I'm ready for my close-up.

It should come as no surprise to you now when I say, I love my little dog. Her face worked it's way into my heart from the moment I first saw her in a somewhat blurry photo emailed to me by my aunt at the animal shelter. In last two (plus) years she and I have got to know each other better and I have to come to determine that we are a perfect fit.

In the very beginning I realized that Bianka was of all things camera-shy. She'd often run away when I tried to snap her photo. I guess she's gotten used to me having a camera pressed to my face a good bit of the time, and now believe it or not, she's a ham.

At Christmas I did some impromptu family portraits, and in the middle of all the confusion was little Miss Bianka, quietly posed at the foot of every family grouping.

(Christmas 2008)

Then last week a good friend of mine came to visit and she agreed to let me do some photos of her to try out some new equipment. Guess who had to be right in the thick of things? Yes, Little Miss Binx. She started off observing from the stairs, but eventually she found her way to the middle of the action and by the end she practically demanded some time of her own in front of the camera.

(patiently waiting)

Eventually, I gave in. I mean how can you say "no" to this face?

She's a great little model. Don't be surprised if you see more test shots done with her.

Like I said a camera-loving dog, photographer owner... a perfect match.

These next three are actually the same image processed different ways. I can't decide which one I like the best.

This one is straight out of the camera with no adjustment.

I think this one needs the caption...Snakes Beware.

And, I'm leaning toward this one as my favorite. It seems a little softer than the rest. I don't know. Tell me what you think.

07.26.08 Amanda & Dale

One of my favorite sites

I recently came across this blog, Photogmath. It is brilliant. I thought I'd share of few of my favorite posts. If you like these you'll definately enjoy checking out the full site.

meet Amanda & Dale

When I asked Amanda how she and Dale first met she told me the following story. They traveled within the same circle of friends in school, but their relationship really arose out of the events following Amanda and a car accident. They all had gone out as a group and Amanda found herself contemplating her situation with the newly totaled vehicle.

Now, I'm the type of person that believes everything happens for a reason, and in this story this accident brought the two together. That evening across the room, Dale thought Amanda was making eyes at him...this is where their story began.

How I came to meet Dale and Amanda is another story entirely. One day when I was home in Ohio, a dropped in (camera in hand) on a casual dinner party hosted by some long time friends. This is when I met Amanda and her parents. Amanda's mom, Liz, and I found out that we shared a mutual love for Venice, Italy and coincidentally we both had dogs named Bianca. In our chats about lovable pups and Italian memories, Liz leaned over and asked "Do you do weddings? I ask because we may have one in the near future." Sure enough a few short months later, I was contacted by Liz and Amanda again.

Once you meet Amanda I'm sure you'll be convinced, like I was, that the girl is Super Woman. At the time of our first meeting she was pursuing a graduate degree, working two to three separate jobs and planning a wedding all at the same time. One would have to be an extremely organized individual to manage it all, and Amanda is exactly that. She's the type of person that has your number programmed in her cell phone after just one conversation and yet, greets you like an old friend she's known since grade school. After a couple of emails and phone calls Amanda and I arranged a time do an engagement session and to discuss wedding details. We managed to coordinate all of our busy schedules and settled on a time in early October.

Thinking we would get to enjoy that cool, crisp fall air you can imagine our surprise when this particular weekend we found ourselves in the middle of Indian Summer with the temperatures were hovering around 85 - 90 degrees. This was my first time meeting Dale, but right off the bat he struck me as a very laid back, sort of guy. "Mr. Go with flow." He earned extra "good guy" points in my book for agreeing wearing both a long-sleeve button down and sweater in the middle of a heat wave. We all laughed that this might be good practice for wearing his tux in the middle of July.




Amanda and Dale live just a block or two from Schiller Park in Columbus' German Village. This was my first time to the area, but I was completely taken in with all of it's charm. It was a perfect place for the session. We wandered around the amphitheatre, sat by the ponds and strolled through the garden. What more could you want?

Amanda and Dale are just the type of couple where you get a good sense of the ease of their relationship. You see immediately how relaxed and comfortable they are with one another. In situations like this, I'll admit that makes my job feel somewhat easy. I get to stand back, observe their interactions and simply record what naturally happens in front of me.

The image below is one of my favorites because it is SO them. As I was getting myself situated I looked up and caught them in a little snuggle. I got so caught up in the moment that I failed to notice my cell phone slipping out of my back pocket. Thankfully, it was found by a good Samaritan and, I was able to recover it that same afternoon. Aside from being terribly embarrassed, it all turned out in the end.

Amanda and Dale are such an amazingly easy going couple that I found myself looking forward to working with them again on their wedding day. I knew it was going to be great....and it was but that is a story for another post.