Archive for July, 2013
Still Lifes
First, for those of you trying to decide whether I’ve titled this post correctly, here you go. I had to check, myself.
At Lumos Studio, Wendy and I mostly photograph people. But we really like taking photos, and sometimes there just aren’t any people around. (Well, technically, we’re around, but mirror selfies are out and Wendy has a special look for me when I ask if I can try out a new lighting set up on her right after she’s taken off her makeup.) At those times, we sometimes find ourselves looking around the house for things to experiment on. These are a few of those experiments.
This, for example, is one of the roses that I gave Wendy for Valentine’s Day…two weeks after Valentine’s Day.
These are some mushrooms that Wendy and her mom found at the grocery store. I can’t recall the name, except that it was hard to pronounce. They were as delicious as they were photogenic.
If you recognize these fungi, could you let me know in the comments what they’re called? I would gladly eat them again.
This bowl of peaches never stood a chance. I mean look at ’em. They knew they were bound to be a still life eventually. They faced their fate with stoic resolve.
That’s it for tonight. We’ll be back next week with more people-centric photos. In the meantime, why not look back at how cute my new cousin is. I mean, seriously.
Still Lifes
First, for those of you trying to decide whether I’ve titled this post correctly, here you go. I had to check, myself.
At Lumos Studio, Wendy and I mostly photograph people. But we really like taking photos, and sometimes there just aren’t any people around. (Well, technically, we’re around, but mirror selfies are out and Wendy has a special look for me when I ask if I can try out a new lighting set up on her right after she’s taken off her makeup.) At those times, we sometimes find ourselves looking around the house for things to experiment on. These are a few of those experiments.
This, for example, is one of the roses that I gave Wendy for Valentine’s Day…two weeks after Valentine’s Day.
These are some mushrooms that Wendy and her mom found at the grocery store. I can’t recall the name, except that it was hard to pronounce. They were as delicious as they were photogenic.
If you recognize these fungi, could you let me know in the comments what they’re called? I would gladly eat them again.
This bowl of peaches never stood a chance. I mean look at ’em. They knew they were bound to be a still life eventually. They faced their fate with stoic resolve.
That’s it for tonight. We’ll be back next week with more people-centric photos. In the meantime, why not look back at how cute my new cousin is. I mean, seriously.
Newborn Photos: Lily
I’ve got a quick post for you this morning because I wanted you all to meet my newborn second cousin, Lily.
Lily arrived last Wednesday, healthy and beautiful, and her parents brought her over yesterday for her very first photo session. I dare say the camera loves her.
Here’s Lily just chillin’ in her bow and tutu, like ya’ do.
And here are her precious baby feet.
We’ve been praying for this little girl for a long time, and, while I haven’t actually asked if she’s named after Lily Potter, we certainly think she’s magical.
Pilates of Charleston
Ahoy, mateys! Today’s we’ll be delving into the world of scurvy dogs and swashbuckling adventurers, of buried treasure and nautical terror. There’ll be…wait, what? This post isn’t about pirates? Dang.
Okay, I’m going to turn this over to Wendy now.
Our take on health and fitness can be summed up in three words: wellness for life. [Ed note: For me other candidates include “nachos with queso†and “binge-watching Netflixâ€.] For that reason, we enjoy connecting with people who have a vision for healthy routines that anyone can maintain. Of course, we also know that many a bride and groom are looking for ways to start their journey to get in shape before the wedding day. Whatever your motivation, there’s no time like the present to begin!
Today we’ll be taking a fitness tour with the lovely Katie from Pilates of Charleston.  Katie contacted us recently about some on-location photographs at her studio in Mt. Pleasant, SC, and we were thrilled to capture the grace and energy that flows from her, her fellow instructors, and her clients.
Everything about Pilates of Charleston is inviting, from the clean colors of the décor, to the soft glow of sunlight seeping in through the windows and the charming staff and students. Everyone made us feel right at home, and if I hadn’t been wielding a camera, I would have jumped right in with them for an energizing experience on the reformers. Katie, her instructors, and her clients seemed completely in their element as they demonstrated their skills for the camera.
A little about Katie: When we first met Katie, we understood right away why people love coming to Pilates of Charleston. Her sweet spirit and love for her craft shine through in her smile, her efficient and caring instruction, and even her posture. Katie believes that Pilates is for everyone, not matter the age, ability level or gender, and she therefore believes that her studio is for everyone.  Though Katie is sweet, don’t mistake her soothing aura for a lack of grit – the rigor of her instruction will let you know that you are doing your body a favor by coming in for your session.
We enjoyed the great sense of community at the studio as we chatted with the staff and students and watched them interact with each other. The beauties below are Ashley and Julie. Ashley and Julie are also instructors at the studio, and they, like Katie, wowed us with their skills! We had a chance to see each instructor teach and were fortunate enough to watch one of Ashley’s private Pilates sessions. Her student moved gracefully and fluidly, surprising me with a smile even when I knew the workout was challenging.
If you’re in the Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, or neighboring areas, stop by Pilates of Charleston to sign up for class! They are located at 716 S. Shelmore Blvd. (Suite 100) in Mt. Pleasant. You will have a great experience, and your body will thank you!
Why We Go to School in the Summer
No, we didn’t flunk Phys-Ed class.
Since Wendy is a teacher and I taught for several years, you’d think that school is the last place we’d want to spend our summer. (Yes, kids, your teachers look forward to summer as much as you, and probably much, much more.) But for the last three years we’ve spent four days of each summer on the campus of USC taking classes. Why would we do this voluntarily? Because we’ve gotten to study the art of image-making with some of the best photographers in the country.
The school is The Lamarr Williamson School of Photography: an annual collection of workshops put on by the Professional Photographers of South Carolina. This year featured an amazing group of instructors including Judy Host, Lou Freeman, and Louis Tonsmeire. Wendy and I studied with Ted and Rachel Linczak of Linczak Photography, who, in addition to being spectacular photographers and educators, are a great couple to hang out with.
Wendy and I keep coming back to the Lamarr School because we truly believe that photography is an art and a craft, and that great art cannot be created consistently without hard work and study. The instructors at the Lamarr School are committed to their craft, and have spent years (usually decades) becoming masters of it–not only learning the rules, but how to obey and to break them in ways that surprise and delight the viewer.
The image above is one that Wendy and I created after Ted and Rachel sent us off with our class’s models to put into practice some of what we’d learned during our first two days of study. We were less than half way through the class and already we were seeing new ways to photograph our clients that, hopefully, will knock their friggin’ socks off.
On Wednesday, students submitted our favorite photos taken at the school for the instructors to judge and ours (the one above) won the best image award! [Insert photo of Wendy and me fist-bumping.] That felt pretty amazing, but it’s also humbling, because The Lamarr School is filled with incredibly talented students, and we were up against photos that took my breath away.
That’s the other great thing about the Lamarr School: the students. Everyone in our class was already a truly skilled photographer, but they were committed to excellence–to continual growth and to never being satisfied with “good enough”. They were also really encouraging and a lot of fun to hang around.
Because of all of this, for the foreseeable future, Wendy and I will continue to go to summer school.
Britt’s Back, and, as Always, Beautiful
Sometimes you just have to have some fun.
Quite a while ago, Wendy and I photographed Britt’s bridal portraits and her wedding to the ever-ebullient Jason. Britt is about as easy to work with as they come. She’s gorgeous, she spent time modeling, and she’s an actress, too, meaning she’s incredibly comfortable in front of the camera. Well, since her wedding, Britt has been working on television, and last year made the move out to L.A. to pursue a career in entertainment in earnest. Before going, though, she got in touch with us about taking some headshots for her to bring along to auditions. These are not those. No, after we’d gotten what we needed in terms of headshots, we decided to play around for a while and just have some fun. These photos are a little piece of that time. We hope you enjoy them!
 We’ll see you next week!
