An Ordinary Day...

Wednesday, April 12th started off as an ordinary day. The alarm sounded off at 6:00 a.m. like it always did. Reggie did his work day morning ritual, showering, grooming, selecting a suit and accessorizing with the perfect accents for Read more

Why are some people mean?

Why are some people mean? I'm not talking about a little mean, but bazaar, go out of their way to be mean. Recently I've encountered a few mean people, I remind myself that these situations will make me a stronger Read more

Maldives

Our last trip of 2016 was to the Maldives. Last year was one full of excursions, We traveled to Cameroon, Paris, Bali, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, Atlanta, Napa, San Francisco, Dubai, and I must say Read more

Quote

It's okay to venture out of your comfort zone... Lately I've been doing it quite often. This weekend is going to be one of renewal, my personal Super Bowl. What are your plans? I will be working today and tomorrow. Happy Read more

Do you enjoy yourself?

Both of my kids are in New York, my son is in school in the Hudson Valley and my daughter is living in Brooklyn and working. So we are officially empty nesters, and have been so for a while Read more

Photoshop

ON Bodies and Other Things

Posted on by Gigi in Beauty, Well-Being Comments Off on ON Bodies and Other Things

Breaking the 55 speed limit, has its bumps in the road- not that I’m obsessed with my body, but yes I do want to be  fit and healthy and if a side benefit is a toned physique I’ll take that. So I’m on top of my workout game, which is keeping me sore on most days. Working out in a high intensity class where you are the eldest in the room will take a toll on you, but I’m doing it. I just want to keep the middle age spread at a distance, I don’t want to come face to face with it, at least not at this point, I still like body conscious clothes and want to rock them for a bit more.

So as I’m limping around this weekend, I came across this photography project called 4th trimester bodies, which is a collection of images of women and their small babies showcasing their bodies. The images are so real and raw, these mothers and their post birth soft bodies are beautiful. I started thinking about the standard of “body beauty” that women are judged by and who sets that. Like why am working my butt off to have flat abs, some sort of waist and a tight ass…all of which may be mission impossible anyway.

In my own business, I photograph a lot of women and most no matter what size or age they are will immediately zoom in on their bodies and ask if something can be tweaked with a little photoshop. I remember when I was younger, a lot younger in my 20’s I thought I was the “bomb”, now I get 20 something year-old gorgeous girls that want images photoshopped, but I guess we are living in a world where celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, and Bey are photoshopping instagram pics, so everyone has a warped sense of reality.

Then there are the diets, the juice cleanse, paleo diet, atkins, master cleanse, gluten free, HCG 500 calorie and countless others, all of which work if you follow them, it is when you go back to eating “normal” that all the weight returns sometimes even more than what you started with and now a jacked metabolism where you look at a cookie and gain weight. I personally love good food to much, which is my problem, and could never stick with any plan long term, especially the low calorie ones, where the weight comes off so fast and the consequence is a sunken in face, not good for my age demographic. So the trade off fat butt and full face or skinny butt and sunken face…I chose the first one.

So friends as difficult as it is, lets work toward acceptance and stop the self loathing–cause at the end of the day there is always going to be some one thinner, younger, tighter body etc. just be the best version of you. So I will work on loving my golden age body, and the bumps and lumps that I have earned over the half century it has been on the planet. I’ll do my workouts for my overall well being, BTW nothing feels better than a good sweaty workout- and I’ll take any cosmetic gains as well.

Happy Monday

Xoxo Gigi

Gigi @ 55

Gigi @ 55

 


“I LOOK FAT IN THAT PICTURE”

Posted on by Gigi in photography Comments Off on “I LOOK FAT IN THAT PICTURE”

I love photographing women. Initially I thought I would settle into shooting family portraits and maybe an occasional wedding. Starting a new venture at my age I knew I had to create a balance between my business and my personal life. I sort of have an addictive personality, once I latch on to something I live eat sleep with it nonstop. I was taking classes at school and online, so one day I stumbled upon a class with Sue Bryce and I fell in love with her work and her philosophy on photographing women and I was hooked.

Working

Working

I have always been a magazine addict as far back as I can remember, tearing pages out and filling binders up with my favorite glossy images of models, interiors, food, places I wanted to go etc. So fast forward, while at school I connected with Elsy my partner and we formed PS Couture, we both were interested in doing editorial fashion inspired style shoots for our clients. The past 9 months have been incredible, I cannot begin to express the joy I experience when I am looking through my lens and I connect with a client.

I have learned so much about my “species”. Ladies we are controlled by this thing called “body image”, including moi. Perhaps it comes from seeing all these altered images in the media, or perhaps that aunt who always told you “hmmmmm do you need that extra roll?” or in my case my great aunt had my mom  get me a girdle when I was 10…or maybe you had a friend who was a size “0” and when you were out together you felt as if you could be mistaken for her bodyguard.

When I look at proofs from my own sessions, the monkey brain zooms into to what I feel are my “problem” areas ie. “does the butt look to big?” “hmmm what about my midsection?” “Arms?” “Hair?” or lately a new one “Do I look Old?”  After I tear myself apart mentally of course, I become happy and glad that I did the session and happy that moment of moi is documented.

We have shot over 70 ladies this past year, from 16 to 80, size “0” to double digits, straight to curvy, and the one thing we heard over and over is “I want to lose  some weight before my shoot” or “If only I could lose ten pounds before my session”. Yes I too am guilty of this, and I know that with good posing and proper camera angle everyone can look gorgeous, but I still wanted to drop a few before my shoot.

GIGI

GIGI

Yes there is photoshop and you can alter someone unrecognizable, but our aesthetic is more authentic so that a woman still looks like herself. I love finding  beauty in everyone and we all have something that makes us special. I came across this article the other day that I found fascinating about photoshop and how this unaltered image was sent all over the world to photoshop artists and they were told to make her “beautiful”. Check out the link at the bottom.

These are a few of my favorites from some of our shoots, there are so many–

Elsy

Elsy

Molly

Molly

camille

camille

Zuko

Zuko

Jacqueline

Jacqueline

Stephanie

Stephanie

 

 


Weekend Observations

Posted on by Gigi in Weekend Observations Comments Off on Weekend Observations
Gigi & kids

Gigi & kids

My family is a complete unit this weekend, I am cherishing the time for these moments will be rare for the upcoming year. My son will be doing his junior year of high school abroad in Italy with SYA.

SYA

SYA

We can visit him but he will not be able to come home, the program is a total immersion and SYA wants the students to come away fluent in italian.

 

Amani

Amani

My daughter is a “New Yorker” and is working a “real” job and taking science courses to strengthen her medical school application. I was always told that my family would grow up fast and to savior every day, and did it zoom by. Of course this weekend, our first together since Christmas, Amani heads out to Santa Barbara, and my son is with friends every waking moment, but I was able to corral them together for an evening.

At the last minute I got tickets from Gold Star, a great source for discounted tics, for August Wilson’s, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, directed by Phylicia Rashad. The cast was phenomenal, I am glad we were able to catch this production on the closing night at the Mark Taper. I have seen all of the August Wilson plays and I am still mesmerized as if I am seeing it for the first time.

 

Saturday night was a real treat, we went with friends to the Hollywood Bowl to see Andrea Bocelli, what a voice, an incredible evening under the stars. A surprise appearance by Fantasia, she did a wonderful rendition of Summertime. I love concerts at the bowl, so magical, and for me it signifies the beginning of the summer season. It does not even matter who is performing, it makes for a nice evening and I always see other friends, so it becomes a reunion of sorts.

Molly & Gigi

Molly & Gigi

Reggie picked up some goodies from Joan’s on Third, and Molly & Lamar brought a variety of treats from Olives so combined we had a complete feast.

Joan's On Third

Joan’s On Third

Still chipping away at Photoshop, I like the vibe of Julia Dean, and may take another class or two there this summer. Photoshop being a left brain program, I am slowly wrapping my right brain around it and a least getting a basic understanding of the program.

juliadeanheader

As time goes by, I am constantly reminded of the importance of family, it is difficult at times to arrange these gatherings, flights are never cheap any more, but I am delighted when we are all together. Sometimes we disagree, but at the end of the day we are always there for each other, and will go through whatever to support and help make their dreams realities.

Hope you had a good weekend as well.

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

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