Candytopia A Planet Photo NYC Photo Shoot

Candytopia

A Planet Photo NYC Photo Shoot

Who says you have to choose a conventional location for your senior portraits?

Candytopia, a pop-up location in New York City is ANYTHING BUT CONVENTIONAL!

Here is how they describe it on the website:

“What if an eccentric chocolatier and a daredevil pop star had a whirlwind romance, got married while skydiving, and had a glamorous, glittering love child who grew up to rule a small nation?  Welcome to Candytopia, where colossal candyfloss constructions meld with a tantalizing taffy twistedness!”

I’d seen the pictures on social media and I knew it HAD to be… we HAD to have our NYC photo shoot there! We got the golden tickets and Abbi joined me on an adventure into candy wonderland. It was insane. I can’t even imagine how many 100’s of thousands of jelly beans went into the exhibit, it was a crazy dream world on a massive sugar high and we were going in.

NYC Photo Shoot

I knew we needed something different and special for this location, but you know when you don’t know what you are looking for until you see it? Well the minute I saw this romper on Fashion Nova, I knew we had our outfit!

NYC Photo ShootNYC Photo ShootNYC Photo Shoot

Thanks to the amazing staff and crew at Candytopia for their help. We shot during regular business hours using the built in spot lighting. No off camera flash or light stands. But we made it work – you gotta love a challenge.

NYC Photo ShootSo where would you love to shoot? Let’s design something completely original. I love street photo shoots, don’t you?

 

Fitness Portraits Michelle Phys Ed New Milford

Fitness Portraits

Michelle

Personal Trainer at Phys Ed New Milford

Michelle competed in her first body building competition in 2000 but she recently told me that she feels like she is in better shape now than at any other point in her life, so a perfect time to take some fitness portraits!

I invited Michelle to write a post for the blog so here in her words.

What fitness and good health mean to me.

Our bodies are meant to move…that’s what we’re designed to do.  Good health and fitness does not require endless hours of exercise or severe dietary restrictions, but it does require finding some form of movement that you can enjoy enough to do consistently and it does require being fueled with whole, nutritient dense foods.  Many individuals get sucked into the lifestyle of instant gratification:   We want it now. We enjoy those things that give us that quick moment of pleasure and we avoid those things that bring us a little discomfort.

What we should really be aiming for is an entire lifetime of feeling good.  We need to find balance between what we want in the moment and what will help us live a fuller, healthier long life.

In order to be well rounded, we also need to include finding some way to improve our mental health.  This could be as simple as taking 5 minutes a day to just sit and breathe deeply and think about what we’re grateful for that day.  Taking a few minutes to “just be” can have a huge impact on our day.

I work with many older individuals and the ones who are feeling well and healthy as they age are the ones who have learned to balance out movement, nutrition and mental well-being.  In the long run, we need to learn to take care of ourselves so we have more to give to others.

I love my job…helping others find nutrition and exercise that work for them so they can truly live their best healthy life!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Michelle. You are an inspiration to so many of your friends and clients.

 

 

Connecticut Photographer 2018 Summer Intern Nathalie

Connecticut Photographer

Meet Nathalie

Planet Photo Summer Intern

I was setting up the studio for the marathon Planet Photo Tribe intro shoot when Nathalie stopped by the studio for the first time. She had a resume in hand and told me a bit about herself…. she grew up near by, she had always been into photography, she was at college studying graphic design and photography. Would I be open to having a summer intern?

To be perfectly honest I was so distracted by the intro shoot that I put the resume on the desk and kind of forgot about it. But guess what? She followed up! A couple of days later she reached out again! So here is the “Lesson of the Day” for all those people out there looking for a job, trying to find more clients or generally just trying to get stuff done. When you follow up you are not bugging the person you are gently reminding them. Life happens. People forget or get distracted. I did and I am so glad Nathalie followed up!

teen photography 2018

She has been a huge help on shoots and behind the scenes and she also started the new @PlanetPhotoStyle instagram account. If you are not following it then you need to be! Most photographers will tell you that they prefer to be behind the camera but it is really helpful to experience both so we arranged a shoot for Nathalie. Our goal was to head to the fields and do a wildflower shoot but while I was waiting for Nathalie and Taylor to arrive I got distracted by some amazing graffiti shots and we decided we needed to add a bit of that too. She did great! So here she is… meet Nathalie!

teen photography 2018teen photography 2018teen photography 2018

 

 

 

 

Teen Photography 2018 Sherman CT

Teen Photography 2018

Taylor

Litchfield County CT

I have been longing to do a Free People inspired shoot for a while and when I came across this Free People dress I knew the time was right! A huge thank you to Taylor for going along with the vision and modeling for Nathalie and I on a humid sticky night in Sherman CT. You see I wanted to put Nathalie on the other side of the camera for a few shots, so we came up with the idea of having Taylor come with us so that Nathalie could shoot a bit too. Confused? Don’t worry the images kind of speak for themselves….

We set out with an overly optimistic plan of driving to Danbury to shoot some downtown graffiti shots first but we very quickly realized we were not going to have time to get back up to Sherman for sunset meadow shots. A quick compromise found us trekking under the bridge at Lover’s Leap for some local graffiti. Nathalie took these amazing ones of Taylor and I got a few of Nathalie but you’ll have to wait for the next blog post to see those!
teen photography 2018
We used a beauty dish to create some drama and shadows. We knew we were going all soft and dreamy for our next stop so it was great to have a little contrast here! On to full-on Free People dreamy natural light. The sun was setting fast so conditions were different for almost every shot!
teen photography 2018teen photography 2018teen photography 2018

 

 

Pool Party Photography 2K19 Tribe Friends

Pool Party Photography

2K19 Planet Photo Tribe

When Friends first hit the TV screen it was revolutionary. A show about a group of 20 something friends, hanging out, dating, working and living in a cool apartment in New York City. We all wondered how they could afford such an amazing apartment? Where did they buy their clothes? Should you get a Rachel or Monica haircut? Should Monica date Ross? Everyone kind of wanted to live the Friends lifestyle and be one of their friends.

Party PhotographyParty Photography

The 90’s TV line up soon filled up with similar shows; Melrose Place, Beverley Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, Baywatch, Saved by the Bell. They all centered on the interaction of friends and they all featured a boat load of DRAMA! We used the 90’s TV show as a springboard for our latest Planet Photo Tribe shoot and planned a pool party (minus the DRAMA!)

Party PhotographyParty PhotographyParty PhotographyParty Photography
Special thanks to Maddy M, Madi L, Madi S, Zoe and Julia for hanging out at our Planet Photo Tribe Pool Party!Party PhotographyParty Photography

 

Reputation Themed Shoot Seniors Ignite April

Reputation Themed Shoot

Featured on Seniors Ignite 2018

themed shoot

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years then you are probably aware of Taylor Swift. So when the theme of the last monthly shoot was announced as “Reputation” then the girls in the Planet Photo Tribe didn’t miss a beat to suggest we do a Taylor Swift inspired Reputation shoot. For those of you just finishing up pushing that rock off your head… Reputation is the name of Taylor’s sixth studio album and it was released in November 2017.

themed shootthemed shootthemed shoot

I have to admit Taylor Swift is pretty stunning. Leggy, thin, blond, perky and with beautiful skin…. I also have to admit her music is not my favorite but I sure do admire her business sense, her support of her fans, and for generally just keeping it clean. Abbi and Avery were my Taylor Swift look-a-likes for the shoot and we had so much fun recreating some of her looks.

themed shootthemed shootthemed shoot

What do you think?

Head over to the Senior’s Ignite website because Avery has been featured!

This is probably my last Planet Photo Tribe shoot with Abbi. She is graduating any day now and heading of to study at Western Connecticut State University, you might even see her on the women’s basketball team. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and working with her throughout the last year. Good Luck in all that you do Abbi!

 

 

 

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs Exhibition

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs

Portrait Exhibition

The idea for the Faces of Female Entrepreneurs project came from a portrait conference in California last year. The leader of the Portrait Masters conference, Sue Bryce, made the first presentation of the day and introduced her team by inviting them to come up on stage. They were each carrying a 5 foot tall black and white image of themselves. The crowd went crazy and those enormous powerful prints stood in the hallway and mesmerized the conference attendees for the next two days. You looked at those printed portraits and you could feel their power and sense the personality of the subjects.

I decided I wanted to do that too! The problem was I didn’t have a team. Like so many small business owners I wear many hats, so short of photographing myself immersed in a variety of tasks, my series of portraits stopped at one. I realized that my position was similar to many of my neighbors downtown and the idea of focusing on my fellow female entrepreneurs was born.

So I did what everyone does these days, and I created a Facebook event. For good measure I even printed posters, and I invited women who had started a business in New Milford to contact me so that I could create their portrait.

I set my initial goal at 20 portraits. That came and went pretty quickly and I ended with 35 plus one of me! Of course there are many more talented business owners in New Milford but time and resources meant that I had to stop. Some of the last portraits were of Rita and Anne. Two local ladies who started Literacy Volunteers on the Green from a park bench on New Milford green. Their group of mainly female volunteers have been teaching literacy skills to local residents since 2005. Some of them have even gone on to start their own business.

I wanted to show these beautiful strong women the look of strength, power and determination in their eyes. I am proud to be part of this network of women. The portraits were shown at the opening night at 19Main and the exhibition will be on display during April at Makery Coworking on Bank Street, New Milford.

Meet New Milford’s Faces of Female Entrepreneurs…..

Maureen Kenny: Nutmeg Olive Oil. Lyn Van Buskirk: Swank on Bank

Female Entrepreneurs

Luisa Amaral: Ruth Chase Flowers. Lupo Passero: Twin Star Apothecary

Karen Ross and Pamela Picheco: Joe’s Salon and Spa
Female Entrepreneurs

Sandra Stetson: Green Granary. Jessica Reis: Reis Learning Center

Rebecca Doring: Massage Therapy. Jessica Bitner: Lasting Impressions Jewelry
Female Entrepreneurs

Lisa Berte: LAB Media Designs. Allison Eng: Ruby Bridal Boutique

Denise Trach: Creating Cadence. Sarah Lopes: The Safari Collection
Female Entrepreneurs

Shannon Powell: A Muddy Paw. Janie Larson: Study Works

Anne Hungerford: AH Yoga. Lisa Lent: Intuitive Movement
Female Entrepreneurs

Monica Harcken: Monica’s Corner. Julie Czerenda: Art Experience

Ashley Ayers: Salon27. Gail Henderson: Functional Rehab
Female Entrepreneurs

Manuela Durre Young: Alpenhaus Restaurant. Kathy Henkel: Kathy Henkel Fitness

Janet Taub: Planet Photo. Marion Cooper Farrell: Mind Body Connection
Female Entrepreneurs

Elizabeth Parkinson: Fineline Theater Arts. Amanda Placeres: Placeres Naturopathic and Acupuncture

Crystal Girgenti: G-Force Coaching. Debbie Bauman: Barkery Bootique.
Female Entrepreneurs

Vanessa Gronbach: Gronbach Law. Kris Stewart: Kris Stewart Photography

Anne Maitland and Rita Guariglia: Literacy Volunteers on the Green
Female Entrepreneurs

Stacey Palancia: Blush Couture. Lacee Yurtoglu: Artist

Thank you to all the ladies who trusted me to take and choose their portrait for the exhibition!

19Main and Makery Coworking for showing the portraits

Crystal Girgenti for believing in and sponsoring the project and delivering a keynote speech

Joe’s Salon for donating refreshments

Ruth Chase Flowers for donating flowers for the opening night

Mitch and Mike from Charisma for music

Bank Street Investments for support and sponsorship

 

 

CA Destination Shoot Senior Portraits

CA Destination Shoot

Senior Portraits Nora Finalist Shoot

Day 2: We woke up to another spectacular Palm Springs day at The Saguaro Hotel, we were so excited for our second day of shooting! e couldn’t resist checking out Salvation Mountain. Seriously, who could resist it after reading this description???

“Salvation Mountain is a literal man-made mountain 28 years in the making, covered in half a million gallons of latex paint. What started as a small monument made of dirt and painted cement became, over time, a sprawling adobe and hay-bale mountain complex, with peripheral structures made of telephone poles, tires, and car windows, as well as art cars and sculptures, all painted in a patchwork of stripes and color blocks of whatever paint was donated that week”.

— Aaron Huey, National Geographic

CA destination shoot

After leaving Salvation Mountain we saw the kind of abandoned building that I would TOTALLY avoid on my own, but we were an emboldened group of photographers, seniors and a couple of moms and it was the middle of the day, so we went for it. Come on, could you drive right by a graffiti covered abandoned building in the middle of the desert? Alright, most people would, but I think you will agree it was worth the detour!

All sessions are a combination of planned locations and spontaneous excitement when we drive past an amazing photo opportunity!

Limited number of destination, studio and CT location shoots available for 2018. Senior portraits should never be boring.

Janet x

Photography Exhibition Female Entrepreneurs

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs

photography exhibition

A black and white portrait photography exhibition

March 29th | 7-9pm

19Main, New Milford, CT

Dessert and refreshments will be served

When I opened the Planet Photo studio on Bank Street at the end of 2016 I realized that so many of the neighboring businesses had been established by women. Starting your own business is not for everyone. It takes strength, determination, and of course, a lot of hard work.

I chose to celebrate these powerful women with a portrait project. I wanted to capture their strength, but also their feminine side. So the Faces of Female Entrepreneurs project began. Over the course of a few months I met with quite a few of New Milford’s women who had started their own business. I am so happy to share these portraits with our community. Meet them and other local entrepreneurs at 19Main on March 29th. All are welcome to attend!

Sign up to receive updates and information about the exhibition here

Destination Shoot CA Senior Portraits

Destination Shoot Ca

Senior Portraits Nora Finalist Shoot

When I entered Nora and Ryan into the Seniors Ignite Model Competition at the end of 2017 I had no idea that they would both be selected as finalists! I was so proud of both of them, and at that point I knew that I was inviting them to come, competition winners or not. Ryan’s play schedule meant that he couldn’t go, but Nora and her mom Becky were up for a trip to California. So the plans started to take shape.

Day 1 of the destination shoot was Joshua Tree National Park Model competition winner Timber and two other senior photographers joined us for part of the day. Palm Springs is known for its mid-century architecture, mild winter climate, and its stunning natural landscape so we had to make time to shoot around the town as well. 

Destination Shoot
destination shootdestination shootdestination shootdestination shoot
Timber it was an absolute pleasure to meet you! Thank you for braving the cold at Joshua Tree – none of us expected that when we planned our weekend in Cali! If you have never seen Joshua Tree it is totally worth a trip. The rocks look like giant pebbles dropped in piles from the sky and the joshua trees themselves look like they come from another planet. I can’t even tell you how excited we were to see tumble weeds…. I know, kind of silly, but seriously they exist outside of cartoons and old western movies

destination shoot
Check back for Day 2 of our destination shoot in Palm Springs!

MUA: Nancy Z Beauty (thanks for the location tips too!)

Nora’s outfits: Guess Jeans, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, American Eagle