Megpix Photo Journal

The photo setup at a house, because you asked!

2011-11-13T15:33:00.006-05:00

Been involved in a couple of conversations lately where lots of interest has been expressed in how I setup for a photo shoot in a home. It's always nice to have an interested person to talk to, very gratifying and I swear my hat size only expanded a little while my virtues were expounded upon. So here we go - a shoot at Rebecka's parents'-in-law, to celebrate the birth of her daughter less than a week ago and to photograph the extended family as they are today.

The first shot is natural light - I needed to balance the light coming in the window with the light that I'd add from flashes. This late in the fall, there are still some leaves on the trees - and the Christmas cactus is blooming! What a weird fall we've been having.

I decided to shoot at f/5.6, and with the Canon 5D's top sync speed at 1/125th, I only needed to figure out which ISO would match the settings. Turned out to be 320, which is a lovely place to be for low noise in the image.

With those settings, I set up a high light in the upper right of the image with a 30-degree grid. That light gives a nice depth and separation to people in the photo, and kind of acts like an imitation sun, to complement the sunlight coming in through the window behind. The main light was a 3 foot round softbox behind me to my right. I put a fill card on the right (white foamcore) to fill in some of the shadow values. That's the next shot.

Then I moved the durn softbox around until it wasn't reflecting in the window anymore. Jeez.

And then I shot the family! All of 'em! Bang! (Oy, I kill myself...)

After we were done, we all looked at the photos together and made some selections. This takes care of 2 things - even though Rebecka bought a CD of the whole shoot, she and her family narrowed down the choices so they don't have to find the time later to pick favorites. And it gives me immediate feedback. Did I do a great job? Awesome! I feel wonderful! Did we miss a shot? Then let's go get it before all the players disappear.

While they were making final choices on the computer, David headed back into the living room with the baby, and I followed to take a few quick natural-light photos of her sleeping adorableness. And the family's first baby, Mahiri the dog, re-asserted her place.

Thanks for the shoot, Rebecka!
Love,
Meghan

Save the Date - Lowell Open Studios

2011-06-23T16:33:00.002-05:00

Lowell Open Studios will take place on Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 2nd, 2011 from 11am to 5pm.

When you sign up to open your studio, you have to write a bio. Bios are traditionally anxiety-provoking for me. So invoking the most powerful anxiety-reducing mantra I know ("Fuckit!"), I wrote the following bio, which will be published on the website and possibly, if I'm lucky, included in advance publicity:

I shoot people and I eat babies. Oo, did I really type that? I do photo shoots, and if you bring in a really cute baby, I may try to nibble on her toes. My shoots are called Painless Portraits, so you know you're in no real danger. In fact, there's a guarantee. If it hurts to have your picture taken, you can pinch me! Bruise-free since 1999.

The Mask Exhibit...

2011-06-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

My exhibit "Transformation Play" with painter Rebekah Wetmore at the Loading Dock Gallery has been getting media coverage, and I wanted to share some of it with you before the exhibit closes on June 26th. Thank you again to all who have stopped by - and particular thanks to those who have bought artwork!

Here is the online catalog, if you already know you won't have a chance to come to Lowell: Transformation Play

Oh, okay, you can see me in the hot pink dress I wore to the art opening: Reception Photos

Gallery directions and hours: theloadingdockgallery.com

Yay!

Meghan

Meghan Moore | Super-Duper People Photographer

megpix.com | facebook.com/megpix

Here are some of the media mentions.

Arts Boston:

"Moore, an event and portrait photographer with more than 12 years of

experience was intrigued by how people would react to Wetmore’s unique
masks, which she feels ‘have personalities of their own”. "

Lowell Sun:

"She always encourages people to be playful when they
pose for her and the collaboration with Wetmore and her masks was the
perfect opportunity for play."

Boston Globe:

"Wetmore created a series of translucent masks that allow the viewer to

see both the veiled face of the wearer and the painted face of the mask
at the same time."

Encore Buzz:

"In “Transformation Play,” Moore hopes to introduce the viewer to the place where art meets play."

2011-06-06T13:37:00.003-05:00

This weekend was another First Saturday open studios at Western Ave. I usually open up the studio and take portraits. It's a relaxing time for me, because I get to try out new lighting and meet new people.

Sometimes I reduce down to 1 light; this time, I visualized the way I wanted the photos to look, and decided it would take 4 lights to achieve the lighting I wanted.

I put one light up high behind me in a softbox, but pulled it far enough back from the seamless that it would give a harder light (rather than the soft light that the boxes are famous for). That was at about 1/4 power on an 800w/s Alien Bees monolight.

Next were 2 equal lights, one on either side of the backdrop, just bare bulb with a 7-inch reflector on each. I pointed those down, and took a few test shots until I was sure that they weren't throwing any light on the back wall of the seamless. Those were at 1/32 power, the lowest power.

Finally, also at 1/32 power, the background light had a 30-degree grid on it to make a soft spotlight on the back of the seamless.

And then - we played! Rebecca S. brought her daughter Julia in. I have a rolling garment rack near the door, because... well, because it's the easiest spot to put it. The rack has a lot of costumes on it, and even if it's covered up by a blanket, the rack acts as a magnet to some kids. Julia was one of them. She pulled on a tutu over her own dress, and went to town, jumping and running. I love it.

And then - we played! Rebecca S. brought her daughter Julia in. I have a rolling garment rack near the door, because... well, because it's the easiest spot to put it. The rack has a lot of costumes on it, and even if it's covered up by a blanket, the rack acts as a magnet to some kids. Julia was one of them. She pulled on a tutu over her own dress, and went to town, jumping and running. I love it.

This shot was at the end of a jump, as she's feeling triumphant. Julia is 4.

Justin K. let me take his picture, too. He runs culturehive.com. I thought he needed a shiny friendly picture to use on his website.

And Denise E. brought her daughters in - I didn't even catch their names! The youngest went straight for a black cloak, and bent her body in all sorts of directions, peering out from behind this cloak.

Thanks for another fun weekend!
Next shoots:
Week of 6/6 - The town of Devens for CommonWealth Magazine
Saturday 6/11 - Photos with Rebekah's masks! Did you hear the ad on 92.5? I didn't, but I've been hearing about it! We have no idea how many people will be here, but it's going to be awesome.

Eine kleine Nacht Musik

2010-12-06T10:52:00.006-05:00

J.J. Long paints landscapes and figures by day and by night, he "screams like Satan" in the death-metal band Hell Within. I ran down the hall in a break between shoots this weekend and got him to come into the studio. He was amenable to putting on one of the masks that Rebekah Wetmore has created.

Details on the Holiday Photo Shoots

2010-11-30T22:02:00.007-05:00

Fun. Fast. Free.

Here are the details. Book a half-hour appointment in my Lowell studio, 12/5 thru 12/12, noon to 5. We shoot for 5-10 minutes. It's kind of a frenzy of fun. The pictures are beautiful. Then we sit down and look at the photos together on a big screen.

Buy image downloads for $20 per image, OR buy a CD of all of the images from your shoot for $150.

What can you do with an image download? Upload to your favorite photo site (snapfish, smugmug, mpix, easternphoto ...). Make unlimited prints, make albums, holiday cards, mugs, calendars, t-shirts, puzzles, etc. Anything you like.

Fast. Fun. Free.
Megpix Photography
The Studio
122 Western Ave. #513
Lowell MA 01851

Meghan Moore meghan@megpix.com 978-452-6062

Update 2: Here are the dates that are available for Weekend 2 (12/11-12/12): doodle.com
Update 1: Here are the dates that are still available for Weekend 1 (12/5-12/6): doodle.com

Oops Lake

2010-03-16T21:53:00.003-05:00

I'm not supposed to be able to get such a good reflection... because there's not usually a lake there.

This is the field down the street in Lowell, corner of Baldwin and Middlesex. The playground right next to it was packed today - a beautiful day after a nasty night. There are a number of neighbors with high water in the basement. I got interviewed by a guy named Travis from the Boston Globe. Maybe I'll be in the paper tomorrow.

Cutie blue-eyes

2010-03-07T14:56:00.002-05:00

Theresa and her family came to the studio for a First Saturday shoot. Daughter S. is 7 months old, and is just so awake and aware. Here are some of the photos they chose.

Dinosaur persona

2010-03-01T15:00:00.002-05:00

Oh yes. You too can be photographed in your dinosaur persona. There is no judgment. Only acceptance.

Come up to Lowell for a free Painless Portrait. Wear your soul on your sleeve. I'll take a picture.

Love,
Meghan

Date:	Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time:	12:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:	122 Western Ave. Lowell MA Studio 513

WGBH Billboard

2010-02-22T20:51:00.003-05:00

Two of my photos will be displayed on the massive WGBH billboard, lit up in LED splendor over the Mass Pike in Boston. I feel like I won a Grammy or something!

Here are the photos, so you can wave at them if you happen to drive by on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

The photos are from the Merrimack Repertory Theatre's production of "Black Pearl Sings." The actors are Cherene Snow and Valerie Leonard, the play was directed by Benny Sato Ambush, and written by Frank Higgins.

A year and a red rocking chair

2010-01-20T11:01:00.005-05:00

It's coming up on my birfday, and I usually get around to thinking about the past year. It's convenient to have a birthday in January, when I'm already exercising my brain.
But sometimes it's even easier to think about someone else's year, especially when that someone is your own kid.
Kids' lives move faster. My kid's nearly 3 feet tall now and transitioning to a big boy bed. Last year he wasn't standing on his own yet.
That didn't stop me from bringing him into the studio for some photos. Brian came with me to help with the baby-wrangling.

So here's a treat from last January.

It's true. The shoot did end in tears. But I got to take a picture of my big guy comforting my little guy. Life is good. And blog entries about one's offspring are sometimes gooey. :P

Wild rumpus

2010-01-13T10:57:00.005-05:00

Okay, it's been a little while since I posted any photos of my kid. Here are some from yesterday.

Hooray for more daylight! The winter sun is coming in differently through the windows since the solstice last month. I've been kind of chasing it around the house. Add to that the need to chase this kid around, and we've got the makings of a wild rumpus!

That hair. Oh, that hair! As momma, I know it needs a trim. As photog, I rejoice in its waviness.

Fabuloso at MRT

2010-01-07T14:21:00.001-05:00

Merrimack Rep has a new play - Fabuloso by John Kolvenbach. Kyle Fabel directs, and Rebecca Harris, Amy Kim Waschke, Ed Jewett, and Jeremiah Wiggins play the parts. It was pretty zany, and I had a good time moving around to take the shots.

Here are the pix the theater chose for PR. I particularly like the first one, with Ed Jewett's arms flowing up out of the frame and the big, big belly helping push that "I'm crazy" vibe.

Manga hair!

2009-12-18T13:30:00.001-05:00

Red hair and a red jumper. I think that's what those adorable dresses are called - jumpers. I've had a lot of jumping people in my photos lately, but J was totally focused on blowing bubbles.

Her hair - her skin - her expressions - wow! I'm hoping her mom brings her in again for more photos. Impish, puckish, lovely girl. With manga hair - you know, the kind that emotes. :)

The Flying Scarf!

2009-12-18T10:31:00.004-05:00

Donna's family! Three siblings who were so sweet with each other.

A Grandson in His 60's

2009-12-14T13:12:00.006-05:00

This weekend, I had the privilege to chat with a grandson of Dr. Melnea A. Cass. It was Sunday on the last day of open studios, and Roger Freeman stopped by to chat. I learned some Boston history, and now I know more about the namesake of the Boulevard in Roxbury.

Roger is in his 60's (and pleased as punch with that fact). He's flown, skydived, scuba dived, rock climbed, and all the things in between. He's a lively, bright, and gentle character, and I hope to meet him again soon.

It was with great pride that he told me about his grandmother. Dr. Cass is known in many circles as the Mother of Roxbury. She's also responsible for daycare as we know it. She was a star in women's suffrage, and captained the NAACP. She was a Bostonian and she was black and she was a woman, and she stood firm on the issues she believed in. Awesome.

Rainy-day window lighting

2009-12-08T12:44:00.002-05:00

Dangit, this kid is CUTE! Heddi and Nathan invited me to their home for family portraits. A is almost 2 1/2, and definitely knows what a camera is!

Tech notes: The first was taken on the stairs, which face south. It was a rainy day, and the light coming in through the front door and windows was soft and cool. I used a 50mm at f/2 to blow out the stairs behind him and soak in the light.

The other 2 were taken with the 28-70 zoom, also wide open. I just kind of followed A around the house as he checked out some of his favorite places.

Alanna's Family

2009-12-07T11:56:00.003-05:00

Alanna, her husband and her daughters came to the Lowell studio for a family shoot. T. is a senior in high school, so we did her senior portrait. Alanna and her husband both have jobs where they interact with the public regularly, so we did head shots. G. is almost a teenager and we did some single shots of her as well.

But what am I posting here? Two of the photos where my lovely subjects had their eyes closed. Do they work as well as I think they work?

The Free Portraits

2009-12-06T10:28:00.006-05:00

Here are some of my faves from yesterday's free portraits at Western Ave. I'm doing it all again today, and then again next weekend 12/12 - 12/13. Woo!

We did a lot of jumping.

Anne and Alex

2009-12-03T16:54:00.005-05:00

The promised photos! A lovely couple of humans, who described their relationship as - Definitely friends, definitely competitors. Super-fun to photograph them, and watch as their interactions revealed the depth of their feelings for each other. And the depth of their iPhone addiction.

Hey, it's Me!

2009-12-02T18:28:00.005-05:00

Anne Ruthmann and I had a very fun shoot in my studio this past weekend. Anne wound me right up and watched me go. I had to share. Thank you Anne! http://www.anneruthmann.com

Eric and Jasmine's New Family

2009-11-30T10:17:00.006-05:00

Eric and Jasmine have a comfy red house, a useful red barn, and an ingenious new chicken coop that's full of chickens. But this post is about their month-old son, X. Oh my! He fell asleep in my arms, which has caused a permanent heartstring attachment. I will enjoy watching him grow up.

Without further ado, some of my favorite collaborative shots:

Compliments to the Chef

2009-11-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

In October, Jones Farm in Chelmsford, MA was the site of the Chelmsford Mothers' Club fall photo shoot. Rain was predicted for the weekend, and it rained so hard on Sunday that it snowed. So that we could be indoors, Jones Farm offered the use of one of their greenhouses. Add to that the fact that Dave from the farm worked with me for close to 2 hours to set up the hay bales and flowers, plus the fact that they offer fresh coffee and croissants in their cafe, and I've become a fan for life.

Let me offer a shout-out to Brenda Alcorn, who was the event's coordinator. She's another CMC mom, and with a 2 1/2 year old daughter at home, she somehow managed to stay on top of all of the correspondence with the farm, the photographers, and the families. Thank you again, Brenda, for your professionalism and good cheer. I will look forward to working with you again!

And Wendy said - "This year at the CMC Photo Shoot, we had Meghan Moore take our photos. She did a great job with all of us, plus the two kids. J (5 months) wouldn't look where Meghan wanted us to so Meghan worked with the rest of us so we were looking in the same direction as J. She also got some great shots of Brian holding J. We were very pleased with our pictures and would highly recommend Meghan."

Kim said - "We also had Meghan Moore take our pictures for the fall CMC photo shoot. The pictures were stunning. I would and will use her again."

The Slide & The Truck

2009-11-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

The orange slide from Cousin Cheryl came inside for the winter. There's not as much space to slide around in, but there's Trucks!

BTW, this post's photos are about seeing the world the way my kid seems to see it: piecemeal, intense, object-driven.

Tech notes: I'm using a 50mm lens for these shots, and with the 1.62 lens factor on the dSLR, the lens is longer. I took a few frames to figure out exposure, then set it manually to f/2 at 1/60 at ISO 640. I took out some of the tungsten-yellow in post-process, but the orange of his sweater and the slide were so yummy that I didn't want to cool them off completely.

I think I wanna print out that second picture immensely large. The spray of his fingers is what gets me the most.

Bruise-Free Since 1999

2009-11-25T11:50:00.007-05:00

Megpix Painless Portraits come with a guarantee. If they're not absolutely painless, you can pinch me. Bruise-free since 1999!

Yep, the portraits get pretty silly. The free Painless Portraits happen every month at my studio in Western Avenue Studios in Lowell on the first Saturday of every month, 12-5. These are lightning-quick, cheerful, personality-baring portraits, and in many cases, you can see and choose the photos right after the shoot.

We have 4 days of open studios in December - it's the first 2 weekends this coming month. The portraits are free, and when you find photos you like, you can purchase a download for $20. What do you do with a download? Holiday cards!

(Why yes, that is my mom and dad!)

MRT - Heroes

2009-11-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

Merrimack Repertory Theatre is performing "Heroes". I'm told it's a French play, translated by a Brit (Tom Stoppard), and now performed in America. It takes place in 1959 in a vets' home, and 3 feisty old guys hatch escape plans while dealing with each other's wildly entertaining foibles. I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Oh, and the actors are all award winners and/or nominees (from http://merrimackrep.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/cast-crew-of-heroes-announced-merrimack-rep/):
Tony Award-winner Ron Holgate (Gustave)
Tony-nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Jonathan Hogan (Philippe)
Ken Tigar (Henri), a television regular with over 130 television and film credits

Bekah Belly

2009-11-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Did you see the latest postcard? Would you like to receive one? Just email me with your real-world address, and I'll send one out.

This quarter's postcard included a photo of Bekah's son J. But first, Bekah's belly before we all met J.

Bekah held her son up for me - he was 5 months old for this photo. There's a window with southern exposure to the right of the photo. And the glass was pretty dirty! So we got some nice diffusion. And to the left of the photo, behind J's head, is another window, with eastern exposure. A nice fill. Plus, who wouldn't enjoy the exit/salida sign with J's excellent expression?

Family portrait at home

2009-11-21T13:06:00.004-05:00

Had a wonderful family portrait shoot this weekend with Tiffany, Mick and their daughter K. at their home. Ready?

And I get applesauce in my ear

2009-10-06T11:54:00.002-05:00

C feeds the baby doll applesauce. Snuggles the baby. Holds the baby out for me to snuggle. I snuggle the baby.

Applesauce transfer complete.

Lotta Artists

2009-10-04T21:47:00.003-05:00

Compare and contrast. A photo taken in September 2005, on the weekend of the first Lowell Open Studios that Western Avenue Studios participated in. The building had started in July 2005 with 35 or so artists on the 5th floor. And that was it. None of the other floors had been built out yet.

The second photo was taken at the beginning of October in 2009. There are over 200 artists in the building. There are 143 studios spread out among 6 looooong hallways. We have a co-op gallery. We have a goal: raise $2Million to put a down payment on the building so it will remain artist-occupied in perpetuity. And we have lots and lots of people.

For one thing, our faces are a lot smaller in the 2009 photo. And I had to stand on a ladder to take the picture, rather than putting people up a ladder. Heh.

Thanks again, John Greenwald, for pushing us to do the first picture - a historic moment! - and for pushing us to do the second picture 4 successful years later.

Oh, and here's a link I'm often asked for: Megpix:WesternAve
That's the link to pictures I took of the inside of Western Ave while many of the industrial machines were still in situ.

Flying Karamazov Page 6

2009-09-22T08:54:00.004-05:00

There's a review in today's Boston Globe for the opening show at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, the Flying Karamazov Brothers' "Flings & Eros". Guess whose pictures are used? Mine! And guess who got a photo credit? Me! The Globe has been much better lately about photo credits, and I am thankful. MRT always insists on the credit, and the credits have been there more often than not.

What does a photo credit do? Why, it allows me to grin madly and wave the tear sheet around. Which is what I'm doing here. Virtually, of course, so you're not obligated to grin back at me. Even after 10 years at this, tear sheets are still exciting.

Here are the photos that accompany the printed article, which appears on page 6 of G, the arts & entertainment section.

Free photo shoot dates announced

2009-09-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

Updates on the Megpix News page: fall Painless Portrait dates have been announced - those are the free ones!

And a new Megpix shoot type is available for $99 - I'm trying it out. It's called Special Studio Sessions. Weekday mornings from 10-11, I'm available for shoots by appointment in the Lowell studio. Is this right up your alley? Let me know!

This kid can MOVE

2009-09-06T21:28:00.003-05:00

Just before C's bedtime, we were finishing up at Barnes & Noble (the other Big B Bookstore, you know - the one that's not going bankrupt). Had some quiet time in the kids' section, C watched a girl read out loud to her mother.

And then - the crazy kicked in. For whatever reason, when bedtime gets close, C gets a little frantic. He had a jolly time cruising the aisles at maximum warp speed - book it down one aisle, make a sharp left, and another - book it down the next aisle! I thought he was moving randomly, joyfully, 15-month-oldy. Until - we ended up right back in the kids' section, halfway across the store.

Our Lady of Western Avenue

2009-09-05T20:18:00.003-05:00

Amber Daniels and I keep meeting in odd places at Western Ave. Stairwells, parking lots, poorly-lit hallways.

To pre-emptively strike out any rumors of illicit trysts, here's Amber striking a saintly pose. I shall call it - Our Lady of Western Avenue.

Daniel and Anna's wedding

2009-08-18T12:57:00.007-05:00

My best friend from college got married last month to the best person in the world for him. They were married in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, near Anna's family's cottage. Anna got ready at the cottage:
Daniel's father Paul took a picture of us when we were done with the family portraits. Upon reluctantly handing back the camera, flash, battery rig, he declared that he's found his new career!
Anna wore a gorgeous dress:
Daniel wore a gorgeous... uh... tie:
I think that we all played grown-up quite convincingly:
And they danced!

Ezra Jack Keats

2009-08-12T09:23:00.003-05:00

C settles in to read. It's Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day, which is similar to the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle in that they're both drawn with paper cutouts. So far, the Caterpillar book holds his interest - the stubby pages in the middle of the book! the holes in the pages! - and the Keats book is good for a quick look and that's all.

I shall have a look for more activity-oriented books, I think. I-Spy and/or die-cut books. At least, until his imagination really kicks in and the pictures in the books start to represent ideas rather than shapes.

Nana blankets

2009-08-10T21:19:00.007-05:00

A post about the kiddo, who is 14 months and counting. He learned to walk a couple of weeks ago. Today, he circled the interior of the house a couple of times without falling down. Good stuff!

Yesterday he got up on the couch, pulled 2 blankets up around himself, and sat. (This kid doesn't do much sitting still.) I gave him the comics to read. The blanket on the left is a quilt that Brian's grandmother made. The afghan is a quilt that my nana made.

Later, he pulled the blanket over next to me, snuggled up (snuggled! This is a kid committed to movement!), and we read a book together. He pointed out the dinosaurs' trucks, blocks, and 4 balls. Oh my, I could get used to this.

Later, he chased me around the house. I stopped and held the camera behind me as he was walking up. I love the way the stripes on his shirt blur.

And thanks to Emily, who entertained C. in the water, and then fed him some yogurt at home. He was entranced. Especially with Emily's very imitatable face.

Basketball at Night

2009-08-03T20:52:00.005-05:00

There's a park at the end of the street where the guys play basketball at night. I drive by on my way home and wonder how it is. Tonight, a woman was silhouetted against the night courts. Bugs were flicking around. Motorcycles roared by.

And after I'd finished taking the picture, I learned that the woman's name is Sooj. Later tonight, I'll text her the photo.

Baby James

2009-08-03T12:10:00.000-05:00

Bekah was pregnant when she and Jimmy came into the studio last time. (A few of those portraits made it into the "small person giant presence" exhibit.)

I met baby James this weekend, who had some excellent expressions. We were in one of the stairwells at Western Ave. The south-facing windows were nice and dirty, letting in a soft light. And there's an east-facing window too, bringing in light from behind them.

Yum!

A truck. A canal. Lowell.

2009-08-03T08:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday at First Saturday at Western Ave., word came down the hallways. Scuba divers in the canal! The canal is a straight 5 stories down from my studio windows. Several of us gathered at a window to watch.

Then - they found something! A car! How did the car get there? Was it pushed? Dumped? Punked?

No. This is what I heard. It was a pickup truck that was brought in to the garage for repair. It popped out of park and rolled slowly down the embankment and into the canal.

A tow-truck - slash - crane was carefully braced, and the divers attached the underwater truck to the crane, which then pulled that truck out of the water.

Oooh! Aaah! That was good entertainment. I wonder if there were artists hanging out of most of the canal-side windows to watch!

Bugs, Harmless Bugs!

2009-08-01T08:31:00.004-05:00

After the fierce downpour last night, the air this morning is clear and a little bit golden. Here's a drowned-looking bumble bee - still alive! And a daddy long-legs - kinda creepy but completely harmless. And an itty-bitty spider clinging to a ripe blueberry. I picked the rest of the ripe ones and left that one for her.

And here's the kid looking out the window, wondering what mom's up to in the wet, wet garden.

I'll be at Western Ave. today for First Saturday Open Studios, 12-5. And then the Loading Dock Gallery member meeting. And then to Rex's art opening at the Ayer Lofts Gallery, 6-9. Brian will be home spending time with C. and working on his comic book story. I'm excited about today!

Sidebar Slideshow

2009-07-27T09:34:00.002-05:00

The slideshow on the sidebar (which will hopefully still be there as you're reading this) is a feed from one of the galleries on my megpix.smugmug.com site. The gallery is full of viewer-chosen photos.

How do the photos get in the gallery? When you're looking at any photo in any gallery at megpix.smugmug.com, you can give the photo a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. The thumbs-up photos go to the viewers' choice gallery. The more thumbs-up a photo receives, the higher it rises in the rankings.

The block of photos you see when you visit the megpix.smugmug.com page is the set of 30 top-ranked photos. When you click on any of the photos in that block, you can see the rest of the favorites.

Thank you to all who have marked their favorite photos! It's very gratifying!

Lowell Sun slideshow

2009-07-21T18:54:00.005-05:00

A thank-you to Kathleen Pierce at the Lowell Sun, who has engineered production of a slide show of Gov. Patrick's visits around Lowell today.

Here's the link to the online article, plus the slide show at the bottom.
http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_12889818

Ashlee at the Loading Dock

2009-07-21T12:27:00.004-05:00

While we were waiting for the Governor to arrive, Ashlee was also waiting for her students to arrive for the free summer arts program. One of the loading dock doors was open, and on a cloudy day the sky acts like a giant softbox, casting soft shadows.

I also liked the bright yellow on the door and the old-school metal-cage fan behind her, all identifying the type of place she was in, if not the actual location. Did you recognize it before I gave the location away?

Gov Deval Patrick at Western Ave Studios Lowell

2009-07-21T10:57:00.004-05:00

The studios at Western Ave. have seen their share of local political dignitaries, and even Niki Tsongas held a party here pre-election. Today, Governor Deval Patrick visited, along with his dog Toby, who is 9 weeks old and is already a media darling.

Oh, my connection with the event is that I photographed it. More pix here: http://megpix.smugmug.com/Commercial%20&%20Editorial/838724

Joggy Doggy

2009-05-25T15:35:00.003-05:00

Bentley at the water. Elana and Dan were tossing a ball back and forth for him. He's a beautiful, calm golden retriever. He waited easily until pack leader Elana told him it was okay to go in the water. Amazing.

A bouncy dog, wet fur flying.

And back legs churning! Must - get - the ball!

But wait -- a lemur? Slow shutter speed is fun.

Sweet twins

2009-05-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Elizabeth and John, for bringing your sweet, sweet 5-month-old twins in for photos! And for paying me a beautiful compliment: "You really did it - you captured so many different aspects of their personalities, it is amazing." I loved it - let's do it again soon!

5/9 Mother's Day photo shoots comin' up

2009-05-04T09:54:00.004-05:00

Just a quick shout about the Mother's Day fundraiser photo shoots coming up soon.

On Saturday 5/9, I'm charging $150 per shoot (wicked discounted) at the Lowell studio as a fundraiser for the Friends of Western Avenue Studios, who are raising money to buy the Western Avenue Studios building so that artists can always do their artwork there at way-below-market rents.

Was that a run-on sentence?

Anyway, there are some spots left to fill. The session go for a half-hour for up to 5 people (or pets!), and in that time we do a really fun, intensive photo shoot, then you get to look at the photos and choose which ones you want to take home.

Here's the postcard, for which I thank Suzi and Dashiell - they were extra-cute that day:

Email me for an appointment and I'll get you set up. Ask me about clothing choices too if you wanna.

Stories from the Shelter

2009-05-01T10:05:00.005-05:00

Stories from the Shelter is a benefit event for the Lowell Humane Society that's coming up at the studios. It's on Friday evening May 15th from 6-9pm. I'll be showing a bunch of images of 9 of the shelter cats, plus a rabbit named Sadie. Here's a sneak peek:

From the postcard:
"The artists at Western Avenue Studios have partnered with the Lowell Humane Society to create an exhibit inspired by the animals, volunteers and staff at the Shelter. We invite you to join us at a benefit for the Lowell Humane Society as we unveil the results of this collaboration."

Tickets are $20 and 100% of ticket sales go directly to the shelter. You can call the Society at 978-452-7781 for tickets. I think they'll be available at the door too.

The benefit will be held at Western Avenue Studios, 2nd Floor of the A-Mill, 122 Western Ave., Lowell MA 01851. Directions are at www.westernavenuestudios.com

Here's the front of the postcard, with images by Adrien Bisson (the people and the ferret) and me (the 2 sets of cat eyes and the puffy tail).

Moon for the Misbegotten

2009-04-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Merrimack Repertory Theatre has "Moon for the Misbegotten", a Eugene O'Neill play, up for the next several weeks. Definitely worth a gander: great set (the stage - it's raked!), great lines, and best of all, great actors to fill the parts. Very enjoyable.

Here are the pix Jamie and Tom chose for the press.

Edward Morgan directing, Kate Udall as Josie, Michael Canavan as Jim, Gordon Joseph Weiss as Phil, Karl baker Olson as Mike, John Kooi as Harder.

Kristen & Margaret

2009-04-27T13:03:00.002-05:00

Thank you, Kristen and Margaret, for bringing your cute, cute, cute boys in again. I love seeing you every year, and I look forward to next year already. There's something amazing and very humbling about seeing how much bigger and more mature they are each year.

Here's our favorite photo, for all to enjoy.

Art of Sacrifice + Theater Mania

2009-04-12T20:45:00.002-05:00

I have a google alert set up to let me know when Megpix photos are used with publications (or at least carry my tag-line, not necessarily foolproof). Just received an alert for Theater Mania, which published the "Art of Sacrifice" publicity shot.

The article.

The photo.

Actors Nesbitt Blaisdell and Jeremiah Wiggins posed for the shot and performed in the play.

Not long after the shot went out to publications, the publishing company for the play contacted me and bought rights to use the image on the front cover of the playbook. Yay!

Ice cream face

2009-03-31T21:30:00.002-05:00

First taste of ice cream. OK, actually, it's maybe the 3rd taste. When I really knew he didn't like it but I just had to take a picture.

Micro-pocket

2009-03-28T08:05:00.006-05:00

There's a micro-pocket near the back door. Which isn't as exotic as it sounds - no star fields, no warp drives. No microwavable sandwiches.

But it is exciting to this winter-weary soul. The micro-pocket is an area of garden that's more protected than the garden by the street or out in the back behind the barn. It's in an ell of house angles. (I think that may mark the first time I've used the crossword-friendly word 'ell' in a real sentence). And what's in the ell? Crocuses!

The fall of 07, I went a little nutty with planting bulbs. I was a couple of months pregnant, and looking forward to the spring, and I figured I'd be too big to do the bending and kneeling that makes up the major part of regular gardening. (I have a fond memory of digging in the garden with Rebekah W several days after my due date - so much for expectations!)

So that fall, crocuses, tulips and daffodils were planted in profusion with the help of one of those step-on-it bulb planters. And the crocuses have come up faithfully since then. Special bonus this spring: Yellow crocuses as eye candy for young C, leaning his forehead on the window to gaze at them.

Bad Dates at MRT

2009-03-20T10:04:00.005-05:00

And here are the photos from the new show at Merrimack Rep - Bad Dates. Elizabeth Aspenlieder plays Haley Walker in a very energetic production. The play was written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Adrianne Krstansky.

Here's the quickie synopsis: "A hilarious and touching comedy, Bad Dates follows the story of Haley Walker, a single mother with a teenage daughter, a screamingly stressful job, and a collection of 600 pairs of shoes as she tries to find love in the big city."

And pix! A pair of Jimmy Choos figured large.

Theater photos

2009-03-18T16:10:00.005-05:00

So I've been taking photos for the Merrimack Repertory Theatre since, like, forever. OK, maybe since 2003 or 2004, but those 5 years have gone by slowly/quickly. You know how it goes.

The MRT has 6 shows a year, and I photograph them the night before press night - the dress rehearsal. They give me the run of the house, and I take photos of individuals, interactions, scene-wide shots - and it often adds up to something like 600-800 photos per show.

Sounds kind of like... a wedding! It's essentially the same skill set, only done in the dark. I've got to anticipate the right moment and be there with the right lens, angle, exposure, etc. But the theater has done the trickiest part - the lighting!

After the show, Marketing looks through the images and in remarkably short order comes up with choices to send out to the press. Here are the photos they chose from the last show, Tranced. Tranced was written by Bob Clyman, directed by Kyle Fabel. Azmera was played by Zainab Jah, Philip by Mark Zeisler, Beth by Kimber Riddle, and Logan by David Adkins.

The Mad Hatter

2009-02-19T14:39:00.000-05:00

Diana Coluntino came into the studio for photos of her creations a while back. She does beautiful and sometimes dangerous-looking sculptures, whimsical hats, and 2 1/2 dimensional paintings. Fantastic, energetic work.

At the end of our shoot, I asked if we could make an artist portrait, and this is what we did.

The Lost Sock

2009-02-18T17:18:00.001-05:00

The lost sock. Off it goes, baby-style.

2009-02-12T14:21:00.004-05:00

In the summer, I photograph flowers using a macro lens. I try to think like a bug. This winter, I took some photos of my son with a macro lens. I'm not sure I wasn't thinking like a bug.

This was from a shoot this past weekend at the Lowell studio. I find myself conserving effort where I can, when I've got my kid along. For example, I usually set up a couple of lights for a studio shoot. With C along for the ride, I let the natural light win.

The studio's 4 windows face south, and depending on the time of day and the cloud cover, the ambient lighting can be cool, warm, or weird. The lighting that day was fairly cool, with some bright blocks from the sun shining directly on the backdrop paper.

Chasing an active 8 month old around with a macro lens is an exquisite combination of joy and frustration.

Sharing is easy... so far

2009-01-27T13:49:00.001-05:00

Suzi's son Dashiell and C pass a box back and forth the other day at our house. Neither of them minded when the other took the box. There was, however, no offering of the box.

Photography-wise, the background is a mess. I decided I didn't mind for a couple of reasons.
1 - The "my kid!" factor. In other words, it's my kid and why would I mind a little messy background when it's such a cute shot!
2 - The snapshot factor. Yep, it's a snapshot. A quick take of a cute moment before it went away forever.

Things that I like about the picture are the subject (it's my kid!), the 2 round, mostly bald heads, the intent expressions on their faces, and the moment of giving/taking the box. I also like that the photo was taken almost from their level. And finally, the background is good for showing the regular mess that happens with 2 active babies.

How could I have improved the shot? I could have gotten right down with them, maybe even looking up at them from near the floor, though the windows would have produced lens flare. I could have opened up the aperture so the background went blurry.

It's always easier to consider what to do after the fact - but it's fun to keep learning from my own examples.

Next up: Ask Suzi if we can go into the studio again with the 2 babies!

My kid treed the cat

2009-01-23T10:40:00.002-05:00

It's true: my kid treed the cat. Which can only be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Zoom in on the "Look what I did!" face:

Mirror pic

2009-01-22T20:47:00.005-05:00

C digs the mirror!

Photographically, I've always had a hard time composing mirror shots. I was hoping I wouldn't go wrong with this one.

The light coming into the living room in mid-morning is contrasty but lovely to shoot in. With C facing down, light bounced back onto his face from the mirror - I should try that kind of light bounce in the studio! And I love the highlight on his cheek, about the same value as the highlight on his hair.

And beyond that, he was smiling at me - his momma! - so the picture warms my heart every time I look at it. How does it affect you?

Photo collages

2009-01-21T15:56:00.003-05:00

There's a series of photo exhibits that take place over a weekend in Lowell. That's coming up at the end of January. I recently did a series of photos of artists, artwork, and stuff they use to make artwork. The exhibit at Western Ave. (where I maintain a photo studio) has "Point of View" as its theme. In a building that has more than 150 artists, I wanted to show the variety of personalities, artwork, and the sheer volume of stuff.

I made 12 collages and stuck them all together. They look a lot like a quilt when seen from a distance. The next step would be stitching along the photo borders, but I didn't think of that in time!

Hedgehog!

2008-12-30T15:20:00.006-05:00

While I'm being enthusiastic, I must write about the hedgehog. Krysta and Lee came for dinner... and brought their hedgehog Poppy. I'd had the idea that hedgehogs were bigger, grumpier, and spikier. This hedgie was massively cute. In a tiny way. So tiny that she fit in this container.

So massively cute that she curled up in Krysta's hands. It was after dinner, so it was time to go to sleep. I confess to prodding her (with Krysta's encouragement). Result: tighter ball of cuteness, with occasional leg protrusion.

New C pix!

2008-12-30T14:54:00.009-05:00

Here's a new pic of C -

That's actually from the end of November, around Turkey Day. Let's see if I can find a more recent one...

Photographers. You'd expect them to be right on top of taking and filing pix of their kids...

Shuffle, shuffle...

Here!

C with his Gramma Moore - thank you for the awesome visit!

Twitter

2008-11-21T12:13:00.001-05:00

Find me on twitter at megamoore. Heh.

Baby born!

2008-05-25T15:41:00.004-05:00

We're ridiculously pleased to announce the birth of our baby boy. Email me for his name - we'll let him choose the time and place to unveil his name on the internet.

Our baby was born on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at noon, weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 20.5 inches.

Pictures!

Triangles and sailing in Buzzards Bay

2007-06-05T11:55:00.000-05:00

Leaving a triangle at the corner of a photo can be distracting...

Unless the whole photo is filled with them!

We were taken out for a sail on a wooden boat on Buzzards Bay, just off of Cape Cod. The wooden boat is owned by a friend, and captained by some new friends. Brian and my parents came with. It was a cloudy day, and the wind patterns were all over the place as the air mass shifted to make room for an incoming tropical storm. Barry, I think.

The boat is named Valora, and she's steady as a rock. When we finally found some wind further out in the harbor, almost to the shipping lane out of Cape Cod Canal, the boat seemed as though she puffed out her chest, with the sails filling and the deck leaning away from the wind as we picked up speed. The piece that sticks down into the water through the hull was pulled up so we were a shallow boat, able to navigate well in the sandy waters of the bay.

And then -- and then! -- Lu showed me how to use the tiller! I stopped taking pictures for a while and Brian took some of me with a smile filling up my face. They showed me how to tack! And the boat didn't skip across the water - she positively flew. Smoothly, responsively. I think I remember hearing 7 1/2 knots.

If delirious happiness on a Sunday makes a difference, I'm in for a good week.

Really Pink

2007-05-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

Photo shoot on Mother's Day with Caroline and her mom.

I got to meet them a couple of years ago when I photographed Caroline at 8 months or so. We went to a park in town and she and her mom played and looked at flowers - and cried (just Caroline) - and then played again. All in all, a really satisfying shoot.

A year later, we got to do it again. Same park, but now Caroline was playing on the jungle gym - and was VERY into playing peek-a-boo. We made a book from the photo shoot and gave it to her father for his trip to Russia. Got a note a few weeks later from him saying it was the most amazing thing ever, and made him really happy.

And Mother's Day rolled around and we did another shoot - this time in the studio. Caroline is talking, active, curious - and very pink! She and her mom goofed around and played some singing games, and then her mom stood behind me to help get this shot. You can see that Caroline's gaze isn't quite at the camera lens, but she's got a very open, engaged look.

Lighting - Umbrella to my right, fairly high. Umbrella to my left, low and to Caroline's side, giving wrap-around lighting that's balanced by the light on the right. One of these days I'll get around to finding a softbox... and finding out what "key lighting" means...

Zoomy building

2007-05-28T20:44:00.000-05:00

State Room, Boston - Out the window with a Lens Baby! St. Patrick's Day, actually. I think the State Room is on the 30th floor or so. And the lensbaby, used with the f/2.8 ring, distorts everything nicely. The photo makes me feel like I'm looking at a teensy model of Boston, but there are enough details so the building feels much more massive simultaneously.

Before Harmonie and Matthew's wedding, which was the first wedding where I used a lensbaby. Much happiness from the couple. Wait, I'll find one from the wedding too -

I just took another look at Gregory Heisler's website and it's still awesome. Inspiring. I like his portrait gallery headings: Quiet, Vibrant, Simple, Dynamic, Strange, Contextual, Time Covers... Time covers!

I remember looking at the photos on the covers of Time before I ever became a photographer, and thinking how evocative and straightforward they are. And I've looked at them more carefully since getting more involved in following and controlling lighting. Something amazing happens with the pair of highlights on the back of a subject's face. The highlights tend to focus my attention on the rest of the well-lit face, but let me think about what's outside of the frame, too.

So I'm inspired, and I'll see what I can do with the next shoot.

Sonik

2007-05-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

Man, I forgot about this one. You know how, every once in a while, you troll the web for things you've done? Found this one on the Revolving Museum website, makes me happy. A shot of Caleb Neelon - Sonik - hanging out with the rude, crude, and pants-peeingly hilarious Big Nazo man puppets. Caleb's swank suit goes well with the green head guy's green head.

I think this is the shot Caleb that bought the rights to to use in his book.

This was maybe 3 years ago at an art opening hosted by Jerry Beck, mastermind behind the Revolving Museum, which at that point had relatively recently moved to Lowell.

Flash on a bracket, f/5.6 or so (it's a Vivitar 285 with Thyristor flash sensor - modern technology from 1970). Prolly 400 ASA, maybe 1/15 or 1/20 second to soak in the ambient light. The flash freezes the motion on things within its range, and things further outside its range are not as frozen. The camera shook a little during the exposure, whether by accident or design, but it gives the image an active feeling, kind of jittery with barely-frozen energy.

Does it give you the feeling that the rest of the night was fantastic?

2007-05-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Vanu and Judy came to the studio for the 5/12 photo shoots. Amazing couple - she sings professionally, he heads up a prominent business. Very comfortable with each other, so sweet to work with.

3 years ago CommonWealth Magazine sent me to photograph Vanu for an article, and we've kept in touch on and off. Here's that photo. It's also on the front page of the megpix.com website.

In the studio, I used a 2-light setup. There was an umbrella at 5 or 6 feet high on the right. And an umbrella at a lower height, pointing at the background and side of the people, on the left.

For the photo of Vanu at his business in Kendall Square, I had a light on umbrella at about 8 feet high, plugged into the column on the right of the photo. The sun had just about set and all the lights in the office buildings in the background were visible. And Vanu's office had this fantastic sloped window and balcony! He's holding the company's product.

I like all the interesting stuff in the background too.

Niki Tsongas 24-hour power tour

2007-05-16T22:39:00.000-05:00

Campaign kickoff tour for Niki Tsongas. 11 hours with a really committed bunch of people. Niki's 3 daughters were with her for most of the day.

I rode on the bus. :)

The night before, I packed the car with a light stand, extension cord, umbrella, and off-camera flash unit. Alien Bee 800 or something. Also brought along an extra body, 2 on-camera flashes, bracket, and 3 zooms - wide, portrait, tele. And lots of batteries, flash cards.

Since we took the bus from Lowell and would end up in Methuen when I was done 11 hours later, where I'd head out to a board meeting afterwards, Brian was able to link up with my mom and drive the car to Shadi's in Methuen, then head back home to keep illustrating. Outstanding.

I was reluctant to leave the gear in the car, but when common sense prevailed and I got a look at everything we'd be doing during the day, I decided to leave the cumbersome stuff behind. Eventually I took the camera off the flash bracket and shot natural light, wide f-stop. I'm pretty satisfied with the shots, and have been seeing them pop up all over the internet, so someone likes them too. Part of the gig was giving the campaign all the repro rights to the images. There's nothing better than seeing good images used well, so kudos.

Powow River Grille

2007-05-01T16:30:00.000-05:00

At the Powow River Grille. Party. Light on a stand taped to the balcony, behind a potted plant, so nobody knocks it over. It worked well! Lighting cords snaked along the floor, additionally wrapped around the lighting stand so that if - just if - the tape let go, the stand would not catapult onto the crowd below.

Sweet, sweet waitstaff not only allowed my tenuous lightstand, they also assisted me in setting it up.

And the food was awesome.

OK, here's what else the light illuminated:

2007-03-15T22:57:00.001-05:00

I was in the State House waiting for the Irish Delegation from Limerick to finish up in the Chamber. Didn't want to disturb. On the wall in a room behind the Chamber are some old maps of Massachusetts, red dots all over the place. One dot on Nantucket. Furthest south, furthest east, old Nantucket.

That's right, a Nantucket Limerick should go here.

Er...

Trying for Spring

2007-03-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

I work in the barn, second floor. Out the window, there's a birdhouse, and the backyards of the neighborhood.

Cats often scoot by and birds use the birdhouse in season, so there's often something appearing out of the corner of my eye that lets me pause in the middle of typing a sentence, turn my head, and look out the window.

So I see motion out of the corner of my eye, turn my head, and see -- snow!

I think it's called a snow squall when a snowstorm blows up out of a sunny day, snows hard for 15 minutes, and then blows itself out again. Literally 15 minutes later, the snow on the neighbor's roof had melted, and we were back to sun.

I'm looking forward to spring.

Let's try this out

2006-07-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Here comes the Megpix photo journal. I take so darn many pictures, and it's hard to figure out what to do with them all.

This image was taken in my garden. It's a peony. It's left over from the previous owners, who lived in the house for 40 years.

It's a digital photo, taken with a Canon 10d. I used a 50mm lens with the aperture set at 2.8, and held it close to the flower without looking through the viewfinder, letting auto-focus have its way. Bug's eye view, sort of.

There's a whole series of them, but this one, with its color depth and evocative petals, might be my favorite.