Featured // EMMA magazine

I used to be a HUGE, huge fan of Domino magazine. I would sleep in on Saturday mornings in college, and the first Saturday morning after I received the latest issue of Domino was the best - just snuggling in bed, absorbing all of the amazing projects and inspiration found in its pages. To say I was distraught when it went out of publication would be an understatement.

But since those days, a lot of new online shelter publications have popped up, and one that I'm currently obsessed with is EMMA magazine. The girls who created it wanted to do a magazine for "the modern domestic" and they curate some pretty awesome content. So to have photos included in the current issue - I just want you to know I almost died when I found out - is such a complete honor.

It was so much fun working with Jazmine, my wonderful friend and fabulous stylist, on this croquet shoot earlier this spring, and you can see some of the photos from it on page 15! (There's also a super adorable scorecard printable for you to download if you want to play your own game of croquet this summer!)

Happy Monday!

Styled. // 05

Way back in my first ever photography class, we had a book filled with the photography masters of the 20th century, and on the cover was one of Bert Stern's iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe from The Last Sitting. I loved those photos so much. The colorfulness, the dreaminess, the simpleness...

So I pulled out a sheer scarf, and set my camera on a tripod. I set out with this styled series to collaborate with other artists and creatives, but I was too nervous to ask anyone to do this for me. And I've been meaning to step in front of my camera anyway, without anyone around, to get a feel for what it's like, what works, and what looks awkward. The outtakes from this need to be burned, but there are a few that felt right. It's different in so many ways from what Bert Stern did with Marilyn, but then again, that's just the way it should be.

This concept would also make a really awesome boudoir session...if anyone's interested :0).

Styled // 04

I remember some days back in elementary school where we would get off the school bus and sit down in the deep spring green grass and pull up clover to make flower crowns and rub dandelions all over our faces like little-girl makeup. I'm sure we looked putrid, with our cheeks and foreheads and eyelids all swiped with an unnaturally brilliant yellow, but we were convinced it made us beautiful. And then a few days later, when the dandelions had changed from a bright yellow to a wispy, cottony white, we'd pluck what was left from the lawn and blow with all of our might...scattering the plumes, which we didn't understand at the time were actually seeds, all over the yard, much to the chagrin of our parents who had spent good money to remove the weeds in the first place.

I like to think of this as an ode to those carefree days.

 

Styled. // 03

A bike. In black and white.

When Robin and Kenny started getting ideas for their engagement session, one of the pieces they wanted to include was Kenny's Harley. Unfortunately, it was in the shop the day we did their engagement photos, but still I thought it would be really fun to get some pictures of them doing what they love. So, once the bike was ready to go, we took a little evening jaunt down to Eastport to grab a few shots of them on the Harley. The classic styling of the bike gave everything a little bit of a retro flair, which made a black and white approach feel just right.

A side note: During my very first ever photography class that I took while I was in Italy, we went out into the streets of Perugia and loaded our cameras with film. Everyone in the class used that roll of film to work through a list of techniques, one of which was panning. It's one of those things you see in the movies all the time - where the camera moves with a moving subject so that the background is in motion but the subject is clear and in focus. I didn't do so well with it during that first experiment, and have tried it several times since, mostly on cars speeding down the road, and have never gotten it to true effect. Which is why I think I squealed with delight when I saw the image below on my camera screen during our shoot. Many thanks to Kenny for driving back and forth several times down the same block of the street to make it happen!

 

Happy Wednesday, and happy May 1st!

Styled. // 02

They always say april showers bring may flowers.

But once you get a taste of spring, the showers seem unwelcome. More gloom after months of snowy winter. So ready for the sun.

And yet, I married a man who loves the rain. Finds the joy in a warm outdoor shower and cloud cover. If he can see it, why couldn't I?

So I found a way. To find cheer and joy and love the rain.

It's all about boots and a bubble umbrella.

And I recognize that this last image is a departure from the rest. But I couldn't help it. She tried to pole dance with the umbrella throughout our rainy day adventure. And frankly, this image makes me laugh. Because it's who she is.

So much thanks to my sister for being awesome and traipsing around with me on a cold wet day. 

Styled // 01

Every year, the Johnnies of St. John's College and the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy play for the Annapolis Cup. And while that might sound like a sailing competition, it is actually the prize given to the winner of the annual croquet match between the two dashing teams.

Two years ago, Ben and I walked into the festivities by accident, and I've been in love with the springtime ritual ever since. Everyone comes decked out in their vintage best, dressed for a bygone era, to play a game more commonly associated with the likes of Downtown Abbey, but one that certainly suits the quaint grounds of our charming city. I can't get enough.

And since the match is happening on Saturday, I thought it would be fun to put together a styled shoot inspired by the elegance of the event. So much thanks goes to Jazmine Turner for picking a gorgeous wardrobe for the images below. The colorful outfits she chose and and the fabulous hats (which were actually found in an attic!)...who doesn't love to play dress up in cute spring clothes and play croquet?!

All looks were from Jazmine's own collection - doesn't it make you want to shop her closet?!