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
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!
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.
“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.
I’m struggling to find the right words for this post. And maybe for just now the image is enough. Carey came to me a few months ago and asked if I would help her document her experience with breast cancer. What an honor! It’s been such a gift to be trusted to share this space with her and humbling to know that some of the images we’ve made have been a cathartic part of her healing process. She’s gone through chemo, had a double mastectomy and is now preparing for radiation. We’ve documented her bald head, scars, drainage tubes, the love between she and her husband … and today some of the reconstructive surgery. I know this image is intense. Cancer is intense. Finding the strength and perspective to fight with as much grace and humour as Carey has must come from a deep place inside of her and I think what we see here is the warrior. Thank you, my friend, for letting me play a small part in your journey. ♥
[ Carey has given me permission to share this image. As she walks further down her path we may share more with the intent of giving other people in her shoes hope, shared strength and encouragement ]
Tania Palermo [Studio on Main] 