Portraits for Patriots? creates quality headshots that showcase the strength and determination of our service members, spouses and Gold Star families, free of charge. A nationwide team of volunteer “portraiteers” offers headshots to these transitioning service members to help them in their search for employment in the civilian world.
I joined Portraits for Patriots? in late 2021, and have to date met several dozen transitioning service members from all branches of the military. My proximity to Fort Meade and the Naval Academy makes my studio a convenient choice for the men and women who are completing their service to our country. I continue to be impressed at their dedication, skill and talent.
Some of these clients come to the studio solo. Others are accompanied by partners, spouses or kids. Every individual expresses appreciation for the work of the volunteer photographers. It is us, however, who are grateful that we can provide a small gesture of thanks for the years these men and women devote to serving our country.
If you are a transitioning service member who would like to make an appointment for your complimentary headshot, visit Portraits for Patriots to complete the contact form. They will notify me and I’ll be in touch to book your session.
Designers like Stacy Stube and Nicole Myrick are bringing back a Baltimore tradition of garment design and tailoring.
I visited Nicole’s workshop, Belvidere Terrace Atelier, recently to see for myself how this revival is growing. The Atelier is housed in a magnificent historic townhouse in downtown Baltimore. The parking gods were with me as I found a space right in front of the building.
Nicole graciously greeted me and allowed me to roam throughout the space. I was fascinated by the industrial sewing machines and other tools Nicole and Kelly use to create their fashions. The light from the massive windows was magnificent. I felt right at home among the sewing machines, cutting boards and rolls of fabric.
Back in 2018 or so I came across the Instagram profile of a young woman named Polaire Woods. Her personal style caught my attention, and we connected online. I followed her modeling and fashion career with interest — she specializes in vintage and fantasy fashion, meticulously researching every outfit to learn the history and culture of the period. Polaire is also a seamstress, making many of the items she models.
Eventually we arranged a photo session, then another, then another. Every shoot yielded unique and haunting images. The sets and concepts are usually mine, but the styling, posing and details are totally hers.
Recently Polaire modeled on Instagram photos of an Edwardian-era ensemble (she made the skirt herself). The clothing was breathtaking and I sent her a message saying “I have to photograph this in the studio.” So last week she headed over to Hampden and we got to work.
One of Polaire’s inspirations is John Singer Sargent, so I tried to keep the lighting aligned with that style. Zoom in to see the incredible detail in the hat as well as in the skirt and the belt. This is not exactly “vintage glamour.” Polaire calls it “antique glamour.” I call it spectacular.
Recently I was interviewed by Stefanie Marrone, who authors The Social Media Butterfly, a blog that covers social media, business development, branding, content marketing, networking and market trends. Stefanie writes a lot about how to be successful on LinkedIn, which is how I connected with her.
One of The Social Media Butterfly’s features is profiles of professional women for the “Women Who Wow” series. WWW was launched in March 2020 and was intended to be a special feature during Women’s History Month. Instead it has turned into an ongoing celebration of women and their accomplishments, and includes profiles of lawyers, legal marketers, recruiters, consultants, creatives and entrepreneurs. I enjoyed learning about so many remarkable women, and examining my answers to the questions Stefanie posed. It’s not often we get to be introspective in the course of running a business.
Back in November I received a message from the Southern Poverty Law Center. They needed a photographer for a profile they were doing for their magazine “Learning for Justice” (formerly Teaching Tolerance). The subject, Veronica Menefee, is a Baltimore-based special education consultant as well as a board member of Learning for Justice.
The SPLC wanted a colorful background, and worked with Veronica to find an elementary school whose library we could use. The day before the shoot, one of the school’s staff members tested positive for COVID, meaning we were back to square one. I contacted Jonathan Dimes, a local photographer who documents murals throughout Baltimore City, and asked if he knew of any elementary schools with colorful murals. He directed me to the Eutaw Marshburn Elementary School in Bolton Hill and their delightful mural by Megan Lewis. I met Veronica there on a chilly afternoon. When we had our initial call I told her to bring colorful clothing. She said she didn’t have any but in the interim purchased a few bright items that integrated beautifully with the artwork.
The profile and photo was published recently and Veronica was kind enough to send me a copy. I hope you will take the time to read about this dedicated professional and the work she does in the special needs area. I am proud to have worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center and happy we were able to use one of Baltimore’s fun murals as a backdrop.
I’m a headshot and portrait photographer. I post happy photos of successful people, or artsy shots of models and women. So this is a departure. A project I photographed for Pinnacle Communications, focusing on the rise in domestic violence since COVID-19. The campaign, “Together We Are Stronger,” is sponsored by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s office, and is now appearing on social media as well as on billboards, bus shelters and other public sites throughout the city.
The photoshoot was sobering. After the makeup artist finished working with the model, we met a team from WJZ-TV who were doing a public service announcement on the campaign. They did their video first, then we proceeded with the still photos. Though the model was wearing makeup we could not escape the message. The campaign is running now, in print ads, on billboards, bus stops, and signs all over Baltimore City.
To learn more about TWAS visit http://togetherwearestronger.com/. I am proud to be part of this effort, and pleased that I was selected to work on the creative team.
