Headshot Session: Stephanie G. (chin up!)

Last Saturday I spent a few hours with the very lovely and energetic Stephanie G.. Vivacious, talented, full of energy and those green eyes.... Yes! (It’s always tortured me that my own eyes are plain ol’ brown – I love clients with eyes full of color that soak in the sun!).

Steph brought along her guitar for a few of the shots and they were my far my favorite ones from the day. Possibly the most wonderful thing about my time with Steph was working with someone who so very clearly knew the ‘looks’ she wanted for the shoot. As soon as I held that camera up, she was on point and ready (but I did set the record for number of times saying “chin up!” lol). We had some ominous cloudy weather that afternoon, but the light ended up being wonderful and we had a lot of fun on the shoot. 

 

Anytime Shoot: (the most perfect) Mr. Snug

How perfect is mr. snug? Let us count the ways.

1. He is full of wrinkles. Wrinkles everywhere.
2. He breathes really, really loud.
3. He knows how to make an entrance... slow, focused and at his own pace.
4. He drools. It's a sign of love if you manage to get some snug drool on you.
5. He high-fives. (what?! best dog ever.)
6. He loves you. Does he know you? No. But he still loves you.
7. His name can be worked into any song. Fact. (I've seen it done and it's a beautiful thing.)
8. He is the star of the Marketing Cocoon at L148. The stah, I tell you.
9. He eats boxes. (link)
10. He is a napping fool. I seriously wish I could nap as much as this guy. Snug so tired....


This list could go on, but I have to equally love all my clients or else they'll start to get jealous of my snug-lovin'.

This was my first go at pet photography, and after this session I'm 100% hooked. Snug was the most chill, low-key client in the history of clients. The camera loved him and I loved him! Plus we got to play with toys, run around, pause for naps and cool off on the tile floor (while breathing very, very loud). Oh, and we got some high-fives. best. shoot. ever.

Here are a few of my faves from the day!

Isabel + Dave: (a very) New York Engagement Shoot

About a week ago I had the pleasure of spending an evening taking pictures for a fantastic couple. I love people who know how to laugh and have a good time, and these guys are experts at both! Isabel and Dave are getting married next summer in California but wanted engagement pictures done in New York - both places are so important for each of them, and a shoot in the city it seemed a perfect way to honor the city where they first met. We kicked off the fun in Central Park before moving to the very picturesque Brooklyn Heights Promenade where the sunset was spectacular! The day was a fantastic mix of laughter, love and a little adventure - just the way I like all my shoots to be.

Anytime Shoot: Mary R.

Oh, Mary!

Full disclosure: this pretty lady is one of my dearest friends in all the world. She has been a guiding voice of reason and strength since I've known her and continuously believes in me and my madness even from my wee days. We love brunching, discovering new restaurants and Shakespeare-ing in the park in the summertime. We also love a good beach adventure, who doesn’t? When she asked if I could take some portraits of her to use for various business/professional reasons I was beyond excited.

So in our usual fantastic way, we explored downtown soho where we had this shoot and of course had a few adventures along the way. Including getting rained on when it wasn’t raining (we hope it was rain...), changing in strange empty restaurants, changing on the streets (!), etc. So much fun. Mary was patient with my crazy direction giving and positioning and we chased that sun until there was no more light left in the day. All in all, a perfect way to spend a Monday night.

Headshots: Frank V.

Alright folks, enough of that Seattle excitement. Now back to our regular posting sessions!

I had a cool headshot session with Frank V. a few weeks ago. We battled something like 97º heat and it was rough! Whenever we found a spot with the breeze, it felt like heaven. Despite the heat, the light was fantastic and we walked away with some great shots! Enjoy!!

Headshots: Ashley B. (and the shoot that almost wasn't)

The scene before this shoot: me, sitting at my kitchen table, head down, shaking with a fever and sweating bullets. the reason: sick, sick, sick.

I dedicate this entry to the healing powers of Theraflu Daytime Cold & Cough, for which this shoot would not have been possible. Oh, and of course the healing powers of soup. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I rarely get sick, but when I do, its like I've won the sick lottery. I get everything. under. the. sun. Sore throat? check. Ear infection? check. Watery eyes? check. Upper Respiratory Infection? check. Sinusitis? check check. (I'll spare you the rest of my suffering). 2 hours before my shoot with Ashley, all these things hit me in the face. Uh oh. (there is a happy ending to this tale.)

After taking so many OTC meds it would make a doctor blush, I was off to the shoot. Chugging water and hot tea, I was trying everything I could to just make it through these few hours.

By the time I met Ashley, I was feeling soooo much better, thank God. On top of that good news, I was so incredibly blessed to have gotten Ashley for this particular shoot when my energy levels were way down. She was an absolute natural in front of the camera and made my job so much easier! And the girl has no bad angles. None at all. Don't exist. Amazing! She brought so much light and energy into every shot.... I was so so so spoiled with her! (Sorry, Ashley, for gushing about you the entire shoot and now into this blog! But, umm hello, the world must know how fantastic you are!)

And now introducing the radiant, gorgeous, hilarious, sassy, and talented Ashley B.! Seriously, watch out for this one... it's only a matter of time before she makes it big time.

Headshots: Brian M. (with a twinkle in his eye)

The oh so wonderful Brian M. has been a friend of mine for almost 3 years and every time I see him I love him a little more. Who could blame me either - wait till you see those green eyes!

Due to the general hectic-ness of our lives, we had a "half" shoot last summer, and there were high hopes for meeting soon after to finish up, but the reality of our schedules made this impossible. So when he and I finally had some time open on the same day at the same time, we jumped on the chance to finish what we had started last year. And wouldn't you know... as I was on my way to our meeting spot it started to rain! Aaaahh!!

Ten minutes and a few choice curses later... the sun came out. Never a dull day, folks.

For this shoot we hit up my usual fave Soho location, then opted for moving a bit north into Chelsea where the lighting and locations proved to be absolutely delicious! We conquered dehydration, drunks, crazies(!!) and changing in public and it was so worth it! And I got that twinkle in your eye, huh B? ;)

And now introducing the always wonderful, forever hilarious and insanely talented, Brian M.!

ps. check back Thursday or Friday for some gorgeous shots of the smart, sassy, hilarious and beautiful Emily G.!

Heather G.: Headshots and Haircuts.

I shot with the very adorable Heather almost exactly a year ago from our most recent shoot. She was new to New York, and excited for a new adventure. I couldn't help but be a little fearful that she was so excited to be living in a city that has a tendency to beat you down a little. I decided not to mention it and let the growth that happens when you live here happen organically to her as it had happened to me. I knew she would go far and use that powerful smile of hers to put up some good fights. Oh, and of course we had an amazing amount of fun on that first shoot.

One year later we met again. Heather had gotten a new haircut that was drastic enough to warrant needing new shots. I was so happy to be the one she called! One of the biggest compliments I can ever get is being asked to work with someone again. This means they liked me and their pictures enough the first time that they only wanted to work with me again. Milka what?? I am absolutely honored when this happens! So we met in Soho, my current favorite place to shoot, and got going. As the conversation went on I knew that she had grown tremendously in that year. While still in love with New York, she had experienced how trying life here can be – she was still wearing that smile though! "Ah yes, I have so been there", I said to her.

Which brings me to a quick point... I applaud anyone who has come to this city as a transplant and made it in any capacity whatsoever. You won a battle by doing so. I mean that literally - a battle was fought, and you came out the winner. Living here is hard and it tests tremendously. There are days you are forced to stop and think, "why am I putting myself through this?". But if you stay another day, another week, another month or year, and let yourself grow a little more and be tested a little more - the changes you see in yourself are well worth the fight. Phew... I digress...

And now introducing (for a second time), the very fab Heather G.!

inspiration & concentration.

today I scheduled a "work day" for myself. I already work M-F full time at my office job, so the fact that I had to schedule a day to get work done on a Saturday proves how far behind I've been on post-processing and other little photog things. Good thing I love working on images of the beautiful people that I shoot or else this day of rest and work would be more like a day of torture.

Does everyone out there know about the free wi-fi at Starbucks? This magical-ness just started a few days ago and it is saving my life in all kinds of ways today. For one - I can never concentrate when I try to get work done in my apartment. My big plans for getting work done at home always turn into a night of watching West Wing (!!) and playing around on facebook. fyi – these things are not, in fact, work. Second thing - I am easily inspired when sitting in Starbucks. The colors, the mood, the constant smell of coffee and the cool jazz music get my creative juices flowing and will me to focus. I bet if I picked up this little place and plopped it into my living room I would actually be able to get work done at home for a change. You'd just have to take the West Wing dvd's away from me to prevent temptation...

An iphone shot of my view...... :)

Hope you all have a great weekend! Some fancy pics from my shoot with the very adorable Heather G. are coming tomorrow, so check back!

Jesse P. : Soho Headshot session

No joke, I love my clients. When I started doing this I had no idea how much I would love spending time with people for these little bursts time. Another part of it is that I think I've been really blessed so far to have gotten to work with people who are really cool, funny, happy, easy going and all around awesome.

I say all of this because Jesse P. is no exception. In fact - this kid blew me out of the water with how smart, funny and cool he was. We had so much fun around Soho on this shoot. Oh and did I mention how talented he is, too? Crazy talented!! Alright, I'll stop gushing now. :)

I think Jesse was surprised by how much people were staring at him while we were shooting. I get stared at a lot when I'm doing shoots around the city mostly because people are pretty curious about what's going on, but it happened more than usual on Jesse's shoot. My theory: because he's a dead ringer for Zach Efron. (Jesse, don't kill me for saying that!). In fact, that was one of the first things I told him when we met. His position: as long as you don't say he looks like Justin Beiber. Good kid, I tell ya.

A July stroll through Soho

We had an 'early dismissal' (as I like to call it) from work today, it being a holiday weekend and all. I strolled out of the office at 3pm, ready to head to the train and make my way home. But somehow the beautiful day and the hustle of soho at 3pm in the afternoon carried me off and I ended up walking for a few hours instead. Walking in the city = an absolutely delicious new york activity.

Today is one of those perfect new york days that I'm always gushing about. I'm trying to savor every single moment of it because starting tomorrow we're back to a balmy 95º in the shade with humidity that my hair in no way agrees with. July is here with a vengeance, folks!

I'm sitting in my cool and breezy living room enjoying some ice water and ice cream (I have a weakness) and blogging. It's been a few weeks since I've had a TV – I'm taking a mental health break from television. For the past two years it was wake up, turn on the TV, come home, turn on the TV and leave it on until I go to bed. A tv-centric existence is no way to do it. It's taken a few weeks but I'm getting more used to the quiet. By more used to, I really mean less afraid. I was hearing sounds that just weren't there and that was the really terrifying bit of it.

Here are some shots of my afternoon in Soho. On the agenda for the rest of the evening is more water, more ice cream and lots of reading. :)

Zack H.: Headshot fun!

Lots of energy is an understatement if you're talking about sweet little Zack! He was a ball of good vibes, happy energy and enthusiasm! We split our session into two days, something I've never done before, but it worked out great! I don't know why I get nervous about these things, because all was well in the end! This talented kid is absolutely destined to be an incredible performer, writer, composer, or some other magically creative profession! He has such a creative and active mind and we worked so well together!

Zack, I wish you much luck in your very bright future!! Thanks for the fun!

and just for fun....!

Adrianne + James: New York Engagement Shoot

I couldn't have wished for a more fabulous pair to work with on the (very) hot June day our shoot was scheduled for. It was one of those humid new york days they don't tell you about in travel books. Where the air feels so thick with heat you're unsure if you're gonna be able to make it two blocks without needing to stop and rest. Adrianne and James battled the heat bravely, smile on their faces the whole time. Their energy was incredible and their happiness contagious! James was full of ideas for our next great shot, excitingly helping us move along through lower manhattan and then to brooklyn where we ended the day (I really did love all your ideas, James!). The shots are so exciting and as young and hip as these two are.

I had an amazing time hanging out and being crazy around new york with you guys and feel so honored to have been able to help document your incredible love!

Here are a few of my favs...