Also over Memorial Day weekend, I took the time to take a few portraits of my dear friends Nathan and Liana. The weather was wonderful, and the shade beneath a tree afforded lovely, even lighting for their portrait.

You may remember Liana from her portrait in the Women with Icons series, of course. She and I have been friends since middle school, and it's uncanny the rapport that we still hold together. I met her husband Nathan when they were dating in college, and was honored to be a part of their wedding, and then a part of their chrismation into the Orthodox church.

The two of them are very natural, unassuming, and affectionate together, making them excellent subjects. Liana, of course, is very comfortable in front of the camera, in contrast to Nathan.

It could be that she is so comfortable, perhaps, because we were taking pictures together since we first knew each other. I spent afternoons in high school doodling with her, drawing her portrait while she held still. She (among others) is one of those people I feel artistically drawn to. I find it endlessly fascinating to work with her as a model, and could never get tired of photographing her.

Meet Alex.

Alex is a kinetic little boy of the tender age of 3. He was very difficult to photograph, for the mere fact that he move so quickly and so much. But every now and then I caught a moment of fun or goofiness that made running around with him worth all the while.

On a technical note, one of the things that helped was keeping the camera on either aperture-priority or shutter-priority, so as I moved through the dappled light in his backyard quickly I didn't have to worry so much about exposure. Usually with portraiture I control everything manually, but there are times (especially when photographing weddings or kids) when it's helpful to have the camera think for you, as long as you're being smart about when you let it do so.

So I recently developed the film from Jeremy & Vanessa's photo shoot, and I'm actually more pleased with these photos than the others. What is it with me? Am I just completely wedded to film, forever destined to be better at this than digital? Am I hallucinating here? What do y'all think?

taken with my Nikon FM10


taken with a HOLGA

I particularly love the vingetting with the HOLGA--it's so perfect for a willow tree and a couple photo.

With grace given to me through a recent lull, I've been able to process and upload a few new wedding shots for my portfolio! Among them, I found a series of favorites from the preparation photos for a gorgeous Orthodox wedding about a month ago. The calm you see in these shots contrasts greatly with the energy and celebration later on in the evening. It was quite a day!

Having only recently heard of the "Trash the Dress" phenomenon in wedding photography, I found myself inspired a few weeks ago. I had two bridesmaid dresses that had been sitting in my closet for a number of years, with no hope of reuse. "What ideal material for an experiment!" I thought. I simply had to find an eager subject to fill the dresses, and I'd be in business.

As luck would have it, a friend of mine, Meghan, happened to both fit the dresses and be up for some outdoor shenanigans. We arranged a date, and with the help of our mutual friend Stephanie, made our way to Patapsco State Park one hot Sunday afternoon. Then the fun began...

I simply have a weakness for dappled light. So after checking the general area carefully for poison ivy, biting bugs, and other potential hazards of the outdoors, Meghan lay down peacefully in the vibrant green of the forest.

After awhile, Meghan willingly plunged herself into the river, creating quite a show. She was playful and daring, willing to brave the slippery rocks in the service of the photo shoot.

My favorite of the in-the-river portion of mistreating the dresses was when the sun happened to hit the water in just the right way... We had timed it well, arriving about an hour before sunset, just before it gets dark in the park.

The texture of the fabric and water tantalized me, even in a black and white variation:

You can see the full set of portraits in the client gallery.

Megan and David have been married for a number of years, have three beautiful children, and love each other very much. This photo was taken after their son Adam's fifth birthday party was over, and all the kids were in bed.

It's amazing how much fun you can have with a fireworks sale.

Like many other photographers, I'm often loathe to put myself in front of the camera. When my subjects tell me, "Oh, I don't like having my picture taken," I reply, "Neither do I, I understand!" Having someone pay excruciating attention to the way you look, even through a viewfinder, can be nerve-wracking.

Peoples' anxieties about how they appear in photographs show that we are conscious that images, even casual snapshots, can come to represent who we are. It's not always something we can control. The smiling (or frowning) photo of Great-Great-Uncle-Jim becomes a way for younger generations to learn about him. Photographs can also become totems; that's why we kiss the pictures of those we love.

Since I have a baby on the way, I knew I had to set aside my own anxieties. I would want to remember the experience of being pregnant (not just this time, but any time in the future as well), and so a self-portrait session was born.

It's amazing what can be done with very little in your own bedroom. Both of these portraits were taken using a single incandescent light, and two secondary flashes, triggered by my on-camera flash, which was dialed down.

The portrait was excellent practice for both working with off-camera flash and putting myself out there. It gave me an appreciation for other photographers who make magical things happen with flash, and for my all subjects, who are so willing to entrust themselves and their image to me.