Reposting: August Gallery Hop

UPDATE: Both Ryan & Joe will be present for an artist reception from 4-6pm. Come during this time if you would like to meet both of the artists.

Saturday, August 1st we are pleased to feature artwork from our very own Ryan Parrish and dear friend, Joe Dallacqua! Instead of the usual artist reception for Gallery Hop, Ryan and I will be at the studio all evening (4-10pm). Also, anyone coming out to the studio in person can schedule a 2009 session for just a $125 session fee plus enter a drawing for a $100 Amy Parrish Photography gift certificate. This will be a family-friendly event, but we also encourage all of you couples to swing by and spend the rest of the evening enjoying superb food and artwork around the Short North for a fabulous date night. And, without further ado, here are notes and previews from the artists:

“Comic books? Are you really still reading those?” It’s a question I get all the time. People assume that comic books are a phase you go through when you’re younger, like reading the Hardy Boys. At some point it’s time to put those toys away and pick up ‘real’ books. But the funny things is, comics have always appealed to a different part of me. There’s something about how they allow a reader to see and hear the story as it plays out. It’s like looking in between the words of a book to really see the drama play out in front of you. The pieces I’ve put together here explore the nature of storytelling in that medium, peeling back the curtain and showing the story inside the story. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. – Joe Dallacqua

There’s a comforting simplicity to cartoons that I’ve always found appealing. They can be as shallow or as deep as you want them to be and, as such, are a great storytelling device. You can be made to laugh along with Snoopy or even cry with Calvin when he thinks that Hobbes has run away, and both are equally great. It’s such a malleable genre that it’s impossible not to find something worthwhile in it. – Ryan Parrish

Brothers Pt. II

Welcome to the sequel of a previous post! Tonight I met up with all three of the H. boys for a continuation of their previous session. If you’ll remember, I blogged before that these kids could take on the Jonas Brothers any day. Well, wouldn’t you believe that while we were photographing around the Short North a couple passed by, turned around and called out, “Hey! Are you the Jonas Brothers?” They even had a little girl admirer watching out from her window as these three hammed it up for the camera.

Baby on the Way

Check out this hip urban couple! I met P & F today for maternity portraits (only a couple more months left in the countdown!). F. wrote us, wanting something a little more serious, spiritual and making sure we incorporated the baby’s ultrasound photo. And as soon as I saw their cool tattoos I knew I wanted to show some more skin. It’s little things, just like this, that are so refreshing and really get my creative juices flowing. I know I’m going to love working on the portraits for this duo’s gallery!

Party of Fifteen

Mother Nature cut us some slack this morning. I woke up to check on the forecast before this massive family session and was greeted with thunder, lightning and roaring wind. Shortly after, the rain calmed and didn’t kick back in until we had just started wrapping things up. And while the idea of a big family picnic didn’t come into fruition, this wet weather made for some quality family-time consisting of giant group hugs and lots of laughing. Enjoy the preview of this fantastic family!

Look Out Shirley Temple

One of the things I was told about Miss B. was that she’s not your typical suburban-kind-of-girl. This urban spunkster is all curls and attitude. Just after coming into the studio she handed me her own Ray LaMontagne CD to play along with a special request for her favorite song! For the most part, I just had to sit back and enjoy the show put on by this evocative toddler. I hope you enjoy the show as well!

August Gallery Hop: Ryan Parrish & Joe Dallacqua

“Knights of Limb’dallah Bougher” by Ryan Parrish

Saturday, August 1st we are pleased to feature artwork from our very own Ryan Parrish and dear friend, Joe Dallacqua! Instead of the usual artist reception for Gallery Hop, Ryan and I will be at the studio all evening (4-10pm). Also, anyone coming out to the studio in person can schedule a 2009 session for just a $125 session fee plus enter a drawing for a $100 Amy Parrish Photography gift certificate. This will be a family-friendly event, but we also encourage all of you couples to swing by and spend the rest of the evening enjoying superb food and artwork around the Short North for a fabulous date night. And, without further ado, here are notes and previews from the artists:

“Comic books? Are you really still reading those?” It’s a question I get all the time. People assume that comic books are a phase you go through when you’re younger, like reading the Hardy Boys. At some point it’s time to put those toys away and pick up ‘real’ books. But the funny things is, comics have always appealed to a different part of me. There’s something about how they allow a reader to see and hear the story as it plays out. It’s like looking in between the words of a book to really see the drama play out in front of you. The pieces I’ve put together here explore the nature of storytelling in that medium, peeling back the curtain and showing the story inside the story. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. – Joe Dallacqua

There’s a comforting simplicity to cartoons that I’ve always found appealing. They can be as shallow or as deep as you want them to be and, as such, are a great storytelling device. You can be made to laugh along with Snoopy or even cry with Calvin when he thinks that Hobbes has run away, and both are equally great. It’s such a malleable genre that it’s impossible not to find something worthwhile in it. – Ryan Parrish

Hello Summer!

Today I photographed four awesome kids here at the studio with a “Hello Summer!” theme. The first two started off quite safe and sound, but before long we pulled out the fingerpaints and colored the studio (literally…we now have some multi-colored floors!). These brothers left for home blue, red, yellow and every color in between. And as “Mom” was walking out the door she let me know that she definitely wanted a photograph of the amazing art piece this duo created with their own hands and feet.


(I just love how A. was trying to blow bubbles…his whole face crinkles!)

After a pair of brothers, I got to hang out with sisters. These two little ladies needed absolutely no warming up time at all. I was able to focus on one while the other made a ketchup trail for the tree dinosaurs to follow and then swap over when the girls took turns tracking this forest monster. We were even left with some extra time to get “Mom & Dad” in on the portraits as well. Enjoy the previews!

Backyard Adventures

Trying out a new blog format this evening in terms of laying out images…hope you like it! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.

I had such a beautiful session tonight with this Worthington family. They were so fun & lighthearted and work/play together amazingly! Just check out the images below to see some real teamwork taking place. “Mom” noticed that labradoodle, Bean, had something in her mouth. I squinted and made out just enough to suspect that she snatched the lens hood from a spare lens I had laid out in the grass. I turned around to confirm this and noticed that, not just the hood, but the entire lens was gone! The family chased after a fast-frolicking doggy which, at this point, was having a great time playing the “let’s not get caught” game. All the while I’m snapping away and getting these delicious snapshots.

And, since I know I’ll be asked, the lens itself appears to have gotten nothing more than a bit of slobber on the glass. The hood has seen better days (part of the edge frayed with bite marks), but it still stays on the camera which is the only needed function, so no harm done! Though, like I explained to the family, I do have one great story to share whenever I pull this half-chewed lens/hood out, and tonight it’s given me something to work with for writing this post!

 

bella bella beautiful

I’ve been so looking forward to tonight’s session! When I found out that this was to be a girls-only tea party event with some of the best dressed girls in the city, I was beyond ecstatic. You should have seen me in the grocery session on the way to the session, analyzing each plum for the perfect color and gathering grapes & flowers into my basket. And we found out that little T. loves plums! T. and her beautiful sister played and twirled around, filled with both smiles, and some very somber moments like in the image above. They are just as lovely as can be.

A Decade Later

It’s been nearly a decade since I first met Drew, my oldest nephew. If you’re on my Facebook friends list then maybe you’ve seen him in a wedding pic as the barefoot ring bearer. He was so cute and sweet all those years ago. Now, tonight, I had to accept the fact that he’s going into his senior year of high school and isn’t that same little boy anymore. This guy is still the sweetest around (although showing me where he threw up during football conditioning was perhaps a bit sour!), and I’m so very proud of him and excited for all of the memories that lie ahead and have yet to be made.

Brothers Pt. I

Welcome to part one of a series of posts. Tonight I met with 2 out of 3 of what is probably the cutest set of brothers I’ve ever seen. I think they could take on the Jonas brothers any day when it comes to capturing the hearts of tween-age girls (see big brother, MIA, here)!

When their mom described youngest, A., as being a little monkey, she wasn’t kidding. I’d lose him nearly every time I turned my back, only to find him 10 feet up a tree! I think getting him to sit up in a window sill in the Short North was just his speed. And R., in the middle, could climb those trees just as well! He was such a great sport and probably would have been okay with this session lasting another couple of hours, just flashing those dimples and giving a half-ornery grin.

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled in the next few weeks for part two when we get all three musketeers back together again!

Sweet Sweet Baby C.

Sometimes words just escape me when it comes time to write a blog post. When I volunteer sessions through the American Child Photographers Charity Guild, such as tonight, it’s never under a good circumstance. This baby girl lives with Batten disease and, at only two years old, has lost her sight, ability to stand or sit up on her own as well as losing control over other motor functions. My heart breaks into pieces when I see such innocence and beauty hiding beneath the surface. And, I think that’s where sometimes it’s hard to think of the words.

While Miss C’s life will never be typical, there’s so much to be amazed by as well. First of all, she is devastatingly beautiful! I bet I asked her mom five times if they had curled or pinned her hair. Those little red ringlets were perfection! C. wore a handmade dress that was created from an apron of her great-grandmother’s which set that red hair on fire even more. And those lips…Angelina Jolie would be jealous! Just a glimpse of a close-mouthed smile was such a gift. Even more so was looking over at her four month old baby brother and seeing such an uncanny resemblance, especially in the eyes.

I’m so glad the family will have these portraits to always look back on and see how beautiful their baby girl was on this mild evening in July.

Adventures on the 4th of July

I wasn’t so sure I was going to make it for today’s session. I always try to leave a little early since I never know what to expect on my way to a client’s home. I have the horrible habit of letting my gas get far too close to “E” and never know when I hop in the car if it will be a quick ride or if I’ll have to stop for gas. Anyway, I’m so glad I operate this way, because a couple of blocks before my destination, road blocks were set up with a small crowd of people passing by with strollers and camping chairs. “Ah, yes…it’s the 4th of July!”

So I turned down another road and parked as close as I could thinking I was within half a block of the home I was visiting. I knew I had to strip down to the bare minimum when it came to newborn portrait equipment/props since I couldn’t count on grabbing stuff out of my car during a session like I would normally do. I was loaded up with my camera bag, camera, basket w/ boppy & a couple fabrics, reflector plus reflector stand. Not a breeze, but certainly doable. The entire time I was strategically piling and organizing my equipment for the easiest load, an extremely disgruntled lady from across the street who was hanging streamers from a banister must have decided that I was the world’s greatest enemy. She yelled at me about how I didn’t belong, was taking up all of the (many public) parking spaces and lots of other mumbled yelling which I couldn’t completely make out. Of course, when I quite politely explained that the road was blocked and I was just visiting someone down the street (yes…I avoid confrontation like the plague) she completely ignored my existence, kicking up her yelling again only when I would turn my back to go back to organizing and then finally heading off to my session. A little boy was coming down the sidewalk towards me on his bike, and as I was walking along (arms filled with stuff) I thought I’d step to the side to let him easily pass. Well, wouldn’t you know she yelled at me about that!

Anyway, I made it out of earshot of the angry lady, rounded the corner and noticed the house numbers were not in the same series as I was looking for. I wasn’t nearly as close as I thought I was and still had a couple blocks to go (with the camera, camera bag, basket of boppy & fabrics, reflector and reflector stand). And even more? There was a parade going right along the intersection I needed to pass with a photog from Channel 6 on the corner capturing the entire event. Boy, did I want to crawl under a rock! Thankfully, the marching band passed and a series of parade cars slowly came to a halt…perfect timing for me to hop across the street in the middle of the parade, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone, lest they think I was a nutcase! By the time I was a few feet down the sidewalk, a knob had loosened on my reflector stand, causing an arm of it to drag along the ground. To lift it back up I would have to unload my basket, bag, etc. so I just high-tailed it as best as I could ’til I finally made it to my destination. Let me tell you, I was so happy to finally get to meet baby Zoe! So, without further ado, here’s your chance to meet her too:

Actually, I have photographed Zoe once before…although, at the time, she was completely hidden inside of her mama’s belly! Today, at less than two weeks old, this little thing was already quite alert and practically mobile! We went with that theme and captured her daddy walking and soothing her down the hall as well as getting the entire family in on the action (including little Rudy & Lily) for a sweet lullaby dance. Mama rocked her in the nursery, and once again. little Rudy & Lily wanted in on the action as well, being quite protective of this new little bundle of joy. Overall, this home was the perfect sanctuary; a place of Bob Marley lullabies, loving family and such a sweet little baby. Life is good.

au natural

Usually when it comes to newborn portraits, au natural implies a naked baby. We didn’t take any bootie shots for this session. Instead, today’s au natural was for those very real and candid moments at home, plus a few staged images in a very natural environment. An example? I arrived a bit early, so while mama was changing Sweet S. in the main room, I caught the two in focus through an arched wall. As for the outdoor images, Sylvia was sweeter than a pea pod out in her garden. While we couldn’t get this energetic newborn to drift asleep, I was able to catch her resting her eyes just long enough for the image above. Isn’t she just so precious!?