Some gals dream of diamonds...

The snow was melting today, bringing the first days of "mud season" in the driveway, and though that might sound like a negative thing, it heralds the upcoming change in seasons to Spring! It made me want to immediately look for a spring-like image to post, but this was a really busy day, following a week of the same. First opportunity, I started casting about in my files for something that is symbolic of my favorite seasons... (the warm ones!).... and I found this one.

This guy was my friend one afternoon late last summer, as I was wandering my gardens. I really do enjoy the simple things. I love using free time to go slow, to see and enjoy the small & fascinating details found in a pond & garden, from the overall beauty of my surroundings, to the veins in an individual petal or leaf, the sleek gold scales of my goldfish. I'm also in awe of these ugly and dangerous looking creatures, the dragonflies, which, I think I've read somewhere, haven't changed since the dinosaurs. Huge goggle eyes, fuzzy torso, insectile bristley legs, pincher-looking tail end, it is no wonder so many people are afraid of them. But the COLORS they come in, and the complexity of dealing with six legs and four wings, and how they use them for precise movement, to pivot mid-air to catch those pesky mosquitos (for which I am very grateful!). And the way their wings lower, as if powering down when they land... you can almost hear an engine shutting off! I, for one, love sharing my space with them, and, am much happier to wear them as jewels than the real thing! This one was not anywhere near the prettiest I've seen, but he or she sure was friendly!

Though I know it's much too early yet, just seeing this picture reminds me of the feeling of peace and happiness I felt the day it was taken and makes me anxious to begin looking beyond the snow for new growth in the gardens. What do you like to do when you can take a break from work?

Hey, are you paying attention?

So, tonight I began a big job for a local Veterinarian Hospital, Animal Hospital of Nashua, and here's one of the participants in a Puppy Training Class. In fact, it was graduation night! This pose reminded me so much of human graduations, where the kids are looking around at everything and everyone BUT the stage where the speeches are being made. As a dog lover, it was hard not to fall in love with every single pup there tonight!

For the next two days I will be at this client, photographing their services and staff interacting with clients, all sorts of technology and treatments. It'll be challenging but very gratifying!

Isn't that the way life is in general? We hear that anything worth having is worth working for. We face our challenges and fears, and sometimes we come out triumphant, and sometimes we find out that what we were striving for was not what we really wanted after all. But if we are open to new ideas and experiences, and paying attention, sometimes life hands us something great and surprising.

My Studio is taking a new and fun direction with the addition of the StoryBook Portraits. We are rolling out the different portraits a bit at a time and at the end of this month, we are having a Princess Palooza! Become a Fan at www.facebook.com/bstpierrestudiofanpage, and get the details! I'll give you a hint... princesses, gowns, hair and make-up pampering, really, really good price... find out how to get in on this great deal at our Fan Page!

Who hasn't thought kissing a frog would work?

OMG!, right?! Here it is, our first Princess! If you could see me, you'd know I am positively beside myself with excitement!

I am having a ball with these StoryBook Sessions. I know you've heard me say this before, but I just can't express enough how happy these make me! They're making others happy too, if the comments on FaceBook and everywhere else are to be believed, so that makes me even more ecstatic!

You know, I've been a photographer 25 years now, and the last .... ummmm.... 10 years I guess, I've really been enjoying the results of my efforts. What I mean to say is, though my clients were pleased with what I provided for them up to that point and it was good... don't get me wrong, I was still reaching for more. Then, suddenly the continuing education, people that came into my life, the new location in Merrimack, the ongoing creative process... everything fell into place. I found a way to create and provide more backgrounds, and believable backgrounds at that, my sets came together, my lighting clicked into place for the way I see it in my head and like to see it in the final portrait... it's been a great journey. And now, add to that these sessions where we joyously celebrate childhood, the stories, the fantasies, the make-believe play that all us adults are too grown up to participate in anymore (too bad, huh?), and I'm simply exploding with energy and enthusiasm!

Your responses to my work are what feed my quest for more, more, more... so keep on letting me know what you think! I'm also eager to hear your suggestions and ideas too!

Every day differs

Isn't this image beautiful? It's got the "awwww" factor for me! This has been a very active couple of weeks in preparing to launch StoryBook Sessions, and I've been showing you work from these sessions, but in between, there's been a lot of other things happening here too! Every day is a little different for me, and that's the way I like it! For example, last Wednesday, I photographed all day long for Animal Hospital of Nashua.... 15 Veterinarians, and each brought at least one pet... some brought 3-4! Yikes! It actually went quite well and I'll be sharing some of those pics soon. These people are wonderful and if you've got a pet, even exotics, you should consider their services. They have equipment there that you'd usually have to drive to Boston for if your pet needed it. I've got a big project coming up with them in preparing their image library for their marketing materials for 2010 and am looking forward to working with them on that in just a couple weeks.

We're also in the planning stage for an interior expansion so that I can more easily store some of my studio set elements. It's getting kind of tight in the photography room right now! It doesn't help that we've recently added a set stage, the dock, some mobile walls and prop critters, without having a plan for where I'm going to store them! Oops. Small detail, to soon be resolved.

So today is absolutely GORGEOUS outside... the snow still heavy in the trees, touched by the sun and bright against the dark pine & blue, blue sky, and the temperature is a comfortable 40 degrees. It's one of those post snow storm days where you actually like winter! I should be out there photographing for fun! I think I will do that! I hope you find a moment to get out there before the sun sets, and enjoy it too!

Make-believe is good for the soul

Recently, there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti, there are the ever present atrocities perpetrated on human beings worldwide, hunger, sickness, endless schemes to steal your identity and your money, and to top it off, us New Englanders being bombarded with nasty Massachusetts Political Ads. Is it my intent to depress you? No! Just making my point that Make-Believe is good for the soul! Here is another image in my new series of StoryBook portraits. Children KNOW how to play. I'm finding that I give them the environment, get all my technical stuff squared away and ready to go before they step on the set, offer a suggestion of a story, and they take it from there! Isn't this a great background too? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! And about that other stuff? The overwhelming big bad of the world? My method of coping is to do good things to help the people I can, and know that every one person makes a difference, then find something positive to concentrate on for good mental health .... hey, how about some Make-Believe???!!?

Meeting some New Year's Resolutions!

I can't believe how long it's been already since I've blogged! I thought that during the planned "down time" following my early December surgery I'd be looking for things to do, but I had so many great friends stopping by and staying to keep me company, and so much to do (including reading a few books and Stephen King's newest 1972 pg novel, The Dome), that many of my tasks on the to-do list stayed right there. One thing I have done though, is made and kept (to date anyway) my New Year's Resolutions!
I resolved to lose weight, and started my diet with surgery, which made perfect sense since I wouldn't be allowed to eat for one day and then on liquids for another... what better kick-start to a diet?! Since Dec. 7th, I've lost about 10 pounds! I've got a few more to go, ok, a few more than a few...and 'nuff said about that, except that I'm keeping this resolution! I miss my thin & fit days. (smiling)
Another resolution was to add StoryBook Portraits to my Studio Plan, and here you see one of the "Enchanted" series... the fairies! New sets have been created, new background slides to pull it all together and, I've begun photographing! What FUN these portraits are! Make-believe and the long sunny days, story pages full of happy carefree moments, fantasy & princess stories, puppies and baby chicks... a magical time, and we're making magic in B. St.Pierre Studio! It's a goal realized, a creative outlet, and I'm a very happy photographer!

Traditions & Memories

Looking up at the Angel at the top of my Christmas Tree today, I was reminded of doing the same as a child... a different angel and a different tree, but the feeling was the same, one of hope & expectation. I remember looking upon her simple and beautiful face and feeling that she was watching over us as Christmas Day approached and that her goodness was what we should be striving for. As of today, we are 13 days from Christmas Day, stringing our lights outside, putting out the annual decorations, placing that angel to top our tree. Each year, though we might add a little something to the holiday decoration collection, Dan and I follow the traditions we began when we married, 26 years ago, bringing together some from his childhood home and some from mine, and making new ones together. This year, Dan is doing most of the work as I recover (very nicely) from surgery earlier this week, but we'd discussed what we'd do regarding decorating, and agreed it was important in spite of a bit more inconvenience than usual to haul all the stuff out of storage and put it out. I'm glad we decided that, and that he's willing to shoulder the load! The act of transforming our home into a sparkling and playful place, especially with no children to make holiday wish demands, makes the Season real for us, brings back our own childhood memories, and makes us pause to consider what the holidays mean for all... no matter what religion or beliefs. Good will towards men. We could use a little more of that year 'round!

I actually held off from buying my own angel, opting to use a star, until I found one that said something special to me. I don't know why she's more "right" to me than others I considered over the years, but it took about 15 years to find the one that I wanted to become my traditional tree topper! What traditions and "symbols" spell the holiday celebration to you?