Winter Whimsy – Lara Grauer Photography

It’s time! Call now to reserve your spot for Winter Whimsy on Saturday, January 16th!

Picture this: a hotel suite, makeup artist, delectable treats, great music, lots of laughs, and a fun and sexy photo shoot featuring YOU! It’s an awesome girls’ night in – a chance to let go, liberate your alter-ego, and feel great about the woman you are – and you’ll receive a little red book to remember it by. Keep it for yourself, or give it to your sweetheart for a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Nothing says “I love you” like a personal collection of intimate and elegant portraits.

Whimsy Package includes:

-       complementary consultation via phone or email

-       on-location session at a hotel suite (location details available for participants only)

-       snacks and refreshments (including chocolate, of course)

-       expert make-up artist

-       all-female team working with you

-       up to 3 outfit changes

-       60 minutes of professional photography

-       professional image re-touching

-       a little red book containing a collection from your session

-       an empowering and fabulous experience you’ll remember for a lifetime

Early Bird Special: Book in 2009 and receive 10% off your Whimsy Package price. Regular price is $350. Guys – this could be a fantastic last-minute holiday gift! Call or email me right away to reserve your time. Space is limited!

Posing Rhetoric

I’ve put a lot of thought into posing. I prefer to show things as they are, to study expression, energy, and composition as they are presented in nature, and harness them in order to display the beauty of life and nature as it really occurs. Our children are themselves every day without putting any effort into it. This is beautiful! It’s something we all cherish. The phases of nature pass us by, and through portraiture we are able to preserve these moments and experience their beauty for a lifetime.

Embracing nature as it is expressed is an ideal to strive for. But it isn’t the only way to work. There are often situations where the aim is to capture great portraits, but nature’s “poses” are not providing the best expression, energy, and composition for the photographic medium. In this case, a photographer might use what she knows to create a realistic scene that conveys a particular feeling that a person embodies. For example, after spending some time with the two sisters below, I found that they were energetic, happy, and fiercely competitive!  Nature showed me this; I didn’t make it up. I used this knowledge to create a scene that conveyed this aspect of the relationship to the viewer. While this race didn’t occur without direction, it resonated with the girls and led to a fun, vivacious, and authentic portrait.

From Wallace Stevens’ poem entitled Add This to Rhetoric:

“It is posed and it is posed.
But in nature it merely grows.
Stones pose in the falling night;
And beggars dropping to sleep,
They pose themselves and their rags.
Shucks . . . lavender moonlight falls.
The buildings pose in the sky
And, as you paint, the clouds,
Grisaille, impearled, profound,
Pftt . . . In the way you speak
You arrange, the thing is posed,
What in nature merely grows.”

The world we live in cannot truly be portrayed through art. People are who they are, things exist as nature created them. Our portrayals are merely interpretations of reality as we see it. But portrait artists are assigned the task of creating pieces that evoke a recognition and a memory of the gift that nature gave the world, so that you may cherish it forever. Photography is special because it is created by the very light that shines on nature’s gifts. That piece is true to reality and does not need interpretation.

How does a photographer strike a balance between capturing nature as it occurs and controlling the outcome in order to ensure beautiful images? This is a skill that separates the good from the great.

Life is Beautiful

Birthday Girl

Yesterday was a big day in our house – Molly’s 6th birthday! It’s amazing how fast they grow, the things they can learn, and the wit that abounds at such a young age! We’ve been through Elmo, Dora, princesses, and now Pokemon. We’ve been to many museums, beaches, parks, field trips, and parties. The adventure will continue and we look forward to many joys and challenges to come. I have loved watching her grow, and it’s through pictures that I am able to savor the memories.

You might recognize this cute face; I used to get a whole lot of personality from her, but things have changed. I love this expression – it’s very natural, and what I see in her. But it’s not so easy to get the variety and the exuberance that exploded from her as a toddler. We’ve reached the frozen grin stage. I knew it would come – and it will come to your family if it hasn’t already! It wouldn’t bother me much, except that it means she’s a big kid now!!! NOOOO!!!! I think one of my challenges for April will be to get a big expression from her and post it for all to see.

What I love so much about my job is that I’m going through the stages of parenting myself. I really relate to my clients because I know what it’s all about. I understand the joy and the frustrations. Most of all, I understand what a precious thing it is to capture that beautiful essence that we see in our children every day.

Recession or no, the babies still GROW!!!

Time keeps ticking, and children keep growing. I just love watching how they change almost into different people over time. It’s just amazing. Photographs can tell the story of your life. Beauty, wonder, and joy all wrapped up in an image without any need for explanation. Simply being. Words can cause trouble, or lack the meaning you wish to convey. I hope that families will continue to put a few dollars aside for high-quality photographs. There is no substitute. I know I will.