life before a heart ignited~

I’ve always been one to explore all creative areas…music and theater were the most instinctual for me. It was in my DNA and was like breathing. I’ve been singing since I cold talk. It was a passion I always indulged and was rewarded for (even having part of college covered by a voice scholarship), but I knew deep down that performing would not provide the life that I wanted.

I wanted to have a life where I was home at night with my family….even before the “family” ever even materialized.

…this I knew to be true.

Photography was a creative outlet I’d loved as a kid (shared it with my dad) and when it actually became a reality for me in the form of an old Minolta and lots of rolls of B&W film, I began to see that my right brain-ness could serve me well in other creative mediums.

It fit me.

With the arrival of the digital age and Photoshop (holy crow, that was a big learning curve), the experimenting became even more convenient and I felt like the artistry (and passion for it) was growing quickly. It was clear what I wanted to shoot.

Sometimes opportunities come knocking that you never thought were possible…being a photographer seemed too “pie-in-the-sky” so long ago, but it materialized just the same with long hours spent on something I was truly in love with. I do recognize that I was fortunate enough to have a supportive spouse who paid the mortgage…extremely helpful when pursuing dreams that might take awhile.

Via.

What is your Pie-in-the-Sky Dream?

What excites you in this world?

Interior design? Sewing clothes? Jewelry making? Even math (gasp!)?

Take note of where your attention goes…I call it the “look something shiny” phenomenon. You can be engrossed in something riveting like dishwashing or laundry and this “shiny thing” will cause you to snap your neck in hyper focus. It’s there! I know it is…we all have them.

What is yours?

Why have you not pursued this interest in the past?

Not enough time, resources, knowledge?

What would be the WORST thing that could happen if you took steps to pursue this passion?

Micro-steps…this is the best way to go toward this dream.

For me it was joining a forum called Ilovephotography.com  a little less than 10 years ago. When my baby was napping I would visit this site and learn portrait-taking techniques and gain knowledge about composition, portrait styles, etc. Then my little subject would wake up and I would practice. It grew from there…with tons of hard work (lots of deniro spent on film developing) and then a move to NY where lots of formal classes were taken….and lots of ”on-the-job” training. I loved every minute of it…this was my “something shiny”.

Via JayleenB. 

What micro-step can you take today to get closer to doing something you really love….something that lights you fire?

Via.

Perhaps…the perfect little retreat might come along to help you in your journey..

Via.

…the keys to finding what you’re looking for…more on this Wednesday. Artist pal, Elida Field, and and I have been cookin’ up something fabulous for July. Excited to share it with you!

Stay tuned!

Dream big, sweet friends…today is the day~

OX.

Loving this quote today…

The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn’t, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there.

~ Monica Baldwin

Holy cow, friends…yesterday, April 21st, was a pivotal day in the land of dreaming big for this MPG.

I received a call from Amherst Media, a photography book publisher, and they asked if I would be interested in writing a dog portrait studio how-to book….200 images, 178 pages….my vision.

Holy crap.

They read the article I had in Professional Photographer magazine, looked at the site and we conferenced via phone today. Pending the okay on the outline that I need to do (!!!) in the next couple of weeks, looks like I might become an author. Funny, because I’m always dreaming up book projects and never actually following through, claiming that life gets in the way. Could it be that I just needed a deadline?

I’ve personally learned a lot from these Amherst books…have my own libary of them going back 10 years. A photog I really respect named Tamara Lackey wrote this fab book…in fact, I bought it when it first came out. Her voice comes through so beautifully in its pages.

I’m excited…

nervous…

…trying to put a plan together.

I’ve been dreaming out loud so much lately…I think the daily inspiration from my bloggy pals and creative women around me has allowed me to even fathom that such a thing would transpire. Do you think saying (writing) these dreams out loud draws them to you?

There’s  a lot to do these days and all of this (book would be out in one year) is going to take schedule-making-discipline…not one of my spiritual gifts…one that needs a little butt-kicking…I think I’m up for butt-kicking…anyone up to butt-kick me? Please?

Anyway…kind of premature with this news…but I just had to share because I’m feeling great today and I deeply love sharing the ups and downs with you, lovelies…because we all have them and it’s so comforting to know we’re thinking good thoughts for each other.

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Segue to Uber-Warrior Krista……..

………who came in for a pick-me-up-photo shoot this week. Although she’s been focusing on the panty thing since her breast cancer diagnosis…we thought a little shift into the land of hats would be appropriate…

…since this girl wears so many of them.

Found a great quote in a fave photog’s Rodney Smith’s book, “The Hat Book”.

“A hat is a flag,  a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wering a costume; it’s the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it’s the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat.”  –Martha Sliter

It was a rough hair week for sweet Krista…the hair is falling out from chemo…she went wig shopping and blogged about the whole thing. We talked about what this means for her…when is it time to shave the ‘ole head…when is it time to just surrender and let it go. As with everything, she deals with this situation with humor, bravery and grace.

Behold multiple hat-wearin’ chica, Krista…

I think how a person deals with a crisis says an enormous amount about the deepest part of their heart. Krista has such a “well..it is what it is..so what is my next step” attitude and is so willing to share…I think her blog is just what the doctor ordered for women in all parts of the country dealing with breast cancer. Her positive outlook and attitude need to be bottled and used all the time…not just in times of crisis.

I can learn a lot from my friend.

Have a great weekend, lovelies! Can’t wait to see one of my maiden voyage MPG’s this weekend…smooches, Pati!

OX.