I love Mexico

I’m leaving Mexico City a different person and I didn’t expect that. I spent a week here with my boyfriend rushing around to different exhibits, seeing architecture and eating amazing food. The usual tourist stuff. So what was different?

Diego Rivera mural

Ticket stub from Frida Kahlo’s house.

The Luis Barragan House. An amazing example of Mexican architecture.

This opened my eyes to seeing the disparate threads of my work and my life coming together. i started to imagine integrating them in a way I hadn’t thought of before. The scale of my work changed from merely 2-D photography, to incorporating the audio I collected so long ago from pregnant women, to video, to the 3-D work and to other work that I have had stored in my mind but not realized.

I am returning refreshed and energized to realize a bigger picture of what I am doing.

Mi vida es arte.

PS I met up with some old friends and photographed them with their kids in the beautiful post office.

A cutie who I just met in Mexico City. The son of old friends from graduate school.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE TRIP.

Brian photographing the hanging stacks at the Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City

The wall of a house in San Angel.

Late night taco stand. Best Al Pastor in Mexico City.

Using mostly natural light and black and white film with no digital alteration, I have created two distinct bodies of work. The first is narrative and captures the subjects during their transformation to motherhood. The second is a radical departure from portraiture, removing the individual and framing the pregnant body as a new abstract landscape and language.

My goal is to present the diverse shapes and stories of pregnancy, to give them a place in visual history, and to employ this archetypal female form to spark conversations about contemporary western social issues surrounding the family.

Narrative work:

Sara, 2004.

Tonya, 2007

Abstract work:

Landscape Series, 2012
Tara, 27 weeks.
IVF

Landscape Series, 2012
Denyse, 38 weeks.
3rd pregnancy, natural after 2 IVF pregnancies.

A fairly new client mentioned that some photographers don’t like to photograph gay and lesbian families which I found shocking given that I have and do so many every year. She suggested I repost these, which I had taken down because they felt like old work to me. Old work or new work. We welcome all families in our studio.

Photos from the show “We Are Family” that toured of same sex families done in support of same sex marriage.

Photo from the show “We Are Family.”

From the show “We Are Family.”

From the show “We Are Family.”

From the show “We Are Family.”

From the show We Are Family

From the show “We Are Family”

From the show “We Are Family.”

From the show “We Are Family.”

I should also add that the show was a big success. The GLBT Center in Seattle was packed with lines out the door. The show traveled to Chicago and one other city. The best part was the feedback from the kids. Parents kept coming up to me saying thank you, that their child hadn’t seen so many photos of families like their own and it was great for them. They would walk around the room looking at the families many many times. It opened discussions about their own family. It gives me chills to think about all these lovely children seeing families like their own hanging on a wall in an exhibit. Thank you to all the families who participated in this show.

First experimentation with the female landscape

I spent ten days at an artists’ retreat this past August and had a fantastic time. What came out of the program was a renewed sense of commitment to keep on progressing with my work with the pregnant female form. After many late night discussions with an artist friend (usually over wine which is so stereo typical), I decided I wanted to break the maternal nude into two categories, one being more about the individual and one being more landscape. Today I am going to discuss the landscape form.

The inspiration for this work comes from a well-known Japanese photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto http://www.indejacobs.com/Sugimoto.html. Sugimoto”s pictures “seduce in a down to earth way – an enchantingly Japanese minimalism informs the artist’s black and white photographs (assemblylanguage.com)” He is best known for his seascapes which have been his main subject for the past 20 years.

The beauty in this simple horizon is stunning, and each horizon is unique depending on the day, the light and the weather. It is this work that started me thinking about doing the same with the maternal nude and the pregnant belly. I want to strip this form of all of its identifying features and let the viewer absorb the beauty and the softness of each individual shape. Sugimoto shoots with an old 8×10 view camera often making exposures that are up to 1 and a half hours long.

Sugimoto’s Mediterranean Sea

While I can’t quite ask my pregnant subjects to stay still for that long, I have started using some different techniques. I am starting to use a macro lens with my 35mm camera, and I have acquired a 4×5 view camera, which I will start experimenting with in a few weeks. Here are some of the latest pieces. I look forward to a room full of these. Currently I am printing them on Silver Gelatin Fiber paper 16×20 and hope to do them even larger.

Think of this shape and how much it represents. Why isn’t it better represented in visual history? This is the question that I am going to continue to pursue.

Recent work done with TMAX 3200 and a 60mm Macro

JENNIFER LOOMIS & MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY MOVE TO THE GALLERY SETTING – TWO EXHIBITIONS IN SEATTLE

Jennifer Loomis, known as the pioneer in maternity photography, will be exhibition three pieces in two different shows that open on September 28, 2012 in Seattle, WA, US. Loomis has long been known for her commission work of pregnant woman and been featured in many top newspapers and magazines in the United States. She had her first book published in 2009. Loomis has long wanted to see this significant female form in galleries and museums, noting its absence from classical art history.

The group exhibitions both will open on Friday, September 28th from 6-9PM at the Seattle Design Center
5701 Sixth Avenue South, Suite 262, Seattle, WA 98108

Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA)
2012 CoCA Members’ Show
Opens Friday, September 28, ends Thursday, October 25, 2012
http://www.cocaseattle.org/
Seattle Design Center, Suite 258

AND

Gallery Context presents Design Presence
September 10 – October 12
http://gallerycontext.wordpress.com/design-presence/
Seattle Design Center, Suite 262

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If you would like more information or to schedule an interview please contact 206-329-4772.

Look at the triangles and the diagonals that are created.

I recently did a proof edit over the phone with one of my favorite clients. I have been working with her long enough that we have similar discussions about images we like and images we think work together. She is so great, she comes up with brilliant ideas for triptych (three images together) that sometimes I haven’t even seen. I love that!

Check out all the triangles in this image! And my client after working with me for several years has now developed her seeing and put them three together which I think is brilliant.

I am writing this today because I think these images illustrate what I feel to be an important aspect any good portrait or fine art photograph – the triangle or the diagonal. While we aren’t getting as specific as DaVinci’s Golden Ratio, that appear prominently in his work, a lot can be learned by studying this master.

The brilliance of DaVinci

As I photograph my clients and their children, I am not thinking about this. It is only after the session that I see what I have done. It is interesting to me that I was unaware I did it until a friend who is a painter was over at my studio and he pointed it out. After that it was all I saw and it made a good photo better.

More triangles. Do you see them?

Start looking at photography with this in mind and see if you notice something different about the images, whether or not you like them or you don’t. Good photography is more than just capturing a good smile, it is about creating something that has feeling and good composition. Good luck and have fun!

The crop brings out the triangles here.

Look at how the window panes cross right at her head. Look at the gentle way the little girl is touching her mother. I love this image.

1)  Do Your Research Start gathering names and looking at portfolios on the website. Trust yourself, if some photos take your breath away, that person is the first person to call. If you weren’t personally referred by someone who has used the photographer and can recommend his or her work, ask for several referrals to contact.  These may be already posted on the photographer’s website. We post testimonials on our site as clients send them in, unless they are from a celebrity like Jeff Probst from Survivor which we thought was pretty cool.

Triptych of Janet

2) Look for Experience Look for someone with extensive experience, or even better, specializes in pregnancy photography.  Someone who is experienced in photographing the pregnant female form can obtain the most flattering poses for a pregnant woman’s body, such as the position of the shoulders, the angle of the belly, avoiding double chins and deemphasize other areas of the body which have expanded during pregnancy, such as hips, legs and arms.

3) Pricing If pricing is an issue, when inquiring about prices be sure to ask what the session includes. And be sure to ask about print prices. Our photo sessions usually include one or more prints, but be sure to calculate that into your budget.

4) Editing Your Images Find out if the photographer is involved in the editing process. Looking at hundreds of images of yourself pregnant is overwhelming. The photographer should be able to expertly guide you to the best and most unique photos, as well as suggestions for cropping and finishes.

5)  Film or Digital Ask if the photographer uses film or digital.  I recommend film, because I love gelatin silver prints. They are becoming increasingly rare and these prints are the photos that are found in museums from 200 years ago. Film prints are also archival whereas digital prints will most likely fade over time.  Film is often more expensive than digital, but the quality and longevity is worth it. But digital may be the perfect solution for you if you only want an album or some jpgs. So you may want to ask.

6)  Preparation Ask how to prepare for your shoot. We recommend a few things to our clients to do. And we always like them to bring a few special maternity outfits that they feel good in.

7)   Who is the Photographer?  If you are speaking to the studio manager you might want to ask to speak to the photographer personally to get a sense of who she or he is. Consider both artistry and personality.  Finding someone whose work you love and with whom you would love to work with is key to capturing beautiful images of your pregnancy on film to keep forever.

8) What happens to the images? Be sure to ask what happens to your images after you order too. We archive all of our negatives and digital files because clients will often call us years later and ask for images.

Gorgeous Kristin

He did a brief interview and asked me for many images. I was not aware of what an amazing magazine it was. Look at this magazine! I wish we had more magazines like this in the United States. I wish we had the same commitment to art here as they do in Italy.

Here is the link and a screen shot. Just beautiful photographs of pregnant women. I am so proud that these photographs of beautiful pregnant women will be seen by people outside the United States.

http://www.memezone.it/memezine-numero-0

Beautiful pregnant Sara hypnotizes us

So thanks to all who helped me decide. My favorite quote which I think describes this image “This one says, I’m a mother, I’m beautiful and I love you already.”

And the winner is:

Maternity photography by Jennifer Loomis

One of my favorite photos from the take is the family photograph of all five of them together. It is different but yet at the same time offers a “portrait” of each one of them. Look at the movement in the photograph and how your eye travels from left to right and top to bottom. This is important because, to me, it becomes one step above a standard portrait – you get to see the energy or the feeling behind the moment.

The fun family with their newest addition.

I also include a group of selects from the shoot. Some of my favorites are always of the smiling naked baby. I can’t get enough of those.

Little Rhodes has a good time hanging out on the backdrop.

All stacked up the three brothers were barely able to hold still. Mom had to put her hand in there. At first I didn’t like it, but then it grew on me as I saw the hand of the eldest son and ended with Mom’s hand in a nice diagonal sweep.

Rhodes on his tummy smiling for all to see.