Betty M | Portrait

Hands. You hold them, you let another's caress your face, you see the stories by the wrinkles, and you feel the strength in someone else through them. Hands mend together our hearts with gentle touches and create masterpieces. Their subtle beauty is prevalent within this photoshoot - besides the obvious. That dress. For weeks before I decided to create my own, I had seen images upon images scrolling through my dash, all consisting of one singular aspect...a floral gown flowing down a runway. Taking a bed sheet from Walmart, cheap black lace, a huge bag full of fake flowers, and a random bodice from Amazon, my mother and I created this little masterpiece of our own. Betty was the only person I could imagine it in. She is very dear to my heart - I've photographed a few special moments in her life and I'm extremely happy to be a part of them. She's the sweetest person I know and I am so happy I got to create these images with her. Now onto the magic.

Skirt by Mama Lamle's Boutique | Bodice Assembly & Makeup by Karisa Lamle 

Gill C | Portrait 2015

When I know I have created something beautiful there are a few things that happen: I rush back home to upload. Wait for the photos get uploaded. Start editing. Do my little happy chair dance. Repeat the chair dance after every image that makes my heart soar. (When I start doing giddy clapping, you know it's really good.) That happened A LOT while editing Gill's photos. I wanted to yell when I looked at the image of Gill laying in the grass. I am really happy about these photos and it's been a while since I haven't torn myself apart for not doing better and that makes me so, so, happy.

And with that, please enjoy.

Muse | Personal

A muse, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a source of inspiration. My muses come from honestly anything and anyone, but time and time again, I find my inspiration in works of art. All throughout the history of art, you will find that each artist had their own muses, whether it be themselves, others, or the world around them. I've always loved Edgar Degas, Frida Kahlo, and Gustav Klimt's art, so thus, this shoot was born. I had spoken to Taylor about the idea of taking one dress and reusing it with different looks inspired by some of the greats and this is what we came up with.

Recreating Magic | Personal

To me, film and wet plate photography are magic. There is something exciting in the unknown. You have to hold a certain confidence to ensure that you have chosen the correct settings, you have enough light, and of course, you pushed some sort of creative boundary in your self. Now, don't get me wrong, I hold all these feelings toward digital as well, but there is an extra sprinkle of happy when I pick up my 35mm. For my advanced art studio project, I wanted to use my digital camera to attempt to recreate one of my favorites old methods: tintypes. I'll have to say, I don't think I succeeded, but I had a lot of fun messing around in both Lightroom & Photoshop to create something I was a little pleased with. It's not quite the tintype I daydream about (one day I will create one for real!!), but it is something nonetheless. I would like to thank everyone who helped me out with this! Below are some of my favorites, as well as my final project. 

My final project. I love flowers and have always loved those photos of people emerging from them, so I thought hey. Why not.