Art Show for our ZOOM Camp Artists!!

Last Thursday evening, we hosted an Art Show for our ZOOM Camp artists (and don't they look spiffey?) We had a great turnout with many of the artists' friends and family members attending. Our artists displayed some of the art they created during camp including a book showcasing some of their favorite images. Many of the artists were asked if they would be willing to sell their art!!! (I think they are still negotiating pricing with Melissa's dad!!)

We have had several requests about ZOOM Camp 2010....if you are interested, please send us an email as we are compiling a list of requests and will contact you in early 2010 with details.

Melissa and I would like to thank our camp artists: Coltra, Bennett, Kate and Carly for a great week! It was a real pleasure having each of you participate in camp and we look forward to hearing (and seeing!) how your "summer project" is going!!

Little cherub!

These beautiful images of one year old Ingrid remind me of a little cherub...so dear and sweet! And we love that starting-to-walk stage! Such a great moment in time to capture! Ingrid came in with her whole family (older sister Marit was in during March for her own session) and we completed the images for the Tres Belle designer piece that will include super cool giraffe print frames!! We can't wait to see it finished!!! It will definitely be a conversation piece!!

This tender moment between mommy and Ingrid melts our hearts!

Of course the session wasn't complete without some lovin' from big sis!! What a great family!!

ZOOM Camp Art Show Tonite!!!

Yah!! Our camp artists have been anxiously awaiting tonight's Art Show!! They are so proud to showcase their art from ZOOM Photography Camp last week...and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments! The Art Show is open to the public and is at the studio tonight, so join us between 6:30pm and 8pm as we celebrate our young artist's success!!

A glorious spring morning....

We are pleased to introduce Baby Lewis! What a sweetie!! Melissa spent a glorious morning at Lewis' family's house when Lewis was just 6 days old! She was able to capture all the newborn yumminess....sleeping soundly on a bed of pillows, morning bathtime, cuddles with big brother and sucking his tiny fingers! Lewis is the baby brother of Franklin who is 2 1/2 years old....Franklin has been photographed by Melissa since he was a newborn and is a superstar in front of the camera! You can see from the family image below, that Franklin is a very proud big brother!

And we can't forget about Stu, the golden retriever! Love this image!

Final Day of ZOOM Camp!!

Today ZOOM Camp came to an end...although we will all meet again next Thursday July 25th for our Art Show! It was a tremendous week and we were all sad that it is over! The camp artists had some choices today about what to cover and they all unanimously voted to try photographing each other in the studio using lights and different backgrounds. Each camper was able to direct their own session and learned how to create beautiful portraits of their subjects!

In preparation for our Art Show, each camper was asked to write an artist statement/vision that will be part of their art display next week. A lot of thought went into each one and we are excited to share that with you at the Show!

Our Art Show is open to the public and we would be happy for you to come! The camp artists are very proud of their accomplishments and so are we!! Melissa and I were blown away by the campers and how far they had come this week! And we have learned so much from each of them! We look forward to seeing their summer projects unfold over the next couple of months.
CONGRATULATIONS, Camp Artists!! See you next week!!

ZOOM Camp Day 3!!

Today we really used our brains!! The camp artists learned A LOT of really cool, and challenging concepts today....about exposure; aperture and shutter speed. In addition to that, we spent some time critiquing our home projects and using what we have learned. Whew...what a day!! The campers also have each written something for the blog......

"Photography camp is awesome!! We learn so much every day!" Carly...age (almost!) 12

"I have learned so much in ZOOM Camp and had so much fun!! We learned about the rule of thirds, composition and we focus on cool things." Coltra....age 11 1/2

"I have learned so much since I started camp here. I never knew there was so much to know about photography!" -Kate age 10

"Here are some things we learned this week at ZOOM Camp - composition, exposure and when you need to use the flash." - Bennett...age (almost!) 8.

Tomorrow is our final day before the Art Show next week...stay tuned!!

ZOOM Camp Day Two!

Our campers hard at work photographing outdoors this afternoon!! We have lucked out with the weather again today and had a fantastic time exploring another nearby park...this one with a playground!
We started the day reviewing each campers' 10 favorite images from yesterday with each camper critiquing each other's and their own art work they had created....kind of like what they do on American Idol (only nicer!!). Today we also focussed on composition and learned all about the rule of thirds! Our "assignment" today was to use a blob of Play-doh and experiment with the rule of thirds! It is amazing what kinds of transformations a blob will do!

The campers expressed an interest in photographing people so tomorrow we will spend some time on that! Everyone is to come ready to be photographed and with a crazy kind of hat! Can't wait to see what happens! Stay tuned......

Day One of Zoom Photography Camp for Kids!!

Zoom Camp Week has finally arrived!! Whoohoo!! Today was Day One and what a great day we had!! We have 4 "campers" (unfortunately, we had a last minute cancellation of our fifth camper) who arrived ready and eager to learn!! You can see them below...Coltra, Bennett, Kate and Carly!

After meeting in the studio and getting to know each other for awhile, we ventured across the street to Mears Park. It was a perfect afternoon to photograph outdoors....warm, a little overcast and no wind! Today's topic included perspective so the campers experimented at the park photographing from different perspectives....high/low, up close/far away, etc.

Seeing how the campers used perspectives to "tell a story" even showed Melissa and I different and unique ways to photograph in the park....we may be using these in upcoming photo sessions, you never know!

This motley crew of figurines were our "models" today as we asked the campers photograph them from many different angles to demonstrate perspective. You may be seeing more of these guys this week!

Camp wouldn't be camp without the fun, camp games we all love!! Our day included popping balloons to find hidden messages inside as a way to get to know each other!! Super fun!!

The campers will have lots of images to share and we will be posting some of them next week after their Art Show...more on that to come!!