:cheers:

- Lauren Athalia

All Images © Lauren Athalia. Do Not Use Without Permission.

Lauren Athalia on Facebook.

Hey Kids! Just so you know I’m on Facebook. I decided to make a page so people could keep up with all the little details that go with my work. Such prepping for a shoot and all the planning that goes into that. Plus I will be posting helpful tips and information about photography. So ‘”like” my page if you want to stay up to date with all my photography goings ons! Thanks!

- Lauren Athalia

My favorite new addition to our family is Bo Henry the German Shorthaired Pointer puppy. No offense to the rest of the family. So of course I took a bazillion photos of him over the weekend. He is one of the most well behaved puppies I have ever met. Next time I see him he will be huge. 

On New Year’s Eve we usually play games and watch the Ball Drop. My mother inlaw is a fantastic hoast and always makes sure we have plenty to snack on while we wait for midnight. Some of us of course crash before the big hand hits 12 a.m. On  New Year’s Day we enjoy the annual “Lucky Soup” filled with black eye peas and collard greens. No hog jowl please and thank you. Gross!

I figured it was time for a family photo and since it was unseasonable warm out I made the family sit and smile They will thank me one day.

Well like I said in my last new year’s post I’m really excited to see what 2012 has to offer. Many blessings to you & yours!

:cheers:

- Lauren Athalia

All Images © Lauren Athalia. Do NOT Use Without Permission.

All Images © Lauren Athalia. Do Not Use Without Permission.

With 2012 approaching I thought it was time for a new photo. I can’t tell you how excited I am to start something fresh. I have so many ideas and plans brewing in my little brain that I think I just might explode. I’m intrigued to find out how it will evolve. Looking back over 2011 I can see how blessed I was/am.

So many wonderful, crazy, ridiculous things happened but all that really stands out is how undeservingly fortunate I am. Thank God for His infinite grace.

Of course that’s easy to say when everything is going swimmingly. I just hope I have this same attitude when the woes of 2012 occur. In the new year I hope I remember daily that I truly have a wonderful life and how short it is so don’t blink or it will be gone before you know it.

I’ll leave you with a quote and a song that I was recently reminded of.

“You see George, you’ve really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it away?”  - Clarence, It’s a Wonderful Life

“And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.”

:cheers:

Lauren Athalia

All Images © Lauren Athalia.

Another beautiful wedding that I was fortunate to be a part of. It was so fun to see my childhood friend walk down the aisle! Congrats to the new couple and thank you for letting me be a part of your day.

:blessings:

Lauren Athalia

© Lauren Athalia. All Rights Reserved.

Finally my Fur & Feathers Series is finished. I’ve been working on it sporadically all year long. We topped off the “fur” part of the series with miniature horses. I’d been searching for some for quite a while. I called pony rentals and breeders but no one was interested. Finally a friend of a friend said yes! Her dad had miniature horses and they were excited to have me come take photos. I had no idea what the location would look like and was a bit worried. However, I was pleasantly surprised once we arrived. The house was beautiful with lovely landscaping and of course 6 cute little horses. What a blessing! The owners/family were so sweet and worked hard with the horses to help me get the shots I wanted. I really appreciate the help and them allowing me and my team to take over their property. I’ve come to realize that all of the people I get to meet and work with is one of the best parts of being a photographer. I will be forever grateful to everyone who has indulged my wacky visions and goals. Now for some behinds the scenes shots.

I worked with Galilee Bagwell again on Makeup. She did a great job ofourse!

Originally I planned to do the hair myself. I got a blonde extensions and after practicing with it I decided it was a disaster. So I sent out a distress call to all my friends and luckily Kristina Wojtkowski came to the rescue. She had an hour to whip a ball of fake hair into a masterpiece. I was thoroughly impressed and she was wonderful to work with. It’s best to let others to what they are good at instead of trying to do everything yourself.

Photos Courtesy of Leanne Swack

Now, I must give credit where it is due and my model earned it. I worked with Briana Lamb on a previous shoot for the Allon Book Series. Last time she worked with a skittish wolf but this time she was dodging kicking ponies and cold temperatures. She was amazing and gave me so many shots to work with. Please go to her website if you’d like to hire her.

Also, I could not have done this shoot without  fashion designer Meredith Malone’s help. She made the awesome ruffled blue skirt and the neck collar. She also fitted the jack to Briana and donned the top hat with French netting. Meredith kept Briana looking flawless and who knew she could be professional leaf thrower?

Overall, along with my husband’s help we had a great team. I couldn’t have been more pleased. Meredith and I will be working again soon on an upcoming project. Things could get fishy or go swimmingly but you will just have to wait and see!

Photo Courtesy of Meredith Malone

This concludes my Fur & Feather series and a BIG thank you to everyone involved. My visions wouldn’t have come to life with out you!

Until my next post . . . may you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

:cheer:

Lauren Athalia

© Lauren Athalia Copyright. Do Not Use Without Permission.

• Model: Briana Lamb
• Make Up: Galilee Bagwell
• Hair: Kristina Noel Wojtkowski
• Lighting Assistant: Josh Wood
• Styling, Custom Skirt & Neck Ruffle By: Meredith Malone
• Styling, Photography & Editing: Lauren Athalia

Introducing the 3rd part of my Fur & Feathers Series. This project was inspired by butterflies obviously. However, three things in particular stood out to me: butterfly net, yellow & black combination and the word monarch. I didn’t want to be literal with these photos. Who needs to see another model wearing butterfly wings, floral halo and shimmery makeup? Not me. So I went for something a bit edgier. And through begging and networking I landed this sweet life size chess board to work with. As per usual I try to add handmade qualities to my work. I made the net out of a fishing net and sheer fabric curtain panel both found at goodwill. I found a dead Swallowtail Butterfly in the parking lot and decided to take it home photograph it. That might be a little morbid but it worked out because I had enlarged prints made from the photos. I also wanted to make a dress for one of the looks but after all was said and done it didn’t look right which was a shame because I sewed my finger trying to make it. Argh! Me and my luck! Don’t worry with the lack of support from  my mom and husband I pulled the needle out myself. No ER visit!

WARNING: KINDA GROSS!!!!!!

Well like I said after I finished the dress I decided it was too bulky and decided to make it into a skirt for a ready made short fitted dress which you see in the last picture. Overall a lot of hard work went into this shoot. Now of course I didn’t do this all alone. I had a trusty team working with me. First of all my model Anna Houser was wonderful. I actually met her at my first RAW show. She is a fellow photographer plus model. She has such a strong look and was so flexible to work with. Even when I forced her into a dress that was too small and giant stripper looking heels. Yes I said it. Definitely check out her website if you’d like to work with her.

I really enjoy working with new people and was excited to collaborate with another RAW artist, Galilee Bagwell. I had recently seen the gold leafing technique used as eyeshadow on actress Emma Watson. So I did a little research and chatted with Galilee about it. We decided to try it and I think she did a great job. It looked really tricky to apply.

And I can’t forget my wonderful hair stylest Amanda Davis! She also worked with me on the Bird shoot. She always does a killer job and I completely trust her. I give her my vision and she brings it to life! I can’t ask for more than that.

Hope you liked this part of my series and I will be posting the last part of it this weekend. So keep your eyes peeled.

COMING UP NEXT: Nashville RAWards 2011 and Fur & Feathers Series Finished.

CREDITS:

Model: Anna Houser
Make Up: Galilee Bagwell
Hair: Amanda Davis
Assistants: Josh Wood & Ashley Krulikowski
Photography, Props, Editing & Styling: Lauren Athalia

© Lauren Athalia Copyright. All Rights Reserved.

These kids kept me laughing and were really easy to work with. I hope their family enjoys the photos.

On the way home the weather was so nice. Windows down was a must.  I snagged a quick picture of a classic car passing by and watched the sun go down out of the side mirror. Any day I get to spend taking photos is perfect to me and what better way to cap it off  than with a self portrait  . . . of course!

:blessings:

Lauren Athalia

© Lauren Athalia. All Rights Reserved.

Taking pictures from the car window can be a little difficult with long hair. The wind was not my friend. However I was determined to document our trip.

We flew into Denver and drove south to ski town, Crested Butte. The drive of course was beautiful and the town was simply picturesque. Vintage bikes lined the streets and colorful buildings from dentistry to coffee shop were everywhere. The aspens were already golden and I made Josh pull over a million times for the endless photo ops. Friday, we explored the area, bought a t-shirt, tried the local coffee and enjoy a slice from The Stash. Saturday before we headed to the wedding destination we drove up to Gothic for a bit to soak in the sites.

Once  we got up the mountain to the base camp to prep for the wedding I met this old chocolate lab with the sweetest face. Finally the entire wedding party arrived and we were in full swing. Rehearsal, making program stones, and getting the food together. My main issue was how to be in the wedding and photograph it. Thankfully, my wonderful husband has learned quite a bit in all his years of assisting me. He was able to shoot most of the ceremony.

The wedding was so sweet. I couldn’t ask for a better man for Anna. I might have even teared up during the ceremony. I don’t think I’ve ever heard more beautiful vows. I had actually never met Tom in person until that weekend and I instantly knew he is absolutely devoted to her. One of the unique parts about being the wedding photographer is that you have to focus on the Bride & Groom all day. And sometimes if I’m lucky they forget I’m there then I get to see the reality between two people who are promising to be right by each others side for the rest of their lives. I always feel so blessed to be allowed in the midst of that.

After the wedding we packed up and were on our way to our final destination. We enjoyed a spectacular drive through Cottonwood Pass with an amazing view at the top. The aspens looked like gold pouring down the mountain sides and I knew I would miss that color. Dozens of deer greeted us as we arrived to Beuna Vista and a fiery sunset blanketed the sky as we spent our last night at the foothill of the mountains. Until next time Colorado . . . when we visit the newly weds.

:blessings:

Lauren Athalia

© Lauren Athalia Copyright. All Rights Reserved.