Now offering BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY

I love boudoir photography. It's a chance to celebrate the human figure while evoking beauty, strength, and confidence in an artistic way. I tried it once with a self portrait circa 2006, but haven't had another opportunity since. So when my friend Nancy asked if I would be willing to do a session for her, I jumped at the opportunity. She wanted to surprise her boyfriend with the photos for their anniversary, and they both love them! I'm looking forward to doing more boudoir photos in the future. :-)

(Self portrait, 2006)

A Moonhouse and Stizo Joint

Stizo is a talented Chicago artist who customizes sneakers and den sum.  Check out some of his work here: Stizo custom shoes.  I was inspired by his work and decided to design customized shoes for mine and Nic's wedding.  I created an Easter Island scene because that's where we were going for our honeymoon.  I chose the shoes and colors to follow our wedding color scheme: yellow, green, and black.  I coordinated with Stizo to make sure the material and design were okay, then he painted the design on the shoes...and it looked AWESOME!  Turned out exactly the way I envisioned.  We gave matching shoes to all our groomsmen and bridesmaids (sans customization) and we all wore our kicks to the wedding reception.  Check out our wedding kicks pix shot by Misha Media on their blog.  (Btw, Misha Media did a fantabulous job photographing our wedding day...can't stop looking at their pics!) 

Stizo, thank you for lending your dope skills and helping to create such an important element in our wedding!

Here are my virtual designs done in illustrator:

And the final product:

Darryl likes them...lip-smackin' good:

Sneak Peek at Our Wedding

Earlier this year I photographed a Bat Mitzvah at the Zhou B Art Center, where we're planning to have our wedding reception. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of how our wedding might look. It was also a great opportunity to take notes for our event too!

Click image to view more photos:

Hornet's Nest

In 2005 I created a series of sketches of all the houses a client had lived in so that she could display them in her foyer of her present home.

My good friend Tracy wanted to do something similar as a gift to her mother.  Many of you may recognize this house, which was like a second home to many of our friends.  It was very nostalgic drawing it.  Tracy added her own fine touch by mounting an engraved metal plaque on it that says "Our House" with the dates that they lived there.  The final product looked great. :-)

An Adorable Muse and a New "Canvas"

I was honored and thrilled when my friends Heidi and Gus asked me to paint their daughter Lexi's DOC Band.  Lexi's parents did a great job choosing a design, finding the right color scheme, and really making it their own.  Due to the DOC Band's "wear time" requirements, we were challenged with having to execute the painting, sealing, and drying within a few hours time.  With some good planning, we were able to finish the project within the time constraints.  I really enjoyed this project, especially while getting to play and laugh with Lexi while painting.  It was my first time painting a DOC Band, and I look forward to doing more in the future.  Thanks G & H for everything!  Here are some photos Heidi took of the final product:

Baby Nyla

After seeing my photos of my friend's dog, Buster, Joann asked if I could photograph her new family.  Newborn Nyla is as gorgeous as her parents, and it was a pleasure photographing them all!
 
Please click photo to view more:

/gretchen

Fundraiser for Break Dance Project Uganda

Every year Monty's Dance company, Stick and Move, along with Project Focus, sends two instructors to Uganda in Africa to teach break dance to children. The project allows underprivileged children to receive free dance lessons from professional dancers.

To view photos from the event, please click the photo below: