CASTING for... (this is a tough one) A Playful Child

I'm searching for a child that likes to play. I know, I know, you're thinking this will be impossible to find. And I need two of them between the ages of four to seven. Brother and sister would be ideal, but not necessary, and should be available for an hour shoot between Nov 15-Dec 6th and live in the Boston area. If interested please email me asap at kim@flippygirl.com.   

(In return, I'll get some portrait shots of your child along with some nice prints.)

SHOOT: Pink Umbrella

SHOOT: Ponytail

The weather was perfect last friday and there were still a few leaves on one of the trees. As you can see, I got the ponytail in motion. (Be sure to click on the first image to view it larger. At this small size the details are easy to miss.)

   

BEST purchase... Hammock

One of the best purchases of my life (definitely the smartest) is a hammock. In this small space we swing, play, watch planes, listen to birds, dream, tell stories, hug, plan wild adventures, laugh and mostly, relax, in good weather or bad, alone or as a family. Best purchase ever!   

Don't be afraid to be a girl.

I have no intention of making my blog political, but this is a great article for both men and women to read. Follow this link (yes, you, the one person following my blog): 

Joanne Lipman's NY Times article: The Mismeasure of Woman

BEST purchase... $100 lens

One of the best purchases of my life is this cheap $100 lens. All the lenses in my camera bag add up to thousands of dollars — all great lenses, all serve a purpose, but my most-used is my basic Canon EF 50mm f1.8 AF. It's a nice addition to your bag if you're a portrait or childrens shooter because it's compact, it's light and it's fast. I used this lens for a recent shoot ("Lola" below). Did I mention that it's only 100 bucks?!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

CASTING for... A Ponytail

In search of a ponytail with a 5-8 year old girl attached. 

The ponytail has to be long, probably 10" or longer. Both the ponytail and the girl need to be available for an hour between 4-5:30pm the week of Oct 26th, 2009. If you're interested in this photoshoot please email me at kim@flippygirl.com with photos of the ponytail (and of the girl too) by Oct 26th.  

The photo above is a test, but ideally, I'm hoping to get 1-2 girls skipping between the trees with big fluffy ponytails bouncing behind, similar to the 3 people walking here. I'll make sure you get some nice portrait shots of your daughter in return. Thanks!p.s. if you have two girls between 5-8, even better.

2¢ (my photo tips)

(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)

Never leave home without your camera bag if you're serious about shooting. Never, never, never. You will always miss the shot of your life if you leave home without your camera. Also, it comes in handy for snapping shots of places you may want to remember for future shoots. If I see a specific place, with special light, at a certain time of day, season, etc. I grab a quick shot so I'll know when and where to return to for a real shoot. And I keep a "scouting" folder on my computer to reference these places later. (Yeah, I'm a little crazy. Drive my husband nuts.) 

SHOOT: B. Toys

Two things were important to me for this shoot: getting my almost-two month old to sleep so I could focus on shooting this amazing little girl and to become best friends with Lola in about a minute. Both were accomplished. After the shoot, Lola asked me if I could come babysit her.

   
[ client: B. Toys ] The client asked me to capture playfulness without any toys. Funny for a toy company to ask that right. These ran in their 2012 toy catalogs.
   

The Nursery (final touches)

The idea behind the nursery is this: my son's room is on the top floor and our house is on the highest point on our street. When I was pregnant with him, I'd look out his window and see blue sky all around. I then pictured his crib floating outside amid trees arching, hovering, protecting; with birds singing, fluttering, celebrating. So I painted the entire room, top to bottom, in blue to match the sky, pulled specific birds from illustrations by Melissa Sweet, and painted in trees and grass for the birds and other critters to call home. All the birds and their friends have become my son's friends. He says good night and good morning to them every day.

Sign on the door reads "Trees, bugs and little boys growing behind this door. Enter at your own risk."

Potato-stamped leaves; birds cut out and pasted up; trees and grass painted.

A real branch crosses over the window frame. I still need to find or make the curtain that will hang from the branch.

Other details: Smart-alicky Mrs. Robinson stands watch over the changing table, she's always got something snippy to say; grass and birds cover the built-in drawers; a spiderweb is being crafted by a clever spider in the reading corner, etc. (more pics to come later)

This smaller tree is the growth chart and will have bugs, frogs, snakes (anything really) at different heights on the tree when I can find time to paint them in. Then the room will be ready for a photoshoot. I need to finish the reading corner and the growth chart and then find the perfect little boy as my model (think I have that covered though).

To view more photos of the nursery follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/septnoon/sets/72157615804435282/