Produce in the Studio

For those of you who don't know, I am fond of gardening, and this year has been the best garden yet. 

I took some of our bounty and used it in the studio. The colors are just glorious!

Cucumbers, hot banana peppers, Chocolate Sprinkle cherry tomatoes, Yellow Pear cherry tomatoes

Clockwise from left: cucumber, Black Prince tomato, Cherry Bomb hot pepper, jalapeño pepper, Candy Land mini cherry tomato, hot banana pepper, Yellow Pear cherry tomato, Chocolate Sprinkles cherry tomato

After shooting several  layouts on white/light backgrounds, the colors against the dark background jumped out beautifully. 

By far one of my favorite shots of the summer

A dinner creation by my charming husband, Bill

We planted new-to-us peppers this year, and these Cherry Bombs are now a Davis favorite. I especially like them stuffed with goat cheese and grilled.

We always plant heirloom tomatoes, and we tried a kind called Old German. A medium-size, they are so sweet and delicious, and their color is gorgeous.

My first attempt at preserving was a success! Bill will be making delicious soup base out of these jars when cooler weather comes around.

If you're a gardener with a blog or looking to start one, or even if you just want some pretty shots of what you grow, don't hesitate to contact me for pricing on garden photography. 

Swimming At Whites Creek

In late August, Bill and I took a trip out to East Tennessee with some of the ladies of Tennessee Parks and Greenways. We went to the home of Steve Scarborough, which sits on a 1500 acre property at the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
Steve's land is protected by a conservation easement put in place via Tennessee Parks and Greenways.

Here is Bill at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. That's the edge of the Plateau on the left of the photo.

Whites Creek runs right through Steve's land, so we took the day to hike and snorkel.
The distance of the hike was only about 1/4 mile, but the drop was about 200 feet, so it was decently steep. The path we walked is a mining road built in the 1940s.
It rained a bit and the water was murky, but it didn't stop us from swimming, hiking, and enjoying the flora and fauna of the surrounding natural beauty.

One of the gorgeous green views.

This little lizard greeted us first thing.

As we were hiking down to the creek, Steve pointed out a bald eagle through the trees and across the creek. I whipped out my handy 70-300mm zoom and was able to get this shot.

My first bald eagle sighting. Pretty amazing.

The first swimming hole was a pool at the edge of some low falls. We swam across and sat on the rocks with the water running around us. It was beautiful and refreshing. We swam back to shore through a straight-down rain.

The second swimming hole was just a little way down the path. People waded on the shelf and swam in the surrounding pools. We saw fish and fossils and frogs.

When the creek is higher, it's perfect for kayaking and canoeing.

These frogs are little, most under an inch long. They have great camoflauge. 

A little slice of heaven.

Everything was so green, colorful details like this fallen leaf became high profile.

On the hike back to the house, I noticed this large boulder in the trees that I hadn't seen on the way down. I love the placement of this large, unyielding stone among the lacy green of the understory plants and small trees.

When we got back to Steve's house, he had hot dogs and beverages for us all, along with stunning views. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day away from the city.

Want to learn more about opportunities like this? Follow Tennessee Parks and Greenways on Facebook and subscribe to their events. 

Radnor Lake, May 21, 2016

I usually shoot in controlled environments, like my studio or garden. On Saturday, though, I went on a hike with my family at Radnor Lake, and decided to try my hand with my long lens.
I took a lot of shots, but I only have a few that I like. Props to photographers who shoot nature or sports: it takes patience, paying attention, a steady hand, and quick reflexes.

This heron never moved a muscle.

This heron was quite active, and I photographed him from all kinds of angles; this exercise proved that I need to further accustom myself to the long lens. 

This young deer grazed alongside us as we walked on the trail.

It's always good to practice different kinds of photography, and this was the first time in a while I've done this sort of exercise. It felt great, and, though I didn't get a bunch of amazing shots, I got out of my comfort zone.

MAW's latest photos and design

2016 is flying by! I have stayed busy booking new clients, nurturing current professional relationships and building my catalog of product photography.

I've had the pleasure of working with several artists this year, including (clockwise from top left) Olivia Molinaro Landry, Kris Prunitsch, Charlotte Terrell, and Miranda Herrick.

I've also been working on independent projects, both for practice and to show samples of my studio work.

 

I've had plenty of design projects to keep me busy, as well, including several ongoing marketing projects for The One and Only Bill Davis and Very Entertaining Records.

The color photo below is a portrait taken by me, which came out so much better than I expected. Photo credits for the other images go to Miranda Herrick for the photo of Bill and me and Brett Schenning for his photo of Jeff Blaney.

You are seeing that right! I've been joining my charming husband for most of his gigs over the past six years or so, and am now fancy enough to be in photos with him! He's always been very encouraging, but I've kept myself in the background for multiple reasons, one being that it's hard to be in a photo when you're the person photographing.

While the above images are all being used for digital marketing, I have also had the opportunity to create some physical promotional products, as well, including these cards for Kris Prunitsch and Miranda Herrick. 

 

It's been a wonderful year so far for MAW Studio, and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. Contact me if you'd like pricing for any photography or design projects.

MAW Studio - How It All Began

As soon as the door closed on 2015, 2016 was in full swing for MAW Studio. This is MAW's first year as a fully independent business. It's been an exciting (and sometimes harrowing) three years, and I am (mostly) ready for the next chapter.

Of course, there's nothing like the future stretching out in front of a person to make her want to look back, and I find myself reminiscing about Autumn of 2012. Bill and I had been married for about six months, and had spent most of the year financially treading water and trying to pick away at our debt. Then, I cracked a tooth. A molar fractured, and the pain was unbelievable.

Here you go, dentist and endodontics specialist

After a long period of forgoing maintenance, I had fortuitously made an appointment with a dentist, so I called and moved it to the next day. I went in, had a full-on assessment, and came away with a five-figure "get back to dental health" plan, one third of which was immediately due (go to the dentist regularly, friends!).

I panicked. We had so little in savings. Our job situation was steady, but not good. We already had plenty of debt. What was I supposed to do, invent a way to make money?

Well, I am an American, right? And what does America need more of? One of my favorite words: gumption.

So, I invented a way to make money. I started out by editing and laying out six months worth of photos in albums for a friend who had lived abroad. I added to that working with a fine art painter, photographing her art and maintaining her inventory, social media, and website. I started investing more time in my design skills and worked with several small businesses and local artists on advertising and marketing campaigns. I continued to work at a local gallery, photographing the art and updating the website and social media, which I molded into a higher-paying contract position.

One of the hand-written album layouts for the first MAW job

It took perseverance and hard work, and I'm happy to say all debts are paid (except the mortgage), mostly thanks to the income brought in by MAW Studio. It's a big step to become an independent entity, and I am nervous, excited, and trying to proceed as if I can't fail.
Here's what's on my plate so far for 2016:

• More photography than I've ever done (I have a studio that gets better by the day, and Horse Trails to Highways is calling me back for more) 
• Actively listening to and promoting more music
• Expanding my knowledge of marketing via social media and blogging 
• TRAVEL (mid-year is going to be a whirlwind) 
• Working with artists and makers of all kinds to expand my reach and test my limits 

A last tidbit: where did I come up with MAW? I love this acronym because the M and W create symmetry without repetition. Melanie At Work seemed to fit. Maw is also another word for mouth, which is how this whole adventure started, so it seemed right to give a nod to the catalyst.

I feel like I should have a platinum and diamond grill, but I'm happy with my pearly grill.