Taking time for myself is a very precious thing that I haven't done enough of lately. My days are filled with taking care of my clients, mentoring my crew + the community, editing, sending images off to art directors, planning, shooting, grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, dog-walking, loving, WHEW! Some days I feel like I wear multiple hats, all of which I absolutely love. About a month ago, I really felt like I just needed some time. Time to myself, to totally disconnect from my everyday environment and away from the daily grind. I also felt like I needed to step away from my digital camera for a bit.

My work is my passion and I know that I am SO lucky to do what I do. However, at the end of the day, taking photographs is still my job and even though I LOVE what I do, there are moments when I really just don't want to pick up my camera. I feel like it is my responsibility to bring myself back to why I am a photographer and why I am an artist.

My way of 'finding' myself again through this wee bit of a rut is to be in a new space and shoot film. Many of you know that I adore film and to be honest, it is the one element of photography that brings me back to why I take photographs in the first place. I love the process of film, but especially, the unknowns.

In this digital world we live in, everything is so fast, predictable and controllable. You know from the instant you take an image what it will look like. To be quite frank...I've become bored with it, which is why I have needed this time.

I chose to come to Seattle, for two reasons. 1) I love the Pacific Northwest. 2) I have some lovely friends up here who continue to keep me grounded and uplifted as an artist. You might have heard of these two ladies Sara Montour and Sarah Rhoads. I spent some brief time with both of these girls and it was absolutely renewing for me. I laughed harder than I have in a long time and have had some of the best conversations about love, life, and the pursuit of being the artist I know I can be.  I am so lucky to have friends like this in my life who I know I can always count on to be real with me.

I have a couple days left here in Seattle and then we'll be back to our normal programming...in the mean time, here are some fabulous photos, courtesy of Ms. Montour's cell phone!





Here's to life and doing what you love!


LOVEe

This past week, I sat down with the lovely Jessica of PhotoJessic for her LOVEe Consult! As artists, we talk a lot about our Personal Style. This also comes with many questions: What is my personal style? How do I find it? What if it changes, is that ok?

There's no doubt about it, finding your personal style is a process, but it must not be forced. Jessica and I talked a lot about how there is a big trend in the photography industry right now with the Vintage theme. Soft colors, leaning towards warmth and romance are everywhere. Jessica's major question was, "I don't want to be like anyone else, I don't want to be trendy, but I really, truly, love the vintage vibe...how do I stay original?"

The thing that Jessica didn't realize is that she has her personal style nailed down. When you walk into her studio space, the light is soft, her building is old, and she even has a vintage clock. Her favorite colors surround her and even the way she dresses is just soft and pretty. She exudes everything that is soft, pretty and vintage. Her images reflect her personal style, which is key.

Defining what your personal style is should be natural, because it comes from YOU and everything you are about. It is derived from your personal experiences, the kind of music you like, and everything you are attracted to in this world. Above all, by staying true to yourself, your images will be of things you are passionate about and ultimately they will be executed in a way that no one else can, because it is YOU. Your style will evolve, just as you change as life goes on, but there will always be core elements that will be timeless. Embracing the process of change will lead you to finding - and then realizing- what makes your images yours.



To learn more about LOVEe Consults and to schedule yours today, CLICK HERE!

 

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

LOVEe

Ahhhhh, shit!

I've been wanting to get some new photos of myself for a long while now, specifically for the blog and website! I think it's good to update your photos every few years and freshin' up things a little bit around here!

I started to think about who I would want to take these photos and the same girl kept coming to mind. She's incredibly talented - and a no bullshit kind of girl, which I absolutely love. Above all though, I knew I needed a photographer who's images would exude a feel that I wanted to be 'my image' for clients to see...Angelica Glass was the only woman for the job!

Getting these images done was SO much fun! I got all made up by the lovely Erica Flamm and all styled up as well! I always feel like blog images should be super fun as well - and why not go all out?

We shot yesterday in NYC and I am thrilled with the few images Angelica has posted already!

If you want to be inspired, make sure to check out Angelica's blog!



A HUUUUUUGE thank you to Angelica for the rockin' photos, they are perfect!

LOVEe

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

I'm super excited an honored to be interviewed by the lovely Davina Fear for her 'Women in Business' feature on her blog! Davina has been making an impact on the photography world through these interviews for quite some time and I absolutely respect her for creating a place for people to learn and share their experiences!

I must say, this is a pretty in-depth interview, which makes it totally worth reading!

The interview is up today! CLICK HERE TO READ THE AWESOMNESS!





LOVEe

As I briefly stated in my previous blog post, I was super excited to find out that one of my prints had won in the 16x20 Print Competition in Las Vegas! I was incredibly excited, but then today I got the official results of all of my prints that were entered - and SURPRISE!!! Not one, but TWO of my prints were big winners! The two famous images are below and come from the fabulous Fine Lines shoot and the lovely Siegfried Wedding!

Entering images in competitions is so much fun - and I also believe it is essential. It is most definitely a way to put yourself out there, and continually hold yourself accountable to creating solid, mind-blowing work. It's also very interesting to go out of your comfort zone and have judges critique your work, which is again, an essential part of growth for any artists!


Competitions can be a pretty penny to enter, and in the end, there is no guarantee that you will win. But I also think it is an investment in yourself as an artist. Not just in the cost of printing and actually entering, but an investment to your creative health. It feels so good to win...and without taking risks....I would never be AWARD winning! (For the 2nd year in a row...don't worry, I'm brushing my shoulder off right now! ;0)





LOVEe