A Walk in the Woods
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Portraiture
Recently I had the great fortune to work with the young and lovely Hannah Hackley out at Greenfield Lake. One of my favorite locations in the Wilmington area, this swampy park has no shortage of fascinating backdrops. Hannah and I (along with her 8-week-old German Shepard pup) ventured into just a few of Greenfield’s nooks and crannies for this casual wilderness portrait shoot.
Tags: 1201 photography, Greenfield Lake, Nikon, North Carolina, Photography
Puppy Love
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Pet Portraiture
When my friend Maria adopted Duncan, a 9-year-old Peekapoo, she wanted some shots of Duncan to introduce him to her friends and to send back to his original family. One chilly afternoon, we spent some time hanging out in Maria’s living room and it turns out Duncan’s a total poser (and I mean that in the nicest of ways). Throw a 9-year-old Jack Russell alpha female into the mix (Millie) and we had ourselves a party (and Duncan only actually fell asleep once at said party - he’s a senior citizen, give the little guy a break).
Tags: dogs, Jack Russell, Nikon D40, peekapoo, pets, portraits
Whooo Are Youuu?
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Editorial Photography
While I’m an avid reader and many a book has inspired my creativity, none has been so influential as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today, while most of America was entranced by the Super Bowl, I spent some time on an Alice-inspired photo shoot. The backdrop is handwritten (the text is the infamous Catepillar scene) and as I wanted one of the final images to serve as my Day 25 self-portrait, I had no assistance with the shoot. And somehow this was all a lot of fun…
Tags: 1201 photography, 365, Alice in Wonderland, fashion, Lewis Carroll
Whooo Are Youuu?
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Editorial Photography
While I’m an avid reader and many a book has inspired my creativity, none has been so influential as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today, while most of America was entranced by the Super Bowl, I spent some time on an Alice-inspired photo shoot. The backdrop is handwritten (the text is the infamous Catepillar scene) and as I wanted one of the final images to serve as my Day 25 self-portrait (See “365″ below), I had no assistance with the shoot. And somehow this was all a lot of fun…
Tags: 1201 photography, 365, Alice in Wonderland, fashion, Lewis Carroll, Photography
My Sunny Valentine
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Portraiture
When a photographer friend of mine invited me to join him on his next shoot, I was gung ho - completely excited to get some work under my belt shooting someone besides, well… me. But when I found out our shoot would be of the swimsuit variety, I was slightly intimidated. This is not something I’ve ever attempted, but what the hell? Nothing like a whole lot of skin to get you out of your comfort zone and challenge you to capture great images of something completely beyond typical realm. Thanks so much to Larry Soblotne Jr. and to our model, Asachia. If February looks warm and summery in these shots it’s a complete credit to Asachia’s high spirits and thick skin - temperatures were actually around 55 degrees.
Tags: beach, Photography, portraits, swimwear, Wrightsville
Swamp Thing
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Portraiture
While on a recent mission to location scout for a future shoot and simultaneously capture my self-portrait for Day 19 (see “365″ below), it occurred to me that if you’re not ready to get a little (or a lot) dirty/cold/hot/wet/sandy/muddy or otherwise uncomfortable, you’d better be ready to miss THE shot. This is not to say you won’t get some nice looking portraits, but is absolutely to say you’re going to miss the shot you should have come for.
I started out today’s shoot in a quaint but somewhat rundown gazebo with the swamp in the background. This proved to be entirely too safe. And boring. so I grabbed the tripod and carried it over toward the treeline where a palm tree created something of a frame for me. Fired a couple more shots. Still on the lame side.
I knew what needed to be done. I’d known it going in. Yes, it was cold. Yes, there were cars in the parking lot with people in them who were watching my every move. But my original idea had involved a dress, bare feet and some earthy, muddy goodness and by god I was going to get it.
So in I went, closer to the lake (and here I couldn’t help but call up images of the alligator warning signs posted around the park). I pulled off my heals and left them with my trench coat on a patch of dry grass by the tripod, and felt the earth sink into the spaces between my toes as I took position near a mossy tree.
Was it cold? Yes. Wet? Oh yeah. But did I get a shot I’m proud of? I did. And do I care if the people in the parking lot thought I was a freaking weirdo? Well - okay it was a little nerve wracking being watched. But it is Day 19, and my fellow 365-ers are doing way crazier stuff than standing in a swamp, so it’s time to get over any feelings of self-consciousness.
Greenfield Lake is a vast playground of amazing locations. Can’t wait to return and shoot there again. (But next time I’m sending a model out into the muck 
Tags: girl, Greenfield Lake, lake, Nikon D40, North Carolina, Photography, swamp
Good Color Hunting
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Editorial Photography, Pet Portraiture
Viewing some of the latest work from fellow photographer Amanda Julca (http://www.amandajulca.com), I couldn’t help but get a mild case of vibrance envy. Recently relocated to Miami, Amanda’s images never lack bright color and light and although I live in a beach town as well, it’s a little trickier to come by such eye candy during Wilmington’s winter. So I went looking for it yesterday, and had a bit of luck (despite the black cat who not only crossed my path but crawled into my lap as I tried to shoot her).
Tags: car, cat, color, Downtown, North Carolina, Photography, vibrance, Wilmington
1201 Makes You Look Good. REALLY Good.
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Photo Editing, Uncategorized
If Oprah taught us one thing, it’s that everyone loves a good makeover. To that end, we’ll periodically show you some of our own swan stories in the form of good old fashioned Before & Afters. To get the ball rolling, here’s a headshot that was in dire need of a touch-up (original image by Curtis Brown). After a little white balancing, retouching, sharpening and detail work, the resulting headshot looks much more like the subject at her best.
Tags: Before and After, headshots, Oprah, Photography
Life in the Off Season
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Editorial Photography
While the population of Wrightsville Beach plummets after Labor Day, my recent excursion down the road to soak up some sea air proved that life does go on. While I missed THE shot of the day (an orange-collared dog dragging his leash between his legs whilst sniffing excitedly along the sand crossed right in front of the shot I’d set up but when I went to take the shot, nothing happened. TWICE. I was in remote shooting mode and my trigger doesn’t override the remote - it was a very sad moment), I did manage a few good shots and gave them a summery make-over in Lightroom.
Tags: beach, birds, dunes, Nikon D40, North Carolina, seagulls, surfer, Wrightsville Beach
The Jig is Up
Posted by amandaheironimus | Filed under Photo Projects
My rainy day project this afternoon: caught Pip in the act, breaking and entering the food container. Someone’s going to end up in fat camp this summer if he keeps this up…
