Thanks all for your patience!!

Happy Holidays and early New Year!!

What’s a blog post without a visual?  Here is a rendering that I had created of our cat, Santucci.  And, yes, Carl now wears a t-shirt with this image. 

This past weekend Carl & I attended a neighborhood Halloween party.  I was so relieved that everyone actually got dressed up because my costume was, well, a bit elaborate.  I prefer to be something scary or gory for Halloween and had seen some headless costume ideas online.  I thought… “I could pull that off”.

I ended up being a headless hippie rather than a headless bride as I didn’t have an old wedding dress.  I did, however, have an old 70′s dress.  So, I coupled it with some funky sunglasses and a couple of braids with a flower in my hair.  I created a story that I took too much LSD and decided that I had to chop off my head!  Although I forgot to add the knife to the costume…. Oh well!

To create my costume, I (generally) followed the instructions I found posted on Instructables.com (I love that website!!).  The user, ModMischief, explained everything really well!  Here are the instructions in case you are wondering how I did it:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Headless-Corpse-Bride-from-Duct-Tape/

Carl went as the “Fishtown.us” forum, which was actually quite clever though much less time consuming than mine.  I needed his time to help build my duct tape torso! 

And, here we are….

my gal friends…  I love how everyone is all pretty and smiles and I have my eyes rolled into my head!

We rented a car and drove through much of New England.  Our main stops were: Newport, RI; Hampton Falls, NH; Portsmouth, NH; North Conway, NH & Albany,NY.  It was a mixture of driving, relaxing, camping, hiking, laughing, eating, drinking, photographing and exploring.  It was fantastic and came at a much needed time in our lives!  I am grateful….

Though I posted this composite of hipstamatic iphone photographs on facebook when we first returned, I figured that I would post it again.  If you didn’t see it on facebook, you should follow me here:  http://www.facebook.com/MelissaHasseyPhotography  Shameless, I know….

I wish that I had time to go through those photographs and post more but I am guessing that won’t happen until after the New Year.  Anyway, I wanted to post something just because!

Check out Carl’s blogs about our trip:

This one is a sort of creepy video that looks like he is stalking me.  It features his awesome music and editing skills:  http://www.philadesigns.com/myblog/page/2/

And this is his full blog on our trip.  He is waaay better at the details and trip information/ documentation than I am!  http://www.philadesigns.com/myblog/page/3/

What type of photography do you do? and how would you classify it?

Primarily, I am a portrait and wedding photographer. I am particularly interested in capturing people, relationships and telling a story.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing to keep in mind about portraits?

When photographing portraits, it is important to be honest and open minded as well as to develop a relationship with the client. In my opinion, capturing the best light and most interesting composition is secondary to creating an enjoyable experience for the subjects.

Each portrait session offers me a chance to grow and learn more about photography, myself, the people that I am with and life in general. Developing a relationship with the subjects and making them feel comfortable is very important to me. I am always open minded to other people’s situations, personalities, cultures, interests and so on. It is heartwarming to me when a person opens up and lets me into the private moments of their lives. It makes me feel that what I do is important.

What are some challenges that you face and how do you overcome that?

Some of the challenges that I face as a photographer are often in regards to lighting, weather and location. Uncontrollable elements constantly keep me on my toes and challenge my creativity.

Staying fresh, inspired and creative can be difficult. I try to approach each portrait session as a unique challenge. I have to constantly push myself to see things in a new, different and unique way. I chase light and reflections and am always looking for a new way to capture a location/ situation/ person(s).

How do you come up with the ideas and settings for your photo shoots?

I am drawn to locations with texture and personality. Particularly, I am drawn to urban settings. I love a location where there is proof that people have been there or that time has passed.

In addition, locations that are significant to the subject is always very important. Finding places that they feel comfortable in or represents them well is always a priority. I strive to have my photographs tell a story or capture a time in someone’s life.

Often times choosing a location is a collaboration with the subject(s). Again, with getting to know them a little bit and understanding what they want to capture through the portrait session, I can often suggest places based on that information.

Some days, I will just walk around areas that I may like and take photographs. Then I store ideas away for a client that I think would fit that particular location. There are lots of venues and locations that I look forward to working at in the future!

What type of lighting do you use and how is that achieved?

Choosing how to light a subject is dependent upon many factors such as what the effect I am trying to achieve is as well as how the location lends itself to creating that effect.

I often prefer to use natural light. Photographing just before sunset often gives a dreamier, more saturated and gentler light that is often ideal for portraits. I also love to find unique and dramatic light through windows, streetlights at night, car lights, etc.

In certain situations I use my on and off camera speedlites (Canon 580 EX) for fill flash or backlighting to achieve a particular effect. Speedlites are ideal for me since I tend to work fast and move around quite a bit. This system allows me to move the lights around without wires or bulky/ heavy equipment. To trigger the speedlites, I use a wireless transmitter system that syncs the lights to flash at the precise moment that I press the shutter.

I also, at times, use softboxes, umbrellas, reflectors and gobos (which block the light).

How do you attempt to create eye catching photos?

Creating an eye catching photograph has a lot to do with trial, error, effort planning and good luck! I always am looking for ways to see things in a unique way or taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. An eye catching photograph is usually a combination/ perfect storm of composition, subject, lighting and exposure. This can be something that is well thought out in advance or something that happens organically. Often times it is about being in the right place at the right time…. with a camera!

I do feel that the more practice and time that one spends photographing and pursuing the craft, the more likely they are to create eye catching photographs.

How do you incorporate your subject’s personality and style into your photos?

Again, getting to know my client and asking them questions about themselves is very important to me. Finding out what they are passionate about, what their personalities are like, what is important to them, etc… I have a list of questions that I like to ask before the portrait session to help to better understand the subjects.

As the client reveals aspects of their life, I often reveal aspects of mine as well. This is often how we become friends. It is a two way relationship. Though it is their life and relationships that I am photographing it is my eye and personality that is capturing it.

Ansel Adams once said, “There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.”

In the case of portrait photography there are at least 3 people: the photographer, the viewer and the subject.

Please describe your style in a few sentences.

Through photography, I aim to capture natural moments that tell a story in a unique and interesting way. My style is unrehearsed, patient, quirky, passionate and fun.

“If I could say it in words, I wouldn’t need to photograph.”

- Lewis Hine

Looking under the leaves I found these two caterpillars?/ cabbage loopers?  Does anyone know exactly what these are?  Like any good photographer, I took them into my home “studio”, photographed them with my macro lens and then tossed them gently into the empty lot behind our house.  If you know me well, I can’t even crush an ant or swat a fly.  I tend to capture bugs and take them outside.  Catholic guilt, I guess…   One exception… I don’t like bugs that hide when the lights come on!

Anyway, do you know what these little guys are?  They are cute but seem to be doing so much damage!  My plan right now is to continue to check the plant and pick these guys out, spray the bush with a strong hose on full blast under the leaves to release any eggs and maybe try some garlic spray.  Any other natural recommendations welcome!

They didn’t move much, but one did do this…..  and, yes, it’s what you think:

Kylie laid her head on the table like this through the entire “Happy Birthday” song.  So cute.

and… we learned that she really LOVES cake!

as does her brother, Gavin… (patiently waiting for his slice)

and her brother Ethan (but Ethan does not like chocolate!)

goofs!

my buddy, Ethan….  being Ethan.    I just love this one though…

**  UPDATE:  MY MOM INFORMED ME THAT MY DAD DID NOT LIVE “UNDER THE EL”.  INSTEAD, HE LIVED IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE PANTRY PRIDE **

Shew! glad I cleared that up! 

footnote: my mom’s name is Paulette

]]> http://melissahassey.com/2011/04/harry-the-h/feed/ 18 http://melissahassey.com/2011/04/a-little-behind/ http://melissahassey.com/2011/04/a-little-behind/#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:42:01 +0000 melissa http://melissahassey.com/?p=4863 Admittedly, I have fallen a little behind on my blogging and facebook postings as I had taken some time off to be with my family.  I plan to be back in action very soon though….

In the meanwhile, check me out on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/MelissaHasseyPhotography

Check out the website version here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/kellie_patrick_gates/20110126_Love__JULIE_HOWARD___PATRICK_TAYLOR.html?ref=facebook.com

Lastly, I received so many wonderful emails and comments about the photograph(s) which I truly appreciate.  I suppose this sounds boastful… but one of the main reasons that I photograph is for other people to feel something when they look at an image.  I get a great sense of satisfaction when people unrelated to the subject are touched by a photograph.  There was one comment in particular that came from a complete stranger.  It was especially heart warming and descriptive.  Here is the comment:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I was taken by your photograph of Julie Howard and Patrick Taylor.  It is so beautiful and seems to tell its own story.  The darkness of the left side leading your eye to the light of the couple…the diffused light of the streetlamps…even the sparkling mini lights guiding your eye to the couple…the perfect way you offset their position…her elegant, open hand on his heart expressing how she was opening her life to him….her profile looking into his face…the beautiful draping of the stole material and the vintage look of the netting above her eyes…his strong posture with his face looking off to the future, his leg and hand position looking firm and confident…the sophistication of the city scene.   Wow!”

Well the camera in the mirror shot is certainly cliche’ and a bit silly…. but for tonight, let’s just call it “classic”.    Stay warm, friends!

Oh, and here are a couple of previous snow blogs….. just because!

http://melissahassey.com/2010/02/this-snow-broke-records/

http://melissahassey.com/2010/02/the-other-4-of-philly/

http://melissahassey.com/2010/02/diy-beer-sled/