I’m excited to announce that I have a place to shoot studio lit head shots and portraits again!! I love natural light photos as well – and have enjoyed shooting on location while in transition …. and, as the weather is about to get colder and the days shorter, it’s so great to have the option to shoot indoors again. I look forward to working with you soon.
“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” Paramahansa Yogananda
Mallory came in to help me play with light and shadow a while back. I keep circling around to a personal project that I’d like to do. I work with it – then find that it has changed or is not quite right. Sometimes the only thing that helps me move forward / get unstuck is to play around with what I have and to let it be messy and undone until more clarity arrives. I’ve heard that as a creative person I have to just show up every day to do the work and hope that one day a creative muse shows up to collaborate with me. Here is today’s showing up. Thank you Mallory for being my model and allowing me to experiment!
“If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light” ~Lady Gaga~
“Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin. We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”
“To light a candle is to cast a shadow” ~Ursula K LeGuin
Greta sat for me so I could experiment with some low-key lighting for a personal project I’m working on. It was going to be all black and white with minimal post processing. Now I find myself playing with color and layering of old, dusty, scratchy images. That seems to be how my creative process works. Starting off with an idea and playing around until what wants to be expressed reveals itself. Is that what it’s like for you?
A head shot is a simple thing. A shot of you – usually from the shoulders up.
It’s a complicated thing when you understand that your face – the way you connect with the viewer – is your personal branding. It’s a terrifying thing for most people. It’s the rare experience when someone walks into my studio and says “I LOVE being the center of attention and am in my glory in front of the camera.” What usually happens is folks come in and are fairly animated during the casual chit-chat time – and then as soon as the camera comes out – deer in head lights. This is so normal. I’d do it too. In fact, maybe – as a photographer – I’d do it even more than you. I like my position behind the camera.
It is my job to help you relax so the real, beautiful, fierce you can shine through. If you’ve been thinking it’s time to re-brand your website or social media picture I can walk you through the process. It’s a privilege and honor to do what I do.
TESTIMONY FROM A PAST CLIENT:
“You can find more than one portrait photographer in the field with a good eye for light and composition, but I discovered that Tania Palermo’s gifts and talents far exceed mere technical skills. She was able to explore with me what it was I wanted the photography to accomplish, and managed to bring to light what it is that fuels my passion for what I do. She captured the essence of what I want to convey to my clients in such a way that the photographs BECAME MY BRANDING. My website grew easily and naturally from the photographs themselves. I have received incredibly positive and superlative feedback from my friends and colleagues and clients about Tania’s portraits of me. If you want to boost your productivity or just to capture in photographs the essence of who you are and what is important in your life, I highly recommend that you treat yourself to a visit to Tania’s studio!” ~Karen Chadbourne
I’m totally behind on posting photos from portrait sessions. Thought I’d take a minute to post this one since it’s on top of mind – I’ve just finished working with it. I loved so much about this session. Karen is kind, confident in who she is [she’s claimed her ”awesome”] and deeply spiritual. We discovered, during pre-session chatting, that I’d taken a class from her many years ago and that we had several contacts in common. It felt like she was a serendipitous gift sent to me to remind me that we are all deeply connected on some level – and that when we do what we love the right people will be attracted to us – flowing in and out of our lives by divine appointment.
Tamyka came to me wanting to begin the process of building a portfolio for herself. We’ll be doing several sessions – this first one being shot in natural light. It’s so nice to have an hour outside of the studio enjoying the Fall weather and doing what I love. Here are just two of many beautiful images from our time together. Thinking about booking an outdoor session for yourself? Pick your favorite outdoor location and I’ll meet you there. Tamyka brought along a friend who helped me out with the light by holding reflectors – and you can do that too. Let’s get out and enjoy while we still can.
Tania Palermo [Studio on Main] 