Archive for November, 2009
Amie & Chris: Engaged
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Sir Chubbs II, the pug. Chubbs was all decked out for the wedding of Chris and Amie, his awesome owners. We’re going to be photographing Chris and Amie’s wedding next year, but in the meantime, we got some photos of them to help them celebrate their engagement.
Amie and Chris were an absolute blast to work with. First off, a mutual friend told them about our pet allergies so Amie cleaned the apartment where we took Chubbs’s picture to the point that you’d never know an animal (let alone three) lived there…you know, apart from the animals that were there. Even then, she kept checking with us to make sure that we weren’t having any trouble. She is an absolute sweetie!
Chris is actually the one who, when we first met, let us know that the photograph he had to come away with was Chubbs in a tuxedo. Based on the way Chubbs did (almost) exactly what he said during the photo shoot, he’s clearly spent a lot of time with that dog and the affection runs both ways. (Amie seems to like him pretty well, too.)
After shooting Chubbs, we just went downtown and hung around with these two, who made photographing them wonderfully easy. There’s nothing, as far as I can tell, that makes for better engagement or wedding photographs than a couple who are seriously into one another and these two are seriously into one another. They flirt and play and smile and laugh and generally make getting adorable pictures of them a breeze.
I love this shot. Dancing in a parking lot?
No problem.
(I told you they’re fun.)
(I have no idea what Amie is thinking here but I like that Chris is apparently A-OK with it.)
We wrapped things up on USC’s Horseshoe, with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…
*ahem*
…with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…
(That’s better.)
…on this lovely couple.
Photographing Chris and Amie was way more fun than it ought to be and we can’t wait to shoot Amie’s bridals and their wedding!
We hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Amie & Chris: Engaged
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Sir Chubbs II, the pug. Chubbs was all decked out for the wedding of Chris and Amie, his awesome owners. We’re going to be photographing Chris and Amie’s wedding next year, but in the meantime, we got some photos of them to help them celebrate their engagement.
Amie and Chris were an absolute blast to work with. First off, a mutual friend told them about our pet allergies so Amie cleaned the apartment where we took Chubbs’s picture to the point that you’d never know an animal (let alone three) lived there…you know, apart from the animals that were there. Even then, she kept checking with us to make sure that we weren’t having any trouble. She is an absolute sweetie!
Chris is actually the one who, when we first met, let us know that the photograph he had to come away with was Chubbs in a tuxedo. Based on the way Chubbs did (almost) exactly what he said during the photo shoot, he’s clearly spent a lot of time with that dog and the affection runs both ways. (Amie seems to like him pretty well, too.)
After shooting Chubbs, we just went downtown and hung around with these two, who made photographing them wonderfully easy. There’s nothing, as far as I can tell, that makes for better engagement or wedding photographs than a couple who are seriously into one another and these two are seriously into one another. They flirt and play and smile and laugh and generally make getting adorable pictures of them a breeze.
I love this shot. Dancing in a parking lot?
No problem.
(I told you they’re fun.)
(I have no idea what Amie is thinking here but I like that Chris is apparently A-OK with it.)
We wrapped things up on USC’s Horseshoe, with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…
*ahem*
…with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…
(That’s better.)
…on this lovely couple.
Photographing Chris and Amie was way more fun than it ought to be and we can’t wait to shoot Amie’s bridals and their wedding!
We hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Dog Portrait: Sir Chubbs II
Amie and Chris are an absolutely awesome couple whose wedding we’ll be photographing next May. When Wendy and I sat down with them to talk about their photos, we asked if there were any specific photos they felt they absolutely had to have. It turns out there was only one: a photo of their pug, Sir Chubbs II, wearing a tuxedo.
(Is there really any need for more introduction than that?)
Because Chris and Amie’s wedding is outdoors, Chubbs won’t be able to be in attendance. We learned from them that due to pugs’ shortened breathing passages, they can’t really stand to be out in the heat for extended periods. So, since Chubbs couldn’t be a member of the wedding party, Amie and Chris dressed this precious pooch up in tails and a bow tie for his own pre-wedding portrait just before their engagement session.
Meet Sir Chubbs:
After a few casual poses on the pillow, Chubbs changed into his formal attire.
(Wendy’s mother said she thinks he looks like Winston Churchill in this picture.)
(Yup, his tail is sticking out from between his tails.)
(If they ever make an all-dog version of Oceans 11, Chubbs is a shoo-in.)
I have never seriously tried to photograph dogs before, figuring that it would be too hard to pose them and that the noise of the camera and the light from the flashes would spook them. Chubbs, though, was a real trooper, and Chris and Amie were terrific at keeping him where he should be and looking in the right direction. Still, after hundreds of shots and two different outfits, Chubbs had pretty much had it…
(Don’t feel too bad for him. That expression could be exhaustion or the look a dog gets when he has been stuffed to the brim with doggie treats.)
We actually did photograph Chris and Amie, but we figured Chubbs deserved his own post. Nonetheless, here’s Chubbs with his mom and dad, of whom you’ll be seeing more soon.
Remember, sharing is caring, so if you’d like to share Sir Chubbs II with your friends, you can do so easily by clicking on the links below for Facebook, Twitter, or the social whosamawhatsie of your choice. I’m not saying the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future are going to visit you if you don’t share, but why take the risk?
More to come!
Snuggie: The Blanket With Sleeves (That Solves All Life’s Problems)
This post comes with a story, so please bear with me.
Among other things I do, I (J.P.) teach Rhetoric. Rhetoric, simply, is the art of persuasive speech. In my class, the students primarily study Aristotle’s aptly-named Rhetoric, but sometimes I want to share with them something a little more contemporary, something that truly speaks to their generation. I think that infomercials are one of the best modern examples of persuasive communication and it’s for this reason I introduced them to the Snuggieâ„¢: the blanket with sleeves.
The students seemed to appreciate the simple structure of the commercial:
1) Present a problem: “You want to stay warm without raising your heating bill and you are incapable of performing mundane tasks like answering the phone while entombed in the shroud-like confines of a blanket. Also, for some reason, everything is in black and white.”
2) Offer a solution while footage switches to color and peppy music begins: “Now, you can own a Snuggie! You’ll be able to stay warm while enjoying a wide range of activities!”
3) Show how the benefits of the solution makes life amazing!
Little did I know how much they had appreciated it…
Two days after my birthday, just as I was getting ready to begin Rhetoric, our headmaster called me down to his office to help him with a computer problem. I asked a student to tell the rest of the class what the day’s assignment was and to have them begin on it, and followed the headmaster. After talking with me for a few minutes, the headmaster walked with me back to my classroom so I could retrieve a USB drive that contained some diagnostic utilities. When I got back to the room, the lights were off, the kids had their heads down on their desks and I was led by the headmaster to the far side of the room.
What followed was nothing less than amazing. My students has remixed and personalized the Snuggie commercial for me: “Mr. Stephens, do you find it miserable teaching in a freezing cold classroom? Do you find it difficult to write on the board when your hands have frostbite on them?” After presenting the problem, the lights came on, the music started (“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls), and the dancing and singing began. Oh yeah, and one student burst from the closet skating on a scooter while wearing a leopard-print Snuggie.
They didn’t skimp on the benefits of the solution, either. “Mr. Stephens, with your new Snuggie, you’ll be healthier, taller, stronger, more athletic, smarter…your hands will be nice and warm and you’ll be able to give us all A’s!” “You could even make it the official costume of Lunch Money!” At this point the students all dropped to their knees (approximating Lunch Money fan height) and waved their hands in the air while screaming “I love Lunch Money!”
In the end, I was presented with an awesome card, my new Snuggie…
…a DVD copy of The Iron Giant (they may have felt sorry for me after I showed them my copy on VHS)…
…a handmade Snuggie user’s guide…
(Note the chart.)
…and a cookie as big as my head!
At this point, it’s probably gratuitous to say that I have the greatest Rhetoric class ever. That’s one thing about Rhetoric, if the suck up this well, then they’re obviously getting the idea! As a small thank you to them, I will now conclude with a photo that I hope captures the magnificence of my birthday celebration, my students, and of course, my Snuggie.
P.S.- If any potential clients are reading this and you’re interested in a Snuggie-themed engagement shoot please contact us–we are definitely the photographers for you!
P.P.S.- After lecturing my students about copyright, I should probably mention that the first, second, and fourth pictures were taken by students and they retain all rights to them.
Lake Eden Arts Festival
LEAF is an annual festival that takes place in Black Mountain, NC in the fall. Lunch Money played there this year, and I got to come along for the ride… and the entire soul soothing experience. :) If you’re not yet familiar with Lunch Money, you need to be. The band: Molly Ledford, Jay Barry, and J.P. (my J.P.). Molly writes the songs, which have a playful yet cerebral quality. Her lyrics always throw me back to my own childhood. This is music that adults love just as much as kids!
The band rocked out both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and an audience bundled in coats, mittens and hats couldn’t help but move with the beat.
During the Lunch Money show, Lucy kept shooting me these adorable smiles and then trying to hide behind Henry’s head. Finally, I pulled out the camera and caught her!
Henry, Lucy and I got to spend some quality time together while the band was setting up and breaking down. We had faces painted and heads adorned in balloon hats. We also visited the dress-up tent to try on masks, swords, feather boas and sparkly fairy wings. Henry was thoroughly enthralled with the instrument petting zoo, and Lucy was delighted to skip through the kid market. Bubbles and bonbons seemed to be floating everywhere. There was plenty around to keep a kid happy all day.
LEAF was a wonderful time to experience art, nature, good food and great music. It was, however, freezing cold. Fortunately, our next post (three posts in a week!) contains the perfect solution to chilliness. If you’ve ever wanted to stay warm without raising your heating bill or longed to join a cult, the next post is for you!
Happy Halloween from Lumos Studio!
Let me begin with a little explanation of Wendy’s costume, because it’s somewhat conceptual. Okay, it’s totally conceptual, but follow along with me… Wendy is “Christmas Creep”, which is the practice stores have of putting out Christmas decorations and promotions earlier and earlier each year (hence the “creep” part). In my experience, the best Halloween costumes are scary and maybe even a little nauseating. If seeing a bunch of wreathes hanging next to zombie masks in Target doesn’t give you that feeling, you have a stronger stomach that me. (By the way, you can’t see them in the picture, but her necklace alternates Christmas ornaments and rats, and she has Christmas lights around her waist that really light up–though when we took the picture we didn’t have batteries.)
Read more about Christmas Creep at Consumerist and be sure to check out this awesome cartoon from Hallmark that captures the spirit of the costume perfectly.
In case you don’t know, this is Dr. Cockroach from “Monsters vs. Aliens”. I came up with the idea of using a giant pair of sunglasses to replicate his eyes, and then Wendy pretty much went to town from there. She. Is. Awesome. My antennae, by the way, are made from fall foliage found at Michaels. Big thanks to Molly from Lunch Money for getting her dad to loan me a lab coat used for real actual science.
Here are a couple more pics for the road:
