Wednesday, September 26, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Senior Guys | Jackson, MI Senior Photographer

Everything from casual to dressy all in one post! The easy part about guys is you can literally change your shirt and dress up or down. Most of these pants are similar, so you could stick with one pair and just switch a few things around to get three versatile looks.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

  Senior Guy

Friday, September 21, 2012

Penny W. Stamps Speaker Series: Sally Mann

The University of Michigan School of Art and Design puts on a speaker series every Thursday night for free at the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor. They range in topics and people from photographers, to designers, to film directors, and so much more. Today the speaker was Sally Mann. For those of you who don't know who Sally Mann is, she is a pioneer in the photography industry (Sally Mann's website bio). I remember learning about her in my History of Photography class, so it was surreal to be able to hear her talk. I don't know about anyone else, but if someone is in a history book, I feel like they're typically unattainable; one because usually it was so long ago that they're deceased or two because they're just so famous that why would they bother with coming to such a small town when there's plenty of bigger cities to speak at. So when I heard that she was coming to Ann Arbor and I could see her for free, I jumped on the chance to do so.

While they were introducing her, they had talked about just how hard it was to get her to come and talk, they had been asking her for six years!! And she didn't turn them down because she was too high and mighty, she turned them down because she had too many things going on at home to be able to leave. She declined once because it was winter in Michigan (she's from Virginia) and she had too many animals to tend to, to be able to leave. That's awesome!

From the moment she stepped on stage it was almost magical. I immediately got goosebumps and a huge smile from ear to ear. I probably looked like a 12 yr old meeting Justin Bieber hahaha. Sally just has a presence about her, she's incredibly intelligent and humble. She spoke about the portrait series she's working on at the moment and read an excerpt from her upcoming book If Memory Serves (working title). It was great to hear her own doubts in her work and how she overcomes that. You think with being as recognized for her skill as she is, that she would be confident in her photography, but she second guesses herself just like any other artist out there.

Afterward there was a short Q&A. People asked what she printed her new series on and she still uses film. And then someone asked what she thought of the digital age. Her answer was awesome for this, she prints using a glass negative and accidentally dropped one of them, she scanned it and had her assistant stitch it back together, then sent it off to have a new negative made! So Sally said that it's great to have those options around because in the past it would just be ruined and there would be nothing she could do to save it. Then she went in the hall to sign books. Unfortunately, the girl in front of me in line bought the last one of Sally's books for sale, so I didn't have anything exciting for her to sign, but I had on of my business cards with me and she signed that; which I still think is cool regardless of what it is. Here's a crappy webcam photo of me with my Sally Mann autograph.


For a list of upcoming guests from the Penny W. Stamps Speaker Series, click here.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Primarily Girly | Jackson, MI Children Photogrpher

Just because it's fall doesn't mean that you can't dress your little ones in some really colorful and playful outfits. All these you can toss a sweater over or add some leggings so they don't get chilly. I just love this play on the primary print colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, & black). So what are you waiting for? Call to book a portrait session for the little girly girl in your life.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

Baby Holiday

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Michigan Renaissance Festival | Jackson, MI Photographer

If you remember from last year (2011 post), I LOVE the Michigan Renaissance Festival that goes on annually in Holly, MI. The sights, sounds, and smells are a sensory overload! There's so much to do there and all kinds of fun performances to watch. This year we sat and watched a man balance a bench on his chin, the Ded Bob Sho (I definitely recommend this one if you're going to go. And get there early, he always has a full house), and lastly the jousting. The food they have is so savory and rich; my favorites are the turkey drumsticks and ginormous pickles they have. The drumsticks are so huge, I had left overs for lunch the next day!


I couldn't decide which version I liked better of this man, but I'm leaning toward the b&w. Every year I go, I see him and never have had the courage to ask permission for his portrait. This year, I did, and I'm so glad because his presence and the effort he puts into his appearance at the festival is just astounding.






Friday, September 14, 2012

Mother Nature | Jackson, MI Portrait Photographer

A couple coworkers and I decided to have a fun shoot this past weekend. Jena and Amber modeled, along with Desi the horse and Tagus the dog. These are only a few of the photos I captured, I still have a lot more to go through and edit, but I wanted to share these because we had SO much fun. We spent almost 6 hours shooting at various spots on the property. And these ones were only from the first location! When we were leaving to go to the last spot, there was a really bright rainbow going all the way across the sky. I didn't have a wide enough lens to capture the whole thing, but you can see a piece of how awesome it was at the end.








Keep checking back on the blog because I will be posting more of the images when I finish them.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Rebel in Red | Jackson, MI Photographer

Want to stand out in your senior portraits? Wear red! This outfit would be awesome if you don't want to go with the standard sweet senior portraits. Perfect for an urban setting or maybe out in the woods making you the center of attention no matter the background.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

When in Doubt wear RED

Friday, September 7, 2012

Holiday Deadlines | Jackson, MI Family Photographer

It's that time of year again to start thinking about sending out those holiday cards and getting family portraits, a perfect gift for any grandparent. However, there are some important dates that you need to know to make sure that you receive your prints in time and aren't scrambling at the last minute (like I usually am haha). Book your portrait session early to guarantee your spot and get ahead of the game.

Important Holiday Dates

November 1 - Last day for a full portrait session to be photographed & guaranteed before the holidays.
November 15 - Holiday Mini Sessions (details to be announced later).
November 21 - Deadline for holiday orders. Must be placed no later than noon.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What to Wear Wednesday: Autumn | Jackson, MI Photographer

My favorite season is fall and it is fast approaching! I could not be more excited for the leaves, apple cider, hayrides, pumpkin patches. Autumn also means more opportunity to look cute and still be comfy. Both of these would be great for an engagement session or family session.

Now I don't expect anyone to rush out and buy these items, but they're great for giving you ideas of how to put together a portrait wardrobe.

Fall

Dapper

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Emerald Autumn | Jackson, MI Senior Photographer

The past week I've been watching a webinar for photographers online and the speaker was Sue Bryce. I had heard other photographers singing praise about her, so I had to check her out myself. Let me say, she's one of the most amazing people I've watched speak. I love how she works, her style, and how she's so resourceful. So for fun, Taryn the owner of ToughLove MPD (check out my Featured Vendor blog post for more about her), and I decided to do a shoot together. She got the model Jamiee, did her hair and makeup, and the Jamiee brought her prom dress. 

We had a blast with this portrait session and I had a hard time narrowing down the final photos, as you can see by the post haha. It was nice to get out and do a session with no pressure and free creative reign to do what I want. Not to mention the great girl time we had while prep was getting done.

While photographing Jamiee, we kept talking about how these would make a great homecoming/prom session. Homecoming's right around the corner so start planning now if you want to secure your spot.












Hair & Makeup by Taryn of ToughLove MPD

Monday, September 3, 2012

Jacksonopolis | Jackson, MI Photographer

Back in the spring, I learned about an exciting new media outlet in town called Jacksonopolis. It was started by a few very talented people that had one thing in mind, showcasing positive community news. Volunteer writers, videographers, and photographers help produce all the content for their site and social networks. Each of them donate their time and talent to produce a unique and creative view of each event. I'm not a Jackson native, so there's a lot of these events that I've never heard of or been to, so it's really cool to explore the city I live in. Plus, it's fun to practice a different side of photography besides just portraiture.

The first event I covered was the mural unveiling at the Armory Arts. Three of the resident artists spent countless house painting (as historically accurate as possible) a mural of the old prison that is now an artist community/housing. The mural is incredible and if you ever get time, I definitely suggest going to the Armory Arts and checking out the residents work.


The next one was the Fairy Festival, which I had heard about, but had never attended. I had no idea what to expect, but when I arrived I could tell that it was every little girls dream event. Little ones were dressed in their fairy costumes were making their rounds of various activities that were set up. Some had their face painted, there was a castle they could play in, or have story time from one of Jackson's fairies. It was a very magical event and just awesome to see their faces light up with joy when they met a "real fairy."


Bark for Life is an event related to Relay for Life, but it helps raise money to find a cure for canine cancer. They do a small walk around Cascades Park and have lots of dog friendly games/activities for your fur kid to participate in. Between bobbing for hot dogs and the musical hula hoops, it was enough to make any dog tired. It was awesome to see so many people out socialize their four legged friends and fighting for a great cause!


Folkgalore was an event that I hadn't heard of and on my own probably would not have attended, but I was pleasantly surprised. One of the bands that I signed up to photograph was Those Willows. They're originally from Detroit, but they made the trek out to Portland this fall to pursue their music career. The stories their songs told were very down to earth and relaxing. I can definitely see myself putting their CD on to hang out with or get some work done. 

After their performance, I was on to Jackson Coffee Co. to photograph Ronnie Ferguson. When they were done, that was the end of my assignment, but I ended up staying for the band after them, Chad Cecil & the Family Dentistry, because they showed up with a cello and I was interested in listening to it. To my delight they were SO amazing!! I walked away with their CD and I would have never even known about them if it hadn't been for Jacksonopolis.


If you get some time, check out Jacksonopolis' website and Facebook, who knows, you might find something unexpectedly that you really enjoy as well.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Featured Vendor: Biggby Coffee | Jackson, MI Photographer

Just ask any photographer, we can't survive without our coffee and those 3a work nights definitely wouldn't be possible without it. That's why this months Featured Vendor is Biggby Coffee. In 1995, Biggby opened a single store in East Lansing, MI and only 7 years later they have 157 stores! They have the best coffee that I've ever tasted and their baristas always have a friendly smile on their face. Trust me, I have Biggby radar when I'm driving all over Michigan, have stopped at a number of them, and have yet to be disappointed! My favorite drink to get is their Tan Line (vanilla and caramel) or their caramel apple cider which should be coming out really soon for the fall season.

The Knot has some really great ideas for weddings and one of my favorites for out of town guests is to put together a gift baskets filled with local favorites. There would definitely be some Biggby coffee in my baskets,  probably some Faygo, Michigan cherries, Better Made potato chips, and Sanders fudge too!

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