Inspired, A Very Special Project | A Beautiful Life Photo

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?
i am in love with my kids and family, and i try to be awake with that love as much as humanly possible, act on it, extend it to the world. i am intense and loyal and hungry and sensitive, a critical thinker, an authority questioner, trying to be a “wounded healer” as my dad says. the bumps in the road have become me, the twists and reroutes and accommodation for them have grown my heart as much as love.

What sparked your passion for Photography?

my kids. to help me remember. and then there was the freedom of it.
Whats in your camera bag?

nikon d700, 50 1.4, 35 1.4, nikon f100, contax 645

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

a nikon d7000 and a 50mm sigma 1.4, about two and a half years ago

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?
inside, a 35mm, outside, a 50mm. i can only wrap my mind around prime lenses when i shoot. i want to feel at one with the viewfinder, so i can really give my attention to what i see.

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?
i am still figuring out that one. though the most precious piece of advice i would offer is to look INSIDE first. figure out why you have the drive to take pictures, how you see, what you love, what moves you. and really be authentic with the people you photograph. you will feel it, and it will show.
What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

catherine abegg. i still have it. she is such an incredible person, and the way she knows film. every image is special.

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?
the kind in which i see what love feels like.
If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive?

oh, it would be my brother. just to see him smile again.

Describe your style in 3 words.

emotive, raw, organic

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

during a free session for good friends, at the very beginning, an overly zealous visitor to a park called 911 on our “commercial shoot”. it was more comical than embarrassing, but only because of their kindness and our innocence. the rebel in me was okay, the pleaser in me was smart about it.

Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?
there are some serious back stories to the one i am living now. i am open about them, and will continue to be, as much as i possibly can. photography wise? giving my kids huge space. keeping my camera out of their faces, so that when it does come out, we all feel good about it.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?
magic hour is amazing. though life does not always happen during that perfect light, so i am flexible. light is as surprising as people if you are paying attention.

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?
i would be heartbroken. and then i would write about it.
Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?
no. i am a student of winging it. i wish i could go back in time and learn about photography in an academic setting. there is something so special and intense about school, but life is a giant school when your eyes are open.

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?

i listen, i ask questions and care about the answers, i am kooky and candid and self deprecating and tell them to show the love, if there is any doubt about who to be. and i am crazy for kids. i start with them, letting them know they have my respect, that they are safe, they don’t have to perform.

What are your photography related goals for 2013?

to combine words and pictures in the way i seem to need.

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?

i pay attention. inspiration does not come from someone else’s work. it comes from what we know and love, what tests us, what lights us up, what tangles our hearts. i read, i listen, i talk to people and learn from them, i watch and revisit my favorite films. i feel a bit stuck right now. and that is telling me it’s time to shift my concentration.

Biggest Photography related insecurity?

the technical side of things. i am an intuitive person to the extreme. i feel things, i act, i am not a plodder in any sense of the word. shooting film, trying to feel the contax as an extension of myself…it is an uphill climb but every step is a lift.

Digital or Prints?

i have come to love prints, many of which are small ones i keep in boxes. there are many, many frames on the walls of our house. i make slideshows, to music, a few times a year, for my family. i also do it for clients. a digital package gives a wonderful freedom to share, but having those memories in your hands, before your eyes, real, printed – it is a different animal.

How do you set yourself apart from other local photographers?

i am myself. when i get kind notes or inquiries, i believe that is the only reason why.

What do you think your next photography related investment will be?

i feel so satisfied with the gear i own. now it’s time to prove to myself that i am worthy. but if i had to guess, it would be film related. maybe a rangefinder.

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be?
the one vital thing for me is a hair tie. i have crazy rapunzel hair, and unless i want it in all of my pictures, i need it back. but for anyone else, i would say back up. a camera, memory cards, extra film. complications seem to follow me, so this is something for which i try to prepare. and a tiny bottle of wine? i have been known to do it.

What would you say your biggest muse is?

my children. i dream in the language of loving them. they have me searching for and finding what i need every day.

Fun stuff:

Favorite Color: blue
Favorite Season: autumn
Biggest Guilty Pleasure:
baths so hot they almost hurt. it is my therapy. i try not to associate food and guilt any longer, or there would be a list. and reading, way, way too late.

Pet Peeve: disingenuous people. fakers. users. dishonesty. and words mean so much to me, when i hear kids using poor grammar, i cringe.
Favorite Pandora Station:
i am more of a playlist person. long, painstakingly constructed, symbol of the time collages of music. an homage to the mix tapes i loved to make. today – the head and the heart, the national, josh ritter, damien jurardo, the tallest man on earth, matthew and the atlas, old van morrison, the dead, bach, richard thompson, simon and garfunkel…on and on.

Studio or On location:

as it happens. i love people in their natural environments, but i am in love with portraits. i can see the beauty of a studio, a place with magic light, in which a connection could be made beautiful.
What did you want to be when you grew up?

when i was little, a doctor. passionately. and a rock star. with equal passion. i was almost a lawyer. now, a writer. which is really what i have been all along.
One thing no one knows about you is:
i sing all day long, and i have been doing it my whole life. piano and singing are my first love. music gives my life form.
Pc or Mac:
mac
Lightroom Or Photoshop:
aperture
Film or Digital:
both for now. more film these days. and i hope these days continue. Props or No Props:
if they are organic, they can be meaningful.
If you could travel anywhere it would be:
india. then ireland. but for my daughter, i would go to paris at this moment, first in line.
Glass Half Empty or Half Full:
full. but this is a learned, practiced way of life.
Favorite photo ever taken: this is the last picture i have of my brother. and it wraps around my heart and squeezes every time i look at it. every time i climb the staircase in our house, it meets me at the top.

Raw or Jpeg: raw
Favorite Music to Edit to:
the same music that inhabits our house like furniture, almost always. when i write, it must be without words. my favorite piece of music is ‘appalachia waltz’ by edgar meyer and yo-yo ma. i could listen to it for the rest of my life.
Favorite Quote:
“let the beauty we love be what we do. there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
– rumi

this is hanging next to the sink in my kitchen. i wrote my college entrance essay on rumi. that kind of magic reverence that lies beneath the surface says so much about who i am.
Most valued material possession:
my drobo. when my daughter was tiny, we left so much behind. i have only a few of her baby pictures. it would be too hard again.
Processing Style:
a little soft, like a memory. i keep it very natural, i almost never clone, or even crop. almost as i see it, but more how i feel it.
Coffee or Tea:
i am a tea fanatic. without caffeine. when i drink coffee, i feel as if i belong on an episode of ‘breaking bad’.
If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be? maybe glen hansard, for the sheer passion that man possesses.
What kind of Camera bag do you rock?
i recently got a kelly moore, kelly boy. my purses were no longer a safe home for my camera. it was crazy in there.