style possessed...

"...but style you possess." Iris Apfel

My second year of shooting my two eldest for Homecoming, was challenging. During the night before, on the street where we live, the flora morphed from summer green(s) to brilliant fall: a cacophony of emerald, amber and fire. The day was extremely overcast, chilly and wet. But even that added to our set's beauty: the week's constant rain turned the color of the asphalt from blah to moody; the wet tree trunks and branches were rendered a deep black - all of it adding the perfect contrast, breadth and depth. Our street looked like an oil painting - vivid. deep, heavy and clear. The low level(s) of natural light were especially daunting, I knew I'd literally have to shoot around shadow. Still, to my artist's eye, it was the perfect backdrop and runway. Of course we had to shoot outside. Rory, Sage and their gorgeous dates did the rest, and it was magic... 

"[Fashion] is in the street...the way we live, what is happening." - Coco Chanel

Rory and Sage's street fashion-sense is a delightful mix of vintage, army surplus, sportswear, cheap clothing chains and mid-priced indie-labels (my apples don't fall far ;-} The 21st century twist? They have access to haute couture at street fashion prices (thank you Jane Pabon). For Homecoming, Rory and Sage went full french girl's wardrobe. They knew exactly how they wanted to look: a more intense version of their every day: Rory channeled his suave 007; Sage rocked Tina to the nth degree (those mile long legs!). 

"They got the beat. Kids got the beat. Yeah, they've got it!" - the Go Go's (1982)

Here I think they look like an 80s rock band album cover. While I was shooting, that Go Go's song kept playing in my head ;-}

Doesn't this look like and editorial shoot for Vogue? Or a promo shot for Empire? 

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The Fashion Breakdown: 

Rory: Black silk button down: BLC; Bow-Tie: Calvin Klein; Cropped Pants: Zara; Shoes: Calvin Klein. 

Tamia did Dorothy Dandridge proud!: Starlight glitter dress (Windsor), matching stilettos (Aldo).

Sage: Tuxedo Jacket w/ leather trim: Bailey 44; Sequins and Mesh Dress: French Connection; Stiletto Booties: Steve Madden. 

Eliza went full Marlene Dietrich: crushed velvet blazer, dress shirt, trousers (Old Navy), classic Oxfords (UNR8ED). 

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"[Style], It's a matter of being yourself on purpose." G. Bruce Boyer

I love that Rory, Sage and their core group of friends are so sure in who they are and how they choose to express themselves. Style is a matter of being yourself on purpose. I didn't fully get that until I reached my fabulous 40s. These 'kids,' with their smarts, talent, savvy and confidence: World. Oyster. Theirs. And I'm gonna shoot their journey, frame by frame.

Vivre, Rire, Aimer,

Temple

rainy day monday...

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it." - Ashley Smith

My little slice of the world is in the midst of Spring, which is rare for Chicago (we usually slide from the chill of winter, straight into a summer haze). Even this Spring has been sporadic - hot and sunny one day, a snow shower the next. But on this morning, the gentle, steady drumbeat of rain woke me. After I got the kids off to school, I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed my umbrella, wrapped up and sat (and sipped) in the rain. It was glorious. The morning light, mixed with rain, overcast sky, bright Spring green, and crisp whether, reminded me of my and Mr. G's 15th wedding anniversary in Paris - le romantic sigh. The stillness and peace was identical to that of my 'Night Owl hours,' and just as inspirational as well. The ideal setting to create, write and work on my backlog of photos edits.

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"Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain." - Billie Holiday

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"I've always found the rain very calming." - Venus Williams

There are large windows on either side of my front door - I pass them on the way to my atelier. On this morning, I noticed that three Cardinals (One pink, another peach, the third Cardinal red) have built a nest in the vines over my front door - yes, I'm on Cardinal baby watch ;-} My atelier-desk faces a large sliding glass door (my backyard and large pond lie beyond) giving me a perfect, picturesque view. While making a sizable dent in my photo-edit backlog, I looked up and saw this handsome Crane strolling by. That's how I spent this morning - no television, no radio, no iPhone, no internet. Just the beautiful morning light, overcast sky, peaceful, inspirational quiet/stillness, brilliant spring green - rendered technicolor by the sweet gentle rain. So I needed to take a breath, be humbly grateful and thankful for, this life full of beauty in my tiny slice of the world. Join me?

Vivre! Rire! Aimer!

Temple

these lemons make the most delicious lemonade...

'Parisiens Jaune'

"One doesn't stop seeing. One doesn't stop framing.

It doesn't turn off and turn on. It's on all the time."

- Annie Leibovitz

It's been five long years since I've been able to return to Paris. Oh! How I miss her so! I especially miss wandering the city with my cameras: all those images waiting to be captured, all those stories waiting to be told. Encore, my Paris drought has prodded me to re-invent this blog - a joyful, stress free challenge to expand my creative eye here, at home. Now the only editor's timeline and deadline I have to adhere to are my own. Thus, not only do I continue to carry my camera with me wherever I go (and click, click, click) I have the space and time to research, explore and experiment with my craft: technique, lighting, viewpoint, editing, etc. here, at home. With this in mind, for this post, a challenge for self-taught me: curate a post with photographs taken in the month of April, applying  the technique(s) and photography-genre(s) I've been researching...  

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"There is only you and your camera. 

The limitations in your photography are in yourself, 

for what we see is what we are." - Ernst Haas

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Landscape...

'Spring Snow Shower'

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"...my dreams might let me know, all the stars are closer." - Kendrick Lamar

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'Sauk, Meskwakis, Kickapoos'

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Temple's Lesson Learned: Occam's Razor-there are no short cuts

"I'm thinking balls are to men what purses are to women.

Just a little bag, but we feel naked without them."

- Carrie, Sex In The City

My favorite camera weighs about 3lbs and is bulky; always necessitating a pretty large camera bag/purse (God how I miss my discontinued Epiphanie Ginger camera bag/purse!).  I'm not ashamed to admit that there are times when I just don't want to lug it. I tell myself I can capture anything that catches my eye with my trusty high quality iPhone camera. And wouldn't you know it, that's when I see or experience something I have to capture - and I'm almost always disappointed with the results. The quality, scope, range, clarity, 'edit-ability,' and dependability of a 'real' camera just aren't available with a phone camera. Lugging a well stocked camera bag far outweighs the frustrating results of not lugging one. The moral of this story: bite the bullet to get the shot. Lesson learned.

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Still Life...

'Mercury Spectacles'                                                                  'Paris L.S.P.'

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"The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer." - Steven Pinker

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'Coffee Table Hiatus'                                                                               'Finklestein' 

One thing that prompted this assignment was my realization that most of my Paris photography focuses on the 'exterior' of my experiences there - capturing strangers and images that catch my artistic eye and speak to me emotionally. Makes perfect sense since, although I visit often, I'm still a short time visitor.  Thus, for this assignment, I added another caveat, focus on the 'interior' - keep it personal, intimate: days in the life, with the loves of my life; champagne with beloved friends; a Spring snow shower viewed from my bedroom window; scenes from an Indian Trail during a late night convertible drive with Mr. G; my spot at the barre (last week, after a four year hiatus, I've returned to my love); vintage bleachers (I spend an inordinate amount of time on courts); my collection of defunct eye glasses (I use when I misplace my glasses, which is often ;-} 

Documentary...

'Executive Meeting'                                                                       'Sage Repose'

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"Don't shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like." 

- David Alan Harvey

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Architectural...

'Barre'                                                                                      'Numbers'

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"I looked around at rooms that I did not see as rooms but more as...a biography of memory." - Anne Spollen

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Sports...

'This or That' 

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"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." - Heyword Broun

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Portraiture...

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"There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment." - Robert Frank

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Oui, I lament my too long Paris hiatus but my city of light and love continues to inspire, no matter how long my time away; encouraging, forcing me, to grow, technically, aesthetically, artistically. And, in the interim, during the journey, I've found so many facets to capture that further deepen my appreciation and love of home. Yes, these lemons make the most delicious lemonade... 

Vivre! Rire! Aimer!

Temple

P.S. Check out my: A Photographer's Kit series...

#enough

"Bang bang, he shot me down. Bang bang, I hit the ground. Bang bang, that awful sound." - Cher (1966)

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School massacre (Parkland). In remembrance, along with tens of thousands of high school teenagers around the country, my children's high school held a symbolic 17 minute walkout: one minute for each student and teacher murdered on Valentines Day: 

"1,000 students walked out of our school today. They gathered on the football field, wore orange shirts, released 17 orange balloons, one ballon at a time, then remained silent for 17 minutes to remember the 17 victims that were killed a month ago during the violent school shooting. These kids were supposed to be in their classrooms studying, but instead, they walked out of their classrooms to do the things we as grown ups are supposed to do for them." - C.L. 

But the day was about so much more than rightly honoring the fallen. It was also about children being afraid, frustrated and angry that the daily threat of gun violence and death (in their classrooms, on their campuses, on their streets) is an ever present reality in their young lives. It was about children being fed up, sick and tired of adults not being able to get over their ideologies, political jockeying, and partisan bullshit long enough to actually get something done, do something -anything- to confront, decisively and effectively deal with the fact that, in comparison to every other 'First World' country and most 'Third World' countries (not involved in a war) the United States ranks 1st in gun violence/deaths.  

So, after the school sanctioned walkout ended, 300+ students (and about a dozen parents) decided to continue their peaceful protest. They orderly and quietly walked off campus to a busy intersection, about 1.5 miles away. While they were marching, several students called me, asked if I'd come and photograph this moment of their national movement. To capture and share their simple message: #Enough.

"You will not be able to stay home, brother."

"You will not be able to plug in, turn on and drop out."

"You will not be able to lose yourself in skag and skip, skip out for beer and commercials."

"The revolution will not be brought to you...in four parts without commercial interruption."

"The revolution will not be back after a message."

"Because the revolution will not be televised." -Gil Scott-Heron (1971)

Do I mean 'revolution' in the conventional sense, or in the sentiment of the controversial parts of the Heron poem I used selective quotes from? Of course not. As I was taking photographs, listening to the poignant student speakers, speaking with the teenagers assembled, the salient portions of the Heron poem resounded: these children (and children across this nation) are no longer willing to sit back and trust that adults will deal with the pervasive threat of gun violence in their schools - they've patiently waited long #enough. Nor will they allow politicians and pundits to appropriate and/or shape their message of palpable fear and frustration with continued pearl clutching and inaction. #Enough. They are asking, begging, for our help. They just want to be kids. They just want to be safe. And they are going to walkout, march, speak up and out, be politically active, and media savvy until then. They have decided to be the change they have been waiting for.

"Listen to their speeches, they expressed their fear about whether or not they can be safe anymore in school or anywhere. They [are] scared, frustrated and angry. They were not doing it for show, they were doing it hoping we grown ups will listen and care. Being there to support them was the least we could do as parents. Their voice[s] and signs were loud and clear. The reaction from strangers [driving by] was amazing! Someday, some of these kids are going to do amazing things for this country!" - C.L.

Vivre! Rire! Aimer!

Temple