Sweet Babies & Bright Colors...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there this week, as usual! I am busy as per usual over here with a ton of things to share. To start, I recently photographed an absolutely beautiful newborn baby girl and unlike most very wee babies who sleep through shoots, she was awake the entire time. Which presented its challenges, but they were far outweighed by her awake and alert little face. (People who follow my work on Facebook seemed surprised to find I can do traditional portraiture too. You learn something new every day, huh? Ha!) Here are just a couple from the shoot. Her Mom and Dad were delighted, so of course, so am I.

What else? Oh! A friend turned me on to an amazing blog that features Autochrome photography of Paris from 1890-1930 and here's the best part... it's in full color! That's right, the technology of photography itself had only just been invented and yet, color had already been introduced. And what beautiful photography it is too. My favorites are below, and the rest can be found here. Amazing, truly, amazing.

And so as not to dwell too long on photography, I have also discovered an amazing painter and portrait artist who I want to share: Gottfried Helnwein. When I first happened upon his work, I thought it was photography. But no. These are photo-realistic works in acrylic and watercolor(?!?!!) and to make it even more amazing (is it possible? No. Okay, I guess so), the scale of these pieces is huge. I've posted a couple of pieces below, and also a process shot so you can see how big these are. I just... before I got into photography, I was a pencil portrait artist at 1/1 scale. This is just mind-blowing to me... Enjoy.

Compared to all the greatness above, my weekend was pretty tame! But we had a pretty clear couple of days, so I ventured out to the abandoned beaches of Old Orchard Beach (a sea of tanning oil-slathered tourists in the summer) and took some pictures. Man was it cold. And while I was out there, someone in one of the beach houses had a radio on full-volume, so this radio talk show was blaring and reverberating off all that loneliness. It was eerie. And then I found these boots. I think they're men's, but I do not care. They are worn and comfortable and have a non-slip sole. (I guess I found the one advantage to having skis for feet!) Love them.

Let's wrap up with some great typography that was in a recent issue of GQ. (I know, I know, with Beyonce right there, it's like, who notices the typography? The answer: This girl does.) What a great color scheme and mix of vintage and new typefaces (some from House Industries, my favorite type design house... *drool*) and the layout and breathing room in the design is pitch-perfect. I am in love...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Quiet Snow & Geishas...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there as usual! Things here are going splendidly. A lot of different projects that stretch my photographic skills across the entire gamut; artistic shots, lifestyle shots, lifestyle shots that need to look artistic. I love the process and appreciate the opportunities!

To start, I am doing an exciting collaboration with one of my favorite makeup artists to enter a top secret competition next year. These are makeup-centered shots that push the envelope with techniques and execution. (I'm just there to make her look good photographically. Haha.) So, we're giving it our all and hoping for the best! Here is the first shot of the series that I'm calling Snow Geisha. This is my first time working with this model, but it won't be my last. I love her look and despite the fact that she's Native American, we were able to tip the scales to Asian with makeup. I hope you like it!

I have also dropped a ton of new things over at STAG this past week! Some of the items are pretty cool this time around, including this great 1970's wallpaper with gold backing, men's leather train travel slippers in a leather case, a wack-o merry-go-round cake kit and the cream on top: a rare set of 4 sake glasses that have nude women in the bottom of them. But only when you fill them with liquid! Stop on by and peep out the goods if you like vintage, or if you need a unique gift for someone!

Oh! And I wanted to share this amazing purchase I made recently with you Kiddies. I am not a big clothes person and I really like shoes even less. If I shop a couple of times a year, that's a good year for me. I just don't have the interest. But, when I saw these boots, I literally bought them immediately. I had to! They're so me: masculine and practical with a feminine touch. I can't wait to get them, I'll show you a picture when I do!

And I have found an amazing photographer - CGI man whose undersea series I wanted to share with you: Andreas Franke. Heard of him? No? Well, a quick trip to that website will give you a taste of the amazing. But, he did a series (and may still be shooting it), featuring underwater shipwreck photography, paired with images of the people who might have walked the decks back then! Mad men, fighters, lovers, people from Marie Antoinette's day, which doesn't even make sense, but who cares? Beautiful and fun imagery. Take a look:

And I am getting ready to start a huge personal project that has a lot to do with this guy. That's right: Norman Rockwell. It will probably take me all year (if not longer), to execute all of the shots I have in mind, but when it's done, it will be on par with my Zom-B-Vex, Cigar, Creeper & Dark Circus and Sideshow and Venomous Vixens projects. I can't wait to start!

And this is probably how he would have reacted to what I'm getting ready to do...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...