“Take my Picture” – The Look

If anyone has a teenager in their midst then you know some of the looks that come out of them. Confusing right? And they will almost never let you take their picture when you want to, it has to be on their terms. And the selfies? Not sure I will ever completely get that.

I am doing some work at the desk one evening, my daughter comes up to me and gives me a look. Now I had no idea what this look meant, my wife had to clue me in. My daughter Britt had just finished applying some make up so I just thought she was showing me what a good job she did. Little did I know. Then she keeps looking at me….Well?

I stopped asking her to let me take her photo a long time ago, the answer would always be no. As a photographer when I get inspired by a look I want to capture it, as a parent when that look comes from your daughter you want to capture it immediately. Of course it does not work that way. I stopped what I was doing, reconfirmed this request with both my wife and my daughter and went to get set up.

The attention  span wanes quickly, taking your time is not an option. I am normally pretty laid back, and by creating a fun atmosphere it keeps my clients attention to where I need it, but with your kid that is all out the window. There will be no dialing in of anything. But all in all, in the end the results were quite nice.

Took a few liberties, experimented with a some presets to a few of them. Nice. My kid is not a kid anymore. She is now a beautiful young lady isn’t she?

All for now, Thanks for stopping by!

Phil

The Yard Sale Editorial

A town wide yard sale, a bunch of old dance clothes and our daughters curious friend. These elements came into play for a spur of the moment, off the cuff shoot entitled “The Yard Sale Editorial”.

While we were going through a few years of dance costumes our daughters friend found great interest in some of the outfits. Being a normal teenager she decided to try a few things on in a not so normal fashion. A tutu skirt donned as a hat set my mind adrift in photographic opportunity.  While not my normal style, I thought it may be fun to experiment a bit and see what transpired.

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I do believe she thought I was a bit crazy, and I am positive she had no idea what was in store when she agreed to a quick shoot. It was already 10:30 pm, so we were all a bit tired. So, my stylist and trusted second pair of eyes joined me in producing the following selections.

I certainly would like to create some more images of this nature. Probably should plan ahead next time, but these spur of the moment sessions are lots of fun. You never know what will happen when you have old dance costumes hanging around.

Thanks for stopping by, Till next time!

Exit 82 Theater – Legally Blonde

I recently took in Exit 82 Theater Company’s summer production of Legally Blonde, the Musical. This is the second of the companies three productions this year and it surely did not disappoint. I thought that their spring production was fabulous, but once again they have raised the bar even further and cemented their place as a force to be recognized in the local theater community.

A core group of individuals who regularly participate can only strengthen the cohesiveness in their productions and in this running of Legally Blonde some fantastic new blood was placed in to the lead roles. The faces I recognized from previous shows stepped aside and played support roles but they certainly still starred in their own right, often providing the comic relief and vocal support that gives that little extra Exit 82 touch that the crowd came for.

I remain in awe of the efforts this volunteer cast puts forth and will be looking forward to this winters shows and beyond. A few shows are left for this running, if you get the opportunity be sure and check it out. A surprise announcement is even scheduled for the fall, me thinks they have outgrown the confines of their current theater and it is time to move into a bigger venue in order to hold their growing fan base. Sign up on their email list to be notified of all the upcoming and important happenings in their world. But before you go, enjoy a few shots from Legally Blonde.

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time…

Phil

 

A Boardwalk Stroll

Part of our recent trip to Ocean City, Maryland involved a couple of strolls along their famous boardwalk. I have always been intrigued by the styling’s of street photography but have never attempted to undertake the always interesting, somewhat nerve racking, sometimes dangerous aspect of this genre. I do people watch, all the time in fact. I am constantly looking for expressions, shapes, styles, contours, and colors but as a portrait photographer, not as a sometimes sneaky I caught you looking like that photographer.  Anyway, I figured why not give it a go and see what translates out.

I already know how to be subtle and not so subtle…but I did not realize how fast you need to be when trying to capture the image that you see in your head as it walks by. Some knew, most did not, I only requested one shot, and even got photo bombed by my daughter as I was lining someone up. I wanted to request a couple more but did not get up the nerve. All in all pretty cool experience, turned out much better than I anticipated.  A common theme? Boardwalks have lots of food….

I present to you my interpretation of the people of the Ocean City Boardwalk

Thanks for stopping by!  Till next time…

Phil

In This Leap

I was in Maryland recently cheering on my daughter’s dance team during their national competition. During some down time, standing on the balcony of our hotel, seven floors up and over looking the ocean I get a call from my daughter who was on the beach with a friend. “Dad, can you take pictures of us jumping?” Unable to resist the challenge on went the 200 mm, and a few phone calls later we had what we wanted.

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This image of Brittany captured the attention of one of our friends, who sent it to one of her friends who just happens to be a terrific writer. Inspired by the photograph of a leaping dancer a poem was born:

IN THIS LEAP

 It is here that I live

the in between realm

of Being and flying

the space between soft sand and azure sky

where my legs are strong,

my hair flows like a running stream,

and my purpose shines

just beyond the salmon horizon.

In this leap is my freedom.

I sing here,

I dance here

I am.

Cristina M. R. Norcross

Copyright 2014

Thank you Cristina for touching our lives!

And for those of you wondering what the other half of the tandem accomplished:

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Thanks for stopping by! Till next time…

Phil