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…

Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio

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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Cincinnati Urban Adventures

I wanted to share with all of you the start-up of my new business Cincinnati Urban Adventures, in partnership with Intrepid Travel and Urban Adventures.  I’ll be leading tours of Cincinnati that I’ve developed and will eventually hire Tour Guides to help out when the business starts to boom!  I believe if you are passionate about something, continue learning, and take steps towards turning those passions into a way of making money, you’re certain to be successful.

I will continue with my photography business Sherry Lachelle Photography and working as a Freelance Photographer for Cincinnati Refined, along with taking people on trips around the world through my website, Travel Spirit Meetup.  In fact, I just planned a trip to Portugal and Southern Spain for the end of February.  I’ve been to Lisbon, Portugal and to Spain, but am looking forward to exploring Seville, Granada, and Cordoba, Spain.

I’ve been working long hours between all of my endeavors, but it doesn’t feel like work, most of the time, because I love it!

Follow my new business on Instagram and Facebook.  You can also follow my Sherry Lachelle Photography on Facebook.

Wish me luck!

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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

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!

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

Ohio Bucket List

Miles of pristine forested hiking, outdoor cafes, resplendent architecture, astonishing views, thrilling adventures, intoxicating gardens! Does this sound like your kind of get-away? Ohio has all of this and more!  Here are a few of my favorite places…

The Fling Barn (Hillsboro, Ohio)

Situated on a 200-acre farm, an hour East of Cincinnati, The Fling Barn is a well-kept secret (well…not anymore) where you’re guaranteed to have a good time! Stuffed to the gills with Americana décor, featuring two bars, a dance floor, outdoor deck, and live rock n blues…it don’t get much better than that! In case you have too much fun, they have their very own Bed & Breakfast for your convenience, if it’s available.

~view from The Fling Barn (Images: Sherry Lachelle Photography)

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Put-in-Bay

Located on Lake Erie, just over 4 hours North of Cincinnati, Put-in-Bay is Ohio’s split personality playground with a wild side to dive into…pretty people in skimpy bathing suits guzzling tropical adult beverages, but hop on a golf cart and within minutes you’re transported to a lake-side paradise of glistening blue water, rolling hills, and tranquility!

(Images: Sherry Lachelle Photography)

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Through the Fog

Just after dawn the other morning, I crept through the morning fog, down the dirt road I live on, alert for nature unfolding.  The neighbor’s cat peered at me while I took his photo…

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The trees were shrouded with mist…

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The dirt road seemed to go on infinitely…

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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

 

 

Baby Lockland

My newborn baby photography session on Saturday was extraordinary, sweet, draining, and funny!  I drove 45 minutes to the client’s home and luckily they had a huge window in the living room that provided spectacular natural light.  While the mother was finishing feeding the baby, I took some photos of their very active and darling three-year old daughter.  But first, I’ll show you some of my favorites of the baby.  I initially told my friend (the Grandmother) that we should set the appointment up for the photos when he was two to three weeks old.  This being my first newborn photo shoot, I didn’t realize until later that the pros recommend taking the photos when the newborn is 10 to 14 days old.  Lockland is 3 1/2 weeks old, so he wasn’t quite as sleepy and flexible, but he did great!  After checking out poses on Pinterest to come up with some ideas, I brought a large wicker basket with me and took this shot…

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The Grandmother brought a large Christmas stocking for us to place the baby in.  It looks like he’s saying “ho..ho..ho”!

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Of course, I used Lightroom to soften his baby acne…

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My brother and family

This past weekend, I had fun taking photographs of my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece.  The weather wasn’t suitable for outside shots, so we racked our brains trying to think of places to get some cool and interesting photos.  We finally decided to meet in Downtown Cincinnati and check out some of the hotels.  This fun Christmas shot was taken in the Westin Hotel lobby.  It took a while because people kept walking behind them!

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There’s a skywalk that provided good lighting…

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