Saturday, December 3, 2011

Emma's 1 Month Photos

One month and one week to be exact.


And she did great! Emma & her sister Anna are both so easy to take pictures of. She slept through some, woke up for some, but never fussed.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Robots Invade Our Living Room



Tiny cardboard robots.

The Wedding at Milton

My previous post talks about the bridal portraits we did for this wedding. Now here is the wedding itself.


As the photographer I had the privilege of witnessing Joel & Meredith's ceremony. Something otherwise reserved for only a few close family members. It was one of the most touching and personal ceremonies I've seen yet.


Because they live in a school that's being remodeled for various uses there was no need to find an event space elsewhere. It just meant priority was placed on getting the areas they would use up & ready before working on anything else.



 
 
Just because the ceremony was intimate doesn't mean everyone else they care about was left out. The next day they had a party where many more were invited. This is something I've seen happening much more lately. If my personal experience stands for anything the new trend is to split up the ceremony and reception into two days. I would be hard pressed to call this particular day two a reception though. There were no typical wedding reception events. No first dances or bouquet tosses. What it had was BBQ, pinatas, contests, a bonfire, fireworks, etc. A very appropriate celebration for two of the most creative people I know.



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Another Day at Milton School

“Have I told you what I was thinking about for my [bridal portraits] yet?”
“Just that you want to use a chicken.”

She tells me & I can feel myself lighting up with eagerness. Not just because it’s an awesome idea, but also because I can totally previsualize just what I want to do as soon as she says it. 

                                                              .   .   .

The day starts by wrangling said chickens. We get one little fuzzy looking chicken and one large colorful chicken. The small one was easy but the other made us chase her all around the courtyard for I don’t even know how long. Finally Meredith pulls some move crawling under a table and reaching back out to snatch it by the legs. If only there were someone to take pictures of us doing that.
While Meredith gets ready and I check light and locations one chicken waits in a cat carrier and the other in a dog kennel. The cats and dogs were very interested.

When it came down to it, I shot several versions on my DSLR finding what would work best and settling into my vision. When I found it I unloaded my view camera and made a couple shots on that.

It’s been said that success is when you can no longer tell the difference between the work you’re hired for and your art. This is the best example I’ve had of that so far. I couldn't be more thrilled. 



Tuesday, October 18, 2011

It's All Happening

I've neglected you, blog. I'm sorry.

There was a road trip. My heart lies in road trips.

There will be details of the adventure soon, as soon as I get something put together. There will also be posts on all the things I was doing just before and after the trip. I've been a busy bee.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Bad People Do Good Things 2

We're coming up on that time of year again. Walking through the stores you're bound to come across a fair amount of orange & black. Time to start thinking about your costume and which bags of candy you'll go with this year. Hopefully you'll find yourself with many things to do this season and I have one that's a must.

Saturday, October 22nd the Alton Undead will be hosting their second annual blood drive at the Jacoby Art Center, "Bad People Do Good Things." If this year proves to be anything like last year it's sure to be the most awesome blood drive you've ever been to. How on earth can a blood drive be awesome you might ask? Well, first of all, you'll get some real food. The Red Cross still brings their arsenal of crackers & cookies but the Alton Undead makes sure to have more than just that on hand. Last year there was more than enough brought in from sponsors Jimmy Johns and Papa Johns. Second, for donating you'll get a shirt that you actually want to wear out. Third, they'll have entertainment. While waiting to donate, or if you just want to hang out after you can catch a free concert right in the same room. And finally, there will be zombies! How can you beat that?


The drive runs from 1:00 until 6:00 pm. Unless you want to hang out it shouldn't take much of your day so even if you have something else going on that day odds are if you're in the area you can stop by for a bit & help a good cause. This is the link for the Facebook event. If you have a Facebook account and know you'll be going please click the attending button. This is the first time the Red Cross in the area will look to social networking to gauge their numbers to find out how much staff and supplies they'll bring. This may be due to the fact that last year we had more people show up to donate than were able to. Go Alton Undead!


(All these photos are from last year's blood drive.)



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Sarah & Matt

Several months ago I contributed some things to a fund raising silent auction held by Crave cafĂ©. They needed to replace windows and get air conditioning. I’m glad to say they were successful, especially with the way this summer has been. One of the things I donated was a gift certificate for a free session. Last month the winner got a hold of me. They only had a small window of time to have the photos done with their busy schedule or we would need to wait until next year. Luckily we were able to work things out and meet up.

The photo shoot was a nice little one-year anniversary gift to themselves. I thought it was a great idea. After engagement / wedding photos most people wait until they have kids before they get professional family portraits done. This was a really nice excuse to get out and enjoy each other’s company all while ending up with nice photos.

We started at Forest Park and ended up in the Central West End for ice cream. I really enjoyed hanging out with these two. They did a great job being comfortable and letting their personalities show through, even with a camera hovering over them. There’s obviously a lot of love there.

  

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Evolution of the Snapshot

There’s a cautionary story I’ve heard a few times over the last several years. Set many years in the future a family is rummaging through some old things in an attic. The children pick up a disc in a case and ask their mom what it is? She says oh, that’s your great grandparent’s wedding photos. When they ask to see them she tells them they can’t because it’s an old format we don’t use anymore.

It’s the sort of thing those of us who “grew up” on film have wondered about from time to time. Although anymore it really seems obvious that you just keep track of the photo files you care about and make sure they’re organized and updated, some people think the answer is to print hard copies of all your photos. I think that response comes simply from a nostalgic place where people miss seeing prints of all their shots.

At first glance, it had seemed like digital cameras were causing people to care less about their photos. You see people deleting photos off their camera because the card just got full. When they do upload them to a computer they forget where they put them. A hard drive crashes & everything’s gone. When I stop to think about it though, I realize that people don’t take worse care of their photos than they did before. I’m reminded of the sight of my aunt’s junk drawer full of undeveloped rolls of film. Years old. At a friend’s house finding photos stuck to each other because they’ve just been hanging out on a dresser amongst soda cans and other who knows what. Holes poked in them and the edges curled up on a bulletin board. Some people have never taken care of them. It just wasn’t so in my face.

That I think is the main evolution of the snapshot. Before, we took those pictures for ourselves. The main idea is to get a stack of prints and put them away in the photo album, which is put away on a bookshelf or in a closet. Sometimes you get it out and look at it & even less often is there an occasion to show someone else. Now we take pictures to post online for everyone to see. People seem much more interested than they ever were looking at your photo albums. We take more pictures and we share more pictures. That’s a good thing. It may be harder for me to make a living off it (which is a whole other topic) but I really do like how when I look at it from this other perspective it seems that people care more about their photos now, really.

That being said, I still print snapshots, write on the back and put them away in my photo albums. There’s just something about pulling a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages of your life.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I am the ice cream man.

So I came across an ad looking for ice cream vendors and thought why the hell not?

I've always loved the ice cream truck. Still, hearing the tune echo through my neighborhood gets my heart racing and I have to remind myself I don't actually want an ice cream bar right now. Also, truck or not, ice cream may be my very favorite food. It's at least my feel good food. When I told my husband I would be doing this he begged me not to eat all the profits with a genuinely concerned look on his face.

Some people have made the comment, as though it needed to be said, that I should be sure to take lots of photos and document my summer on the truck. I have every intention of attempting this, although there are a lot of things to consider. The main thing is that I'd look like a total creep taking pictures of anything out of an ice cream truck. Any photos of any kids would be totally out of the question. I won't even think of it. Not to mention, it's forbidden (because they know you wont sell ice cream looking like a creep). But even photos of anything else could make people suspicious. I'd probably wonder what that undercover person in the ice cream truck is really up to.

So if I can come up with something inconspicuous and preferably retaining some quality I'd love to properly document my summer. In the meantime I've snapped a few shots with my p.o.s. cell phone.

[My office]

[bees]


The mirrors on this thing give me every angle on and around the truck.


[Apartment complex]


Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Milton Schoolhouse

Some days it's easy to let myself be in a grumpy mood. Stressed out, tired, what have you. It happens to all of us. But then other days I'm reminded of just how fortunate I am to do the things I love professionally. This is one of those examples.

I've you've followed this blog you have already met Meredith when we ran around taking pictures for Midnight Boudoir (If not, you can go back & find it). Her and her fiance Joel own a building up the street from me that used to be a school, and then an art glass factory. For quite some time the place has been sitting there mostly unused. Like anyone else I've talked to about it, I was thrilled to find out that someone was fixing the place up but even more so when I met them and learned all about what they're doing. Meredith can tell it much better than I can so I suggest you check out the Milton School's website where you can find out about events they have but also read the blog dating back to the start of the project. It's pretty entertaining.

 http://www.vivantproject.com/

They needed some photos for various promotional purposes and I'm honored and thrilled to be able to help them document their progress. A little while ago I was able to wander around the building to capture it. I couldn't help but tell myself man, I have a pretty great job. 




Friday, May 27, 2011

Tassels & Tunes - May 2011

I just wanted to share some of the photos from this past Tassels & Tunes show.


For the tunes portion of the show this month was J Boozer. He was a pretty good time.

Gogo knows what they want.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Gabriella & Matt's Wedding

Matt, Gabe & their friends & family were all a great bunch of people to spend the day with. Everyone was a lot of fun and they really seem to be good for each other.

I couldn't have asked for a more smiley bride. The corners of her mouth were ear to ear all day. Her face muscles must have still been sore into the next day.

The ceremony was at the Conservatory in St. Charles. It was my first opportunity to photograph there. The place is beautiful. You get the feeling of an outdoor wedding with the comfort and confidence of still being inside. The reception hall was also a first time for me and a great place as well. It was at the Franklin Room down in Soulard. A fantastic old building in a fantastic old area. There's so much character down there.

I thought I'd do a slide show this time. It seems to be a good way to follow through the day. Plus this way you get to see a lot more photos. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Those Randy Dandies...

...They're up to it again.


This show's story revolved around Swifty Deeds' quest for a new job.

Here he is loosing his job and loosing his shirt.

This show was at The Gaslight Theater on Gaslight Square. The area has a very interesting history. If you're not familiar, there's some info on the theater's website and here on the square's official website. The theater is small & intimate. A great place to see a show like this.

Swifty made a few visits to the career counselors at the Randy Dandy House of Unemployment and during his visits we got to see examples of different types of careers.  



 Riveting Rosy Riveters, and an astronaut.

In the end, Swifty decided he wanted to join the Navy and there was much rejoicing.

(You can see all my photos from the show on my facebook page)

The next show these guys have lined up is a choose your own adventure theme. I can't wait to see what they do for that one. Really, the prospect of sexy dinosaurs alone is enough to get me there and that I was given. Keep up with them here to find out details of their upcoming shows & whatnot.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Find the Egg

It's Easter time again, and the City Hunts folks just had their annual egg hunt. I love working with these guys. It's always a lot of fun.


The weather tried to spoil the fun. A huge storm came through earlier in the evening complete with hail but everything cleared up just in time. We all met up at South Broadway Athletic Club in Soulard where the teams signed in and picked up their instructions. At kick-off teams ran to their cars and drove off to the next clue locations.


Dressing up is encouraged.

We had a bit of trouble at the South County Mall clue spot. For some reason the security guards didn't like groups of grown adults running in the mall. Go figure. But what'cha gonna do? People get excited.

At most of the locations teams would find someone to give them an egg with their next clue. The last location however is an actual hunt. About five teams had made it to the end before one of them found the golden egg winning a $500 grand prize!



For the after party we went back to South Broadway Athletic Club. Everyone hung out, shared stories from the night, & oh yeah- had a peeps eating contest!

One of the greatest things I've ever seen.

The team that found the golden egg.
Go check out http://www.cityhunts.com/ for more of their hunts coming up!
Also, to see all the pictures from the night visit the "view your photos" section of my website and use the password "hunt."
http://www.photographybyjmi.com/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Midnight Boudoir

A few days this month I've got together with Meredith of Milton Schoolhouse fame and worked on getting some product photos for Glenda's shop Midnight Boudoir. She makes beautiful pieces with feathers.
About a month ago Glenda sent Meredith a few boxes of her fascinators so she could model them and Meredith asked if I would help her do this.
I knew I wanted to give a feel of someone actually wearing them out so people could see what they might use them for and also to have a good idea of how they'd really look on them. I also knew I'd like to show them in both formal and casual ways.
I never would have been able to come up with all the ways Meredith thought of to wear them. I'm so grateful she was so creative because like I said, I really wanted to showcase their versatility. Placing some on clothes as a boutonniere and accenting a hat are probably some of the best examples of this.

So go check out Midnight Boudoir's shop on Etsy, but also Meredith & Joel's adventures at the Milton Schoolhouse. It's very entertaining. They also have an Etsy shop, you can follow the shop link on the top of their page.