Here are the photos that I did for Nessun Dorma which you can view in this week's Shepherd Express newspaper.

As many of you may already know, Hotcakes Gallery will be closing for good. Unfortunately, this is where I was holding my photography class.

At this time I am searching for a new home! I am also considering a studio space where I could conduct the classes as well. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!

Lastly, I am also working on some additional photography classes and workshops. Please contact me if you have any ideas of suggestions of things that YOU would like to learn!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I've been getting my hair done by Mary at beauty for about 8 years now! It looks like they've finally started an e-newlsetter and one of the head honchos, Bjorn, wrote this nice little piece that may prove helpful to my future brides:

Wedding Do's and Don't for Hair and Makeup
by Bjorn Nasett

I'll never forget the Saturday I got a frantic call from a regular salon client. "We just got our hair done for my friends wedding, and it's hideous! Can you help us?" As it happens I was at the salon doing inventory and I said, "Of course come over right away and I'll see what I can do." When they arrived I took one look and realized they were right. They looked like ballerinas with severely pulled back buns. With a few adjustments, they were on their way to the ceremony. This situation was extreme, but could have been avoided by following a few simple tips.

Plan ahead with pictures of hair and make up looks you like. Study them for WHAT you like about them. Is it the bangs? The height at the crown? When you know what you DO like it is easier to explain what you DON'T like to the stylist who will be doing your hair and make up for the big day.

Let them know if it is an outdoor wedding, indoor, casual, formal, and the like. The more information they get from you the better their plan can, and will meet your needs.

Schedule a practice hairstyle and make up. Remember, this picture will be seen by hundreds of people over your lifetime, and thousands of times by you and your spouse! Practice does indeed make perfect.

The most important rule of all is: Be on time for your salon appointments! When you are late, it will throw off the stylists/make up artist's schedule, and, only increase YOUR stress level. Being early is not a crime, and in fact, will be a bit more relaxing.

Whatever you do with your do' for goodness sake, put the same care and planning into your hair and makeup as you do to all the other little details, of your celebration. These "salon rules" can definitely help make this the most wonderful day of your life.

I photographed an Indian restaurant a few months ago called India Rasoi on Brady Street.

My birthday is January 17th. I thought it would be fun to have a "Bollywood" style birthday party at my house, with Bollywood movies, Indian food, and lots of fun Indian music. However, my mom ended up being admitted to the hospital a few days before my birthday, so I never put the plans in motion. As my mom turned out to be ok, and January was coming to a close, I tried to pull my party together. I decided it would be easiest to have the food catered at this point, so I called up India Rasoi and spoke with Neal, whom I had photographed for the restaurant. I apologized to him about the last minute notice (mind you it was Thursday night and I was looking for food for Saturday night for 15+ people), and told him about my mom and about trying to squeeze in a birthday party for myself at the last minute.

Well, needless to say, Neal was awesome. He helped me figure out the menu, he kept in touch with me, he had the food ready at the time he promised (we were picking it up to take to my house). He even was nice enough to throw in some salad and rice pudding. He also called me the next day to make sure everything went ok. But most importantly, the food was awesome! Everyone at my party was raving and asking me where the food had come from. So good food=successful party!

My mom is out of the hospital and is doing well. Neal helped me out in a difficult situation and made my birthday party a success, so much thanks goes out to him and his staff! He clearly takes pride in what he does, which is always a recipe for success in my book!

Neal and one of the chefs at India Rasoi on Brady Street, Milwaukee:

I photographed UWM Professor Andrew Petto, who brought Darwin Day to Milwaukee! He will be featured in the Profile section of MKE next week.

I don't want to ever have to use my blog to broadcast bad news, but in this case, I think it is necessary.

Please be aware of local "business woman" Gracie Valentine.

I did some photography work for her last year, and she has never paid me. I do have a contract. I have gone through the small claims court system and won my case. Guess what? She never bothered to show up, and I still haven't gotten paid. I have also found out from another photographer in the Milwaukee area, that he was also never paid by Gracie Valentine for work that he completed.

Her website has now gone live, and my photographs are being used without my permission.

Please do not support Gracie by visiting her website: it will only serve to raise her rankings in Google. However, if you would like to contact her, I've included her information below:

Gracievalentinedesigns@yahoo.com
414.364.6137

I have spoken with a few lawyers but if anyone has had any experience with this, or has any advice, I would appreciate it. You can email me here or at Jessica@JKaminskiPhoto.com

Thank you.

Last week I was the Art Director for an advertising piece that will be made for the company's website. The company manufacters something that keeps ceiling fans from wobbling. The concept for the piece is wobbly fan systems throughout the ages (Egyptian, 1880's, 19'50's), until an engineer finally has an "a-ha!" moment about how to fix the problem.

More pics to come, but here is the group shot I took:

A Hospital Wedding Story

DWF Finao 2007 Wedding Photo of the Year by Rob Sigler

"Hospital Wedding"

Two summers ago, I received an inquiry to shoot a wedding in Philadelphia. The bride-to-be, KC, said both of her parents were in poor health, so she was unsure about the actual date. A few months passed, and KC called back and explained that her father's health was quickly deteriorating, and "because they are too sick to travel, we are bringing the wedding to them." KC, an only child, was insistent that both of her parents were able to attend her wedding. She called again that day and said, "Are you available Tuesday?"

I said sure, and cleared my schedule for the day.

KC quickly put together a small wedding ceremony in her parent's hometown. It was going to be a nursing home where her father had just been moved. At this point, KC was frazzled, so I was happy to do anything I could to help her out.

On Thursday night, the phone rang. It was KC's fiancé. He said that KC's mom (who was recovering from a recent stroke) had just fallen and broken her hip, and the wedding (for a second time) was cancelled. He said they were just going to have a small ceremony in her hospital room as soon as possible. By this point KC was completely devastated. I felt awful for them both. What is supposed to be an incredible experience for this young couple was turning into disaster.

I called him back, and told him I would be more than happy to come to the hospital and shoot the ceremony. He said thank-you, but no thanks. I understood.

Five minutes later, the phone rang again. This time it was KC asking me to come down to the hospital.

So, I packed up my bag, and off I went.

When I got there, the nurses were fashioning bed sheets to create an alter, and KC's mom was in bed and in obvious pain, yet she was dressed in her attire that she would have worn in Philadelphia. Several hospital staff members gathered around the room of the door to catch a glimpse of what was probably the first wedding ever in this hospital. Their hands were filled with Rice Krispies to throw at the end of the event.

As KC walked into the room with her father, a nurse sang "Ave Maria." The ceremony was beautiful. There were no ice sculptures, no flowers (except a few from the gift shop), no limos, but the love this family had for each other was more beautiful than any traditional wedding "thing." There wasn't a dry eye in the room, including mine.

This experience really made me think about my life, and think about what we do as photographers. It's so easy to get caught up in gear, flashes, trashing dresses, etc., and lose sight of what we are really doing. I walked out of the hospital knowing that I had just captured an amazing moment for the family that can now live forever.