A Very “me” Post

The past few days have been a blur. I’ve been working non-stop, assisting for four 13 hour days straight on a beauty shoot for the studio. We are all completely wiped out…BUT the results seem to be paying off. I believe Andrew got some amazing shots and I learned a TON of valuable knowledge about lighting.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been hosting quite a few people the past month in my apartment. It’s all been great, but my running schedule and eating habits (uhhh and wallet) definitely suffered. Finally though, I have a night alllllllll to myself tonight! I haven’t been this excited for chill time in a lonnnng time. I’m leaving work early to start my summer shopping for my upcoming Canoe trip in Wisconsin, then off to Yoga To The People for a PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT yoga class, then buying a goldfish to add to my big flower pot where I’m growing lily pads, home to pick back up on my running schedule, then cooking myself a delicious vegitarian dinner, then cleaning the patui outta my apartment. It sounds like a perfect night to me! 

Speaking of my big flower pot where I’m growing, yes, lily pads, my garden has really taken off thanks to all this NY rain! My forget-me-nots have sprouted and are looking precious, however my pansies are really taking over the pot. Thank goodness my mom will be here this weekend, yes my mamma is coming to finally visit me in NYC, to give me some more pointers on how to grow flowers. She’s an expert.

I’m also in the market for a puppy! After a long two years of dealing with the Champion situation, I finally feel ready to get a new dog of my own. I debated back and forth on whether or not I should suck it up and go for the small dog look, even though I’m not a fan, just so I can easily tote him/her around with me…..however, I had to stay true. Big dogs, all day. So I have my heart set on a Saint Bernard or Bernise Mountain dog. I’m still going to try to go through a shelter or pound…I had such a great experience with my last pound puppy. But, please, keep your eyes and ears open for me! 

Speaking of pups, this Thursday MRI will be doing yet another PhotoBooth for a Project Pet, which is an organization that searches for REAL no kill shelters and helps fund them. If you’re in the NY area, please come out and support the puppy dogs!

So in my last post, I promised to post some of the shots I’ve been working on.  Here is a promo shot for a new and upcoming play (sorry, no links yet!) called Fringe…

And, the long awaited Josh Ritter photos with the NY Pops!

::Sigh::

That’s all folks.

MRI returns to Artists and Fleas for Valentine’s Day!

Come this Saturday to check out our brand new, limited edition Valentine’s day prints!!! We are so excited to finally get these together and can’t wait to set up our booth at Artists and Flea Market (Saturday Feb. 7th 12-7pm in Williamsburg Brooklyn). We will be selling framed and unframed prints as well as some great greeting cards to hand out to your favorite people!

Please come and check us out HOWEVER do not be too bummed if you can’t make it to Brooklyn…we now are selling our Valentine’s day prints, as well as all of our others, on my Etsy account so no one will be left out!

Share the love!

MRI on NPR!!!

The video and interview is finally up! Check us out on NPR’s Science Friday!

mkmphoto on Etsy!

Due to so many people asking to buy prints, I decided to make an Etsy account where it would be easier for family, friends, and whoever, to see my work and place orders!

Check it out: www.mkmphoto.etsy.com !

the real cheer

It’s cold. It’s snowing. It’s dark by 4pm.

Lock yourself indoors with this album:

Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

…and these flowers:

And literally, chill out.

 

Stay warm, New York. It’s only the beginning, but we’ll get through.

MRI makes headlines AGAIN!

Check us out on Toxel.com and DIGG (We made the front page just a little bit ago!) Keep up with all of our press and new art on our blog at www.mrilightpainting.wordpress.com!

 

In other news…I’m so psyched right now…my boss just gave me two tickets to the Giants/Philly playoff game this Sunday!!!

think of me as your personal sunshine

I have had a wonderful Holiday break and sincerely hope all of you have as well! I feel refreshed, healthy, and happy- ready for 2009 to take full effect. 

I was able to spend the Holidays with my family in beautiful Louisville Kentucky where everyday was a gorgeous 70 degrees and sunny! Not your ideal White Christmas, but the warmer weather was a great break from the blistering “brick” cold of NYC. I received so many wonderful gifts including a Nikon Coolpix and a Betsey Johnson dress!

Betsey Johnson!

 

While home in Louisville, I got to spend a lot of time with my Mamma and my good friend Joey who turned me onto Improv. I also did three photos shoots; one for Holly, my Halloween bride, who did some sexy shots of herself for her new husband:

 

Holly dressed like a baby doll

 

cupcakes!

…then I did a headshot sitting with the talented Tymika Prince:

 

Tymika's Headshot

…and lastly, I photographed my good friend Amanda’s adorable pug Walter:

 

Wally Dog

 

Upon returning to NYC, I had a wonderful and relaxing New Years at home. Considering I experience New York night life quite often, I decided to keep it low key to avoid the insane crowds and expense. 

I plan on staying healthy and happy this year and not letting anyone bring me down or get in my way. My resolution is to be a personal sunshine for all my friends. I have high hopes for mkm-photo and MRI as well this year and am looking forward to more traveling and picture taking…so stay along for the ride!

Not just for Photographers, but for any Artist…

I found this while reading the blog of a photographer I really admire….she found it from another blog….I wanted to pass on the love and inspiration. I thought there was some great advice in here on how to be a successful artist/photographer and business owner.

 

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacence.

- Cheryl Jacobs

More MRI Lightpainting on Flickr

We’ve been swamped the past couple of weeks light painting and preparing for the NPR shoot, which went great! We should have the video up soon!  In the meantime, check out some of our new artwork on our Flickr account. Give us some feedback!

MRI gets a Light Saber!

Tonight is our long awaited mri lightpainting video shoot with NPR! We were so excited about the shoot that we went and bought an actual light saber! Yes… just like from Star Wars! We will be using it to hopefully get some crazy designs tonight. Stay tuned for the video footage and airing of us on Science Friday!

Also, with all the press, we have started updating our MRI blog so be sure to check it out every now and then!