Go See My New Blog!! 09/25/2010
My blog is now at http://www.clearyphoto.net/blog It features larger, clearer pictures, and is now part of my website thanks to Lindsay Ginn - the fair blogstress extraordinaire!! Please contact her if you need a fresh, smooth site made up in a jiffy: lg.images@gmail.com Boudoir Session 09/21/2010
This lovely lady wanted some shots done for her fiance to give to him as a gift on their wedding day. We had so much fun in a vintage apartment unit and also got some of her (and her fabu shoes) against a velvet black background. I think it's really important to try and come up with a little something to give your mate on your wedding day. Just goes to show them that yes, the day is full of family, gifts, cake and friends but in the end the marriage is really only about the two of you. You're not just going through the motions that day but truly thinking of and showing appreciation for them in particular. She put her prints from this shoot in a vintage black book to present to him - she said it was well received! Bravo, Mrs. A, bravo!      Liesl & Curtis 09/11/2010
What a wonderful day this was! I arrived to meet the gang at The Arctic Club where everyone was getting ready and hugged Liesl. She had just gotten her hair done and I told her she looked fantastic. She said, "I got 3 hours of sleep last night." Everyone was bustling around the room, working out suspenders, barrettes, flowers. As I shot, I picked up that nearly everyone in the wedding party could sing. Could it be that everyone here knows how to sing and/or dance? Why yes. I heard snippets of conversation but equal parts of humming, singing, laughing. It was a very melodious room.        The wedding took place at Parson's Garden on Queen Anne. Liesl, quite the creative one herself, had made the boutonnieres, corsages, signs, the ring bearer's 'pillow', table centerpieces... everything. From scratch. (She now has her own Etsy account)...     A mariachi band serenaded people at the Garden, and then the ceremony began:         The party continued at the Bath House at Golden Gardens with music by The Dusty 45s which were, in a word... UNBELIEVEABLE. The Dustys stepped aside as various friends took the stage to sing to C&L, providing a father/daughter dance song, then a tribute to C&L's loving-ness, and others followed. I was "wowed". When the Dustys took the stage again, people were ready to DANCE! And man could they ever. Liesl and Curtis never stopped smiling throughout the day and I don't think I did either. Such a lovely group of friends, reflective of all the love in Curtis & Liesl's hearts. Seriously, L&C are the type of people you can see being parents already; they are so warm and open hearted. I think I'm in love!                        Once a year King 5's Evening Magazine conducts a contest to see who can get the most votes in their category. Mine is photographer and I would love your vote! There are many other categories too so check them out and vote for your favorite coffee spot, pet store, facial, etc! http://best.king5.com/cleary-o-farrell-photography/biz/138120?ref=short Thanks a bunch! Senior Portraits 08/30/2010
When Andrea needed senior portraits, I gave her a few location options and she chose Golden Gardens. I can see now why it suited her so well. During our session I found out that Andrea loves boats, the water, beaches, sunsets, sand under her feet. The wind kicked up as the sun set and bonfires lit up the beach; I could tell Andrea was totally in her happy place! We had a fantastic time.           Shoot w/ Mapel 08/17/2010
I met Staci Stevens of Mapel and shopmapel.com as well as a friend/client of mine for a lifestyle shoot to refresh Mapel's website last week. The three of us had a grand old time in a unit of a 1920s apartment building in Queen Anne. These photos feature some new, pre-Fall clothing as well as staples the store will always carry such as Seven's Dojo jeans, Alternative's burnout tops, cool bangle bracelets. We also took a few shots of jewelry pieces by OrangeBox which I LOVE. Krissy Maier of OrangeBox builds new creations using elements from real vintage jewelry. I already have a barrette and a ring and plan to add much more to my collection. It is fabu! Thank you Staci & Jen for a fun afternoon!                Play Time! 08/11/2010
I visited this little one for some play time with her toys, and then we migrated to the yard for more adventures. I was out of breath by the time I left, after chasing her around! She is very independent, and has so much energy. Loved my visit with this family.               Trader Joe's and Whole Foods 08/04/2010
We live in the land of options. For me, that land is Queen Anne, and in it there are two grocery options I love: Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I didn't used to love Whole Foods - it had a bad rap. I thought although fun, it seemed frivolous; to shop there regularly just seemed dumb. Enter the Interbay Whole Foods opening across the street from my house. Yes, that's right. In my own backyard. Well, fine. We'll go to WF and walk through. D & I had been watching the construction happen for years and hearing of all the snags along the way with lease mishaps, land development. It even opened a week later than it would have because they wanted to have a Feng Shui expert come in and arrange the store. We walked down to WF after dinner the day it opened. The first thing we noticed is how attractive it was. Displays, colors, building materials. And although there were many cars in the lot, it didn't seem crowded inside at all. There were also samples galore, and big markdowns on things - like the sale items were really on sale. We took our time walking through enjoying the place (the bakery display is glorious). Oh fine, we thought. If we need half & half or eggs or something we'll surely enjoy the convenience. Over the next month though, we went there many times. It was so nice to have somewhere to walk to and also it is just so pleasant in there. For a while they had large pizzas for $10 and the burrito/taco bar is excellent. Bakery is good for late night dessert cravings (love the chocolate mousse cup for $2, as well as the individual pies and chocolate confections, pudding cakes, cookie sandwiches, arrrrgh). After a while I felt a bit bad for cheating on my Joe so often (shout outs to Kevin and Joel at my QA TJ's who are liberal with the jokes and help when I am lamenting on which wine to buy for my wedding reception, or just any old time I am shopping there). I thought, you know there is room in my heart for two grocery stores, I've just got to get a handle on how they both fit. I know it is not good for me to see WF regularly, however he is always so available, sparkly new, and attractive. Ugh, but then Joe has always been my go-to, since I wore clothes from the juniors section and drove my old rusty Toyota. He has that down-home vibe, and all those interesting little creations such as ice cream and cake bon-bons, yogurt covered star things which taste like animal cookies, berry multi-grain muffin mix, flax tortilla chips - all those things I like and think "HOW did he know I loved that?!" It's like he really knows me, and we've been seeing one another for so long now...... So I made a list. And not the pros and cons kind (he has bad hair but gives good back massages) but rather full-on research. For the past 6 months I've been keeping receipts from every shopping trip and entering those items and prices into a personal Excel sheet. Crazy? Kinda. Smart? I think so. Crazy smart? Yes. I found that while you can and may be apt to spend a fortune at WF, you don't have to. If you stick to your list and just enjoy those expensive items with your eyeballs, visiting WF can be both pleasurable and logical. There are a few things I noticed are cheaper at TJs - perhaps the WF 365 brand has not made their own version. In general... Out of things I buy often, these are much cheaper at TJs: Specialty cheeses Jarred olives Flowers Cereal Low-sodium vegetable juice Boca/veggie burgers Specialty frozen things: meatless meatballs, french fries, appetizers, etc. At WF, organic produce tends to be better quality, and around the same prices (or it all evened out for me at least). There are many more differences, so I've posted them here for you to see. I am not advocating either store, you could keep shopping at TJs forever and be very happy. I'm simply alerting anyone who cares what my findings were, and pointing out that WF is not necessarily 'whole wallet', 'whole paycheck', 'give-me-your-firstborn', 'Food Hole', etc. I was impressed by WF pricing, mission statements (their 'green' efforts, charity), variety, quality. Some points about the lists below:
I hope you enjoy the comparative shopping, and remember... variety is the spice of life!!     "Like" us on Facebook via the link below to stay in touch and get all the latest news from C.O.P.; photos, reviews, blogs. Let's be friends! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-WA/Cleary-OFarrell-Photography/353351860580 Wedding: Jackie & Jeremy 07/26/2010
As a photographer, it's both my job and my passion to find the key that accesses people's emotions, thoughts, hearts. Deep in the heart of the word "Love" you will find Jackie & Jeremy. They met and immediately fell for one another. He wrote her poems, she wrote him songs, he asked her to marry him at the Thomas Burke monument in Volunteer Park. Their wedding ceremony was intimate and full of thoughtful dialogue; it described their great love for their family and each other. Following was the reception, and a song Jackie wrote for Jeremy, which she played on the piano at the venue. The words were inspired and made up of the love poems Jeremy had written her. Photos tell the rest.                       | AuthorCleary O'Farrell, photographer in Seattle. Real estate and architectural, as well as people, weddings and food.  ClearyPhoto Official Website  Become A Facebook Fan of Cleary O'Farrell Photography ArchivesSeptember 2010 |
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