6.8.10 My House

I love my house. I love the way it feels in the early morning, the rooms are dark but the light from the kitchen illuminates the dining and living areas, it's quiet, it just seems to be getting ready for her day. I love later in the morning, the light just pours in from all angles and there is a peek through in the dining area that shares the light generously with the living room. All of the rooms are painted a different color thus sending a new message every step from the bedrooms to the kitchen. We've lived here for 4 years so far and this feeling never seems to fade. I walk from the office to the kitchen, on the way for a cup of coffee and I often think "I am IN LOVE with my house." 

I have always been a mover, my whole life, we would pick up and move from place to place, state to state, school to school. 7 schools, I think, before I wrapped up Elementary. Same system after that, but many different dwellings in between. My New York life wasn't any different the shortest amount of time I stayed in a house in New York was 8 days. I moved in with a friend and our sublet, essentially recalled it at the drop of a hat. My longest in New York was 3.5 years and I was aching to move on. But here, this house, I could stay here forever. 

We've planted plants and flowers and this year put in a tree, we can't stay forever, but we can make it even better for the next family who lives here. So they have the same deep affection for our tiny, little oasis. We've started our family here and Bishop as he grows get to experience this house. The galley kitchen goes to the dining room on one side and living room on the other side. Bishop is walking/running now and  sometimes I think the layout was for Chase. When we move forward in our lives and find a new house, bigger, in a better neighborhood, all of the trimming. Bishop will always remember this house is the house he came home too when he was a baby and we planted our tree in his honor. When he's 40 he can swing by his first house and see his tree. 

Don't get me wrong our house is modest in her square footage, but it would make our NYC friends blush from the excess. The house is situated on a mature tree lined street in an otherwise scary neighborhood and we will have to leave our house when our first is ready for classes. But for now, it holds a romance, that is palpable. It's our own little secret Eden. 

The sun is trying to peek through the clouds and the house is starting to flood with light, I have to get back to reality and doing some editing before our house is alive with the full energy of the day.

Have a wonderful day.

---mel

2.24.10 for fun

Yesterday in Austin, Tx... it snowed. I know, you can't believe it right, well I have proof. 

It was the first time in 14+ months that Bishop boy has seen snow so I snatched him away from his morning breakfast so we could get a shot of him with the snow. There wasn't much, but he could sit in it and had to wear a hat and his favorite Lakers jacket.

Thanks for looking.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

2.14.10 Happy Valentines Day

Tonight Steve and I opened a new bottle of wine for a left-over dinner, we used good place-mats and tended to the baby no less that 5 times times. Watched taped Amazing Race. Now we're off to bed. 

There is something blissful in finding rhythm and joy in the everyday.

I wish it for everyone.

Happy Valentines Day.

---mel

2.13.10 Weddings

I love weddings. In fact, in about and hour I am going to capture for all time, a wedding for a blissfully happy couple in Austin. It's amazing knowing that there is this wonderful service that I can provide. These images will be a part of their lives for their live forever and its exciting to know that my life has impacted someone else's in such a way. I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.

On another note. This morning over breakfast with the baby, Steve and I talked about what our wedding day was like. We put together a wonderful collection of wedding memories on audio tape for just this reason, it's funny to see what our mind recollects now. I remember a bubble bath and a lunch date with my girls. I know there were unplanned things that happened and someone might even consider them to be "bad," I didn't. The fond memories are the only ones that stay with you. My sister would say that worst thing that happened at out wedding was she forgot to bring my vows to the alter, I handed them to her and didn't tell her what it was for. So I turned to her in the middle of the service asking for them and she didn't have them, my husband and I skipped over this moment. I never cared about it, but she thought it was the worst thing in the world to ever happen. Even now I have to really work at it, to retrieve this memory. I guess what I'm trying to get at is this; you can plan, and plan, and plan and plan, but we're human and things go the way the universe wants them to. 

Be open. Life is a long journey. Enjoy it.

---mel

2.11.10 Inspiration

Yesterday I was asked by a couple who I met with, where I found my inspiration. It was such an excellent question and I wanted to share my answer with everyone. 

I find my inspiration in everything, color, texture, expressions, everywhere. More literally, I find inspiration in location, fashion, grooming and personality. People inspire me, sometimes the people I get to work with are afraid of the camera and it's fun to see them come out of their shell, and that's inspiring. And sometimes I get to work with "old pros" in front of the camera and it's a whole different kind of inspiration. I also keep a collection of pictures and illustrations that inspire me daily. I have a bulletin board on the wall that I tack all of this imagery into. I keep collections of graphic art and photography books. I find inspiration in everything, I love Books, Movies, Magazines.  I subscribe to PDN, Dwell, Cooking Light, Entertainment Weekly, and Time. I have a handy camera around incase a movie or a show has a nicely blocked scene. I take a shot of it and save it for my wall. In this batch of images you'll see some images from Cobis images, you'll see a clip from Mad Men, and scene from The Reader. Some several classic French and American advertisements. 

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Especially from you. 

Thanks for asking.

enjoy.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

1.22.10 It's been a while.

I know it's been quite a while since my last post infact I have a couple of good things to post but I've been so busy wrapping up last year still I just haven't had the time. We are getting ready to overhaul the entire office, maybe this weekend. 

Since the year began though, my dear baby Bishop turned 1 year old. Can you believe it?

I can't! So in honor of him growing,  I thought I put up a few pictures of his growth and progress. This year has seen a weight gain of 18lbs, we're so proud. Plus the addition of, count them, 5 teeth. He is sitting up, crawling, smiling, talking (no actual words) and the most currently and my personal favorite, laughing not only with you but when he thinks something is funny. I LOVE it. 

Here are some of his sweet picts from the year.

Thanks for indulging me. I'll be back to proper posts next week.

Take good care.

---mel

just born

first smiles

sitting up.

almost crawling

new teeth

clean, and confused to dirty sugar rush!

January 2010

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

12-1-09 whoa... already?

Where has this year gone? I mean I understand that we had a new baby in January and essentially started our business this year. But honestly, do we deserve this year, the years whizzing by like loose calendar pages? Are we living in a Frank Capra film? I understand as you age, time becomes more about the people and things in your life, more so than about you alone. But really, this quick?! 

My husband's family has the most amazing tradition. Every year on Christmas Eve we all gather around the Christmas Tree and talk about our year to a video camera and after we report on our year we sing Christmas Carols for an hour or so. It's such an amazing tradition. The first year I visited his home for Christmas I participated in this tradition that was almost 10 years ago. I'm glad I started at the beginning because before we tape this year's "Christmas Eve Program" we watch the "Program" from 10 years ago. 

The first year I visited and saw the program my husband was 16 years old and during his year talked all about getting his drivers license. So cute. The first year they have it on video my husband is just 8 years old and he reads "The Night Before Christmas" for the camera. These pieces of our family's history are priceless. And I'm glad I get to be part of them. 

This year our son gets to make his debut. I can only imagine how amazing it will be for him when he's 30 and brings his wife home and gets to see what it was like when he was just 1 year old. 

Try it. I felt hokey on camera the first couple of times but now I know to make a note of all of the years events and be ready when it's my turn to speak. 

I hope this Holiday Season is the best it's ever been.

All the Best.

---mel

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

11-2-09 Pet Project

I don't shoot a ton of stills. But I started working on this little project quite a while ago. You can shoot all day long and the spent fruit never gets tired. 

We eat a lot of fresh vegetables in our house and occasionally one of them will get away from us and get tucked away until we find it again later, usually with a spawn. They don't seem to rot they instead sprout. They are so beautiful when they sprout I can't resist shooting them. Sadly other people don't think so. Steve leaves them for me but if my mother in law or my mom come in town I'll find a shiny new vegetable in the place of the old sprouted one. So I'm careful to get them shot and out of the house before we have company.

Here is the latest. It's a Turnip. And it was still yummy for dinner last week.

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

10.9.09 Textiles

My Mother and Father-in-Law are in town for a wedding last weekend and record convention this weekend. So they've spent the week with us hanging out and playing with the baby and just over-all making our lives a little easier. In April my MIL, Patty, helped me pick out textiles for a set of curtains and out dining area, probably our favorite part of the house. Those textiles have been collecting dust since then and this week she convinced me to start working on the curtains. So we have been working on them together, it feels like an excerpt from a coming of age novel but it really has been such a blast and honestly I'm not sure I ever would have found the time to do it on my own. Maybe once the baby is graduating or something. The pattern on the fabric from Franny's <here> is a delicious retro orange a brown combo. We almost forgot what it looked like and got all giddy again when we rolled out the bolt again for the firs time.

Here a few shots of us hard at work.

Thanks for looking.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design 

10-5-09 New Camera

She-N-He added a Canon 5D markII to the arsenal today.... It's a good day.

---mel

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

9-18-09 Wela Debbie

This blog is a tribute to the woman who risks life and limb to drive to Austin from Dallas every weekend to care for Bishop and clean our house ;) 

The best mom in the whole world and best Wela any 2 grandkids could ever have. 

And overall the pied piper of anyone under 5. 

My Mama.

Thanks for looking.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

9.11.09 Sadness

The towers fell out of a crystal clear, blue September morning sky. Just 5 months after I started dating my husband. Just 6 years after I moved to New York. Just 25 minutes after I left my house that day. Just 40 minutes after I missed the call from my Mom asking me "What the hell is happening out there?" 

She had heard already the plane had hit the first tower, while on her business trip to Chicago. I didn't even know it was going on until after the 1st tower fell. I was headed to a meeting and they all knew it, I called Steve from their landline and screamed into his phone, terrorists are attacking the WTC. I asked his to call from his land line everyone we knew to tell them we were fine. On my way home I passed some construction workers who were briskly walking toward the river, proclaiming "the next one is going to hit Time Square," I lived at 43rd between 9th and 10th. For you non-New Yorkers that is about 3 short blocks from Times Square. I ran home to my apartment and ran up the stairs and my first familiar face was Miguel who gave my first hug of security that I craved after all of this. We ran into our roommates room who had a TV, the TV was pointed north and the window we watched from was pointed south. So we watched it live and live on TV as the second tower came crashing down. We were sending emails home to family as fast as we could and I was convinced it wasn't over, I told my sister I loved them and I would miss them. My best friend Rhonda worked in an office building on Spring Street and Varick, she could see from her desk, tiny figures dropping out of the windows. I'm sorry she has to live her life with that memory. 

I lived in a building with a number of artists we all laid on the king sized bed on the 1st floor all 5 of us watching the news, that clip of the plane hitting the second tower as the first tower was burning, over and over again it played. 

About 40 minutes after the towers fell, I heard my Mom's voice for the first time, she still had no idea if I was alright, she was in full on panic mode. Some strange man answered her phone and called out to her, he told me that she has been waiting to hear from me. She picked up the phone and I could sense the bottom dropped out from under her, she was so scared.  About 1.2 hours after the towers fell Rhonda walked in the door after walking the 2-3 miles home from her office (the subways were closed.) She was covered in dust and soot and I remember hugging her and thinking that we might make it through this. About 4 hours after the Towers fell Steve called and and told me that my mom called him and said they opened the Subways and that I should get my ass to Brooklyn with him and safety. The subway ride was surreal, it seemed normal but everyone knew it wasn't. I got to his apartment and he met me at the door. In that hug I knew that I would be alright. We stayed awake all night watching that image on the tv over and over again. 36 hours after the towers fell we went to Philadelphia for a Ben Fold concert, by way of the Verrazano bridge, the same bridge we took when we moved away from New York, 5 years later. There was a great plume of smoke coming from ground zero and the rescue effort was far from over. We saw the Liberty Bell that day. I love Ben Folds for not canceling that show, it was the best distraction I could think of, though every loud noise or low flying plane, anything like that would strike me for years with paralyzing fear. We drove home only to pass the lower part of Manhattan once more, this time it was just blackness and hazy from the smoke. For weeks after, every time you were in the subway you were struck with the images and words from families missing their loved ones, walls and walls, miles of missing persons signs haphazardly scrolled on paper, desperate for answers.  Heartbreaking. For years after, every time you were with a group of people at a party, concert, restaurant, anything. The conversation would always end with where were you? 

I have moved forward like so many others never got the chance to do. I've been married and had a baby. The lesson I learned was that you never take for granted what is most important. My family.

Where were you? 

9-4-09 Bishop

Strawberries and the ABCs can make his entire day.

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

9-3-09 Inspiration

I have been working on a little project here in my office to keep my mind fresh and agile. 

My inspiration wall. 

Every day or so I look online or take some pictures of life experience that will give me a unique perspective on the everyday, so I can have a clearer, sharper point of view. It frees me to put ideas and concepts in my head before each and every wedding. So I have been taking a variety of pictures from movie clips, a screen shot from the TV,  in movies such as Cadillac Record and The Reader. Or pictures of the museum I am in love with. Even children's play time can lend itself to rounding out my vision. I want to share it all with you. Mind you, not all of these images are wedding related or even couple related, but my first choice is. I am a huge Ellen fan, with her wedding passing, recently, she often shows images from their event. Beautiful images all. But there is this image, this simple and elegant image, that carries the weight of tremendous sensitivity and intimacy. I LOVE it. It was used in a gag about Aretha's hat, so sans the hat, this image is wonderful.

I searched all over the net to find the photographer who shot this to give her proper credit, I think this is it. I'm not sure, so if you know better than me, please send in a comment and correct me.

I believe the image was shot by Lara Porzak.

Please enjoy,

---mel

She-N-He

Wedding Photography and Design

9-2-09 Inspiration

This weekend Bishop, Steve and I went to this amazing museum in Waco, on a lark. The description in the travel guide made it sound comically random, but it was one of the best museums I've ever been to. It's called the Mayford Museum it's just a hop off 35 we spent hours there and were like kids in a candy store in their 2nd floor, specifically for kids, learn by touching exhibit area. We took the snappy so we have some shots of the place. I like to think of them as inspirational. It gets me out of my head and in a more creative place. 

Thanks for looking.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Weddding Photography and Design

8-26-09 Options

So I know it's trendy to really USE photoshop, and the work out there is really beautiful and unique. I love photoshop it's one of the most remarkable tools we have, as photographers. I love my machines. I come from film though so playing with photoshop was to me just my clearing out of the darkroom which was NEVER my favorite place in the world. My professors in college would say "if you can find yourself a good printer, you'll be famous" so much for that ;) I never had the patience for it. Now I can do an everything I did in the darkroom and get the results in seconds, not full minutes. Yuck. ANd I don't smell like sulfur at the end of the day, lucky me.

Anyway, I told myself I didn't really want to play with photoshop too much.  I started out trying to replicate the look of my favorite films, Kodak 400 VC and Tri-X 400. Both fantastic films. But we just don't shoot film anymore. We transitioned a little over 2 years ago and haven't looked back. Great photographs are, at the core, great photographs, they don't need all of the photoshopping to make them any more special if they're special to begin with, right? 

Well I'm not so sure. Can a great photograph become greater if you add a special touch here or there. I came across this because I was trying to solve a problem. I was converting this image into B/W and found I wasn't getting the contrast I desired from the sky without leveling the depth in my subjects so I tried this. How can I call myself an artist is I can don't see things from different angles and evolve? I'm curious what you think. Please leave a note, I'll love to hear what people think.

---mel

Be well,

---mel

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

8.12.09 Redevelopment

Today I am looking at a load of websites to figure out how I would like my new commercial website to look. I have been searching through PDN to help me locate a number of amazing sites, plus I get to look at pictures all day long. LUCKY me!

Here are a few of my favorites so far.

www.davidmaitland.com

www.danibrubaker.com

www.evakolenko.com

Happy surfing.

Be Well.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

8.11.09 Tree Chopping

We they did it, they took out our little piece of shade. It's a bummer its true, but now I see that in all of that dead brush, there was some live things underneath. They look nice, when the whole project is finished I'll post some after pictures.

So they showed up this morning early about 8:30 and began work. What these guys can do to remove these behemoth 35 year old trees is poetic. It's beautiful watching them in action. I'll prove it.

Be Well,

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

8-10-09 Sad Day

Today is a little bit of a sad day.

Yesterday a giant branch from one of our 30 year old trees out front cracked at the base and fell on the car. We had the tiniest, but still, rather violent storm that passed through yesterday. We spotted the branch as the rain was coming down. So when the rain stopped I ran out to take a few pictures before we began the removal process. It was unfortunate that the branch fell on the car but when things like this happen I realize the bond and teamwork I share with my dear husband. We went right out there and removed a tree limb together from the driveway. It was no easy feat. I was proud of us. Here comes the sad part. I called our tree guy, he's the best if anyone needs someone, and he is going to remove the entire tree tomorrow. Our front yard is going to look so barren. I'm not looking forward to it.

The good news is, we are going to plant 2 new live oak this fall. I'm so excited. I got the idea from a couple who's wedding is coming up. They are going to plant a tree on the morning of their wedding day. They can watch it grow and blossom with their marriage. We had a baby this year, these can be Bishop's twin pet trees. 

I will most definitely have pictures tomorrow. The men who work in our trees are magic men, they are so graceful while they move around the tops of the trees, cutting away the lifeless parts to make room for fresh growth.

See you then. 

Be well.

---mel

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

8.9.09 As promised...

Well I told you I would write everyday, so here it is. My Dad Joe and his lovely wife Martha were in Austin for a visit this weekend. They are from D/FW and try to get down here as much as they can to both see and love the baby, but also give Bishop's folks some much needed away time. So we saw our movie on Friday, Julie and Julia. Very nice movie, not much drama and slowly paced but it's just a comfortable Sunday afternoon feeling when you leave the theatre, a must see. Saturday we were going to go to the Texas state history museum, but ran clean out of time. So we went for a Mexican food lunch instead and floated in the pool with beers until the sun was completely set. It was so cozy. Then He grilled a Bobby Flay skirt steak recipe that would curl your toes it was so delish. This morning we went for pancakes at Kerby Lane, a family fav, and they are on their way home. Sounds like we just ate the whole time. There was other stuff mostly just playing with baby. I got all inspired and today, I AM going to finish up one room worth of curtains. I will. When they're wrapped I post a pick.

Thanks for looking.

be well,

---mel

She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design