Get Outta here and over to the NEW BLOG!!!

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:08:03 +0000

Ok my friends, it’s time to make a move… I’ve been working on a new (and continuously improving) blog, so head on over to MelanieSoleil.com and check it out. . All my latest musings will be published on the new blog, so be sure to update your rss feeds and bookmarks to stay in the loop. See you there!!!

Melanie Soleil Jaramillo

The Red Wedding Dress | Wedding Trends

Melanie Soleil — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:01:17 +0000

The other night I had a dream that I was getting married and walked down the isle in this AMAZING deep red wedding gown. Everything about this wedding dress was pure luscious eye candy! Yes, the dream was surely jumping the gun, seeing as I’m not even dating anyone- but isn’t that the fun of dreams? Anyway, I woke up totally excited about this dress! I went online to google red wedding gowns and see if I could locate the dress. Although I couldn’t find my dream red wedding gown, I was surprised at what I did find…. Apparently red wedding dresses are the new white in Europe, which makes complete sense.   The history of the white wedding gown is not something that really relates to most modern women. So it’s nice to know that the modern bride can choose just about any color dress she wants- a dress which compliments her skin, hair and eye color, and still feel like a goddess on her wedding day! Keep your eyes out, because I’m sure that before long, we’ll be seeing more and more brides choosing bold dress colors for their big day. Surely, I’ll be donning that custom merlot-red dress I saw in my dream if I ever get married!

-Melanie Soleil Jaramillo for Essence Photography

Lake Tahoe wedding photographer, Nevada City Weddings, Grass Valley Photographer, Wedding fashion, wedding trends, Boudoir photography

Inspiration and Fear, my 2 best friends | personal

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:24:12 +0000

Hello my friends,

wow, it feels like forever since I’ve written here… so much has transpired that I don’t even know where to start, so I guess I’ll start where I am.
I’m inspired. exhausted. excited. groundless. scared. But mostly, I’m completely blessed.

I just got home from WPPI and my mind is still spinning from the amazing week, trying to process the whole experience. It’s funny that throughout the week I kept finding myself crying- not from sadness, but from pure inspiration. Before going, I was really feeling blocked. Maybe not even blocked…. simply dried up. I’d been doing the Artist’s Way group & working with my amazing life coach, but I was struggling deeply with finding inspiration & joy. I know I’m not alone in this feeling.

And this week, so many light bulbs went off. I feel like I have both clarity and groundlessness…. because it’s clear that things need to shift. It’s clear I have to carve out a new path for myself, and it’s both scary and exciting. I realized that for the past 3 years, my love and my art had become “work”. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE everything about my work! But I slowly became a photographer who only takes her camera out while working- so much so that my friends and family even made jokes about it…. “The only photographer who never has a camera” they’d laugh. But sadly it wasn’t a joke. It was true.

So in Vegas I suddenly had this deep urgency to not only create art, but to be with my family and in my community… for me they’re all so closely linked perhaps because they’re the things I love so deeply. Suddenly, I could feel the ground shifting under my feet. and with that groundlessness came fear. fear of change, fear of the unknown. fear of being inadequate. All those same old voices that kept me away from the camera for so long in the first place…. the same fears we all have hidden deep in our cells.

So I thought I’d share some of my old writing on fear since it seems to be smack in my face today. This is from a little book I was working on years ago…..

dismantling. (2003)

When I was a trauma counselor I’d often have women ask me why their lives had fallen apart…. As if I had some answer that they did not harbor deep within themselves. I believe that we have to fall apart, let things crumble…. dismantle our old ways of thinking and being to manifest into a greater way of relating in the world. It seems that when we hold on too long, or too tightly to things that are not good for us, either we change our circumstances, or our circumstances will change us. When I was pregnant with Madyline she came to me in a dream and told me just that….

I was scared – drowning in my fears of becoming a mother, not wanting to give up the self-centered life I was living. “Your life is going to change” she said, “Either you bring me forth and see your life unravel in love, or you choose fear and hold on.” I don’t know which one made me more scared, but here I am…. A mother.
And it’s scary to let go.
I can own that fear.
I can feel it lurking in my body, in my bones.
Letting go into the darkness, trusting the process is no easy task. Every great teacher will preach it. But when it’s time to let go of all you know, when it’s time to step into the darkness, It’s damned scary! I’m often reminded of the time I went bungee jumping in Thailand…. It was all fun and exciting from the ground,   but to step out and fall into the pure nothingness of 150 meters of air takes a huge level of trust. Trust that I really can fly through the air and not splat dead on the ground. Trust that this tiny lifeline will catch me.

Yet most times when we are confronted with darkness and fear, We have nothing, no lifeline or indicator that we will be transformed… that we will make it to the other side of our fear. These are the moments when we have to close our eyes, take a deep breath,   and feel deep within out cells. This is when we have to abandon the mind with all it’s logical thinking. Because the mind will always, always, lead us away from our fears and not into them.   I have followed my mind and my logic into dead end corners too many times to know it’s tricks. But my heart, when followed, has only ever let me to my center…. through my fears and back to myself….. And so this is all I know to be true, and this is what I will strive to live until the day I die: I will risk everything for love, risk everything to follow my heart. Because the greatest joys in my life have always been preceded by the biggest fears- as though a wiser part of myself calls from across the fire of fears, luring me….. “come if you are strong enough, come if you are brave enough, come if you are willing to forget everything you thought was true.”

Are you willing? Finally, I can answer yes to this. Yes, I am willing because I have nothing to lose but fear itself.

-Melanie Jaramillo

A moment in life | personal

Melanie Soleil — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:47:44 +0000

Well, Madyline recently decided to become a vegetarian. Just like that…we were sitting at the dinner table, eating the $20 piece of salmon I cooked and our conversation unravels like this:

Madyline: (in a somber voice) “You know mom, it’s sooooo sad that people don’t think about animals feelings.”
Me: “hmm”
Madyline: “Do you think this salmon wanted to die and be eaten? no!! (long dramatic sigh while shaking her head).
Me: Speechless and dumbfounded- AGAIN.
Madyline: “That’s just so sad. It tastes so good, but I don’t want an animal to be killed for me to eat, I’d rather just eat things from nature. I’m going to bury this salmon in the backyard, and I don’t ever want to eat animals again.” (taking a long moment of silence)

In moments like these, I just kind of stare at Madyline with my jaw dropped. “uuhhhhhh- ok” was all I could mutter out to conclude our conversation. So we had a little ceremony with the salmon, and here lies Sammy the Salmon- marinated in lemon and garlic, buried in our backyard. May he rest in peace. Luckily for Madyline I was vegetarian most of my life, and I really suck at cooking meat, so this shouldn’t be a problem for us.

Melanie Soleil Jaramillo
Essence Photography & The Sierra Wedding Guide

Nevada City Photographer, Grass Valley Photographer, Boudoir Photography, pro photographers blog, Northern California weddings, Nevada City Weddings, photography blog

Chinese New Year & The Fortune Teller

Melanie Soleil — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:01:57 +0000

So the last week we’ve been celebrating the Chinese New Year in our home. No we’re not Chinese, but I’m always up for a good celebration… especially when it means I can’t sweep for a week (Well I have to admit that I have been sweeping, I’d go nuts if I didn’t sweep for a week.) Anyway, we went to a great new year’s party last weekend and one of the fabulous party favors was the “magical fortune telling fish”. It was like a flashback to being a kid. I LOVE these things.
After consulting the fish several times throughout the week, it keeps saying that I’m ….. “In Love”…. hmmmmm…. could it be? only time will tell….. If this fish ends up being accurate, I’m going to have to replace my magic 8 ball. ha ha…
☺

-Melanie Jaramillo for Essence Photography

Nevada City Photographer, Grass Valley Photographers, boudoir photography, Lake Tahoe Weddings, Portrait photographers, pro photographers blog

Maternity Photography | Grass Valley, Nevada City

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:03:46 +0000

I always get so happy when I have a past wedding client call for maternity photos! Last weekend I headed out to capture one of my favorite clients and friend just before her due date.   Here’s a sneak peek at the beautiful maternity pictures we captured. If you’re expecting soon, I’ll be announcing my bellies to babies plan next week- it’s a great way to capture your babies first year in photographs. stay tuned.

Melanie Jaramillo

Nevada City Photographer, Grass Valley Photographer, Nevada City weddings, maternity photography, boudoir photogrpaher.

Intro to Digital Photography | A Photo Workshop for Women

Melanie Soleil — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:35:58 +0000

I’ve kind of taken a hiatus from teaching for the past couple of years, but lately I’ve received so many inquiries about teaching photography that I’m happy to announce 2 great workshops coming up in March. If you have a digital SLR camera and want to learn quickly how to really get the most out of it and improve your photography skills, then this workshop is for you. Sorry guys, I love you but these 2 classes are geared specifically towards women. In a safe and fun environment, you’ll learn about the camera, exposure, creativity, composition, and more. There will also be time to answer your specific questions! You’ll leave feeling inspired & confident- it’s time to get your camera out of auto mode, and really have fun with photography! Pre-registration is required because I’ll be sending you a questioner to complete before the class (I promise it’s fun and inspiring).   Give me a call or email me to register! See the flier below for more details. There will be intermediate and advanced digital photography workshops offered in the spring and summer, as well as one-on-one photography, post-production & photo-business teaching sessions, call for details!

In this fun workshop we’ll be covering:

The basics of exposure so you can understand what your camera is seeing.

What the heck all those buttons on your camera are really for!

How to shoot in the 3 most difficult lighting conditions.

Intro to composition

Intro to post processing

Reconnecting with our creative side

Capturing stories vs. taking pictures

Register by March 8th and the workshop is only $60.

Melanie Jaramillo, Essence Photography

Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer, Nevada City Wedding Photography, Boudoir Photography, modern wedding photographer, photography classes, digital photography workshops, pro photography blog

Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer, Nevada City Wedding Photography, Boudoir Photography, modern wedding photographer

Wedding Fair

Melanie Soleil — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:27:18 +0000

Hello again! The wedding fair & bridal show last week at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City was so beautiful thanks to the amazing work of Donna over at Joy of Life Events. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth to say hi and chat, the photoshoot winner is Jamee M.- contragulations!
At the Wedding Fair, we blew through over 500 copies of the Sierra Wedding Guide in just a couple of hours! It’s so exciting to see something which was just an idea a few months ago, come to fruition. I’ve been distributing the wedding guides around town and I’m so happy to have vendors calling me saying “I need more… we’ve already run out!” YAY!

On a personal note, the last week has been pretty intense for me, and I’m just getting back into the swing of things after an emotional trip to Los Angeles and San Diego.   I spent the past few days just kind of… getting clear. Tomorrow is our Artist’s Way group which is now my favorite part of the week. For those of you working in the book, we’re really taking it slow- right now we’re just finishing up week 5, I’ll post a bit more on that later.    For now, have a great night!

Melanie Jaramillo

Nevada City Wedding Photographer, Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer, Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Photography | Sexy Photo Sessions for Valentine’s Day!

Melanie Soleil — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:23:32 +0000

Ok Ladies, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner- and just in time, we’re having a Boudoir Marathon in Grass Valley/Nevada City on Feb 9. Come have a private mini photo shoot, champagne, a whole lot of fun, and give him the the best Valentine’s gift ever- Sexy photos of you for his eyes only!   There are a limited number of appointments available, so give me a ring, or send me an email asap to get the details and reserve your sexy boudoir session today!    essencephoto@att.net or 530-274-2408.

Melanie Jaramillo for Essence Photography

Boudoir Photographer, sexy boudoir photography, Nevada City phototgrapher, women’s photography

Post-Processing Digital Images

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:46:44 +0000

Most of you know that I come from the film world- it took quite a while for me to get turned onto digital photography and I was actually quite resistant to it at first. Now of course, I love it, but I still miss so much about film.   I found so much solace in spending hours upon hours in the darkroom, and there’s just something very sensual about developing film- the textures, the sounds, the red lights, magically appearing images…. the darkroom is like a alluring dream to me- I just want to linger longer and longer.

Anyway, with digital images I’ve really been resistant to over processing since it’s something I see done so much- funny since I really love raw looking film photographs.   Yet this past weekend I was feeling a little processed myself, so I did a few self portraits and started to play around with textures and overlays. I guess as a mom, one of the reasons I love digital photography so much, is that processing an image to this degree would take hours with film. When dinner needs to get on the table, it’s just not realistic for me to spend that much time with one photo, although I’d really love to. So here’s my post-processed image, of a over-processed me last weekend.

Melanie Jaramillo- Essence Photography

Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer, California Boudoir Photography

The Artist’s Way update…

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:37:03 +0000

This morning our Artist’s Way group met at my house and I just have to share that I absolutely LOVE these meetings! My fellow artist-friends who join me each week have grown to be such a strong sisterhood. We’ve been meeting for 6 weeks now, and although we’re moving along slowly in the book, it’s the absolute best part of my week to sit and have tea and support each other in this process. Last week was pretty idle for me, I got consumed with a few big projects at work and put myself on the back-burner. No morning walks, no yoga, no gardening, no artist date….. This morning I was feeling a strange stress while writing my morning pages and I had this huge realization. I wrote “I feel like I’m on empty”… it just kept coming out over and over in my morning pages. And then it hit me, that I was on empty. But the “Duh” moment came when I realized- “wait a second, I would NEVER expect my car to run on empty- why would I expect myself to?” And then I thought of those great flight attendants who always remind me when I fly with Madyline: “Mam, if the oxygen masks fall, be sure to put yours on first before assisting your child”. That’s the most brilliant piece of advice ever- why don’t they write THAT in all those parenting books! Because when I take care of myself, everything else just runs so much smoother; I’m a better mother, a better photographer, a better friend. And so, I took most of the day off to refill the well and I feel much more clear! Before I go to bed, I just wanted to share an amazing poem I heard yesterday which resonated so deeply with the work we’re doing in the Artist’s Way group….

I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
I will not die an unlived life,
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid, more accessible;
To loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as a seed
goes to the next as a blossom,
an that which came to me as a blossom,
goes on as friut.
-Dawna Markova

The next few weeks/months will bring so much change. I’m working on my new blog, and so many more things in my business & personal life. Some fun things are on the horizon that I can’t wait to share with you!

-Melanie Jaramillo, Essence Photography

Sierra Wedding Guide is LIVE

Melanie Soleil — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:57:10 +0000

Hi Everyone,

A couple of days ago the Sierra Wedding Guide website went live- YAY. There is still so much to do to it, and since it’s a blogsite it will surely take shape as the year goes on, but please head over and check it out.   Throughout the year we’ll be posting tons of fun and helpful articles on wedding planning, inspiring ideas, etc. You can also become a fan in facebook, and follow us on twitter.   If you’re planning a wedding, you will find lots of award winning wedding vendors, and helpful planning info on the site! feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments! Have a great weekend.

Melanie Jaramillo for Essence Photography & The Sierra Wedding Guide

Nevada City Weddings, wedding photographers, Lake Tahoe Wedding photographers, boudoir photography, pin-up photography

Luz de Mano

Melanie Soleil — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:59:48 +0000

Last week my friend Jorge Moawad – the amazing artist of Luz de Mano Studio, contacted me to photograph his work. He’s a master woodworker, and I mean- breathtaking, amazing, never seen anything like – kind of master.   I was really intimidated by this project because his work is so stunning that you really have to be in the presence of it to get the whole effect. That, and I have zero history in architectural or interior design photography, and we shot this at like 1 am when my mind is not at it’s best.   Yet always up for a challenge, I agreed to give it a shot. He had 2 pieces – a mirror which felt more like a portal to another world, and a beautiful table/bench with 21 legs. The most amazing thing about this custom table was the underside- that and there was not one nail or screw or anything of the sort holding it together. I can hardly wait till the day comes when I have a home and can commission him to build a beautiful mirror and table for me.   . Here’s a little glimpse of what we shot…..

Melanie Jaramillo for Essence Photography

Nevada City Wedding Photographers, Lake Tahoe weddings, boudoir photography, grass valley photographers, Coronado weddings

The Artist’s Way | check-in

Melanie Soleil — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:54:59 +0000

Ahhh.. winter solstice week is my absolute favorite time of the year. being the longest nights of the year, I kind of use it as my new years… it’s a time when I look at my goals and resolutions that I set on my birthday in July to see how I’m progressing.

A few days ago I was on a long drive and got stuck in some pretty bad fog. Spending most of my life in Southern California, I have absolutely zero skill for driving in bad weather conditions…and something about fog makes me extra- uncomfortable.

So there I was, driving along, already tired from a night of no sleep, and my whole car was engulfed in fog- at times I could barely see a few feet in front of me. At first I was so panicked about it, that I wanted to get off the road, but I couldn’t even SEE to get off the road. Then I started to get disoriented, and scared…. and then all of the sudden, everything changed. The fog was still bad, I still couldn’t see, but my perception changed. I realized that although I couldn’t see much of anything around me, although I couldn’t see at all where I was headed, as I kept moving forward, despite my fear, the road kept becoming clear to me a few feet at a time.

And that’s so how life is. We can let fear stop us from moving forward, it can engulf us and cloud our way – or we can keep moving forward, and trust that the next 5 feet of road will appear, and then the next 5 feet after that. After this realization, I was able to totally relax and just be in the little cloud of clarity I had around my car. Eventually, the fog lifted and I arrived safely at my destination. Right now I’m working through my own fears as I’m applying for an amazing business opportunity. It excites me, and scares me because it will surely move me WAY out of my comfort zone- in fact it already HAS moved me out of my comfort zone. I think it was Helen Keller who said “life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all”- isn’t that so true!

So, checking in with my Artist’s Way friends, I’m moving along day by day. I’m into week 3 and my morning pages have become so helpful that I can’t imagine how I had clarity without them. Last week I didn’t do my artist date- but this week, I’m planning some extra time for myself. Can’t wait. Please keep the emails coming, I love to hear about your path in the book! If you’re local and want to get together for tea to chat about the book, give me a ring! And I promise that I’ll be blogging some photos this week- at last!

-Melanie

Busy Busy Busy | The Artist’s Way Update….

Melanie Soleil — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:35:55 +0000

wow, the last week has been so intense for me…   I let myself lag a bit last week in the Artist’s Way Workbook, and so I’m only on the exercises in week two, although I should be on week 3. I’m trying to let go of where I “should be” and just embrace where I AM. And so right now, where I AM is pretty amazing! I’ve been working till like 2am every night this week on a top-secret (super creative) project…. It’s was a project unlike anything I’ve ever done before, and it was all consuming.   My friend texted me the other morning and said that she had a dream that I was pregnant, and didn’t tell anyone until I had the baby…. and that’s what I feel like right now- not pregnant with a baby, but pregnant with ideas, possibility, creative potential. As far as the morning pages go, I’ve been doing them religiously now. When I skip a day, I can feel the difference in my day. If you’ve tried the morning pages, I’d love to hear from you and hear about how they’re working, or not working for you.   I wish you all a wonderful holiday week- in all the hustle and bustle, I hope you have some time to sit and be alone and enjoy the quiet of winter.

Melanie Jaramillo, Essence Photography