It was May and I loved driving down my driveway just to admire my lawn filled with dandelions and sweet purple violets. Bill couldn’t wait to cut the grass, but I kept insisting that I take photos of our pooch before the big chop. Truth be told, I knew the lawn wouldn’t look like this again, so I took my “dandy” old time. Armed with my new camera and lens, I snapped some shots of my most unpredictable subject, Pirate.
-Deanna
Don’t just unite - act.
Don’t just act, become.
Become a life long solution to the problem of refugees, most recently the huricane in Hati continued the devastation of that weak country.
_______(who you sponsor)_______ is a HopeChild living in a community severely affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis. In Haiti, the disease has impacted the entire social structure, creating a generation of orphans and vulnerable children. Efrander needs your assistance to help save his generation from the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Only if we increase our ties in personal ways can we make a permanent change.
The WPJA awarded my photo from New Zealand 4th place in it’s quarterly awards:
However the judges comments went like this:
But I have to comment on this category in general. There were so many pictures of people walking away from the photographers that it puzzled me. I saw so many pictures with stunning light in other categories that I wondered what the photographers were thinking when they got to this category. All of the moments and good storytelling went away.
Who is this judge that feel’s so strongly that there’s no story from this image that they take the liberty to complain about my photo as exemplary of the category? But they award first place to a haphazardly composed and monochromatic image of the same theme? Boy does that sting. In my experience this goes to strengthen the stereotype that ‘photojournalistic’ images are ‘careless snapshots in black and white’ and doesn’t work toward showing how a good photojournalist can transcend the basic elements of what’s happening and make an image with stronger themes. I would love to hear Sister Wendy discuss the results.
Realistically, when you’re up there your eyes are glued to the splendor that’s enveloping you! When the couple looks at the camera the image loses it’s compelling fixation on the mountain. When you’re there, just as in the picture, it feels like you can reach out and touch it. In my picture I worked to transcend the basic experience of being dropped off on the side of a mountain by helicopter, and tried to capture gesture and pair forms that form an allegory for the wedding experience. I was looking for body language that helped describe the awe we all felt.
It’s funny how every time I hand out the business card with this image on it, the response is - “did you photoshop the background?” Nope, I was really there - and the story of this image, doesn’t just begin when the shutter clicked. You see, it was my vision to wait until the very last minute to get the sunset on the mountain. In this position, we’re in danger of being surrounded by clouds moving up the mountain. Here’s Nigel, our pilot on the lookout for clouds coming in.
The only reason we were able to make this picture is because of Nigel’s experience, daring and willingness. He told us that on his warning we would have to be back in the chopper within 1 minute, because if a cloud covers us - we can’t take off - because the pilot flys visually. The helicopter is perched on loose stones, and Nigel got out and propped us up with extra stones before he would let us get out. The helicopter is idling with the blades spinning so we can make a quick takeoff. On the port side of the bird, there’s probably only two meters to the edge of the cliff from the rotor tips. So Nigel has made a pretty difficult landing at my request, so that I can capture this scene.
From this angle, you can see the clouds at our elevation across the valley.
Oh boy wouldn’t I have loved to had the time to get to the Tasman Peak & Ben Ohau Mountain Range side of the valley to land the couple on the west facing ridges - but that will have to wait until next time. From that side I could get more of the turquoise hues of the glacially fed Lake Pukaki also. Just plan your destination wedding at the Luxurious Mt. Cook Hermitage Hotel and I’ll be there to make unforgettable images with you!
So as a bride which would you be satisfied with a few snapshots from the top of the mountain, or would you want something that transcended your experience? something with allegorical intent?
Neil and I recently had the awesome opportunity to shoot together at Kelly & Tom’s wedding! Our Husband & Wife package is one of my favorite packages for an obvious reason:
I don’t have to bring my step ladder 
He is awefully handy like that!
All joking aside, there is so much value in having two photographers at your wedding. Because here at Make Love Real, LLC we are all about not making you choose. After all, who could choose between Kelly (by Liesl)
And Tom? (by Neil)
They are both way too adorable! And which of these moments would we want you to miss? Neil’s shot . . .
or mine?
These images are such key elements to the story of Kelly & Tom’s day with family and friends, and even though they happened at the same time Kelly and Tom don’t have to choose, because they chose both of us.
I hope my last two posts have made some impression as to what I value in my photography:
My Clients
Their moments
We went on a love roller-coaster in Toronto, and had a Big Bang here in New York
It’s so gratifying to attract great clients! clients full of emotion, and full of stories to tell about Love and life worth living. Thank you for living lives bigger than life - and valuing your love enough to hire me. That last weekend confirms so much of what I’ve been trying to build here at Make Love Real - and I look forward to all the new clients that feel an affinity for what we’re doing and encouraging.