another photograph that still resides in my portfolio is one taken during a pet portrait session. at the time, i couldn't put my finger on exactly why it appealed to me other than i liked the placement of emma on a path in between day lilies that were nearly as tall as she was which tells me something about her height and her age and the time of year. i liked the soft the light and how it gradated from bright to dark, but more than anything, it was the moment of her turning around and me being in the right place at the right time. what i didn't understand at the time, was how this works as a story. some time later during a review by two documentary photographers i revere, i was shown all the other nuances like the little hand and it's gesture, and the triangle in the composition. things i naturally see but couldn't articulate.

so just like that, in every way, this photograph along with a few others shown below, pointed the way forward.

last summer, i was hired to spend a week with a colleague & friend to photography them in their life...it was a visual diary that incorporated a range of activities, people, places, and elements that together, celebrate a story of life. we created a schedule that weaved in the monumental with the mundane...choosing beautiful locations with meaning and significance for lifestyle & portraits, and for my own part, an every day moment.

though i photographed inside, it was on our way out that i turned and saw michelle framed in the doorway of her car and was struck by the composition with the reflection of telephone lines and the restaurant sign overhead noting a specific location. but what this photograph is about, is the action - the digging for car keys. as most women i know who are mad for a big bag (in this case, it was a big pink bag), the getting into the car bit involves a bit of a key search and as you can see, the contents of the purse start to be pulled out one by one (in this case, the dress, a pouch, glasses.) so that's what this photograph is about. i chose this moment with her face down and arms crossed as one of beautiful frustration.

that little hand

framed in a doorway

the hurricane cafe (part of a client folio)

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