VH1's The Shot and some more underwater photography

So I don't watch tv at all; I don't even have cable. But a few of my photographer friends were talking about a new show on VH1 called The Shot, which is something akin to America's Next Top Model (so I've been told). The twist is that it's from the other side of the lens and the photographers are all pitted against each other for a chance at a Victoria's Secret campaign and a spread in Marie Claire. I've actually started watching it on my computer – which is great because there are no commercials.

Anyway, the last show featured the budding photographers taking pictures of a model underwater in beautiful dresses. It is something I would love to try out sometime if the waterproof casing, scuba gear, and underwater lighting were a reasonable purchase. But I saw their pictures and it sparked some pictures I knew I saw online a while ago.

After a bit of searching, I found Alberich Mathews. He has absolutely fascinating pictures of women underwater in flowing dresses and they looking completely ethereal and incredibly unreal. A lot of his work is tasteful nude women underwater as well. He had a site at www.valkyries.com which had a huge collection of his images but it seems to be down. You can find some of his work on flickr.

Here's one that I really like:


A little bit of googling will find a few more of his pics but I guess I'll just have to wait for the book that he's putting together, Rheinmaidens and Rusalka.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and didn't spend too much time in the malls. And before you go back to work on Monday, you may even want to catch The Shot Sunday night.

Another Chance for Portraits for the Holidays!

There's one more chance to purchase portraits from this past year.

I've reposted my shoots from 2007 for the next three weeks to allow everyone to get some extra pictures for the holidays. I may be a bit biased, but there's no better gift than a picture. Here are 12 reasons why pictures make the best gifts:

1. they're personal
2. you can keep it out year round
3. they're very meaningful and show thought
4. they don't contain any lead paint
5. they're easy to package and mail
6. they hold onto time so you can always go back and visit it
7. in 10 years, you'll have fun laughing at your hairstyle or clothing choices (my family pictures from Olan Mills a la 1991 are truly embarrassing)
8. they're inexpensive
9. they won't break
10. they're great for starting traditions (every year Grandma and Grandpa get a new picture of Caleb so they can see just how big he's gotten)
11. you don't have to go to any mall or store to get them
12. they make you smile every time

So now that you know why you're going to give pictures, you need to figure out how you're going to give them. Here are some options…

• Fine Art Canvas Print – the canvas picture wraps all the way around the inner frame so there's no need to get a regular frame and glass.

• Photo Collage – nine images from your photo session displayed on a 16"x16" photo or canvas print.

• Photo Bags – diaper bags, beach bags, everyday bags, cosmetic bag… and not just for women; there are also messenger bags, computer sleeves, and dopp kits that can feature pictures too.

• Photo Jewelry – your pictures as charms for necklaces, bracelets, belt buckles, cufflinks, and more.

• Mini Album – not as fancy as a wedding album, a smaller album that artistically displays choice images from your session.

• Greeting Cards – either as a postcard or a folded notecard, send a card that no one else has. A truly personal greeting.



• Gift Certificate for a session – give someone else the photo experience that will result in their own beautiful and fun portraits.

• And prints too!

So check out www.lindsaydocherty.com and look in the top right corner for "Client Galleries". Your session should be up there (let me know if you need me to add it). They will only be available for 3 weeks so act fast before the post office gets insane.

If you'd like to schedule a session in time for gift-giving this year, contact me. I have availability for sessions from 11/24 to 11/29.

Here are some dates to keep in mind. Deadlines for ordering items to receive them by Christmas are:
* Albums: November 8th
* Photobags: December 4th
* Canvas Prints: December 7th
* Photojewelry: December 11th
* Custom cards: December 11th
* Prints: December 12th
Orders after these dates cannot be guaranteed.
Some items can be rushed for an extra fee.

Silent Auction with Lindsay Docherty Photography

A very special event is coming up and all of you are invited to attend: Home At Last Animal Rescue is putting on a party and silent auction and all proceeds go directly to the this fabulous organization. Home at Last rescues dogs and cats from kill shelters and finds them loving foster and forever homes.

As an added bonus, I have a session (for either furry or non-furry beings)and prints up for auction.

The party will be hosted at Albatross Pub in Berkeley at 6pm on Friday, November 30th 2007 at 6pm. More details on their site.

An update on Einstein, the fluffy sweetheart from early November:

"Sadly Doug and I said good-bye to Einstein yesterday. He continued to go downhill since our photo shoot, and it was time. We had a vet come to the house, so he got to go at home surrounded by his family. We are thankful for that. The pictures have become so much more valuable and special, now that he is gone... We'll miss him."
- Einstein's mommy, Lori, November 16th

First Dances and a Few More Finds

I like weddings. I truly enjoy them. Being a wedding photographer is magical. Think about it: I get paid to participate in a couple's incredibly meaningful day surrounded by friends and family and there are tons of beautiful little details everywhere for my camera and me.

With that in mind, I wanted to share some fun weddingy things. I simply couldn't resist posting these. I found the first on reddit.com, a site of user-submitted articles and clips that people find from all over. Here are some very fun first dances at weddings. Enjoy!

Hilariously fun


Totally creative


Classically 80s


Getting the whole wedding party involved


There are quite a few good ones out there with music from Austin Powers, Footloose, Pulp Fiction, Jack Johnson/Michael Jackson, California Love, MC Hammer, and a few mixes in between.

Sooo much fun.

I'm going to try to post more non-photo stuff just to keep you updated and show you little bits that I find interesting. I'll try to remember to post good links in the side bar.

Here's one more thing: Threadless. They make very cool t-shirts and right now they're having a $10 sale on almost all of their shirts. Definitely check them out.

* p.s. I'm not affiliated with any of these companies. I just like em!

Published in JPG Magazine

So I got an email today informing me that one of my pictures was chosen for JPG Magazine! Sweet!

It will be in Issue 13 under the theme "Gravity Powered". Pick up a copy when it comes out on newsstands.

The image is titled Today's Not My Day and comes from the Augusta Rodeo in Augusta, MT last summer.


And since lighting doesn't strike the same place twice, there's no harm in voting for these pictures for issue 14...

Emotion Capture - this was taken last year at Seattle's Kite Festival. The little girl had just been adopted the week before and the two of them were all smiles and giggles.


Bird's-Eye View (I'm determind to get this picture published somewhere)


Fanatic - Earlier this year San Francisco had an invasion of the undead. A flashmob of zombies took over Union Square in May. Their chant: "What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? Brains!" They proceeded to terrorize trolley car tourists and the local Victoria's Secret. (I suppose the second best alternative to brains is bras.) Completely hilarious.


So check out JPG Magazine and submit a pic or two. You never know when your name might be printed as a byline in a magazine that is seen by a global audience! ; )

Senior Ambassador Shoot at Chrissy Field

Allow me to introduce my newest Senior Ambassador, Gabby. This petite high school senior comes from Granada High School in Livermore. We had originally planned to shoot at Baker Beach, where I had shot Felicia, but the horrible oil spill made practically every beach inaccessible (besides, people in big yellow HAZMAT suits just don't look good in the background of pictures).

We met up and headed over to Fort Point first to make use of the moody, grungy feel of the old military fort. I don't often get to shoot here but I really love it when I do. Fort Point is a four story brick donut of a structure with wonderful archways and hallways and cave-like areas and spiral stone stairways and, and, and… It's just such a neat place – I could have stayed there all day.

We didn't even go into any of the rooms, we just made use of the architecture and tones. The brick textures went perfectly with Gabby's freshman year formal gown.

The shimmery blue material got a few looks from the tourists but she looked radiant nonetheless.

There were some great nooks and crannies and little windows everywhere that let in beautiful strips of light. Gabby, who acts both in the community and professionally, was a complete natural. I don't think there is a single light out there that wouldn't look flattering on her!

After a quick change in the car (she's talented, I tell ya!) we drove around to the easternmost part of Chrissy Field and played in the golden hour light there. I was really nervous about the day since it had been miserable and rainy the entire day before the shoot but the skies opened up and gave us a truly gorgeous day (albeit a bit muddy).

We wandered around the old run-down buildings that played some role in Chrissy Field's old job as an airfield and the birth of airmail. I love, love, love old cracked paint and rusty, grimey things.

I was pretty happy to come upon this old telephone booth and Gabby was totally up for posing with it – spiderwebs and all.

We ended the session with the last few minutes of daylight by the Golden Gate Bridge. It was getting chilly and I had put her through enough but I had a great time and Gabby was a fabulous model.

Keep an eye out for her folks, I have a feeling you'll be seeing her face on more than my blog in the future!

Thanks for a great time, Gabby! You were awesome!

"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess."
-Edna Woolman Chase

p.s. If you'd like to be my next Senior Ambassador, check out this post and shoot me an email at lmdocherty@gmail.com. It's lots of fun and will get you a free session plus free photo goodies.

Two Dog Session in Golden Gate Park

Lori called me to take me up on my offer for Old Pet Month with her two beautiful Bernese Mountain Dogs. As a Christmas present for her husband, she snuck them out of the house over to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park where the pooches and I had a great time in the foggy and lush park.

Allow me to introduce two of the sweetest pups you could ever meet: Einstein and Cheri.
Einstein is 8 years old, which is pretty good for a Bernese Mountain Dog (considered a veteran in BMD circles). Sadly, he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't quite keep up with Cheri but wasn't about to let her steal all the attention. He's a big softie with big puppy-dog eyes, huge paws, and lots of curly fur. Certainly a noble dog.

Cheri, on the other hand, was an enormous puppy. Already three years old, she acted like she was hardly over 6 months. She seemed to constantly have a big grin on her face and she was all about running circles around Lori and me, literally! Having that much space was a real treat for Cheri and she even got some other interaction with a scruffy terrier that showed up.

I've got a thing for doggie eyes and noses. They are just too sweet and their eyes are so expressive. So here's a little collection of Einie and Cheri's little parts. And, just like people, the same breed of dog can have so many small differences in two animals.

Einstein and Cheri are very sweet together. She, of course, will eat his food but they take turns at the water bowl and Cheri is even willing to give Einstein a little sugar.

Two very sweet Berners and one very loving Mommy. It's going to be a great holiday gift. Portraits are so incredibly heartfelt and much more personal than anything you could ever buy in a store. Thank you Lori, Einstein, and Cheri - I had a great time!

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
– Josh Billings

p.s. Home at Last is a fabulous organization that rescues dogs and cats from certain euthanasia, provides them with housing, medical care and socialization, and eventually placement in permanent homes. They are holding an auction on November 30th at 6pm at The Albatross Pub in Berkeley. A Lindsay Docherty Photography session and prints are up for auction. Will give more details soon.