In Which I Discover My Life's Work

So if you've skipped down to the pictures you might be wondering why all of a sudden I have images of adults on here and how that fits in with a blog post about discovering my life's work. Fair enough. I'd be wondering about it too if I were you. So bear with me as I explain...

Let me start at the beginning. I have known Tessa since we were twelve years old. That's twenty one years for those of you counting at home. She was my best friend in high school and we've stayed connected this whole time despite cross country moves, multiple colleges, different life stages. When she told me she was getting married, I knew that even though I don't do weddings, I just knew that engagement portraits had to be my gift to her. We chose a beautiful location that had special meaning to them and headed out just before sunset. I was nervous because, while I do usually include a few portraits of just mom and dad in my family sessions, I had never done a complete session with a couple before. And they were nervous because they had never had portraits done before. So before we started, I knew we needed to get grounded and connected so that we could focus on what was really important here and let go some of our nerves. I asked them to just take a moment and breathe and look around at the gorgeous mountainside. To feel the cool breeze blowing and see the beautiful golden light that bathed the trees and grasses. Then I asked them to really look at each other, to think about how special this time in their life is, and how much they truly care for each other.

As the session progressed they became more and more comfortable and connected to each other. And my confidence also grew as I saw how beautiful and in love they looked. And I knew that after three years of teaching myself photography, I was finally in a place where I knew for sure I was nailing the shots. And I was so delighted to be able to share this gift with someone who was so important to me.

That night, Tessa asked if she and Alison could look at the pictures. Normally I choose my favorite images and edit them first before I share, but Tessa pulled the best friend card and talked me into it. And that's when I truly realized how important the experience was for them as a couple. They saw how beautiful they truly are. They knew that how they feel about each other at this moment will be preserved forever. They know that they will be able to share those little moments when Alison looks at Tessa with such love and adoration and when Tessa grins her crooked smile at Alison with their children and their children's children. And that's when it all clicked for me. Watching them watch the slide show of their images, witnessing how meaningful it was for them to see themselves in this way, I realized that this is what I want to capture, this is what I want to provide for other people, this is why I became a photographer. I want to provide people with an experience of love. An opportunity for them to stop time and truly enjoy the company of those they care about the most and then reflect back to them the pure beauty of that connection. A way to honor and celebrate all that is special and unique about a person, a family, a couple and to reflect all that specialness back so they can see it too. And I am so very thankful for the gift of this discovery.

So stay tuned here for all the exciting ways I'm planning on creating these types of love experiences for the wonderful people I have the great honor to photograph. Family snuggles, boudoir glamour and couples canoodling are on their way and I can't wait! And if this sounds interesting to you and you'd like this experience for yourself. Give me a call. I'd love to love on you! Your life is beautiful!

And now, without further ado, the stunningly gorgeous Tessa A. the ultra handsome Alison D! To be married this weekend!

Print Competition

The first time I went to a print critique at the local PPA (Professional Photographers of America), I thought it was a casual meeting when other photographers would look at and offer feedback on each other's work. Boy was I in for a surprise! I decided at the last minute that I wanted to go to the meeting, so I printed my images at Costco. That was mistake number one. The color balance was way off and every thing looked just a little weird. But I didn't think it would matter since it was just a friendly chat between friends. Um, no. Print critique is a big deal, judged by some of the most respected names in the industry like Arizona's own, Kay Eskridge, and my shabby prints just weren't going to cut it. Thankfully, I was right about how friendly the people there were and Kay gave me some great advice. I learned a TON about what types of images do well at print critique and most importantly, what not to do again (see aforementioned Costco prints...).

At the beginning of May I went to my second print critique and I was much more prepared. Below are two of the images I submitted and what the judges suggested.

The first image I chose was this one that I named, "Old Soul." I love how the horse looks right at you like he knows something but he's not going to tell you what it is.

The judges felt that this was a strong image, but that the mountains distracted from the horse. When I made the image, I liked the mountains because it gives the horse a sense of place and because the line of the mountains echos the line of the horse's neck.

I received two suggestions on how to improve the image--either make the mountains darker so that they're the same intensity of the horse or to remove them completely. Below you see the image with darker mountains. I wasn't happy with this version because I felt it made the mountains even more distracting.

This is the final version of the image. I removed the mountains entirely and added a border. One of the other suggestions was that for print competition it's a good idea to give the image a "treatment" that gives it some context/framing on the page. Much better! We'll see how it does the next time around.

This is the second image I submitted. It's one of my favorite images that I've ever taken. I just love the tenderness between the two. As soon as I saw this image come up on the back of my camera, it took my breath away. It's so cool how such a simple, everyday moment can have such beauty. And I was so honored that the judges felt the same way and this print did merrit. In fact, one of them said that it was her favorite image of the night!

And here it is after implementing Kay's suggestion to use a black border and make the image smaller in the print to give it a more intimate feel. This is very different from how I would display it in a family's home but it's interesting to think about all the different ways there are to present an image even within a single canvas. It's definitely broadened my perspective on what's possible to do with the work I create for my client families.

So what does all this mean and how does it help me in real life sessions? Look for ways to make the image even more simple, and in doing so to make the subject shine so that the viewer can see what's truly important. This is what I strive for, what my heart longs for and, my mission every time I pick up the camera.

Hugs,

Miki

Scottsdale Celebration of Fine Art

My mother has been involved in the arts community for over 20 years. Growing up she used to take me to the art openings at the museums she worked for. I always used to imagine some dashingly handsome brooding artist (my age, of course) would come and sweep me off my feet. Well, turns out that it was an engineer who did the sweeping, but I still love to attend art shows with my mom. Back in March we went to the Scottsdale Celebration of Fine Art. My mom and I have been wanting to go for several years, but this was the first time the stars aligned for us and I'm so glad they did. This yearly celebration brings together some of the most diverse and interesting artists from all over the country. And the most interesting thing to me about this show is that you get to meet the artists. Unlike a traditional gallery show, where the artist comes to the opening but then goes on to other things, at Celebration, the artists stay with their booths daily and many work on pieces while there. So not only do you get to see them working, you also have the opportunity to talk with them and learn more about their vision. It was so inspiring to watch them create and to listen to their stories. I even bought my first piece of art!

Here are some of my favorite artists from the event...

Black Dahlia 1839 by Sondra Wampler

Sondra Wampler

creates stunning black and white botanical photographs. She painstakingly arranges the flowers in beautiful still lifes and then, using her negatives from a medium format camera, creates huge prints. They are captivating and I could spend all day staring at the delicate forms her work celebrates.

Lost In America No. 1 by Timothy Wampler

Using toy cameras, her husband Timothy Wampler takes a different approach, but his work is no less amazing. Also working in black and white, his landscapes are hauntingly beautiful. I love how he takes the simplest things and through his perspective turns them into art.

6th South Exit by James Randle

I also loved the work of James Randle. He paints realistic cityscapes. He doesn't paint famous landmarks or beautiful buildings. He's more my style, with gritty power lines and back alleyways. What really drew me to his work was how he transforms his scenes from something mundane to something majestic. This is one of my goals with my work as well--to take some thing simple from every day life and display it in such a way that it is elevated to something beautiful.

So I'm sensing a theme here, one that just dawned on me as I wrote this post--I'm drawn to artists who use their attention to make us mindful of the beauty in simple, everyday themes.

Moving On by Melissa Behr

Melissa's work is probably the most conceptual of the artists I enjoyed. Combining both paint and photography, she painstakingly transfers her photographs onto canvas using acrylic gel medium then paints around/over the image to complete her piece. I really enjoyed getting to speak with Melissa and we have a lot in common--former acting career, young children, love of photography.

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

I'm probably very late to this video trend but my husband shared this with me a while back. It is theliteral version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." I love things that have weird juxtapositions so this video makes me happy and cracks me up. So wonderful and bizarre. Spin around. Ninjas!

Funky Family I Anthem Family Photographer

This funky family originally hails from Brooklyn so we wanted to incorporate some urban desert into our portraits.

One thing I really love about doing portraits on location rather than in a traditional studio environment is that it really allows kids the time to get comfortable. Little Miss "G" was a bit unhappy to be doing portraits, but after some time exploring the desert and getting comfortable, we were able to capture some beautiful moments.

And here's wonderful mom and dad!

And here's charming Miss "P" who was all smiles and loved helping me explore. She's a natural in front of the camera.

I had such a great time hanging out with this fun family.

Hugs,

Miki

Two Tiny Teeth I Anthem Baby Photographer

Be still my beating heart! Last April I photographed this beautiful mama's Maternity Session. She was back in town and I finally met her beautiful little man "T." Aren't his cheeks just the most squeezable! And those two tiny teeth just kill me!

Beautiful mama and daddy...

Hooray! I'm standing!

Twins Coming Soon! I Anthem Maternity Photographer

I am so excited to introduce you to the beautiful Mrs. S. Isn't she stunning. She is due at the beginning of June with boy and girl twins! So much fun. It's starting to get hotter here so we decided to do her session in her home and I couldn't be happier with the results. In-home portraits are so relaxed and allow for people to be at ease. Especially moms carrying two babies!

Isn't she gorgeous?

She's just glowing!

Wearing Daddy's shirt! Such a fun idea.

Mom brought these paintings home from a trip and now they form the basis for the nursery design.

I can't wait to meet these two beautiful beings when they make their arrival! Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home and for the honor of being able to capture this very special time!

Hugs,

Miki