Monday, November 16, 2009

The ultimate chocolate


A couple of weeks ago I had the most wonderful day at my studio with Pamela Gillies photographing her raw and vegan snacks. When I tried a little piece of her chocolate and let it melt on my tongue I was convinced. I can not remember to have had such an intense experience with chocolate.


A little later we did this photo shoot together to create images for her new website Vivir - Living Foods for living people. It was such a pleasure and so inspiring to bring these creations and ingredients in a form that still give an idea of how they were crafted and that evoke the desire to touch and to taste them.


What I especially like about them is how they are presented: In irregular shapes, broken from the big bar. Wabi Sabi meets french elegance!!


Walnuts with a coating of spicy banana cinnamon glaze.

Spicy flax seed crackers: O M G !

My favorites: Green Chips - Kale leaves dehydrated with "cheese" sauce made from walnuts. They melt on the tongue..

Pamela, vibrant and beautiful as her foods.

You can order her snacks from the shop on her Vivir website


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Beautiful Stores: Crackerjack

Some months ago I photographed Kathleen Koch as part of a story in SeattleWoman Magazine about women owned stores in the Wallingford center. Kathleen owns the store "Crackerjack Crafts", a treasure-box full of handmade jewelry, clothing, pottery and other handicraft.



I came to photograph Kathleen, but I could not resist to explore the store, to peek in the glass cases with all the lovingly arranged pieces. Especially the work of one designer caught my attention. Beautiful filigree earrings, presented in a way that adds magic.


The designers name is Cecelia Otto, and as I found out last week, she will be at the store during Artwalk on Wednesday August 5th from 6pm to 8pm.
Isn't this beautiful..





And here an elegant lady who demands admiration...

A miniature pitcher..

Beautiful things to dream of...

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Seattle Storm owners..


These four courageous women we have to thank that Seattle has again it's own women basketball team. You can read all about it in the June issue of SeattleWoman Magazine.


From left: Dawn Trudeau, Ginny Gilder, Lisa Brummel and Anne Levinson.
The game season is until the end of September. Check it out at the Storm website!



Saturday, June 13, 2009

Women's Empowerment Summit

This weekend I am documenting the Women's Empowerment Summit at the beautiful W Hotel in downtown Seattle.


Bettina Carey, the "Business Matchmaker" and founder of "Women in Small Biz", is bringing together "powerful and inspiring women" to learn from each other , to network and to have fun.

The gala this evening was quite an event. Many wonderful women were honored. It was electrifying and energizing, with singing and dancing and many wise words that came from the heart.

Saturday has an interesting program too with many breakout sessions and a lunch with latin icon Maria Marin

Many of my photos were used in the invitation, website and brochure.

It's a lot of fun to photograph these beautiful women in this atmosphere of openness, mutual respect and empowerment.

More to come...





Monday, March 30, 2009

Atieno Kombe - Africa Mama

Yesterday I had a beautiful afternoon at Atieno Kombe's store Africa Mama in Bothell. She had invited to a Customer Appreciation Party with live music by Guillaume Mpacko . Great music and a wonderful atmospere! Lot's of fun dancing. (Some images of the party will come in a few days).

Atieno Kombe is the first woman I photographed for SeattleWoman Magazine four years ago.
She left a deep impression in me when I met her the first time, as I am sure she leaves with everybody who meets her.  There is a light around her, a beauty that comes deep  from inside. You can feel her strong presence watching her interacting with the people around her. Graceful, full of attention for the other person and full of joy. 

Here you can see her with her stepson.
Atieno grew up in Kenya. She devoted herself to work for the children who are left behind as orphans from the aids epidemic. She is the president of "Urgent Africa", a non governmental organization "committed to creating programs that build sustainable solutions for communities that have been gravely affected by aids."
I feel there is much to learn from her. Faced with the pain of the on-going nightmare of aids in Sub-Saharan Africa and the 16 million orphans "sadness and mourning is a normal part of each day", as she says.  But you don't see any anger, blame or cynicism consuming her. She uses her sadness as strength to help children to live.

Atieno is closing her store Africa Mama in Bothell on this Tuesday. There is still a chance to visit. 

Monday, February 16, 2009

Happy New (rest of the )Year

Spring is nearly in the air, but you never know, it might snow again. And  for good wishes it's never too late, I think. So here is a view of our garden and with it I am sending all my best wishes to everybody for this year, that still feels new. This year with all it's challenges, but also with it's promises of something new and wonderful.

I am grateful for everybody that crossed my way in the last year, for people I met new, and for the ones I met again. And for the times when clients became friends.


snowy

My friend Debra Gunn gave me a beautiful book as a gift. "The Wishing Year - A House, a man, a soul" by Noelle Oxenhaendler. It was my "New Year Holiday Book", the luxury I allow myself once a year, to read a book in one piece.

The author embarks on a one year "experiment in desire",  looking at all the wishing theories and ideas that are out there with a critical eye,  trying some out for herself, in-spite her own doubts.

The conclusion she comes to ".. she is amazed that there is indeed, both power and danger in the act of wishing."

This year, which for me began on the 20th of January, started out with a lot of wishing. I hope for us all that we keep our wishes and hopes alive and don't choose cynicism, when they don't immediately come true.

Warmly,

Ingrid




SISTERS & GIRLFRIENDS - Elena and Chiara

Today is International Women's Day. I am thinking of how important women's friendships are with their girlfriends and their sisters....