Showcase @ P!ay Hair Lounge

All set up for my showcase!

Thanks to the awesome ladies at P!ay Hair Lounge and to my amazing husband and mother who came to help me set up yesterday!

We hit a few snafus - as one often does - like a frame that suddenly broke and a small mismeasurement that threw things off.  But there was no panic and there was much laughter and we had a great time setting everything up.

My Drill Sergeant!

It was pretty fun to play the part of director: I basically outlined everything and told Ian where to drill the hooks, and he did it.  Not only that, he did an amazing job, making sure that everything was level and perfect.  My mom played the hero and ran out to pick up another backup frame from the house when the one "Gamera" was in broke (and when I say "broke," I mean BROKE...the wood cracked, the glass chipped, the nails came out...wotta mess!).

But we got everything in order and it all looked great!  Brig, the owner, told me that it was the "most bizarre" display that they'd ever had up...and then qualified that comment by insisting it was a compliment!  I told her that there was no need to clarify, I DEFINITELY take that as a compliment!

If you make your way to Simi Valley in the near future, the display will be up at P!ay for 8 weeks ('til early October 2012).  The salon is right off of the 118 freeway at Kuehner Ave.  Some paintings are for sale (marked with the price), but some are for this display only.  If you do make a purchase, the funds are very fairly split between myself and P!ay, so you'd be supporting two local "businesses."

Enjoy!


My mom, chronicling the display.  Awwww...thanks, Mom!

In Progress: PHOTO PROJECT

What follows is a hint at what I'm hoping my photo project will continue to look like. I'm ridiculously happy with how this series is coming out (thanks to my first two models, Devi and Erica). I'm hoping to capture various stages of life that one might not consider stereotypical, but which are things that every human being must go through.

Here is Devi at Leo Carrillo State Park. Hers is actually meant to be the last photo of the series. I picked out a white dress for her, which ended up being a REALLY great contrast to the sand. As for the divided, florally lit pathway we found...that was just luck. The angle is probably my most favorite thing in this photo - it really makes everything just flow perfectly.

And here is Erica. This photo was taken in my hometown, which is the perfect stage for this shot. As gorgeous as she is, and as much as she deserves to be at the forefront, I was glad to have this shot come out with the flowers being what is in focus. I chose a sepia tone for developing the photo, but I also want to post the original colors as well, because the costume I pulled together was so vivid; it really gives a different sense of the scene:

Really, there is a lot more to it, but I don't want to give it all away just yet. My biggest issue right now is whether or not I want this project to focus solely on photography - which was my original plan - or if I want to take the next step forward and turn it into a collage project. I suppose I can make that decision once I get all of my photos together.

All photos for this project were taken with my trusty ol' Canon Rebel film camera. I hate digital cameras so much...I do take digital shots during the shoot as well, but those are mostly establishing shots to show the model as we go. Film...it just comes out so much better.