The Front Porch

I recently did a shoot for The Front Porch at The Heathman Hotel in Kirkland; a comfy outdoor space serving tapas and a perfect spot to sit and sip a cold beverage.

You may already be familiar with The Heathman, because of their much-talked-about restaurant, Trellis. I'll be honest- I haven't been there yet, but I have heard so many rave reviews, I cannot wait to check it out!!

Here are a few pics from the Front Porch shoot.

happy summer to you...

Tilth

I don't think there are enough words for Tilth, and the amazing chef behind it, James Beard Award winner, Maria Hines.
Hopefully, the photos give a little glimpse into the warmth, creativity, and delicious-ness that have given Tilth the fantastic reputation it deserves.

My Michelangelo and 2 cute dogs

Joe and I have been opening ourselves up to working pretty much anywhere....that's what you do when you are self-employed and trying to make a living in the worst economy of our lifetimes.

So, right now we are in Portland.

My husband is quite an amazing artist. I met him in art school and he is an incredible print maker and oil painter. Over the past few years, he has been commissioned to do public and private murals, (have you seen the big one on the side of the Medina post office? That's one of his.)

For the past few days, he has been working on a French-inspired ceiling mural in a 1920's condo in Portland's Northwest neighborhood. Joe's clients have become friends of ours, so we are also staying with them.

I am basically along for the ride, working and taking meetings here and there, but mostly hanging with the dogs that live here. Joe and I have cats, so I have to live vicariously through anyone who has a dog. I’ll be honest, I am not really a cat person, but I became a stepmother to our 2 cats when I moved in with Joe 10 years ago. I like dogs, especially these dogs. They are so funny.

I have been trying to document Joe’s artistic process on the ceiling, but my camera keeps turning back to Zoe the bulldog and Joey the labradoodle.

Here is Joe getting started. It's a big ceiling...



Some details below. He is just laying down the drawings now. The color comes later, (it's gonna take awhile.)

Me working hard.

Cute dogs.


Joe tired after working hard.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!

If you go and visit my website, you may notice that some things are, um, missing. Like, for example, all my family portraits and maternity shots. Even my fine art.
And, if you have been paying attention over the past year or two, you may also recall that I used to keep things much simpler and have only one site, where you could view all sorts of things, including weddings.

What happened, you may ask? (Or maybe not. Maybe you don't really care, which is okay, too.)

Well, I am going to be honest.
With the exception of one or two weddings in 2010, this will be my last year shooting weddings.

Wow. I cannot believe I just wrote that. (Deep breaths, deep breaths.)

I have been shooting weddings for a very long time. I have worked with amazing clients, many of whom have become dear friends. I have been embraced by a huge, dynamic, and talented industry of professionals who have been nothing but warm and supportive. I have grown by leaps and bounds as a photographer because, let me tell you, people, there is NO better schooling for a photographer than shooting weddings. NONE. If you want to know specifically what I mean, email and ask.
I am the photographer I am today because of weddings. No question.

But it is time to move on.

In the past few years, my business has been changing and life has been taking me in a new direction. My passion for working with farms and chefs has been talked about much on this blog, so I am sure it will come as no surprise that I am going to be putting most of my energy towards that. I have a bunch of exciting work that is coming up, particularly in 2010, and I want to have the time and space to do the best work I can.

So! All of my portrait worked has moved over to http://claremariephotography.com
I will continue to do maternity and family sessions, so nothing has changed there.
My fine art will be moved to it's very own website at some point in the near future, but will probably reside on the CMP site for a little while.

As for weddings, I have a much lighter load this year and am very happy to report that I am working with some FABULOUS couples. I am sure I'll be posting some images from those events over the next few months.

I invite you all to wander over to http://clarebarboza.com, check out the new direction of my work, and read my bio, which gives a little description about the turn my business has taken.

I hope you will all continue to visit my blog and check out my photos.
This time is full of change and, quite honestly, it's terrifying sometimes. But the support I feel from friends, family, and clients definitely helps keep me sane...probably more than you know.

Thank you for reading. :)