Church Hill Photography

The transition begins...

2011-01-06T22:45:00.001-05:00

New year, new blog, and lots more new to come. As of today, this blog is migrating to http://churchhillstudio.blogspot.com. Lots more changes coming, stay tuned.

United Way Shoot

2010-10-07T09:33:00.000-04:00

This image is from one of the happiest shoots I've ever worked on. How can you not love a ten-month old baby girl who's had a nap and a snack? Plus, she's trying to give the photographer her toy!

We (assistant Hassan, stylist Winifred & I) were asked to photograph folks for the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg annual campaign advertising.

The whole time mom and baby were on the set, Winifred and Hassan were singing, clapping their hands, making funny faces and handing the baby different toys to play with. Good times! But that's what you do for a 10-month-old when you bring her into a new environment with lots of strangers and bright lights...just throw her a little party on the set, and she's fine. Oh, I forgot to mention she's an early walker...so we had to chase her down a few times, too.

The mother and daughter are beneficiaries of CHIP: Children's Health Involving Parents of Richmond, Virginia. They're a partner agency with United Way and were chosen to be featured in this year's campaign advertising.

When we shot this, the and art director had yet to finalize the layouts for the billboards and brochures. The subjects were also doing video interviews, so we were asked to shoot using same background for continuity with the video.

We're used to layouts changing from the original concept, so we weren't too surprised a couple weeks later when we were asked to "clip" the subjects from the gray background so they could float on a white background for the final billboard layout.

Of course, the clients never choose my favorite image for the ad, but I'm used to that. They've hired us to shoot a variety of poses and expressions, so, as long as the clients' get what they're looking for, we're happy.

Passion for a place: Church Hill and Richmond's East End

2010-09-22T23:14:00.003-04:00

We finished this documentary around Labor Day. It really was a labor of love.
Passion for a place: Church Hill & Richmond's East End. from Church Hill Photography on Vimeo.

Earlier this summer, residents of Church Hill and Richmond's East End met with planners, government officials, corporate leaders and human service organizations to craft a vision for revitalizing a once-vibrant commercial corridor.

This 13 minute documentary explains the "charette" process, provides historical perspective and shares the personal opinions of people who live and work in the community.

Hassan Pitts worked with me on this documentary, capturing footage and recording audio before, during and after the week of the charette. Hassan also schooled me on edting in Final Cut Pro. And years ago I thought Photoshop was a huge learning curve...Final Cut feels like your head will explode.

We're getting great feedback from folks in the community and others who are interested in planning trends like "New Urbanism". More video and multi-media projects to come!

Product photography: lighting, layering and collaboration.

2010-08-11T19:08:00.003-04:00

One of our favorite graphic designers, Al Marschall asked us to photograph one of his package designs: a beer bottle. Seems he had shot this a while back, and wasn't happy with his first attempt. "Kinda flat," were his words, I think.

Since I'd learned how to shoot bottles with liquid (and any container with liquid) a few years ago, I said sure. I explained to Al (and my assistant, Hassan Pitts) that the key is to light the object from behind. The only way to get a glass or bottle of beer to look like something you want to drink is to get some light coming through the liquid itself.

Another thing we and graphic designers do with still life/product photography is uses several layers of exposures using editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. That way the artist can isolate different areas of he object with light, and then blend them all together for the final image.

Here's one of our "out of the camera" shots to the right.

Hassan & I set up lights at 45-degree angles to the right and left sides of the bottle to give it a "rim light" or light around the edges. Those lights also illuminated the "bounce light" behind the bottle. Notice the shadows falling on the paper behind the bottle, those shadows were caused by a small piece of foil paper placed behind the bottle. That acted as mirror, and causes the "fire" you see coming fro inside the bottle. Simple trick, and so effective. I would ask Hassan to wiggle the foil to get different effects. I'd fire the shutter and capture those variations without moving the camera or the bottle. That process gave Al several different "glows" he could choose from.

Below is the full set from the front showing a small mirrors used to "open up" (give more light) the front of the label.

Ok, now this is what the master artist, Al Marschall did with the several files we delivered. Pretty sexy I'd say. The bottles look like a chorus line of Windy City Ale Rockettes.

Original vs. Stock Photography: Why Businesses Choose Original Imagery

2010-07-15T12:40:00.004-04:00

We recently had veteran marketer, Carole Timberlake, owner of CYT Consulting, contact us on behalf of one of her clients, the law firm of Owen and Owens.

Carole explained to me that Owen & Owens had a well-designed website, but the home page and sub-pages, showed 20-something models in business suits. Seems the web developers had used stock photography for the site. It was becoming clear that if a potential clients go to the website to learn about the firm before scheduling an appointment, they might be a little confused once they got to the offices for a meeting and didn't see the folks who were featured on the website home page.

As you can see by the images here, the attorneys and staff at Owen and Owens, are all very attractive and they had new modern offices which served us well for keeping with the existing color scheme and feel of the website.
Over the years, I've learned that the professionals in charge of marketing, advertising and public relations for legal firms agree that it is the people in the law firm they are promoting (the attorneys and their staff,) not specific legal processes, documents or judgments. That's why we get asked to images of the attorneys in their environments. No one has ever asked us to photograph a contract, judgment or a deposition manuscript.

Additionally, Carole was designing new folders, brochures and print ads for the firm, and she needed new high resolution images of the attorneys in their work environment. The ultimate goal was to have a cohesive communications strategy whereby the images in the website would match or compliment the images in the printed collateral/ads.

Since we wanted to make it easy for the web designers to "drop in" new images to the existing website, we composed the shots in a way that would fit the current page layouts. We were shooting with the Canon 5D MkII, which allowed us to shoot wide, giving both the web designer and the print designer maximum flexibility with the images for a variety of layouts.

The image capture was completed in one day at the law offices with Hassan Pitts, assistant and Winifred Halliday, stylist. We used a combination of strobe and available light. Online proofing followed along with and a few days of post production for final delivery of high resolution and low resolution files.

All images and text Copyright 2010, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Great Expectations & the Virginia Community College System

2010-05-12T16:29:00.008-04:00

As the graduation season shifts into high gear, I find myself reflecting upon one of our studio's most rewarding projects of the year: Great Expectations. It's the Virginia Community College System's scholarship program for high school students who will be transitioning from foster homes when they reach the age of 18.

Over the past year, we've meet and photographed many students, their mentors and life coaches, and foundation leaders who are all dedicated to this program. Every shoot has been a delightful experience.

Communications group CRT-Tanaka asked us to create environmental portraits for the programs' website and collateral materials. They made if very clear that they wanted images that were relaxed and look like real life on campus. The images you see were created in one day at the Henrico JSReynolds Campus, in their new library/technology center.

Above, Jeremy is in the foreground, and as you can see, he's just hangin' out, looking like he's between classes. The young man studying in the background is Tracey, and he's featured in the image below.

Tracey told me he was working 2 jobs in addition to going to college at J-Sarge. What an inspirational young man. I love his ID tag and the mobile phone/ipod in his hands.

Next, we met Keturah, also a student at JS Reynolds, who said she was thinking about going into nursing. She sure has a bright future.

One of the really cool things about Great Expectations, is that the advisers (or coaches, as they call themselves) start working with students when they're in high school, getting them prepared for the transition to independence and college.

Two of the students we photographed on that day at JSR were high school students, who were visiting the school with their coach.

This is Cortez who I recall said he wanted to study business in college. He was happy to settle in behind a field of computer monitors in the tech lab.

And last that day, but certainly not least, was Mike, also a high school student looking forward to college. We had him stand in the lobby of the busy Tech Center while we waited for classes to change.

We were going for that classic "Grand Central Station" feel. Trouble was, that students thought they were helping us by avoiding the shot. What we really wanted them to do was walk around, in front of, and behind Mike...just like they would if we hadn't had a camera on a tripod and a few light stands here and there. We managed to get a few frames that gave us the look we were after.

As usual, our team include Hassan Pitts, for lighting and all-around photographer's assistant, and stylist Winifred Halliday, who helped get everyone looking their best on camera.

All images and text Copyright 2010, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Do you need a lawyer with you in court?

2010-05-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

This is our latest video with a local attorney in Central Virgina. It's the first of a series we're calling "Legal Q&A". In each episode, Esther Windmueller, Esq., will answer a question or discuss a topic in layperson terms.

We shot this with our Canon 5DMarkII, and rented a wireless lav mic from Back Stage in Richmond. We intentionally recorded audio through the camera's on-board mic to get the street noise that was naturally occurring around us during the shoot.

Hassan Pitts was our sound man and all-around production consultant.

Copyright 2010 Elaine Odell/Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Industrial Video for HandCraft Health Care Linen Services

2010-04-15T09:21:00.003-04:00

We've wrapped up the editing of our new video for HandCraft Healthcare Linen Services and have launched in on YouTube. Thanks to amazing staff there, Joe McKeown, Carlos Iniguez and Keith Nichols. Without their help, we couldn't have gotten this done. Hassan Pitts, all-around freelance photographer, sound man and Final Cut editor, and shares the creator credit on this video.

All footage is original, and captured at the plant on Cofer Road, in Richmond. Shot with the Canon 5DMkII, edited in Final Cut. Music is licensed through Broken Joey Records.

Script development was a team effort with Elaine Odell and the HandCraft client team.

Copyright 2010, HandCraft Incorporated and Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Inspiration and collaboration.

2010-03-19T10:13:00.001-04:00

Between crunch jobs and tight deadlines, it's invigorating to try something new and collaborate with another artist. This portrait is the product of doing just that.

This all started when I read the New Yorker 2-15-2010 issue and saw Platon's photo essay on leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Kind of a "where are they now" portfolio. Click on this link, and you'll see the stunning black and white images with audio of the leaders sharing their memories.

Platon's images for the New Yorker inspired me to seek out his personal website. There, I saw the origin of a portrait style that lately is all the rage. You see it on magazine covers everywhere. Kind of a uber-halo on the background behind the subject and placing the camera at a low angle.

The funny thing about this style is that the low camera angle breaks one of the classic rules of portraiture. It might not be the most flattering camera position for everyone, but it conveys a sense of gravitas or importance to the subject. Kind of like putting the subject on a pedestal, above the viewer of the portrait.

About this same time, local writer and fellow Church Hill resident, Danita Roundree Green, contacted me about creating a new author's head shot. Danita said she wanted a portrait that "expressed her personality". So, inspired by Platon, I showed her some of his images in the style I was interested in exploring.

Danita turned out not only to be the perfect subject but a great collaborator. Since she's always in front of people presenting her work, reading aloud, engaging in discussions, it was easy for her to sit in front of the camera and just talk. She also came to the studio with a change of wardrobe and jewelry and was willing to play with her hairstyle.

For me, this kind of exercise is good because it forced me to reverse engineer another visual artist's work: breaking it down in to components. Hopefully, it'll help me think in ways I didn't before and jump start some creative juices. The process of using Platon for inspiration and collaborating with Danita for the final portrait was certainly rewarding. It's always a challenge to make time for these kinds of projects...but whenever it do, it's well worth the effort.

More "off camera" + hands + blur.

2010-03-03T09:36:00.005-05:00

Two of my favorite things is to get folks looking off camera and using their hands to talk. It looks so natural, but is so hard to get right. When it works, it's great.

We created this image at the offices of CRT-Tanaka, in Richmond, VA. The gentleman is Steve Clementi, Director of External Affairs for Verizon. He's involved with "Great Expectations" a scholarship program for foster children who enter the Virginia Community College System.

If you look through Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company or Wired, you'll see this approach with some regularity. Personally, I get tired of just asking folks to look into the lens. Photo editors chose these off-camera, talking shots to publish because the subject looks like they do in real-life.

Once we set up our lights and figured out where to place Mr. Clementi, I asked my client, Natalie Smith, to sit to the right of the camera. I kinda felt bad because to get the angle I was going for, she had to sit on the floor. But she's a trouper, thank goodness. Steve was terrific to work with, he seemed to enjoy simply having a conversation with Natalie, off camera.

The other thing that gives this image some liveliness is Steve's right hand, which even at a 60th of a second caught some motion blur. Some of that blur is because we were shooting at f2.8 (shallow depth of field) trying to hold the focus on his eyes. But since I encouraged him to "talk with his hands" there was just enough fast movement to pick up a blur in his right hand. Of course, our naked eyes wouldn't see that blur. But in a still image, a little motion blur gives a sense of movement and credibility. Like my yoga teacher says: "our bodies never stop moving."

Hassan Pitts (assistant) and Winifred Halliday (stylist) crewed this shoot. Hassan & I set up the lights, and had a lot of fun working in this historic warehouse which has been renovated for office space.

Copyright 2010 Elaine Odell for Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Looking "off camera".

2010-02-25T09:23:00.006-05:00

See how the woman at this conference room table is looking toward the camera, but not directly at it? This is one of my favorite views to capture with "real people". This is from our shoot at the engineering firm, Greeley & Hansen.

There are lots of reasons why this approach: slightly looking off camera is so compelling. First, you give the subject another person with whom to interact. This usually results in more natural, realistic expressions Why? Because it's simply more comfortable for the subjects. Looking down the barrel of a 200mm long lens is kinda intimidating. Its much easier to look at a person and simply talk.

Another benefit is that the viewer is reminded that this is a group meeting and the woman's gaze reinforces the sense of discussion with participants. It's like you just walked by the room, and glanced through the open door.

We frame shots like this with stuff in the foreground, and let that go out of focus or "soft". This helps give depth to the image. It also reinforces the "work is going on here" theme by leaving the papers, pens and hard hat on the table. Hassan and Winifred (assistant and stylist) often push things in and out of the frame and go on search missions within the locations to find what we need to place around the edges of the image.

This style of shooting does take practice. Especially if you let the subject actually talk. Expect to shoot a lot of frames. Often, I ask the subject to deliberately slow down the pace of their discussion, and add pauses, holding their gaze with the other folks in the room. Sometimes I give them a word to say, like "seven" or "five", to get their mouth in an attractive position. I can't take any credit for that "single word" technique. I totally stole that from another photographer, Mark Mitchell. I assisted him for a few years...and well, tricks like that are too good to leave behind.

The CSO Engineers of Greeley & Hansen

2010-01-10T22:09:00.009-05:00

CSO means Combined Sewer Overflow, which is what happens when it rains a lot in Richmond and the storm drains become overloaded. A "CSO Event" is when the storm drains and the sewer system combine and overflow into the James River. Not an ideal situation, but apparently not all that uncommon with cities situated on rivers.

A few years back, Richmond initiated a massive restructuring of the overflow system, to help minimize the amount of storm water that was flowing directly into the river. The engineering firm that is responsible for our city's new system is Greeley & Hansen, which is based in Chicago, with a large office here in Richmond.

A member of the communications staff in Chicago contacted us recently, and asked if we could spend a day photographing the Richmond engineers and staff in their offices, working in teams. The folks in the Richmond office were great to work with. The goal was to create images that looked spontaneous and not posed.

As in most offices, there was a "break-out" area that allows a small team to sit together and work on something without the formality of a conference room.

I particularly like the image above because none of the subjects are looking at the camera. I was holding the camera (on a monopod, if memory serves) just a few inches above the surface of the table. My goal was to make the viewer feel like they were part of the meeting.

We were also interested in keeping the images crisp and a little on the "cool" side, reinforcing the modern feel of the office environment. It might look like we relied solely on the existing office lighting (overhead fluorescent fixtures). If we'd done that, we never would have achieved the sharpness of this image or the direction of the light (our lights were placed about eye-level with the subjects.)

To add depth and interest to the composition, we placed a light in the small office that appears in the background behind the subjects. Notice the slight blue tint, thanks to a blue gel photo assistant Hassan Pitts clipped to the front of the strobe head. We also added a light in the hallway to the left. It illuminated the wall behind the subjects (it too had a light blue gel) and added an edge/rim light to the woman seated on the far left at the table (notice the highlight on the camera-left side of her head.)

Strobe Alchemy & Happy Accidents

2010-01-05T11:14:00.003-05:00

Ahh, I love accidents. Like when the chemistry in an old black and white Polaroid gets too hot, or there is a light leak somewhere in the Holga. Good times.

For me, accidents that "work" are immensely pleasurable. But I can't build a business on them. Imagine pitching a client this: "were gonna try all these difererent things, some might work, some might not. We might get some great shots, but we might not get anything at all. Oh, and we still expect to invoice you and get paid after the shoot." Uh, huh. Yeah, clients are lining up to sign-off on that estimate.

Nowadays, happy accidents often occur when I'm setting up a shot. This is Hassan, a photographer who works with me often on location shoots. We were setting up lights (strobes) in an the interior hallway with no windows, just doorways leading to offices. We used the office doorways to "hide" our lights in.

This historic tobacco warehouse, in Richmond's Shockoe Slip, houses the offices of Thompson McMullan. And the old building is a big part of the law firm's personality. While much of the lighting there is directional, it's too weak to shoot with (in other words, the lights are too dim for the shutter speed and ISO we wanted to use). So, using our Dynalite strobes and grip gear, our goal became to create atmospheric light, directional with a little edge to it.

The "laser beam" on Hassan's left, our right, is one of our strobes standing a little to far out to the doorway of the closest office to the camera. What we're seeing is technically called "lens flare" similar to what happens when you point your camera directly at the sun. But doesn't it look cool? Yeah, but a little too edgy for a lawyer who practices business law and commercial litigation.

So here is what we finally came up with. The lights behind and to the sides on our subject, attorney Sherry Fox, are directional and very contrasty. They outline the architecture of the old warehouse with it's exposed beams and massive pillars, providing texture and depth for the environmental. Also, the edge lights on the human subject give her dimension and keep her from flattening out against the background.

Credits go to Winifred Halliday (stylist) and Hassan Pitts, (photographer's assistant) and client Amy Smith, Marketing Director at Thompson McMullan.

Good boys just wanna look bad.

2010-01-03T10:50:00.006-05:00

Never fails. The nicest, most polite kids in the world come to the studio. Their grandmother, my neighbor, Debra, has assured me they will be good.

And indeed, they turn out to be some of the best behaved boys I've ever met. They change into their white shirts and take turns posing for grandma's Christmas portraits. They smile like angels.

After I've told them how to sit, stand and pose for a few minutes, I ask them what they want to do in front of the camera. Suddenly, they're all tough: pro-athletes, hip-hop artists, movie stars. The stand like rouges giving me "the look."

But that bad boy look isn't exactly what the grown ups want to see in an 8x10 on the mantle. So I've got to soften it, make the boys more approachable.

Of course, this "back to back" pose above has been done a zillion times. Why? Because it works. If you stop and think about it, it shows independence and connectedness. Perfect for team athletes or siblings. Fortunately, the boys liked the pose too. They'd probably seen it before on some sports hero poster.

The one thing that I did was raise up the boy on the right, Trey. His older brother, Terrance was about 12-14 inches taller. When I first posed them, the height difference was too much...I needed to see the faces closer together. A full apple box gave Trey the boost he needed to bring his head up to Terrance's neck, yet still convey the age/size difference of the brothers.

Chutzpah meets my new/old chair.

2010-01-02T11:00:00.005-05:00

The kid is Trey. The chair is a rescue from the Dock Master's office at Richmond Yacht Basin.

The chair is solid oak, circa 1930's(?). It has years of sweat, solvents and stains unevenly permeating the grain. The previous owner said he was "gonna toss it into the dumpster". Well, we just couldn't let that happen (another good reason to own a pickup truck and have a husband with a strong back!)

I saved the chair because wanted to see what people would look like seated in it. It's really fun to sit in. It swivels, rolls tilts, and is rock solid.

My goal with portraiture is to give the subject whatever he/she needs to be themselves, or release whatever side of their personality wants to be "out" the day of the shoot.

Because this chair's personality seemed so welcoming and secure, I was hoping it would help give the subjects something to work with or relax in before the camera.

Young Trey (charming, witty and full of chutzpah) has the honor of being the first person to have their portrait made in this chair. The day of the shoot, we called it "the grandpa chair". He's a little small for it, his feet couldn't touch the floor. So just out of view, his huge sneakers are propped up on a half apple box. That allowed him to have his knees at a 90-degree angle, so he could place his elbows comfortably. I love this pose on him. The composition is the classic triangle (arms to head) atop an inverted triangle (knees to ankles.)

I'll continue to have folks sit in this chair at the studio (gawd, it's too heavy to take on location--but if you got the budget, I got the brawn) and see if we can create a body of work with this chair.

New Years Resolution

2010-01-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

Blog more. Videography: a new passion.

The image above is from the pre-Christmas blizzard we had here in Richmond, VA. This is the entrance of the Tricycle Garden on Jefferson Avenue (right next door to the studio,) in Union Hill where a classic trike sits perched atop the entrance gate.

Moving Pictures--Our Newest Work

2009-10-11T09:52:00.001-04:00

We did it. Made the leap to video and sound, mixing with still images to create our studio's first multi-media production for one of our favorite clients: Union-PSCE here in Richmond, VA.

See it by clicking here: Union PSCE-Service Day 2009

We is Hassan Pitts and I. I'm holding the camera in most frames, shooting stills and video. Hassan is setting up shots, and handling all the audio. Hassan interviewed the participants, getting great testimonials. He also captured the hymn the group sang during their brief service that morning.

The Political Up and Comer

2009-09-03T00:39:00.005-04:00

This is Susan Stimpson, candidate for Falmouth Supervisor, Stafford County, Virginia.

I first met Susan a couple years ago when she was the Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania regional campaign manager for then candidate, Richard Stuart. He was running for the Virginia State Senate (a tough race which he won thanks in good measure to Susan's hard work and dedication).

The day of that first meeting, we were relying on Susan to be our "go-to-gal" to help us gain access to all the various locations and wrangle the extras into the shoots we had scheduled for candidate Stuart.

She may have been just a volunteer, but wow, did she make things happen. That hot summer day in 2007 was one of the smoothest (although long) days of location work I've ever had thanks to her relationships with folks throughout Fredericksburg/Stafford region.

This year, in 2009, its Susan's turn to be the candidate. Earlier this summer, I jumped at the chance to see her again, and even tho I'm a Democrat and she's a Republican (I know, I know, I have lots of GOP friends even though I'm true-Blue) I truly feel this is a "woman on the verge."

I think Stimpson will run for governor one day. Seriously. I want to be able to say "I knew her when". But of course, she has her current race to run, which is happening right now.

One of Susan's platform issues is education for a high-tech workforce and job creation in Stafford for high-tech industries and business that support the Federal Government.

Her day-job is a budget analyst for the US State Department, working for a government contractor. Folks who already know her understand she's got a head for business. But for the folks who don't yet know her, we needed to reinforce that with imagery.

These types of conference room shoots are hard work, but I enjoy them tremendously. First off, the folks in the room are "real people". Not actors, not campaign staffers. My goal with this type of shooting is to try to get the candidate and the constituents to engage in conversation that's meaningful. That way, they keep their focus, and don't get bored with the tedium of the shoot (i.e. shot after shot after shot.)

I get each person to take a turn asking a question of the candidate. I use those moments to capture what I call "active listening" images of the candidate. Then, I capture images of the candidate responding to the question.

Its only natural that one starts to listen to the folks in the room, even though I'm supposed to be focused on the visual aspects of the scene.

After hearing these folks talk about the issues that concern their everyday lives, I came away with an overwhelming sense that this area of central Virgina, just a thin county line from what we call Northern Virginia, is markedly different from it's neighbor to the south, Richmond and it's surrounding counties. It was if I'd gone to another state.

Plus, it was fun to be the "fly on the wall" listening to the candidate tune her responses and warm up for the public forums and debates that were sure to be more rancorous as the campaign season heats up post-Labor Day.

All images and text Copyright 2009, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. No unauthorized use allowed.

Henrico Federal Credit Union

2009-08-19T12:19:00.016-04:00

One of our favorite clients is the Henrico Federal Credit Union. We've had the pleasure of working with them for a few years now, creating images of their staff, members and directors. Recently we photographed five members of the HFCU management team.

Standard operating procedure for their shoots is to ask the subjects to wear what they wear to work on a normal day. The idea is that they'll be more recognizable to customers/members when their image shows up on the HFCU website, on a display poster or advertisement.

The set is always the same: high key background (a white seamless sweep) and lighting that is directional, but with no heavy shadows. Our goal is to provide images which can be "mixed and matched" by the graphic designers who work for HFCU.

Our stylist, Winifred, helped folks look their best for this shoot. And since she's a former professional model, she also helps us with posing. Hassan Pitts, was our lighting and digital tech assistant for the shoot.

The bonus for us crew members is that we talk about financial products with the staff. And we always learn something about what's going on in the industry, credit availability and interest rates.

Whenever I spend time with the HFCU folks, I also get a general "pulse" of the local economy.

For example, I learned that they're putting HFCU branches in some of the local high schools this year. Plus, they're holding financial planning and credit management workshops for students and teachers...free of charge.

How great is that?! High school students are prime candidates to learn about saving early in life and taking advantage of compound interest. Not to mention learning how to use a credit card responsibly and avoiding excessive debt early in their adult life.

That's one of the best things about being a commercial photographer. You get to learn a little something about each client's business and it helps balance your perspective as a business person. I guess it's my old college b-school head taking over.

All images Copyright 2009, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Back to the Fountain with Grace & Otto

2009-08-05T13:52:00.011-04:00

Family and friends came to Richmond this July to celebrate the marriage of Grace & Otto. Folks came from as far away as Korea, the Philippines and South America.

Since their wedding reception was at the Omni, in Downtown Richmond, we were only a block from the Shockoe Slip fountain, where a couple months earlier, we'd made their engagement pictures.

Grace and Otto wanted to brave the heat and humidity (really, for the middle of July, it wasn't that bad,) and be photographed at the fountain in their wedding day finery.

All images Copyright 2009, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Richmond River District Engagement

2009-06-12T08:14:00.010-04:00

This is Grace and Otto. They're getting married this summer and Hassan & I will have the pleasure of being with them on their wedding day.

We do A LOT of planning and preparation before we shoot a wedding, and one of the most important ways we prepare is to shoot an "engagement session" with the couple.

Since their reception will be held at the Omni Hotel, we decided to use the picturesque River District (which includes Shockoe Slip and the Canal Walk) for our location. This allowed us to show the couple (who don't live in Richmond, thus weren't that familiar with the area) the locations we might use for their wedding portraits.

We started at the fountain infront of the Martin Agency on 13th Street. I love this fountain, but so do the birds...so if you go to make pictures, bring a few paper towels if you want to sit on the edge of the fountain itself.

We started shooting in the late afternoon, but not close to sunset, because I wanted to be sure to get sunlight on their hair, and hard light in the water droplets from the fountain.

I love Grace's hands. I always love hands showing in portraits, and it's even better when you can incorporate that with a couple. It takes some practice though, getting hands to look pretty and not like bear claws.

One of the drawbacks to shooting in urban settings are cars parked on the street. This was a beautiful Saturday, so the whole world was out. A long lens with shallow depth of field helped blur the parked autos, and keep the focus on the couple.

We lingered here on the fountain and let the two of them just look out at the scene. I always turn away from the couple and give them a few moments to chat and whisper to each other. If I'm lucky, they forget I'm around and do something silly. That's when I get images like this with energy and spontaneity.

Candidate Stolle with the Students

2009-05-05T14:36:00.011-04:00

Perhaps you'd call it "courting the youth vote". If you were running for office, wouldn't you? We followed Chris Stolle, Candidate for VA House of Delegates to a Virginia Beach High School to capture images of him talking with students. After classes that day, the Republican Club hosted a Q&A session with the candidate.

I've shot these types of discussions before and love doing it. The students are so freakin' smart. Not only that, they're surprisingly (to me, anyway) aware of current events and local government issues. The candidates always seem to get caught a little of guard. They come in relaxed, thinking this will be a laid back discussion. They end up switching gears, going from "oh, this will be easy," to "these kids are just as smart as everyone else."

The only problem with these shoots is that eventually I start paying too much attention to what the students are saying, and not how they look (which is what the clients are paying me for.) Fortunately, there are enough other folks around (like Missi Sousa, the campaign manager, or Chris Jankowski, political advisor) looking for the occasional un-tucked shirt or slouching posture.

When I shot this, the only direction I gave the students was where to sit. Between questions/answers, we moved them around to different desks. This gave all the students a chance to be recognizable on camera and ask their own specific question of the candidate.

The side-story here is educational funding for the State of Virginia. Just like a lot of places in the Commonwealth, this high-school was very overcrowded. There were no less than 8 classroom trailers outside what looked like a vintage mid-80's main building. And this was in an affluent Virginia Beach suburb.

When I realized we were shooting in a classroom trailer, I worried about setting up the shot. It was an overcast day, threatening showers. Was any natural light getting into that trailer? Would it look like a real classroom? Would there be any students in there?

Fortunately, there were plenty of students and big windows on the two long walls, facing the other trailers. The weak diffused light from the windows combined with the overhead fluorescent fixtures to provide a soft fill light. My assistant, Sam Allen, set up off-camera strobes to the right of the candidate to bring up the overall light level in the room. My intention was to make our strobes resemble sunlight streaming through the windows on one side of the trailer. The strobes allowed us to shoot at a fast enough shutter speed to freeze action and keep depth of field (sharpness) on the candidates and students. Without the additional lighting, we would have had mushy, out of focus images.

Chris Stolle for Delegate

2009-04-29T09:30:00.005-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we went to Virginia Beach to photograph a Republican candidate for the VA House of Delegates, Chris Stolle. We got to the shoot and that's when I realized the Obama 'O8 bumper sticker was on my truck!

Fortunately, Chris's campaign manager, Missi Sousa (a worldly young woman direct from Washington D.C.,) wasn't phased in the least.

We spent the day with Chris, going to various locations and photographing him with lots of different folks who work and live in Virginia Beach.

Creating images of a candidate for office is just like creating images for any product or service. Our job is to visually tell a story about that person. Chris' campaign was in need of specific images to help tell his story; illustrating key issues in his platform.

One of the images the campaign needed was a casual portrait.. His "day job" is an OB-GYN at a local Tidewater hospital. He's senior staff at the hospital; sees patients along with evaluating the hospital's response to patient treatment in general. But "Dr. Chris" as I called him the day of the shoot, didn't need another white coat physician portrait. What he needed was an "I'm a taxpayer like you" across the kitchen table portrait. An accessible, next door neighbor approach was called for. My goal was to create an image that would make a good first impression with a voter who is just getting to know Chris.

The frame above is what the campaign chose for the campaign home page.

Copyright 2009, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography.

Easter Bee

2009-04-11T11:49:00.004-04:00

Honeybee keeping is making a comeback. All the news about 'colony collapse disorder' has gotten environmentally-aware folks into bee keeping, which is a good thing for all of us.

A photographer friend, David Stover, has been keeping bees for a couple years. Now, my neighbor Stacy Moulds and her husband Charlie Field are going to start here in Church Hill (they went to bee-keeping class last week!)

Yesterday, I walked out of the studio to admire the redbud trees we planted a few years ago. I was surprised to see honey bees all over the blossoms.

Trying to photograph the tiny honey bees was challenging (for me, anyway) and I realized (again) why I'm not a nature photographer. I'll leave that to the wildlife pros like Lynda Richardson.

I shot this with one of my back-up cameras, the Canon 50D, hoping the multiplier effect of the smaller sensor would help get me "closer" to the tiny bees. I used a medium zoom 24mm-135mm lwna, with a screw-on +2 close-up filter, 200iso, 200th of a second at f11.

A honey bee moves faster than a 2 year-old on twinkies. Using auto-focus, I struggled to keep up. Shot a bunch of frames...I like this one because it shows the all-important pollen ball on the bee's right leg. I hope this bee and all it's bee-buddies make it back to the hive and live it up!

IP Super Hero

2009-03-10T14:47:00.005-04:00

This is Katie Horvath, an attorney who specializes in intellectual property and patent law. The field of law we image creators really dig. I've photographed her before, for the XDL website.

Whenever I see Katie, I always ask her about her work protecting clients' intellectual property. I can't help it, other areas of law just don't mean as much to me. Occupational hazard, I guess.

Now, about the picture. We made her portrait in downtown Richmond a couple weeks ago. Since Katie is based in Michigan, I was a little concerned about how her wardrobe would travel in a carry-on bag. Thank goodness she favored a soft-fabric suit. If she'd had one of those man-tailored structured suits, we would have spent 30 minutes steaming out the wrinkles.

We were at the offices of Durrette Bradshaw, where I've shot in nearly every office, conference room and the law library at least twice. It was time to do something new (for my own sanity and out of respect for our subject).

After cruzin the D-B offices for someplace new, we went down to the lobby and looked around. There it was, the arch, the flag, the office buildings. The only drawbacks were all the glass windows to reflect my lights back at the camera. I just kept moving light stands around till I could stop seeing them in the windows behind her. Winifred got Katie ready for the camera upstairs in the D-B offices while I worked out the lighting.

We were going for a "Federal Court House" look with this composition. Getting access to a Federal Court House to shoot a portrait is unrealistic these days. It's about as easy as getting access to the Federal Reserve Bank--imagine airport clearance only ten-times more invasive. The other goal we achieved was giving Katie a "could be any big city" shot. Since she travels a lot for her work, we didn't want to place her with any identifiable landmarks or natural scenery that would confine her to a specific region.

I love the way this turned out.

The Messy Desk Rules

2009-02-24T09:13:00.004-05:00

For years, whenever we made environmental portraits, we'd buzz around and clean up/rearrange the office, reception area or conference room where we were shooting. The idea was to create a calm vista where the subject of the portrait (typically a human) would dominate the field of view. The environment was supposed to be evocative, but not overpowering or too distracting.

Well, that approach worked sometimes, and other times, we'd end up taking all the personality out of the subjects' environment. Nearly "de-saturating" the environment, if you will.

Last week, we were invited back to Durrette Bradshaw to update portraits for a few of their attorneys.

This is Chris Hill, in his office...at his desk. Looks like the real thing, and it certainly is. Chris has developed a specialty construction law. He blogs about it at http://constructionlawva.com

There certainly is a lot of stuff in the image frame, but hopefully, through thoughtful composition (using the rule of thirds, and the natural triangle of the human head-torso,) we've made it easy for the viewer to focus on the person first, and then take a cue (or two) from the environment surrounding him. From a functional standpoint, we were able to set up the lights (there were 2 in the room--a smallish office about 8x12) and allow Chris to continue working at his desk.

One of the bonuses of Chris's office were the downtown buildings, including one under construction, just outside his window. This made it even easier for us (Winifred and I) to leave him at his desk. Our client, Amy Kimon Smith-Pike, agreed that the busy exterior environment balanced the cluttered interior environment, while adding yet another visual cue about Chris's professional expertise.

All images and text copyright 2009, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Standford Financial Group -- who'd a thunk?

2009-02-22T10:51:00.013-05:00

Its a weird feeling, and that's probably putting it mildly for the folks who work in the Richmond, Virginia, office of the Stanford Financial Group.

Late last year, we were hired to make portraits of the folks who had just opened the local office of this international company. Just yesterday, I heard the story on NPR about their founder Allen Standford: how he was served papers by the FBI (up the road in Fredericksburg) and is now under investigation for securities fraud.

This morning when went to the Stanford Group website, I was greeted with a receivership page. Wow.

Now, I can't stop thinking about those folks I met in the Richmond office last December. Can you imagine being a financial adviser, who's reputation and integrity is everything, having to field calls from your anxious clients who have just learned the company who they've invested with is in receivership?

What must if feel like to wonder whether your boss, the founder of your company, your "fearless leader" who inspires you and your coworkers to work hard and believe in your products/services, may have duped you? And duped your hard-earned clients? Pretty depressing.

Of course, if you or I were in this position, we'd probably try to calm our clients, and remind them it's only an investigation, and no criminal charges have been filed, and everything will be ok when the dust settles. Hoping that this is just all a big mistake.

Now this may sound odd, but when I make someone's portrait, I chat them up...ask em questions about their lives and get to know them. There have been times when I got a weird vibe from someone and would think "no way could I ever do business with this person".

But that didn't happen in the Richmond office of the Stanford Financial Group. My goodness radar was on, and these folks all achieved the "good guy" rating.

One of the folks we met is Bobby Long. He's well known in Richmond, and has been in the financial services industry for over 35 years. He's active in the community and volunteers for several Richmond area non-profits.

Ironically, the Stanford Financial Group offices in Richmond occupy old Wachovia office space in the Riverfront Plaza (West Tower). One of the folks we met, Chris Long, had worked for Wachovia. I'm pretty sure he was happy to continue his career in financial services here in Richmond. Joining the Standford Group must have seemed like a great opportunity back in 2008.

And next is Dave Innes. Smart, trustworthy, a veteran of USB-Paine Webber. We chatted about cameras, as he was thinking of getting a new one for the Christmas holidays.

These are all decent hardworking folks. I can't help but think that no one deserves to go through the kinda stress they might be going through now. I feel for them, and their families, and I wish them the best of luck getting through this.

I also hope their client's assets are safe and sound.

Aquarium Shoot for Dominion Power

2009-02-14T10:39:00.002-05:00

This was one of my favorite commercial shoots all year. Dominion Power is overhauling its website in the next few months, and wanted some new imagery.

Everyday uses of electricity was kind of the theme...and an aquarium certainly relies on a dependable energy source.

This concept of kids looking through a fish tank was something Dominion had tried to create a few years ago, but unsuccessfully. If you stop and think about it, a fish tank is a reflective surface nightmare, not to mention the issue of water clarity (murky faces is typically what you see when you shoot through an aquarium.)

Fortunately, I learned how to "shoot fish" a few years ago doing some work for Tetra (aquatic habitat supplies). My fish images were used in pet store displays and still appear on their website. Eliminating reflections of our studio lights, yet still finding a way to illuminate the set and subjects was the technical challenge photographically. Once you figure that out, you just gotta have a squeeky clean tank, clear water, and fish that swim "prettily" for the camera.

This shoot took about 2 weeks of advance studio preparation. Dave Thomas of Thomas Aquatics (804) 355-0455 was our official fish wrangler and aquatic environment wizard. He and his assistant, Ryan, set up two 50 gallon tanks in the studio. One for photography and the other as a "holding tank" for extra fish.

Fin and Feather supplied the set tank and all the decorations along with a selection of fresh-water exotic fish. To get the water perfectly clear, Dave & Ryan must have replaced the water in the set tank at least 6 times over the 2 week period. We also added lots of water treatment chemicals to knock out the chlorine.

Spending 2 weeks with the fish, I got to see that they really do have "personalities". My favorites were Dave's hybrid African Cichlid's. They are the 3 big orange fish swimming in the foreground of the tank. They didn't have any of the aggressiveness associated with the species and they'd swim to the top and "kiss" your fingers or, nibble on our hands/arms whenever we had to move something inside the tank. I also have a sweet spot for Gouramis of all kinds (they tend to be shy).

Jessica Kantor did a terrific job of casting and "kid wrangling" for the two afternoons we shot. She and Winifred Halliday found 2nd graders at their respective public elementary schools willing to spend a few hours modeling with the tank...between snack and game breaks.

Electricity uses: the fish were fresh water exotic species in a water temp about 75-degrees maintained by an electric heater with thermometer. Lots of filtration needed, especially with a bunch of fish in the tank; another use of electricity. Bubble fountains are just for looks, tho some fish like to play in them, again more electricity. Lastly, the strobe lights and digital camera all powered by Dominion.

Recliners Band Portrait

2009-01-27T22:28:00.004-05:00

So here they are, from the galaxy of cool, via satellite for your lounging pleasure: the Recliners. Check out their website to hear their "post modern power lounge" sound.

We made this portrait in a local theater here in Richmond, VA, the band's east coast home. They'd been filming their new video since 6am that day, and had just enough time to do a still shoot before wrapping. Damn, they look good in tuxes after 6 hours of filming, don't they? Of course, they were doing what they love, playing music together.

The tux shot is their "formal" portrait for folks who might like to see how the band looks all dressed up for a fancy gig (weddings, corporate events, etc.). We also captured this more informal look for the folks who book them in night clubs when they're go more casual-hip look.

Russell Young is the founder of the group (he's the guy with the trumpet.) He also arranges all the music for the group. I'll never forget the first time I heard them, Capital Ale House, I recall. We had a blast dancing all night. According to this week's Style Weekly, they're playing on Valentine's Day 2009 at Capital Ale in downtown Richmond.

The singer, Joseph, sounds like a husky Frank Sinatra on some tunes...and he can really belt it out. All the band mates are swell musicians in their own right. Super cool, martini-infused lounge rock. Oh, and you can dance to it, too!

Why I shoot so much.

2009-01-06T22:54:00.008-05:00

The reason is, I'm an artist. And the pictures I like are not always the ones my clients select. So I have to over-shoot. This started with photo editors of magazines never choosing my favorite shots for publication (I'd even stack the deck with my faves up front in a web gallery of previews.)

Now it happens with my portrait clients, too. Like it did with this family shoot.

We had blocks stacked under the backdrop to create seating. Mom & dad were comfy but junior was having none of it...he just kept wriggling his way down off the set to run around and play (exerting his independence!) We managed to get this shot where everyone looks reasonably good. And this is the one they selected for prints.

Since junior was happiest being chased around the studio, I suggested we shoot something more physically active. So, I moved the blocks and

let them "swing". This only works cause mom & dad are in good shape, and the kid is still small. And this was my favorite shot from the session. But did they chose it for their prints? Nope. I like it because it shows energy and youthfulness. And that belly!!! Love the fact you can see the kid's tummy. Just like real life.

So, that's it...after years of shooting, I still can't say for sure which poses my clients are going to select for their favorites until after they see the proofs. So, I'll continue to shoot what looks good and try different things, hoping that in all those hundreds of frames, there will be something that pleases my clients' tastes. Fortunately, my clients forgive this "creative process" I have to go thru to come up with images they ultimately chose for prints. Whew!

Growing Up 2

2008-12-05T18:42:00.004-05:00

This is Luke, 2 years old. His mom and dad brought him to the studio before Thanksgiving for a family portrait session.

What made this special was that it's the 3rd time he's visited the studio which means I'm getting to watch him grow up!

It's funny, but the first two times he came to the studio, he was super easy going and could have made pictures all day. But this time...now that he's mobile and curious...was a different story. He simply didn't want to stay in one place for very long.

I worked hard, and so did his mom and dad. So here he is with the nice train his granddad gave him...you'd think he'd stay there and look cute for a few frames. Not at all. He was more interested in handing us blocks from the train. At least he's looking at the camera in this frame. I do like this image, though. The composition works for me, and I like that the train is a meaningful gift from a family member. It's an action shot...which reminds us that he's 2 and in action all the time.

Election Day, 2008

2008-11-04T09:18:00.004-05:00

This is my nephew, Peter with his running mate Hoagie. We made this picture before a client's family portrait session a couple weeks ago. It's a test shot really.

Note the Obama button on Peter's shirt. His mom made that for him.

Now, it's time to stand in the rain at my local precinct. My husband, John Gerner, is serving as an election official for the first time. We joked that his background in theme park ride line management might come in handy today.

I did my patriotic duty and made sandwiches for John to take with him on what will likely be a 16+ hour day. Think I'll try to slip him a couple granola bars when I go vote.

Up on the roof...

2008-10-06T17:07:00.003-04:00

I've been waiting to post this image for over two months! We shot this in July, but I had to wait because the magazine that commissioned the shoot has "first publication rights." Now that the October issue of Research Magazine is on the streets, the embargo has been lifted.

This is Peter Kaufman. He lives in here the Richmond area and is a well known writer, lecturer and an all-around marketing guru. These days, he focuses on the financial services sector of the economy (stress, anyone?). But Peter's insight on marketing and communications strategy is wide ranging--you got a question about how to position a product? He's got the answer.

Anyone who knows Peter will agree that he's one of those "glass half-full" kinda guys. Peter and his partner, Heidi Workman, formed the The Hoople Group after Wachovia Securities left town last summer. Like a lot of folks, they really wanted to stay here in Richmond, and not relocate to St. Louis (nice town, just that folks have roots here).

Peter is a frequent contributer to magazines and webzines, and Research was doing a story on him for this month's issue. We needed to shoot Peter in the classic modern "financial district" environment. Since he serves clients throughout the nation, I wanted his portrait to look as if it could have been shot in L.A, Atlanta, or New York. So, that's what we did...found the best darn parking deck roof-top view in Richmond and persuaded (really, we asked very, very nicely and produced a copy of our insurance certificate) the building management to let us up there.

Hassan and Winifred both worked with me on this shoot.

All images and text Copyright Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC, 2008.

Albert Hill Middle School PTA Honored for Earth Day Eco-Fair

2008-09-29T14:02:00.007-04:00

This past summer, Parent Teacher Organization Magazine called and asked if we'd photograph leaders of the Albert Hill Middle School PTA. Seems they'd had a really successful Eco-Fair during the in Spring of 2008, around Earth Day, and they were getting national recognition for the event. Click here for the full story.

The magazine photoeditor asked us to do our best to reenact some elements of the event, so parents graciously volunteered to bring a couple of the games they built for the fair.

This was the first shoot in which Hassan Pitts and I worked together. Wow, did I ever do the right thing by hiring him! Hassan is an emerging photographer and professional photo-assistant. He's inventive, enthusisastic and so far, up for any challenge. He's helped me on a lot of shoots this summer and into the fall. Hassan is at VCU, getting his Masters Degree in Fine Art.

The boy on the left hand side of the frame is tossing tennis balls at the targets. One of the things Hassan had to do was run around and collect the balls, returning them for the student to throw. We probably shot 25-30 takes, and we had only 3 balls to work with. Hassan got a little work out that day.

..and he was just a twinkle in his daddy's eye.

2008-09-15T11:48:00.007-04:00

This was a portrait session like no other. A SUPER baby at the classic 6-months, doing everything right on schedule.

Ironically, this shoot was close to the mom & dad's 2nd wedding anniversary. I'll always remember that steamy hot day in July '06 when I photographed Monica and Brad's wedding. In spite of the heat, they were a perfectly beautiful couple. Loving families, great friends with a wonderful future ahead.

I was bummed when they moved to Staunton, VA. Worried I'd never see them again. But we stayed in touch and low and behold little Everett came into their lives earlier this year. I was so thrilled to meet him, and awesomely honored to be his "baby portrait photographer."

Now, Monica & Brad have a perfectly beautiful family. I'm sure there will more to add to the story as the years unfold. I can't wait to watch Everett grow up!

All images and text Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell for Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Oh, baby!

2008-09-06T11:36:00.006-04:00

Just makes you wanna run right out an get one, doesn't it?
This little bugger is about 6 months old. His grandmother said she wanted some nude pictures of her little sweetie, so we happly obliged.
We have tons more images of "mr. e" thanks to a mom and dad on-set who kept him happy (silly songs, hugs, kisses, bottles, diaper changes, etc). I'll share some more images of him in the next few posts.
All images and content Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell for Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Best Lawyers Shoot

2008-08-27T11:07:00.005-04:00

Here's an example of a great team effort with the client, ad agency, subjects and crew.

We shot this over a 2-day period at the studio. Before that, I was involved in the concept development (a rare treat). Amy Smith Pike, Marketing Director for Durrette Bradshaw PLC, got us all on a conference call to toss around some ideas with the "creative ninjas" at Prototype Advertising.

We liked the idea of shooting from a "heroic" angle so the fellows would appear to tower above us mere mortals. After a round of test shots, we settled on cropping just below the hips and keeping the camera just below the knees of the subject.

Each of the attorneys came to the studio separately so we could capture different angles and body positions for each fellow. Stylist, Winifred, got the guys ready for the camera and helped us get relaxed, natural looking poses. Assistant, Hassan Pitts, ran the computer so Amy could keep tabs on what we were capturing thru the camrea.

Following the shoot we posted proofs for the client, subject and art director to select from.

Once folks settled on their favorite images, we uploaded the high resolution files to our server so Keith Poole at Prototype could download and compose the layout. And here's the finished product. From concept to publication within 3 weeks.

The Nubian Queen

2008-08-19T14:14:00.010-04:00

This the prettiest expectant mommy I photographed all summer. I love her confidence and beauty. Can you believe she had her baby boy the very next week? This pose was definitely a collaboration with the subject. I was thinking more vertical in composition, and she asked to "recline like a Nubian queen". It's always a joy to improvise like this on a shoot. Kinda like playing jazz.
The other unexpected thing was how much I liked the color images. We had agreed to "think black and white" going into the session, since that's what she was really aiming for: an elegant black and white portrait of her with her 2-year old son. This is image she chose to have us print for her home.

Image and text Copyright 2008, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

The Commishes of VA-ABC

2008-07-02T18:12:00.007-04:00

Meet the mighty triumvirate at the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The three commissioners were appointed by Governor Tim Kaine.

I got to photograph them for a beverage industry trade journal that focuses on the "control" states, as they call them in the biz. This image is the cover of the July/Aug issue of the magazine.

This was a fun shoot, and we set it up in the Carytown ABC store. The staff was terrific, and super helpful. The manager was so careful about making sure every bottle was perfectly placed.

One really cool thing about the VA ABC, is that stores will be open on July 4th. And just last week, stores in the Richmond area are now open on Sundays! I'm revving the blender now for the Independence Day 'smoothie with a kick.'

Image and text Copyright 2008, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

So in love.

2008-06-18T22:06:00.006-04:00

This couple just surprised the hell out of me. Susan and Adam...married at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden last month.

So they show up at the studio last Fall, and are super casual, laid back...no preacher, no plans, thinking about wearing flip-flops to the wedding. Just wanting to get hitched in a beautiful setting.

True to their laid back form, the bride didn't even find her dress till 2 weeks before the wedding! But what a dress it was. Her mom said it came from Franco's...who'd have thought? She looked like a goddess.

But what a treat they were to work with. And who could ask for a more beautiful location for photography? We shot their engagement session in the garden in early March and had lots of fun getting to know each other.

By the time we got to the wedding day, they were steaming up the lens. So passionate, so in love, so beautiful.

See their entire wedding day by clicking here, or go to the proofs/events link on our website and type in "adam" for the password.

All images and text Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell for Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Crazy Cool House

2008-05-19T08:19:00.005-04:00

Last week, we photographed an unusual home (unusual for Richmond, that is). My assistant called it a "Brady Bunch house, just way cooler". But the owners, Andy and Greg, call the home "Riversong".

This is the living room looking out toward the Newfound Falls River in Hanover County.

What I liked about the home is that it had this mod-Los Angeles/Miami look, yet it's in the Virginia countryside. We heard the rushing sound of the water falls whenever we stepped outside, and in the early morning, we heard cows mooing in the distance.

The current owners really made the most of the floor to ceiling windows. Each room is oriented toward the view. And they embraced the modern architecture with goovy interior decorating choices.

As we set up each shot, I imagined the first floor full of beautiful people in chic attire sipping martinis--this seemed like the perfect house for a glamorous event.

But my favorite room was the master bedroom. I just wanted to lie down and take a nap...open the glass doors and fall asleep to the sound of birds singing and water rushing.

What's amazing about the house is the consistency of interior design and decorating throughout. Also, the level of comfort in the furnishings impressed me. I'm a latecomer to the discovery that modern design and furnishings don't have to be hard-edged or rigid. Even the kitchen table chairs were soft and inviting. And no matter where you were in the house, there was always a good view out the window into the soft spring-green trees.

Carter Ritchie has the listing on this home, which is going on the market soon. You can reach him via http://www.carterritchie.com

XDL Intellectual Property Law

2008-04-17T22:26:00.007-04:00

XDL is one of the coolest clients I've had the pleasure to work with. The XDL firm is comprised of attorneys with various specialties in my favorite area of law: intellectual property ;-).

When they first called me for a shoot, we focused on full length high-key portraits of each attorney, for the "who we are" page on their website. That was a lot of fun, and I got to know each of the attorneys personally during those sessions.

But the images I like the most are the black and white environmental, available light images you see here.

The attorneys live all over the US, from Seattle to Minneapolis to Richmond, which doesn't poses any apparent obstacles to the ability to litigate effectively on behalf of their clients. When they do get together in one room, it's amazing.

All that brainpower in one location...all focused on protecting intellectual property rights...it's enough to make any creator swoon. Talk of copyright protection, patent and trademark litigation...ooooh, ahhh.

So my client, Amy Smith Pike, Marketing Director for the XDL group, says, "lets get some action shots of these guys all together hashing things out". So I got my trusty monopod, locked in the long lens, and stabilized the camera for some high ISO/low light/no flash/low shutter speed images of the group in one of their bull sessions.

Normally, when I'm asked to shoot meetings, I like to place off-camera strobes in the room to bring up the light level. This enables us to get low ISO, and thus low noise color images.

But something about this meeting was different...perhaps it was the intimacy of the room and the time pressure these folks were under to keep the agenda rolling (half of them had to catch flights home in the afternoon.) I felt it would be too much of a distraction to have strobes popping, plus, the room had so much stuff in it (flip charts, coffee pots, laptops, luggage sodas and snacks) I don't know where I would have found the room for light stands.

When converted to gray-scale, the low light/high noise images looked like good old fashioned grainy T-Max film. Didn't hurt that my client, Amy, used to work in media herself...she's an old news-hound and "gets it" on the photo-journalistic concept for her firm.

In the end, I was surprised at how much I liked the images, and I love how the design firm, Prototype Advertising, used them on the XDL website. Nice to know I have clients in high places, should I ever need to go to court to defend a copyright infringement.
All images Copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Lovers in the garden

2008-04-02T19:46:00.008-04:00

This is Adam and Susan...to be wed May 10, 2008, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden here in Richmond, VA. They both live and work in Northern Virginia now, but the bride hails from nearby Mechanicsville.

Last week, we went over to the Asian Garden (their reception will be in the Tea House) and walked around with a camera to get a feel for the site. I've photographed several weddings at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, but this will be my first using the Asian Garden as a reception/photography area.

An engagement portrait session with the bride & groom is a great warm up for the wedding day. The couple gets comfy smooching in front of a camera and we usually get lots of romantic images of 'young luv'.

The couple probably won't choose this image of her kissing his nose ...but I absolutely love it! It's the only frame like it, and shows how playful they are. I can't wait for the wedding day.

All images and content Copyright Elaine Odell/Church Hill Photography, LLC, 2008.

Pardon Our Dust...

2008-03-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

If you've made it to this location on the World Wide Web...forgive us as we overhaul our website this weekend and republish our blog. If you've ever been through this process, you'll understand that things never work the way you anticipate...just gotta keep moving things around on the server till we get it right. Everything should be in order by Monday, March 31, 2008.

My Hero: Sandra Day O'Connor

2008-03-25T14:36:00.003-04:00

One of the institutions I have the pleasure of working with is the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, VA.

These days, former Supreme Court Associate Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor is the serving as Chancellor for W&M.

She attended the annual Charter Day festivities this year, and I was asked to cover the celebratory, black-tie dinner at the end of the day. This was the second time I'd had the opportunity to photograph her on the college campus. And this time, just like before, I was totally star-struck.

The image above is my favorite picture of her from that night. We have lots of shots of her delivering a speech and doing the formal things on the agenda...but those look as you would expect. At this point, former W&M President, Gene Nichol was at the lectern, and he must have made some jovial remark which made her laugh. Lovely.

She really was the classiest dame in the room...and fell for her. When the event was over, I saw her talking with Harriet Mayor Fulbright (president of the J. William & Harriett Fulbright Center).

Seeing these two amazing women together was really powerful; the Supreme Court Judge and the world peace advocate. I just had to document what appeared to be a warm friendship. With my photojournalist hat on, I followed O'Connor and Fulbright out of the banquet hall, got ahead of them, turned around and walked backwards hoping I wouldn't knock down one of the other guests as I made pictures.

Just after I got this shot, O'Connor said "That's quite enough now." Her words were like a laser beam: delivered with a smile and complete seriousness. It was a little taste of what it might have been like to argue a case before her.

Instantly, I stopped shooting, and scooted back into the ballroom to photograph the other guests.

Eat In Kitchen

2008-03-17T23:07:00.004-04:00

Here's another one of Perry DesJardins' killer kitchens. This was shot during a day and half of image capture at a custom-built DesJardin home in Goochland County, VA.

Deciding what to leave in was the challenge in this shot. The home owner, like most of us, had all sorts of tchotchkes around the kitchen (with all that counter space, wouldn't you?)

But since I was shooting for the builder, we needed minimal distractions. The marble counter tops, custom cabinets, tile back splashes, lighting, etc., needed to be the stars of the show.

So I set up the tripod, framed the shot, and asked my assistant, Karin, to start removing items one by one. The challenge was for her to remove the cookbooks, decorative plates, potted plants, etc., and stow them in such a way that she could put them back just as she found them, so the homeowner would find the kitchen just as she left it.

The lighting is a combination of window light (provided by floor to ceiling french doors) in the out-of-the-frame family room to the right of the camera, and the tungsten lighting within the kitchen. Several bracketed exposures were sandwiched together in post-production to achieve this final image.

We're pleased with the final result...there are just enough decorative details in this kitchen to make it pretty, without being distracting to the overall design.

All images & text copyright 2008 Elaine Odell/Church Hill Photography, LLC.

Protesting High Gas Prices

2008-03-12T09:39:00.008-04:00

Last week, while driving through rural Nelson County, we blew past this gas station on Rt. 664 in the hamlet of Beech Grove, a few miles down the mountain from the Wintergreen Resort.

We turned around and went back to photograph this sign. According to the manager on duty, the owner of Hickman's Exxon has gotten fed up with rapidly escalating gas prices and the all too frequent climb to change the numbers on this sign (about 20-25 feet up).

This was shot on Thursday March 6, 2008, when a gallon of regular was $3.34. Below, is the wide shot of Andy Hickman's gas station, which is just a short drive from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

The Artist's Space

2008-02-29T19:30:00.006-05:00

Jennifer Young's Vibrant Landscapes are favorites among fine art collectors, interior designers and decorators. Although she creates a lot of work in the plein air mode, Jennifer's indoor space is where she finishes the canvases (varnishing, touchups, framing, etc,) and does indoor painting when the weather doesn't cooperate.

Jennifer moved to a gorgeous gallery/studio in Downtown Richmond over a year ago, and we'd yet to create a portrait of the artist in her gallery. Finally, on a rainy, cold January afternoon, we did it. Luckily, the sunny yellow walls in the interior gallery more than made up for the miserable weather outdoors.

What I really like about Jennifer's gallery is that it feels like a real home, instead of a sterile white-walled gallery. The row house has a large front room with lots of natural window light (easy to imagine as your home living/family room) as well as an interior room with decorator lighting (like your dining room). You see the paintings displayed this way and can envision them hanging on your own walls.

This shoot is a good example of collaboration and give-and-take with the client. Jennifer was more interested in showing the gallery expanse and the paintings on display. While she realized she needed to be in the picture, she wasn't really interested in being the central focus. Like most artists, she prefers that her art be the "hero".

Well, I saw things a little differently...I was more interested in creating a portrait of the artist, with the work & the environment accompanying her, telling her story.

So, to achieve both our goals, we set up a wide shot and placed paintings strategically within the camera's view. Stylist Winifred Halliday was very instrumental in helping set up this portrait.

One benefit of shooting wide and seeing a tighter crop within it, is the flexibility it gives graphic designers. It's especially helpful for magazine or newspaper folks who often don't know the layout of a page till the last minute because images and text blocks are coming from multiple sources. If you're a client submitting an image with a press release, having an image that crops easily as a horizontal or a vertical makes designers really happy, and increases your chances of prominent page placement.

So here is the wide shot. It tells you more about the gallery space and lets your eye move about the frame. The artist is still central to the image...if a newspaper is writing a story about galleries, then this image would likely get used in publication because of the extra visual information.
All images and text Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Pet Doctors

2008-02-19T23:08:00.006-05:00

This is Dr. Key. She works at Lakeside Animal Hospital in Richmond, VA. Earlier last month, we spent the morning working with the staff to create images for their new website redesign. It was a fast paced few hours with great teamwork on the part of staff and their pets.

The cool thing about Lakeside Animal Hospital is that they work with birds and reptiles, too. Below is Dr. Gonzales, with one of the pet birds who lives at the animal hospital. Photographing someone with a bird was new to me. I was a little concerned. I've done lots of shoots with people and their dogs. But a parrot? I didn't know how he'd like the flash. We placed the strobe head behind the bird so the vet would be looking into the light, the bird would have his back to it. I think that helped, because it was a small exam room and we were flashing away. But what probably made the most impact on keeping the bird relaxed was the comfort and attention from Dr. Gonzales. The parrot and her are old friends. The two of them just chatted and cooed the whole time we were shooting.

All images and text Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Other U2 Guys

2008-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

Remember the U2 spy plane incident? In 1960 Russia shot down super top secret CIA spy pilot Francis Gary Powers. He was held prisoner by the Soviets for nearly 2 years...and eventually was released in a spy swap.

Well, this is his son, Francis Gary Powers, Jr. He's the founder of the traveling Cold War Museum. They have a neat website.
Gary travels the US, speaking to groups interested in the Cold War. He's also raising funds for a museum home base outside of Washington, D.C.

The day of this shoot, we decided to do two set-ups: one outdoors with a model of his dad's spy plane, and another in his study. The first shot would show the playful side of his personality: the big kid in love with aviation and history. The second shot would show the business side of Gary's directorship of the museum.

We set up in Gary's office and this is one of the frames from that sequence. Your basic business guy/professional portrait that just happens to have the U2 model plane in the foreground.

Now here is the funny thing about this shoot. While writing this entry, I just happened to go to the Wikipedia entry for Gary's dad.

Twilight zone time...I swear I never saw this old black and white news photograph till now. Wow. Like father like son.

Above color images Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

New Year's Ride to Church Hill

2008-01-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Every year, on New Year's Day, a bunch of local riding clubs get together and trek 35 miles from Charles City County to Church Hill. The ride always ends a Jefferson Park, overlooking Downtown Richmond, the State Capitol, and I-95, just at sunset. Today, as the horses came clattering down the street (gotta love the sound of horse shoes on pavement) I grabbed my point-n-shoot along with some apples and carrots. This year, the weather was great. And lots of little city kids got to pet a horsey. Once the light faded, I knelt down and captured the silhouette image above. The the lights of Downtown Richmond and Riverfront Towers are in the background.

These are just a few of the snaps from Jefferson Park; to see the rest of the images, click here.

Here is a link to the website for one of the clubs in case you want to find out more: http://unitedhorsemen.org

All images Copyright 2008 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

All I Want for Christmas...

2007-12-26T19:33:00.001-05:00

Yes, they really were missing their two front teeth! No retouching required. Peter and Kennedi are first graders at Fisher Elementary School in Richmond. We shot this back in October, around Halloween. Now, they both have their two front teeth and are enjoying Christmas candy.

Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Bellydancer Beauty

2007-12-13T20:28:00.001-05:00

Before leaving for Egypt with my husband (that's why I haven't posted in so long) I got in the mood for the trip with a portrait session of the lovely Christi. She's a local bellydancer and as you can see, is stunning. Photographing dancers is always something I've enjoyed doing. It's a challenge because you want to show movement and allow them to express themselves as artists. Soon, I'll post more images with her veil and even more movement. With this shoot, Christi showed me the classic bellydance postures, and I asked her to make some minor adjustments for the camera. She's also the first person to be photographed with my new blue-to-black backdrop. It seemed the obvious choice with her costume. Look for her dancing in the Richmond area along with the ever-growing population of bellydancers worldwide!

Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Before the wedding starts...

2007-11-15T19:32:00.001-05:00

We've been working on Kim and Paul's wedding album, Finally, all the prints are off at our bindery, Art Leather. This is one of my favorite images from the wedding day. We were in a quiet hallway just outside the sanctuary as Kim and her dad waited to walk down the aisle. My heart was pounding (like it always does when the church is full and everyone is looking over their shoulder to get a glimpse of the bride.) Kim had the calmness of a saint. She just took a breath and bowed her head. I don't know if she was praying or just collecting her thoughts. Regardless of what she was thinking, I thought she was supremely beautiful and was glad to be there with a camera.

Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Senior Portrait

2007-11-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

This handsome young fellow is Will Patterson, a senior at Richmond Christian School. His mom and dad asked me if our studio did Senior Portraits, and I said, "of course!" Call me old fashioned, but I wish kids would dress like this more often. It's his dad's tuxedo jacket. He certainly is dressed to impress.

Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Halloween At the Office

2007-10-31T12:36:00.002-04:00

On a quite Sunday, we went to Richmond's financial district with our model, Beauregard Marie. I worked in NYC for years and wanted to find a location that reminded me of the marble office plazas in mid-town Manhattan. I also wanted to replicate how the early morning/afternoon sun hits at such a strong angle this time of year.

I had Beau walk back an forth, and up and down those steps a lot. We tried various camera angles and lots of different hand positions with the jack-o-lantern. Getting the swing of the pumpkin and the briefcase with just the right stride took us a while to figure out. Beau did a great job, and was very patient.

For lighting, we supplemented the natural open shade of the office plaza with a battery powered off camera flash, creating a "kicker light" from the right side (notice how the main light reflecting onto the subject at a right angle--not what you'd naturally see at noontime in open shade). We added a few orange gels to warm the light to give it that early am glow. In all those years on Madison Avenue, I never actually saw anyone walking to work with a candy-filled pumpkin. But if I had, I'd have smiled like a jack-o-lantern.

Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Dream Home

2007-10-19T12:04:00.001-04:00

Architectural photography is something we love to do. This home was designed by Perry DesJardins, a creator of extrordinary residences throughout Central Virginia. Infact, if you go to Perry's website, you can see the front of this house on his home page. This image was created by layering a number of different exposures within the image file. We set up the camera before sundown, and left it in place till dark. We added some stobe lighting there and there to open up the shadows. My assistant that day, Karin Sabine, hand held the strobe and walked along the set popping the flash at different areas. Some of the later exposures were as long as 8 seconds. The goal was to let the structural lighting appear as it does to the human eye. Nice digs.
Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A Country Wedding

2007-10-12T11:53:00.000-04:00

The Powhatan County homestead known as West Wind (rolling hills and a turn of the century farmhouse restored by the bride and groom) was the site of a super-fun wedding on September 15, 2007. From the git-go, the couple (Colleen McGary and Al Kupeski) told us they wanted to focus on enjoying the company of their family and friends. The last thing they wanted to do was pose for a lot of pictures and be kept away from enjoying their wedding celebration with guests. So, with the couple's permission, we captured the day in a photojournalist style. Between me and photo assistant, Beth Furgeson, we captured over 300o images that day. It wasn't till the very end of the day, with the sun gloriously setting and giving us the hallowed "golden hour", that we were able to get the newlyweds to settle down and make their official "wedding portrait". Luckily for us, the groom has a spiffy John Deere that doubled as the perfect loveseat and bouquet-tossing platform for the bride. See the whole shoot at http://www.churchhillphoto.com/al.
Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Engagement Portrait

2007-10-03T11:41:00.001-04:00

Recently we had the pleasure of meeting Leigh and Matt. They commissioned our studio for their engagement portrait. What really works about this image is the relaxed pose. We always try to have couples close together and touching...just like they do in real life. After the shoot, we posted the couple's proofs online. This is the image they chose for their announcement. We find that online proofing helps clients share the images with friends and family. In this case, it was especially helpful since she lives out of town, as do her parents. To see what our online proofing system looks like, you can view this couple's shoot at www.churchhillphoto.com/leighmathew.
Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Mother and Child

2007-09-06T23:25:00.000-04:00

This story has a happy ending. Once upon a time, a Union Hill neighbor MaryBeth, brought her 5-month old daughter, Rigby to the portrait studio. Now Rigby, being an exceedingly intelligent child, was not to be fooled by the usual photographer's tricks. No funny face, nor silly sound could get her to smile or laugh. The harder the photographer worked at being crazy and wacky, the more she looked simply perplexed. Understandably, Rigby's mom and dad wanted happy baby images to choose from. But Rigby would have none of it. So the photographer got the good sense to ask MaryBeth to hold her daughter. Well, that did the trick. Nothing makes a baby smile like a mother's caress. Now everyone lives happily ever after.
Image Copyright 2007 Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Guys in Ties

2007-09-05T15:11:00.001-04:00

One of the things we do alot (and I did this shoot with photographer/assistant Beth Furgeson) is go into workplaces and make environmental portraits. Last week, Brady Communications asked us to visit one of their long-term clients, Quad-C Equity Management. Two new analysts had just joined the firm and needed their images on the company website.

Our goal was, with as little disruption as possible, to make a nice portrait of each fella in their current workspace. Since these guys are financial/business analysts, there was paper everywhere, lots of binders, books, spreadsheets, you name it. They have loads of information to keep track of.

As the photographer, my job is often to decide what not to include in the image frame. Both guys asked "do we need to clean up our desks?" I said the same think I always do, "no". Some how we always find a flattering angle and create lighting that eliminates the distracting junk that is in everyone's office. It didn't hurt that both these guys are youthful and handsome. They look professional and approachable.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

A "Northern Neck" Morning

2007-08-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

Here's another shot from our day with Candidate for Virginia State Senate, Richard Stuart. We started out at the farm of Woody Hynson (who's also serves on the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors.) Woody's farm is picturesque with shady fishin' banks along the Rappahannock River. He was planting soy beans that morning and needed a hand with the 50lb bags of seed. That's Richard in the blue shirt helping out. The body of water behind the men is a creek that runs into the river just a few hundred yards away. Wood's retriever puppy, George, is quite a jumper, and managed to get his muddy paws on all of us, including Richard. Fortunately, we had another shirt handy and got this shot of George the waiting for Richard to toss the stick into the river. Oh, if you're not familiar with the term "Northern Neck", it's the peninsula that is bounded by the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers as they flow in to the Chesapeake Bay.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Summer Reading

2007-07-30T13:04:00.001-04:00

Earlier this summer, my assistant Beth and I followed candidate for Virginia State Sentate, Richard Stuart. We photographed him talking with voters and visiting all kinds of folks throughout the 28th district. At the end of day-one, we stopped by his home to meet the family. Our job was to capture relaxed, everyday images of dad just hanging out with the kids. This image, with his eldest daughter, Katie, is one of my favorites. We just asked them to sit on the porch and read one of her favorite books. After a few poems, a tickle-giggle fest ensued and well, that's when the really fun pictures happened. Special thanks to all the folks we met those two days in Westmoreland and Stafford Counties...and vote for Richard!

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Beautiful Baby Boy

2007-07-03T12:29:00.004-04:00

This little guy came ready to have fun (mom & dad get all the credit). We made this image between wardrobe changes (he had some cute grandma-given outfits that got drooled on.) He's about 6 months old, so sitting up is still new to him...but as you can see, he's proud of his new "stature". This stage of a child's development can yield particularly rewarding photographs. Most babies are reacting well to parents (just to my left, so the infant can focus on his/her two favorite people in the world.) Also, babies this age are strong enough to sit up, but not quite ready to crawl away from the set. Perfect timing for our subject. This was our first shoot with the new "Desert Sands" backdrop, it has flesh tones, pinks and blues. Nice for youngsters.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Virginia GrandDriver Location Photoshoot

2007-04-16T12:25:00.001-04:00

Last week we got lucky with the weather and had a wonderful time with these three spokeswomen for the Virginia Department for the Aging program known as GrandDriver http://www.granddriver.net
This is an unretouched image from the shoot. What makes this shot work for me is the lighting...and of course the energy of our talented subjects. Sunset shoots are thrilling because of the quality of light known as "the golden hour". That day, I worked with two terrific assistants: Danny Spry and Beth Furgeson. They're both young photographers and together we made a nice team. Look for this image (or a similar shot) in media later this spring and summer.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Richmond Canal Cruise Wedding

2007-04-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

Get married on a boat? Why not? On Saturday, April 7, 2007, Kori and Valdez took their vows standing in the bow of canal boat. Before and after, they toured Richmond's historic downtown canal just off the James River. It was a chilly, breezy day, but as you can see, they were oh-so happy. I love this picture of them, captured right after they said "I do".

Headshots and Clothing Choice

2007-03-07T19:24:00.001-05:00

While we're on the subject of clothing choice for photography...let's consider this fellow. This is a local architectural designer, Perry DesJardins. He came to the studio the other day (and this image has not been retouched...so forgive the few flaws we've yet to clean up). He intentionally chose the black turtle neck and suit jacket. So what do you look at first? His face, his smile, his eyes, right?

Perry will use this image on his website with his bio. On his site, he'll also have lots of images of the residences he's designed. And those residences are really the star of the show. That's another reason why he kept his clothing simple and "basic black".

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Mother and Son Portrait.

2007-03-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a perfect example of how to keep the focus on the subjects of any group portrait by keeping the clothing simple. Notice the white shirts on both the mom and her son (Winifred ad Peter). Also notice the miminal jewelry and simple hairstyle. All that "simplicity" was planned and acheives a wonderful result. Instead of your eyes wandering around looking at distracting bling-bling or clothing patterns, you look at their faces and into their eyes.

Another thing we like to do with family members is let them show their love by making physical contact. That's why Peter's head is resting atop his mom's. I love seeing his little hands on her shoulders. Kinda says "family members lean on each other" doesn't it. But of course, families are all different, and what works for one, may not work for another...so we're very observant on shoots with folks' body language and physicallity. Always trying to get what feels comfortable for them considering their relationships and personalities.

Leslie's Great Red Dress

2007-02-09T13:06:00.000-05:00

It's been said that every woman needs a "great red dress." Especially for Valentine's Day. This is Leslie Strickler in her favorite red dress. A former magazine publisher (Kleos Magazine), Leslie is a founder of Richmond's new Center of Integrative Medicine. As you can see, she's in great shape, a working mom with two kids. During the shoot, I learned about the yoga classes she's been taking. Later in the week when I caught a cold, she gave me all sorts of advice about how to get better without prescription drugs. She's a good spokesperson holistic for wellness. You can learn more about the center at http://centerofintegrativemedicine.com

College of William and Mary Shoot

2007-01-24T18:05:00.001-05:00

The College of William and Mary relies upon the generous contributions of donors' time, talent and money. There are so many interesting stories behind the folks who get involved with the college. The W&M School of Education asked me to help tell the story of Peg Harmon (the woman in the blue sweater) alumn and friend of the college. She's a retired teacher and has a lifetime of practical experience to share. Now she mentors graduate school students as they prepare for their own careers after college.
I shot this job with assistant and terrific young photographer, Jake Lyle. We set up in the a student lounge/commons area. The idea was to capture Pat and her two student mentorees just having a casual conversation. Jake did a great job of keeping all the lights standing and taping down cords. We didn't lose any equipment and thankfully, no one tripped on any cords...we're really serious about safety on shoots, especially in high-traffic areas. I used a long telephoto lens and crouched way across the room (next to the xerox machine) to get this shot. I love the spontaneity of it.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Homework and the Internet

2007-01-22T11:15:00.001-05:00

A trade magazine called "Cable in the Classroom" asked us to go on location to the Boys & Girls Club in Newport News, Virginia. Cox Cable helped fund and install a technology center for children who otherwise would have difficulty accessing the Internet when doing their homework. Because the Boys & Girls Clubs sponsor popular after-school programs in low-income neighborhoods Cox found a "perfect fit" for their outreach program. The adult in the foreground is Steve Kast, the director of Boys & Girls Clubs in the Tidewater area. My assistant this day, Stephanie Garr, did a great job helping with the lights...fyi, the room really isn't blue. We walked into a windowless concrete block room, lit with standard overhead fluorescent lights (yucky yellowish-green). We turned off all the ambient lights, and lit the back wall with a blue gelled-strobe. A very slow shutter speed exposed the monitors. We lit Steve with a partially collapsed umbrella and narrowly focused "kicker". We're happy with the end results.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Not a model, but looks like one.

2007-01-18T19:54:00.001-05:00

This is Carter Ritchie. He's a real estate agent in Virginia and his group has been coming to our studio for a little over a year for their business portraits. I love the "casual confidence" of this image...aided by a brand new suit (custom tailored by Franco's here in Richmond.) This day in the studio, he wanted something a "little different" than his usual headshot. James Bond, look out.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Federal Credit Union Shoot

2007-01-16T16:53:00.001-05:00

Before the Christmas holidays, we spent a day on location at the headquarters of the Henrico (County) Federal Credit Union.
The marketing department wanted to create a library of images which they could use for ongoing communications (brochures, print ads, posters, etc.). Previously, they had been using stock imagery...and while the image were technically ok, they weren't the real-life members of the local credit union.
So, a few weeks before the shoot, the clients contacted about 30 credit union members. Regular folks, with real-life jobs, families, hobbies, etc. We set up a high-key studio on location and had a great time making pictures.
Dave Miller, photo assistant, and Winifred Halliday, stylist, joined me for this shoot. Great team effort, we worked hard but had lots of fun, too.
We're now in the post-production stage of the shoot; retouching and color-correcting images the clients have selected. This image is of a mom and her daughter.

All images and text copyright 2007, Elaine Odell, Church Hill Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.

Press Conference, Mayor Douglas L. Wilder

2007-01-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I covered a press conference for Leisure Business Advisors http://www.leisure-business.com The Martin Agency graciously hosted the gathering of reporters, camera people, arts supporters and civic leaders in it's downtown Richmond headquarters . The focus is on Mayor Douglas L. Wilder. He's pledging $25 million dollars to help renovate and re-open a beautiful theatre known as the Carpenter Center. The funds will also help expand the performance space to create Richmond Center Stage. If you want to know more about the project, see the "Current Headlines" on the city's website at http://www.ci.richmond.va.us

Outtake, Executive Headshot

2007-01-08T20:14:00.000-05:00

Our stylist, Winifred, use to be a hand model in NYC. This image was captured unintentionally. She reached in to fix something I didn't notice...and well, you can see for yourself how we try to get everything perfect in front of the camera. Even so, this handsome fellow needed very little adjusting. He just sat down and looked terrific from the git-go. This image is an outtake from a recent day of shooting for Suntrust Bank.

Playground Overhead Shot

2007-01-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Here's what the Play and Park structure looks like from about 25 feet in the air. The camera & I were atop a construction scissor-lift. This was a real teamwork shoot with parents helping the client get the kids spread-out across the structure. The client even went up into the scissor lift ahead of me and drove it to just where she wanted the camera to be. Fearless! The graphic designer will eventually retouch-out the house and fence you can see at the top of the frame...perhaps leaving in the split-rail fence. What a great place for a kid to grow up...right next to an awesome playground like this.

Playground Manufacturer Shoot

2007-01-03T18:42:00.000-05:00

We've had a suprisingly mild fall and winter here in Virginia, so we were able to do some work for Play & Park Structures, a playground equipment manufacturer based in Chatanooga, TN. My assistant, Jake, and I went to a couple new playgrounds in Virginia Beach, and made pictures of kids having fun on super-duper jungle gym installations. After an hour or so of wild play, these two boys took a break to recharge their batteries.

Environmental Portrait; Durrette Bradshaw PLC

2006-12-27T10:05:00.001-05:00

Today we're editing images from recent shoot. This is Christine Williams, Esq. She was selected "Top Young Lawyer" for 2006 by her peers in Virginia. We made this portrait in the law library at Durrette Bradshaw, in downtown Richmond. One of our assitants, Winifred, helped Christine look her best for the camera. We really wanted to stretch the boundaries of what a law library should look like...you should see the real thing: fluorescent lighting, no windows, very utilitarian. We think our lighting transformed a typical office interior into a "law library with attitude". I see a few things to address in retouching...I'll post the finished product when I finish the job.