2018 in Review (a little late)

2018 began with a photo shoot for Cincinnati Refined.  This is called Broomball.  Players wear gym shoes instead of skates and use a broom-shaped stick to slap the ball into the opposing goal.

Here are additional shoots I did for them.  This annual event was called the Polar Plunge…burr.

The Benison Event Center in Hamilton, Ohio.  At one time, it was a bank.

The Monkey Bar & Grille in Maineville, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati)

Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, Ohio

Wine Over Water, held on the Purple People Bridge (a pedestrian only bridge), featuring wine merchants from around the area, live music, and general mingling fun in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The UniverSoul Circus was a quite spectacular!

The annual Flying Pig Marathon.  This was the women’s champion.  I got a little emotional while taking this photo.

The Camargo Hunter Trials in Indian Hill, Ohio was a great event for action shots!

I was very busy growing my business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures.  I had hired two freelance Tour Guides in 2017 and together we took 1000 people on tours (anywhere from 1-12 people per tour unless it was a private tour).  By the end of 2018, I had hired an additional 3 guides and we took 1700 people on tour.  We moved into first place on Trip Advisor!

I did a handful of photo shoots for my business Sherry Lachelle Photography…

A senior photo shoot

For a friend’s new business website…

On June 2nd, my husband of 22 years, passed away from Cardiac Arrest.  I gave him CPR until the medics arrived.  This is the last photo I took of he and our dog, just a few weeks previously.

We lived on 5 acres in the country (only 40 minutes from downtown Cincinnati) and for the following 11 months before selling our home, I had the huge task of selling most everything he/we had accumulated through the years.  Some of the big items were a boat, Harley, hot tub, jeep, truck, car, tractor, log splitter, and so much more…4 bicycles, 3 chain saws, 3 lawn mowers, 3 ladders, snow blower, power washer, welder, hunting, fishing, golfing stuff, so many tools.

I was devastated.  My son was devastated.  He was closer to Randy (his step-dad) than his own father. 

Later that year, my son and his girlfriend announced their engagement.

I went to an outdoor concert with friends and it poured rain the entire time.

Went boating with a girlfriend…

I visited a friend in Dunedin, Florida for a week in December…

I was so happy my son joined me at my brother’s house Christmas Day. His fiance chose to stay at her family’s.

After Randy’s passing, so many things reminded me of him, coming across food items he liked while at the grocery, hearing a Harley’s rumble, and of course Face book gives you reminders.

There were other family and friends get-togethers throughout the year.  I tried my best to cope with the grief and have a happy and full life. 

2017 in Review (a little late)

2017 began with me on assignment at the Casino in Cincinnati for Cincinnati Refined.  A very colorful and loud party to photograph.

I continued finding much joy taking photos in my free time…like the sunrise captured in this church window a couple of minutes from our place in the country.

and Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati at night…

The Licking Riverside Historic District in Covington, Kentucky with a beautiful view of Cincinnati’s skyline.

Get-togethers with friends…

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Family time…

My brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece.

I was busy growing my new business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures.  Friends accompanied me on trial runs for some of the tours.

The Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio

My husband, son, and a girlfriend were models on my Over-the-Rhine Sights and Bites tour for my website.

I hired a few models for my Beyond the River tour in Covington, Kentucky.

Here are some of the photos shoots I did for Cincinnati Refined…

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky
Eighteen at the Radisson – a revolving restaurant on top of the Radisson Hotel
Cabana on the River, Cincinnati, Ohio
Diner en Blanc (everyone wears white and brings everything for the party including chairs/tables, decorations, food, drinks)
Taste of Cincinnati, an annual event
The Renaissance Festival
The Circus School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Danger Wheel
The Thanksgiving Day Race – I got up very early to be downtown in time and it was cold!
The La Boheme Opera at the Aronoff Center in Downtown, Cincinnati

I began managing an Airbnb located in Covington, Kentucky…

I had a few photo shoots for my own company, Sherry Lachelle Photography. A senior photo shoot…

A family photo shoot…

I was the Tour Guide and Photographer for a wedding with 40 people.  It was 5 hours long, but everything went smoothly.

And I photographed my first gay wedding – 2 beautiful ladies.

I attended an annual weeklong Urban Adventures meeting in Portugal and arranged a trip to follow for a few friends.  They met me in Lisbon, Portugal, where we saw the sights for a few days before moving on to Seville and Granada, Spain.

The La Alhambra, Granada, Spain
The Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain

Cheers – Salud!

My husband and I were able to get away to Florida for a week in December.

As you can see, my year was very busy, filled mostly with photography and growing my business, with a little travel sprinkled in.

Charlie Bear

The day after Christmas, I had my second newborn photo shoot.  The parents and Grandmother were so pleased with the outcome, they literally cried happy tears!  Little Charlie Bear is soooo cute!

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I found some inspirational quotes for all women and especially young women!

“You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.” ~ Melissa Etheridge

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“Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion” ~ Oprah Winfrey

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“Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.” ~ Byron Katie

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“I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” ~ Emma Stone Continue reading

Santa Rappels Down Macy’s Building

On assignment for Cincinnati Refined, I recently took photos in downtown Cincinnati of an event called Macy’s Downtown Dazzle.  Arriving early I captured my required “posed people” shots before Santa was due to rappel down the side of Macy’s Department store.

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The atmosphere was festive!  Ice skaters at Fountain Square were fun to watch!

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A cup of hot chocolate warms you from the inside!

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Niederman Family Farm Holiday Light Display

It’s almost that time of year again…Christmas!  Time to be with family and continue old traditions or begin new ones.  Last night I was on assignment with Cincinnati Refined to take photos of the Neiderman Family Farm Holiday Light Display in Liberty Township, Ohio.  If you live in the area, I highly recommend a visit.  It’s free, but donations are appreciated.

You begin the 5 block walk (configured in a square) here…

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Bible verses are displayed with colorful holiday lights!

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The manger scene is beautiful…

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Thanksgiving Day Race

The 106th annual Thanksgiving Day 10K Race was held in Cincinnati yesterday and I was excited to be taking photographs for Cincinnati Refined.  Arriving early, I took my requisite posed shots of people, and made my way through the 17,000 runners to the start line.  Shooting action shots is exciting and having just purchased a new full-frame Nikon D750 recently, I was anxious to test it out on a race!

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Many of the runners/walkers were decked out in festive costumes!

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The race was well-organized with signs displaying various running speeds so that the fastest could be in the front.  Here they were warming up.

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With a minute or two to go, I ventured into the center of the course to capture this photo…

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What can happen in three weeks…

Three weeks doesn’t seem like a long time, but as I look back through the moments captured in time, I realize that “time” is a tricky thing.  I started a temporary (mostly full-time) job working for the Census Bureau and got bit by a rather large dog the first week.  Luckily, he just left a small abrasion and bruise on my forearm.  I was a trooper and got the interview…they probably felt bad for me.  I took the position because I can make my own hours and work around my photography assignments.  Speaking of photography, here are some of my photos for my own business.  My friend Teresa (pictured on the left) hosted a surprise birthday party for one of her daughters (next to her) and retained me to take photos at the event.  The other two women are also her daughters…aren’t they all so beautiful!  Dusk was falling and for the shot, I asked them to put their heads close together…

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Later in the evening (after a drink or two) they were willing participants for this shot…

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The birthday girl is dating one of my friends, who went with me to Europe last year for a month.  Don’t they make a cute couple…

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One of my husband’s co-workers needed his son’s senior graduation photos taken.  I call this one “Head in the Clouds”…

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Selling Your Photographs

Two of my photographs of local wineries have been bought by Great Lakes Publishing!  They’re the parent company of a variety of publications, including Ohio Magazine.  I received an e-mail a while back concerning the second photograph taken at Vinoklet Winery and after inquiring as to their interest in other winery photos in the area, they loved this photograph taken at Meranda-Nixon Winery in Ripley.  In the past couple of years, I’ve had a variety of people ask if they could use a particular photo for brochures and other uses, including one for a publication concerning climate change in Africa.  In fact, a few months ago, a lady asked if a photograph I took of Ault Park (third photo) could be used for the wall of a building that wasn’t quite completed in Downtown Cincinnati, and agreed to give me photo credit (“Sherry Lachelle Photography“) on the wall.  Having a strong presence on the internet helps put your photography out there for those searching!

Meranda-Nixon Winery, Ripley, Ohio

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Vinoklet Winery, Colerain, Ohio

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Ault Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

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Social media is amazing!

Dancing for the Stars at Cincinnati Music Hall

The ninth annual Dancing for the Stars event was held April 11th at Cincinnati Music Hall. Pairing eight Cincinnati celebrities with some of the area’s finest professional dancers to raise funds for Cincinnati Arts Association’s Overture Awards and Arts Education Programs.  I took more than 200 photographs, as the freelance photographer for Cincinnati Refined.  After taking some posed shots of people at the event, I found a spot on the dance floor hugging the sideline, and the dancing began.  First up, the professional dancers tangoed and fox trotted their way around the floor, entertaining guests with dramatic swings and finales!

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The settings on my Nikon D5100 were ISO 3200, Shutter 125 and Aper 5.6.  I knew a shutter speed of 125 can help stop action, and because I didn’t want to use flash, I knew I would need to have a high ISO speed and sacrifice some resolution of the photos.

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The Life of an Event Photographer

Before I even dreamed of becoming an Event Photographer, I was living the life of one.  Most everywhere I’d go, you would find me taking photographs of people, things, and the beauty around us, and it was something I truly loved!  They say, find something you’d do for free, that you’re good at, are passionate about and doors will open.  The door opened for me through Twitter almost 18 months ago.  A friend saw a tweet from a local online magazine for Channel 12 in Cincinnati and notified me.  I met with the Editor and was hired as a Freelance photographer and occasional Travel Writer.  With almost 40 events and 15 articles under my belt, it’s been a great experience and I continue to learn and grow.

Because I live about 35 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, I usually drive at least that far to an event, and spend about 90 minutes at the event, taking atmosphere shots and at least 20 posed photos of people.  At home, I upload the photos to Lightroom, do a little cropping, etc., and then upload them onto the magazine’s sight, along with captions and names.  I find the difficult part of the job to be writing down all of the names at the event.  It’s usually loud (i.e. music playing, etc.), and there are some funky (hard to spell) names out there.  As in life, you take the not so good with the great!  Here are some of the events from February and March.

Prohibition Party at The Woodward Theater

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Bockfest in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio

(my hands were freezing that day)

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Celestial Ball (a benefit for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital) at the Duke Energy Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

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Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Encore after party at the University Club Continue reading

Boudoir Photography

Boudoir photography is so much fun!  The creative possibilities are endless.  The first step is ensuring your model is comfortable with you and that you provide a warm environment, which can be difficult during this seemingly endless bitter cold February in Cincinnati!  I recently did a photo shoot with my Model, Christy, and we clicked (no pun intended), which put her at ease.  For this first photo, I had the idea of wrapping her in cellophane.  We weren’t sure at first how the photos would turn out, because I wrapped her a little too tight, but I think it’s cute!

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This is Christy’s favorite photo.  Doesn’t she have beautiful hair?

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I’ve had a difficult time finding a willing subject for this type of shoot.  Most women feel that they need to lose a few pounds and feel they have to be perfect, and often think they’re too old.  Christy is in her mid-30’s and looks great!

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We were both on the same page as far as the over all “look” we were trying to achieve…sexy, fun, and tasteful!

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Be My Valentine

To all those who are feeling lonely or unloved…I send a special message of Love!

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I recently set up an at home photography studio, with used lighting and backdrops and took photos of a special woman named Christy!

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I’ve been pinning modeling poses to my Pinterest board and used a few of them for her session…

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I love taking photographs of people and letting them see their special beauty…

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She wanted some “corporate” photos and I especially liked this one (even though she thinks it looks like she’s chewing on the pencil)…a sexy executive look!

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My husband and I decided to stay in tonight…(it’s too cold) by the warm fire!  He’s preparing a steak dinner…I’m fortunate to have him.  Sending all of you a hug! xoxo

 

 

Model Shoot at PhotoPro Expo – 2015; Cincinnati, Ohio

The PhotoPro Expo- 2015, held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, is filled with exhibits for every level of photographer!  I spent three hours talking with professional photographers, mostly surrounding lighting options, listened to a couple of short presentations about portrait posing and lighting, and taking photographs of a few models that were available for photo shoots.  Arriving when it first opened at 11am yesterday, I made my way to the Beach Party models and began shooting.  They were quite stiff and awkward with their initial poses, so I developed a rapport with them and gave suggestions for posing.

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They really livened up!  I asked the young lady to hop on the young man’s back…

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next, suggested she put the inflatable ring on and turn around…

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Jocelyn

A beautiful woman is the one who never compares herself with others, because what others have doesn’t make her feel insecure…

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A beautiful woman uses Her lips for truth, Her voice for kindness, Her ears for compassion, Her hands for charity, Her heart for love, For those who don’t like her she uses prayer…

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Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.  It is not something physical.  ~Sophia Loren

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