out with the old, in with the new!

I'm finally launching my new blog! Woo hoo! Don't fear...I'm pretty sure this is not a sign of the apocalypse. No need to seek shelter. I will no longer be posting here, so if you have this site bookmarked, please change it to the new site. Pretty please! All the previous posts from this blog have already been added to the new one. Yay!

You can access the new blog either through my website or by heading directly to it by clicking HERE.

Thanks so much for reading this blog, and I'll see you on the other side....

the carstens family!

How wonderful it was to finally meet Lena's family. They are so fun and easy-going, and I even got to have a battle with imaginary laser guns. I've decided that every photo session should have one of those, so be forewarned. Chloe, you win! What an enjoyable shoot, and this may sound corny, but you can tell there's a lot of love in their home. Well, love and Chloe's laser beams! Yay!

She's definitely got the adorable big sister thing figured out.

Precious doesn't even begin to describe little Gavin.

Two of the many things I love about this next image: 1 - a fabulous family, and 2 - doggie tongue!

Of course, we had to give Brodie his own close-up!

Can you tell I went crazy for the flowers in Chloe's room?

Many, many thanks to the incredible Carstens family!

8 month old fletch...video!

I wanted to post something on Fletch's actual 8 month birthday, but on that day, he made me cry.....and swear a lot. Let's just say that he needs some leash training about as much as our country needs health care reform.

Maybe that unfortunate incident happened for a reason. After a few days, not only did I stop calling my dog 4-letter words, but I also finally learned how to shoot video and put it on my blog. If I had known how easy this would be, I could have crossed it off my to-do list about 2 years ago. A little embarrassing, really.

I have another recent video that I can't wait to post. It's of an incredible day after shoot with Matt and Liz. I'm hoping to post that when I launch my new blog. NEW BLOG! It's that time of year where I frantically give my dusty to-do list the what-for.

For now, I give you Fletch...and his red clay elbows. By the way, Matt's disappointed grumble at the end is because during the whole video, we were trying to get Fletch to do this thing he ALWAYS does. He's just mocking us.

evita + michael's day after shoot

Woo hoo! I'm so glad my friends Evita and Michael were in town this weekend for D-Con! Not only did I get to hang with them, but we also finally got to do their wedding "day after" shoot. I guess a more appropriate phrase would be "four months and four days after " shoot. :) We got to take lots of photos of just the two of them in their wedding "gear". Both of their outfits were made by hand, and Evita made her dress! She's incredible.

We needed a fabulous location with a special mood and style. I've known Evita long enough to be comfortable suggesting a cemetery. Well, not just any cemetery. Oakland is both historical and beautiful, and I was confident that we could get photos that didn't appear to have been taken at grave sites. They were nice enough to trust me, and we had a blast. Then again, I could have fun with Evita locked in a gas station bathroom with rabid badgers.

Here are some shots from our photo-funtime-throwdown!


They wanted to do an American Gothic-type pic. I think they nailed it.

Okay, okay...I know this next one looks like a cemetery, but only because they wanted a shot of the little mushroom fairy ring.

One thing that's great about knowing the folks I photograph is that I can actually gear my editing to reflect who they are as well as the type of images we shot. I did some rather dramatic editing on a lot of these photos to accentuate Evita and Michael's style.

You gorgeous thing, you!

Oh, so dashing...

I don't think you can have too much romance in a photo, but this next one comes close. Sigh.

Some of you may know about my obsession with fake birds. Evita found these cuties, and she GAVE them to me after the shoot. She's the bestest.

She wanted a series of shots of Michael giving her their wedding invitation, her opening it, and her reacting to it. This one is my fav from those shots.

Evita + Michael, you are awesome. Please find more reasons to visit Atlanta, and I'll find ones to visit Charleston!

rio!

What a joy to finally meet Jenna and Florent's little fella, Rio. Before she knew the gender of the baby, she had nicknamed it "Sparkle", which is just about the best thing ever. However, the name Rio ranks really high on the coolness chart. He's named after the place, not the Duran Duran song. As awesome as the name is, he'll always be Sparkle to me. Just like baby Henry will always be Chauncey Rocket, little Max will always be Robot Zillionaire, and Alasdair will forever be Soul Crusher X.

There are several things that you'll have to bear hearing me repeat a million times. One is that I LOVE when people come to me with new and inventive ideas for their photos. I can always come up with something, but then there's the question of whether or not it will fit the people in the shoot. If folks bring their own ideas to the table, we'll definitely be working with a scenario that suits them. Win, win!

Some of you may recognize Jenna, who was looking fabulous in an earlier post of her maternity pics. She had worked on a film that played at the historic Plaza Theater, so she thought it would be cool to take some shots of her adorable new baby there. Man, was she right! The powers that be at the Plaza were kind enough to give us free reign of the space before movie time. At the moment, they have the front of the theater entirely decorated to promote Halloween II. Lots of devils, headstones, and even a tiny coffin. We looked at each other and were like, "NO!". Not quite family portrait material. Not a problem. There were plenty of other incredible places.

So here are some examples of what I shot with this rock star family. Note for other photographers: if you're ever in a low-light situation, it sure is nice to have a gigantic white movie screen for bouncing flash. Yay!

Jenna totally has a Catherine Zeta Jones thing goin' on here...

They brought these great old cameras that Florent has, and we set up this paparazzi shot. They were totally cracking me up.

Anton Corbijn is one of my favorite photographers. This next photo is a humble homage to his style.

After the movie theater, we headed to their lovely home for a few more pics. They have this interesting plant with heart-shaped leaves!

I love the look he's giving his dad.

Florent is a champion of homemade pasta, and has convinced me that this is the best way to do it. I have a feeling there will be lots of pasta in my future. I'm adding one of these contraptions to my wish list.

Hooray! So much thanks to the wonderful Jenna, Florent, and Rio!

the warrens!

The only thing better than a wonderful, adorable baby is TWO wonderful, adorable babies!!! I finally got a chance to photograph the cutie-pie twins of my friends Sloane and Scott. Some of you will recognize Sloane because she does headshot makeup for most of the folks on this blog. She's got skillz!

Sawyer and Logan are now a year old, and they keep getting more beautiful every day. They are fun on wheels, full of smiles, and faster than speeding bullets. I'm so impressed with how mom and dad keep up with them.

Here are some of the shots we snapped of their super-duper little fellas...

I LOVE this one! So much personality, so much sweetness, so much drool!

A little playtime with mommy...

...and daddy!

Had to get some shots with their namesakes.

Sloane had this incredible vintage outfit for Logan. Isn't he precious?

Look! Up in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Sawyer!

We had to grab a portrait of the lovely Jackie O.

And Dexter!

So much thanks to the gorgeous Warren family for such a wonderful shoot!

elyse!

It's a joy to photograph someone so lively and stunning. Headshot sessions should be relaxed and fun, and Elyse helped make both of those happen. On top of that, she was very patient while I scouted around to find the best light. She also managed to smile with ease in some weird places. I'm still not sure what I was stepping in to get some of these shots. I opted to not look down too much. Elyse, you are a total gem. Thanks for doing such a fabulous job!

alia!

I had a wonderful time photographing Alia and her family a few months ago. She had such a natural smile and energy that I knew she would bring out in her headshot session. I have a feeling that she's going to book a LOT of work. Not only is this sweet gal blessed with obvious beauty, but she also has the kind of personality that anyone would want to be around. Her awesome mom, Lisa, joined us for the shoot, and it's so cool to see how proud she is of her daughter.

Alia, you did a great job during your shoot! Lisa, you certainly did a great job raising a lovely young lady.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

I love when I come across something so artistically inspirational, that I have to share it in blog form. This isn't the "official" video for the song. It was put together by someone who digs the band and digs making incredible art.

Here's a blurb written about the video....

Grizzly Bear fan and animator Gabe Askew created an enchanting video for the band's track "Two Weeks".

Said Askew to Vray: "I chose the song 'Two Weeks' by my favorite band Grizzly Bear because it inspired me. Even though the video is about two men, I connected the lyrics to my own relationship with my wife. It took about four months of after-work time and weekends. I would estimate it to be about four work weeks. The lyrics, to me, told the story of a relationship where one person is uncertain of the others loyalty. You get sucked up into the daily grind and forget to tell the one you love how you feel. They get insecure and worry that you aren't committed. And the line 'I told you I would stay' is like a battle cry for fighting to keep your relationship together when it seems to be on the brink."

I'm going to go watch this about 50 more times, until my eyes stop popping out of my head.

A heads-up AND free stuff

I know that it's still hot enough outside to cook pancakes on a windshield (or something like that), and we're knee-deep in the wonderful joys of summertime. I still have a watermelon on my porch that needs eating. Any takers?

What's my point? Believe it or not, now is the perfect time to book a fall/winter family photo session. October and November dates get booked up so quickly (some are already taken!), and I want to make sure everyone gets photos of their adorable families before the holidays hit. Anyone who wants to use shots from their photo session for holiday cards needs to schedule their shoot no later than November 7th. That way, you'll have time to get all your photo goodies, AND have time to address your cards and send them out. Or you can be like me and deem it a miracle if my cards get out before the new year hits.

So, as an incentive to get those shoots booked, I'm offering a little special. Anyone who books a 2009 child or family portrait session before September 12 of 2009, will receive a free set of 2 photo fridge magnets (these are cool) and a free professional 8 x 10 print. Yay, free stuff! I should point out that the session doesn't have to take place by 09/12/2009, it just has to be booked by then and the actual shoot can be between now and the end of 2009.

I love doing these sessions. My camera and I have had the pleasure of getting to know so many incredible families over the years. One of my favorite experiences started when I took some pics of a sweet baby girl. Then at the next session, she had a new little sister, and she could almost say my name, but it came out as "Daisy" instead of Stacey. It was so cute, I nearly changed my name to Daisy Bode. At the session after that her little sis was walking, and not only could she pronounce my name, but she was giving me advice on life (or at least about the playground). Melts my heart!

julia!

Not only is Julia a lovely and fun gal, she's also a real pro in dire circumstances. It's that glorious time of year where I can't go outside to get the mail without bringing back at least 3 mosquito bites. However, on the day of Julia's shoot, there must have been some sort of insect convention in East Atlanta that we weren't aware of. As if that wasn't bad enough, she is about 100 times more sensitive to their bites than most folks. Not long into our session, her arms and legs were covered with little bug traumas. Anyone else might have wanted to stop, or at least break to get some bug spray. Julia somehow kept posing, and looking fantastic while doing it. Darnright impressive.

I have to point out one more thing that's pretty incredible about Julia. This shot is the first one we took! I may even have been just testing the light. It was her first time having headshots taken, and she managed to look this relaxed. I think she's my new hero.

Julia, thanks for being such a trooper!

guerilla portraits - part 2

Here's another installment of my point-and-shoot guerilla portraits. I'm havin' so much fun with these. There are definitely some limitations to my G10. It likes low light about as much as I like paying taxes. It's ok though. When I get frustrated with it, I can just pull out my fancy camera and go nuts.

Matt

John

Jed

Young Man in East Atlanta

7 month old fletch

More doggies! Fletch is now 7 months old, and I no longer believe that this is the puppy we brought home back in February. This beast obviously ate our original pup, and began assuming his identity.

I'm trying to convert his jumping up energy into something practical by training him to reach things on high shelves for me. Soon, I'll be able to sell my step ladder on Craig's list.

We were on a beach trip during his "birthday", so I took these one night at Susie's house. It was dark and we were playing with the flashlight, so Fletch gets to look all artsy this month. Next month, I promise to post pics that show his ridiculous hugeosity.

egon's birthday!

Recently, our friends Christian + Adri threw a swell birthday party for their doggie, Egon. Now, you might think this was just a crafty excuse for a bunch of adults to hang out and eat, but it really was about the pups. They had their own ice cream for cryin' out loud!

It was a really fun time. Of course, now that I have a dog I love AND a point-n-shoot I love, I will also love your dogs and be taking lots of pictures of them. So, here are a few shots of Niels and Egon...

Egon is the most pointy dog I've known.

They were plum tuckered out by the end of the day. Egon is wearing a t-shirt he received as a birthday gift. I think it said something like "Ready to Pawty". So awesome.

guerilla portraits!

One of the projects I wanted to launch now that I have my new handy-dandy point-and-shoot, is a series of images called "guerilla portraits". If I see a cool spot for a photo, I will grab the closest willing participant and just snap a quick pic. Nothin' fancy, but hopefully interesting. I'm already having so much fun with this. Here are the first three...

Lynn

Chris

Ricky

More to come...