inspired by ... part I

So i want to share some people with you ... not that they're my own secret people or anything but people who inspire me photographically & to be the best that i can. People who support me, who i can turn to for advice & well putting it mildly give a whole new meaning to the word talent. 

Part I is dedicated to an incredible talented artist ... she's one of those ladies who can rock all photographic genres. In the beginning i knew her solely for her portraits, amazing surreal (sometimes self) portraits. I can't even begin to understand how she sees the things she does, it astounds me when i see new work appearing. Her ideas would seem so out there on paper, but she puts them together in a way that everything works like it's meant to be. Ok yes you've guessed who this fabulous lady is ... the exceptionally talented Elle Moss Photography. 

I admit it, I'm going to town on the adjectives, delving deep into the depths of my vocabulary to come up with new words worthy of such a wonderful lady. & maybe i am gushing a little but i can't help myself. You see the thing about Elle isn't just that she knows how to take pretty pictures but the time she's willing to put back into helping others. I am incredible lucky to have gotten to know the lady behind Elle Moss over the past couple of years, through Etsy & the internet. She has become someone i can turn to for advice with my photography, pushing me to achieve my dreams. 

& her photography doesn't stop at portraits, the whimsical & dream like feel continues into other genres such as her portrayal of nature & her incredible still life's. It's no surprise that her work has been featured in a large number of publications, exhibitions across the globe & is displayed in the homes of various celebrities. Her dreamy, whimsical, breath taking photography & her own fabulous self inspire me daily in my quest (yes i said quest) to sell my fine art full time. She is where i home to be one day & i thank her for being someone i can turn to for help through my own photographic journey. 

You can view more work by Elle Moss Photography in her Etsy shops:

Elle Moss 

Alice B. Gardens

hair clips, wild flowers & adorable little girls!

So i am constantly being reminded that i don't share enough of my portrait work here on my blog so figured i'd share a few from yesterdays shoot. I was doing a little product work for a fellow military circle of friends member, Hold It!. The adorable heart clips & bands you see in these images are all hers! Anyways i borrowed a couple of my favourite clients, turns out today is Rylie's 4th birthday so it was perfect timing. Well we headed up to my most favourite location ever (times infinity plus one) for some pictures. The weather was perfect, gorgeous sun & a slight breeze that sent Rylie's hair all over the place.  & had so much fun amongst the wild flowers! I can't believe i only started using this location for my portraits this past month, i am positively kicking myself on this one because (& you probably don't realize) so much of my fine art is shot up here. Anyways hope you love them as much as i do & have a fabulous friday!

"because you're worth it" (as my mum would say) ...

At the start of June i put my prices up, something i a hard time doing. Thankfully i have some wonderful friends who helped me with this process & some equally fabulous clients who aren't deterred. But when you work in a community where there seems to be "photographers" popping up left, right & center & offering to do shoots for $50 with all the images on a disc it's hard to feel confident in your prices even though you know the product you are offering is worth it. 

Well today i was finally catching up on some blog reading ... I love hearing others talk about their passions be it photography or not, & share the things they see & learn on a daily basis. Well one such blog i have come to enjoy is "Mom's with Cameras" & does "exactly what it says on the tin" (if you're not english you might not get that but basically it's blog for mom's who take pictures).  But a few days ago they posted a wonderful blog called "value vs. price" & it couldn't be more appropriate for how i'm feeling right now.

"My clients choose to commission me to photograph their children because they recognize that the portrait art I offer is valuable to them . . . priceless, even. These images and the experience I provide are not something they can get elsewhere and they feel that the dollar amount I price my work at is worth the investment. Determine what your art is worth . . . what it’s value is to your client. Then price it accordingly and do so confidently."

Thank you to Emily for writing such a fabulous post & reminding me of the things i know even when i feel frustrated & i'm left wondering if i made the right choice. You can't put a price on the memories we preserve with the click of a shutter. 

allure ...

I don't blog about my portraits as much as i should but those of you who read this blog or know me away from it know i fell in love Boudoir photography about a year ago & finally got up the courage to set up a studio in my basement this year. I've come to discover that a lot of people whilst interested in doing a shoot are incredible nervous & don't understand much about it. 

When i think boudoir i think hollywood old school glamor, feminine, beautiful & stunning portraits of you! Boudoir is just that ... about you. Be confident & proud of your body, treat yourself & maybe share with the one you love. 

"I'm no model lady. A model's just an imitation of the real thing." ~ Mae West

There is a great freedom that comes with boudoir, & being able to show you as the beautiful woman that you are makes me just a little giddy. 

Boudoir photography is about capturing who you are as a woman, being gorgeous & feminine, classy & confident. It's also about having fun. It doesn't take a model figure, it's about showing the world (or just your husband) how proud you are of you.

So keeping this in mind i decided to hold a series of mini shoots called "allure" so people could get a taste of it. It was a wonderful success & the feedback has been incredible positive, not to mention i love that these women are honestly gobsmacked by how stunning they really are (i on the other hand already know this). 

So here are a few images of one of my wonderful clients (& friends) ... 

For more information about my boudoir photography click on the link ... here!!

my weekend in portraits ...

Sometimes i have a great weekend in which i get to share what i love with others ... three gorgeous & totally different shoots in which i got to meet some wonderful (& not to mention incredible cute) people! This is one those things in which i can say i am thankful for tomorrow! 

if you wish to view more of the images from these shoots & others click here ... 

saying goodbye ...

There are many many things i hate about the military, but it's the life i chose & i accept that. My husband is in the AF & will be so for a while longer so I live with those things. But there will always be one thing i hate more than the others, the thing that i will never get used to & sucks every single time ... saying goodbye.

I sometimes feel like all i ever do is say goodbye ... goodbye to a country, goodbye to my husband as he goes TDY or deploys & goodbye to my military family. Those people who help me through everything, the friends who have been there & get those random tiny & frustrating things that can ruin a perfectly good day.

These are the military wives ... the girls i turn to at a moment's notice ... the women who hug me when i cry & cry with laughter alongside me. They've been there, seen it, done it & got the t-shirt.

& then down the line they're gone. Not gone forever, not gone from your life but gone from your everyday. The military up & moves them somewhere new & here you are left behind waving goodbye to the people you love ... & then the circle starts over again.

Well in my short time as a military wife i've gotten used to many things but this is not one of them. I have people i love now living literally all over the world ... & whilst you hope that you will see each other one day the world is a really big place, & whilst the military can be a small world at times more often than not, when you want it to be it isn't!

So PCS season has come around & this time i get to say goodbye to some of my favourite people. A family i have grown to love & to put into words how much i will miss them isn't possible. They're part of my military family & i love them.

I think Hannah knows more about me than anyone ... she's been there for me no strings attached, she's listened, she pulled me through some tough times & i know no matter what she's not going anywhere. The bond between military wives is something else. & then there are her girls ... the girls i want to have myself who can always put a smile on my face.

To list some of my favourite memories would take forever ... but running round the flight line in the middle of winter as a wind that feels like it could be gale force pushes you backwards with every step has to be one. It might sound weird but i think that's my best run ever because it hurt, because it sucked & because we didn't stop.

& Hannah is the kind of person who will keep you going through it all ... she's tough ... & smart (way smarter than me in every sense) ... & strong ... & well you just have to see the kids she's raised to know what a great person she is. She's that person who listens to what you don't say as much as what you do.

& she's going to hate that said all that because well that's the kind of person she is but anyone who knows her can tell you it's true.

& her girls make me laugh & smile & when am sad they'll wipe the tears & make me giggle & for at least a moment none of it matters because that's what family does.

Minot will be their new home ... 4487.7 miles, 7222.2 km & 3899.7 nautical miles from me. That's a really long way. No more dinners or early morning runs. We'll have to share books & dvds through the mail & eatting dessert on your own really isn't as much fun as sharing.

& yes i know we have telephones but i don't like telephones & i know we have email but well it really isn't the same but i plan to make the most of snail mail. Old fashioned letters. I right a mean letter ... my hand writing kinda sucks & my spelling & grammar is pretty bad at times but it's personal. You can tell what someone's feeling as they write that letter, & there's something special about waking up to one.

& so i will write ... i will tell her about the goings on over here, how the weather hasn't changed & the cats are as cute as ever. I will find pretty paper on etsy, & search through stationary stores & start a whole new collection to drive my husband nuts. & when i read a wonderful book, or found some chocolate i think she has to have i will put it in the post & whilst it's not the same it's something because i will miss my friend.

So on Monday we had lunch & then we walked up the hills behind my house to take these photos. Photos i've been wanting to take for so long (& there will be more to come) & i'm sorry there are so many but i couldn't choose because there is no favourite. & then we iced cupcakes & laughed at Madagascar 2 & then they went home & i sat & looked at these photos & it made me happy & sad all in one.

& i'm making the most of the time we have left to laugh & smile & take as many photos as possible of these wonderful people because all too soon it will be over.

Kevin & Narnia ...

capturing people in 2009

my weekend ...

It's sunday night & it's been a looooooooooong (use of "o's" for emphasis) weekend & now i'm looking forward to some quality me & camera('s) time the next few days. But briefly i had my first craft fair & whilst it was small it was fun, i made a bunch of sales, got a lot of people looking at my work & gave out a whole lot of cards. To say i'm pleased is putting it mildly as it went way better than expected & now i'm excited by the next one in november & thinking of ways to improve my owe so basic set up. Any suggestions on this one would be gratefully received!

& secondly i got third place in the base photographic competition, "people" category. I am happy as anything with this (my first ever competition) though some of the winner's were interesting to say the least. I've learnt a little more about the competition & feel in some of the other categories prizes went to more "classically" good images. But anyways i'm still incredible happy & waiting to find out if my image will go on the Af competition, fingers crossed on that one.

Rock N Roll Bride

A couple of months back in my search for engagement photos to help with Monqiue & James's shoot i was introduced to the blog Rock N Roll Bride ... & wow is all i can say. I have become hooked on the wonderful images that the fabulous pink haired gorgeousness that is Kat blogs about on a daily basis.

I had all kinds of preconceptions about portrait, engagement & most of all wedding photography, & i never wanted to fall into the that group. I'm no Annie Lebovitz but i wanted to be able to photography people & not fall into the posed cliche that i see every day. I wanted something different, images that people can return to day in & day & love well into their 80s. Photos that sum up who they are, in a way that's unique & interesting but honestly i didn't know how to go about this. But Kat's wonderful blog showed me the way (so to speak), showcasing the great wedding, engagement & portrait photography out there. Further she writes wonderful blogs about how to blog so us newbees out there can get it right.

Kat has given me a whole new insight into a world i would love to be a part of, & hopefully one day my images will grace her blog.

Miss Erica

So today i photographed one of the girls i work with ... she was my willing victim ... uhhhh "client" & it was awesome. Ok i know i should really hold back but WOW did i have a good time. We were going for a more fashion look, something i have really never tried & everything went fantastic.

I was lucky that another photographer, Chett Collier of Reserve Photo acted as my "assitant", & he has agreed to allow me to assist him in the future, teaching me more about the business & in particular lighting. This is something i am incredible excited about & i can't wait to learn everything he has to offer.

So anyways we went into Landstuhl for the shoot, taking photos around the little park & in an alley way a little down the road with Erica looking every bit the superstar she is. Moving through the locations & with Chett's support, plus a very active subject i grew more & more confident. We experimented with lighting, using an umbrella, flash & reflector all new to me, the flash creating some fantastic lighting, very Hollywood.

So now i have something new to add to my portfolio & a whole new world that i both love & can't wait to experiment with more.

me blogging about you blogging about me

So i finally managed to enter the "photo of the week" "competition" a fellow POE member, Jessica Rogers has on her blog, which in itself was a miracle (possible i was trying to enter for the previous week & missed the deadline). Anyways i was delighted when my image was included with such other fantastic images on her blog.

The photo was one of those i shot as part of the shoot with Monique & James, in Landstuhl & is my favourite of the two. Taken in a setting that suits their personalities, urban, contemporary & fun it shows James looking at the camera smiling whilst Monqiue has her head thrown back laughing. I love how it is them, as individuals & them as a couple. Plus the angle is interesting.

Monique & James

August 5th ... the weather was perfect, & i was meeting up with Monique & James for my second outing into portrait photography. They wanted some images to take away from Germany with them, & also some engagement photos. Monique gave me some ideas & on talking with her we decided to go for an urban setting, a local town.

So i had previously scouted some suitable locations for taking their images & on the day in question i took a walk around with further ideas in mind & found some more places of interest.

The shoot itself was fun. Monique & James were easy to work with, just relaxing & doing their own thing allowing me to get on with taking photos. I understand that being asked to act "natural" whilst someone is taking photos of you can't be easy, but they managed to "ignore" me as best they could. As well as listening to any directions i gave them.

We were able to move amongst the locations no problem & as we got into the shoot i found myself relaxing more, giving directions were needed & of course experiementing & starting to find my own way within their genre. It's important that should i decide to go down the road of portrait photography i stand out from the crowd. As a whole i've never been a fan of this kind of portrait photography, often posed & unnatural it looks fake & isn't what i feel these kind of portraits should be about. As a photographer i need to be able to adapt to the subjects themselves but also bring out their personalities within my photos.

Overall i found the shoot to be successful, & the clients are happy with their images. This gives me something to work from, & new images for my portfolio.

Editing took place at stupid o'clock last night as i couldn't wait to see the photos. Editing to me is one of the most tedious parts of a photo shoot but it can also be the most interesting. You never really know which images are going to work the best until you view them on the computer screen, & some surprise you whilst others you thought were great really don't stand out so much. But it was fantastic to be able to see all these images, & i was incredible pleased with the results.

& now i have areas i know i need to work on & the idea that maybe this is something i could have a serious go at. & of course i had fun.