Category: My Life
Wow- December is a cold month. Seriously cold. Here in SE Michigan we have been visited by more than half a foot of snow and temperatures in the teens this week. It has been a goal of mine to post images of landscapes, details or animals that display the season but I have just been swamped with clients, projects and Christmas preparations this year. Until yesterday. Yep, you read that right- yesterday! There is a snow covered berry tree outside my window that was the hottest spot in town for quite a few birds and I thought I should take advantage of this visit by capturing some of them with my camera. The tree was cleaned out in less a few hours… and today it sits fruitless.
Have a look at some of my captures:
I know that the snow looks beautiful, puffy, fluffy and white… but it was ICE cold; in fact, there was ice atop and below it. And with the wind chill it was close to -7. My fingers ached after just 4 minutes of taking photos. These were taken about 2 hours before sunset.
The following morning all of that snow started to melt a little and the berries were easier to access for the birds….
At times they would sit peacefully next to one another and other times they would become aggressive and fight off the others … especially as the berries grew fewer in number.
Yummy, right? Its not super easy to do, but I enjoyed catching the birds in action- whether swallowing a berry or in flight.
And the Robbins looked so chubby and soft… I wondered how warm they really were? not very, I am certain.
I will admit that the blue sky against the red berries was an added bonus- it really makes for a nice color combination in these images don’t you think?
This was a really fun little shoot to do…. it was a nice change for me! Hope you enjoyed it and will visit me later in the week. I have a couple of model shoots before Monday and will be posting little previews, if possible.
Stayed tuned for more… and stay warm out there. 
It’s been a little while since I blogged last. Not weeks and weeks… but a little longer than usual, I admit it. The truth is, I don’t even know where to start. Seriously. To begin with, I redesigned my website (still in process) and that meant I had to do some new artistic work. I went on a DOZEN new shoots within the past 6 weeks. All of the images I took were not posted anywhere until October 1st. There are so many shoots I’m not sure how I’m going to post them. Obviously I won’t post them one-by-one. LOL. I will maybe break it up into a few short posts- starting today! If you take a moment to look at my site and blog, you will notice that they have changed a bit. I’m not totally done with it but will be within the month. There are many new images and the focus is now on Artistic Photography Sessions and Education. My goal is to transform the ordinary in client portrait sessions. I’m not the photographer to visit if you want standard shots. Whether dramatic or drop dead gorgeous, I simply like to take photos to another level.
And in the world of education, I welcome working with photographers of all skill levels for personal development. My online lessons, workshops or mentoring will definitely help you get to the next level in your photography. With the launch of my new site also came a newly announced SE Michigan Spring Photography workshop! The theme is: Urban Art and Drama. Registration is now open. It will be held on Saturday, April 16th, 2011. Make travel plans and register soon because next year I will be doing a very limited number of workshops- and it may even be the only one. (Vegas and Portland options are still being considered) I am so super excited about it.
In keeping with the upcoming art and drama theme, I’m going to share with you a few images from recent sessions that flaunt a little mood…
I had A GREAT time collaborating with very skilled artists to get these shots. Love the team of talent that works side by side with me. If you think this sort of moody stuff is fun, come to my workshop next Spring. It’ll be a blast.
What else? Hmmmmm. Well, I had a couple regularly scheduled shoots last week and a also shot a wedding with my friend, Tressie Davis. And I am giving online lessons still to a couple of photographers- but that stuff is not even close to being blog ready. Oh, and I almost forgot. I am doing all of this while trying to schedule the last minute details for my last workshop of the year: Autumn Love, which will be held THIS Saturday. OMG! Overwhelmed a little over here. But don’t worry, its in a good way. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more posts.
I’ve got lots of stuff to share these days…. Can you believe I’m getting requests to do a personal post each week- like stuff I like, etc…. what do you think? Yes or No? Wouldn’t that just be boring?
Projects in Progress
September 28, 2010 Lessons & Workshops, My Life
Hi everyone!
Yes, it is true…. I am currently in the process of giving my web site a little updating. It will have a new overall design and many new images come the start of October. My main focus will be on artistic photography and education. I have been on many shoots within the past month dedicated to my new site galleries…..and still have a couple more to go! And, of course, am still taking my regular clients. Plus, I am looking quite forward to shooting a wedding with Tressie Davis on Friday. Yay! :)
I look forward to sharing some new work with all of you soon. Stay tuned!!!
My LAST workshop of the year: Autumn Love, featuring children, young adult and couple models, will be held on Saturday, October 9th in SE Michigan. Take $100 off tuition until September 30th only!!! Its going to be an amazing collaboration.
Happy June everyone! It is soooooo great to officially be in the Summer season, isn’t it??? I am super excited about working with some awesome Seniors and amazing Kids/Families… along with doing a workshop or two. And, of course, when I am not working…. soaking up the Sun.
I don’t usually blog about family/personal stuff too often, but I am trying to do so more frequently. My niece and nephew, Melanie and Dylan, both turned 10 years old during the past couple of weeks. They were born 10 days apart 10 years ago and I CANNOT BELIEVE how fast time flies by. Since I don’t have kids of my own, I am extra attached to my nieces and nephews. Both of the kids had super fun parties with family and kids from school. Love these kids a TON. It was so fun to spend the day with them both. Mel’s party was at home with pizza, a pinata, loads of girly fun and one of Grandma’s famous cakes. The girls had fun with sidewalk chalks, bubbles, taking down a colorful pinata filled with yummy treats and other games . Have a look at just a few of the shots:
Dylan’s party was at a local arcade/go-kart/laser tag establishment called Paradise Park and it was a GREAT place for a party… especially for boys. They drove Go-Karts, jumped on an enormous trampoline, played video games and earned tokens for prizes. They even challenged another birthday party full of boys at Laser Tag (and won!). There was pizza to be had, ice cream snacks, sporty decorations and super service from the staff.
And… yesterday I got to spend half a day with my other niece, Chelsey. Chelsey is 2.5 years old and is soooo cute, expressive and just fun to be around. She has recently started talking more and I love this stage in a kid’s life. They reveal so much of their personality with words all of their own and I just eat it up. I tried to convince her to go take fairy photos with me but for some reason, she just wasn’t having it. lol. Not even candid style… she just was NOT in the mood. I did, however, grab a couple shots of her very quickly (in partial fairy costume) but had to bribe her with ice cream. I know they are not perfect but they are family snapshots and I love them anyhow.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to stay tuned. I have some fun upcoming sessions this month that you won’t want to miss!
On Saturday my father, David Alder, held a fabulous golf outing at Moose Ridge Golf in SE Michigan. All proceeds from the outing will be donated to the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Monument Fund. This is a monument which honors the fallen Veterans of Michigan. Every year we have a great turn out and a fantastic time! My job is to help coordinate, set up and photograph (of course) the teams throughout the day.
This year we were especiallly thankful for the largest number of participants we have ever had, no rain, terrific support from the staff at Moose Ridge, lots of amazing sponsors + donations and an incredible dinner put on by Chef Paul and Jessica. Yummy- best food I eat all year!!!
Pictured: Matt (Moose Ridge Manager) and David Alder (head of Vietnam Veterans Monument Fund Golf Outing) prior to the start of the event.
I just wanted to thank all of you who came out and can’t wait to see you all again next time. :)
