Many, many moons ago (in a land far, far away) I was a dancer.  Ballet.  Jazz.  Musical Theater….it was a huge part of my life.  It’s been a long, long time since my last curtain call – but the world of dance will always hold a special place in my heart.  Of course, I jumped at the chance to be a part of a fashion shoot inspired by the growing trend for dance inspired clothing, hair and makeup.

By now almost everyone has seen the blockbuster film The Black Swan.  Dance inspired fashion had already been gaining visibility, with ballerina buns, leggings and tights popular with fashionistas everywhere.  The release of the Oscar Nominated film moved the style solidly into the mainstream.

The combination of poise and elegance with simplicity and comfort personified by dance clothing (and dancers themselves) was the inspiration for my third collaboration with Phoenix’s very own fashionista, stylist Alex Evjen of AVE Styles.  This shoot was initially conceived back in the fall (kudos to Alex for being ahead of the trends and predicting what was to come) but had to be rescheduled recently because of busy holiday schedules. We were all so excited when the planets finally aligned on a date when everyone was free to do the shoot.

Clothing for the shoot was provided by The Willows Home and Garden, a local luxury home and lifestyle boutique.  Hair Stylist Extraordinaire Kim Cornwell of Triple Threat Studios was on hand to provide her take on ballerina-inspired hair, and the multi-talented Alex took care of model Jennifer’s makeup (LOVE the smoky eyes)!   We shot at the always fabulous Tempe Center For the Arts, which provided the perfect urban backdrop for our shoot.

At the beginning of 2010 I set myself some personal goals.  They weren’t resolutions, mind you, that would be far too cheesy.  And kittens – just so you know – I would never dream of being cheesy.

Just five simple goals, ten words total.

The first one of the list was a single word:

GALLERY

When we neared the end of the year and that one particular goal didn’t seem to be materializing I shrugged it off.  Figured I’d just slide it over into the 2011 column, all casual like so nobody would notice.  No biggie – it happens.

And then, somewhere between Turkey Day and Auld Lang Syne I got an email from Alex Evjen (the genius behind Ave Styles) who invited me to be a part of The Phoenix First Friday Art Exhibit on  March 4^th (that’s tomorrow peeps!) at Day|Twelve – an incredible gallery space in downtown Phoenix.

So what, it wouldn’t take place till 2011.   The invite came in 2010.  I immediately made the executive decision that this totally counted.  Mission accomplished.  Goal crossed off.

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The theme of tomorrow night’s exhibit is STYLE.   I will be featuring images from several fabulous urban fashion shoots – and joining some other incredible artists in showcasing our work.  The best part?  We are collaborating in support of the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation – an organization which exists to educate and assist women in difficult life transitions.  We will be collecting pens and journals all night – these will be used by women at the foundation as they move through the program and on a path to a better future.

The portraits are chosen, the frames are hung and the gallery is ready, but the really important question remains….

What the heck am I going to wear?!*

Date: Friday, March 4, 2011
Time: 6pm to 10pm
Place: 812 2nd Avenue,Phoenix, AZ 85003
*Parking is available across from the gallery and on the street.

Check out our Facebook invite,  and share with your friends. The official event  flier can also be downloaded.

**Send me some style inspiration – if I choose your suggestion (or something close to it) for Friday night, I’ll send you a $25 gift card to use towards your next session or print order!

Okay, I admit it.  I love fashion photography.  Love it.  Head-over-heels-jumping-up-and-down-giddy love it.

The entire process is ridiculously exciting.  Working with the client to create a vision for the shoot, scouting the perfect location with just the right vibe, brainstorming with a brilliant stylist to pull together the wardrobe and accessories to create the desired look and watching a talented hair and makeup artist work her magic and transform a woman into a absolute knockout….

Pure. Artistic. Heaven.

And it’s not always about working with professional models, needing uber-expensive haute couture clothing, or being hired by a commercial client with a ginormous budget.  In fact, the majority of my fashion clients don’t get any closer to the catwalk than watching ANTM from the comfort of their couch.  They don’t have crazy budgets for numerous hot-off-the-runway ensembles.   They’re not imagining that they’ll see the photos plastered on the cover of a glossy mag at the checkout line.

No, most of the time I photograph everyday women, with everyday bank accounts.  Every single one is both ordinary AND extraordinary and most of them don’t have the slightest idea just how beautiful they are.

And I get to help show them.  I get to step behind my camera and capture these vibrant, vivacious women, coax them to let loose their inner fashionista, turn on the diva and unleash all the attitude they’ve been keeping tucked away.  For some women, the simple act of seeing themselves in this new way is a game changer.

And it’s absolutely, completely and utterly amazing to witness.

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We set out early one June morning to meet with Adrienne at her chic loft apartment in downtown Phoenix.  Adrienne had laid the contents of her closet and accessory collection out across the furniture and countertop, and we dove in to create a series of fabulous looks – giggling like a group of high school girls as we debated our options. Clothing in place, hair and makeup artist extraordinaire Meghan Reese went to work and transformed Adrienne into an edgy couture-goddess, rocking a runway-inspired teased style that begged to be photographed.  We headed down to the streets, braving the hot desert sun and prowling through alleys to find texture and color and hidden bits of urban grunge.

And clearly, she rocked it. (so well in fact, that she managed to get herself wrangled into modeling for an incredible styled bridal shoot a few months later…stay tuned for more on that soon).

Several Undeniable Facts (just in case you were wondering)…..

Undeniable fact #1: I get to take pictures of the most beautiful people.  Crazy good-looking, fashion model-gorgeous, upside down and backwards amazing.

Undeniable fact #2: I love my job. (like, so much that it makes me a ‘lil giddy from time to time).

Undeniable fact #3: Numbers 1 and 2 are unmistakeably related.

Undeniable fact #4: Fashion photography is my most favorite-est thing.  Being a fashion photographer rocks, especially when it happens in downtown Phoenix (see #4)

Undeniable fact #5: My muse lives downtown.  Not the pretty part of downtown either.  She’s at home in the gritty, dirty spots that most people pass by.  In the alleys and forgotten doorways,  by the dumpsters, around abandoned corners of broken down buildings.  That’s where my art finds me.

Undeniable fact #6: Did I mention the beautiful people thing?  It bears repeating.  Holy hell folks – just look at her!

Hair and Makeup styled by the amazing Meghan Reese.  If you want to do a fashion photo shoot (or you just want to channel your inner fashion model – Meghan is your girl).  She’ll make you look red carpet ready in no time!

Yes kittens, I’ve been MIA again.  I know, I know – it’s not exactly a surprise.  Despite all my good intentions and my frequent promises, it seems I am an inherently bad blogger.   I think I’ve had “Blog.  Just Blog, Dammit!” on my to-do list every day for the last several months…and if you look at my posting record you’ll know just how well that is going for me.

So where have I been?  Living in crazy-busy land – that’s where, and somehow this blog seems to be the first thing to slide.  It’s been go-go-go for months now, culminating in four weddings+one charity brunch+ a one year old session in downtown Phoenix in an eight day span last week. Whew. Who knew wedding photography was an endurance sport?!

I’m starting to realize that it’s not going to slow down any time soon.   I’m also admitting that I’m unlikely to get caught up in the foreseeable future (do you know I have weddings from last year that have not been blogged?  Last year, people!).   So, instead of waiting till I invent a time expansion machine that miraculously converts each day to 48 hours while simultaneously maintaining my sleep needs at a solid eight hours (how you like that run on sentence?)  I figured I’d better take the opportunity and splash up a few random images while I have the chance.

Here’s just a slice of my life over the last few months – weddings, weddings, weddings (both my own and second shooting for the amazing Justine Miller and Keri Doolittle at amazing Phoenix wedding venues like  Sassi, Firesky, Wigwam as well as Oasis Ranch in Tucson), miles upon miles of location scouting, gorgeous seniors, three beautiful girls under the age of three (with tutus! and ice cream!), glorious glowing mama’s-to-be,  edgy urban fashion shoots in downtown Phoenix, crazy-cool families, spunky-silly- up-for-(almost)-anything engaged couples, fiesty photographers/branding gurus, off camera flash on the roof of the Orpheum Penthouse and the most knock your socks off beautiful mother-daughter combo I’ve ever laid eyes on.  And of course, just enough downtown, urban, grungy, junkyard shots to keep me happy.

Fierce.

That’s one word to describe Rebeka.  Totally, awesomely, awe-inspiringly fierce (all that, and she’s also as sweet as can be).

Fierce+sweet+total fashionista+urban decay=it doesn’t get much better than this.

Just a preview for now, my sweets.  Much more fabulous-ness in store later.