I’m not much of a selfie person … but every once in a while I’ll throw one up so you know who you’re interacting with. I know when I’m making a decision on whether or not to do business with someone, I like to know something about who I’m supporting … especially with a profession like massage therapy.
This morning I started a Summer Training Camp. It’s a supportive online community with women of all body shapes and sizes where we’ll spend 12 weeks either prepping for anything from a 5K to a half marathon or doing a weight lifting program. I choose both 😳🏋️♀️🏃♀️. I’ll probably stick to walking … but the encouragement of the program may get me to run (ahem…slow jog) again. We’ll see.
Either way that’s not really the point. It’s about finding joyful movement…whatever that means to you…in whatever body you’re living in right now …without intent to change it – just to enjoy and care for it. :)
Anyways … they asked for us each to post a pic so we can get to know one another … and that’s why I even have a pic to share here…
Anyone local want to sign up too? They’re leaving it open for the rest of today. It would be fun to have in person community along with the online one. 😊 In fact I’ve been wanting to start a walking group for those of us who move SLOW for a while. I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested.
I got to do a very inspiring photo-shoot recently. A woman contacted me about putting together a “Body Positive” session. She’s given me permission to share the images from our time together – and here are just a few.
Over the past few years her body has changed a lot. She’s had a baby, experienced lots of other life challenges and her perspective on what is sexy and what she values in the world has shifted…along with clothing size, stretch marks, etc.
One goal of the photo shoot was to claim that who she is now is just as valuable, sexy and powerful as the person she was as a “size two”. We HIGHLIGHTED stretch marks because they are a proud sign that she grew the love of her life in her body. They are not something she felt ashamed of – and to witness this was beautiful.
It makes me sad when I photograph people who put themselves down throughout their entire session. I understand it – but it also makes me mad when I see a stunning soul standing before me, tearing themselves to pieces because they are not physically flawless.
To define ourselves by a false definition of beauty that is endlessly marketed to us by companies who want to make us feel bad about ourselves in order to sell their newest product is disheartening. And to have someone stand before me, with confidence in and love for themselves was really kick ass.
If you’re on a courageous journey of learning to love and accept yourself as is – documenting the moment with photographs may be a powerful elixir. I’d love to do more empowerment sessions like this…maybe with you.
Time for a challenge. Whenever we get too comfortable in life we are no longer growing – and I feel the need to push my photography skills forward – or maybe just to make more images in order to keep my eyes and perspective open. The guidelines of this self imposed journey are: one photo a week; no explanations or stories needed; black and white; shot only with my Nikon D800 and 28mm lens.
Are your head shots current? Fresh? Unique? You? In today’s social media world it is vital to put your best face forward. Serious, playful, approachable? We can create several looks for you in just one session … and have fun doing it!
My new studio is open at 330 Main Street in Manchester, CT and I can’t wait to help you with your photo needs.
Call or go online today for more information. Phone: 860-306-0067 | Online: Portrait Info
Had a wonderful time photographing these beautiful sisters recently. They were fun and playful and our hour together flew by. Mom realized that her chances of getting them together were getting slimmer as one is in college and another a senior in high school. Along with doing a senior photo and some shots of the girls together and individually we also did a few family photos that included mom – which she said hasn’t happened in many years. It’s so important to exist in photos for your friends and family and I’m so glad I got to capture a few moments for them.
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!
A few weeks back I had the honor of being asked to photograph a birth – AND – as my other career hat is as a massage therapist – be the stand in doula. What an experience! I met the couple at the hospital and photographed the experience from hours after the water broke ’til 30 hours later when a c-section had to be performed – alternating between taking a few pictures and then doing a back rub with some essential oil infused lotions I’d brought along. This photo-journalistic / documentary style is a departure from the usual head shots and portraits I do and I really enjoyed witnessing and capturing the untouched, non-staged, real life moments.
The hospital staff were kind and accommodating and even allowed me in the operating room to capture a few images of babies first breath [as mom had hoped for] when we found out the c-section was necessary.
I’ve got a few goofy photos of me and dad in scrubs, along with some beautiful shots of the raw reality of bringing life into this world. [What our bodies can do is amazing!!]
But for today’s sharing just a few cute shots of this beautiful blessing.
Congratulations to the new mom and dad and thank you for trusting me to be part of the experience with you!
This image was created for and hung in a juried show at The Stone Crop Gallery in Maine. The title of the exhibition was “Love, Hate & Everything In-between” and was left open for wide interpretation. In the several weeks spent musing about what I wanted to create I listened to a TED Talk about creativity given by Elizabeth Gilbert. She explored where creativity comes from and offered a theory of a “creative genius” – that we all have one – rather than we can all be one. My interpretation of what she offered is one that is also encountered in the book “The Artist’s Way”. That is that we as artists are responsible for showing up to do the work – but this creative genius – or spirit – is responsible for the inspiration and the quality.
Still in the process of deciding what to make for this exhibit I visited a friend at her lake house. In the middle of telling her about the TED Talk, my “creative genius” tapped me on the shoulder and I had a vision of this photograph. It was persistent and insistent. I knew I had to make this picture that day. It took me several hours to talk my friend into climbing into the lake to be my model – and I’m so glad she did.
The original title for this piece was “Paralyzed by fear (thoughts of inadequacy)”. I’d decided that in relationship to self we can experience “love, hate and everything in between” and created a set of six images with themed titles. A fellow photographer came to me one day a little miffed and said he didn’t like the title because it limited what he saw. He found beauty in the image and thought others might as well. So in his memory I changed the title to make room for each viewer to take away their own meaning.
A 30″ x 22″ framed print of this image is available in the studio at 264 Main Street in Manchester, CT. We are open Tuesday – Saturday by appointment and be reached by email: tania@taniapalermo.com or phone: 860.306.0067.
Tania Palermo [Studio on Main] 