I’ve started a separate blog/site where I can direct clients so they won’t have to deal with sifting through all my ramblings on life in general to find info on my services. But if they like my ramblings they will find a link to the Eccentric Mother blog there.

Click on the picture above to check it out.

So one of my myspace friends is a band named J Minus. I believe they are from Washington State. Probably Seattle where so many great musicians are born. Must be something in the water out there. Anyway they are getting ready to release a new CD in a couple of months. Their music is beautiful. Laid back but uplifting at the same time. I can hear the love of they have for their music in their playing. They are very talented and I think they will go far.

 Check them out cause they are a great band-http://www.myspace.com/jminus or http://www.jminus.com/

A Classic Comedy Murder Mystery.

All I really have to say about this movie is…Billy Burke is in it. She is so funny in this movie. I just love her portrayal of Mrs. Topper. Topper Returns is a screwball comedy/murder mystery about a happy go lucky beautiful ghost who was alive and well in the first ten minutes of the movie. She persuades Mr. Topper to help solve her murder and save her friend from a similar demise. Along the way they are helped by Eddie the chauffeur played by legendary black comedic actor Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson. The hilarious sleuths are pursued by Mrs. Topper (Billy Burke), who is convinced Mr. Topper is fooling around with a younger woman, and her reluctant maid Emily.

If you like classic movies you will love this one and guess what……this one is in the public domain so you can watch it for free! Right here-http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4732710015928288721

I finally learned, after years of lugging around babies, that getting down to their level is not only easier on my back but also more comfortable and interesting to the baby.

I now shoot babies without a tripod while flat on my stomach or sitting cross-legged. I prop my elbows on my knees or the floor to stabilize the camera.

Ah why didn’t I think of this years ago! No longer do I have to deal with a grouchy baby who is afraid, and with good reason, of falling from the posing table. I must admit I’ve caught a baby or two by the leg before it’s head hit the floor. Let me just add here- no babies or animals have ever been harmed by my photography.

High-key photography is the most beautiful way to photograph children in my opinion. There is nothing to clutter up the portrait and distract attention from the subject. It truly is a timeless image that will look good in most any frame and hang in any room. It will always be stylish.

I love it when the portrait is all about the details of a child. The flawless skin, tiny hands and feet, and sparkling innocent eyes. High-key compliments all of these things.

                                                                             It is easy to add some texture with light colored throws. Babies just get so excited when a big person gets down on the floor eye to eye with them and that is my recipe for cute baby photography.

All Images Copyright Studio V Photography/Valerie Graham 2008

Monochrome Before Color

In the past photographers used dyes, oil paints or watercolors to brush color onto black and white or sepia processed prints. This was known as hand tinting or color touching. Color touch portraits have a dreamlike quality for me. I tend to reserve color touching for images that are all ready exciting or surreal.

I use a simple technique for color touching digital images. Using Adobe PS3 I create a duplicate layer of the image and then process that image to true black and white. NOT GRAYSCALE! I tweak the tonal levels in the black and white layer to my satisfaction and then select the eraser tool, which I lower the opacity of quite a bit.

At this point, it is all about personal creativity. I think too much vibrancy in color touch, especially in portraits of people tend to look over done. This is why I lower the erasure opacity.

By zooming in and with a steady hand I simply erase the areas of the black and white layer that I wish to be color touched, revealing the color layer beneath.

I always include color touch proofs with a clients portfolio.

All images copyright Studio V Photography/Valerie Graham 2008

Babes laughed her head off when she saw these little octopus dogs. These guys were boiled for a couple of minutes to make their tentacles spread out. I discovered later that if you microwave these guys after making the tentacle cuts, the tentacles curl more. They are sitting in a dab of catsup amongst carrot curls and mini cheese sticks. Also included are ranch cream cheese stuffed cucumbers and mac and cheese.

The Brit was a little envious of Baby Girls bento lunch so I made him one as well.

I just couldn’t make octopus dogs and carrot curls for a fifty year old man though.

His big boy bento is sheppard’s pie, cheese stuffed cucumbers, sliced tomato and a roll.

Is Portrait Photography Art?

Is Pablo Picasso an artist?

“I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn.” -Pablo Picasso 1881-1973

I think portrait photography is most definitely a form of art and like most art there are many different styles and degrees of talent involved.

I use art principles in my portraits every time! I arrange lines and curves in the portrait with the subjects body. I position lights to create shadow and depth. I create color and texture with backgrounds.

I can even strip the natural color from an image and recolor it using my own eye and imagination as I have done with the painterly effect portrait of Sizz shown above. Most talented photographers I know of have artistic abilities in other areas, as well as an interest in art in general.  Picasso’s work and life as an artist is immensely interesting to me. I try to recreate Rembrandt’s lighting. And I love imitating George Hurrell, my favorite glamour photographer.

Sizz- Hollywood Glamour.

I use soft focus and dramatic lighting in the style of George Hurrell in my glamour photography. 

George Hurrell was an amazing artist in painting and photography. Check it out here-

http://georgehurrellestate.com/early_hollywood/index.htm Photography.

http://georgehurrellestate.com/paintings.htm Painting.

All images copyright Studio V Photography/Valerie Graham 2008

It never fails- when most mothers learn that I allow my kids to watch horror movies and TV shows they look at me as if they’ve just seen a cockroach. Meanwhile, their child is mindlessly running in circles mimicking Spongebobs laugh over and over and over and over……

“My children would have nightmares if I let them watch scary movies.” They always say.

As if I tie my ten year old down, tape her eyelids back and force her to watch Rob Zombie movies. Pa-Lease…I know the difference between quality fantasy fiction that is not only entertaining but stimulating to the imagination and that brain rotting psychologically damaging crap that is other wise known as Rob Zombie movies and Spongebob cartoons.

In no way am I saying that they, Rob & Bob, should be banned. On the contrary, I firmly believe they have every right to express themselves however they wish just as I have a right to call it crap and limit my children’s viewing of it.  Oh they watch Spongebob, but the minute they start imitating him is when I decide it’s time they start watching something different. Like Goosebumps by R.L. Stine. Goosebumps, which unfortunatly doesn’t air on television anymore, is also available through scholastic books. And I can’t believe so many mothers think it’s evil! There’s always a lesson to be learned within a Goosebumps story like- appreciating your loved ones, not taking things that don’t belong to you, or if it’s green and hairy and has one eye then just run away.

My kids and I are all in agreement that Goosebumps is quality kids horror and well worth uploading to the ipod.

                                                                             After the dougnuts had risen for the second time, we set up a doughnut making assembly line.

 My job was frying, draining and moving the slightly cooled doughnuts to the glazing area. Babes was in charge of glazing, decorating and quality control. 

We made plain glazed, chocolate and maple iced and used nuts & sprinkles. The doughnuts were a bit time consuming but not too difficult to make.

Glazing.

Quality Control.

…..The final product. 

I got this recipe from Anne over at Simply Anne’s Blog. Check it out and see how beautiful her doughnuts are! http://simplyannes.blogspot.com/2007/07/blog-post_18.html

This recipe is so simple you don’t even need to write it down. I use tenderized round steak from my favorite grocery store- Food City. If I can’t find tenderized round steak sometimes I use cubed steak or if I’m feeling particularly violent that day I buy round steak and beat it with a meat mallet. Traditional southern style or country fried steak is much thinner, and served with white gravy.

My family likes brown gravy and a meatier texture steak. I simply dredge the steaks in flour with a little salt and pepper and then fry in about 1/4 inch vegetable oil over medium high heat.  They should be fried crispy golden brown on both sides. My favorite gravy to use is Knorr classic brown gravy mix. Just add a cup of water and heat to a boil while stirring. Tasty!