Thriving, though sleepless

mdkstudio — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:24:50 +0000

Goodness, how is it June?

We welcomed a darling little boy in February, which means he’s already four months old, ready to grab the keys to the car. Or at least chubby & giggling & figuring out how to reach his feet:

We’ve been watching our sweet girl gain independence and a whole new vocabulary. We also moved to a new (bigger!) studio space:

We’ve photographed the looks at VITA, a grassroots fashion show here in the Burg:

It’s been a lovely, crazy spring full of blessings and business and woah-hardly-any-sleep. But we’re happy, watching so many dreams come true.

We’ll roll out some behind-the-scenes posts here shortly, and also link over to some of the weddings I’ve been shooting with Stone Blue Productions. But for now, a bit of a photography geek moment.

I met Steve McCurry at last weekend’s LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, VA, If you don’t recognize the name, you’ll recognize his work: his photograph of the Afghan Girl is the most recognizable National Geographic magazine cover of all time. He shared the images from the final roll of Kodachrome film, which Kodak sent to him (you can read the story here).

Steve McCurry and I. Yes, it's an iPhone/Instagram shot.

If you’re not familiar with him or his work, you may enjoy this interview. There’s so much that I love about this video–the idea of intuition and waiting for the “soul” of the photograph, the story of crossing into Pakistan, the bit about how travelling and learning how people live in other countries, staying grounded, etc.

And finally, those of you who know me know that part of my heart will always be in Havana, Cuba. I’ve been there twice, and hope to go again (and again, and again). I came across these lovely photos on Steve McCurry’s blog, and it made me nostalgic for La Habana, the strong, beautiful people, the warm breezes and chatter of Spanish, and the food, oh the food.

Happy summer.

VITA Fashion Show – Spring 2011 • Lynchburg, VA Editorial Photographer

mdkstudio — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:29:01 +0000

It’s been quiet around here—we enjoyed a couple of months of cuddling our sweet new baby BOY (yep!). Pics to come…but for tonight, a quick update.

We just wrapped a twelve hour day, shooting behind the scenes at VITA Fashion Show in Lynchburg. So tired…but what an amazing day! Yes, it was a bit crazy to have TODAY be our return from maternity leave, but we just had the most amazing time getting behind-the-scenes and fashion shots for all of the awesome designers!!! What an impressive team of stylists, designers, models, and of course the team at Riverviews. What an unforgettable experience.

The party was still going when we left, but we’re happy to be home with our babies, pjs on and a late night snack before sweet, delicious, blessed sleep (two hours at a time anyway). But first: while there are many more images to come, we picked four random favorite images from the day and put them on our Facebook page. Please check them out, and stay tuned for more.

MDK Studio on Facebook.

Pitter patter of little feet…

mdkstudio — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:12:42 +0000

If you haven’t heard already, we’re winding down toward maternity leave. That’s right, our little monkey is about to be a big sister! A boy or girl (yep! we’re going to be surprised) is due to join us on or around February 11. We’re getting so excited! We’re accepting a limited number of portrait sessions in January, and are looking forward to our return again in the spring!

For Sofia’s second birthday, we brought her to the studio for a few portraits. Needless to say, she is the epitomy of two years old, and we spent most of our time chasing her around the backdrop as she cried, “I got you! I got you! I got me!”

While it was tiring for Adeel & I to try to capture her energy, I’m so glad we did. It’s been amazing to see how quickly she’s changed–it really does seem like yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital.

Without further ado, a few images of our birthday girl:

Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

mdkstudio — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:30:10 +0000

Yesterday was SUCH a lovely late fall afternoon–perfect weather that felt more like an afternoon in September than late November! And what better way to spend it than at the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival at Poplar Forest? Here are some favorite moments from the day:

Mr. Jefferson made an appearance:

And our favorite shot of the day: Amanda (who happens to be a good friend of ours), and her friends, enjoying some wine and good company:

Hasselblad – medium format film scans

mdkstudio — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:49:22 +0000

We love to bring our Hasselblad film camera around and shoot a few extras whenever we can. Here are a few scans of images we’ve captured over the last few months — a couple of art shots, followed by an image we just unearthed from last spring’s shoot with the lovely Alex. Enjoy!

Sneak Peek: Virginia School of the Arts senior dancers!

mdkstudio — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:19:21 +0000

We spent a few hours at Virginia School of the Arts today, taking their senior dance portraits. We’re always blown away by the talent of these young men & women.

We’ll share more later, but here’s a sneak peek for now:

More sizzling hot images!

mdkstudio — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:03:02 +0000

We love these images of the lovely Alex, and thought it was high time we shared some more. Alex’s personality & energy are all over these shots–we can’t get enough!

We wrapped up our session at Frankie + Millie for a little bit of a different look. Thanks so much to Lea for letting us do this, and for the amazing wardrobe!

Wardrobe:

Dress – Courtesy Frankie + Millie

Accessories: Forever 21

Shoes: red flats – Nine West, strappy heels – from the former Joybird, black heels – courtesy Frankie + Millie

Special thanks to assistant Corrie Fewell

Sneak Peek – Hot Fashion Shoot

mdkstudio — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:34:56 +0000

We just wrapped a morning of a modeling portfolio shoot with a talented young woman who will move to New York City in the fall to pursue her dreams of ballet. We got lots of amazing stuff, but here’s a sneak peek for now (essentially straight out of camera!):

Wardrobe:

Dress – Courtesy Frankie + Millie

Necklace: Forever 21

Shoes: from the former Joybird

Special thanks to assistant Corrie Fewell

New Rates

mdkstudio — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:11:48 +0000

Starting next Tuesday, June 1, we’ll be posting new rates for all of our sessions. If you want to book at the current (lower!) rates, just contact us before then and get the current rates, even if your session takes place later this summer!

This offer is good for sessions booked before Tuesday, June 1, 2010, and scheduled for dates through August 31, 2010.

Current pricing here.

Happy Anniversary to Bekah & Josh!

mdkstudio — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:11:14 +0000

Hard to believe: one year ago, I was photographing my “baby” cousin’s wedding. Rebekah was one of the first kids I ever babysat, so it’s hard to believe she’s already so grown up!

Now, her hubby is serving in Afghanistan. I know they miss each other so much!

Happy Anniverary to Bekah & Josh. I hope your reunion comes soon!

Love,

Mer

My “big little” brother. Love this photo!!

Daddy-daughter dance:

And finally: the crazy, wonderful, hilarious De Avila family. I love everything about this photo, but perhaps most: my wee little Sofia, all chubby & cute in her wedding finest!