Growth and Appreciation

With 2011 coming to a close, I cant help but be appreciative to my fellow artist within this industry. Rose City Photography has grown quite a bit in the past year and we have had the opportunity to be part of some amazing things. Id like to thank our fellow photographers, stylist, models and clients for your dedication and vision this past year to our industry. We have all been blessed to learn from each other and grow. Congratulations to everyone for your successes this year and for sharing this with the world. With 2012 fast approaching, I hope the new year will bring you all many more accomplishments and joy. May we all continue to learn and grow. Cheers to all of you and may you have a very happy holiday.

Tis the season…

Tis the season to grateful, giving and kind. Although its always the season for these things, I think its especially important this time of year. Something that is very close to my heart is giving back to our local foster kids. I spent time in foster care as a teen and my foster mom is hands down my mother. She is the most amazing woman I know and has had the biggest impact on my life. Being a system kid was very lonely. Especially around the holidays. I learned a very valueble lesson during those years though. I learned that there are people who actually care without having a reason to. For the first time in my life I had stability and a fair shot in this world. I had been taken out of a very destructive home and placed into the care of someone who showed me how wonderful life could really be. Every year my mom does the annual toy drive for the foster kids in the state of oregon. Between thanksgiving and christmas day she and her crew run around like crazy to try and make the holidays a little brighter for kids they dont know. Its magical. I remember the first christmas I spent in foster care I was so blown away by the giving hearts that contribute to this toy drive.  Experiencing this truly changed my heart and my life…I never knew people could be so kind and I am so grateful. The point of sharing all this with you is to let you all know that a simple act of kindness can change a persons life forever. Its not about the presents, its about the love and kindness behind it. Im sure some of you reading this have probably donated to causes like this around holidays and probably had no idea of how much of a difference you are making in the lives of these lonely kids. Well now you know:) So this year, when you are preparing for the holidays I hope you all will find some way to reach out with kindness to someone. Wether its by making cookies for someone or racking your neighbors leaves or by giving to a charity. There can never be enough kindness or love going around…especially this time of year:)

To teach…or to teach

Hal and his amazing family

Over the course of having the privilege to work with Hal, there are many things that remain consistent while photo shoots are taking place. Artistry, professionalism, expertise, and intuition to name just a few! The one that I would like to talk about today is Hals incredible ability to teach and the impact it has on everyone. Countless times I have heard models say things like “Wow! I never knew that about that angle before!” or ” I learned so much today! How come no other photographer has told me these things before?!”. and dont even get me started on lighting…lol, thats a whole other post waiting to happen!!

Countless times Hal has been told that shooting with him has been a life changing experience by the person in front of his camera. Not only is it because of his incredible ability to capture what truly makes that person beautiful, but because they leave the shoot feeling educated. Wether its educated about how truly beautiful they are inside and out, or a model client who gains a deeper understanding for how her angles really work for her on film or a new perspective on life and human nature. Knowledge is power, and everyone who leaves a shoot with RCP is going to have that power and confidence in knowing something they didn’t know before.

I personally have learned so much from not only working with Hal, but from just being apart of his life and him a part of mine. Im a better artist, a better mother, a more confident human being and a whole lot more open minded.

So thank you Hal! Thank you for not being afraid to teach. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight with the rest of us. You make this world a better place:)

Thoughts on this beautiful monday afternoon…

This blog is more than a photography blog. This blog is our way to share with you what is going on behind the lens. Obviously creating art through our images excites us but do you know what excites us more? Transformation. To witness someone be transformed and reach new heights of confidence is truly the greatest gift. For Hal, this happens quite often. This past week Hal had the opportunity to shoot a truly amazing young woman and her life will never be the same because of this shoot. I will let Hal tell you all this story though:) Its definitely one that will change your heart and might even bring tears to your eyes:) On this beautiful monday, I am grateful for the moments of transformation, the beauty that occurs in everyday life, and for the art that happens behind the lens.

Things I have been thinking about

I used to follow photographers here in the local Portland area. I would check out their work, and try to improve myself based on my local peers. Some of these guys are world class! However, I have discovered that my passion follows that of some photographers who practice their art in New York, Milan, Paris and Miami. The sophistication and the art of those photographers are what I became a photographer to capture. I have found that where you put your mind, so goes your action. So I am thinking about world class photographers, and taking world class photographs. I am raising my skill and my game. I want to bring some people with me on this ride. Who wants to rise with me to the top? I know Cadey is with me, but who else? I need world class poses by world class models. I need designers and art directors, and artists who are up to the challenge. Rise with me, as we take Portland fashion and photography up to a whole new level!

Pinup!!

We at RCP recently did a pin up shoot in celebration of our new division called Rose City Pinups and let me tell you it was amazing!  I think the highlight for all of us who were on staff that day were the young ladies we worked with. These young ladies were classy, polite and beyond professional. Oh, and did I mention they were all minors? A couple showed up with their mothers and their presence was amazing. It was so nice to see the love and support these mothers had for their young daughters. I was so impressed when these young ladies showed us their wardrobe choices and it was all classy…very age appropriate. In todays society where we see so many young ladies who are constantly trying to reveal too much in order to be “sexy”, I was blown away. These young ladies were beautiful inside and out, intelligent and elegant. To see the look in these proud mamas eyes watching their daughters model in front of Hal’s lens was epic. These mamas definitely had more than one reason to be proud. So to the young ladies and the mothers who were part of this shoot, we at RCP would just like to say thank you and keep up the good work:) Our hats off to you!!

Beauty in EVERYONE.

So I got to thinking the other day about Hals strengths, and the one I find to be most amazing is his natural ability to find the true beauty of the individual he is shooting and showcase it like it belongs in the smithsonian. He doesn’t try to conform individuals into adapting to a standard of beauty that society has set, instead he embraces what truly makes people unique and beautiful. I have experienced this first hand…A couple years ago at PRIDE Hal was shooting an event that I was working as an artist. While body painting a dear friend of mine he snapped a shot of my hand touching hers. In that single shot he captured my soul. Which was life changing for me. No one had EVER done that. I see Hal do this all the time with our clients and they are all blown away. Words cannot adequately express Hals insight for beauty nor even come close to explaining it. They say a pic is worth a thousand words so above you can see my personal favorite and below one of Hals:)