Two Subjects!

Things happen in life that remind us how much we take for granted.  Life is precious.  It can disappear in an instant.  The last couple weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. My niece, Mariah (who I talk about frequently here) was brutally beaten and left for dead in Detroit a week ago.  Please take a moment to read her blog where she talks about what happened and has pictures.  It's such a reminder to take nothing for granted.  Here's a picture from a recent shoot we did.  She is a photographer and a very talented makeup artist as well.

Her blog link:  http://mariahjanbou.blogspot.com
Her last Shoot with Pretty Muse:   http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5909595092267093704#editor/target=post;postID=6466018522373676432

She'll be posting the latest news to her blog, hopefully she'll be able to report that an arrest has been made and that we get to experience justice in action, especially in such a lawless city as inner city Detroit.  




Now, about Sisterly Love!

Ok, take a deep breath. On a lighter note, I'd like to share a few more pictures, this time of my sister.  She's one of those special people in the world who are often thought of angels on earth....well, that's my sister.  Here we strolled through a field of wild flowers and I was able to grab a couple of pictures, in the video I couldn't help but get a little sappy.

 Here's her video:--->  http://animoto.com/play/KDX1JaOUcGraOvn427QLpg

So this week has been a lesson in gratitude.  I'm very grateful for my family and loved ones.  Life is fragile.  As I'm writing this I'm saying silent prayers for all my family, those close and far away.  And for those of you who read my blog I pray that you too remain safe and loved and that you never have to go through what my niece did.  Such a senseless act.  And to my dearest sister, who has always been a great source of inspiration and unflinching love.....ok, just hugs for everyone.

Julie on the River

At 10:30 in the morning it had already passed 95 degrees with humidity too hot to bother checking the actual number, we set out to shoot Julie.  On the river.  In long drapy fabric.  We were weary before we even started.  But as Julie caught a pose and the light crept over the edge of the bridge we captured some very cool images.

Check out the video: --->  http://animoto.com/play/tTvzQCPFKEhG1b0TeuYmew

Mariah had done another one of her over-the-top extravagant makeup jobs and we were dying to catch the right shot, featuring Julie's beauty and Mariah's incredible artwork.

Eventually (oh maybe 30 minutes later) the weather won out, but were able to capture enough to relish the shoot and all the hard work it took making it happen.  Thank you Mariah for another amazing makeup job and to Julie for being such a good sport and modeling in impossible weather conditions.

Julie's Video:  --->  http://animoto.com/play/tTvzQCPFKEhG1b0TeuYmew

CREDITS:
Pretty Muse Photography
Featuring:  Julie DeCoste
Makeup:  Mariah Janbou
Styling:   Lj Masty

Sneak Peek of Julie on the River

Here's a peek at Julie on a VERY hot day on the St. Lucie River.  Full post and video coming up!
This is another one of those cool makeup looks by Mariah Janbou. Thank you Julie and Mariah.

Chicks with Bows - Mariah

Chicks with Bows is a series we plan on working on over the next couple months.  We'll be capturing girls wearing bows in different ways.  This look started with model, Sami Annie - see her shoot here (http://beautyandthebeachphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/sami-pink-bow-post.html) over a year ago and was such a hit we decided to explore it further.

So I invited my niece, Mariah, to pose for a revisit to our original shoot.  The look we went for was very very Pretty Muse, girlie and fun and beauty.

Check out her video: ---> http://animoto.com/play/JBMYPsCogJKDOaiL08D0Wg

With the sun dipping off the horizon and the wind kicking up we only had a short window of time before our light would be gone.  Since we shoot mostly natural light mother nature dictates so much of what and how we shoot.  But Mariah, unruffled by the time and light, wind or weather got into her zone and leisurely hit pose after pose.

Ok, I think this one is my favorite.  This is an OMG shot for sure.

Mariah, thank you again.  I always love it when you come to visit.  I love that we get our creative juices flowing and simply MUST shoot and shoot and shoot some more. I love shooting you because each time I shoot you I meet another persona, you go away and disappear behind a mask of another character and then come back again.

Click here to see the video:  ---> http://animoto.com/play/JBMYPsCogJKDOaiL08D0Wg

CREDITS:
Pretty Muse Photography
Featuring:  Mariah Janbou
Makeup:  Mariah Janbou
Styling:  Lj Masty