The sun is up!!!

Actually, it's down at the moment...but on average..it's out more than it's not!! By which I mean, the weather has been gorgeous as of late!!! Hehe.

A friend just gave me a tip on a REALLY cool location in the area that I absolutely must scout for a potential shoot. . =)
Speaking of shoots, I have a few shots from the last McAuley's photo shoot that I did. We shot at Kings Grove Stables in Central. The folks there were really nice and the horses reacted well to flash photography, which is always nice... No panicky animals..always nice...

Anywho:


I'm a TOTAL sucker for faded paint on wood, and textured backgrounds in general.... And the sun was PERFECT! =D

Andy and I have a performance gig this Saturday in Charleston. Unfortunately, my stilts have to be reworked as one has a split down the center. Eep! On the upside, ROADTRIP! =) The weather is supposed to be absolutely divine all week.

Super Rad!!

Saturday night we of Thee Inner Cirkus threw a party at local venue The Hangar. It was great fun and I hooped for HOURS! In case your curious, the Barnum & Bailey kids DID come and enjoyed the little performance we gave. Crickett the clown, Chelsea and Blazer (guitarist for the house band) were the good sports that came out. We spun fire at the end of the night, after which we had a cuddle puddle, then hit up our usual late night hot spot, the Waffle House near our house. =) Mmm, heavenly hashbrowns...

Sunday my new hooper friend Niko and I went to see the Ringling/Barnum show Funundrum and it was great! Saw Chelsea again, Crickett in his full costume ...

(adorable, no?) and met Billy, a sweet little clown with a real life gansta attitude. Haha. The show itself was a bit PG and disney-fied but the skills were so impressive! Niko teaches hoop fitness on Sundays so we kidnapped Chelsea of the B&B crew and brought her with us. If your looking for a fun fitness class, check hers out!! I'm more of a hoop dance instructor myself, in case you were wondering why I was promoting elsewhere. =) As a massage therapist, Chelsea schooled me on my crap posture (which I AM already very aware of) and now perhaps I'll pay more attention to correcting it! She said it should take about 2 week of conscious correcting to "fix" my bad habits. I.E. Slouching when taking photos or on the computer, tucking my tailbone under when I stand or walk so that my back doesn't hurt so much. All good points...

Sunday night we (Niko, myself and Andy) spent a multitude of hours back on the Ringling train hanging with the performers. Americans are vastly in the minority and the various accents were beyond my understanding... We came to realize though how very normal all these individuals were, at least normal by my standards... You'd expect them to be superbeings, living the life they do... And the life they live can be CRAZY, doing 2-3 shows a day for several days in a row... But really, life on the train reminded me a bit of college... Living in a tiny room (although the rooms on the train were the size of my bathroom in the dorms), almost constant socializing and the inability to get away from others. A life not for those prone to occasional bouts of hermit-ism, or homebodies... The bonus being that there is ALWAYS something going on. Life on the train being a community of 300-400 people, imagine the things you'd do, learn and see!! I was extended an invitation to travel with them to Philly as that's where they are this week but alas, the cold in Philly was discouraging and I wouldn't have had any clean clothes...haha. Someday though, truly. Next time we meet up, in this city or another, I'm along for the ride! =D
On Wednesday I had a vintage style photoshoot with Katrina Chief from North Carolina. This was our second shoot together and she is SUCH a doll!! She requires little to no direction and her smile is killer! Dresses from The Clothing Warehouse. Here's a teaser from the shoot (and I'll be the first to say that my optimizing skills could use some improvement, any suggestions?!):
You can see more on my flickr, or my facebook. Links on the right of the page...

Carolina Cup shoot this weekend with McAuley's...will post teasers sometime next week!!

For all other photographers reading this, mpix.com is having a %50 off sale on 8x10's that ends on Saturday!!! My experience with Mpix has been great and their metallic prints are gorgeous!!! I'll be getting some made for my portfolio and a few shows I plan on entering here in the near future....

Formerly known as...

I'm finally back! The idea that I originally had for this blog just wasn't working for me so I took a little hiatus to focus on other things. Formerly known as Food For Models, I had intended this blog as a sort of informational resource for those looking to get into the industry. It got a little too stressful trying to come up with "lesson plans". So here I am, back with a new name, one that will encompass both my photography experiences and my work as a professional hula hoop dancer. YAY! Hopefully I'll still think to incorporate tips into my photo posts as so many of you expressed how much the previous tips have helped. =)

Since last posting, I've moved from the beautiful but cold state that is Michigan to the upcountry of South Carolina! The main motivation for moving here was to help fuel the cirkus movement in an unsuspecting city. I'd say SUCCESS! In addition to my photography work and performing, I'm also designer/moderator of Thee Inner Cirkus's blog as well. Check it out! Our designated blogger would be my FIANCE Andy aka Greenman.. Yep, I'm engaged!

It happened early December the evening that Cirque Du Soleil had so wonderfully decided to grace our city. =) I thought seeing Cirque's show Alegria WAS the surprise, but no no no! After the show, Andy took my hands, his shaking, and proposed. He'd spoken so quietly my first response was "What?", to which he repeated the question. I don't know that I ever officially said yes but I think I had time to nod my head before tears took over. Naturally, being the sap that I am, I proceeded to cry and repeat "really?" for the next 45 minutes. Several of our friends were in attendance at the show as well, one, little miss Modisette, was in on it! OH, and the ring?!


I had not-so-subtely lead Andy into a jewelry/gemstone store a couple weeks previous, dropping hints like bombs. I had myself sized so that there wouldn't be any guesswork and chose a stone. Mystic Topaz. ♥ The ring that he presented to me was PERFECT! The tear-shaped stone I now say symbolically represents the many I shed from happiness that eve. =)

So now we're in the process of planning a wedding, Long distance albeit as the ceremony and reception will be in our homestate of Michigan...

Anywho, moving to Greenville...I have an entirely new appreciation for vintage! Much thanks to The Clothing Warehouse for employing Andy and opening our eyes. As a photographer, The Clothing Warehouse is a great resource for me to get inspiration for styling. Not to mention the employees are cooler than a polar bears toe nails. Yea, I said it.

In addition to cirkus antics like performing, selling hoops and teaching lessons, I also do work for McAuley's Unique Boutique in Anderson doing product photos. It's not as boring as it sounds, I swear! I love clothes as much as the next girl and this gig has introduced me to some fabulous faces.
Case and point, Katie Barrs:
If you are a photographer, stylist or make-up artist in the area, you should be working with Katie. Stunning features, great attitude and very natural body language. :D

Alright, information overload? End post. I'll be updating again VERY soon. Scouts honor.

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease!
SeaJae