Christina & Ryan: Fall Picnic Engagement Shoot

Last weekend was Christina and Ryan’s engagement shoot….. finally! I don’t usually say this but we had been coming up with ideas for the shoot and with each idea came more anticipation for the day. I met Christina a couple of years ago through a Raleigh Meetup group. Since then she met and dated Ryan and got engaged. We scheduled to all meet at Starbucks and talk about the details and also for Ryan and I to actually meet. The one thing that Christina made clear is that for the engagement shoot she wanted to incorporate her Grandmother’s quilt and that she liked rustic barns. I suggested a picnic since both of them love the outdoors and work in jobs that help protect it. And so began the creative ideas.

I searched high and low to find the perfect spot for the shoot. I was hoping to find private property because we wanted to incorporate their gun in some images since they like to go shooting. No luck. What I did find was public property with strict rules about no guns. Oh well. It turned out the that they loved the spot I found.  Also, Ryan’s first land surveying assignment had been right across the street from where we took the photos. A lot of fun details went into the shoot from Anthropologie items to Etsy treasures. The tote that we used for the quilt is actually an Anthropologie shopping bag that the wonderful assistant manager,Sara, at the Southpoint Store let us borrow. It is amazing what you can get if you just ask!

I had so much trouble narrowing down photos. This is the best I could do (read: be prepared for a long blog post filled with photos).

Some of the vendors items from the shoot:

Simply Scrumptious…Julie provided the apple tart and the truffles you see Christina and Ryan enjoying in the photo above the boots photo. If local and organic (and yummy!) is your style then Julie is your baker.

Jagg Classic Wholesale….The wonderful Suzy over at Jagg answered all my questions and helped me choose some great flowers for the shoot.

Bragging Bags….This great Etsy store is where I got the natural and rustic wood vases.

I Wished For You….Another great Etsy shop with the sweetest name provided the rustic burlap “love” banner. I literally want to come up with inspiring words and order these banners with them and hang them all over my room.

Bella Forte Bookbinding

I discovered Bella Forte Bookbinding quite by accident, this particular accident was a happy one. I suggest that if you have an unhealthy obsession with great presentation, book cloth and pretty papers that you check out Bridget’s site. All of her work is custom and if you have a special occasion that needs to be commemerated in a book  or album she is the person to go to. I asked her to create a 5×7 proof box for my clients and the images below are what she created for me. Bridget has a variety of book cloths and interior papers to choose from.

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Kulula Airlines….LOL…Seriously

I am not a huge fan of the acronym LOL but this email I received made me actually LOL…. at least 4 times. This is why I had to post in on my blog. When I get to Africa to see “my” elephants I will have to fly with this airline purely for the entertainment value. If I owned an airline it would be like this. If this is South African humour I have got to get myself some South African friends. Here it is:

This is one of the most hilarious e-mails, EVER….would love to fly with this bunch of loonies. Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Check out their new livery! And have a read about their Customer Relations. WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN’T FLY INTERNATIONALLY – WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR – SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN. Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg . Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight “safety lecture” and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported: On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, “People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!” —o0o— On another flight with a very “senior” flight attendant crew, the pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.” —-o0o— On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we’d like to have.” —-o0o— “There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.” —o0o— “Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.” —o0o— As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, big fella. WHOA!” —o0o– After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted.” —o0o— From a Kulula employee: “Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth . To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.” —o0o— “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.” —o0o— “Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we’ll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines.” —-o0o— “Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.” —o0o— “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses..” —o0o— And from the pilot during his welcome message: “Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!” —o0o— Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “That was quite a bump and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault, it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault, it was the asphalt.” —o0o— Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate!” —o0o— Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.” —o0o— An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a “Thanks for flying our airline”. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, “Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Why, no Ma’am,” said the pilot. “What is it?” The little old lady said, “Did we land, or were we shot down?” —o0o— After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal..” —o0o— Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: “We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you’ll think of Kulula Airways.” —o0o— Heard on a Kulula flight: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light ‘em, you can smoke ‘em.”

Mad Men Inspired Photoshoot

(Vote HERE for the image of  Chris I shot)

Last monday I received a Facebook message from my friend Chris telling me about a Mad Men casting call and wanted to know if I would be interested in shooting his photo to enter the contest. I had never seen the show, I had maybe heard of it in passing but that was all. I went to the show site to investigate and fell in love with the idea of trying to create an image to have the look and feel of this show. So I told Chris I was in and we realized we needed to submit this photo by August 25th which meant the shoot would have to happen that coming weekend. So off to work I went and by that I mean I downloaded season 2 and also started watching episodes online to do research. With one window open watching the show I started to search where I could rent 60′s period furniture. We talked about where to do the shoot and though I thought an office environment would be good we did not have my ideal setup available but Chris has a friend, Tom, that has a place that would work well.

I think Thursday is when everything started really happening. During my lunch break I went to go check out a shop in Cameron Village called Hipsteria that is located within the Cheshire Cat. I spoke to the owner Ben who told me that he would be willing to rent out some pieces. Chris had visited the spot that morning and sent me photos of some of the items I had liked on the store website. After the visit I was still undecided because I still had not visited the spot where we would be shooting and wasn’t sure what other props we would need.

Thursday evening after work I went to check out the location of the shoot, Tom’s house. This house was great and some of the items in there were the perfect fit for our shoot. To be quite honest I wanted to move the guys in there out and make it my own but alas I did not. Friday came around and I used my lunch break to run over to Hipsteria. That day trying to reach the owner Ben was a bit of a headache because we kept missing each other’s calls. When I finally spoke to him he told me that I if I let him know which pieces I wanted he would set up with the someone at the Cheshire Cat to help me when I came to get them. So after haphazardly deciding which pieces I wanted I called Chris last-minute and asked him to come help me load the furniture in my car. Another reason I love my box on wheels of a car (Kia Rondo). Everything fit without problem. I also picked up a Life magazine from 1962 as a prop.

Friday night after work entailed me going to Bed Bath and Beyond for rocks glasses, the ABC store for liquor, Goodwill to get pillows I’d seen the night before then Home Goods to get 2 more props for decoration and finally the gas station for a soft pack of cigarettes. Once I got home I continued my research about Lucky Strike cigarettes which is the brand they smoke on the show, a lot (seriously…a lot). I found photos of the what the pack looked like in the 60′s and commenced to create a photoshopped label to replace the one that came on the pack I purchased. That night I learned that the label on a soft pack is 4×6 inches.

We met up at Tom’s at 10am to start shooting. Well Chris showed up at 10 and I showed up at 10:20. This girl was going to get her Starbucks after the past 2 days of prep;) despite the long line. We started off shooting using the living room set up that was in place already. Next we set up the scene with the furniture I rented. Thank goodness for Tom’s serving trays on the wall and yellow lamp shade. The original shade of the lamp I rented is a cream color. The scene needed a pop of color and wall art.

We finished shooting at 2:30 and managed to get the furniture returned to Hipsteria by 3pm. This was definitely a type of shoot I had never done before but I loved the challenge and think the images came out well. Now we just need to get Chris to win this contest. They will be choosing from the ten most popular men’s and women’s photos. So I never do this but today I am. If you like the image (or even if you don’t but appreciate my determination;) ) please vote for the photo of Chris over hereand help our image be in the top 1o most popular. Chris and I would be really grateful. Thanks in advance.

Here is the photo we submitted:

And here are other images from the shoot:

The above image was the one submitted for the contest.

And because I think outtakes are the best part of life and shoots/videos here are some for your viewing pleasure:

Part VII: The Cobblestone Streets Of Vieux Lille

Without a doubt, of the towns I visited, Vieux Lille was my favorite. I was charmed by the cobblestone streets, multicolored buildings and hanging lanterns. This is also where I came across these lovely macarons by Patrick Hermand. If planning a visit there and you think you will be doing a lot of walking I implore you, as a woman, do not wear heels! Not even wedges. I luckily had seen this warning before my visit and heeded the advice. Those cobbled streets though lovely to look at are not friends with heels and I like my ankles not twisted.

Vieux Lille is definitely a tourist attraction and a shopper’s delight. The area is filled with all sorts of shops selling a variety of merchandise that ranged from high-end to simple things such as food for dinner. Though I was not there to shop the “packaging” of Vieux Lille caused me to spend the day wandering around and exploring all the architectural delights as well as watching what everyday people do in Vieux Lille. I think one of the main reasons I love Europe (specifically France and England) is because the architecture makes me feel like I have been transported to another time that has passed already. I believe my next trip is a tie between Italy and Greece, not sure yet. Here are the images from this visit:

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(Part VI)

Vieux Lille

My first real life encounter with recognized street art after watching “Exit Through The Gift Shop”. This is Mimi The Clown.

Part V: Amiens: Beer, Cigarettes and Music

Of the three major towns I visited in the North of France, Amiens was my least favorite but that is not to say I did not like it. When I think back to the day I visited the moment I go back to was my last 30 minutes there  waiting for my great cousin to get the car. I heard music being played and I could not resist and had to investigate. I came across a group of guys outside a cafe/bar drinking beer, smoking hand rolled cigarettes and playing their guitars. Had I had the time I would have ordered a beer and just sat there and listened. But I did not have that time so I asked them if they would mind if I took photos and they obliged. To me that moment is a little how I see the North of France. The south is wine and Mediterranean food and the north is beer and cigarettes. That sounds unappealing but you have to understand that there are beer connoisseurs out there like there are wine connoisseurs. As for the food part I did not get a chance to eat there so I am a little limited on my ability to describe what they enjoy.

Other than this impromptu music ensemble I went to visit the Cathedral Notre Dame of Amiens. Every major city in Europe seems to have their own Notre Dame. This one however I believe was my favorite. It is also the largest of its kind in France. Here is a quote from Wiki about it “Amiens Cathedral (a World Heritage Site) is the tallest of the large ‘classic’ Gothic churches of the 13th century and is the largest in France of its kind. After a fire destroyed the former cathedral, the new nave was begun in 1220 – and finished in 1247. Amiens Cathedral is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation, the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal façade and in the south transept, and the labyrinth, and other inlays of its floor. It is described as the “Parthenon of Gothic architecture”, and by John Ruskin as “Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable.”. It sounds marvelous doesn’t it?

(Part IV)

As a side note I learned in France that car mirrors that turn in are a necessity, not a luxury and you better know how to parallel park (or learn to) because there is no room for error (or room to walk between cars).

Part VI: Poppies: The Prettiest Weed I’ve Ever Seen

I love flowers…..but I am not a gardener. I say I have a brown thumb. My heart would love to have flowers around but I forget to feed them. They don’t move, shed, make noise or make stinky messes in a box unlike my cat so I forget to feed them. So I just have to enjoy them in nature which is what I did during my trip to France. I just fell in love with the poppies that grow on the side of the road in the North of France. My obsession with them was a little confusing to my cousin and he wondered why I wanted to photograph a weed. A weed they are indeed (I googled it). This little factoid however does not lessen how much I like them. These in particular are quite delicate but that is what I think helps them survive. They bend with the wind very willingly which is a benefit to them. However do not pick them hoping you will have them the next day. These do not survive in a glass with water. Which meant I l had to wait until I could find a spot on the road to pull over and photograph them without becoming road kill. Trying to get a macro shot inside proved impossible with the lot a came across because it was windy and like a said they bend with the wind very easily. It was really windy. I’ve also added a few other flower photos that were pretty (Apparently I like weed-like flowers…not sure what this means about me).

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(Part V)

Part IV: Irresistibly Beautiful Macarons, Patrick Hermand

As part of my visit to France I had planned to photograph the real “original” macaron from  Jean Trogneux in Amiens rather than those trendy new fangled colorful ones that are all the rage now. However my plans changed a bit when I came to find out that these “original” macaron wrapped in gold foil did not have much to offer photographically once unwrapped. They are a round puck-like shape and are golden in color. Soon after discovering this disappointing fact I passed by a shop in Vieux Lille with a display of deserts and those (darned) trendy macarons that could just not be ignored. These macarons were even more fancy than the regular colored ones. Each different flavor had a unique embellishment, such as being painted or having bits of golden “foil” etc. The name of the shop is Patrick Hermand. And all these desserts seemed to pretty to eat. After several trips back and forth between their two street view window displays I finally decided to enter to make a purchase. (For those who think I am mispelling the word “macaron” here is a link to refer to about the difference between a macaron and macaroon.)

I had to wait a little bit because there were a few customers in line but this gave me a chance to witness how to order. I learned that all the different sized boxes on display were empty. No pre-packaging going on here. The shop attendant helps you select from the other wall where there are shelves displaying these pretty macarons. So when my turn came I was ready and did not seem completely clueless. I chose the smallest box that houses seven macarons. I was uncertain if I would even like them taste wise but knew they just had to be photographed. Oh yes, I forgot to mention I had NEVER  tasted a macaron before this time, “original” or “trendy”. So I made my selections, which I cannot tell you what they all were now but I do recall there was a lemon, cassis, and ganache. They were packaged in the little pink and green box I had chosen earlier with the Patrick Hermand logo and his quote “All can resisted except temptation” (obviously so true since I couldn’t resist). Once the shop attendant shut the box she of course wrapped it with a silver ribbon because everything is just truly more special with a bow:). I also had to order the lemon tart I had seen in the window, it was simply too pretty to be left behind. So without further ado here they are:

(Part III )

(Part V)

Part III: My Great-Uncle A Second World War Survivor

The majority of my visit to Europe was spent with my great-uncle and cousin (father and son). My great-uncle has achieved a lot yet been through a LOT. The north of France is not where anyone would want to have been between 1914 and 1945 had they known the events that were to take place. Yet this is when and where my great Uncle was born and lived. Though the Great War ended in 1918 when my great-uncle was a year old, the aftermath of that war lingered and ultimately led to the Second World War.  Quite a few years back I learned my uncle was  essentially a prisoner of war for the Germans and I was fascinated and saddened by this. During this visit I had him tell me more and give me timeline details. He showed me photos, and his “German passport”. This man’s ability to fix an engine is what probably made his life bearable compared to others when Germany invaded France during the Second World War. The North of France  to me is beautiful yet sadly longing. The country highways are littered with graveyards of the many fallen soldiers. The nationalities are not only French, but German, English, Australian, Canadian that I know of. Here is a site a came across with images of some: http://www.anzacsinfrance.com/cemeteries/. Here are some of the images I took during my trips:

(Part II)

(Part IV)

    When we passed these cemeteries my great-uncle would point them out. We didn’t stop at all of them because that alone would have taken up the time of my visit but when he did he would get emotional. He wouldn’t cry but this thing would happen to his voice and it isn’t only because he is now 94 years old. I have always believed war to be a tragedy, it truly breaks my heart but to see it break the heart of an old man who has endured war enforces my belief. I am not anti-military . I served in the military for four years. Maybe I am a bit of a contradiction. I am a pharmacy technician (training in military) that does not resort to medicine when I am sick unless my life depends on it and I am an airman that does not think that war is the first option. To me we are all humans and should never fight each other to the death. We will never get along in complete harmony because we have the freedom of opinion but that should never justify the killing of  another. But when the times comes and one chooses to enforce their beliefs on you against your will then actions must be taken to protect yourself.

  Anyhow enough about all that….my sole point of this post was to tell you a bit about my great-uncle and post some photos of him. But I suppose his history is intertwined in the above hence my immense deviation of my original intent for the post. Here is the man,Ramon, my great uncle who I first met when I was ten and fell in love with instantaneously.

     I had planned to photograph him but could not come up with a way to do it or environment that “clicked” for me. These happened quite by accident. I had my camera with me because a baby bird had landed on the window ledge outside the office and I tried to get a photo (the garden is a symphony of birds…quite lovely). He was in there rewriting the ancestry of my family and I started photographing him. The orange in the office and last image is because he had a garage and car dealership for a french company by the name of Renault. My favorite image of him, by far, is the second.

Here is a link to:

Part II of  my visit

Part II: Trip to England & France: “Donkey”, The Human Google

Next up on my visit to Europe to see family is Donkey! Not an actual donkey, he is my Godfather and my (half) sister’s father and he takes care of a horse name Nynke (see previous post about Nynke). It is all seemingly very confusing, I know. I grew up and received a nickname from him because you see when I was born my head was quite large at that time. So I became Nibbo or Niblick. For those who are into golf and are familiar with older clubs the niblick was the name used for a golf club prior to the 20th century that had a rather large “head”. It is most comparable to today’s 9-iron. I figure it could be worse, there are drivers and those things are huge in comparison. Anyway, I digress. Donkey became my godfather soon after my birth and was actually the one I have to thank for my wonderful name (my actual name not just the nickname). He also always read me a Beatrix Potter book before bed when I visited and told me about the small donkeys having a party at the foot of my bed as I was going to sleep. He fostered my love of reading and enhanced my already vivid imagination. On top of being quite good with children, this great man has an amazing capacity for information. Now granted he has no earthly clue who Justin Bieber is nor does he care to know but what he has interest in he has studied extensively and can either provide the  information from memory or go to his extensive library and find the info you desire. He uses these strange objects called books and uses his hands and fingers to turn the pages….odd indeed. His interests tend to lean towards aviation history, flying, paintings and anything well before his time to include writing from certain authors.

Well when I told him I wanted to take his photo he put on one of his nice suits…simple grey with a strikingly coloured tie. That’s how I view Donkey…seemingly gray and calm, unassuming, but there is a little unexpected wild streak of colour. This man who always provided me with (English) Smarties (sorta like American M&M’s) and Terry’s orange infused chocolate rounds was the most constant male influence during my childhood. He has an extreme gift to be great with children yet highly intelligent. These two characteristics are hard to combine at times. In these photos he was set on taking them without smiling because this is how they did it in the old days (his favorite days). Maybe he didn’t realize that they had to do it that way because back then getting your photo taken took a loooooong time and they asked their subjects to be still and serious so as to prevent what I call “ghosting”. I did as he wished though but I did manage to sneak a few photos with a smirk because who can resist the charms of the “Nibbo”;)?

 

(Part I)

(Part III)

This is one walls of the Donkey library, carefully protected in a windowless room and glass protected shelves.

This is serious Donkey:

Do not let the seriousness of his expressions fool you there is a child’s heart in this man and I mean this in the best way possible. Here is an image when I caught him trying to stifle a laugh: