My friends Samira and Jason had their first son Adrian around thanksgiving this past year and I recently had the privilege to photograph him. Big sister Celina was such a great helper during our shoot! I love the photo of the two below.
Corriher Helps Conquer Crust
posted in Food, On Assignment
12.09.2010
During a November food assignment for the AJC food writer, Wendell Brock, invited food scientist Shirley O. Corriher to his home to instruct him on the art and science of making pie crust. Corriher is a James Beard Award winning cookbook writer for Cook Wise and has most recently published Bake Wise. During our morning in the kitchen Corriher instructed and my uncle, Mr. Brock, rolled two beautiful pie crusts which were used to make a quiche of gruyere and mushrooms and a spicy peanut and chocolate pie. Both were delicious and were extra special because of the flakey home made pie crust.
I learned two important things during this assignment! One, “you need big slabs of cold fat” says Corriher, for flakey pie crust. And two, I think I can do this… with a little extra time of course! I think you’ll feel the same way after you read the article which can be found at the link below! Enjoy the images (some of which were published in the print edition) and get busy baking!
Shirley and her husband Arch
Jill and Tom
posted in Wedding
12.07.2010
I’m convinced that Jill and Tom are two of the happiest people I’ve ever met! Through out their fall wedding day in Athens Georgia this couple was all smiles and laughter and not just any type of laughter but the complete gut busting type that makes your sides hurt and your heart overflow. Their day was a long shoot for me, 12 hours, but they kept me smiling on the inside as well as out and I felt privileged just to be around them.
The image of Jill and her father during their father daughter dance is shown above and is one of my favorites… truly the entire family knows how to have a good time and enjoy life to the fullest.
I’m not sure I say enough just how much I love my clients, but I do! And I’m pretty sure they like me too. I don’t always share the praise I get from my couples but Jill and Tom really made my day (a few times actually) after such a long wedding season so I’m sharing a few comments from them if you don’t mind.
“These are insane! I’m stuck on the couch after knee surgery, and I was is a terrible mood until I saw this slideshow. The pictures are amazing….” - Jill Simonitis
a week or so later Jill sent the following
“I have to tell you again how amazing the photos are. We just love them! You should know that they literally kept me in good health last week. Shortly after I emailed you , I developed a Pulmonary Embolism and had to spend some time in the hospital… At the hospital, we charmed the nurses by showing them our wedding photos. They gave us tons of extra time because they wanted to come see the slideshow. So, now you can add “lifesaver” to your resume.” – Jill Simonitis
I’m happy to say that Jill is better now so she and Tom can continue laughing and smiling their way through life! Hope you all enjoy the images.
Love Jill’s very sculptural Stuart Weitzmans!
Having trouble popping the cork to a bit of pre -wedding bubbly.
Tom, his groomsmen, and all the men of his family had breakfast at one of my favorite places in Athens, The Grill! I had many a meal here in college.
Tom, reading a note from Jill before the ceremony.
It was really hot on their wedding day and damn if Tom doesn’t have sweaty knees, seriously!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this image of the couple during a toast from her father.
For some reason during the Hora I got really emotional! There was so much energy and happiness in the room it made me cry… I’m just glad I have a camera to cover my face.
Jill’s grandmother danced all evening and I’m not sure that anyone had a more lovely time than her!
So… I have a confession of sorts. Maybe it’s more of a guilty pleasure but I truly love singing along with the band at weddings (while shooting of course)! And lucky for everyone else the music is too loud for anyone to hear me.
It’s always a pleasure to be in the presence of Hunter! In December I had the opportunity to shoot his newborn photos and at eight months Hunter’s proud parents, Sabrina and Kevin, asked me to do a second shoot. Besides having the opportunity to photograph this growing family I also call this trio my friends. I’ve seen Hunter grow from a sleepy darling newborn to a happy, smiling, almost 1 year old with lots of personality! During our recent mini shoot with mom Sabrina I fell in love with this child’s many expressions and often laughed out loud while editing the final images because of his many varied funny facial expressions… really someone should consider making this kid an emoticon.
Enjoy the images! I’m looking forward to my next shoot with this little one.
Brisket, Fried Pickles, and Bread Puddin… Oh my!
posted in Food, On Assignment
10.29.2010
AJC writer, Wendell Brock, recently wrote a story and tested out some of the recipes on the new Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. I had the pleasure of shooting the images for the article and tried out the brisket recipe for myself… not too bad I must say and it did wonderfully in the slow cooker. Please grab a bottle of North Carolina’s finest Cheerwine and have a taste of the images. For recipes and to read the article please visit the following link.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/AccessAtlanta-sharing_/southern-foodways-alliance-cookbook-678656.html
Horsing Around for Hermes… a Paper-Cut-Project
posted in Commercial, Fashion, Inspiration
10.28.2010
This past spring Amy Flurry and Nikki Salk of Paper-Cut-Project asked me to photograph their latest project commissioned by Hermes. The duo’s custom made paper art installations first attracted attention last year when their paper wigs were featured in the window’s of both Jeffrey Atlanta and New York location. The paper coiffures that brought Salk and Flurry media attention also attracted Hermes who commissioned them to do a series of beast themed masks. I had the opportunity to photograph three of the pieces before they were shipped to Paris.
The project has been kept under wraps but I’m happy to finally have the opportunity to share these images with you. The paper creations are so lovely and whimsical and make me think of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This is one of my favorite images from the shoot. A chicken ran through my frame and I always love the unexpected!
London Part 2
posted in Personal
10.26.2010
A short train ride through the chunnel and a box of French pastries brought us back to London. With Shahrzad jetting off to Ireland to visit family and Erin hard at work in the CNN newsroom, I had the opportunity to wander the city of London on my own for three days. I love museums but I had had my fill so I spent most of my time walking, exploring, shopping, and finding zen moments in Kensington Gardens.
Enjoy the last leg of my trip, and as with Paris I have a few iphone photos mixed into this article as well.
Kensington Gardens provided two afternoons on quiet park benches dappled in sunshine (and a bit of rain one day). A perfect place to people watch and reflect.
Raspberries picked up at the Portobello road market.
One of my iphone landscapes. You can just barely see a little girl pushing a matching stroller to her mothers.
Our visit to London coincided with the start of Autumn. This fall leaf fluttered into my lap one afternoon at the park.
There were so many dogs at Kensington Gardens… Scout would have loved this!
A dog walker and her brood.
My lunch, fruit and a roast vegetable sandwich
A short afternoon rain anchors me to my bench beneath my umbrella.
Lunch on my last afternoon just before a stop to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see a fashion exhibit on Grace Kelly.
The Victoria and Albert is a lovely place to wait out a shower.
After Barcelona, Erin flew back to London, and Shahrzad and I made our way to Paris. We visited the Pompidou as well as the Musee Rodin and gardens, took time to smell the roses and eat crepes, strolled through the Jardin de Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg, continued our long walks discovering the beauty of the city, stumbled into the Marais district for shopping, stopped at dozens of cafes for coffee or wine and most importantly indulged in one of our favorite pursuits, people watching. Our favorite experience from our tri-city adventure was renting bikes in Paris and peddling our way through her streets. With perfect fall weather and a breeze acting as a bellow to our hearts and souls we made our way along the Seine on two wheels. Our happy hearts and legs continued our journey into the night breaking to see some of the cities most storied attractions including Notre Dame Cathedral, Eiffel tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
Enjoy the images… some are from my iphone as it wasn’t easy carrying a large camera in the basket of a bike.
A sculpture of Camille Claudel, Rodin’s lover and a sculptor in her own right. I was so pleased to see a room of her pieces in the Rodin Museum after reading her biography a few years ago.
Does anyone read French? I found this in the basket of my bike one morning. I’m a Taurus and would be interested in knowing my horoscope from the day.
A few trick mirrors entertained us!
Our view from a cafe next to the Pompidou.
This little darling kept running past us with feather in hand. A bit quick for the iphone to catch properly from our perch at a cafe.
Persians enjoying an afternoon in the Jardin de Tuileries.
The key to our quirky Paris apartment.
There is only one thing I dislike about Paris… the baskets on the bikes were too small to carry my purchases on our shopping excursions. C’est La Vie!
After a few hours of sleep following a night out in London we boarded the first flight to Barcelona! Our first stop was the Picasso museum then the beach. Our days in this very chill coastal city consisted of mornings grazing in the market (fresh fruit and chocolate croissants), long walks sprinkled with visits to museums, parks and cathedrals, afternoons on the beach tucked into bocatas and books, people watching, laughing, sunning, loving life as well as gelato, gazpacho, and paella… perfect days!
How many streets until we reach the Picasso museum?
Dear Erin needed her Starbucks fix.
The interior of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia is currently under renovation. I particularly loved the ceiling, a honeycomb of gold mosaic tiles.
I was sincerely struck by this woman at one of the metro stops standing in perfect light.
True love is: wearing matching black thongs on a beach.
So look closely at the couple… he’s wearing her yellow top!
The escalators to Parc Guell were much appreciated.
On several days during our stay in Barcelona we took a train to Sitges, a nearby beach town.
The city of Figueres and the Dali museum couldn’t be missed while we were in Barcelona.
London Part 1
posted in Personal
10.19.2010
August brought me back to London after a span of over 10 years. At 18, during my first semester as a freshman in college, I lived there for 6 weeks. I can barely recall a thing I learned during that time but remember fondly a city full of adventure and promise for my very young self who spent each day living life to its fullest. I’ve changed alot since that time but the city still holds a dear spot in my heart and was the perfect place to clear my mind and wake up each morning feeling as though something grand was just around each corner.
On my first trip to London I traveled with two dear friends, Devon Jackson and Jennifer Deen. And in August my partners in crime were Shahrzad Nadizadeh and Erin McLaughlin. Erin moved from Atlanta to London a year ago and Shahrzad and I finally decided it was time to pay her a visit. We love her for letting us stay in her Notting Hill Flat and giving us the “coffee house” tour of Europe.
Please enjoy a few images of London, the city that bookends my twenties, and still makes me smile despite the fog and rain.
We couldn’t leave our summer hats at home especially with a trip to Barcelona in our near future.
I fell in love with Erin’s lovely room when I saw the ivy framing the window.
Yes, we all three shared Erin’s full size bed… makes me laugh just thinking about it!
I’m a sucker for a great breakfast! Erin’s Notting Hill flat is just a short walk from Portobello Road which has the most amazing coffee shops and cafes… not to mention killer shopping. We frequented Gail’s, a sweet little bakery where you can buy a great loaf of bread, a perfect little breakfast (french toast with fresh berries for me), and lots of other yummy pastas and bites to go.
After a visit to the Tate Modern one afternoon where we viewed the photo exhibit, Exposed, we wondered through the Borough Market and noshed on cheese, olives and and meat pies.
Erin!
After the market we stumbled on The Union Street Urban Orchard. The orchard, which was also a community garden, was apart of the 2010 London Festival of Architecture and used as a teaching tool in part on sustainable living.
Erin’s hair gets caught up in a gust of wind on the tube.
I’m not positive but I think this is a graffiti piece by street artist Banksy. I saw a piece he did earlier in the year in Park City, Utah.
Just don’t even ask!
Love the blue suspenders! I need a pair!
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