The Gift

Back in my grueling-but-fun advertising agency days the tide of work would ebb and flow drastically. Sometimes we'd work 80 hour weeks, travel extensively, chase deadlines and produce mountains of work. Other times we had what we labeled 'the gift'. These were spells of time that would last a week, maybe two or three, where work was ongoing but seemed like breaks or 'gifts' of time made so much sweeter having just come through the grind. We would take long lunches, re-acquaint with our spouses, do stuff around our homes and still produce at work, but we could just kind of... coast.

January, for many, is a gift. Only three days in and I am a happy camper. In November and December, we shot tens of thousands of images. I photographed several beautiful wintry weddings (one was in Jamaica...oooh), three editorial assignments for Virginia Living and countless portrait sessions. Holiday orders and appointments for bookings next year filled the spare moments. The desktop digital Mount Everest was largely conquered by my awesome assistant Jamie while I was out shooting and adding to the pile. I loved it, thrived on it, and now, the gift! Yahoooo!

SO this month will be about catching up. Work continues, but in addition I will enjoy family, home, exercise, and a fun trip to L.A. with the girls. More on that later.

Following are a few pieces in the latest and greatest Jan/Feb 2008 Virginia Living magazine. Cary and Pierce's wedding was fun and gorgeous, and it was such a treat to work with them. The food was delicious, and I am now a fruitcake convert. That creation was divine!!! But I confess, I was a wee bit surprised to find the chili was deer (ok, venison) meat when I read the actual article loooong after eating it for dinner that night.... which explained the slightly different texture.

Oops...

OK, a mass apology is due to everyone I have ever e-mailed. Ever. I was trying to be organized and efficient and did an 'auto-reply' message that I'd be out of town and holy moly...it went into action and sent it to everyone I have ever known. Luckily my buddy in Vancouver called and said " Hey, how are you?? Uh...please stop the madness...turn your computer off...I just got 18 emails from you and they keep coming". Sorry. Please ignore. But I have made contact with some old friends due to the error... that's a plus.

Following are a few Virginia Living items from this issue. One is a beautiful wedding I did with an adorable couple, Macon and Cole. They were so happy and easy-going, and didn't seem to notice it was 104 degrees outside.

The other spread is a piece we shot for Christmas, which was so odd to do when it was still warm and all, but we definitely got in the holiday spirit. Nothing like a roaring fire in the middle of September! The homeowners were so fun to work with and made it very easy, and the stylists were GREAT as always.

I am working on some really cool projects now (oh, the logistics...) and will post soon...

Hot Oils

Late in August Tyler called and asked if I could shoot some infused oils for the Sept/Oct issue of Virginia Living. I confessed I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded interesting. We decided to do it at my fancy studio (my house) so the talented chef, J Paul, could prep and sautee and infuse his heart out. It was so cool to see my kitchen being used... the way it was meant to be used. Fresh herbs and ingredients all over the counters, halibut, scallops, sea bass filling the fridge. The food was very, very good. It almost made me want to cook.

We liked the indirect, diffused light in my backyard so we carried my kitchen table outside, set up the scenes, and one by one shot the meals as they were prepared. However, it was the hottest day of the summer. I had to leave my equipment outside as the humidity from in to out would condense on each layer of glass in my camera, and we'd have to wait for it to clear otherwise. As I was shooting, the oils would start to 'melt' and become watery, so it was even trickier than shooting the ice cream on a hot day. And then there was standing on a ladder, shooting down at the spices while trying not to drip sweat on them. It was SO hot. But we got the shot!

The Cover

Somewhere along the way, on this wild photography ride, I became adept at shooting food. Go figure. It's a very learnable talent (as proven in my case) but I think you can begin to excel if you love it, like I love food. So many foods are really pretty if you think about it, with unusual shapes and textures. Eggs are timeless perfection. Fruit is colorful and gorgeous. A great dessert is like fine art.

My friend and food photo mentor said "if you are taking a photograph of a delicious pie, make sure your image captures the pie-ness of it." I laughed out loud when he said it, but it's so dern true! You just try to capture what it is that makes it so delicious-looking. A killer lens or two helps. For those of you who know me and are snickering, I re-admit that I don't actually enjoy making food. The irony is classic.

I am writing this because of ALL the things I photograph and love to shoot, my food photography is what has earned me the coveted spot on the cover of Virginia Living. I could go on and on about how much this means to me. How I still have the e-mail I sent to the Editor 5 years ago asking if they'd be interested in looking at my work. Their response that it was not really what they were looking for (it was all kids' portraits and not all that great). No guts, no glory, right?

Bottom line, I have had a crush on that magazine ever since I first laid my hands on its super-sized, color-laden glossy pages. And it's positively mind-blowing that this opportunity has arrived. You'd have thought I won the lottery if you were anywhere near me when I got the call.

The yummy ice creams and sorbets were made by the amazing J Frank. Tyler and I co-styled the shoot, largely with bowls and linens from my favorite store, Anthropologie. My sweet friend Ivy let us shoot it at her farm and use her family (see earlier post 'A Day at the Farm' which is when I got the location idea) and ALL the kids had a blast, especially during the unscripted egg toss. Even the grown up ones! (p.s. brown egg shells are stronger than white ones and will often not crack even when chucked like a football 30+ yards...just sayin').

So here it is. My first cover of Virginia Living. Can you believe it?? Now go buy it!! (on newstands July 10ish) and get a subscription too! I shot another article in there about quirky-wonderful Colonial Beach, VA. I'll post those soon.


Here is the actual article. If one of the kids looks kind of familiar...well...what can I say....;-)

Jamaica

(click on images to view larger)

If someone had told me 10 years ago I'd have a photo assignment in the Carribbean, at one of the most luxurious locations in Jamaica, I would have asked them what they were smokin'.

In March I was asked (no giggling, please) to spend several days capturing beautiful Bluefields Bay. Along the bay are 5 villas, owned by a family in Alexandria, VA, which are rented out much of the year. These are fantastic houses, and their best features aside from their cliffside perches, open air architecture, gorgeous beaches, infinity pools and freezing cold Red Stripe Lights (I swear, Red Stripe Light!) were the amazing staff who magically reappeared when you even thought you might want something.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the owner, Debra. She showed us around, our eyes big as saucers, astounded by our good fortune. She returned us to our rooms, where our clothes had been carefully unpacked and hung, suitcases stored. Yep. Great start. And the laundry was scooped away each night and rediscovered in the closets the next morning clean and pressed. A tired mother's dream! Huge canopied antique beds, large doors that swung completely open to let in the sea air while you slept. And a view to die for.

Every meal was cooked with fresh ingredients and served on china and silver, on beautiful antique linens. Lobster, fish, mango sorbet, key lime pie. All were deftly served with a smile and drinks were replenished before you could ask.

I know you're thinking, "What a cake job!", and yes, in some ways.... yes. But it is daunting, trying to capture that fourth dimension of amazingness, where the smells, the views, the textures, the lightness of being and being pampered, are all relayed in a two dimensional photograph.

But I'm not getting any sympathy here, am I.