friday's feature

It's the beginning of another month and it's time for a Friday's Feature with another talented photographer. 

Michele Sylvester of Michele Sylvester Photography comes to us from El Segundo, California.

After her interview make sure you check out her fabulous Web site here.

~ Tell us about you and your family.

As cliché as it sounds, I married my best friend.  Neither of us were looking for a relationship or even really had time for one, but after a day spent together, we became inseparable.  We had our first son a year after we were married (almost to the day)!  Gibson was our one and only for about 6 years.  We went back and forth for a while about having another.  So naturally, we got a fur baby.  :)  JD (Just Dog) is very intimidating looking, but she's the sweetest most gentle fur kid.  I'm a reservist in the military and found out I was deploying when we finally made the decision to have another so we had to wait a little bit more for us to grow our family.  Jackson, who we lovingly call Fat Baby, completes our family in ways we never imagined. 

~ Name the places you have called home. Where is home now?

I've always referred to Weaver, Alabama as home and it will always be home to me.  It's where I go to recharge my batteries and ground myself.  I've lived in Seoul, Korea; Riverside, CA; Monterrey Bay, CA; Weaver, AL; Alameda, CA (on a ship); Petaluma, CA; Alameda, CA (again, but not on a ship) Corona, CA.  I now live in Los Angeles and the community we live in now is starting to feel like home.

~ Describe a day in the life of you.

It's pretty routine.  I get my husband and Gibson ready for their day.  Then Fat Baby and I keep each other pretty entertained until his nap time.  I use that time to get some work done that requires more focus, after I pick up the crazy path of destruction only a toddler can leave.  We head up to pick Gibson up from school.  Then it's homework, snack, reading, and then the boys play for a bit while I straighten up and get dinner ready.  After the boys are tucked in for the evening, my husband and I watch a little tv or a movie.

~ Describe your photography style and how it came to be.

Hmmmm...I guess the best way to describe it is natural.  I don't like to over pose my subjects.  I give a little direction, usually asking them to do something (sneak up on someone, chase me, tackle Dad, etc) or I'll tell some ridiculous story/joke.  I've also been known to use a broken English accent (my mom is Korean), wear a fake mustache, wear “Where's Waldo” glasses, dance (I should stop so people don't think I'm having a stroke).  It really depends on my clients' personalities what antics I'll pull, but I try to keep it laid back and fun!  I'm just ME at every session.  I have never really had a problem with making a fool out of myself to get people around me to laugh or feel comfortable.  I've found that if I'm relaxed and having fun during the sessions, my clients do too.  I tried being serious and kept a lid on my silliness because I wanted to be “professional”, but that didn't work for me and I don't think it worked for my clients either.

~ What's in your camera bag and what do you use to carry it?

Nikon d90 with battery grip, sb700 speedlight, 50mm f1.8, 18-55mm f3.5, 55-200mm f5.6, UV filters, hood, back up batteries, pen, small first aid kit, mirror, hand sanitizer, lens cleaning kit, multi-tool and flashlight, wipes, hair bands.  I have an Epiphane Clover in red which I LOVE, but I also have a Crumpler in gunmetal.

~ If you could only watch one television show for the rest of the year, which one would it be?

Wow.  This really is a tough one for me.  I love so many shows, but I think I'd have to say Parenthood.

~ Where do you find your inspiration?

I love watching people interact with each other, with their environment.  There's just something about the way a face lights up when they see someone they love, a boy seeing his baby brother for the first time, the way a man in love looks at his wife, a kid scoring the winning goal.  People.  All beautiful to me.  All special.  All amazing.

~ Tell us something no one knows about you.

I drank my first beer when I was 3.  My poor papa realized too late that I found his cold beer.  It was hot out.  It was the first secret I can remember us having (from my grandma).  :)

~ Name a place you have been and want to go back? What do you want to see or do there?

I want to go back to Korea.  I want to visit my family who I haven't seen in a very long time.

~ Tell us where we can find you on the World Wide Web.

www.michelesylvester.com

Thanks Michele for stopping by and letting us peek into your little world!

Everybody have a great weekend!