Beginning: Approximately 2 decades ago

This is where my journey into the photography field began.

I was working as a nanny in Japan taking care of 3 girls under the age of 5 and part of my job was to take them out on long walks so the mom could focus on her work.

Get the image here though: we are not in the midst of a chaotic Tokyo. We are in a quiet-filled village surrounded by mysterious and breathtaking rolling hills of the Okayama prefecture. It is 80% humidity and 80 degrees in October. I am pushing a stroller with two tots while carrying a 9 month old baby in my arm; on my back 2 cameras (both film as digital was not in fashion yet) and snacks with sippy cups for the girls. Life felt truly simple back then…  

What filled half of my day was a “long hikeee”-  usually 2-3 miles which would take us quite a few hours up and down the hills. The girls and I would stroll through the village and visit friendly strangers that would always welcome us with water, juice, and a cut up fruit (like kiwi and persimmons) from their gardens nearby.

As I go back to these memories today, I truly wish I had taken 100 times more pictures - of the girls, the villagers, and the landscapes. There was a sense of innocence and a purity of the essence I was looking for  that surrounded the experience of taking pictures and working with strangers I probably will never have the luck to cross my path with again. There was also no business aspect intertwined yet- making photography simple.

As the quote from one of the books on my desk says - we always regret the images never taken!  My heart does ache for not having any images of all the rice fields we passed and the picturesque formations we were surrounded by that I never explored visually enough to capture. In my defense though, it is people (especially the little ones) that I felt most drawn to focus on.

Kids portraiture is still one of those fun, lighthearted projects to me and working with little people is like starting that journey from 2 decades ago over and over again…

Beginning: 2005

There was a phase, back sometime around 2007 when I worked with at least a dozen young individuals (high school seniors). They took the pre-photo project “homework” seriously enough that I remember thinking to myself while looking through their notes, “this is some deep, mature thinking and some really great work!”

Working with young individuals back then was and is today an amazing experience as everyone seems to be eager to share their story at that age. The camera is ready to capture the most essential aspect of it- resulting in sophisticated material just like my subjects were and are today. 

Environmental portraiture is a term used to describe a genre of photography.  It’s a portrait of a subject that is executed in their typical environment such as workplace or home. It illuminates their lifestyle and surroundings.

Whether it’s for self-promotion or to document the evolving journey of a professional or creative person- simple or complex, short or long- these projects are as much an experience for me as the client I work with. And considering the amount (and the quality) of time and effort that precedes the actual shooting time, the results often surpass the expectation. The final results can be eye-opening for the subject. Clients seem to walk away with a much stronger sense of self and the objective is achieved for the main purpose of these particular photo projects. 

Beginning: 2004

Back in 2009, a friend of mine brought to my attention a case of plagiarism. A “photographer” had taken his subjects to the exact same location as mine 3-4 years earlier. He positioned them in the exact same “poses” and went as far as taking my internet domain name with a different extension. Seeing all that made me disappointed to say the least.  It is unfortunate as his clients had no business being in the locations and settings that “belonged” to my clients and came about naturally as a result of several photo shoots and the entire creative process.

There is a very particular protocol my engaged (or married) couples go through. No, the projects are not “point and shoot 1 hours appointments.” Nor are the images “perfect” blown up portraits that came about in just 5 minutes.

The client gets exactly what they invest into it as it is a collaborative effort for couples that really want the experience, images, and all they may learn from it prior to their wedding photography. 

All I can say is that it is hard work but the results are always worth the effort. As some wise person said, “All efforts of excellence are difficult!”

I got a request from a friend in Breckenridge, Colorado (Ski Lynx Lodge to be exact) to do a series of images featuring her property as a high end rental. One of the wide angle twilight images were used for an advertisement which was inspiring. Unfortunately, my fascination with architectural photography lasted maybe 1 hour. 

The life energy, the inspiration, the exploration, and the wonder wasn’t and isn’t there for me.

What I love about Interiors though is that it’s easy on the eye. Relaxing. Healing. This photography can be found in thoughtfully decorated homes. While I find a lot of artwork out there complex, provocative, and interesting, I also know that the home environment is a harbor and a place of mind-soothing space. Too much stimulating artwork displayed in our everyday surroundings is simply energy draining and eventually exhausting because it is visually heavy.

This venture started recently, probably 4 years ago. It’s a way to balance the “people and places” projects. It helps me stay creative without working on too many projects of the same kind.

To complete my vision for finished custom artwork for Interiors, an artist-woodworker (my father-in-law) offered to help in making and educating me slowly in how to build frames. Each frame is handcrafted out of rich mahogany and each finished piece is a custom work of art.

Environmental portraiture is a term used to describe a genre of photography.  It’s a portrait of a subject that is executed in their typical environment such as workplace or home. It illuminates their lifestyle and surroundings.

Whether it’s for self-promotion or to document the evolving journey of a professional or creative person- simple or complex, short or long- these projects are as much an experience for me as the client I work with. And considering the amount (and the quality) of time and effort that precedes the actual shooting time, the results often surpass the expectation. The final results can be eye-opening for the subject. Clients seem to walk away with a much stronger sense of self and the objective is achieved for the main purpose of these particular photo projects. 

Took place in March 2008

If you are a creative person, you won’t have an issue understanding what “starving for a new project” means. You are exhausted and want to sleep but cannot and no amount of magnesium or melatonin can fix that. You want to go and do and engage with your craft. Now. Not tomorrow!

So… a client of mine was flying for Easter out of Michigan and I asked her if would be ok to continue the project we started a few months prior. We were both excited so I drove 18 hours to the small town in Louisiana she was from and she was there in 2 hours. I learned one thing- Louisiana is far from Detroit by car!

Tallulah, and Louisiana in general, was a very different world to me from everything I had experienced prior to this trip. And thanks to the generosity of one of my client’s relatives, I was able to see New Orleans grounds 8 months after hurricane Katrina.

I have to admit, just like any project requires prolonged contemplation and executive planning prior to taking the camera out of the case, this was more along the line of point and shoot to document. I did not want to  regret later “the images not taken” when the opportunity was there.

Took place in January 2013: 

So my husband Vince and I got fixer-upper home and in the midsts of gutting this “thing” out I got a phone call from Brother Ray. He told me how he would be happy to talk about the details of the photo project I approached him with few weeks earlier…

I wiped the paint off my elbows, arms and fingers, cleaned up and with the attitude “I love the construction but I would rather be working on a project”- there I was driving to our meeting, all exhilarated!

I am absolutely fascinated by the process of working a photography project with people. Each one in the beginning is really hard to crack. I need to let it unfold as it should be rather than how I would like it to be. The end objective can’t be demanded or forced and placed in a frame whether it is working with a client or a story line. It all has to come together somewhat naturally while being receptive to how the pieces unfold whilst being coached, guided, or stimulated. It’s like looking at a tree and seeing its outer and obvious beauty and wanting to see more of its complex roots because there is so much more to it! It is a very gentle process of building up a project, any one of them… 

This particular project took place in a Detroit bakery and was about the collaborative effort of the community and people of the bakery- both volunteers and the participants of the ROPE outreach. The project took several months to complete between gathering the information, shooting and editing, printing and framing. But what overshadows the effort was working with really interesting folks. Oh, and the cookies! Can not forget the cookies!  And they make the best Kalamata olive bread! All the bakers know and practice their craft from sunrise to sundown with a great diligence and heart!

Took place throughout 2007-2008

Downtown Plymouth / Fall Festival / Downtown Development Authority Project

Back to being creatively hungry and back to the time when I had my little Forest Avenue studio in Plymouth (when I was in Plymouth 24/7) it opened up a chance to experience all of the summer and fall events- the area, its people, and the changing seasons almost everyday.

I miss being in Plymouth, maybe partially because a lot of photography and creative memories started and happened there.