BABE-O-LICIOUS :: RECESSION PROFF

Foreclosures, increased finance charges, higher APR's, repossessions, lay-offs, salary cuts, bankrupties--the financial woes of this country are enough to make a grown man cry!!
However, on the brighter side, lack of money has forced people to tap into their creative juices for a lil entrepreneurial inspiration.

Isn't it sad how the most creative and artistically gifted of people are forced to let their talented gifts fall wayside because of life's circumstances?!?! The need to pay rent, bills and eat can easily override your desire to create and soon enough you find yourself working a steady 9-5 in the corporate world's rat race! Sometimes it can be years--decades even--before you realize how big of a hole you've dug for yourself and just like everything else in life that seems to come full circle--serious financial hardship forces you to shift your focus on 'earning' yet once again!!

With the workforce being so tight these days many creative brains are instinctively switching back into artistic mode and saddling up on that creative horse with determination, passion and fervor. Check out my friends at www.BigAppleTeez.com, they're living proof of the new American Dream!!!!!!!!! Their NYC inspired silk screens are fun, fun, fun and NY to the core!

Let their story inspire you!

Enjoy the photos...they were taken by yours truly!

Modeled By: Melissa Molerio and Bianca Bastone

Until next time,
Miss Sally <3

Autumnal Sun

This morning I woke up feeling inspired! I absolutely love early mornings at this time of the year---the weather is breezy, the trees are weary and the sun transforms everything into a glowing orange ember. So I got dressed, jumped on my bike and set out to create magic!!! My goal was to capture the sun kissing the surface of the earth in all of her sweet, soft, nurturing warmth. I was determined, focused & recharged so this should have been an easy task, right?!?!? WRONG, as I struggled to recreate in photos what my naked eye was seeing I quickly remembered not every shooting experience is going to result in a cascade of extraordinary shots.
Today just wasn't my day--so I put my camera away, enjoyed the world all by myself & and rolled around for another 45 min or so until I pedaled home in defeat.
This experience reminded me of a quote by the great ANSEL ADAMS that I often repeat to myself: "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop!" Perhaps tomorrow will bear a fruitful batch of magical goodies. As for today, I shall remain humbled!

Until next time,
Miss Sally

Lulled by Il Sole

The ruling planet of Leo is the sun, so I guess it was natural that the only time Lil AJ felt at peace was when he was basking in the warmth of his cosmic ruler. It's incredible how charming a new born baby can be; the creative inspiration you can draw from them is expansive.

Lets hope he's as animated, charismatic and charming as his big cousin Brianna who showed up on the day of our shoot. Within seconds she was my best friend--telling me secrets, mastering my camera & hamming it up. Soon she will be my main subject--a date I eagerly look forward to. I just know she's going to make me famous! Oh, and did I mention, she's a Lioness herself!!! But I'm sure I didn't have to tell you that by sound of her roar!!

I LOVE MY JOB <3 <3 <3 until next time, miss sally

it's a DOGGIE DOG world

animals may be the hardest subjects to capture. my previous attempts to shoot my lil chihuahua mix have caused me heartache. today i managed to get a few that tickled my fancy. blogspot meet tallulah belle.

tales of a lost treasure found

Every so often those pesky pirates of the universe play a terrible trick on us taking our treasured gems and hiding them for a painful period of time. We spend countless hours, days, and months looking for them praying hopelessly to the gods of fortune to guide us to their secret location only to chalk it up and determine the goods lost. Then without fail, like a message in a bottle that has been washed ashore they pop up and suddenly they appear before our eyes as if they had been there for centuries.

As I was rummaging through an old storage bin earlier this evening, I fell upon an long lost removable hard drive. On it were photos I had taken over the last decade--pictures from past vacations, old photo essays, portraits and silly family photos. This discovery was monumental on so many levels. Not only did I restore my photographic library but more importantly I had regained memories of a past that were long forgotten.

Photography is a document of one's endeavors. And in the years that follow it helps us to remember those moments when life has treated us kindly--moments of awe, moments of laughter, and moments of pride all frozen in time and when looked upon they have the power to transport us back to that very instant in a heartbeat. When those images are lost we jeopardize our very existence because without memories who are we?

Today I share with you a portion of an unfinished photo essay that I worked on from 2008 until 2009. All of the photographs were taken in the Bronx, which surprisingly has the most natural landscapes of all five boroughs. My focus was on finding areas where man and technology had quietly encroached upon nature. Massive industrial structures loom across the horizon all while the natural world remains unfazed playing gently in it's shadows. It's a testament to the soul of the Bronx and all of it's 'rough beauty'.

Sadly, this project was quickly abandoned after I deemed it's contents lost to that black hole we call cyber space. So, with this find I send out vibrations of gratitude to the gods of fortune because I am so very thankful for the chance to take hold of an opportunity once lost.
Enjoy,
Miss Sally

Part i: The Lion vs The Bull: "Melady 1 :: Sally 0"

Before I get to a clients house for a photo shoot, I always imagine it to be a breakthrough session. I meet the child, we instantly connect and our energies melt together creating magic. As I enter their sacred world we play, we dance, we laugh and ultimately we become best friends. Usually I'm on target but on rare occasions it doesn't always go as smoothly as it does in my fantasy.

I often find myself telling parents that I can crack the best of 'em but in the case of the sassy Miss Melady I had met my match. This tough Lil' Taurus wouldn't have any part of me or my camera--just like her mamma had warned. As she buried her face in the couch I immediately realized this was not a job for the weak or scrawny.

I rolled up my sleeves, let down my hair and got down to her level--literally. I tried introducing her to my camera telling her that SHE could take pictures of her toys--no luck. I racked my brain for jokes appropriate for a 3 yr old and actually found a few--not even a giggle. I told her I could see Dora the Explorer in her ears and Sponge Bob up her nose--she looked at me like I was crazy. Then in a panic I picked up her favorite dolly, threw it on the floor and said, "Take that Cupcake, if Melady doesn't play with me you'll pay the price"--she lifted her head, glanced at her beaten doll and exploded with laughter. That's it, I was 'in'--she finally went for the bait, now I all I had to do was reel her in.

We painted, we colored, we even did our own makeup. Slowly she allowed me into her world and for a split second I thought I had broken down her wall--her eyes gleamed, her smile brightened and her heart steadily warmed. I took pride in my accomplishment, as any Leo would and began to shoot away! Then in the blink of an eye I lost her. In a moment of carefree play she stumbled over my camera, lost her balance and became uneasy. The trust I had worked so hard to gain vanished into thin air and there I stood; a stranger once again!! No matter what I tried she shot me down and within 10 minutes my gorgeous little starlet had a melt down.

This minor set back won't get me down. We're set to re-shoot next month so be prepared Miss Melady--you may have won the battle but you won't win the war. The greatest ammunition a warrior can have is KNOWING THEIR ENEMY, so BEWARE......bwhaaaa bwhaaaaa bwhaaaaa!!

Il Numero Duo: :Autoritratto

So I came home early today because I think I may be coming down with some kind of bug! Ugggh! Why not use the time to post my second blog since my attempt at getting some rest has fallen short because my mind is racing thinking about the many pitches life throws at us.

Some come hard and fast, some come blindly out of nowhere, and some are just wildly over our heads. Well, my sleeves are rolled up and I'm ready for anything that comes my way.....I have my feet planted FIRMLY in the ground, my eyes are GLUED to the ball and I'm ready to HIT THAT SUCKER WITH EVERYTHING I GOT!!!!!

As I look within I promise myself that I will continue to move forward. I'm grateful for the abundance of positivity I have in my life and I know there is more to come. I will learn to sit quietly while making POWERFUL strides.......this blog will be my outlet, my source of expulsion, my personal sanctuary---the mountain top from which I will SCREAM MY MANTRA!!!!!



Ahhhhhhh..........I feel better now!!!!





Until next, Miss Sally xoxo


"Self Portrait", 2007.

Playing Catch Up

I've been putting off creating a web page of some sort for the longest time because I'm easily overwhelmed by the computer--which is quite comical considering my generation grew up in the dot com era. Well here I am, thanks to my wonderful friend Rosanne from SunRoseAromatics who gave me this much needed push. For my first blog post I'm going to attempt to play catch up, showcasing miscellaneous photos from past portfolios. There's no theme, rhyme or reason, just a few oldies but goodies! ;) I hope you enjoy my them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Until next time Stay Well,

Miss Sally

"A Long Way Down" taken in Amsterdam in 2007. I stayed in a beautiful canal house in the famous Red Light districit and this was the steepest 5 flight walk up I've ever experienced in my life!

"Romantic Encounters". Also taken in Amsterdam but in 2003. A bride and groome rode up to their wedding ceremony on a bicycle--only the Dutch!! He was driving, she was on the handle bars and marigolds & roses were draped across the wheels. They were delightfully ecstatic and drunk on love. It was so incredibly romantic!!

"Misty Mornings on the Husdon". New York City, 2008. The boat in the foreground is the S.S. Lilac--a 1933 lighthouse tender, now docked at Pier 40 in Chelsea.










"Reflections of Lost Time" Los Angeles, 2006. I lived in LA for a brief period & spent many days alone in quiet thought at the Mustard Seed Cafe. This photo was taken during my last meal there.

"Geometric Synergy". Ohio, 2005. I'm often drawn to cast shadows. In this photo I love the way they play against a man-made abstraction of similar design.











"White Velvet". NY Botanical Gardens, 2009. I figured I'd end my first blog with a delicate lotus taken in my hometown of the Bronx, NY. If you haven't noticed I love the effect of a soft focus lens!