ESSENTIAL IMAGERY, Philadelphia photographer » kristen tells all

SUMMER IS FOR LOUNGING.

Kristen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:31:21 +0000

Summer is for taking it easy and having a bit of downtime, which is precisely why I’m off to Europe for the next few weeks, and why Haunani is off to Hawaii.

The studio is closed through August 10th, when Essential Imagery will resume late summer and autumn portrait shoots for your lovely families and pets!

If you’d like to experience my European adventures with me, head on over to the Facebook page. There will be plenty of pain au chocolat and other delights there soon. Regular blog posts will continue through the magic of the interwebs, so you can keep hanging out on the blog, too. ;)

POUTINE IS NOT THE ANSWER.

Kristen — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:16:04 +0000

My friend Doey and I flew to Toronto to see our friend Dawn. She used to be a New Yorker, then she got a swanky bank job and started fiddling with databases, which required a move to Canada. It was so good to be able to spend time in Toronto during the city’s three minutes of summer. ;)

Yes, I have a tutu like the one shown. No, you can’t see photos of me bowling in it.

Doey on the left, Dawn on the right. Canadian specialty Poutine [french fries + beef gravy + cheese curd] out of focus in the bottom right. I give every food a fair shake, but the cheese curd…yar…gross. You know there was shopping. Lots of shopping. And giggling and squealing and girl talk. Isis, world’s fattest cat, and a totally-out-of-focus-but-not-my-fault-and-I-love-it-anyway photo of we girlies rockin’ throwback shades. These were all shot on film (OY, the airport security hassle of 15 rolls of film in your carry-on!). I love the way these images narrate the experience: fun, friends, sunshine, love.

A PORTRAIT IS A TREASURE WAITING TO HAPPEN

Kristen — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:53:14 +0000

I love Uncle Dale very much. He passed away a few years ago, and it wasn’t until today that I saw a photograph of him dating prior to 1982.

He smiled for his military photo. I love it. This photograph is well worth the four-hour drive, the Turnpike tolls, the 32 ounces of coffee, and the hotel stay that happened for me to find it.

This photograph also reinforces the lasting and rather priceless qualities of today’s portraits. When the hard drives have crashed and the CD data has become obselete, the professional photographs you’ve commissioned will still be around. And they’ll mean more to your family members than you can possibly imagine.

TORONTO IN POLAROID

Kristen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:46:57 +0000

Toronto, Canada. Instax mini polaroids. Birthday weekend for Dawn, college roomie extraordinaire, and myself.

The Forest Hill section of the city is remarkable — self-sufficient, lovely, home of the well-curated and downright delightful Type books. Dawn, Doey, and I spent an hour or two perusing its vast collection of great gifts and fabulous reads. We eyed up the Chocolate Buffalo (yes, pain au chocolat is too convenient. Chocolate Buffalo fits better anyway.) in What a Bagel! We stared in horror at Ketchup flavored potato chips. I accidentally ate a raisin bagel with dill cream cheese. We danced in Dawn’s apartment. We took walks and I eeped! at puppies, dogs, mutts, and mongrels. It was a smashing good time.

The walk signs in Canada do not feature walking men, but striding men. Big, bold confident people who move about with pep in their step. Up next — how to get three American girls sick faster than you can say ‘monkey,’ and why it’s never okay to wear a dress to an amusement park.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME: A SHAMELESS POST.

Kristen — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:04:31 +0000

I’m in Canada right now, hanging with my dear friends & college roomies, Doey and Dawn. You see, I’m 29 today. And I need to make every minute of not being 30 count for something. (You understand.)

The studio is closed until June 1st, which means there will be a delay when answering your e-mails and phone calls.

To tide you over in the absence of my presence (ha! kidding!), some photos of me taken by the gorgeous Jeanette LeBlanc. Many of you have e-mailed me to say how much you love them, so thanks! She’s an amazing Arizona photographer.

And if you need something to give me for my birthday, look no further than clicking that little ‘be a fan’ doodad below this post and well…being a fan.

MACAYO’S MEXICAN KITCHEN

Kristen — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:04:45 +0000

Love these little sombrero men Erin picked up for me at Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen while in Phoenix. They were out of senoritas, so two senors came to Philadelphia with yours truly.

MY SECRET WISH

Kristen — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:58:03 +0000

I want to be a husband and wife photography team in the worst way. Matt hates having his picture taken and generally shows absolutely no interest in cameras. So when he snuck into the yard with my camera and started snapping away one day?

Be still, my heart. I’m thinking of a new business name, a new logo, a fabulous little photo shoot featuring the two of us with cameras and a feature in Rangefinder, like, tomorrow.

Matt reminds me that he loves his day job and that we’d kill each other if we worked together 24/7. That may be, but a girl can dream…

CROSSPROCESS PHOTO APP FOR IPHONE

Kristen — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:02:05 +0000

If you dig the look of film but don’t have a color darkroom at your disposal, why not try the CrossProcess iPhone App? Just 99 cents, this handy little app gives you the look of having cross-processed a roll of film. Without the cleanup or the stress, and with results you can show off on your iPhone.

The only way to get a fabulous result from an iPhone camera app is to get to playing! First, I just shifted all color settings to ‘On.’ Red, Green, Blue, and Basic were activated in the snapshot below. This was shot from the window of a taxi…I find the color too koolaid-bowl, and not very subtle.

Again, shot on the bus en route to NYC. Berry berry pink as a result of having all CrossProcess app processing options set to ‘On.’

My favorite combination of CrossProcess iPhone all processing settings: Green and Basic switched to On, Red and Blue switched to Off. This combination closely resembles the look of the Totally Rad Actions‘ Pool Party and Lux Photoshop actions. Soft and subtle, this is right up my alley!

Since you can CrossProcess photos from your iPhone’s camera roll, you can double-dip photos in the magical tonal mix, like so:

I simply CrossProcessed the photo, then called the results up from my camera roll and did it again. Much bolder effects abound! The CrossProcess iphone app also has the option to add a border to images, which I opted not to do, and you can opt to save the original or simply shoot your images with the app itself.

At less than a dollar, this app is a fun way to fake the look of Photoshop actions from your iPhone. Oh, and the same people behind this app created ShakeItPhoto, which was reviewed when I listed the Best Polaroid Apps for iPhone.

HALLOWEEN ON THE MAIN LINE – philadelphia photographer

Kristen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:25:08 +0000

So I’m a few days early, but I figured you could use a laugh…Hermione is going to be a dinosaur for Halloween. Originally, she was going to be Hermione Granger, but then…we figured we could do that to her any ol’ day.

Before you go all PETA on me, she jumps around like a three-year-old on Skittles when she sees an outfit, and shoves her head through the neckhole and armholes with enthusiasm. The dog loves dressing up. This doesn’t make it easy to resist the temptation to dress her up and take pictures. Particularly when she is busy being a ferocious dinosaur.

Hope your holiday is full of at least four pounds of candy!

THE PITTER PATTER OF LITTLE FEET

Kristen — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:06:07 +0000