In the Studio: "Vacation" time

For the next couple of months my studio is going to be on an extended "vacation" of sorts.

My hunny and I just bought our first house, and boy is it a project! All of our time is currently being invested in making the space livable (and there are plans for a lovely studio on the property too! YAY!), so I'm taking very limited bookings until the fall.

If you're looking for a photographer between now and then, I will happily refer you to a colleague or two. Otherwise, see you in October!

If you need a photo fix between now and then, keep up with the Renovations on my Facebook page. I'll be updating the albums there with fun photos of the mess and, hopefully, the progress.

And here's a juicy little tid-bit to keep your eyes peeled for next time you're in a bookstore:

Yup, I sold my second book cover! If you see it on the shelves, let me know! I'm currently hunting down a copy or two.

In the Studio: The Folklore Project

This summer I have a new project that I'm hoping to work on. In it I want to explore the folklore and myths that seem to be such a deep part of our cultural identity.

My hunny and I watched Pinocchio the other day, and it seemed a good place to start.

Pinocchio has always been a story that has bothered me a little bit. While it's a moral tale that teaches us that truth is paramount, it also deals with exposing the protagonist to levels of humiliation. It also brings up the question of what is absolute truth? In an era where we see so much fighting over religion and ideology, the concept of truth in Pinocchio seems slippery at best. Hmmmm...

Pinocchio, originally uploaded by Jen Kiaba.

Samuela was kind enough to humor me and pose for this first experiment.

If you're in the Hudson Valley and are interested in working together on this project, check out my casting call here: http://www.modelmayhem.com/casting/1142953

On Location: Family Portrait Session at Rose Hill Farm

This week we've had a lot of rain. Luckily the sun poked its head out of the clouds for a few hours so that I could take a trip to Rose Hill Farms with the Reyes girls and go strawberry picking!

When Marina, who is five, and I first met for our session she was a little bit shy. She had to introduce me to all of her toys and make sure that I appreciated her favorite book before she would consider having her portrait taken. When we got to the farm she was still a little nervous, so I slung my camera over my shoulder and began picking strawberries with her. We had a contest to see who could get the most, but I think we both ended up eating more than we picked.

After the farm Marina was ready for her close-up and wanted to show off some of her best ballet moves. Overall the day was such fun opportunity to capture Marina and her baby sister Marisol, as they really are.

These are some of my absolute favorite shots of the day:

To see more photos or to book a portrait session with your children, check out my website at http://jenkiabaphotography.com

In the Studio: Headshots with Actress Jessalyn James

As I mentioned last week, I was very lucky to spend some time with actress Jessalyn James in my studio. She's always a blast to work with, which is why I feature her often in my personal work.

I had done a head shot session with her last year, (and we created a fun video showcasing that session!) but it was time to update her shots and add another look to the portfolio. We had a blast doing a range of photos from casual to glamorous.

Check out some of my favorites:

To check out more of my head shot portfolio, or to book a head shot session with me, visit my website: http://jenkiabaphotography.com

In the Studio: Modeling Photoshoot with Samuela Rae

It's really true what they say about the Six Degrees of Separation. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who, eventually, knows you. Samuela and I met through our mutual friend and designer extraordinaire, Bianca. When Bianca was working on her Vintage Remade line, Samuela was the model that I got to photograph.

So when Samuela approached me to work on her modeling portfolio, I immediately jumped at the chance.

Sam's relatively new to the modeling world. Despite her old-soul gaze, she's only 16, and was a tad nervous about being in front of the camera. (My experience is that people either love it or hate it!) So we worked out the camera jitters together, sometimes with me doing a pose for her first just so she didn't have to feel silly alone.

It was a really great session with some stunning results. We used all natural light, which was just so flattering on her and really let you see how green her eyes are. I can't wait to work with her again! Check out some of Sam's top picks for her portfolio:

For more photos or to book a modeling session with me, check out my website at Jenkiabaphotography.com!

Plus-Size Models On Vogue Italia Cover (NSFW)

For its June issue, Vogue Italia has featured some very curvy ladies on their front cover. The decision by Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani, has caused a bit of a stir on the blog-o-sphere. Some applaud her for her decision to feature plus-sized models on the cover of the magazine. Others say that the fact this is causing a stir shows that our standards for the beautiful body are way off the mark.

Over at Bust MagazineKristina Uriegas-Reyes made an excellent point that it would be a great step to see an integration between the plus-sized models and the industry-standard models. This, perhaps, would lead to a healthier ideal for the fashion industry that Uriegas-Reyes hopes for.

Here are some more shots from the shoot by fashion photographer Steven Meisel. Careful, they are Not Safe for Work, but definitely worth seeing. Personally I appreciate that Vogue Italia has embraced the idea of displaying curvy women as being sexy. While I think that it's just a drop in the bucket, in terms of helping combat body-issue, I think that it's a start. There is no denying that these women are incredibly beautiful.

What do you think?

New Photography Service: Babies & Newborn Portrait Specials!!

I've had a little something up my sleeve for a few weeks, and now I'm super excited to unveil a new service that my studio will be offering: Newborn & Baby Portraits!

And just in time for Father's Day, I will be offering specially priced "Mommy, Daddy & Me" Mini Portrait Sessions! These images will capture those special moments in your family and will become wonderful heirloom pieces to treasure!

This special will run all summer, but space will fill up quickly so book fast! Contact me to find out how to book your "Mommy, Daddy & Me" Mini Portrait Session!