This is the result of a family arriving for photos NOT stressed out, ready to be silly, perfect weather and extensive use of the Spanish word pedo. Yes, there were meltdowns during the session, yes there were kids who did not want to play but Mom and Dad rolled with it and kept a smile. And here ya go… I cant imagine how beautiful the light will be in just another month or two at NCMA.
When people think of photos in Durham I think the brain defaults to Duke Gardens or the American Tobacco Campus. The urban areas around the ATC are rich with color and texture. I also was lucky to have a friend with me who is interested in photography so she agreed to let us take her photo when we saw a cool backdrop. We only explored about three blocks…I cant wait to go back.
…Or maybe the 4th time. We have had a very soggy summer. So soggy that this sweet girl was rained out twice and cancelled once for an illness in my family. We were working together to try some locations in Fuquay Varina. I was starting to think that all the forced cancellations was an omen telling me that I should not work there. But do I listen?? NO. I am stubborn, maybe determined sounds better? Either way, I am so thrilled that I was able to spend some time with one of my favorite sassy girls. And while it was cloudy and a little dark, we made the best of our time together. She told her Mom she now wants to be a model. I hate to tell her that she already is a model. 
As my daughter would say, “I like her skillz!”
How sad it must be to be rememberd as “Unknown” in The Confederate Cemetery. There were alot of Unknowns…
For about two years now people have to told me to check out Historic Oakwood Cemetery. I finally made the time for a visit, and a friend offered to meet me there. So of course I took photos. I have photos from different cemeteries but none of them have with living people in the photo. My friend thought it would be a fitting place for her because she was born on Halloween. I think she just uses that as an excuse to have cool photos in a cool location. 
At Laurel Park Elementary School I help with an Art project called “Artists All Around Us”. This project rotates art that is produced by an active member of the school community; it can be a faculty member, student, or parent. The goal is to remind everyone, students especially, that art and artists are an active part of the school community. To learn more about this project, please see the post for the Barn Quilt Installment.
This is the second installment by one of the 3rd grade teachers. It is a beautiful series of black and white flowers.
Mrs. Cooper’s Artist Statement:
Most people would say that color and fragrance are what make a flower beautiful. Black and white images encourage us to appreciate instead textures, shapes, and contrasts and to look more closely at a structural beauty flowers possess.
My interest in photography grew out of a series of fortunate events. It began in high school when I was given my first 35 mm SLR camera, a Nikkormat that my father brought back from Vietnam. Shortly afterwards, during a high school internship with a local photographer, I learned the artistry of working with black and white prints from cropping for composition to dodging and highlighting and modifying exposure. After high school, access to darkrooms was difficult. So my interest lay dormant for some time. Then the digital age brought my interest back to life. Using a Nikon digital camera and Photoshop on my computer I could once again feel the magic of creating images that represented beauty to me. Best of all, to my delight, turning on an Epson ink jet printer and using archival ink and archival paper was much less complicated than setting up a darkroom.
With my renewed interest, black and white images of flowers became a theme I adopted and have enjoyed for several years. Three of my prints have hung in juried shows in three states: Columbia, Missouri; Estes Park, Colorado; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The print on display in Missouri’s show was awarded first place.
E. Durie Cooper
Do you remember the vintage medication and apothecary bottles I photographed a few weeks ago? Well, here is the last elixir…Pepsi. Okay, I am a Coke girl but this Pepsi crate is pretty fantastic. Don’t ya think?
What I really liked about this scene was the clothes line. Not something we see much anymore but I recall plain as day hanging clothes out to dry. However, I do love skeletons as well. Those are super cool. I used to want an authentic human skeleton for decoration in one of my old apartments. I settled for a cat skeleton. If you remind me of this secret, I’ll deny it though. Haha.
I had the best time working with this lovely couple. We met a week prior to their wedding to do their portraits. I was swept away with the sparkles in their eyes, the kindness they have for each other and the cloud of genuine love that surrounds them. They are just beautiful people and an eve more beautiful couple. I was lucky to have worked with them.
I have worked with this family for three years now. Every year they win the prize for scheduling their session on the hottest day of the summer. I always want to tell them to reschedule but they always manage to navigate the heat with flair. This year was no different. It was hot and muggy when we met last Friday night at City Market. But again, they rose to the occasion and rocked their session.
Did I mention that they requested a venue with alot of color? One of my favorite requests. We chose City Market since its a small area with alot of variety and I like to minimize the time walking when its over 95 degrees because kids (and adults) tire quickly. I am not sure how I missed this one colorful area at sessions past, but I am not sure that I could find a more colorful spot.
At the end of their photo session, one of the girls asked me if I would be a substitute teacher at her school. I will take that as progress in our relationship; the first time we met, she asked me if I dye my hair and why. Haha. For some reason, that will forever be one of the funniest things a kid has asked me.
I should know by now that when I say or even think, “I’ll never do ……” it always comes back to slap me in the face. The small list of things “I will never…” include: marry a Southern guy, let my kids go out with a dirty face/unmatched clothes, drive a mini van, you get the picture.
Now, the latest of “I’ll never shoot a wedding” came back to bite me in the nether regions. I will have to say that I am so glad I met this awesome couple. The bride reminds me of myself when I got married, in her approach to the whole wedding planning and such. It was like I was destined to meet her and her now husband. I am glad that when I received her initial email to be their wedding photographer I did not just forward her request to a colleague. And, not only did I survive the day– I had fun. This does not mean that I will be shooting weddings from here on out, but I am happy that I was a part of their special day. Here is the proof…
Much Peace, Love and Happiness to this awesome ccouple!
