Don’t forget to check out all the excitement this Saturday night!  

I have to brag a little.  I have a famous sister and she is a model, actress & belly dance in Cairo, Egypt.  Her name is Carolyn Hamilton but her stage name is Leila and she is absolutely gorgeous.  She has been modeling for as long as I can remember and has traveled all over the world.  When I visited her in Cairo a couple years ago, her face was everywhere; on bill boards in the city, in tv commercials, and in a full length movie that aired on tv repeatedly.  People would stop her in the street and ask for her autograph.  I felt like I was hanging out with Nicole Kidman.  My sis will be coming home for a visit next week and we are lucky to have her here for our fashion show coming up on Aug 21^st. She’s agreed to do the choreography for the show and teach the models how to strut down the cat walk.  I’m very excited for our show and also thrilled to have my sister home for a visit.

In Egypt, Carolyn employs an orchestra that writes original music for her shows.  Last spring, she asked me to photograph her most recent CD cover titled Helwa, meaning sweets in Arabic.  We did the photography in studio and came up with the idea of surrounding her in candy.  She wanted a vintage or 50’s feel for the finished album and this is what we came up with.  Here’s a link to her website www.leilainegypt.com

Jessica Hanna, a local Ellensburg girl and owner of Hanna Marchel, www.hannamarchel.com just signed with TCM modeling agency www.tcmmodels.com in Seattle and needed a test shoot for her comp cards.   Jessica’s previous modeling experience made her fluid behind my camera and we were able to get some beautiful images of her. I really enjoyed working with Jessica because she was game to try anything and was completely outgoing.  We worked in her salon for the first 3 outfits using the available ambient light and a couple daylight balanced halogen lights that Jessica had. I wanted a wind blown look for drama and the regular fan wasn’t strong enough so we brought in the leaf blower and it worked great!  We then headed to the local bowling alley and the owner there was nice enough to let us use several lanes and gave us a pair of official bowling shoes.  We had to make a run to Fred Myers for the argyle socks, which were a must to complete the outfit!  I used my little power pack and drug the shuttle to capture the ambient background light.  Jessica came across as very young and playful in these images.  We then headed outdoors for that “ All American Girl” look.  Jessica was very animated and I was able to capture some great movement and fun.  Over all, I’m very pleased with the images and the emotions that I captured.  I hope TCM is too.

What to wear

Start with your personal style.  It’s important that you feel comfortable and confident in the outfits you’ll be photographed in and that they flatter your body type.  As you plan your outfits, try to bring a variety of necklines, sleeve lengths and color options. Be aware that sleeveless or strappy tank tops and dresses can increase the appearance of the size of your arm.  If this is a concern for you, then stay with shirts that cover your arm.  Also, bring several tank tops in different colors to go under low cut shirts.  Dress head to toe with each outfit: tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, shoes, and proper undergarments.  Girls, make sure you bring the appropriate bra for the shirt or dress you will be wearing.  This is often forgotten.  Boys, please bring a solid white tee shirt to wear under shirts.  Also, wrinkles will show in a photo, so make sure your bring your clothes on hangers to the session.  When in doubt, bring extra clothes and we can assist you in selecting the most flattering and greatest variety of outfits.

Accessories

Accessories are BIG this year and they can really liven up an outfit.  Think big necklaces, earrings, fashion rings, hair pieces and belts.  Add a scarf or hat to an outfit and get a whole new look.  Bring several pairs of shoes from sandals to pumps.

Makeup

Eyes- Well groomed eyebrows are a must.  Enhance eyelashes with black mascara. If your mascara is old and clumpy, make sure you replace it before your photo session.  Dark brown eyeliner is a natural alternative to heavy black eyeliner.

Cheeks- Add a little blush on the top of your cheekbone.  It will add dimension and color to your face.  Avoid makeup with “sparkles” in it.  When you move it creates a nice shimmer, but in a photo it can create a white spot that almost looks like a zit.

Face-  Avoid makeup with an SPF in it.  Although it is good for your skin, the SPF tends to create a shine.  Apply a base coat of foundation that matches your skin color and use a translucent powder that will help control shine.  Go a little heavier with your base coat for your session than you would for everyday.

Lips- Go for gloss that will add a little bit of color to your lips and keep them from looking dry or chapped. Guys make sure you bring some chap stick with you.

Please bring your makeup with you when you come to your session.  It’s nice to have access to makeup that compliments your skin color if we need to reapply.  Even if you are someone that does not wear a lot of makeup in your daily life, it’s a good idea for your session to wear a base coat to even out your skin tone, cover up blemishes and control shine.  Also a small amount of eye, cheek and lip color will enhance your features.

Sunburn/ Tanning

Avoid over-tanning and sunburns before your session.  Being over-tanned for your skin type can add weight to your face and arms.  Tan lines are very hard to fix in photoshop so avoid getting them before your session or wear clothes that will cover them up.  Also, if you spray tan or use tanning lotion, be careful that the tan is even (no streaks) on your hand and feet.

Nail Care

Your finger and toenails most likely will show in your pictures.  It is not necessary to get a manicure but remember to remove old, chipped nail polish from your nails before your session and apply a new coat either in color or clear.

Favorite Things

Try bringing a few of your ‘favorite things’ to your session with you.  It can be a cool way to show your personality and what you love doing.  These images can be really fun and are perfect to include in an album.    (sports, pets, instruments, books, cell phones, ipod, laptop, starbucks, car, dirt bike- are a few examples that other seniors have included in their session.

Don’t Forget

Most importantly, make sure you get enough sleep the night before your session and come ready to have a great time!!!

For my model shoots in the spring we pull clothes from one of my favorite clothing stores on the eastside of the mountains called Flirt.  This is a must visit store for anyone coming through Ellensburg. When you walk into Flirt you feel like you’ve just stepped into a boutique in downtown Seattle.  The staff is amazingly helpful and friendly and they carry both mens and womens clothing.  The owner Mia,is opening another store in Pullman in Aug and she used some of my models on banners promoting the new store.  These banners are six feet tall by two feet wide and are hanging in the windows right on main street of downtown Pullman.  So I want to say congratulations to my several of my Photonuvo models:  Rachel Valencia, Valarie Wilson, Rachele Hanses, Jaclyn Griggs, Kelsey Chase.  Mia will also be hanging several banners in Ellensburg and she asked for images of Riley Zollars, Colton Wilkins, Autumn Turcott, Mizan Brown and again Jaclyn Griggs.  So congratulations models!  I’m so excited for all of you.  Here are a few images taken of the windows at the new store in Pullman.  The images are a little hard to see with the sun reflection on the window so I’m also posting the original images.

I posted some pictures earlier this month of Abigail who attends Ellensburg High School to brag about her amazing 5th place in state for tennis.  I feel very fortunate she is also one of my models!  I wanted to follow up with some images that she chose for her senior pictures.

I’m always looking to learn new techniques that will keep my photography fresh and give my clients something new and different. I just had the privilege of photographing Riley from Ellensburg.  He is one of my models so I happen to know that he is a musician.  I wanted to create a scene in studio that was edgy and cool with his electric guitar. He also brought along his acoustic and wanted to do something more organic feeling, so we headed outside to the train tracks.  It was midday and the sun was hot so I used my light unit and soft box and we were able to get some creative images in full sun.  He also wanted to get a few shots of his car which happens to be a very big Lincoln Continental.  It was in great shape and looked like the ultimate fun mobile for a high schooler!  We finished his session at the park with some more traditional senior pics.  Here is a sneak peak of a few of my favorite images from his session.  

I’d like to share some images that I took of Autumn from East Valley High School.  Autumn was super fun to photograph and work with.  She had great ideas and knew just what she wanted.  She came prepared with beautiful hair and makeup styled by her friend Megan Whiley.  Way to go Megan!  And Autumn and her mom Dani carefully planned her outfits to match each location that we had talked about before hand.  Autumn had a little surprise during her session.  I was photographing her at the park in some tall grass and I was directing her to walk over to a fence when she suddenly started leaping and screaming.  Once we got her calmed down she was able to spit out the word SNAKE.  To my surprise it was one of the biggest bull snakes that I’ve seen in this area.  It was about 2 feet long and about 1.5 inches thick.  I think she scared it as much as it scared her!  I have to hand it to Autumn, she went back into the grass and we were able to finish some last shots before moving on!  I want to share some of my new products that I’m offering this year that Dani and Autumn ordered.  I’ve designed these myself and I have many templates to choose from.  I love how modern they are and Dani had a great idea of using two of the Style Boards on either side of a larger 20×30 metal print.  I can’t wait to get it back from the lab I’m so excited to see them all together in a collection.  Thanks Autumn, Dani and Megan for such a fun afternoon!

My June has been full of senior photos, family pics and a several annual photography events.  One of my favorite annual events that I photograph every June is Girls State and it is located at our very own Central Washington University.  Girls State is an Americanism and government training program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.  It is a nationwide program for girls who have just completed their junior year of high school. This program allows girls the opportunity to live together as self-governing citizens and informs them about the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship.  Through participation, delegates may better understand the functioning of their government and the responsibilities they will assume when they become adults.  Each year, two of the girls from this program will be elected United States Senators representing Evergreen Girls State at Girls Nation in Washington D.C. in July.  It’s all very exciting!  You can go here Girls State to find out more about this great program.  My job is to photograph the each “city” or group of girls at the program.  All the girls are so excited to be there and they are really fun to work with.  In the last couple years, I’ve incorporated some silly shots of each group that everyone seems to enjoy.  I’d like to share a few of the silly photos.

I’m lucky to have Abigail as one of my photonuvo models.  I got to spend a couple hours with her this past Saturday when I photographed her senior pictures.  I found out that this petite, sweet, beautiful little thing is a serious power house on the tennis court.  She took 5th in State this year and she is only a Jr.  So I want to say congratulations to Abigail!  What an amazing accomplishment.  I really wanted to get some fun shot of Abigail in her tennis attire out on the tennis court.  This was somewhat challenging at noon on a sunny day but I love what I got and wanted to share a few.