Holga Camera

I recently received a fun camera for my birthday . . . It's called a Holga and was originally designed in Russia in the early 80's by the state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC.
In 1991, some Austrian travellers on vacation purchased one of the original Russian cameras and were immediately "charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry images that the camera produced." The camera itself is constructed very cheaply . . . it is entirely plastic even the lens) and most have light leaks due to the cheap construction. These Austrians purchased the distributing rights and began to push the the idea of "casual snapshot photography" or Lomography.
Lomography emphasizes the "don't think just shoot" style of photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, "happy accidents," and alternative film processing are often considered part of the "Lomographic Technique." Users are encouraged to take a lighthearted approach to their photography. Here are their mottos for Lomography:

1. Take your LOMO everywhere you go and whenever you go.
2. Use it any time - day or night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it.
4. Shoot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don't think.
7. Be fast.
8. You don't have to know beforehand what you've captured on film.
9. You don't have to know afterwards, either.
10. Don't worry about the rules.

Well, anyone who knows me knows that I am a perfectionist when I shoot. I have found it very hard to take snapshots when I am travelling because I want everything to be just so and due to that fact I rarely photograph out of the studio. So, the Holga is kinda perfect for me. It's supposed to look sort of weird or bad so then I have no worries. I am posting a couple of shots I took with the Holga while I was recently travelling in NYC. Enjoy!!

iPhone

Well, I have to admit it
. . . I was one of the 500,000 people who purchased the iPhone in the first weekend it was on sale. We just happened to be in New York City the weekend of the launch. So, we simply had to stop in the SOHO Apple store to see it in person. I was hooked. Now, I have been an Apple person since 1984 (yes, my first computer was a 512k and I've never owned a pc) but I really wasn't planning on purchasing an iPhone right away. But, after seeing the device in action I was in love!! I worried that I would have buyers remorse but after only three weeks of use I can't ever imagine life without it. For me it's a perfect fit.

photoDUDS-Babies

I am very pleased to announce that our first photoDUDS DVD for Babies is finally here!! It's named Precious and it has some awesome graphics and templates to help in the creation of baby albums, galleries and announcements. I am looking forward to using it on many of our new creations.

Ledger-Ison Wedding

Just wanted to share a couple of photos from a recent wedding I shot in Charleston. Shanna and Dennis are a really special couple and the photos from their wedding turned out awesome! I want to wish them the best of luck for many happy years to come!!

Bonnaroo '07

Well, we just returned from Bonnaroo 2007 where we were blogging for the Charleston Gazette. It was tons of fun but lots of work! I really enjoyed taking a break from my regular portrait work to stretch out my craft and shoot something entirely different. While on the trip I photographed artists such as: The White Stripes, Wolfmother, The Police, Ben Harper, Spoon, The Decemberists, John Butler Trio, John Paul Jones (Bassist Led Zeppelin), Wilco, Kings of Leon and The Flaming Lips. If you want to check out some of the coverage please click here.

Sarah and Chad

I wanted to share a couple of wedding images of the newlyweds Sarah and Chad Hovis of Charleston, WV. I went to high school with Chad's bother, Chris so it was especially enjoyable seeing so many familiar faces from Logan. It was a beautiful wedding and a wonderful day. Congrats Sarah and Chad!!!

Bridal Portrait?

I have been working diligently on designing a wedding coffee table album for Jessica and Jared Fox. While sorting through the images, I came across this fun image we shot the day of Jessica's bridal session. I thought it would be nice to share . . . so enjoy!!!

New DUDS

I was working with some of the new DUDs Diane created for our upcoming DVD which, as of yet, is untitled. (We're tossing around the name Tattoodles . . . simply because the designs are inspired by both doodles and tattoo art.) Basically, it will feature an eclectic collection of brushes for portrait enhancement. We hopefully will be putting out the DVD sometime late next week. I am in the process of writing a short article for an upcoming GP Albums newsletter and we are trying to coordinate the release with the publication of the article. If you want to check it out visit www.photoduds.com sometime soon.

Senior Season Officially Begins!!!

Well, hard to believe but it's already here . . . senior portrait season. I officially shot my first senior yesterday. It was Scott High School's Micah Ballard. (I want to give her shout out for being elected SHS Student Body President--way to go!!) Anyway, I have been photographing Micah and her family since she was about 7 years old, so it was really nice to start out the season with a friendly, familiar face. We got lots of really nice images and I want to share one that Micah and I were so very excited about!! I could hardly wait to get home to see these images we shot of her in this year's prom dress. We were really trying for something different and I think it turned out awesome!!

Baby Collection

I was up late last night (much too late I'm afraid) working on a new brochure for the Baby Collection. For having finished it at nearly 3 a.m. and in spite of my drowsiness, it turned out pretty well!!
I love shooting the Baby Collection images!! It's so much fun to share in other people's joy and to watch these children change so much in their first year of life . It's such a rewarding experience to able to help other capture their most treasured moments.

A Day at the Beach

A few weeks ago we ran our Beach Special at the studio. We brought in 17--50 lb bags of play sand (which seemed never-ending when Katherine and I were packing it out of the studio), a pier and lots of shells to create our set. It turned out great and I've started processing the photos. It's so fun to see all of the wonderful images!!! I am posting an image of Sophia Pearson, who is such a cutie and had such a fun time playing in our sand!!

Seniors 2008

It's rapidly approaching . . . . the 2008 senior season.
Yes, it's hard to believe that I will start photographing the graduating class of 2008 in only 8 short days!!! I can hardly fathom it myself!!! This week I will frantically be updating the studio with new props, finishing the 2008 price list and painting some areas of the studio for use as backgrounds. We sent out the letters earlier this week to the 60+ seniors we already have scheduled so far. (If you are planning on scheduling a senior appointment, please be advised that currently our first available opening is sometime in mid-September)

Ryan Adams Concert

I am super-excited!!! Tonight was are going to see Ryan Adams in Morgantown at the Metropolitan Theatre. This will make the third time we've seen him in concert and the previous two were simply awesome!! We heard from a friend who saw him in concert earlier this week that Ryan was unable to play guitar or piano due to a recent skateboarding accident. Bummer!!! Still, it should be a great show. I am posting a photo from the first time we saw Ryan in Washington, D.C. at the 9:30 Club.

Kennedy's Book

Sorry it's been a while since I posted but I have been super busy trying to finish all of my senior orders. Anyway, we just finished a "My First Year" book for Kennedy Shilling and I wanted to share some of the pages with everyone. This book was purchased by John as a Mother's Day gift for his wife Kendra. I am sure he received BIG bonus points for such thoughtfulness!



It was so much fun watching Kennedy grow throughout her first year. She changed so much between each session. She was great fun and has loads of personality!!! She especially enjoyed her cake at her 1 year session, as you can see from the photos.