But for right now, what I want to share with you are some photos I took of a lovely couple back in July! Meet Sarah & Kedrick:

Sometimes I catch a moment like the one below and the moment itself is so perfect that it doesn’t even matter that it’s not in focus…

I LOVE this one!

I got to experiment a lot with the sun flare:

Sarah and Ked are a delightfully goofy couple:

Hey, Sarah, payback’s a bitch!

I love the sweetness of this one:

And here I think they look like a couple of best friends!:

Favorite!:

Blaine, WA: Sarah and Kedrick contacted me after I photographed Matt & Kristen (and family), and wanted to hire me to take some photographs of them together. The last time they had professional photographs taken was at their wedding FIVE YEARS AGO! It can be really fun to take photographs of people who hardly ever have professional photographs taken, just because you know they’re really going to treasure having them in their family forever. We met for lunch to talk about the photos last spring, and we got along so well that we ended up making a little trip over to LUSH, where I proceeded to get Sarah addicted to some of my favorite products. (Sorry, Ked!)

When we finally took the photos in July, I drove all the way up to Blaine, WA so I could photograph them in their stomping grounds. Sarah & Ked generously let me stay in their spare bedroom for the weekend, so we got to make it a two day photo session! It was actually really nice to be able to take our time like that, and wait for the great light at different times of the day. So if you’ve thought about hiring a photographer who lives quite a distance from you, don’t hesitate to do it! I think it let us be really relaxed and have a lot of fun with the photographs, and I would definitely do it again anytime.

Sarah and Ked, THANK YOU for having me come photograph you! Come down to Seattle again anytime and we’ll go get ice cream.

Click here for Sarah & Ked’s slideshow.

Sarah and Ked’s neighbors had a new golden retriever puppy named Harper, and he was a TOTAL ham for the camera! I couldn’t resist snapping some images of him, too. This was my favorite:

I lost 12.6 pounds in the month of February!

One of my co-workers asked me if I’ve been starving myself, and the answer is NO. (I mean, have you SEEN me? I love food, clearly, so starving myself sounds utterly miserable!) What I HAVE been doing is eating SMARTER. I’m cutting down on the % of unhealthy fats, and trying to maintain a balance between carbs and protein. It’s been very eye-opening to track everything I eat and see where I have the most trouble. Turns out, I have to be really intentional about my protein intake because, when left to my own devices, I don’t eat nearly enough. The strange thing is, I think I ate lots more protein when I was a vegetarian! I’m actually going back and adding in some typically-vegetarian foods to help up my protein, and I’m looking forward to my teriyaki-soaked tofu sandwich for lunch tomorrow! (16g of protein per serving!)

I’m not a big proponent of fad diets (low-carb, no-carb, the Zone, etc.), and I take an approach similar to Weight Watchers: exercise your body, and exercise moderation in your food choices. It’s not the kind of plan that gives you immediate-gratification because it takes about a month or so before you can start to see and feel change. It can be really challenging to stick with something when you aren’t seeing any results, especially when you feel like you’re denying yourself something you want.

I titled this The Daily Plate vs. Weight Watchers, because I’ve done Weight Watchers before and it didn’t really work for me. I want to be clear: I think WW is an excellent program and it works really well for a LOT of people. I love their sane, balanced approach to weight loss. They want to change your habits so that making healthy choices becomes a lifestyle for you, and that’s really one of the very best ways to be successful on your weight-loss journey. So, if their goals are the same as mine, why didn’t it work for me?

Simple. Technology.

See, I’m a geek. A BIG geek. Ever since I got online at the tender age of 16, a large percentage of my life has been lived “virtually.” I’m sure some would find that depressing or strange. But for me? It just seems natural. Because of this, I LOVE online tools. I am the target market for Web 2.0 sites and tools. I love using the web as a way to connect with other people walking a similar path to my own, and I don’t have oodles of free time to do it face to face. That’s where WW didn’t work well for me; while I DO have the time to commit to being healthier, I didn’t have the time to commit to doing it through meetings. The great thing about The Daily Plate is that I can really do it when it’s convenient for me.

One of the things I’ve decided is that I need to see a nutritionist as soon as possible so that I can figure out how to meet all of my nutritional needs (high-protein and high-fiber), while also meeting my diet requirements (low-cal, low-fat), AND meeting my personal requirements of being tasty and relatively easy to prepare! Shoot, doesn’t seem like that should be asking too much.

I’ve been staying motivated by regularly looking up information on trips to the Galapagos Islands, which is the “reward” Holly and I are giving ourselves when we meet our fitness goals. I understand now why weight-loss programs suggest you have a goal in mind…when I am sweating, swearing and ready to give up while at the gym, thinking of myself in something like this, soaking up the Galapagos sun really helps keep me going.

Want to join me on my weight loss journey? Find me on The Daily Plate:

I’ve decided to try to be better about blogging here, even if I don’t have something photo-related to talk about. I’m following the advice that Becker gave on a [b] school episode (which I just caught up on this weekend during an hour-long stint on the elliptical machine at the gym!), where he pointed out that our blogs aren’t JUST to showcase our photography work. One of the huge advantages of a blog is that you get to know who we are as people. That’s so much more important when your field—photography—is so much about building relationships and connecting to others. So, I’m taking that advice and I’m going to try to blog more regularly, even if all I have to blog about is my life!

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I had an AMAZING breakfast yesterday with Jonathon at The Blue Dog Kitchen. Violet turned me on to the place last June, but I haven’t had an opportunity to go back. Jonathon’s birthday was Thursday (yep, he’s one of the unlucky to be born on V-day!), so we went to brunch to celebrate. If you live in Seattle, definitely check out the Blue Dog Kitchen. I had a sundried tomato and basil frittata with cheese, and it was just heavenly. I was especially excited that, unlike most restaurants, the portion sizes were totally reasonable. I am so tired of restaurants loading up a plate with about two and a half times more food than is necessary, so it was wonderful to go to a place that makes excellent food in good portions. I suspect I’ll be going back there soon to try some of the other delicious-sounding items on their menu soon.

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So, I mentioned above that I was catching up on the [b] school videocasts at the gym this weekend…that’s because I’m back on the horse with regards to getting healthy. I’m finally really excited to be on this path, and I want to share what got me excited. Holly told me about The Daily Plate, and my health goals haven’t ever seemed so reachable! The site lets you say what your weight loss goals are, and will tell you how many calories you may consume in order to lose the weight you’d like to lose. I’m going to use myself as an example to show you what the site does…I’ll be brave here and tell you specifically what my goals are because I have nothing to hide!

My goal: I want to lose 130lbs.

• I told the site I’d like to lose 2 lbs./week.
• The site tells me that I can consume 2,107/day to reach my 2 lbs./week goal, and that I can expect to reach my goal of weighing 140lbs. by May, 2009. (That may seem a long way off to you, but to me it sounds really amazing!)
• I type in what I’m eating (it even lets me enter my own recipes!), and the site calculates the nutritional info for me.
• I type in what my average activity level is (not much, since I have a desk job that keeps me in front of the computer all day!), and that’s how it calculates my target calorie consumption.

I signed up for a Gold membership so that I could use some of the special tools that will let me watch my progress as I continue to lose. I find that really helpful and motivating. If any of you would like to join me on The Daily Plate, you can search for my username—mollybennett—and add me as a friend. Let’s support each other in our path toward living healthier. You can also check in over at Bobbi + Mike’s Blog, because they’re doing a weight-loss program, too, and have a great little community going in the comments.

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I have decided to devote a large part of my 2008 summer schedule to second-shooting for Dani Weiss Photography. She invited me to be her second this season, and I am thrilled for the opportunity. Dani has been a friend of mine for a long time, and I’ve been a fan of her work since I moved to Seattle. One of her fine art pieces even hangs in my bathroom! With more than 20 years of industry experience under her belt, I know I will learn a lot from her this summer. One of the challenging things about being mostly self-taught is that many of the technical details of photography have slipped through my fingers. I’ve spent the last few years honing my “eye” and capturing the emotion of my clients. I can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to do when I fill in some of the gaps in my technical know-how!

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What about you? How was your weekend? If you’re in Seattle, are you enjoying this sunshine we’ve been getting? It makes me want to crank up my favorite house CD and drive around in my new wheels…

They’re not really in a particular order. That was far more complex than I could fathom creating! Enjoy.

Saturday, Jan 19: Wines for Weddings
2:00pm to 5:00pm
Gorgeous flavors for the right price. We can help you find the perfect wines for your special day.

I went to their December port tasting, and I highly recommend that you check them out!  They’re so friendly and helpful, and they have EXCELLENT taste! 

Happy tasting!

This has been an amazing year for me, and I thank each and every one of you who have been a part of that.

Special thoughts today go out to:

Holly—my loving, brilliant, charming, kind (and yes, a little crazy) girlfriend. One year ago, I only hoped someone like you existed. Now I know that not only do you exist, but you were praying to find me as much as I was praying to find you.

Brenda—my world would be a different place without you and your family in it, and it would be a world that I didn’t want to be in. I am so incredibly thankful for your friendship, support, caring, understanding, humor, children, husband, thoughts and laugh. You wake up every day and try so hard to do the very best you can do, and that inspires me more than you’ll ever know.

Jonathon—I love you, you little lesbian.

And, perhaps most importantly, Harper Hanson—Puppyman, I had no idea that I was a dog person until I met you. You have taught me patience, compassion, the art of counting to 10, the importance of peanut butter, a deep appreciation for riding in cars, the occasional need to unload my anxiety on hapless strangers who knock on the door and a deep fondness for being smothered in sloppy, wet kisses. Thanks for making my year so fun and puppyful. Mama Molly LOVES YOU!

Happy/Merry [Whatever], everyone.

One of my favorite things about having a relaxed style of portraiture is that I get these moments that, for a lot of photographers, would be “outtakes” and yet for me are the real and beautiful moments that make a person who they are. Good portraits don’t require the subject to be looking at the camera, or even to be in focus. Sometimes those elements are important, but I love the split second that someone lets their guard down because it often speaks more to who they are:

Favorite!

This girl is UP TO SOMETHING.

Redmond, WA: Last weekend, I did some headshots of Christine Allard, a branding and marketing expert in Seattle, for her upcoming speaking and teaching engagements. I replied to her posting on Craigslist, looking for a photographer. When she let me know that I made her “short list,” I went to check out her website and KNEW we would get along. She’s done work for some amazing companies and organizations, including the National Organization for Women (NOW). Ballsy, bright and bubbly, I knew immediately that Christine was a woman I wanted to know.

For Christine’s portraits, I followed my typical approach to studio photos. I keep my studio set ups simple because my goal is to capture the person’s personality instead of just a record of how they looked on the day we took photos. I like to think of this as a “character” approach to photography, since I’m trying to capture more than their physical details; I’m trying to capture the essence of the person in front of me.

To enhance these character studies, I’ve been experimenting more with my post-processing lately and achieving some kinda funky effects. One of the things I’m enjoying is being able to totally change the mood of an image with a few key strokes and mouse clicks. Especially with my portraiture, which I tend to keep fairly simple in terms of studio set up and lighting, I like how much I can change an image in post to create very different images even when the photos were taken only seconds apart from each other.

Some critics of involved post-processing argue that too much Photoshop work is just masking bad photography. While I think that is sometimes (perhaps even OFTEN) the case, I also think it can be used creatively to help tell a story or change the mood or just to experiment and learn. I’m still figuring out what I like and what I don’t like about the new things I am learning how to do…what do you think? What’s working for you? What isn’t?

Christine, it was wonderful working with you! If any of you blog-stalkers noticed Christine’s amazing make-up, check the blog soon for some exciting announcements about package upgrades I have in store for 2008…

Okay, so it’s not my backyard in the strictest sense, but Woodinville is not even 10 miles from our house. Holly works in Woodinville, and had to leave the office around noon yesterday because firemen came and evacuated them from the building.

This is a view from that building yesterday, taken with Holly’s camera phone:

And this was the view from my old office in that building last August, taken with my iPhone:

We’re fine, the pets are fine, no problems here so far. We live midway up a hill—and Redmond in general has been pretty un-touched so far—so we’re not too worried about flooding. Lots of people haven’t been so lucky, though. If you’re inclined and able, please consider a donation to the Seattle Red Cross to help support the work they’re doing to help flood victims.

As an aside, if you’re wondering how the iPhone photo quality compares to that of regular camera phones, this is a pretty darn good example!

Gotta love that slow shutter speed!

Up, up and away!

Can you tell it was a windy day at Greenlake?

I’ve been really loving the opportunities I’ve had lately to photograph families (and people) with their pets! I really hope more of my clients decide to include pets in their photos! (Hint, hint!) Shaq certainly enjoyed himself…

This was my first time photographing a family at Greenlake, and I’m SO glad that Leslie suggested the location. There were lots of little picturesque spots to take photos; I’ll definitely be keeping this one in mine for future photos. I’d stayed away from it in the past because it’s often so crowded, but once you move off the trail it’s very open.

This girl should go into modeling. Seriously! Talk about adorable.

Okay, let’s be honest…this whole FAMILY should go into modeling!

Favorite!

No, wait, maybe this is my favorite…

No, this one! This one is definitely my favorite…

Alright, fine, they’re all my favorites. How on earth am I supposed to pick ONE?

Seattle, WA: Leslie is one of my girlfriend’s co-workers, and immediately thought of me when it was time for their family photos this year. She really wanted some photos with the family dog (Shaq), because he’s getting up there in dog years…though from his energy, you would never guess it! Shaq kept us on our toes all afternoon. Leslie suggested Greenlake Park, and I’ll admit—I was a little nervous about the location at first because Greenlake is usually SO busy. It was a pretty chilly day when we were there, though, so we lucked out! Leslie, Lamar and Linai were an incredibly fun family to photograph, coming up with ideas like climbing trees for their pictures! How much fun is that? The whole family is very active; Linai (the daughter) just finished her first 5K walk last weekend. Talk about impressive! Shaq wasn’t the only one keeping ME on my toes.

Leslie, Lamar and Linai—thanks for such a fun afternoon!

Click here for the slideshow

Click here for the online proofing/ordering gallery

Fall…

…or Winter?

Hmm, tough call! Talk about appropriate weather for the first day of December. I think Harper is less excited about it than I am.