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.

In September, we drove up the 1 to Felton (just outside of Santa Cruz) to shoot a beautiful wedding in a redwood “cathedral”. It was a big, cozy wedding that mixed a few Vietnamese and Jewish traditions and had every beautiful detail you could think of. The most unique thing about this shoot was that they requested I shoot the entire wedding on film. I couldn’t do it 100% because of me being the only shooter, but I came damn close, using five different cameras. I worked my 645 so hard it broke in the last hour! My favorite detail was that the bride, Kim, skipped a traditional white dress for a grey floral number, but it didn’t feel that untraditional. The light through the trees was magical (albiet a bit hard to shoot the ceremony in!) and at night, the market lights made everything glow so beautifully. It was the first wedding I’ve shot that the couple didn’t want many photos of them, they just wanted to spend as much time as possible with their guests and have me capture everyone having a lovely, fun time. And that they did.

Thank you to Prestigious Planning for being so awesome to work with. Weddings with planners, so I don’t have to bug the bride all night, are the best.

Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a mixture of digital, Mamiya 645, Canon A-1, and Ikon Ikoflex  - with Kodak Portra 160 and 400 film.

Haley and James were married on a hot, sunny day in Tahoe on August 11th, at Northstar. I don’t take on a lot of weddings, but I could tell through my conversations with Haley that this would be laid back and beautiful, full of creative touches, and who am I kidding? An excuse to go to Tahoe and soak up the beauty. And we did.

Photobomb, get ready! A few of my favorite things – all of the decor was DIY by Haley and her bridesmaids, made at her bachelorette weekend at her family’s lake house – including the paper flowers. They were amazing and I took many notes. Haley’s dress was custom made by Kajan Padraig - and while it certainly helped that Haley is one of the most beautiful brides I’ve ever laid eyes on (girl crush? I didn’t retouch a spot on that girl), that dress was incredible. Also top-notch were the bridesmaids dresses, which were all vintage and so suited each lady’s personality.

Everyone in the bridal party was hilarious and fun, making for a really fun and goofy day of photo taking. Also photo booths: smartest wedding investment ever? Thanks for having me a part of your day, guys!

All photos by Kate Miss, a mix of digital and Portra 160 film shot on a Mamiya 645

If you’re interested in my wedding photography services, get in touch: katemiss at gmail.com. I take on a very small number of unique/laid back events.

Jennifer has now posted all of the images from our Ermie Collection 1 shoot and the shop is officially open right now! I love her idea of ditching the season names and just numbering the collections, I’m going to take a page from her on that and probably do something similar for my upcoming jewelry line. These are some of my favorite photos.

Not to sound like a ridiculous sap, but I can honestly say this shoot was one of the funnest days in recent memory and I hold these ladies dear to my heart. It was less of a “job” and more of a creative sharing session of ideas and laughter. Jennifer is not only a talented designer, but a person with a good heart who is really awesome to work with – everything is stress free and smiling in photos is encouraged – which I love. I’m not sure how one could tell someone like Lauren to not flash that smile of hers, it would be a crime! On that note, meeting and working with Lauren and Beatrice was a treat as I am a fan of theirs already, and we all worked really well together. I also have to give a shout out as well to Jennifer’s awesome intern Jessica who kept things running smoothly. Thank you to everyone who has shared the images already!

Photo: Kate Miss.
Model: Lauren Spencer King
Hair & Makeup: Beatrice Valenzuela
Dresses/Scarves: Jennifer Parry Dodge of Ermie
Clay Jewelry: Ancient Pocket for Ermie by Vanessa Samp
Bag: Cheryl Cambras for Ermie

I’m back in LA and already missing the slower, quieter pace of the Northwest (rain and all!). It took me 100 years to fall asleep last night in the hot SoCal summer night with all the loud sounds of my neighborhood streaming in through our open window. The train was amazing, but I’ll tell you more about that adventure next week when I get my film back. You can see my instagram photos of my trip until then.

For now, a peek at the latest collection Ermie I shot last week before I left, which I can’t wait to share more of once Jennifer does. These are my shots from the day, which are of course all film. Everything about this shoot was amazing – I’ll tell you more soon. In related news, Jennifer has a great feature on Sight Unseen and it’s fun to see some of my photos up on such a great site.

Photo: Kate Miss. Model: Lauren Spencer King. Hair & Makeup: Beatrice Valenzuela. Dresses: Jennifer Parry Dodge of Ermie (I snagged the second dress and can attest to its magical powers), Jewelry: Ancient Pocket for Ermie by Vanessa Samp.

Have a great weekend!

Our last braid this week is a simple, classic messy French braid, tucked under for a fancier look. It looks amazing with Ali’s ombre, and in fact all braids look great with any kind of highlights in your hair. For this one I braided Ali’s hair, but I do this braid on myself all the time, so you could attempt it yourself or grab a friend. A note about braiding your own hair: I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, so just remember: practice makes perfect! Don’t be discouraged.

Classic French Braid
Recommended supplies:

A wide tooth comb
Clear elastic bands, like these
Bobby pins – if you can get them, these Japanese pins are the best, you can also get them in Japanese beauty supply stores
Optional: a teasing brush, like this
Tips: Dirty hair is better for braids! Greasy? No problem, it will hold better.

Ali has finer hair, so she gives a great tip for starting a braid on this type of hair – backcombing. Hold a handful of hair straight up and comb the back of it down – basically teasing it lightly. This will give your hair texture to help it stay in the braid better, plus give it a little bump on top. However, this braid looks great messy, so don’t worry about strands coming loose or it being perfectly smoothe. You could also prep your hair with mousse or gel. For this braid we started a few inches back – starting a classic French braid too close to your hairline will give you an alien-like look. Braid all the way down to the nape of the neck and tie it off with an elastic band. Because Ali’s hair is shoulder-length, we pulled the elastic down a bit to loosen it and flipped it under the braid, pinning it in place. This is a pretty way to finish the braid and hides the little stump of hair that shorter braids result in.

A bonus shot of how short people braid hair. This stool is my best friend and I take it on photoshoots as well!

Film photos, #1 & #3 by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645. Tutorial photos and photo #4 by Laure Joliet. Ali’s lipstick is by Wet ‘n Wild (yes!) and necklace by Kate Miss

Credits: (please kindly include if you re-blog, pin or put on tumblr)
Photos: Laure Joliet & Kate Miss
Model: Alison Brislin (twitter/instagram)
Braid by: Kate Miss

Recently Laure, Ali (twitter/instagram) and I spent a lovely morning braiding our hair and taking photos with the intent of making braid tutorials, doing three different braids, one for reach of us. We decided that these tutorials aren’t going to teach you how to French braid hair – you should look for a more technical tutorial on that and practice on friends and your own hair, and then take those skills and apply them to these ideas. This is an incredibly thorough tutorial. A day with lady friends braiding hair could not be more fun; I highly recommend it.

Today we’ll start with the first braid on my blog, the second on Wednesday over on Laure’s blog (but I’ll be sure to share a link here), and then the last braid we’ll both share. We hope to do more in the future as well. Let’s go!

The Ali Special Braid
Recommended supplies:

A wide tooth comb
Clear elastic bands, like these
Bobby pins – if you can get them, these Japanese pins are the best, you can also get them in Japanese beauty supply stores
Tips: Dirty hair is better for braids! Greasy? No problem, it will hold better. This hairstyle is especially perfect for traveling – this is Kate’s go-to hair for plane rides and long car rides as you can lean your head back flat without messing it up too much.

Part hair down the middle and make sure it’s mostly tangle free. Tie off one side so that it’s out of your way. If you don’t have bangs you can start your braid fairly close to the hairline, if you have bangs start behind them. French braid down the curve of the head, close the scalp and as close to your hairline as possible – all the way down to the tip. Tie the end off with an elastic band. Now move onto the rest of the hair on the other side and do the same. At this point you can either cross the braids over each other and pin them on the other side, or pin one braid higher and one braid lower (as shown on Laure). You may need to flip the braid over to make it curve nicer. Tuck the end of the braid under your hair and pin in as many places as you need. This braid looks great a little messy, so dig your fingers into the braid to loosen it and pull a few strands out. A crochet hook is great for this if you have one on hand.

All photos by Kate Miss, top and bottom photos taken with a Mamiya 645. Laure’s dress is from Mohawk General Store and necklace by Kate Miss

Credits: (please kindly include if you re-blog, pin or put on tumblr)
Photos: Kate Miss
Model: Laure Joliet
Braids by: Alison Brislin (twitter/instagram)

I recently did a shoot (all film!) with the lovely and charming Joy Wilson, aka Joy the Baker at her amazing bungalow in Venice. Here’s an outtake, one of the more serious shots that I love. I’ll share what it was for when the time comes. She was a dream to photograph and knew how to work the camera like a pro. I’d love to photograph more creative people in the future like this.

ps. Joy has a wonderful new book out!

photo by Kate Miss, shot on an Ikon Ikoflex with Fujichrome Velvia 100 / cross-processed film

A couple weeks ago we had a little indoor picnic at Myrtle and shot some of the Spring clothing that Whitney has in stock right now with the help of two of Whitney’s lovely friends – Abbe and Lindsey. It was meant to be an outdoor picnic, but did you know that calling LA the land of eternal sunshine isn’t 100% accurate? It rained, so we had to move it indoors, which worked out just fine – I highly suggest an indoor picnic in your near future. These are some of my favorite shots – a mix of digital and medium format film. Whitney posted more photos that they took on the disposable cameras and what Abbe took on her camera. Even I modeled a little.

Top to bottom:
Abbe in A PEACE TREATY earrings, MCTEGA necklace, CURATOR top
Lindsey in ALEXANDRA GRECCO dress, reading WORN JOURNAL
Abbe in GRETCHEN JONES silk blouse, ABK leather bag; Lindsey in HETTERSON sweater, CURATOR skirt, 31 BITS necklace
Whitney in WRK-SHOP blouse, RAVEN DENIM pants
Abbe in GRETCHEN JONES blouse
Lindsey in DUSEN DUSEN dress, AMBIT hat 

I recently had the pleasure of doing a little photo shoot for the wonderful new Echo Park boutique, Myrtle. The owner, Whitney, has an amazing eye and put together some great looks for the shoot that we shot in the store with two lovely models, Lauren and Taylor. The bright LA sunlight threatened to ruin a good time (constant slapstick-like running around to avoid the sunbeams and dark shadows) but we totally made it work thanks to great team work. If you live in LA or will be here in the future, definitely stop by the shop – Whitney has curated an amazing selection in a wide range of prices. Not just clothing and accessories, either! Cute books, soap, stationery and other fun things – all made by talented ladies.

Credits
Photography: Kate Miss
Styling/direction: Whitney Bickers
Models: Lauren Rothery & Taylor Curtin
Designers (top to bottom, left to right) all styles sold at Myrtle:
Blouse by Gretchen Jones, skirt by Shabd | Tank by This Shirt Helps, Skirt by Gretchen Jones
Dress by Filly
Dresses by Alexandra Grecco | Dresses by Study New York
Dress by Filly, locket by Bonbi Forest | Blouse & skirt by Kelly Bergin

Please feel free to re-post any of these photos without asking permission as long as you include proper credit! That means you too, Tumblrs and Pinterest-ers! Credit, credit, credit.