I was so giddy when I found out I’d be working with Barry again! I first met this unique-looking fellow back during a commercial shoot for Calmer K9. Because he was in my model database, he was selected by another client for some portrait and action imagery they needed. I knew he wouldn’t disappoint!
It's been a little quiet over here for a couple reasons and I wanted to explain why and what's going on. Great things are in the works both personally and professionally and I figured I should share. :) I don't know if I've even ever written a personal post but here it goes! For those that don't know, we sold our house in Cornelius a little over a month ago. Not sure of our next step (and because we sold it faster than expected), we moved into an apartment close by. We had been searching for a new home in Uptown Charlotte but most places were out of our price range, in a condo or high-rise building (wouldn't work with our pups), or were not the style we desired for our new urban digs. Well, lo and behold, about four weeks after signing our year lease at our apartment, we found a cute little townhouse in the First Ward district. We jumped on it!
Although very small square footage wise, our new home will be filled with cool windows, natural light, high ceilings, modern edginess, and is in the center of it all. It even has a private, fenced-in backyard area for the dogs. We had to give up space and a garage (sorry Brian!) but I think we will love it!
That being said, the last few months have been filled with going through stuff, garage sales, piles of paperwork, moving, etc. And now we get to do it all over. Fingers crossed we get settled and get some renovating done before the huge Fall rush (we close September 27th).
So what does that mean for the future of McGraw Photography? Well, hopefully some super exciting stuff!!! Eventually, I plan on moving my office from Cornelius to probably the NoDa area. It will be a few minutes from our new place and more central to all of my clients. Also, because NoDa is the arts district, there are more opportunities to find a space that I could set up a studio. Yep, studio work!!! Not sure when it will all happen but it will be in the works over the next few months. :)
Shew! I told you I have a lot going on! So thank you for your patience if my Facebook page or blog go quiet for a while or if I'm a little slow replying to emails.
Thank you all for your support!!!
Here's the entrance to our soon-to-be home and the view from our neighborhood. :)
So I kinda love Instagram because I can take silly pictures and show them off. ;) Instagram is pretty awesome because it's always a positive platform and it's full of the visual beauty that surrounds us every day. You wanna follow me? Find me at @mcgrawphotography
(This is Part 2 of my first photo shoot of a commercial space. Part 1 can be seen here.) The second gorgeous space I had the opportunity to photograph was Bask - a cool, contemporary restaurant and lounge located at the NC Music Factory in uptown Charlotte, NC. The space is finished with distressed wood floors, eye-catching metal accents, smooth wood panels, and funky brick walls. Just like Pinkberry (part 1), this space had its own set of challenges.
The restaurant was open for business and, in fact, had a couple people dining while these images were shot. Because of this, I could only use my small flashes - my Nikon SB-80s - triggered by a radio transmitter. Usually I use my more powerful Alien Bees studio flashes for such large spaces, with my small Speedlights only serving as accent lighting. Unlike Pinkberry, natural light wasn't an option due to the harsh glare coming in from the windows above the booths. So small flashes it was!
To be honest, Speedlights are not my forte but I had to made it work.
They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. I guess I have a lot of time to keep practicing...and practice makes perfect.
