Honeybees, Rainy Trees, & a Sleepy Newborn

Puddles Are Fun!

Spring Time Means Splashing in the Puddles

Some days you just need to jump in the puddles.

On Friday my husband lost his job.  That job is our steady income so I can continue taking weddings as they come rather than need to contract out for other work or raise our prices and make it more difficult for clients to budget for quality work.  If you are familiar with the job market in the United States you'll understand why this is a frightening thing for my family.  Compound it with the impending birth of our new baby and the fact that it was his company which provides our insurance... we're in a tough position to say the least.

SO... how does one cope with all this stress?  I take my son outside in his cute little rain boots and let him enjoy the warm spring day while jumping in muddy puddles.  I'm still cleaning dirt off the camera, but I also promise the photos are worth it.  His smile makes the stressful moments fade and reminds me that so long as we have a roof over him, food in his belly, and can afford to do the same for our newborn... that means it will be alright.

Keep an eye out after I play with some new color editing programs and you'll get to see my handsome little man and his classic "playing in the puddles".

Cupcake Catastrophy

While discussing the baby shower plans for tomorrow a memory popped up that made me wish I had my back-up drive handy today.  I'm working from the laptop while on some doctor ordered bedrest at the moment, so I'll have to pry the pictures out a little later.

Some of the most hilariously perfect photos happen when you are "there for set-up".  I often pop in to the venue on the day of an event and take a look around to get a fast mental image of the where-and-what to expect when we arrive at a reception.  On this particular day I arrived at the same time as the baker and the desert delivery and the ever so cute flower-girl in her sparkly pink and white dress.

Yep... anyone with babysitting or parenting experience can see where this is going...

Part of the delivery of deserts was a tower of beautiful cupcakes and lady-finger treats, all delicately frosted with an array of soft pinks, spring greens, and cheerful blues.  I saw the colors and made a mental note to get some good images of the colors before the reception turned them to crumbs, then headed upstairs to see the bride. 

The bride was lovely and already most of the way through dressing and hair so we had a chance to play with images of the bridesmaids.  We did some lovely images in front of the dressing room mirror and the window to catch the pristine white of her gown.  Just as we were ready to head down to the ceremony site outside, the bride asked where her flower girl was and a frantic search ensued as nobody had kept track.  Like any concerned mom I had a momentary "if that was my kid what would I do" then remembered the last time I had spotted the flower girl and where.

Yes, as you can guess she was mostly safe, though I'm not sure how long it took for her to work off the sugar rush.  Only about ten total cupcakes and cookies were mangled, but the results were slightly hilarious to behold.  Thankfully, the flowergirl, bride, and nervous mom (a bridesmaid so the girl was supposed to be under grandma's watch) were all fine though nothing could be done to save the pretty toddler dress from some very large stains.  What I did get for images were actually quite cute.  Covered in crumbs and frosting, the big grin on that messy little face made an appearance in the wedding album and I remember the bride asking for prints to share with her friend later.  

So what does all this mean to me?  Well, when life gives you cupcakes... MAKE A MESS!

Props and Baby Bumps

New goodies and props are popping up in my prop collection and I simply could not be happier.  

I've been browsing the shelves at our local dollar store as they begin to pull out the Valentine's Day and even some very early Easter items.  This is when I can always find things like strings of huge chunky faux pearls to use for a finishing touch over a soft lingerie look for boudoir.  I'm most proud of a collection of lace fans that I found a few days after Christmas as they were ditching the "last minute gifts" that did not sell.  Score six for a dollar in different colors and no worries if they break or rip.

Soon I'll be going back, this time to look for items to use at my up-coming baby celebration and of course I'll be keeping an eye out for props.  One of my all time favorites came from a friend's baby shower where she used flowers in clear crystal slides (made to look like flowers pressed in glass).  Placing this just off center and shooting through it focused on a posing child or baby gives a lovely dual image without having to fuss with layers that may not line up in post process.  This also lets me have a reminder of that party as a paper weight on my desk when meeting with clients or editing in the evenings.

Colors are a big deal for me this year.  I've found that my tastes always seems to float to soft teals, greens, yellows and blues with toddlers and young kids, and deep jewel tones of burgundy, violet, and jade when it comes to adults.  I love a classing pin-up girl touch of red for boudoir, but it has started to land in the overkill zone lately with Rockabilly influence seeming to forget that there are color choices beyond black, white and red.  I'm a sucker for a bold blue because it does such good in the right light, making even simple images floaty and full of an ethereal sense of heavenly beauty.  

I'm going to do some color study images soon for sharing, something to take my mind off how much the pregnancy is slowing down my desire to get out there and shoot.  I also have another shoot in the works with a fellow boudoir photographer as part of celebrating my pregnancy and trying to reclaim some of the strength and drive this has sapped over the last month.  I'm obsessed with doing a henna belly shoot, so I'll be having a ball with sharing those shots in the near future.

Blue Haired Lady

One of my favorite models came by for a visit the other day to show off her new hair color.  We took a few shots to update her portfolio and while I'm not even close to finished with editing, I love this new look on her.

Big Beautiful Boudoir

After unplanned car repairs ruined our savings for this weekend's trip to the fairy festival, I dusted myself off and gotten right back to taking a shoot and keeping focused on the fact that there is so much I could/should be celebrating. 

A few weeks ago I shared an image and quote from a young woman named Tanya.  She's a beautiful woman and was happy to share her feelings on why boudoir can be so positive for women to try.  Today we had the second have of our shoot, and a good laugh at the long process of me lacing and clipping her into a full boned corset.

Here's a look at this pretty girl and some highlights from her last two shoots.

Mommy Day!

I have a long day tomorrow doing various things that require me to look and act like an adult, so I'm going to go slaughter some digital zombies with my husband to prepare for that.  No really, it helps! *sigh* When you're finished laughing I'll continue... You're done?  Good.

I was once again voluntarily torturing myself on Mother's Day as I worked at the florist shop.  After having covered a wedding the day prior, that meant I had almost no time with my "Tiny Monster".  So, to make up for that weekend being lost to income, we spent last weekend doing family things. My camera never leaves my side, so I had time to take a ton of great photos of my husband and son playing all weekend long.  Today I finally went through a few and found out how awesome they are after all.

Anyway, I give you a ton of fun clips from this weekend. Enjoy the crazy birds and smiling toddler monster:

Farmer's Markets Are Wonderful

This week is crowded with work.  Tuesday - Sunday I will be assisting my favorite florist with their busy Mother's Day ordering season, Saturday is my first beach wedding of 2013, and next week I will be meeting with fellow small business owners to discuss having some Weddings By Armando original designs on display at their boutique!

To get ready for all of that I spent Saturday back at the Farmer's Market in Portland.  My son and I enjoyed sampling and selecting our delicious local goodies and eating a healthy lunch in the park at the duck pond.  I apologize in advance that I will disappear for most of the week, but to get you all in the mood for some lovely summer weather I'll give you these beautiful images of fresh food and local goods.  Support your local farmers and visit the market yourself (or check out one near you).

Spring Portfolio Cleaning

OneWed.com : Spring Green Wedding Shoes

It's spring, time to make my new list of photos I want to get for my portfolio while covering weddings this season.  I always consider the gaps and try to find ways to fill them without missing a moment of a bride's big day and making sure to work with her ideas.  I encourage every bride to build a profile on Pinterest and send a link while we are planning her details so that I can see the thoughts in her planning process and important moments she wants captured. 

This year I am all about the colorful brides.  The weddings I have booked are nontraditional in their color choices and I love that about these brides.  I look forward to picking up an image or two like this with color and class mixed into a different way to salute the wedding rings.  I'm a fan of shoes anyway, so it also feeding into my obsession with those things that cover a girl's toes.  

My other recent obsession is looking up wedding gowns through wholesale brokers online.  I spend a huge amount of time looking at dress designs on wholesale ordering sites to keep an eye on trends in bridal fashion.  I get to figure out if I am looking at a year full of lace or one with beading and bling.  I adore the fun of looking at lace and long flowing lines but short and flirty can be a welcome change as I book with modern brides.

I love the color and spark in this dress from MLtailor.com.  The flower detail on the waist is not my personal style, but is one of the better executions on a fabric flower that I have seen in the last few weeks.  Normally, I am also not a huge fan of peachy-pinks, but the blush tone on this is really pretty over the tulle layers in that mermaid gown, a works so well with the backdrop they selected for this shoot.  It all reminds me of spring!

Finally, I really want to play with perspective again this year.  I have a few ideas of what will work for poses, and now I just need to book enough weddings to keep up with them.  As of now, July is almost all open for bookings and one June weekend is un-filled.  I am looking to take elopements as well as large events to keep giving my all to couples on a budget for their day.  Remember to check out the new portfolio at www.AkelisStudios.com as well!

Bridal Boudoir 2013

I so enjoy my work.  I get to spend time with wonderful people, see the beauty in every one of them, and show them a little of that beauty as well.

I am in the process of making a new gallery display for the Akelis Studios website and today made a nice start for the boudoir collection.  This is a recolor of one of my favorites.  The look was so strong even with her eyes closed that I could hardly resist the chance to play with this shot.

Production Begins

Today is about the creative process of gowns.  This process all starts with an idea, usually one that pops into my head without warning just as I am trying to close my eyes for bed. Once they are in there I write them down and go back to it later for sketching.  I often peruse wedding gown catalogs and websites to make sure I am not copying something already on the market then go with modifications to really make it a custom design and be sure I am not copying a designer unfairly.

May favorite inspiration comes from classical art and walking around fabric mills when I get the chance.  Letting the lace or chiffon run through my hands allows me to think about how I want to sculpt with it.  

In general my work seems to have a tendency toward dropped waist and mermaid or trumpet gowns at the moment because that is the style I prefer for myself.  There is a theme of heavy lace detail and minimal beading but a little touch of feminine charm in each with a simple floral cap or lace edged veil and gloves.  

In the next few days I will make final choices on the fabrics to begin testing my concepts in the real world.  I have the ever wonderful Fox Affect working on a design for a headband.  She has an amazing eye for crystals and lace, far more skillful than I could ever hope to be with my clumsy photographer fingers. We have known each other since 2003 when we attended college together, and share a good deal of mutual weirdness.  This makes communication of otherwise very strange ideas about design much more simple.

I expect that production will start fairly soon on the first elements, and we can begin to the fruits of all this effort.  Until that point, I will share a few more rough sketches with my chicken scratch notes along the edges.

"That Pretty B!@%^\$"

Gena, being so dang pretty.

Whenever we have a store party at my other job I bring along my camera to document the fun.  Our most recent party had a Rockabilly theme and we all had a lovely time.  I asked permission to share this because I wanted to remind people that you can be unexpectedly beautiful even at work.  Remember to smile and let that internal beauty shine.  Ms. Gena did just that, and now I'm convinced she's too pretty not to be a model!

Step-By-Step: Design to Dress

 

Going from sketch to gown is a long process.  Having a one of a kind dress is a dream fewer brides can enjoy with tight budgets and the massive numbers of off the rack gowns.  Fewer shops offer the chance to sit with a designer and really discuss ideas on what would be perfect for that one special day.

This is one of four new sketches starting the 2013 Spring/Summer season for Weddings By Armando.  Updates on how this beauty will go from thoughts, to sketch, to being ready for a walk to the alter will be available in future updates.  Until that point our new quest for models to participate in our 2013 search continues.  Plus size, same sex couples, and anyone wanting to have a chance at being a model for a day should keep track of our updates on facebook and apply as soon as we open the information. 

Until then, we are working on big website updates, new dress designs, and a wonderful winter trash the dress idea for snowy brides to get some ideas for fun photos in the frosty outdoors!