Klecka Naturals website design

Edie Stuber hired me to redesign her website a few years ago. It was cluttered and her products weren't selling. Edie creates WONDERFULLY scented massage oils and body sprays. Here's screen grab of the newly designed site.

This is option 2. They picked this instead of the version that included everything they asked for, including specific colors and a different logo. THAT version was visually noisy. That is the PC term web developers use instead of ugly. I knew clean design was the correct choice.

I gathered the data on the most viewed pages, most common search terms, and order information. After so many years designing front ends, user testing, studying best case usability, interpreting their needs and how users would navigate their site proved easy and quick.

Unfortunately the site is not currently live, due to an exciting transition in company branding. It had cool interactivity and some quirky illustrations. The Klecka Naturals website was an incredibly rewarding redesign. I'd love to do that sort of work again.

shoe photography

I just finished a HUGE product photography job; over 60 pair of adult and child shoes:  3 views per pair. It is the second time I have worked with Soft Star Shoes. They're located in Corvallis, Oregon (where Dan and I lived for two years when we first got married) and hand make the most beautifully crafted shoes.

They also sell the CUTEST handmade cat toys. My friend Anna's two cats, Godfrey and Oscar, "modeled" for me. Cats are FUN to photograph.

After photographing these pink leather mary janes, I purchased them. They are SO FREAKING cute!

Since Winston wore these in one of the photographs, he was given this pair of badass boots.

I love soft star shoes, find them online at: www.softstarshoes.com

product photography, a review

I am organizing my product photography to finally show some of it on my website, (because I like to do that kind of work, in the studio, especially in the winter). I went through four years of files, and found the following products. I barely remember some of them. Does that make me seem old?Typically I get my lights set in position, turn on the iPod speakers, have a full diet dr. pepper and start shooting. It is fun work. I just move the product until the light looks good, and shoot. The following shots were done for Charlotte Baby & Child magazine:

If something is reflective, it is more complicated, like these HIGH end audio components, which I had to shoot in a light tent.

shoe photographer - updated!

This afternoon I am wrapping up a HUGE product photography job: 73 pair of shoes! Shot in the studio on an all white background - the shoes will be inside my 4x4 light tent. This makes the strobe lighting (high powered bulbs with pure light) to be diffused. Soft Star shoes are handmade here in Corvallis, Oregon and have the sweetest of owners. Here are my favorite toddler shoes.


Soft star also sells adult and baby Vegan shoes, which are super cute too! This pair would look great on any planet conscious baby:

accessories photographer, accidental client

Last week I got a email from Carolina Manufacturing, a company who manufactures a pink bandana shown on this puppy weimaraner - which is a little nuts, because the photo is almost four years old... The marketing folks had randomly found it on Flickr and wanted to feature the image in their newest product catalog. This photo below was actually my favorite of that puppy session.I considered being a pet photographer for about three months, but quickly realized that babies were easier for me. HOWEVER, I really want to photograph a Great Dane with a baby, and an English Bulldog with a toddler, so if you have that one of those combinations, please email me.
I used a different pink bandana in this photo, and I am not sure if it is the same manufacturer or not. This spaniel was so excited by the whole pet portrait process that her moms tight leg hold was needed to disable her from wiggling away...

dang, that is cute!

Ok, so one of the benefits of being a photographer that specializes in products for children is getting to work with REALLY cute kid models. This week, I am working for Lollipop Rascals, an online store that sells "storybook adventures" (basically, giftsets that carry the theme of a particular book). There are a range of adventures, including the "be an actress" set below, which include costumes (and tiaras)! (This costume included a witch hat, but I never mastered how to keep it on her head AND keep her happy...) I just LOVE her big toe and BIG black flower in her blonde hair in this shot!My job is to photograph the child enjoying the books/toys and show as much of the product as possible (without it looking hokey or staged). This is especially easy if the child LIKES the toy (Miss A, really LOVED this two sided doll and the book). Miss Mia, below, LOVES to read (evidently about Mexico) so she never even looked at the camera... she just kept turning pages. which was perfect.Sidenote: this little green alien (of the alien adventure set) nearly met his dimise (about two hours before the shoot) when Marvin yanked him out of the hall closet by his neck and toted him to the couch (since it is stuffed, I suppose Marvin assumed it was HIS for the taking)... Both moms liked the convenience of a complete gift set, so I recommend my client's site as an easy way to give a REALLY cool birthday present. AND each set is delivered already gift wrapped with tons of ribbon and colored raffia (Nancy, the owner, assembles them by hand...) VERY COOL.Finally, here are some outtakes from our photoshoots. T hese photos, are product free, full of personality and DANG, they are cute! Thanks to my awesome models Miss A and Mia!

Toddlers, Tonkas, & Thomas the Train

Mr. C. came to the studio last weekend for his holiday(ish) portraits and was accompanied by a small cargo van of brightly colored toys. Yes! To choose from, I had books, the largest legos I've ever seen, two ride-on toys, two hundred Thomas the train toys and one large fabulous tonka truck.

I was slightly lazy and had neglected to rake my leaves before our portrait session, but Mr. C wanted to ride his red tricycle outside and now that I see the images I am SO GLAD I had six inches of leaves. They are so beautiful!
You may recognize Mr.C's Mom - I have photographed them both several months ago during a Scandinavian Child lifestyle shoot. Mr C was a perfect size for the orange Svan high chair!

some friends LOVE me!

UPDATE: If you want to buy some burp cloths, check out Joanna's new etsy shop at http://pinkflamingobaby.etsy.com/I just got back from visiting Joanna this weekend. I worked in Charlotte on Saturday and just made a weekend of it. Joanna LOVES me, my camera, and my insistance on photographing her house and her fabulous kid. Not all my friends/family enjoy the fact that I love to take pictures of their house, their stuff, their kids and pets, and pretty much everywhere we go (if it looks cool). One friend, who would kick my a$s if I blog her name, actually complained because she felt she needed to clean her house each time I visited - as my photos were "evidence of her lack of tidyness" - now that I think about it, i haven't been invited back in six months...) But not Joanna, she tells me HOW creative and wonderful I am every time I visit. Which is a win-win situation. And here is the evidence to prove it. Our trek to an antiques shop near Huntersville: I love how Fletcher matches the orange farm equipment!Something cool to note about crafty Joanna. She hand sews these cute baby (burp) cloths! Another noteworthy tidbit: she isn't afraid to ask an antiques shop owner if she could move their products across the property to shoot her product on it!!! This is the antique's shop guard dog. Fletcher named him "Scottish" which i thought was adorable.

Craft Attack, 2008, official photographer

Hello, my name is Danielle, I am the official photographer today. That was my introduction to over 100 vendors on Saturday at Craft Attack - an art fair held in Charlotte with a smorgishborg of etsy artists. I got to capture it all. Officially. The good news for me is that I landed 14 new clients! I love etsy (THE website for handmade goodies like jewelry, art, photography, baby stuff).
This photo of earrings, bracelets and necklaces are from Betsy at The Foundling. I actually bought earrings from her two or so years ago at The Handmade Market, in Raleigh. Her stuff is just TOO cool. http://www.thefoundling.com/

Jennifer was kind enough to give me the toy on the left - isn't it cool? I really admire people who are creative by sewing. And I really wish I would learn to sew so I TOO could make stuff. http://handmadesuffs.etsy.com/
Ok, the lady behind Hardy Har Har was like a mad genius. She had names/stories for each one of her handmade characters. I wanted one of these guysbecause they were just SO DIFFERENT and hip and odd and fantastic, but decided to get this amazing orange and green scarf instead. GOD, i am boring. http://hardyharhar.etsy.com/These beautiful necklaces (and an orange two layered fabulous necklace that I now proudly own) were handmade by Skivika: http://skivika.etsy.com/

These two necklaces I just knew would photograph well on the mossy rock wall - check out how the moss actually matches the greenish beading. http://karma711.etsy.com/I recognized these crocheted toys from the Charlotte Baby and Child gift photoshoot last April. Happy Whosits are super sweet! http://happywhosits.etsy.com/ This jewelry (by Kim) was so amazing and colorful. I think she is known for her metal bangles pictured in the front. http://beadsnbanglesbykim.etsy.com/This company name was "Two Women and a Saw" which is really similar to "two men and a truck". So, check out Chris and Peg's stuff at http://www.twowomenandasaw.com/ I snagged the coolest metal and jade flower ring for Joanna from Lori Mabe - and I loved this blue cameo necklace too. And last, but not least, my friend Rebecca - who told me about Craft Attack. More of her FABULOUS handmade bags (and her modeling isnt bad either) at http://zoebags.etsy.com/There was also one handmade soap and lotion vendor: (and lipbalm and muscle rub!)Faerie Made Soaps. They smelled soooo yummy - my favorite was the lavender rose. Here are two random photos I took, so interesting: