Beyond Portraits - Family Camp 2015

Every August, up in the mountains of Colorado, at a world-renowned Buddhist meditation retreat center, families from all over the world meet to celebrate the challenges, preciousness, and truths of parenting.

Throughout a week, the retreat (which welcomes people of all religions) unfolds from a huge white tent full of strangers being told how to survive the mountain's quirks, to a society of friends and their children, and their children's friends, sharing meals and walks and dance. In the mornings, the children gather and the adults engage in some form of contemplative practice. The afternoons are filled with family activities, where Unfettered time is encouraged as well. In the evenings, and after a much-longed for, kid-friendly dinner, there is music, celebrations, and merriment to be had by all, including a talent show for children and adults alike. The whole week ends with a Rites of Passage ceremony for children ages 8-12, who have trained all week in the art of compassionate warriorship. And a Banquet, And a Dance Party.

I have been fortunate to participate in this retreat camp for several years, and it has become a family tradition that my children look forward to every year. This year, I was the coordinator of the 180-participants iteration of Family Camp, and this left little time for the portrait taking that I have enjoyed so much in the past. But I did photograph glimpses of the experiences and the participants as I run from lunch to a meeting or mindfully walked from a meeting to my room to cuddle my kids. I want to share something a little different today, while the refreshing light of these individuals is still dancing in my mind and heart.

May there be many more gatherings to come!

Baker the Baker

I am very self conscious about my smile because I feel my teeth are so big. When I see photos of me smiling I think "that is not how I was feeling inside!". I always look up to those people with radiant, perfect smiles who don't even have to try. One time my adviser in grad school took 37 photos of me trying to make me smile for our research group page. He chose a hideous one to post: the only one in which I was smiling.

So, needles to say, if I am thinking about it, I don't smile a lot. Yet, when I am in the presence of this woman, I smile away, laugh out loud, and then remember I am supposed to be staying still and pressing the button. Franchesca Baker is her name. And she posed for me a couple of weeks ago to help me with some posing and make-up tests I have been working on.

Franchesca Baker is a Baker. A mom. Ex military. And a firecracker. Full of energy and wit, she rocked her curves and let me try and pose and click and click again and the images we made together are some of my favorites I have made in a long time. She is confident and beautiful, and I was so fortunate to be able to create some photos of her that show her just like I see her: radiant, powerful, and full of light.

 

Make-up by Katie Smith for Visions
Hair by Robin McIntyre

She: The Inspiration

She is a pop-up gallery that will take place September 18th & 19th in Downtown Laramie. In it, Lightfolly Portraits will feature 10-15 women that inspire and help shape the Laramie community. We are inviting YOU to nominate a woman that you look up to, by sending us her name, age, a photo and one paragraph describing why you want to nominate her (contact@lightfolly.com).

Here is the story of how I found the inspiration for this project:

Protasis: Audrey, marketer at Sweets Cakes & Pastry, reached out to Lightfolly in search of a photographer to make portraits of the staff at this local custom bakery. I had talked to her and the bakery's owner, Jessica Romero, a couple of times before, mostly in a business capacity. After some back and forth communication, we arranged a pre-consultation at their shop. I sat at their out-of-this-world massive work table on a hot afternoon and got to find out more details about how Jessica jumped into this endeavor just 2 years ago when she was just 23 years old, and how Audrey joined as an intern in marketing. My inspiration to photograph the women of downtown businesses had began to take shape.

Epitasis: I welcomed Audrey and Jessica at the studio, thrilled to see that they had brought more than just business attire. Our session was as playful as they are, tulle, plaid, and chef coat included. It was the first session where Lightfolly got to use props: a whisk, a fake cake and a rolling pin made it in and out of frames, sometimes intentionally and other by mere accident. I was pleased with them as clients, happy with the images we made, and excited to have made new friends. My inspiration grew beyond the Laramie Downtown businesses owners; these women are what Laramie is about: driven, fun, loving their community. And they had welcomed me in it.

Catastrophe: Contrary to the hideous literary name given to "ends", there was nothing catastrophic about wrapping up this experience with Audrey and Jessica. On the contrary; it was the beginning of many more things. We had a Premiere at the bakery and they chose their favorites for their personal branding. I was delighted to see their beautiful selves on the "about" page of the bakery's website. Jessica baked the treats at my children's birthday party. Audrey is working as a marketing consultant for Lightfolly. I want to celebrate women that, like these, are such a vital part of this city's heart.

 

Hair and Make up: Katie Smith for Visions

Fifty/fifty - Part III

Finally, after Part I where I described the 50/50 exchange I had last April with a Colorado Springs fellow photographer, and Part II where I shared with you the photos I took of Katherine, you get to see the ISSUU magazine she created for me. If you know me, prepare to be blown away (click to read!):

I am in awe of her work and oh so happy with the final result. Not just the learning and the feedback and the exchange this experiment represented for us. But also the photos we made while we carried it through. And I can only hope that this experience and these keepsakes is what I can offer to every single one of my clients. It is my wish that I can help them find the courage to exist in photos, the joy of unveiling themselves, the strength to look back into their own eyes and know how powerful they truly are.

Fifty/fifty - Part II

Last week I posted Part I of a series describing a photography exchange I had the privilege to take part in. It was mostly aimed at portrait photographers in search of feedback. I gave you a small sneak peek of a photo I took of my fellow college Katherine, and promised more. More there is.

This post is for you. The tender woman who thinks she doesn't look good in photos. The hurricane who loves who she is and shines in everything she does. The mother who was born into a new body with her children. The dancer with aching feet and passionate soul. The baker who treasures one more cupcake more than a starving figure. The cancer survivor. The fit athlete. The curvy goddess. The white-hair lover. The powerful warrior who brandishes the banner of the female for the benefit of all humanity.

These are my favorite photos I took of her. These are the photos I want her to cherish and frame and proudly display. These are the photos I want her to look at five or ten years down the line and say "This was me, then. And I love it". Because all of those things is what the pictures she took of me represent to me. She captured my soul, my uneven eyes, my tension and my love for my newly-found body... but you'll have to wait for Part III to see those!

Fifty/fifty - Part I

If you are a photographer or a small business owner offering a service, this post is for you. If you are just here for the eye candy, go ahead and sneak peek the photo of Katherine below. You may want to wait for part two of this series for the whole gallery.

Katherine is a photographer in Colorado Springs. We both dove in the world of contemporary women portraits at around the same time, and have similar business models. We met in a photographer's gathering last April in Denver, and I instantly knew we were going to foster a friendship. We have more in common than just our businesses, both having young children, husbands who struggle to understand our passion for art (having always known us as scientists), and perseverance to succeed at what we do. We decided that the next step for us was to have an exchange (known as "a 50/50"), where we would both "play" being the other person's client. That way not only we could each see how the other photographer works, but also we could get feedback on our process from a professional who knows the inside of it all.

This past Thursday I drove over three hours to Colorado Springs, where the exchange took place. Due to the nature of Katherine's "day job", she wasn't able to come to Laramie to be photographed in my studio, so we arranged a whole day of shooting at her AMAZING space. I recommend this to anybody feeling stuck. I would say we have just passed the half way mark of the process, and so far it has been an intense journey: a long list of things to improve but also a longer list of things we've learned. About our process and the other person's. We had a speedy lunch were we bonded in a hurry and ended up feeling like we needed a whole other day to decompress, connect, and have a much deserved glass of wine.

I will write more about the details in Part II. In the meantime, here is an image of Katherine I took in a stunning red dress; a present from her husband. She hasn't had a chance to wear it out yet, but when she rediscovers her curves after seeing these images of herself, I am sure she will find an opportunity to slip it on and go on a hot date with her man.

Every Day is Mother's Day

As cliche as that sounds, it is true. Being a mother is a job in which you can't call in sick; one in which you think you are your own boss although in the beginning years the boss is actually your child; one with a payment that is invaluable, useless, and invisible.

If the world was a perfect place, for Mother's Day (that one day a year when mothers' year-round job is officially recognized) would be celebrated as follows:

1) Everybody in the world would spend the day with their mothers
2) The present they each would offer would be a celebration with mama's favorite things (of course, those that can be shared)
3) There would be no blenders involved but also no shoes: those are the perfect gifts for Chef's Day and Feet Women's Day
4) Bonds that may have stretched would be mended, faults would be acknowledged, love would be shared and spread
5) A memento of the day would be created to remember one more year of selflessness and gratitude

Somebody recently pointed out that this is quite far from many people's experience of this day. So I say:

1) If your mom is not with you, embrace a mom whose children may not be there
2) If your children are not with you, be a mom to somebody who needs one
3) If you and your mom are distanced, reach out
4) If you and your child are distanced, reach out even further
5) If you don't know who your mom is, celebrate with the closest motherly figure you've had in your life.

And if you do this everyday, and not only next Sunday, the world will slowly be a little closer to a perfect place.

I am mom

I never thought I would be a mother. As a teenager, kids were to me annoying and spoiled and snotty. That goes to show the kind of children I was exposed to. So mother's day was always about my mother, until I turned 30 and a text-book type of biological clock called me to the barracks. That and a willing partner was all it took to hop on the roller coaster. Once in it, though, the ride was a different story.

I have two children. And I just stopped myself from putting an adjective in front of that word, because calling my kids "amazing", "incredible", or "awesome" doesn't do them justice even when those are all accurate descriptions. My son is going to be 5 next month. He is precise and can focus on and master brain puzzles that most kids his age would just stare at. He likes things to be right and people to be fair. And he loves superheroes. My daughter is going to be 3 in two months. She is a hurricane with physical abilities that provoke jaw dropping reactions on her parents. She is so strong willed that I have no doubt she will not let anybody run her life, ever. She is into imitating her brother and although she lets me dress her in neutral clothes, she loves tulle and purple. My kids drive me crazy and keep me sane, they teach me patience and make me lose it every day, they love me in ways I didn't know existed and forgive me before I even yell at them.

One day, I will not be here. Hopefully my kids will. And I wish to leave behind infinite photos of them, so they can see themselves how I see them. My husband takes photos of the three of us, in which I inevitably look... well, like a mom, like a caretaker who has put more effort into her children than herself. I am saving those images though. I want us to #existinphotos together for when we don't exist in other ways. And starting this year, I am getting our portrait taken every year. I invite you to do the same with your mom. It is the best gift I could receive as a mother myself: to know that my children want to remember us together and want to celebrate the documenting of those moments with me.

Photo by Stella Maris Yobe

Girls Day Out

That time when your best friends from childhood come to town for your yearly reunion, and you want to finally document it properly. Or when you and your bridesmaids want one last outing before you are hitched, but you want a quality, high-end experience. How about finally coordinating a fun day with your sisters and keeping the memory beautifully printed for future generations?

Scheduling a photoshoot with the women in your life is much more than just getting prints to #existinphotos together. Is having a fun, relaxed experience with them and sharing moments that you will treasure for years. And since you'll get pampered and all made-up, go have fun in the town afterwards. Celebrate yourself and the women in your life.

Models: Dominique Giroux, Katie Smith, and Germany Lou

Hair & Make up by Katie Smith for Visions

The Perks of Being an Aunt

November 2013
On the road with my best friend
Chatting about medications, struggles, and motherhood

-Do you know anybody who is happy?- she asked
-My sister- I answered without hesitation

She was. She had a good job, a great partner, a simple view of life. She was not arrogant but was accomplished, she was not vain but was beautiful, she was not perfect but was perfectly happy with her life. She was also not a mother.


January 2015
Argentina (my homeland)
My sister was still accomplished, beautiful, and perfectly happy, and was about to give birth to a baby girl.

I was there. I had the good fortune to be the first non-parent family member to meet my niece when she came, very matter of fact, 2 weeks earlier and through natural birth. And I had the privilege of photographing her on her second week of life.

I present you, Nirvana. The little being that came to show my sister and her man a new perfection and a whole other way to live happily ever after.

(Versión en Español después de las fotos)

 

 

  

  

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Noviembre 2013
En la ruta con mi mejor amiga
Charla sobre medicaciones, luchas y ser madre

-¿Conocés a alguien que sea feliz?- me preguntó
-Mi hermana- le contesté sin dudar

Lo era. Tenía un buen trabajo, un gran compañero, una visión simple de la vida. No era arrogante pero tenía logros, no era vana pero era hermosa, no era perfecta pero estaba perfectamente feliz con su vida. Y además, no era madre.


Enero 2015
Argentina (mi patria)
Mi hermana aun tenía logros, era hermosa y perfectamente feliz, y estaba a punto de dar a luz a una hija.

Estuve ahí. Tuve la suerte de ser el primer miembro de la familia en conocer a mi sobrina cuando llegó, muy tranquilamente, 2 semanas antes y por parto natural. Y tuve el privilegio de fotografiarla en su segunda semana de vida.
Les presento a Nirvana. El pequeño ser que llegó para mostrarle a mi hermana y a su chico una nueva perfección y otra forma totalmente diferente de vivir felices para siempre.

International Women's Day

"It is important that every American girl be called "princess" in order to prepare her for a life of slavery." - Werner Herzog

She married her sweetheart. They made adorable children together. They had the house in the suburbs, two cars, a dog, and a killer entertainment center. They seemed happy and I think they were. She felt safe. And she knew that there was more to life than being defined by it and those in it.

She is tough and it was time she remembered that. When her marriage ended, abruptly and unexpectedly, she had to wake up to the truth of who she was without him. The breakup broke her. Maybe in the beginning she told herself the fixing was for her girls. But then she realized she was doing it for her. In the recognition that she was heartbroken, empty-handed, and alone, she also found her strength and her voice.

She is now living the life she really wanted to live. Discovering fun and love and beauty in the most unexpected places, including her own heart. She recently turned 40 and she wanted to welcome this new her with a photo shoot. Messy hair, amazingly white teeth, inviting eyes. I present you, Malini. If you know her, you won’t believe your eyes. The internal liberation is complete and the beauty of her command shines through. Get out of her way.

Photo selection and captions by Malini

I am alive

 I am passionate

I am vulnerable

I am woman

I am powerful

I am longing

I am pensive

I am playful

I am dramatic

 I am thoughtful

 I am comfort

 

I am happy

 

 I am forty