January 27th, 2012
I’m participating in a few personal projects this year, primarily to push my own boundaries in both shooting and processing. It is so easy to feel down upon my own art, simply by looking at others art. It’s a strange thing really, because I’ll be joyful about what I’ve shot one second, then think it is trash the next.
The goal this year is to really push myself outside of that thought. I want to shoot more for me, more for my kids. I want do document the people, places, and memories of our lives in a way that is organic, and not lead by other trends in composition and processing. Basically, I’m looking to make me happy. Photography is a wonderful and life-long hobby. Anyone can do it, and everyone sees things differently. If you are a photographer, I hope you’ll share this process, and start thinking about every shot you make as art, rather than a photo. Your eye is as unique as mine, and even starting with the same camera and lens, using the same tools, we’ll come up with totally different pieces of art.
This project is a group project, so please step on over to check out the work of a friend of mine Beth, a New Hampshire Family Photographer. She does great family and newborn photography. All of us are getting out of our comfort zones. The assignment is to shoot something as “fine art”. That is a tough one, because art is subjective overall, but the definition of fine art doesn’t lend easily to photography. I think my friends have stepped up to this challenge.
My photo this month is an interesting perspective of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York, New York. The project was just completed after 100 years of construction. The place is magnificent. A camera and lens simply cannot do the building justice as it is massive in size and minute in the details. Everything is simply gorgeous and tons of artists have poured their lives into the project. Make it a stop on your bucket list if you hit NYC. You’ll be glad you did. I shot this lens with my Nikon D300 and 50MM 1.4G lens. The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom3, then a texture added in Photoshop CS4.
Tags: camas wa, photographer, pictures, senior, yearbook
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December 31st, 2011
I took a trip to NYC this fall and spent some time with family that I hadn’t seen in 20 years (or ever met in some cases!) We sat around and chatted mostly, had some drinks, got to know one-another. It was such a great time. I honestly wish I’d taken the kids and hubby with me (who am I kidding? a week off was luxurious!). Seriously though, family connection is important.
Being that I have a passion for photography, I asked my Aunt Phoop … well, really Aunt Susan but at the age of 2, I called her Aunt Phoop, to pull out the old family photos. Devistatingly, I found that a great majority of them had been lost but there was one treasured shoe-box remaining. ONE box of photos to document our family for the last 75 years. Wow. I wanted to see them and I wanted someone to sit with me and go through them, one-by-one. I wanted that connection and to know who each person was, how old they were, where the photo was taken. I spent hours that afternoon, deeply entrenched in my family history and laughed, cried, and listened to stories I’d never been told before. It was honestly “good times”.
As we went through I noticed that some photos just really “stick out” in a collection like that. First, the newborn photos. To see what my Dad looked like as an infant was amazing. My youngest son looks JUST like him. It is incredible. The other two ages that stuck out to me were the shots at about 5-7 years old, when those first teeth fall out and you start to see the “grown up” in that baby and the high school graduation pictures. These photos I’ll treasure forever.
Sorry to ramble, but I just want to share one picture today. This is baby E. He was only 9 days old in this photo and he sure has changed a lot already. Those newborn moments are so fleeting. I’m so glad I get to take pictures of babies. It fills me with excitement of new life, and it fills me with joy knowing that someday, some where, a relative might find the picture in a shoe box and think their baby looks just like him.
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December 30th, 2011
I’m SOOoooo excited to announce that Verve Life Portraits is an exclusive retailer of Urban Lane Frames! These frames are so beautiful and full of spunk and contemporary style. They come in 25 amazing colors with options for distressing and a bit of an antique finish as well. If you are “in the know” you’ve probably seen that frames have really evolved over the last few years and come in a wide variety of styles to suit your home and style. These frames add whimsy to your newborn’s portraits for the nursery or a spark of personality to your favorite family and senior pictures.
Check out the awesome shapes and colors available starting at $45 for a 5×7. Sizing is available to accommodate up to 30″ images. Yeah, that’s right. T.H.I.R.T.Y inches! Go big AND go bold!
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December 26th, 2011
It’s been a while since I took these photos but they really deserve a share. Off camera flash is such a fun thing to play with. It gives you so many more options than just using natural daylight in outdoor shoots. With daylight, you have limitations, with flash, the world is my playground.
This shot was actually taken in broad daylight, 4PM in August. Can you believe that? Flash is so fun!
This shot was taken at night, it was probably between 830-10PM, I can’t remember exactly. There was no natural light but I think what we managed to capture using only flash is totally awesome!
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October 11th, 2011
Please fill out the below form to sign up for the Adopt-A-Family charity event:
Karcher Adopt-A-Family
Thanks everyone!
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