Ode to James Dean

Ode to James Dean, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

In one photo.

Model: Sam Adams
MUA: Amy Gillespie

megan before and after

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I will be posting more before and afters, so those of you who like to play the "how many differences between these two photos can you find?" game- keep your eyes peeled!
I'm always so surprised how many subtle changes are necessary in order to produce a clean, catalog shot.

In this photo, you may not notice at first, but- despite Megan being a very slim girl- due to the angle of this shot- I had to slim down her arms, legs and neck. I also had to adjust the neckline of the dress so that it appears smoother and less distracting.

Remember being 18?

18, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

This is from a recent shoot for Makool clothing. This was one of the last shots of the day and is- most likely- my fave from the shoot.
Unfortunately, she is not actually wearing any of Anisa's clothes at this point... I threw Leesa's beautiful, blonde hair into some braids for these last few shots. They seemed to compliment her barely-there-wardrobe.
I have a big shoot coming up tomorrow. Paid. Finally ( :
So this project, along with another shoot I did at a theater, are going on the back burner for the next week.
Tomorrow's shoot entails 3 models, a gorgeous downtown hotel and a rack of bridal wear by Sara Seven.

To check out her collections follow this link:
http://www.sarahseven.com/Sarah_Seven/Home.html

I am getting ready to change my blog layout but I want to take my time and create a cool template that both my viewers and myself will find amusing ( : So, if you have any inspiring sites, photos, et cetera to send my way, please do ( :

Thanks!

L Mem

Skate world

I remember my 12th birthday as the day I received my first pair of roller skates. My cousin and I got the same pair of sandy white- pom pom adorned rollers!
Today as I sit in the retro- shagged out family center that IS Skate Center I momentarily reminisce on those sweet days of childhood when overpriced toys shipped from china and dollar store party decorations could inspire awe.
I listen to the announcer ask my neice to approach his desk fit her prize and smile as she returns with a plastic rose.
"smell it" she tells my husband happily. And I look on as he closed his eyes and says "mm".

Chmurka the Hamster Egg!

Chmurka the Hamster Egg!, originally uploaded by pyza*.

Oh wow! There is no way that this photo will not make you laugh. Or at least chuckle.

Before and Afters

After watching my husband's expert slide-show of his "before and afters" last night, I decided to put together a few of my own. Photo shop skills are often taken for granted and under-appreciated by the viewer. This IS actually a good thing. This means that the photographer has managed such a skillful and subtle job as to deceive the viewer into believing the photo to be mostly "untouched". Anyhow, I put together a few sets from some recent fashion shoots. It's kind of exciting to reveal the truth behind these beautiful models. Hopefully, it will give some relief to the women out there (much like myself) who often envy the illusion of "perfect" body, skin and features.









*Due to the nature of this posting, I will not credit names to these shots. Though, I am positive none of the models would object to their use.

Makool Loves You...

Is the name of portland's own romantic yet sheik, clothing line by designer, Anisa- who I will be shooting with this weekend. She is a photographer of her own right however, and if you check out her website you can see more of her designs and personal photography like the photo posted below ( :




http://store.makoollovesyou.com/

Panes

Panes, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

Anna- we were trying to utilize the fleeting daylight, but it was freezing outside. So, we compromised and incidentally, I was the only one freezing my butt off ( :

White Tank

White Tank, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

I ended up really liking these photos... I made them a bit more grainy and tried to give them a film feel... If I had photos of myself up anywhere, I'd want them to be kind of like this. I like the snapshot-moment.

Too bad my fave photog and I are not on good terms. I'd love to do a black and white series like this with him. Boo.

All Grown Up!

katie winter formal-44, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

I was so excited to drive down to Lebanon yesterday for Katie's winter formal... We did her hair and makeup exactly how she wanted and it went perfectly with the dress she picked out. I can't believe how big she is! It's weird how you forever remember little siblings as toddlers in diapers- a memory she is not equally fond of ( ;
But here she, all grown up.

Kiss

Kiss, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

I really trying to maintain some kind of artistic integrity while working on my portland book. Agencies and clients are looking for a variety of clean, technically good shots. But I am very interested in playing with light, textures, crops, et cetera.
Anyhow, if I continue on with photography I must carve out time for the creative shoots.
This last shoot with Amber Prehn was a lot of fun. I would like to shoot at her place one more time, since the day of the shoot was the first time I had seen her home... We used what we had, however, and came out with some great shots. Check out my flickr for more from this sequence.

Theme: Calvin Klein

Kacy, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

Two steps and a hop, jump away from shooting for Option's Model Management. The picture posted above is from a recent test with model, Kacy Owens, who was still looking for those killer shots to fill her book and reel in all the clients. ( ;

I have 2 more tests coming up and then it's on to paid shoots. (Finally!)

Spider!

I just re-calibrated my computer last night and looking over some photos- I realize I MUST re-edit! Before, everything looked more blue and green... Anyhow, cheers to the "spider" inventor. (The machine that calibrates my moniter).

emma joe: Leanimal

emma joe Leanimal, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

This may be my favorite set. I think Emma's look fits Leanne's style very well. We are going to be submitting this series to some magazines, so if you know of anyone interested in publishing Leanne's new line- let me know!

Project Runway Winner: Leanne Marshall

Project Runway Winner: Leanne Marshall, originally uploaded by lavendamemory.

This is a shot of me and Leanne at our shoot this Friday. She had just had her hair and makeup done by M'chel Bauxal, so she was definitely camera ready for our portrait session!

For those of you are not familiar with her face, here's a link to the season finale of Season 5 Project Runway: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y12C_QTRH4
Our own Portland celebrity!!!

We just shot some of her new line for 09! New pic's to come ( :