Forgot to put these in the pregnancy shoot post and I had to add them because I love this shot. I really like them both ways. What is your favorite?

If you read my blog you will notice its been quite a while since I’ve posted. If you know me then you know that I always have a lot to say, it’s just been a super busy time in my life and I don’t typically posts my shoots for privacy reasons. Larry and I have not been to St. Martin in over 2 years and this winter decided we were going no matter what. He said 4 weeks and I said 6. I won. By week 3 he was thanking me profusely for booking those extra 2 weeks.

One of the 1st things we did there was get up with our friends Cindy and John Berglund. They own a most wonderful perfumery in Grand Case. They make incredible men’s and women’s perfume as well as all kind of other great skin products. The most fun thing they do is offer classes where you can learn all about how perfume is made and make your own 1 of a kind perfume. Look up www.Tijon.com to see all their wonderful shop and products. They have been voted the number  1 thing to do while on St. Martin by Trip Advisor!

Cindi and John are very friendly and outgoing and have made a ton of friends over the years, so its very natural for them to celebrate with friends when there are big happenings on the island. One such event happens every year there in march  called The Heineken Regatta. Its a 3 day event with dozens of races and parties. People come from all over the world to race in the regatta. Its great fun to watch but hard to really see too much from shore. A few years ago John and Cindi decided to charter a boat to get up close and personal to see the races. Team Tijon was born. This year 75 people flew in from around the globe to sail with Team Tijon. Larry and I were among the lucky crew. We sailed up close to the races,drank rum punch,danced and did the limbo and had a great time! We hope to make this a annual date in our calenders every march.

Not knowing how wet things were going to be I left my professional camera at home and just brought my small point and shoot water camera with me. I was happy overall with the photos I was able to get. I think they capture the fun of the day and the beauty of the boats racing.

Hi Everyone. I thought I would share with you from time to time photos that I have found that inspire me. I love how the artist Ekaterina Efremova captured these beautiful children. From the exquisite lighting, the way they are standing in the frame, to their adorable expressions; I love it all. If you want to be inspired by more of Ekatrina’s work you may find her on a site called 500px

Back in the day, before color film was invented artists would hand paint a black and white photo by painting on top of the photo with oil paints to simulate color. I have always loved this technique and learned to hand tint 28 years ago while I was at Memphis College of Arts. One of my all time favorites I have ever done was a life size photo of Hannah when she was 6 years old.

It Measures 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Makes quite the statement in the dining room. The paper these photos are printed on are archival to 200 years plus so they become treasured heirlooms.  I have several portraits I have handtinted of my girls over the years and I never get tired of looking at them. Recently I finally got around to handtinting a portrait of my daughter Ashlee from when she was 12 years old. It was taken in the most beautiful place; the estate of John Deer. It is historical home called Vizcaya and if you ever get to Miami you should take a tour.

Here is a image of the painting in progress.

You can see how the color is transforming the image.The oils are transparent so everything you paint has a softer lighter tone than a real color photo has.It saddens me to know that this is becoming just another lost art in the world or technology.Today when a photographer handtints an image they just take a color photo and de-saturates it in photoshop. This takes about 10 seconds. My portraits take me hours to paint, but the effort is truly worth it. A true black and white photo that has been hand-painted has a real organic quality and depth to it. They are also a tangible part of me (as the artist) and my daughters that will be a living history for the generations to come.

The finished portrait.