My Sister is Beautiful | Charlotte Business Photography

As I was archiving some image files I ran across this shot of my sister. She took the hot seat in my set so I could adjust my flash before I captured a few of her coworkers to update their website.

The first thing came into my mind when I saw it was, “My sister is beautiful.”

But I don’t mean the way she looks here. Sure, she is a gorgeous girl (ehem… woman), but there’s so much more than that.

She loves her family.
She rescues doggies (even the ones that need extra love and patience because of their past).
She doesn’t know how to say “no” when someone is in need.
She puts 110% effort into EVERYTHING she does.
She has a genuine care for her clients and their well-being.
She puts more value on doing he right thing than making money.
And she isn’t afraid to speak up when “doing the right thing” is being threatened.

This is the short list. But even with the short list, I think you will agree, my sister is beautiful. And I love her.

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October 17, 2012 | CA | Tags: , | No Comments »

Plastic Moon

The hubs and I create videos together. Under the name Plastic Moon Productions, we work for a number of small, local businesses and non-profits creating content for their websites and some television commercials as well. Most recently, we have been asked to create a 30-second commercial for each of the Hickory Community Theatre‘s six mainstage shows this year. The first is 9 to 5.

Starring three fabulous ladies, Kelly Dowless, Janet Brooks and Dorothy Bess, here is what we sent off to Charter Media last night:

9 to 5 from Jeff Hartman | Plastic Moon on Vimeo.

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August 27, 2012 | CA | Tags: | No Comments »

Ballerinas and Peppermint

Read this in a very Jerry McGuire-esque voice: I LOVE BALLERINAS!!!

I do.

I love to shoot them.

With my camera. Geez. I saw that look on your face Mr. Smarty Pants.

If you have seen any of my work at all, you will notice that I shoot a lot of dancers. That is thanks, in part, to my wonderful friend Melissa. She is a retired professional ballerina herself and now teaches at the NewArt School. A few years ago we started working together — she would give them posing ideas that are dance-y and I would snap away!

I think I love photographing dancers so much because they create a wonderful, yet temporary, visual art with their bodies. I create a permanent visual art, but usually I am in it alone, helping families, seniors and brides pose in cahoots with my vision. There is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I like the challenge of the two artists working together to create a whole new something.

I should stop here and go on a tangent, I think. I misspelled “permanent” in that last paragraph and spell check tried to make it “peppermint”. That would have been a whole different sentence altogether! Aaaaand now I want a candy cane. — tangent over

Why all this talk of ballerinas? Well, a few weeks ago Melissa asked me to come and shoot some promo images for her production of The Nutcracker. Can I just say — it’s gonna be awesome. If you live near Newton, North Carolina, you should totally come. In December, of course.

So, of course I said yes and loaded up all of my studio gear. Here are some of the shots that came out of that afternoon:

If you are close enough to attend, sign up for email updates from the Newton-Conover Auditorium and watch your inbox! The NewArt Ballet School‘s Nutcracker will be December 2nd & 3rd!

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September 20, 2011 | CA | Tags: , , | 3 Comments »

Mike Hall is Speaking

Well, Mike Hall has been speaking for quite a while, and he’s pretty flippin’ good at it, too! He speaks to youth and young people about all sorts of things, but the message is always one of encouragement.

A few months ago, Mike ventured out on his own to make a living speaking to these young people. So, naturally he needed a website and some pics to go on that site. And I had the great pleasure to be able to create those images for him.

To see where these images (and more) ended up, check out Mike’s website. You can also find more info there if you would like to have Mike speak at your event, school or group.

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July 20, 2011 | CA | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Fashonistas Take Notice!

Super-awesomeness has come my way in the form of a Pink Penguin. Yep. She’s pretty dang cute, too.

My first challenge in working with Pink Penguin Solutions — a totally fantastical marketing and ad firm — was a print ad for KarieAlls. Karie Siciliano has created a line of handbags that are not only beautiful, they are so uber-functional it’s not even funny. Seriously.

Ladies, has your man ever come home and said, “Let’s go out.” Sure he has. When that happens, you don’t want to take 2 hours getting ready, do you? Because by then he is asleep on the couch with ESPN on the TV. With KarieAlls, you can change your purse just as quickly as you threw on that hot little black dress with those killer pumps. Check out the video on their website. Just 27 seconds in and you get it. I promise.

Back to the ad, though. So many fashion-forward women do change their purse to match their shoes, but it is rarely a quick change. I wanted to really drive home the concept that with KarieAlls, it is a quick change. So I shot the bags with shoes. I give you… the lower half of Lauren DeLeary:

This is one my personal favorites. Such a cute bag:

I also shot some with just shoes:

And some by themselves (another my my faves to leave you with):

So if you like variety in your handbags and EASY change between that variety, check out KarieAlls. Oh, and if you want to see the ad and are in the Catawba County area, pick up a copy of  Sophie Woman’s Magazine.

Legal Disclaimer: I am not being compensated in any way for this post by any of the companies linked and mentioned here. These are my opinions based on my own experiences and nothing more.
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June 16, 2010 | CA | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Goings On

OK, now that the holidays are over, the kids are back in school (well, except this week when the “blizzard of 2010″ has had them home every day so far), everyone has had something very flu-like and I can think semi-straight, I’ve got some catching up to do! So check back every day for another update on what I have been cookin’ up here.

First, and I can’t believe that I didn’t make time for this earlier, was a cool shoot with an NFL Hall of Fame-r. This actually happened back in November, and, well, I guess I am just really bad at self promotion in the midst of the holidays.

Let me say first that I don’t do an awful lot of commercial work. But the commercial work I do is pretty dang cool. The football player was part of that. Joe DeLamielleure came up from his home in Charlotte and worked on a Sit Strong Systems chair for the shoot. These chairs are really neat. They look like something you would see in Martha Stewart’s house — really classy leathers, great designs, wood block feet. But then you move the arm rests and the head rest and you have a resistance exercise machine. Right there. In your living room. While you are watching the tube. So cool.

So, Joe, who was part of the “Electric Company” that helped ol’ OJ along, worked out on the chair and I snapped away. He was a trip. So full of energy and ideas.

He also offered to do some quick video for us. These were shot on one of those little cell phone sized, hand-held, hard drive cameras spur of the moment. Here is Joe’s favorite:

Joe has his own business selling resistance bands. I think he was one of the first in the NFL to use them and has sworn by them since. Joe D Bands (check out the videos on his site. That is his son with him. He is a cutie!). And let me tell you — resistance training works for him. He looks great! He had no problem holding those bands in extended positions while I shot.

Thanks Joe! It was so much fun to meet you.

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February 4, 2010 | CA | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »