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).
.
.
.
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: 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
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:
Part I- Trip to England & France: Nynke
It has been over a month since I have been back from my trip to England and France and I have just now finished going through the images! There are quite a few to go through so I’ve decided to break the posts up. My first visit was to my sister’s. She introduced my to her new (to me) horse. The last time I was there was in 2006 and her horse then, named Bo, has since died. I used to love riding when I was a child and had lessons every weekend. But as I got older I just felt less confident riding them because I was becoming more aware of possible accidental injury with these massive beasts. The last time I actually got on a horse for a ride was when I was 19 on my sister’s horse. He got spooked by the sound of horse walking on newly laid gravel outside the ring and took off running. My meager attempts to stop him went unnoticed. I felt myself falling off which had happened before, from years of riding, so that didn’t bother me. The problem occurred when I let myself fall off and my foot got stuck in the stirrup and Bo was dragging me. That was no fun. The ligaments in my left shoulder were stretched and since that incident my shoulder likes to “slip” out on occasion. So no more riding for me since then. Regardless of this I just fell in love with Nynke, my sister’s horse. She was so curious of my camera and the round cylinder I kept pointing towards her. She is an Andalusian. She is a beautifully muscled and poised horse with a glistening black coat, and wavy mane and tail. And she has those tufts of hair at the top of her hoofs that I just love. She has a very kind spirit and I believe if I chose to ride her she would treat me kindly. Here are a few photos to showcase her loveliness:
(Part II)
And here are a few photos to showcase her personality:
The image on the left is me standing my ground as she came running towards my sister and I. To be honest this scared the life out of me ….what if she didn’t stop in time or give herself enough room to get past me without knocking me down? But I stood firm and I survived unscathed;). The image on the left is my sister and Nynke giving each other their hello scratch. My sister scratches the base of her mane and Nynke rubs my sister’s back with her muzzle….how sweet is this?
This one is Nynke coming over to me wondering why in the world I am laying down in the grass. This again increased my heart rate a bit but I was determined to be strong. This fear of mine in truly unfounded, just a part of who I am now but I won’t let it master me. I truly couldn’t help but kiss this sweet face though.
Matt & Shelby ….Married!
On May 29th 2011, Shelby and Matt’s wedding took place and it was filled with subtle and pretty DIY details. The wedding was located at the lovely Revolution Mills Studios. For the bridesmaids Shelby chose to have them wear a brown jersey wrap dress. The beauty of this type of dress is that it gave each bridesmaid her own style because of the the many ways it can be worn. The bridesmaids jewelry was made my Shelby’s mom and the bridesmaids shoes were painstakingly painted by Shelby and her sister. Matt wore his grandfather’s watch. My favorite moment would have to be when Shelby had just put on the dress and her brother helped her by cutting of the straps that hang the dress, her sister is fixed the back of the dress and her mother is supervising all the work (image below). Putting on a wedding dress is no joke! Thank you to Shelby and Matt for bringing me in to photograph your wedding and get to know you and hear the stories of how you met. I can’t wait to hear your future stories.
Another fun part of the wedding for me was to get to work with people I consider friends. The catering and setup was done by Basil’s & Co. The simple yet elegant cake that Shelby asked for was done by Simply Scrumptious (each layer was a different flavor), the coordinating was silently executed by Melissa of Events By Design and our charismatic DJ was the Friendly Neighborhood DJ.
For those that did not get a chance to view Matt & Shelby’s billiards engagement shoot go here.
Melissa & Josh
Having known Josh for a while made photographing this wedding a bit more special to me and that much more difficult to narrow down images to post here. It was a lot of fun, especially stealing away to get some photos with the new couple alone at the JH Adams Inn where Josh had secretly booked a room for the night as a surprise to Melissa. There were a few pauses in the road to their marriage but these images I believe show that things happened just the way they were supposed to be. Josh and Melissa you are both very thoughtful and caring people to each other as well as to others and I am so glad I was able to be a small part of your day.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A Dress Like A Glove……Melissa Hendry
I had to do a quick post to show the magnificence that was Melissa after she donned THE dress. It may have been the third dress in actuality but truly the only choice as you can see. If ever the term “it fits like a glove” could be used it would have been that day after Melissa put on her dress. Melissa and Josh you are both wonderful people and it was an honor to be there on your wedding day to capture the two of you and I am so glad to see you joined as one.
Here is Melissa in the brides room moments after putting on her dress:
.
.
.
.
.
.
I thought a would add a photo of Josh’s understandable smile as he saw his bride walking down the aisle.
Shelby & Matt-Billiards Engagement Shoot
Last week I met with Shelby and Matt at the Loft at Natty Greene’s in Greensboro, NC for their engagement shoot. I first met them last year over a year before their wedding date through Renee the owner of Basil’s & Co. One thing I learned about Shelby that day is she is efficient and organized. At our meeting I learned that she had chosen a venue for her wedding, found her caterer and baker for her cake. She had also found her dress and chosen the colors for the wedding. I loved this! I, of course, had to ask how they met. The abridged version is Shelby and her friend decided to check out a bar they had not gone to yet. This was the very bar that Matt manages. Shelby and her friend were playing pool in the back of the bar and Matt would keep taking smoke breaks in the pool table area. Shelby assumed this is where he took his breaks but as it turned out he was coming back there because Shelby was there. I thought this was just such a sweet story. So when I brought up the subject of engagement photos they informed me that they were not the traditional sit in the park type couple which was fine with me. After hearing their story I decided their perfect engagement shoot would have to have a billiards theme and they agreed.
I can tell you now from experience that trying to find a place that has a pool table, does not look like a dive and has natural light readily available is very difficult, at least where I live. I had about one year to find a spot and at the eleventh hour (well a month before our tentative shoot day) a friend suggested the Loft at Natty’s in Greensboro. I popped over to their Facebook page and saw the photos they had of the space and I knew that was the space. My concern was trying to get myself in there to take photos. I called the Laurie, who is in charge of booking events at The Loft, and she was so helpful and had no problem with letting us use the space on a day when the space wasn’t booked. So at 11am on April 7th I walked into Natty’s welcomed by the warmth and smell of beer brewing. The shoot wrapped up around 2:30pm thanks to Matt fading a bit so we finished off the shoot by heading over to Gray’s Tavern next door for some bacon and egg sliders for Shelby and I and a battered and fried (yep, that’s right, fried) hot dog for Matt. Thank goodness for Matt because as it turned out I was starving. As soon as I saw my sliders heading towards me my stomach actually flipped with excitement.
And finally I had to show proof that a fried hot dog exists. Their exact menu description is actually “ripped” which is described as “fried until ripped on ends”. According to Shelby and Matt their hot dogs are really good. I believe them. As for me I will stick to these bacon, egg and cheese sliders…perfect portion and super yummy.
Walk Through A Wedding-American Honey
Three weeks ago I had the opportunity to drive down to Charlotte to be part of Justin & Mary’s Walk Through A Wedding Workshop. I had been so excited for it. It was a day of learning how Justin, Mary & Julia photograph a wedding with a group of other photographers. I will liken it to a seminar that people go to for work but fun, inspirational and I actually wanted to be there. Justin & Mary are a husband and wife photo team that now also includes Julia, their 3rd shooter, office manager, assistant, producer…well you get the idea. They have started these workshops where they put together a themed mock wedding and walk photographers through the wedding day. I can’t think of a better way to spend a day than with other photographers, learning new things and taking photos but maybe that’s just me.
I have been following Justin and Mary’s blog for about a year now after I attended their Spread The Love Seminar in Charlotte in 2010. I can’t even remember how I came across it but when I did I shared the info with my friend Angela and we both drove down together. So naturally when I decided to attend this workshop I told Angela about it and she came as well. I can’t say enough good things about the experience. They are both incredible teachers and I think it is because they love what they do and love to share it with others. Mary is the heart of the team and captivatingly narrates in such a way that you can almost see what she is speaking about. Justin is technically savvy but explains things to people so all can understand.
I am not sure if these images will show any of the challenges we had that day with the weather. I can tell you that even though it was sunny and pretty it was windy, seriously windy. The kind of windy that spills the champagne glasses on the table and lifts corner of the barn roof while Mary is speaking windy. Like is there a tornadoe coming? Then there were the bees in the barn but we were told they were carpenter bees or something like that and wouldn’t sting. But regardless we survived, had a great time and got some great images thanks to our very patient and cooperative models.
These next two images were achieved thanks to Justin holding up a reflector for our group. Thanks Justin!
Mary showing our wonderful models how to pose. Work it Mary;)
