Keep It On the Sunny Side

You might be asking, "With a blog title like that, why would you post pictures from a rainy day?" To which my reply is, "Look closer my friend, taking good photos means focusing on bright spots no matter the weather!"

This wedding was fun even though it was a cold, wet, damp, dim, pants-soaked-up-to-your-knees kind of Chicago Saturday  (ironically enough, it is sunny and 86 as I write this- the weather always keeps us guessing in the mid-west!). 

 Moving on, my point is that we should just be realistic in saying that the weather, shooting conditions, and equipment will not always be the most ideal, but just roll with it! There is still beauty that can be found right infront of the lens and it is up to you to bring out the bright spots for your client or audience.  

These 'sunny spots' are what make the composition colorful, interactive and interesting. Something that says, "so what if it was crummy weather, we still had a beautiful time and these pictures portray a valuable memory."  

On this day, it was cold, wet, and my lenses kept fogging up, but thankfully the event was still captured and this couple still has some fun little moments to hang on their walls and keep in their photo albums.

To see more photos online click here>>> http://chelfoto.smugmug.com/ 

The Haiti Report: We DID IT!

We raised $2,135.00 at the

Chicago Photography Benefit for Haiti!!

*Contact me at Rachel@ChelFoto.Com if you still want to donate or view pictures online!

 

I recieved this email from the organization this week:

"The money that you have raised could not have come at a better time.  The orphanage that you served at is going through a really tough time.  They have a $7,000 rent payment that is past due and if they don't pay it within the next 10 days, they will be forced to leave.  They were able to obtain $4,000 so far, but are still short $3,000.  PPM is hoping to help cover the rest of the cost so this is what your donation will go towards."

Thank YOU for stepping up for this cause!

The Story is NOW: Time to Join In

In my last post, I wrote about photography as a great medium for capturing a moment, emotion, or portraying a concept. When is the last time you allowed yourself to stop, look and feel taken into the scene of a photo? There's a difference between looking at something versus looking into something. The latter requires going beneath the surface, and caring enough to figure out what it means to us.

  

 To REGISTER> Click HERE 

To MAKE A DONATION>  Click HERE

THIS Saturday, April 9th we have an opportunity to go beneath the surface and care for a school and an orphanage in Haiti that are "running on fumes" financially. Both organizations are making a big impact in Port-Au-Prince while the government is still paralyzed. Their monthly operating budget expenses are only $4,600 but they receive under $1,700 in income. By donating to this cause, you will be helping at least 600 children affected by the earthquake last year*. 

For only $12 there will be pictures, food for sale, and lots of stories from Haiti to see and hear. Funds raised will go to Service de Prochains Haitiens (Haitian Neighbors Service) orphanage and Maranatha School in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. To register or make a donation, visit http://www.HaitiAsISeeIt.com . 


Location:
1355 N. Milwaukee Ave. #3
Chicago, IL
(Above Quality Home)

Saturday, April 9th
6:30-9:30 pm
$12 

* All funds are directed through a non-profit account!

The Story Is NOW: This is Our Moment

An aspect that I love about photography is it's role as one of the great mediums for storytelling. In just a single photo or a series, the taker's goal is always to capture a moment, emotion, or  portrayal of a concept. These three items are all building blocks of good story telling, but since we have a story of what's happening currently in Haiti, let's dig in a little more to an actual plot example shall we?



CAPTURE A MOMENT: Time is happening all around us, but what makes it meaningful is how we spend it. Last summer while volunteering in Haiti, I saw firsthand that the Haitian government's corruption stalled any effort to rebuild and help it's people. And now as I spend time at my house in Chicago, the people in Port-au-Prince have spent over a year (far too long) in tents with little shelter. In my photos, I display their stand-still to nudge onlookers towards an urgency to help whenever possible. 

This is our moment to do just that. To help. If you are in Chicago on Saturday April 9th, come to a Photography Benefit for Haiti. For only $12 there will be pictures, food for sale, and lots of stories from Haiti to see and hear. Funds raised will go to Service de Prochains Haitiens (Haitian Neighbors Service) orphanage and Maranatha School in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. To register or make a donation,  visit http://www.haitiasiseeit.com/.

Get a Background Check!

Since when did taking pictures require you to get a background check? Lately, one thing I'm reminding myself to do more and more is to make sure that the background interacts with or tells the same story as the subject. The background brings out an identity of who or what you are looking at. Identities are relatable, therefore the closer this connection is, the stronger your photo.

We understand that it is best NOT to take a family vacation photo infront of a trash dump, or that the guy behind your posed professional is NOT picking his nose! Unless you meant it that way for some kind of wierd artistic irony, the photograph's emotional value will depreciate!

In the first photo (left), this man was looking for new pictures to put on his Chicago-based urban ministry website. After several backgrounds for his urban style headshots and poses, we felt this is an accurate fit to his vision and has received lots of positive feedback on his Facebook page- I think because people can recognize it as his personal identity and say "Oh yeah, that's our guy!".

The dipping bride and groom on the right are center stage with a crowd of spectators gazing at their every turn. It celebrates an event identity in this couple's beautiful process of coming together.

Moral of the story, avoid photographic 'sitations' and may your background checks always come out 'clean'!

Shooting Depth

This pic is hot off the CF card as it was just taken last Friday! 

I had fun shooting this downtown view among others that day because they reminded me of what my mission and passion is as a photographer--to make the uncommon, common to YOU. Part of the challenge is in my commitment to drawing images from places without public access so that there is authenticity. I want YOU to know that my goal in continuing to build the Chelfoto library is for it to be a place that YOU can count on something new, fresh, and a creative angle that is not overdone. Let's keep up this journey together and take in some of the best views life has to offer!

Reflections

This photo is from a recent Chicago adventure on a rainy Saturday morning. At first, I was disappointed in the lighting or lack of it, but then the absence of brilliant blue sky turned my focus onto the buildings themselves. Seeing them as clusters of freestanding monuments instead of a postcard backdrop. I took over 150 pictures that day.

To me, the reflections were the coolest part. They seemed like ghosts, and I appreciated them for the additional layering. Seeing them as buildings on buildings, peeking around each other like in this image. The dimly lit scene was a better stage for imagery and urban shadow effects that only lasted in the morning. An hour later the sun came out again, changing in typical Chicago fashion, end scene and cut! It was like another city altogether.

Spectacles

Reflecting places. We all have them. Even in living in a city with soo many people, there is still part of the human psyche that calls for quiet corners of the world to have as our own. A place where setting and proximity shrink into as simple as what is directly in front of you. The lighting in this photo reflects a city spectacle scaled down to its basic elements while still maintining brilliance. So for the urban dweller, may we all find our own piece of the serene like this.