There are three new prints in the print shop for sale that I’m particularly excited about! It was tricky to pick from all the desert photos I’ve been taking lately, but I finally landed on these three I liked best and you guys expressed the most interest in here. Maybe a good Mothers Day present for your nature loving mom?

Are you sick of photos of the desert yet? I didn’t think so. Will and I celebrated out last anniversary together as non-married people in Joshua Tree a few weeks ago. I can’t think of a better place to celebrate six years of magic than in the most magical place I know of. Will had never been, and of course, he fell in love and never wanted to leave. We spent hours upon hours driving, rock scrambling, hiking, napping, healing, being, loving. We stayed in a bungalow at the 29 Palms Inn and listened to coyote pups howl to a epically full moon in a crystal clear sky dotted with stars. I still have cholla spines in my sneakers and dust in the cuffs of my pants.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken on an Ikon Ikoflex with Fuji Fujichrome Velvia 100

Exactly six months ago Laure, Makoto and I drove to a tiny (emphasis on tiny) town in the Searles Valley for a magical one time a year event called Gem O Rama where you dig and collect gems and go to a big gem show. I took a roll of film on my Ikoflex but had two damn shots left, and the camera sat in my closet for weeks until recently. I didn’t take photos of the actual event as I didn’t want to ruin my camera, but here are some photos of the drive. We gave ourselves lots of time so we could make fun stops along the way. The evening we went to a Benny Hanna-type restaurant in the town where we quickly discovered half of the town’s high school kids were at before going to prom. It was an experience to remember. On the way back we stopped at a not so fabulous apple and pear orchard where we bought rock hard pears and apples the size of walnuts riddled with holes. But it didn’t matter because it was so fun. We drove back on the winding, beautiful Angeles Crest Highway and I thanked my lucky stars to live in the greatest state in America. We already have so very many takers for this year’s trip and I can’t wait to make this a yearly thing.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Ikon Ikoflex with Kodak Portra 160 film.

While I was shooting Zinzi for my jewelry collection, I shot some photos of her and her amazing beagle Ruby just for fun so she could have new head shots as she is a professional bizness lady. Her place in Mount Washington is aptly nicknamed “the treehouse” and it causes jealousy to rage inside me that I have to keep cool about when I’m there. I mean, damn, girl.

Zinzi is also in the best band, Kisses, which has a new album coming out soon and you should listen to the new singles this very moment.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645AF with Kodak Portra 160 film.

May I introduce, the 2013 Spring Collection of Kate Miss Jewelry. Now available in the shop. All the juicy details below all these photos of babes.

This collection took me a bit longer to release than it should have as it was a departure that involved a lot of learning, testing, experimenting, and other such exciting things that make me sound like a scientist. I wanted to take things up a notch this collection – pieces that were more unique in their materials and construction and more special. All the new pieces this season are hand formed and cut from metal clay and fired in my own kiln, sanded and polished with own two hands. They are laborious and they can be frustrating at times, but they are so rewarding and feel so substantial and I’m thrilled with them. The surfaces and shapes are geometric while at the same time organic – the clay results in a 100% bronze piece that is beautifully unique: not 100% perfect and a slightly textured look.

I’m still fixated on the idea of amulets – pieces for protection and luck, badges and shields. But I refined and refocused the idea from last season’s collection. I also really wanted to make the pieces in this collection adaptable to the different sizes of the people who wear them – the necklaces have an adjustable hand made bronze bead at the back of the suede that allows you to make them as short or as long as you need them to sit on your chest comfortably, and the bracelets accomodate a difference of 4″ in wrist sizes.

These are special pieces, and I know that they are substantially more expensive than what I’ve made in the past, and I know that I don’t need to explain why, but know that they each involve a lot of materials and time – so very much more than my other pieces in the past. Each piece is made to order and will take me a couple weeks to produce.

Lastly! (Are you still reading this novel??) The cast bronze bead necklaces are part of the permanent collection and a new one is coming soon, but the caster and I are solving a little puzzle of why the new shape keeps breaking in casting, so TBD on that guy. But the other ones are still for sale!

Ok, get over there. Spread the word? Thanks to my beautiful models: Cheryl Nichols, Zinzi Edmundson*,  and Alison Brislin and thanks to you, dear readers.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645AF with Kodak Portra 160 film.

*Zinzi also leant her amazing space in Mt. Washington for some of these photos!

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645AF with Kodak Portra 160 film

Yes, Joshua Tree was magical. Thanks for the beautiful/hilarious/Lands’ End-like/spiritual poses, Ali, Laure, Bethany, and Cheryl. And thank you to Cheryl’s hypnotic teal chariot for letting us cram you with too many clothes and vintage scores.

I can’t decide which of these beauties to print for the print shop – leaning towards the one at the end of Laure looking out the window, which gives me goosebumps and gets all the Fiona Apple songs we sang in the car stuck in my head…

I just realized that I didn’t post one single time this week. So, here is a beautiful photo of Cheryl in Joshua Tree that I just picked up at my film place this afternoon. I’ll share more on Monday since I have so very many to dig through.

Also, thank you all so much for your amazing comments and emails about my post last week. I will brain dump on you more often because I miss that we can all just reach out and say to each other, “I get it, I’m right there with you.”

Have a lovely weekend, dear friends. Are any of you Angelenos going to The Cream Event? I’ll be one of Ali’s braid models (get your hair braided!), say hi.

Photo by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645AF with Kodak Portra 160 film

My goal made ages ago of taking more portraits is slow going. In a serious photo rut lately, I’m actively pushing myself out of my comfort zone to talk my friends into letting me take their photo in a more formal way. I’m even thinking of branching out into strangers. I really enjoy portraits, I find them so fascinating to shoot, and the funny thing about photographing women is their commentary about how they view themselves. I’ve discovered that a lot of us ladies have hang ups about certain features that seem to all stem from something our mothers told us at one point. Our moms had to stare at us so often and many of them took endless photos of us, so I suppose they became familiar with our flaws and strengths. And for the most part the comments were meant to be helpful, but we can’t escape that voice in our heads! Anyway, I always have a good laugh at the comments like, “I need to be photographed slightly from the side because of my linebacker shoulders” or, “I have a fat nose so don’t let me look down too much.”

Kicking this all off, last week some ladies came over so we could help each other take new head shots so we could be more professional bizness ladies. Katie, Erin, and Laura, thanks for letting me take your photo, and thank you Laura for manning the camera for my photos. My only regret is not taking more film photos because my Mamiya is a dream for portraits.

These are a mix of film and digital photos. If you’re interested in hiring me to take your portrait, get in touch! katemiss at gmail.com. PS. The necklaces are all mine, one is a SPOILER ALERT from the new collection.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645 and Canon A-1 with Kodak Portra 160 film

I had the pleasure of working with Jennifer again for the latest Ermie collection, which we shot behind Platform in Highland Park right before Christmas. It was particularly special because one of my closest friends Laure Joliet was one of the models. Laure’s mom was a model back in the day, so clearly she passed on the modeling genes because the day was a total success and she was such a natural. Like she had this internal instinct of what to do and what looked best. I was in awe. Jennifer also had artist Emelie Halpern as our second model, who was lovely and charming and so comfortable all day. The contrast between their looks was perfect and their chemistry together on camera made the day so smooth.

Shooting for Jennifer is always a dream, however. She brings amazing people together and makes the day fun and inspiring. Beatrice Valenzuela – who is always such a kick in the pants to work with on a shoot – did the most beautiful hair and makeup, and Sarah of Platform made us all feel welcome and let us take over the back of her store while she burned delicious incense and tempted me to buy everything in her amazing store all day (not on purpose, I have no will power).

The beautiful pieces in the photos are not just Jennifer’s – there’s an incredible roster of talent here created special for this collection. The sweaters are by Cheryl Cambras,  the ceramic and leather necklaces by BZippy, the bronze and crystal jaw and carved alabaster necklaces by Debra Baxter. All are available in the Ermie shop. Jennifer expects most of the shop to be updated by Friday, so check back if you see something in the photos that’s not there yet! I think this is the best Ermie collection yet, don’t you agree?

So, after that novel (I had to gush, it needed to be said!), I’d like to share my favorite film shots from the day, and a few extra digitals at the end so you can get a sense of the whole collection. I shot digital full lengths of the pieces for the shop and tons of details on film with my dream camera Mamiya 645AF.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645AF with Kodak Portra 160 film with the exception of the digital shots at the end.
All clothing and blankets by Jennifer Parry Dodge of Ermie
With the exception of all sweaters by Cheryl Cambras (for purchase in the Ermie shop)
Leather and ceramic necklaces by B.Zippy (for purchase in the Ermie shop)
Bronze and crystal  and carved alabaster necklaces by Debra Baxter (for purchase in the Ermie shop)
Hair and makeup by Beatrice Valenzuela (the beautiful leather flats are also hers)
Models: Laure Joliet and Emelie Halpern
Boots are Wolverine 1000 Miles by Samantha Pleet from Myrtle.