We’re FAMOUS….well, somewhat…
Date: Wednesday June 2, 2010Posted in: Life, Me, Photography, Portrait Photography, Wedding Photography
Tonight I was doing an engagement shoot with Holly and Chris. We started in downtown Frederick and just as we were finishing with location #1, a man ran toward us with a camera. He quickly explained that he is on assignment to blog one photograph from Market Street every day for a year and asked if he could photograph me photographing Holly and Chris. We thought it was a GREAT idea (of course) and let him become part of our shoot. I got home and saw that he had already blogged! YAY! And what girl doesn’t want her fame to come by means of a picture of her back side? Good times….
Here’s the link: http://badkins55.wordpress.com/
Click and check it out! 
In high school, my friend Anna and I decided we would go to Africa. It was part of our long-term plans for the future. We talked about it in school, at soccer practice, on vacations, and through college, my teaching years, and Anna’s years in med. school. Our families and friends entertained our dreams but I think we were the only ones who thought it would really happen.
This year, the opportunity came and we began to make plans. We will be headed to Liberia on January 26 and returning February 27. During this month, Anna will be working as a doctor at the Ganta United Methodist Hospital. Up until this year, there was only one doctor who had not had a day off in 18 months.
I will be working at the Ganta United Methodist School, teaching core subjects during the school day, assisting the basketball program that was begun this year, beginning a running club, and documenting the rebuilding of a village that was nearly obliterated by the civil war. This is an amazing year in Liberia for many reasons. Six-year-olds are attending school for the first time this year as children who have not lived through war. The president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is Africa’s first female head of state. With Sirleaf’s leadership, the education of girls has become a great initiative in Liberia. She recently said, “The education of the girl child in Liberia is critical and an urgent matter. It is actually about human rights and human dignity. It is about peace and development of the country.” I am so excited to be part of such forward progress for young girls and for Ganta as a whole. It will be amazing to be able to document such an exciting year in education through photography. I have been working with the principal of the school to organize supplies that we will be sending ahead and carrying with us such as donated running shoes, water bottles, soccer balls, etc.
We will be in Liberia during the summer season so it will be HOT! We will be in a place without readily available electricity or clean water. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world with an unemployment rate of 85%. It will definitely be a life changing experience. With about seven weeks until the trip, I’m sure I’ll be updating on the trip plans before leaving.
I included a couple of maps below. Liberia is on the west coast of Africa, surrounded by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote D’ivoire. Ganta is very near the border of Guinea, about a six hour trip by vehicle outside Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia.
I think families who have become my regular clients have come to realize they are not only getting a children’s photographer but also someone with a lot of energy to chase the kids around for the duration of a shoot. Before yesterday’s cold and rainy shoot, my little guy, Trey, was cold so we set off on a race across the parking lot and back to warm up. It was a tough race and I thought I had it in the bag but he MAY have sneaked by me right at the end…
Nancy’s solo shoot – Trash the dress!
Date: Sunday November 1, 2009Posted in: Me, Photography, Portrait Photography
This afternoon, after we finished with our family shoots, Nancy did a solo trash the dress session with none other than me and my husband, Jason, as her subjects. I had staked out the park a long time ago to find where I wanted to do this so once I changed into my dress, the three of us took off on a hike… we followed a trail, winding through the woods, and ended up at the perfect stable for our shoot.
Nancy did AWESOME and we had a lot of fun bouncing ideas back and forth. I should always stay behind the camera…but this one time, I lived through being on the other side…
And we thought it would be funny to take a picture of the wedding photographer taking pictures in a wedding dress – fitting…
This weekend has been busy! I had a rehearsal dinner on Friday night, wedding at Stone Manor on Saturday, and wedding in Northern Virginia on Sunday (my assistant’s daughter!). While I was running around the house between shoots and neglecting my dogs, I snapped one picture of Leia, my oldest dog. Kona, the baby, usually gets all the attention so we’re trying harder to make Leia feel loved. Tomorrow is Kona’s birthday though…
I’m leaving this morning for a week in Asheville, NC and am so excited! One of my couple’s, Sabrina and Rick, are getting married on Miller’s Mountain next Saturday so we decided to go down this weekend and spend a week hiking, climbing, biking, and running around the area ahead of time. I’m looking forward to breathing the fresh fall air and exploring new areas. I’ll take lots of pictures and share our adventures with you next week!
Between renovating studio #2 and putting in a new bathroom, I have one other critical job this break: babysitting my students’ plants. My kindergarteners planted their little seedlings almost two weeks ago and rush into class each day to check on the progress of the little life for which they are caring. As spring break got nearer, they began to ask how we would care for our plants while not being at school for almost a week. I assured them I would take them home and babysit. It became the classroom joke that “Ms. Liz” would be reading bedtime stories to their plants, telling them they are beautiful and how much we love them, and kissing each one of them good morning while the plants’ true parents were away. As odd as it sounds, I was proud of the thought that was put into how to properly care for another life form. My five-year-olds are the best.
Anyway – as I check on the plants daily, keep up with their measurement journals, and nurture them to the best of my ability sans bedtime stories and kisses, I felt the need to share this critical job in photo form.
As you may or may not have noticed, I spent some time this past week working on the website – new photos in the galleries, new color schemes and information on the pages, etc. This was not only fun because of the finishing product but because it allowed me to look back and reflect on all the experiences from 2008. I’m so excited about the weddings I have planned in 2009 (and ones I will still become a part of) as well as expanding my kids portraits (if you have or know any kids, I’m looking for some willing subjects so email me – I’ll even kick in a great special offer)! I will continue making changes through the weekend and will have a new and improved site. Enjoy looking through the new galleries and let me know what you think!
Yes, I know politics has no place in photography and generally I try to keep thoughts along these lines separate from my blog however, I feel the need to share one experience.
Yesterday I was driving home from a day in Virginia by way of 17 to 15 up to Middletown. During this drive, I started counting the prefabricated McCain signs I was seeing in front yards and street corners. These ranged from “McCain/Palin” signs to “McCain Country” signs. Then, as I was stopped at a light, on my left, in a field, I saw a large scrap board extended toward the sky and attached to farm equipment. Scrawled across the board, very puposefully in shades of blue, were the words: “Obama – YES WE CAN”. The light turned green and I kept going with this image in my mind. The pointedness and thought of this sign stuck with me as more of a statement than the actual words and spoke louder than any large, manufactured McCain sign I noticed along the way. This sign spoke of desperation, hope, and time taken to express a raw emotion.
I have never been someone who has had political bumper stickers attached to my car or signs in my front yard. I have always believed that actions speak louder than words and if I am working hard enough to give to others and help in my own little way, that I can make a small change in the world without blasting my beliefs through endorsements. This sign is the first sign that has spoken to me throughout this whole process. It is a critical time and it is a time to get out there and vote.
Now back to photography…
So I realized I just had to share a few of the presents I received for Christmas this year. My in-laws got me a Shoot Sac which is now my first love (behind Jason and Leia, of course). It is an awesome bag that holds a ton of lenses and extras that I carry with me to every photo shoot – while still being easy to manage and stylish!
These can be found at www.shootsac.com and come in a variety of styles – I already told Jason that I need more covers – it’s like an outfit, right??
My friend, Kelly, also got me a photography gift – a strap for my camera. Now, I told her this strap will not be able to be used at weddings when I am trying to be inconspicuous however, it’s going to make an appearance at every portrait shoot I do from now on! I love it!
www.heydayfashion.com Support handmade items!
My aunt and uncle presented me with a gift the day after Christmas, wrapped up in a small bag. They said it was my grandfather’s, who I never knew. He died 40 years ago when my mom was only 14. I have always heard fantastic stories about him so it was exciting to get something that had been his. Well, I opened the bag up and inside was a camera – HIS camera! Amazing!
Even though I promise I won’t show up at my next photo shoot with this camera to take your picture, it is an awesome keepsake!
I also received rechargeable batteries, chargers, and many other photography presents – such is the life of a photographer! It was so exciting! Thank you to everyone!!!!
