Senior Models - Now's Your Time!

The studio's now undergoing a make-over! Yahoo! The carpenter comes tomorrow to install my new motorized background system, which will add 5 years to my life and make things move along faster in the PEGGY MORSCH life photograph studio. Now I can't wait for the new Volcanic background to come! I've also been adding some new textures to one of the walls, and on Wednesday, I'll be yielding a paintbrush to bring it to life. It's going to be lucious!

But before I get ahead of myself and get all excited about the new stuff I'm playing with, I need to send out a CALL FOR MODELS. So anyone from the Class of 2011 that gets a hold of this, contact me via my website (www.peggymorsch.com) to ask for an application for 'Team Peggy.' You'll be an important part of me trying out my new backgrounds and styles for the 2011 class. You'll be rewarded for your efforts and yes, you'll be able to be photographed outdoors once the summer weather arrives.

When you contact me, I'll email you an application. It must be returned by March 19, 2010. Then after your Easter break, when you've had a chance to go south and get a real tan, I'll photograph you. Com'on, you know you want to do it!

Check out this video of the Class of 2010! You too can be part of 'Team Peggy!'

Lucky Guy

This morning's photography meetings were exciting, with great ideas from Scott Crosby and Kay Eskridge. Practical tips for seniors, and tots to teens, while surprising your clients with images they never dreamed of. Great! Peggy's pumped back up again!

While on my way back to my room I crossed paths with Justin. His face was friendly so I said "Hi - nice T-shirt as we passed on the small bridge over the man-made canal. He smiled back and said, "Yeah, I had a bicycle accident with a Ford F-150." I heeled around, stopped in my tracks, and began to talk to him as my memory went back to my bicycle accident in Slovenia in 2005.

He'd been riding on a rural stretch of road on an new composite fiber bicycle (2.5 rides old!) on a straight, rural stretch in Kansas. While he doesn't recall the accident, a 24 yr old woman driving behind the F-150 and the reluctant, first responder, said he was pushed up and over the hood and top of the truck by a driver that fell asleep at the wheel. He first landed in the truck's bed and then on the road. She thought he was dead when she came to his aid, but he survived his concussion and rib injuries. Wow! Justin said his helmet did everything it was supposed to. "Obviously," I thought as I listened to him recall the event.

By statistics, he shouldn't be here. Nor perhaps I, as I went over the handlebars of a rented bike when the front fender broke off and lodged in the brake mechanism. Thank God for 'tuck and roll." So Justin and I hung out for a while talking about our love of cycling after our bodies started to rebel from 5-7 days/week of running. While we both knew what could have happened, it didn't matter now. It was a 10 minute bonding experience for me. It left me thankful for the tuck & roll and that Justin landed just right on that stretch of road in rural Kansas.

I ask if I could make this image and he consented. It's a reminder to me that I too am lucky, even if I don't have a T-shirt to prove it!

It's Overload Time!

Day two of the SYNC conference (Seniors and Youth National Conference) for photographers is over and I think it's time to order me up a new 4 GB memory external hard drive. That would be the 'gray matter' kind of memory, i.e. brain power. Just not sure how to plug it into my brain. You see, there are meetings from 8:30 a.m. 'til 10:30 p.m. and I've been taking notes like a court room stenographer!

At these meetings, I keep a running "To Do List" going so I can make sense of all the information I've collected for when I get back home. It's a routine I adopted long ago when attending conferences in my previous career. Well, let's just say that my to do list seems to be about as long as the Master's Thesis I wrote years ago! OK, I exaggerate for effect, but I think you get the idea.

I'm excited about the changes that will come! The new sets I've planned for my kids and seniors portraits are going to bring energy and excitement into this new year! The new designs for Senior and Newborn Books are awesome! Lots to be excited about. So while I'm a bit brain dead tonight, I'll be ready for more tomorrow morning.

As for the image, on my first evening here, I strolled the beach in front of the resort at sunset time. There's nothing like facing the sun when it's done for the day; taking in it's last rays of warmth. I was making images of the rows of beach chaises and saw this man, sitting alone. When I made the image I thought I'd jokingly blog about how he was missing the snow and bitter cold from up north. Then today I realized that his body language emulated how my brain felt tonight! Every brain overload needs a brain dump. Good.n..i...g....h.....t.

Holiday Portrait Gifts and Snow

Ahh, it is finally here! This is the weekend that the PEGGY MORSCH life photography Elf can kick back and have a little fun! FedEx Santa has made his last delivery of custom portraits and the Chief Elf has them nicely packaged for her clients to take home to their loved ones. What could be better than watching all the smiles that form on their faces or listening to the "Oh, these are beautiful," words that they exclaim?

Well, OK, maybe a little snow would make it all seem a little more like Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, but the meteorologists sent that weather pattern a bit more East. The Elf should just be happy that she doesn't have to shovel 20" of snow! See, there's always something to be grateful for, especially during the Holidays.

So even if there's no snow on the ground on our side of Milwaukee, I have my photographic memories of other years, where kids were out having fun in the snow in my neighborhood. So as client after client comes to get their beautiful portraits, the Chief Elf gets a nice feeling knowing that the gift of memories will live on in these portraits for years to come.

Twins Keep You Hopping

This Fall I was asked to photograph 2 high school seniors that are fraternal twins. Having working with identical twins, I was excited to photograph Jenny and Don. We had planned on an indoor session, as the weather was turning cold and cloudy. However, on the day of their Creative Session, temps. were in the 50's, some yellow foliage remained and the sun was out.

They were game when I suggested that we change course and head outside, so off to nearby Lake Park we went. Dad left us alone to work our magic together and right away the atmosphere was conducive to great images. Jenny and Don's personalities started to be show through; one being quiet; one quieter.

As I photograph, I'm always trying to do multiple things at once. One is keep my intuition open to changing light that I see and listen to that little voice that says, "try this." It's imperative that I try new things and follow that inner voice! It's never steered me wrong. The other side of my brain keeps a little banter going about all the technological considerations I need to make with my equipment: shutter speed, f-stop, lighting with wireless flashes, positioning, etc. and then blend that together with what I want to convey about the subject before me. So with two of them, I was working in overdrive.

My work must simply be true to the person I photograph. Their image has to blend the technical with the intuitive, so that I can convey something authentic about the person before me. When parents tell me that I've really captured their personalities, then I know that the multi-tasking during the Creative Session was worth it!

So enough about the 'how' of images of twins. Today, while I was working on this image of the two of them, a feeling inside me, an awareness of truth, started to well up and it landed as a well balanced weight within. This image was true to them, and then I remembered how Jenny gushed about this image when she saw it in the View and Choose session. Don, he just smiled and shook his head 'yes.'

It will now be a 24 x 16 Metallic print to hang in my Gallery. Every time I look at it, I'll feel that same weight in my belly that says, "true." I hope they do too!

Under the Light

Yesterday was a windy day in the upper Midwest. The cold front was setting up to blow through during the early evening hours and the wind made me worried about my upcoming Senior Portrait session in the afternoon. I wondered if Sasha would have longer hair that would twist in the wind and make our outdoor session a challenge. Thankfully, her hair was pulled back and we dealt with the stray strands as best as we could.

As we approached this building, I visualized an image I had not made before. I love it when that happens! It's a wonderful feeling to have one's intuitive channels open, receiving little messages that come and then following them. "Let the wind be damned," I thought. We're going to try something different! Sasha was ready and open to my suggestion. I'll know tomorrow night if she likes it, when she arrives for her View and Choose session.

I love the divergent lines of the building, the red color and the lone, white, rusted light above her. Add in the color balance of the white top and old light and I think it works. Not for a yearbook photo, but definitely for a Graduation Announcement card next spring. Way to go Sasha!

Working with Other Artists

I find myself working on Derek's Senior Book this morning and I've been anticipating the fun I would have working on it! Have you ever found yourself looking forward to something you had to get done? I usually use it as a "carrot" to get me through other work I don't enjoy as much. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my work/job, but there are tasks I enjoy more than others. A universal feeling, I'm sure.

So today I realized why I enjoy working on the custom products I produce, like books, gallery wraps, cards, bookmarks, etc. In part, it's because I get to work with another artist to produce them. I kneel at the altar of the graphic artist I work with that produces the creative designs that I incorporate in my work! Her work heightens mine. It's that simple and I know she'd say the same thing. My work helps her with her designs.

While recently hiking down Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland, I ran into a graphic artist from Ireland. I told him how I worship the graphic artist that I work with and explained why. The smile on his face seemed to grow as wide as one of their famed glens (valleys)! He appreciated the comment and said he also loves to work with other creatives because it gives him a little push to do better.

So while I work alone in my office today, I realize the bigger picture. Derek's book is really a "team effort" and I don't feel all alone today. I know he and his parents will appreciate the creative energies/talents of both of us, just as they appreciate the efforts of Derek and his coach, who helped him set a personal best in the pole vault last spring!

My Life has Direction

One of the things I enjoy about photographing high school seniors in the Milwaukee area is that they give me a glimpse into the future. I enjoy talking to them about where they might go to school, what course of study or trade they might pursue, and what subjects they enjoy learning about. This year, I'd say my seniors have been more science oriented - medicine, nuclear physics, biology, etc. Some will be serving us in the military, while others will choose to teach.

Luke told me he's looking to be a psychologist - "maybe working with veterans or in an educational setting," he said. I perked up when he told me that, because in the short time I had been with him, I could feel his calmness and felt at ease with him. "You'd be great at that Luke," I told him. "I can see you being a great listener. "

Later on, as we were walking back to our cars, I learned of a large, personal loss he has lived through. The sudden death of his father three years earlier. It all made sense then. Sometimes in life we choose the paths we take while other times the paths sort of find and "draft" us. It's what we choose to do with it that counts.

I thought about how losses are often gifts to us. It's only recognized at a later time in life. While we're going through the discomfort and grief of a loss/change, the spiritual struggle often brings us through to a better place. We're stronger, more resilient, empathetic, and all the wiser for it. The world becomes more shades of grey vs. black and white. At least that's what I've found in my life.

As we walked back, past a fence, where I had previously made a great head and shoulders photo of Luke, he asked me if I could take a few more shots of him there from the waist up. Sure I could, and am awful glad I did! I LOVE this photo of him. In all his steadiness, I saw that he had direction in his life and that he has a gift he will share with others.

A Senior to Remember

Every year, when I'm photographing high school Seniors, I get a glimpse of their character and personality. This year I've been lucky to photograph a student from Franklin High that has already shown enough ambition, dedication and selfless acts to fill a stadium.

Because I'm going to produce a custom book for Derek, I started photographing him during wrestling season. He was fast and strong!. Then we moved into Track & Field season, where I watched him reach a personal best in the pole vault. Add in an 800 run and a relay and you get the picture - fast, strong and has endurance!

But what really impressed me was the Eagle Scout project Derek took on. My nephew's an Eagle Scout so I know the drive, dedication and ambition one has to have to achieve the Eagle Scout ranking. For his project, Derek built a Veterans Memorial in Franklin to honor those that have served our country, including 3 generations of his family. No big deal, you might think, until I tell you that he sold the idea to the Planning Commission, Parks Commission, Veterans Associations and many others that could say "yea" or "nay" to his project. Throw in requests for donations to the tune of $50,000 so that the Memorial could be built, and I think you get the idea of his goal setting.

So it was an honor to make some images of him that show off the work he's accomplished thus far and give you a glimpse of the quiet strength he possess to achieve his goals. Here's a young guy that each time I'm done photographing him, thanks me! Little does he know that he's made me feel like a million bucks!

Custom Photography

While in Alaska this past winter, I wandered over to a property that has not been occupied since the 1970's and photographed some old vehicles, gas cans, a bucking saw and an old refrigerator. Most of the above mentioned items have been infiltrated by rust. Now rust can be a fun thing to make images from because of it's texture, shape and color. Each rust spot communicates a different story. There's bluish rust, green/gold rust and the old common variety - rusty rust. As long as it doesn't show up on YOUR car, rust is fun!

Such it was with this image. The "custom" was found on the lower, right, front of an old Marquette refrigerator. I didn't see it at first, and then, while waiting for a long exposure on another shot, low to the ground, I saw it. Is it not custom, in and of itself, that the word is missing a "U"? Or "U" are the custom in customer?

I paused to think about my work and how it's all custom and here it was screaming at me in the colors of fire. It reminded me that I 'burn up' with a passion for what I do while others 'burn out.' It is why I never photograph any high school senior from the same school in the same location. They're too unique to not have their own place to be photographed! Same thing with families, children or canines. Each family, dog or child is distinctive in their own regard and deserves a special place that brings out something in them that can be translated or communicated in the photograph.

The custom books I create for my clients are also one of a kind heirlooms that can be picked up years from now and enjoyed. How about the Signature prints or the care to plan and execute a fun experience on location or in the studio? All of that went through my head just because I spied some rust. If I can get that excited about rust, imagine what we can create together!