Faceless Friday #4 | Angelic Silhouettes
Posted on January 28, 2011
TGIFF! And if you’ve missed the earlier Faceless Friday posts, I had this idea to start sharing one image each week that demonstrates how portraiture can be powerful even without seeing the subject’s face. Yes, the eyes are the window to the soul, but silhouettes are another way to convey personality in a photo. Hope you enjoy this girls-just-wanna-have fun image as much as I enjoyed shooting it!
Take a cue from these fun women, and contact me to book a session to commemorate a milestone birthday. We had such fun with a few of her special friends and some bubbly on the beach!
The Captain’s Crew {Family}
Posted on January 26, 2011
Earlier this week, I wrote about commercial fisherman Mark Marhefka and the chefs and locals that rely on him for the freshest Lowcountry seafood. Since the Abundant Seafood post got a bit lengthy, I figured a sequel was in order for his family photos. His wife Kerry has an infectious energy which she currently channels into triathlon training and managing the household when Mark is at sea. Their kids are close in ages and stages to my own, so it was fun to shoot another snaggletooth and her zany brother.
Fish for the Future | Sustainable Seafood
Posted on January 24, 2011
Ever wonder about the origins of your food? In a coastal town like Charleston, it’s easy to assume that the boats lining Mt. Pleasant’s Shem Creek supply all the nearby restaurants with fresh-caught bounty from the sea. Unfortunately, that’s pretty far from the truth. As more commercial fishermen call it quits due to pressure from a flood of cheap seafood imports, high fuel prices and changing fisheries management policies, fresh local seafood has become harder to come by. Thankfully, there are some savvy fishermen who are taking the time to build relationships with chefs and consumers so they can sell the freshest product right off the boat.
Captain Mark Marhefka has been a SC-based commercial fisherman for thirty years, but with his launch of Abundant Seafood in late 2009, he became focused on finding a local market for the snapper, grouper and triggerfish he brings in from the Atlantic. One year ago, he started selling shares of his catch to consumers, following a popular farm-to-table model known as CSA. Marhefka, with the help of his wife Kerry, has maxed out his community-supported fishery (CSF) sales for now, but 100 families grab their coolers and head to Geechee dock as soon as they get the phone call announcing his return from the sea. Marhefka filets with finesse and jovially shares cooking methods while chatting with his customers.
Before the CSF idea took off, Marhefka connected with local chefs through the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SSI). I had the pleasure of working for this program, and it’s been wonderful to see local chefs take pride in featuring more fresh, local seafood. It takes more work on the part of the chefs to plan menus based on sporadic and varied catches, but those who are committed to buying local serve up the best-quality seafood available. Look for restaurants throughout South Carolina that are members of SSI, and check out the monthly dinner series. The sustainable seafood dinners feature several fantastic courses with wine pairings and are a great value. Occasionally, the restaurants partner with a brewery instead — the Fat Tire beer dinner at The Boathouse was a huge hit!
Okay, brevity is not really my strong suit, so you’ll have to “meet” Mark’s family in this follow-up post. Meanwhile, pick up the February issue of another local (and regional) gem, Garden & Gun magazine. You’ll find an article about Abundant Seafood, and some great tips on the best bluegrass bands in the country. And the magazine’s gorgeous photography is best enjoyed in its large-scale paper form, so put down the iPad and grab a copy.
Faceless Friday #3 | Child’s Play
Posted on January 21, 2011
Wow, that was a fast week. After an unusually chilly January filled with illness-induced cabin fever, I was thrilled to feel the warm sun yesterday and get outdoors with the kids. A few 60+ days in the dead of winter is all we need as a reminder that spring will indeed arrive.
Even though I snapped this in 2010, this Faceless Friday shot is quintessential Cidney. My daughter loves to mix and match patterns and colors, and she always dons twirly dresses and skirts when given the choice. She recently went on a 3-day camping trip with her dad. Despite my packing clothes for various temps and layers for keeping mosquitoes at bay while roasting marshmallows, she sported the same (um, filthy) Hanna Andersson twirly dress the whole weekend. Wear what makes you happy. Just make sure you launder it occasionally.
Faceless Friday #2 | The Second Dance
Posted on January 14, 2011
For my second installment of Faceless Friday, I’ll share another image from Suzanne & Pat’s wedding. Plenty of emotion in this poignant moment despite not having faces to read. The groom and his sister helped their mother out of her wheelchair for this very special mother-son dance at the reception. Happy weekend, friends!
