Etsy Shop

I opened my new Etsy shop yesterday under the name PhotoAccentsbySL. If you're not familiar with Etsy it's a place where you are able to sell and buy all things handmade. It's a great place to buy directly from the artist without paying extra in a retail store. Take a look at the site and see how easy it is to navigate and also visit my shop. I will be adding new items every few days throughout November.
Even though I love taking portraits I also like to use images to create fun items. I use my darkroom as a work space because it's dust free and quiet. No one bothers me when I have that door shut! I make things that I like to use and my hope is that you will like them also.
A big hit this summer were the teapot photo blocks and coasters. As my friends know I collect teapots for their shape and colors. I've recently photographed some of them and created what I consider mini art pieces. I'm amazed at just how many people are into teapots.
Below are just a sample of what you will be seeing in my shop.

Fall Colors with Lily

We're getting beautiful colors here in Chicago but it's been hard to enjoy them because of the weather. I think it's rained almost every day in October. I've had to shoot in the studio when we really wanted to use the changing colors for background. Yesterday we got a glimpse of the sun so Lily and I went hunting. I gave her a camera and of course I had mine. We only had about an hour of good sunlight. So armed with hot coffee we took off. We had a great time together sharing ideas about what makes a good photograph and basically goofed around. Thanks, Lil.

Isn't He Adorable?

Isn't he adorable is what my daughter says about this kid. It was G's (the little boy) grandparents anniversary and all the family members came into the studio today to get pictures taken. What a nice way to document such a special event. G danced for me, showed me what a ghost does (it's close to halloween) and how he can fly. We had a good time and took tons of pics. Here's a few quick one's from the shoot. Enjoy!

New Puppy

Who can resist a new puppy? I couldn't when a friend brought over her new puppy, Dana. Had to take a few pics even though I should be working on the DePaul University School of Music holiday card (which turned out great! Thanks K). Here's a sample of the cutie. Wish you could smell the puppy breath to go along with the photo.

Pregnancy Photos

E & M came in today for their pregnancy photos. I'm excited because I also get to photograph the baby (girl) when she arrives. If it's anything like today it should be a breeze. With the first shot taken we all decided we had it in the bag. The images turned out beautiful and it was such a pleasure for me to work with E because she was one of the first babysitters for my children. Now it's her turn and she seems so happy! Congratulations you two soon to be three.

Ravenswood Art Walk

Today is the Ravenswood Art Walk and my door is open to all. Nothing like a deadline to finish putting up photos. The front of the studio is now complete and I'm loving it. Now it's time to sit back and open the wine.

Actor Headshot

The following images are for an actor who is updating his look. I photographed him before and we worked together to create some edgy looks. This time we both agreed that casual would be good. (L) is very easy to work with even in the heat (a very hot day!)










Hope everyone is having a good summer. I'll be taking Stella to school next week and the studio will be closed. We'll be ready to rock and roll in September! See you.

Bus Stop Photos

Yesterday I had the privilege to work with another actor. We started in the studio but quickly went outside because of the glorious weather we were having in Chicago. We got so many different looks but the most fun was our experiment at the bus stop. K (the talent) was easy going and totally into the idea. People came out of their shops just to watch what was going on and also to thank us for cleaning the bus stop shelter. Here are just a few examples.








The following photos are from the regular shoot. K has the most beautiful eyes! I did not enhance them--can you believe it???!!!








Have a good weekend--I'm off next week with my daughter looking at schools. ROAD TRIP!

Testing Light

Last week I had the opportunity to test a ring light. Lots of fun but bulky. I'll give it another try at another time but I'm putting up some samples. Thanks Shawnna for modeling and being blasted by the first few shots.

Model Shots

Again, another long day of work. Trying to get my website back up. My web guru (Shawnna Rovinsky/Design Goddess) has made a custom site that I can update and change at anytime. It's very exciting but I never seem to have the time to go through and pick the photos. Hopefully very soon I will have it done. I will kept you posted.
Today I'm putting up some shots I did last week for K. who also wants to update her model portfolio. There are so many to choose from so I may add more at another time.
Enjoy!

Rogers Park Garden Group Fundraiser

It's important to acknowledge good work that's being done. That's why I donated a gift certificate last year and will again this year to the Rogers Park Garden Group. They are a group of volunteers who promote gardening through education and hard work. Each year they take on a project to beautify and maintain a public way in the neighborhood. This year you can see some of the gardens on the Garden Meander July 28th. The 3rd annual RPGG Garden of Treasures Sale & Fundraiser will be held on Sept. 27th. All this information and more can be found on their website at www.rogersparkgardengroup.org.

The following pictures are from the family who bought the gift certificate last year. Enjoy!

A Stella Favorite

It's the end of a long day of printing for other people. I need to do something for myself before I leave the studio. This is one of my favorite photos of Stella. I love the fact she's not smiling and actually a little put out that I asked her to stop what she was doing and pose for me. It's perfect!



I just got done talking with Stella on the phone (she's at a concert) and I told her I was going to make a project of stalking her with my camera this summer before she leaves. She's not up for it--oh, well.

Father's Day

Hey, father's day is coming soon. It so happens it falls on my anniversary this year. It's also the summer solstice. A lot to celebrate on June 21st.
Here are a couple of pics of some young men sharing a moment with their dad in the studio last week.

Headshot for M

Headshots are almost always fun to shoot and M. was no exception. I had her outside in the Chicago wind, inside with skylights and in the studio with lighting. It was a long session but we got a lot of different looks for her to choose from. I'm showing a few of the one's I like. Enjoy!

What's New

There is a lot to tell that's new. I closed the retail photo studio in Lincoln Park and moved to a loft in Lakeview. The new studio space is bigger and nicer. I'm still putting the final touches on it but I'm feeling right at home here. In the middle of the move I broke my arm and was unable to shoot for six weeks but I was able to get my taxes done early this time. Thank goodness that only rolls around once a year.
Another big milestone was Stella (oldest daughter) getting into the school of her choice. It's been a lot of hard work on her part and a lot of support on my part. It's going to be very hard in the fall to let her go. I am so proud of Stella!





Back to studio news. The website is close to being finished. The best feature of the new site is that I'll be able to update it at any time. So now there will be no excuse for changing photos and keeping the site fresh and current. Speaking of current, I'd like to share some shots I did yesterday of a cute 6 week old. The mom was so worried he would not cooperate but he was such an angel. I love the little bottom!







I have a lot of new samples I'll be listing on this blog so be sure to visit me again soon!
Thanks

Peace