Pianist Sophie Lippert’s CD Album Photography Session
Location: Classic Pianos, Portland, Oregon
Choosing photos for your CD cover that will give a visual impact on the first look!
My favorites from the album photoshoot with founder of Connections Concerts Sophie Lippert for her upcoming CD titled Time Travel, a collection of 15 pieces written by 9 composers over the course of 300 years. I can’t wait to hear it!
“Hi, I’m Sophie! I’m a professional classical pianist. I’ve played voraciously as a soloist and collaborative musician alike, and have been praised for my sensitivity, dynamism, expressiveness, and evocative musical maturity.
I received my degree in Classical Piano Performance under the tutelage of the inimitable Jon Kimura Parker at Rice University. The highlights of my performance career were performances of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Seattle Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Olympia Symphony, and I’ve established a successful career as orchestral soloist, innovative collaborative musician, and classical piano soloist. Now, I’m passionate about creating multi-genre concerts that incorporate conversations and group exploration.
My new CD, Time Travel, features a fantastic collection of some of my favorite solo piano pieces, written by 9 composers over the course of 300 years. In an innovative twist, I’ve included spoken intersitials, meant to cultivate connection and intimacy for listeners.”
“I am also thrilled to be CEO of Connections Concerts Series, which launched its inaugural season in June 2019, and featured a wildly successful run of shows featuring the finest local multi-genre performers sharing music and conversation. Headliners included Joe Kye, Max Ribner, Saeeda Wright, Stephanie Schneiderman, Niema Lightseed, Saffire Bouchelion, Courtney Freed, Paula Byrne, Tim Gilson, and more! Visit the Connections website for more information about this fantastically innovative and powerful series. Though the series is on temporary hiatus due to the global pandemic, I’m so looking forward to more connective events in the future.
The Bottom Line: I am passionate about using classical music as a medium of connection, and making classical music more accessible, approachable, and engaging by creating concerts that incorporate conversations and group exploration. I’d love to share my music with you.”
Where do you start? March of 2020 will be the most written about month a year for a long time. Just like September of 2001 and the flu of 1918. This year is marked.
It has been 20 days that Alex and I have been self isolating and social distancing. We began the Friday before the Oregon order the following Tuesday. 20 days seems like such a long time. 20 days seems like this has gone so fast. 20 days is probably only a small portion of how long we will be doing this, of which we are still defining, for. 20 days of a new way of living seems like barely a beginning of a new life.
During the week the Oregon order was placed, Alex and I did a old fashioned cruise. We took our sedan out, turned on the tunes and went from theater to theater looking for messages. We wanted to know, what do you have to say right now? You have a rare space out this physical world we cannot go into socially and there you can communicate in written word. So analog.
Anyway, in conclusion, I’m still photographing but my subjects have changed. Below are four of Portland’s Movie Theaters, closed.
Hollywood Theater “WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. PORTLAND!”Laurelhurst Theater “CLOSED FOR NOW, STAY HEALTHY & WARM, SUPPORT EACH OTHER, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES”Bagdad Theater “THERE S NO PLACE LIKE HOME”Clinton Theater “CLOSED TILL ??? BE KIND STAY HEALTHY DUMP TRUMP!!”
Rhythm on the Rails participant enjoying the expansive river views via Business Class.
I’ve never been on a train. So when I had heard about a one day writing retreat by train from Portland’s Union Train Station to Seattle’s King Street Train Station I was really intrigued. The train went by way of the Amtrak Cascades route which is one the most beautiful train routes in the PNW and arguably the best in the nation. Just the type of place you’d want to be tucked in to work on a writing project, or at lease in my case, to write my wedding vows uninterrupted by my dogs and routine of daily life.
Johnnie Mazzacco is the brain’s behind the idea. Formed from her own experience of taking the train and finding the inspiring bubble the train provides decided to transport groups of writers to and from Seattle with a loose structure based on isolated time to write combined with a social lunch and artistic scavenger hunt at the Seattle Art Museum.
If you are looking to get yourself into a unique head space for writing her next retreat is in June. You can learn more here Rhythm on the Rails. And for fun, the reason I travel can be summed up in Jason Silva’s Why do we travel? video.
I had a the wonderful opportunity to photograph a phase of growth for a family, a Bar Mitzvah. The kindness the family cultivates permeated throughout the whole session while the ceremonial threads echoed a calm and peaceful yet celebratory tone. It was a pleasure to witness this cultural tradition.
Additional portraits of Singer Cece Otto. See Living History Portrait: Cece Otto for details about her Suffrage Performances to celebrate the 100 years of women’s right to vote.
This year will mark the hundred year anniversary of when women receive the right to vote in the United States. Cece Otto is a living history singer with her new act focusing on the women’s suffrage centennial.
We made this portrait for her upcoming tour throughout the United States using in studio natural light.
She is wearing a custom made outfit with a suffrage sash and button as women did while protesting their right to vote.
Lighting is everything and in photography it’s the source of our (photographer’s) work. So when considering professional photography for your new Headshot, start with the light.
You wouldn’t think that physics plays a role in how a natural light photographer works but it’s essential.
For example when photographing outdoors during high noon the photographer has to consider the following: the yellow colored sunlight and the direction it shines, the sunlight hitting green grass and reflecting up, the cool blue sky color reflecting down and any other surfaces reflecting color.
When indoors photographing can be a lot more simple but so can the background. The warm sunlight hit’s the white transparent curtains and diffuses onto the subject.
Left: On Location in Client’s Workspace Right: Indoor Natural Light Studio
Location is the next thing to consider. Where you choose to be photographed plays a part in the outcome of your headshot. Do you want a natural environment or background to enhance your surroundings? Do you want a white background? Do you want to journey a city block or park?
Outdoor portraits made in the downtown Pearl District, Portland, Oregon.
One reason to work with an indoor studio is base sometimes solely on weather. Here in Portland, Oregon we can get a lot of cold and rainy weather which makes outdoor locations harder to achieve. You definitely don’t want to be freezing and smiling at the same time.
Indoor studios provide controlled lit lighting, temperature controlled spaces and the ability to change into other outfits.
Indoor studio lit portraits made in Northwest Portland, Oregon.
So now it’s time to think about your next Headshot. Do you want to play in studio or adventure into the great outdoors, city blocks or your own workspace?
Want to work together? Contact Erica by email (ericajmitchell@gmail.com) for Indoor and Outdoor Headshot Sessions starting at $249.00. Let’s play with some light!
Photography by Erica J Mitchell for Women with Moxie
Women with Moxie, a networking company, showcased it’s new location for the 2020 mixers they hold every other month. Learn more at www.womenwithmoxie.com
Women driven companies can present their business to the attendees and share what they do.
Each mixer has a Spotlight Raffler where for $1 per ticket you can have a chance to go on stage and give a one minute message.
Your host and company CEO Dill Ward.
January’s Mixer message was for the featured sponsors to share their hero story.
Entrepreneurs merging in the new event space to expand their reach, make partnerships, and friends on one stage.
Next Mixer at the Crown Plaza is in March, see you there!
One of the great networking groups here in Portland is Women with Moxie. I have been a attending the mixers and been a member since 2013. It’s been great to meet other women in business. I had the oppotunity to photograph their end of the year event.
“Our intention is to give you focused time to think through your business strategy & engage in high-level business development roundtables that can calm the chaos and help you make critical decisions about moving forward.”
Updated executive headshots for Christen at our studio in northwest of downtown Portland, Oregon.
We used the large south facing windows as our light source. The natural light provides the same effect as a 7ft parabolic umbrella modifier for strobe flash but is more gentle and the client can move around the space more freely allowing for us to use multiple backgrounds quickly.
Christen use our Classic Session, which includes 3 image selections from the proof gallery, and added an additional image selection for a total of four new headshots.
