Seeing yourself through another lens

It’s so hard for me to let someone photograph me.  I really do not, and I mean, do not,  like the why I am captured on camera. So you take that plus a few months post partum and I can’t believe I let someone photograph me!

I am totally IN LOVE with the images Jason Stockdale of www.jasonstockdale.com got from our session. I really really looked in to his work before I emailed him. But it was important to me for someone who didn’t know me, didn’t know us, didn’t know my photography to photograph such a personal thing. Sure, I could have asked a number of assistants, partners, friends and fellow photogs but I was on a mission.

Time: early evening, when: a very hot summer July day in the South, where: my grandparents “plantation”. where i feel home. where i can walk in the door and almost always smell coffee, fragrant candles of hazlenut cream and my grandfather’s cologne. this.is.where.my.heart.is.at.home. there no place else in the world like mama syb and pop’s.

So when Jason and I discussed location, there was never any question. It was always meant to be there. On the steps I’ve walked up and down since I was a kid,; beneath the grand magnolia tree where I use to hide; amongst the white picket fence and her arch, aged and withered but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t tell you how many times, countless times, I would sit on that porch swing and sing, read or sit silently. Chicken soup for the soul.

I am so blessed to get to take my children to this special place and hopefully they will cherish these one day half as much as I do today.

I can only hope they will find a place as profound and full of sweet Southern charm and love as Mama Syb and Pop’s.

These are just a tiny little peek!

Sweet dreams & sweet tea,

Monica

 

 

 

iLove

Digital age. Love it.

With all gadgets around these days, apps, software, etc a computer or a phone can make anyone think they’re a photographer.

So when is an image a work of art? When is it truly photography or when is it FAUXtography?

Photographers, like myself, find images in everything they do. FAUXtographers take cheap, crappy photos, edit on free software, charge a little fee and bam, they’re in business.

iLove my iPhone.

iLove to take pictures with my iPhone. Are these images art to you? Because I’m a photographer does this make them any more art than if a regular Joe took them?

What do you think makes art, art?

A not-so-extreme couponing adventure

So the TLC show “Extreme Couponing” has had me thinking. Watching my first episode I literally sat with my jaw open. Totally in awe in the mastermind thinking of this way of living. These women are some serious shoppers. Most people, myself included, have the tendency of thinking that coupons are a thing of the past. That’s so 1980s, duh. BUT, no. Last night, as I sat digging on the internet at The Krazy Coupon Lady’s blog…I thought, maybe I can give this a go. Just maybeI I can save some money here and there.

So, armed with my 2 hours of knowledge from the night before, a handful of coupons and a store ad, I hit good ole Walgreens.

My laundry detergent was buy one get one FREE! I also snagged ziploc bags on sale for .99, Doritos & Lays BBQ half off, palmolive dish liquid for .89 and maddy’s favorite green tea for buy one get one free and on sale.

So here is my tally:

4 tubs of Arm & Hammer detergent, 3 bottle of Palmolive dish liquid, 6 bottles of Arizona Green Tea, two regular size ziplocs (50 count) and one gallon size (25 count) and large bag each of Doritos and Lays BBQ.

Retail total WOULD have been $55.91. I paid $29.47. I saved $26.44! Woo-hoo! Not bad for my first time, I’d say. Nothing compared to what these ladies on TLC do, but hey, not too shabby!

Before & After

So, over the years I’ve had people ask me about before and after shots. Today, I’ve decided to share a before and after of one of my favorite shots from a wedding last summer.

Meet Andrea & Kyle. Positively one of THE most energized couples ever. Their wedding last summer was at Lichterman Nature Center and was so classy and full of personal details. Simple and beautiful. Every little bit. They aksed if they could do a jumping picture…so of course I obliged. Who wouldn’t?

Here is before, posted first, straight off the camera. And underneath it, the final image, mad a little warmer and given a little “oomf” it deserved. Enjoy.

P.S. Do you have a favorite image of mine that you’d like to see a before and after on? Let me know!

Refreshing…

REFRESH: to restore strength and animation; to freshen up; to restore or maintain by renewing supply.

This is my word for 2011/2012. Updated the website. Updated my marketing, my prices, ME. It was *time*.

So for my “first” post, I just want to continue to say congrats to my most recent wedding couple, Corinne & Noll.  One of the sweetest weddings I’ve ever had the joy of photographing. Every tiny little detail of the day was well-thought and meaningful. One thing that absolutely captured my heart, was Noll’s mom, Jo. She hand made (yes, hand made), each and every decor item. The door wreaths were one item that really caught my attention. She made them out of sheet music.