Lisa Russo Photography Blog

Well you knew my photoshop-lovin’ self couldn’t just leave it as-is, right?

Here’s the finished product. A self-matted 18×24 that’s going to look perfect hanging on my upstairs landing. I added a slight selenium tone, some grain, some more grain, a little antiquing, a faux hasselblad border, and some text (snowy tree ~ new york, 12.07 ~ l. russo).

In a gorgeous black 3 1/2″ Saratoga frame, it’ll look something like this:

I’ve had a few e-mails about offering this print up for sale. And it is a goal of mine to sell my landscape and architecture artprints. I just want to go back and re-edit a few so I have a nice selection to put up. And I want to have a copy on-hand of each image so I can make sure the final outcome is good enough for me. I’m a teensy bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my final prints.

So any photographer will tell you - when we’re not shooting, our eye is constantly roving for things to incorporate into shoots. Bowls, baskets, blankets…

My style isn’t very ‘prop-heavy,’ but I do like to use specific pieces - baskets and bowls for my newborns, bigger baskets and stools to keep my toddlers still for a few seconds, bigger stools for seniors and teens.

(I’m making this quite a long ramble, and I apologize…but you know me!)

I’ve been on the lookout for a little chair for a long time - but everything I’ve found is painted. And I want wood. I LOVE wood grain because it’s so perfect for black and whites. And what is it with today’s furniture? Everything is so derned wobbly! Try getting a toddler to sit still on a wobbly chair. Ummm…no.

So today I wandered into a local antique store I hadn’t visited before. 5 minutes in and I find the perfect chair:

Beat up? Yes. Wood? Yes. Sturdy? Yes. Simple? Yes. Happiness reigns.

So then I wander around a little more, turned a corner, and a beam of light shot down from the sky to illuminate this:

I do believe my hands came to my mouth to cover the <gasp> of glee and tears sprung from my eyes. As a former landscape photographer, in my eye this wagon was transported to an open space with woods behind…a newborn lying on it, nestled in a wool blanket…or one of my sitting babies…or a toddler in a dress with her legs hanging over the side.

There was no way that wagon wasn’t leaving with me.

Look at it in black and white:

It’s so beautiful it makes a perfect image all on its’ own, doesn’t it? The wheels, the rusted steel, the texture, the faded text.

I’m just a wee bit excited about incorporating this into some of my upcoming shoots. I have a newborn on Saturday, but sadly it’ll be too cold to be outside. But come April? Oh yeah…