These are our BUDS. Always happy to photograph them as clients but more happy to photograph them as some of our best friends. Last year we did an on-location shoot but this year we went back to their house because SamSam, their dog, felt left out and missed me too much. I don’t know what to say about these folks that I haven’t said before but it bears repeating that I love them and I’m grateful to have friends who are family down here. We watch a lot of bad movies and occasionally some good movies and we celebrate holidays and birthdays and go through good things and bad things together and sometimes I take their pictures. Their oldest son and I are buddies – we hang out at Geoff and Jon’s softball games together where he tells me important things like “I went to Target today” and asks the hard hitting questions such as “How far is your house from here?” and about 50 other questions that start with “why” in an hour’s time. Their youngest son, who has been slightly more wary of me, is now big smiles and I’m pleased to report that he voluntarily ran up and pushed me during this session while giggling and running away, which is his first voluntary interaction with me. Soon we’ll be best buds too. However, their first and oldest child, dog SamSam, will always make sure that I’m her best friend first and foremost and will bowl over all children and people in the process (I’m going to pretend she’d do this even if I didn’t give her treats).

Promo sessions are funnnn and they get even more fun when they’re for an aspiring actress who is just starting her career and whose name is Genesis. I won’t even give her last name here because I’m in the habit of not last-naming people on my blog but rest assured that her entire name makes her sound like some sort of incredibly badass superhero. She mentioned that it would be a shame for her to go through life with her badass name and not become an actress, and I agree, because she’s gotta put this awesome name to use. She told me people frequently think of her name as possibly being religious, and I disclosed that the first thing I thought of is Phil Collins. So I’m not sure what that says about me, but I do love Phil Collins.

Anyway, her initial e-mail came with instructions that we “assist as visual liaison to subject, so she can go on auditions. This subject is “no fuss” and will comply with your direction. She will be equipped in black as per usual and will have been fed.” People that have been fed are my favorite. So Genesis won us over quite fully and immediately. Then we found her Twitter account and discovered her intense love of Halloween is one that rivals our own, as well as her love for cats, and use of Gifs. We like her a lot. We agreed to her photoshoot on the condition that should she become famous, she needs to thank us in every speech, as well as credit us repeatedly and obnoxiously on IMDB. She’s agreed to our terms, so now it’s time for her to GO FORTH and use these photos and get famous. She is aspiring to a Sigourney Weaver-type, alien-ass-kicking, trench coat-wearing, Sci-fi babe and I think she already is one. Also hey Genesis if you do meet Phil Collins if he needs headshots for anything just give him our card, ok?

New lens test subjects!

I apologize for all the extraneous photographs of ourselves lately (and now, ourselves and our cats), but I just got a new lens this weekend and we’ve been testing it out. A lot. Because it’s awesome! It was a dreary, wet weekend but we ventured out into Fletcher Park and downtown Raleigh and practiced. Once in the day, once at night.

Fletcher Park portraits

pet portraits

Fayetteville St. Raleigh

raleigh portrait photographer

Night Portraits

Fletcher Park portraits

pet portraits

Raleigh portraits

raleigh portraits

A lot of these could’ve totally been used for senior portraits if Geoff was a senior. :) The one of him by the door a few pictures above is my favorite! Now we’ll stop posting pictures of ourselves for a while. ;)