Robin Cook Photography - WHERE THE FOCUS IS YOU!

NEW WEBSITE/NEW BLOG

2011-07-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Please be sure if you are bookmarked & subscribed to this blog that you redirect to

http://robincookphotography.com - all new fresh and shiny!

and the blog that I keep updated
http://robincook365.wordpress.com/

Thanks!!

Bad Girl Super Villain Shoot!

2011-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am offering a 2 day shoot for Super Villain Bad Girls....because bad girls are HOT! This will take place April 16th and April 17th. I am currently searching for a space to do this shot so if you are reading this and can help out- I would very much appreciate it!! I have been in the process of looking for a good space to use for my studio and would love something downtown Macon or even a little house on Vineville Avenue where I can have a place for girls to stay over on long days.

In any case, here's the flyer for the Shoot that I'm doing with the amazing Cherry Dame. Email NOW if you are interested because almost all of Sunday is booked and the spaces are filling fast. This is YOUR CHANCE to be a part of another something special and to work with me and Cherry Dame. It is pretty much fact that I submit to magazines and get girls published! These are going to be more REAL life photos as opposed to cartoonish.

Star Wars....The Photoshoot! It Happened!

2011-02-01T07:21:00.001-08:00

This was way EPIC! Some folks might think the idea of hanging out with a bunch of Star Wars geeks may be odd but for me it was just amazing! I think the idea that geeks are just that- is finally a thing of the past. I proudly wave my Geek flag. First and foremost I'm a Dog Show Geek. I will bust out a quote from a breed standard in a heartbeat and so much more, however, I won't go there today! I'm also a photography geek even though not a technical one. Does being a gearhead girl count as being a geek? Probably! I've never been the popular girl and never fit in with the "in" crowd and it took me most of my life to realize that it was ok to be completely different. One thing I totally love is Science Fiction. I almost feel like how could anyone NOT love it!? But I know people that think it's stupid. So sad for them- I love it. I was introduced to Science Fiction when I was just 7 yrs old - it was to Star Wars, by my dad. I was in awe of the characters, and just everything about it. I am still that way to day. Robots, Monsters, Transforming cars, Zombies, MAGIC - give it to me!! So I decided a few months ago to the Star Wars shoot and i never even imagined it would come together as well as it would. And now I just want to do more. I have a list of movies I want to do photoshoots of. And I hope nobody out there is planning stuff and if so, I'd better get it on paper!

In fact, i'm calling out to Movie Production Companies- I want to do Movies!!!

HUGE huge thanks to Jon Foster of the Maldorian Mercs for finding me and reaching out and working with me to get this to go down. And HUGE thanks to all those that showed up on Saturday including the cast of girls I'd selected. When Jon's group started rolling in with all their gear I could have almost cried! I was expecting some guys but not with all the amazing stuff they brought. I will say though that next time, we will split up the shoot to go for a few days instead of just one. Shooting from 11 until 7 is a lot and I'm like a little terrier and will just go and go but when I stop, it's like I have been hit with a ton of bricks.

The MAIN cast consisted of: Cherry Dame- Hair and Makeup Artist; Brix Nobodee- Lady Vader, Andy Steel- Darth Vader, Laura Harrell- Slave Leia, Amber Lu- Oola the Twi'lek, Mike Koske- Boba Fett, Magenta Costley- Padme, Mandolynne Hopkins- Femme Storm Trooper..... and gosh a whole list of others that just instantly friended with me worked so wonderfully with me!

Enjoy some of my favs- it's a lot!

***

The Last Supper!

******

First Flowers of 2011

2011-01-11T13:19:00.001-08:00

I will start off with some beautiful flower that are in a gorgeous bouquet someone was sent here at work. I love photographing them although these are rather quickies, they were still beautiful.

Also, I am adding some different logos trying out some more simple looks. I really want a new logo but don't even know how to explain what I want. It is most difficult to get a cool logo that starts with an "R" because it's so oddly shaped! I HATE putting logos on my photos because it is so cluttery. Hopefully just putting my web addy will make that much more simple and less obtrusive. I have an issue with people putting logos all over everything when it's not even really necessary unless there is publishing going on.

Calloway Garden Butterflies

2011-01-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I totally forgot to blog about the gorgeous butterflies I followed around when we went to Calloway Gardens at Christmas! I didn't get tons of photos like I'd hoped, there were just too many kids running rampant and parents not paying attention and it was really affecting the usual abundance of little fluttering beauties. In any case, here are my favs from the day.

and my all time favorite EVER EVER EVER!

10 Things I Learned in 2010

2010-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

This year has been slam jam BAM packed full!!! The only slow time I ever have is the end of December and the beginning of January and frankly, I LOVE it. I have been reading over some of my favorite photographer blogs and see a lot are asking themselves what they learned so I thought it would be perfect to do this myself.

10 Things I learned in 2010:
1)I learned that you never know which person will lead you to the next great opportunity. It came to light really early in the year that I needed to learn how to plan ahead and to always think and see a few steps ahead. The person I may be working with for free this week may cause a chain reaction to bring 10 times as many paid clients.

2)I learned that it never hurts to just ask. The majority of the time I spend looking for venues and it is never as easy as it looks. Sometimes places don't pull through or they will just simply tell me no. I used to hate to hear no but now for all the no's I get , there will always been the EPIC yes's!!

3)I learned Girl Power Rules. Not just because I'm a girl, because a good photographer is good regardless of if they are a male or female. It's because I used to hate the pretty girl and then realized we are all the same. We all need to be made to feel pretty and sticking together gets us ALL farther than going it alone. I have earned more girlfriends this year than I have had my entire life and I love every one of them.

4)I learned that it's ok to lean on others. I am so very independent no matter how much I hate it. I think I have to prove myself and that I must do it all myself, because....well, because I can! I realized it's ok to delegate and let people help and get people involved and in the end it's all much more pleasurable and much less stressful.

5)I learned to trust my instincts. This one is self explanatory. I have spent too much of my life second guessing and re-making decisions but in the end it always comes back to what I first thought was right.

6) I learned it's ok to not please everyone. Not everyone wants to pay, not everyone wants to play. I photographed a lot of people but no matter what I like, someone is not going to be happy with THEMSELVES and it's no reflection on me, it's all about THEM. I know I can't capture people the way they see themselves so I always make it a point to tell people that I will do my best to show them how I see them and not how anyone else has ever portrayed them.

7)I learned that nobody is going to promote me better than or other than myself. Well.... unless I'm willing to pay and right now, I'm just not able to! Nobody is going to know about me unless I tell them.

8)I learned that most opportunities should be taken. Because you never know where it will lead and one door opened can lead to 20 more.

9)I learned that people still don't know what I do. And that's just weird, because I post ALL the time and have done a LOT of work! However, people still think I may show up with a point and shoot and can't believe what all I do in a single session. That all has to change because I need for people to know me and know of me in order to help with my success.

10)I learned how to TEACH girls how to model. 9 out of 10 people that work with me literally will come and just stand in front me. They say they have modeled but it is very clear that they have not only never been instructed but may have never worked with someone like me that is going to get to know you and interact with you. I have a lot left to learn but it's important people know that I will be instructing you and won't leave you standing like a mannequin!

There are definitely more things I learned -a LOT more, but these just seemed to be the first to spew out!

Blogging and Schuffs

2010-12-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

At the end of the year, it will be the end of Project 365 which has been more like Project 325. In any case, I need to decide what to do with my blog and where to put it. I need help! I need one address for my blog and I guess I will re-direct everyone over to this one and start keeping it going ONLY. I will keep the website as backup for just photos but the blog is ALWAYS where people need to go for information and news. Although Facebook is the most up to date and EVERYONE needs to connect to me there. If anyone has some free/cheap suggestions/help to get this blog updated as a photo blog and much more stylish...please HELP. I will do a photoshoot for anyone local that can assist! I seriously realize I don't have time to do it all and that it is ok to let someone else help. That's a good thing right? I'm sure it is!

On another subject - I'm going to copy/paste my last blog entry from Wordpress.

DREAMS & LOCATIONS:

I continue to dream too big for what's available. I desperately need sets or a place to put sets and help with sets. I can't even express the frustration of having a fantastic model over and only being able to shoot on seamless. Yes we still get great stuff but it's nothing like having cool couches and backgrounds and props. I just don't have a way! Locations continue to be just out of reach. I know they are there but I can't get them. I make callouts for warehouses and cool homes but nothing. I always offer to do photos for whomever is letting us use the location but maybe that's not enough. My budget doesn't allow to pay places for use and I can't fathom charging more for such a service when girls are struggling to pay as it is. So to anyone in the Central GA and even Atl- I am always looking for good locations to shoot in! It will be very non-invasive. Probably just me and the girl for maybe 2 hours and of course you can hang out with us! I have thought extensively about how to build onto what we have at home but there is no sense in it when I need to be in town and when Jimmy plans to build an actual stick-built house there one day. I WILL have a large room for photography though. Bet on that. Otherwise my big dreams of having a nice little studio in Macon are still holding strong. There are good and bad things about having a studio but not having access to something or having one is much more of a struggle. I don't want to be tied down yet need the firm point of contact. 2011 is going to be bigger than this year has been. I have much bigger plans, visions, and goals. Magazines, I want to be on and in you. But I always want to continue shooting with families and kids and of course pets. I need to grow this to an everyday job and one day....it will happen.

A fellow photog friend mentioned that I need to start doing commercial work and that's exactly what I intend to do. Actually, when I speak of magazines, it's commercial work that I'm speaking of. Let's WORK!

Team Cook & Croft at it again

2010-12-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

OK these were just fun and are cool! This is a little shoot with Ashley Croft one evening during a nasty storm. I have GOT to get her on a magazine cover. This was for a product but these aren't product shots. The product is Mojito Lip Balm by Naturally BeautEvil- it's FANTASTIC!!!!

Vogue? Maxim? I'm coming for yall!

A Trip Through a Fantasy with Skip & Mandolynne

2010-12-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

I love these girls. Simply put and I can't really put it any other way. They are real, down to earth, ready to work, fun, absolutely stunning and I have GOT to get them in some magazines! I spent this past Sunday with them in a secret ghetto location that included a man in a bunny suit, guns, Betty the Buick, bandanas, possible swat teams and random gun fire from a guy riding on a bike! Oh how I wish I was 10 yrs younger to party with the group like they are partying now. Although now I have 10 years experience and memories under my belt and I wouldn't trade that for anything. A huge thanks to Skip's friends and boyfriend for enjoying the day and having fun with me!

Enjoy some shots of these gorgeous friends of mine....

Skip Boman

Mandolynne Hopkins

Changes are a'comin'

2010-11-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yes they sure are. I have spent this year refining and DEfining who I am and what I like to photograph and there is just so much more to come. I can't even begin to put it all in words! I have been slowly and quietly knocking off some areas of what I do from my website to put myself in some specific areas and not just be an everything photographer. Oh I will always photograph everything but I feel the need to be specific about what I do best. There are so many good photographers in the area. We have some that are fantastic with newborns, some that excel with weddings, and some that do families better than anyone else. When I first started I thought I should compete because I can do that stuff too but it's become glaringly important that we each have our own specialties and not all try to do the same stuff. Because we are all unique and that's what makes us special. People come to me because I do pinups and glamour and portraits. I also specialize in Real Estate photography because it IS an art. And the final thing I know I am truly good at is with pets...especially dogs... because I know them. So all of this is a part of changes that are coming and they are good changes. I have redefined and am fine tuning what I do so I can continue to evolve into a better artist at what I love doing instead of being pulled in 50 different directions.

Another change that's coming is that I'm going to be doing some larger projects, I don't know who or what for other than because I feel I can and dammit I want to. I hope it leads to commercial work starting next year because I can envision, plan and execute a project and I really love doing it.

And finally- I would like to have a pseudo-name such as something like "Rockin' Robin" or "Red Letter Images"... or something silly like that.

Oh my- there's just so much I want to do! My dreams are huge and I'm ready to live them!

Enjoy a few photos from a shoot I did this weekend for AllSouth Motorsports.

Photo Visions....I has them

2010-11-09T06:16:00.001-08:00

It seems I keep seeing blogs about people losing their inspiration or drive or vision (not sight but visions) and sometimes I will have a day here and there where my mind is completely blank. Lately however, my mind is so full that it's like I have images constantly flashing in my mind all the time! That may sound like a truly incredible thing for a photographer but in my case it really isn't. The reason it isn't is because I don't just see a girl standing there holding a flower, I see complete scenes and well, I have no idea how to build the scenes or even find the scenes! I actually roughed-sketched a few outfit ideas the other day because they were so vivid. But there again, I searched and searched but couldn't find them anywhere- which is good and bad. Good because they may not be done and bad because I can't make things like that nor do I have time! In any case, it's very frustrating when I have these scenes I want to shoot but no way to shoot them. I can't just put them on the backburner and if I try to do a makeshift shoot - it never fills the need or the vision. It has become a serious concern that I need places to shoot. Yes I need a studio but I need access to places. Downtown Macon is full of opportunity....yet how do I get it when half of it is not even open. I have used a few places a few times but I don't want to make people think I'm just 'using' them....although yes I'm using the space!

So here I sit with a head full of bright ideas. I envy the photographers that create these incredible series because they have access to the kickass models, the waredrobe, the MUAH and the space. I do have a few dates planned soon for some really cool stuff....if I can get all the pieces together...otherwise it's just going to be just the same old photo.

I sit around some days and just daydream of getting together with people to shoot. This week I had 3 dates planned and none have panned out mostly due to really crappy weather this week.

Another thing is I need to redo my website and get a custom blog but 1)I have literally no time to do it myself and 2)I need it to be cheap/free. Can't I just wiggle my nose and make it happen? Damn, just tried...didn't work. I also have GOT to get the word out about my work more. I need to reach more EXPERIENCED models and get into some fashion. Soon I'll be pushing the limits and I've already kicked the box out of the way because I'm paving my own path. Is it a good path? Am I walking it strong enough or even right? I don't know, I just do what feels right and put my whole self into it.

So this is just my little spill for the day. I am not sure if it means anything but I need to be able to really get to shooting what I want and doing more limit-pushing work. I have the ideas....I just need the rest of the stuff to make it all come together!

Upcoming Opportunity for January 2011!

2010-11-03T08:12:00.001-07:00

Some people have asked what I have coming up so I thought I'd put together some 'flyer' to show! Also note that there is another exciting project in the works to be announced soon!!

And for the beginning of 2011!!...

Fear Institute in Downtown Macon is a MUST!

2010-09-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

I recently made a visit to a local Haunted House called the Fear Institute in downtown Macon for a little tour to contemplate an upcoming shoot I will be having there. I am more than excited now that I've been!! The owners were so very nice and generous and accomodating and me and my friend Nina had a blast shooting in a few of their VERY scary rooms. I was scared and it was during the day! ha! Here are a few of my fav shots from the playdate with FEAR!!

OH and P.S.- don't wear platform heels or any heels for that matter into a haunted house!!!

Cupcake Provacatour

2010-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

We are on the front page for Cupcake Provacatour! It is featuring an apron they made. Such a fun shoot and such a great day! This was especially cool because it was a SuiteShot Team effort! Nichole Mitchell did Ashley's hair and Ashley did her own makeup.

We also had a little fun with another look while I was there.... :-) It's a little like Sandra Dee!

Anthony Ennis - at The Grand

2010-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with the gorgeous, hot and so sweet Anthony Ennis last nite at a wonderful old theatre in town called The Grand. It was such a joy working with Anthony! He was up for anything and we had lots of laughs and went all over the place looking for cool spots. We had decided to do something a little different and keep the mood through the series a bit more dark, and thoughtful. I just love how these turned out! Here are a few of my favorites from my evening with Anthony.

Pre-Order Retro Lovely!!

2010-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am going to be in Issue #3!!! I am so excited! I recently did a pinup shoot with hopes of some shots from it making it and they did! I am so looking forward to revealing the layout but for the time being I will just give a teaser from the day.

This is Dana Fields & Maunalee Hashemi- we will have some photos in this upcoming issue!! Please click here to go to Retro Lovely and order now to get your copy for ONLY $10! The first person in the Central GA area that helps get 15 sales gets a FREE MINI SESSION!!

Pinup Bash in Macon ROCKED!!

2010-08-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

Wow what a day the 15th was! 7 incredible girls and one amazing MUAH, Cherry Dame. We rocked it out all day long at the gorgeous and gracious Priscilla Esser's home until I was hardly able to move. It was worth it...it's always worth it because i love it. It's so great meeting all these new people that become friends. And we have so much fun 'playing'!

Enjoy some shots from the day!

SPECIALS and Sweet Rewards!

2010-08-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just a note here friends, family and followers- I am very open for business and working hard to make incredible material for YOU!

I am having a special all during August!!! Photoshoots at my home at Lake Sinclair are only $75 per person or pet on SATURDAYS (excluding FULL pinup/glamour sessions)! Book for your dog or your baby or child or yourself! These are fun little 45 minute sessions either in the shop or out in the pretty grass by the lake front.

Also- for anyone you refer that books with me, you get a $25 print credit OR if you prefer, an extra 30 minutes on your next session!!

And last but not least- I will be holding some planned PINUP/GLAMOUR days in September on a few SUNDAYS. These will be a special price! Please email rocookie@yahoo.com to book now and get more details!

Max & Coco

2010-08-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Any time with Max is going to be good times but today was great because we shot in the shop! It was worth every second of sweating though, to get the great images we got. It's dang hot here in GA!! I did a little mini session with Max's chihuahua Coco, until he got too hot. I can withstand some heat but I won't put the pets through it once they let on they are overheated. Max was a trooper and never complained. He's such a gentleman. I am pretty sure I want him to be my brother.

Enjoy a few of my favorites from the day!

July-August Mini Session Special!

2010-07-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Check it out yall!

Bekah- Senior Phortos- Flovilla, GA

2010-07-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

What an adventure! And I love a good photo adventure. It was hot as blazes and I brought a new meaning to the word sweat...but it was worth every second. The day was perfect and the place was perfect. We visited 2 places right near each other and I hope to go back to both soon! There are so many undiscovered awesome hiding places and I love that sort of thing. Bekah is an incredible girl- beautiful inside and out and has a very bright future ahead of her. She also has such a great supportive mom, which I know from personal experience, means the world!!

Macon Food & Culture July hits the streets!

2010-07-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Macon Food & Culture finally hit the streets and I can look at it and say "I did that!" with a lot of the pages! This is what I'd worked on several months ago and have been so anxious to see it all come together and in print. A special trip was made to drop me off some copies and although I didn't cry in front of Gary, the editor, I sure wanted to!! I just held it and thought - WOW...I did that! As I flipped through the magazine, every few pages I saw more of my work and was thrilled with how it all looked. This all started with a chance given to me and all those that participated, well, I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am and how wonderful it's been getting to know these people. I'm not one that takes someone's photos and then disappears. For me it's a whole process....meeting someone....taking their photos....getting to know them better and forming a lasting friendship. Some of the great people involved with this are Gary Schechterle, Ashley Croft, Gabby Rose, Max Walker, Angel Soto, Nichole Mitchell and I know there are others that played a part. I look forward to more of this, with each piece of work getting better and better. Right now as I'm typing, across the room lies Macon Food and Culture and 11th Hour Macon. And it's just the beginning. The more I do, the more I WANT to do! I know there won't always be months like this or stretches of time like this...but this has been my biggest accomplishment to date and I wish my dad was here to see it.

The Most News I've ever had!!

2010-07-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to just pile all this week's excitement into one big blog. I actually have one more huge announcement but I will post it later today.

1) Proof is in the paper now! I was voted a 2010 BEST OF THE BEST - made 2nd place! note that next to that is Best Realtor & Best Real Estate Company.....Fickling & Company is where my day job is....Billy Hester is one of our agents! One of my specialties is Real Estate Photography and as of this date, 10 homes shot by me this year have SOLD this year with sales of right at 3.2 MILLION! However I do not shoot FOR Fickling. Eight homes I shot for agents working at Fickling just this year SOLD within 4 months! Yes professional photos WORK!

Click to see the Link to Macon Telegraph article

2) My FIRST Cover hit the streets and it was a surprise!

It's the 11th Hour Statesboro! I didn't even know "we" were going to be on this one so it's an extra bing-bang surprise. I will post the others as I get them. This is SUCH a COOL feeling!!

3) My FIRST CD Cover for an upcoming Country Music Star hit the streets!

Wow. Where DID this year go? Oh yeh, I have worked it away!!! That's a good thing though in my opinion. Everything I do is part of a strategy for other things and I love when things start coming together. I got word a that someone at the day job had the new Nick Malloy's CD in his hands. I didn't even know it had dropped yet!!! I was dying to see it and it looks even better than I'd imagined. This boy is going places and I'm so glad to have been the first one to do a CD cover for him. Not only did my first magazine cover hit stands, but now my first CD cover!

4) My SECOND Cover hit the streets- 11th Hour Macon!

Wow....it's so awesomely amazing to have the fruit of my labors actually IN my hands. The past few months have been spent really busting it to get some things done that will all be unfolded by midday tomorrow. Today, my 2nd cover, 11th Hour Macon, hit the streets and it is way better than I had even imagined! Not only the front cover, but also their new feature section called "My Favorite Things". This time the cover and feature were about my friend, Ashley Croft. I really enjoyed the opportunity given to do this cover and feature. We did 3 different days and 3 different setups and as always - it is always fun working with Ashley!

Enjoy some shots!

Hotel Shoot = Swanky Boudoir

2010-06-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of shooting with 4 incredible girls and one fantastic makeup artist, at a beautiful hotel in midtown Atlanta this weekend. We shot for about 6 hours and I really could have kept shooting until after dark. We were having a blast! Gorgeous girls, great personalities....lots of laughter and fun!! It was super hard to narrow down my absolute favorites because almost all count as favorites. Makeup was done by the fantastic Shadow Slinger/ Trisha Stowell.

Ashley Shafer

Skip Bowman

Kristin Aschermann

Mandolynne Hopkins

Bubble Bath silliness!

AUGUST 15th PINUP BASH in MACON!

2010-06-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is coming up on August 15th, a Sunday. I will be working with the incredible Cherry Dame, coming all the way from Alabama, to do this One Day Pinup Bash. I will be taking limited reservations for this as she plans to start doing hair around 10 am and I will start shooting as soon as she is done with the first girl. We will work until at least 6 or 7pm. Each girl gets 1 look by Cherry Dame and I will shoot them wearing 2 different outfits with everyone taking turns in different areas. The home is a gorgeous home not far off I-75 in Macon and is going to be an superb location!

MORE INFORMATION

Limited Spaces Available!!
One Day Event for models or pinups.
The most awesome Cherry Dame will be there to do Hair and Makeup - one look per girl.
*$250....$50 to reserve your spot
$150 if you will be doing your own hair/makeup.
Approximately 20-30 minutes per girl per "set" with a total of 2 sets per girl. A set is one outfit/in one area. I may do more if time allows. Please bring period clothing. This will be a 40's style setup but any type pinup look should be incredible in this wonderful home.
Approx 20 processed shots per girl at the least, but those that know me know that I deliver much more. I will post all the 'best of' in a gallery for each girl to see and save.
I'm adding a note that I'm now on the Retro Lovely pinup syndicate list and will be planning to submit images for Retro Lovely from this shoot. I will have a spot in Issue #3 or Issue #4 (depending on deadlines) of Retro Lovely. Definitely one and will be submitting for the other also. I can't guarantee who or how many, that's up to the editor, just that there will be submissions.

On June 22 I went over to do a little test session and the results were...SUCCESS!!! Wow I sooo am even more looking forward to shooting on August 15th for the Pinup Bash. I went with Ashley and her friend Kelley Dixson (who's never modeled before) and we spent about 45 minutes playing, just to be sure I could get the look I wanted. Oh yeh baby!!

Just a few to enjoy in just 2 little areas of the house.

Ashley wearing "Karen", one of the homeowner's fantastic Aprons from an inspiring collection she has.

Lemongrass Cocktails for a Cause

2010-06-15T06:42:00.001-07:00

I thought yesterday was hot but it was nothing compared to today. When I went to lunch, the thermometer in the car read 111....yes 111!!! I think my brain melted a little waiting on the car to cool down somewhat. In any case- I was invited to come shoot at Lemongrass tonight for this:

MACON CELEBRITY DRINK LIST TO LAUNCH AT LEMONGRASS...A THAI BISTRO COCKTAIL PARTY TODAY AT 6PM! Lemongrass...a thai bistro in Downtown Macon has developed its very own Kharma List...and no, our name isn’t Earl, but we like to have kharma on our side as well!

It was SO very nice! Once again, I didn't get to eat or drink anything but I just try to make it a practice to not eat while "on the job".... for one thing, I'm a very messy eater! And another, it seems very unprofessional. I probably should have stuck something in my pocket though for later (yuck LOL). There were a few people there to present their drinks and the associations they were helping to raise money for. I tried to get shots of most everything and I had a lot but I am just going to post some of my favs here for tonight.

Priscilla Esser- her drink is the Satin Doll

Terrell Sandefur

Terrell's drink is the Fabulous Bastard

Pilar- her drink is Pilar's Pomegranite Passion

Pilar's drink

Mark Ballard- his drink is Mark's Green Tini

Craig Hamilton with his drink The Archimedes, Priscilla Esser & Terrell Sandefur

The amazing food served

John & Katie's E-Session

2010-06-02T07:04:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful fun meet with Katie & John who are getting married in October. I am enjoying getting to know them and had fun wading through deep grass and wandering back and forth down a long cool driveway hunting for places to stop for shots. Here are some of my favs from the evening.

Pinup Awesomeness!

2010-05-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday was seriously amazing. I can't even begin to talk about how awesome it was working with these smokin' hot girls. I ended the day coated in dirt with the dirtiest feet in the whole country! They were dirtier than walmart feet!! haha! I spent the whole day with some incredible models and a very talented makup and hair artist and I shot basically all day long. It was crazy but fun and I am more than worn out. I loved working with these girls and look forward to more shoots but this time in a more relaxing and cooler environment....because today was HOT even though we had a tent and a fan and cooler full of drinks! The girls were Ashley Croft, Ashley Shafer, Kristen Aschermann, Skip Bowman & makeup/hair artist, the incredible Cherry Dame. The big task I have ahead is finding the right magazines to submit shots to and getting the right contacts so my (our) work gets in these magazines.

Tattoo/Hot Rod/Pinup/Retro Magazines: I want to be in and on you!

Here are some shots from the day to enjoy:

Skip Bowman

Kristin Aschermann

Ashley Croft

Ashley Shafer

Pinup Playdate!

2010-05-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love shooting in "the shop" and it was wonderful doing a whole day of pinup shooting. Wow what a blast! We did so much that I can't even post it all but I'm going to post a few favorites. I really do enjoy the pinup shooting ..... it is so different from shooting fashion! I used 3 different backgrounds for these shots.

Pinup Headshots with Ashley

2010-04-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

I met with my friend Ashley Croft to do a headshot that's going to go in a magazine she's doing some writing for. I got some really cute shots but only had about 10 minutes to make it happen because the wind was kicking up something fierce and we kept feeling some rain drops! I don't think it ever rained but at least we played it safe!

Nick Malloy & the Shane Bridges Band!

2010-04-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am super excited about these photos and look forward to watching this band as they progress. I had the honor of listening to some of the music they have coming out and all I can really say is WOW...and that's coming from someone with a music background and musicians in my family. This young man has an amazing voice and coupled with the band.....I can see their name in lights in Nashville! Good luck to these guys and I hope to work with them again! Here are a few of my favs!

Little Tucker was Tuckered Out!

2010-04-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

Yep that's me....tuckered out! But will bounce right back by morning. I have had one helluva busy day. Tomorrow is going to be just as busy.
Awesome report for the day- Just in 2010, 2 of the homes I've shot have closed already....6 are pending at this time. And it's just April. I have so much I want to just blurt out but I'm going to pace it...tomorrow nite should be another exciting blog because I have a pretty big deal shoot after work.

Today I met with baby Tucker. He's just a week old but such a strong big baby! This is my friend Debbie's grandson and also my friends Ryan & Melissa's baby.

Fashion Session with Ashley Croft

2010-04-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had meeting with Ashley and her friend Sara for some fun in downtown Macon. This time we'd decided to do modern fashion...I believe it's editorial fashion... I truly love doing this type photography and love working with Ashley. We can be ourselves and silly one second and straight to business the next. When I start doing photography "professionally" one goal I had was to do fashion and I have been working towards it so I was more than excited when we got to do this shoot. I love evolving and every time is more exciting than the last. Each time I go through a batch makes me that much more excited to get to the next shoot and see where it all will take me. I am packed and ready for the ride!!

Here are a few of my favs.... And by the way- Ashley & I have decided to work together to start doing "Pin Me Up" type sessions. This is where you come as you are and she does the makeup/hair and styling, then I do the photo session and she helps direct you on posing and together we just make it a fun process to show the BEST of yourself. I will be posting more information on this soon - so keep checking back or just email for information and pricing!! rocookie@yahoo.com

And this is her friend Sara...she'd never been in front of the camera before!

Sugary Sweet Annabelle

2010-04-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of photographing the tiniest gorgeous little 3 week old girl named Annabelle. She was such a joy! So soft, and gave us some smiles and let me pose her and I think if she were mine I would stare at her 24/7. Such a great family too, I really enjoyed my time with her mommy Kathy and she was so very accommodating!

Enjoy these sweet photos!

2010 Cherry Blossom Fashion Show- HOT!

2010-03-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here in Macon, GA- we have a week long festival called the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's a really big deal for us Maconites! Today was the Cherry Blossom Fashion show and it was MC'd by Terrell Sandefur with SoChi Galleries & Liz Fabian of the news. Both did an excellent job. The whole thing from top to bottom was flawless!! There was a fire artist, beautiful food, champagne, a packed house, and wonderful outfits modeled by people around Macon. I was only able to stay about an hour and a half and had to get back to the day job, but I enjoyed it while I was there.

Here are some of the photos from this WONDERFUL event!!

These incredible cakes were by Tammy Anderson

Now offering Real Estate Video Tours!

2010-03-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yep- after quite a bit of time planning and being somewhat patient...it's finally happened. I'm now offering this service and am very excited about it! This is a fantastic addition to having a full regular photo gallery for listings or for your own home and this allows people to not just see photos but feel as though they are walking through the home themselves.

Here's one of my newest ones. A gorgeous listing in Macon, GA listed at Fickling & Company. Enjoy!

Back to the 60's with Ashley Croft

2010-03-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the talented and gorgeous Ashley Croft. We had decided to meet at Club Synergy in downtown Macon and our theme would be the 60's. Ashley came prepared - hair, makeup, clothes and PROPS! She is a dream come true. Not only is she gorgeous on the outside but such a sweet girl and fun to be around. She is RAD!!!! I am so very much looking forward to doing more shoots like this and heavier into the fashion shoots. For some folks it would have calmed the need but for me it just made it eleventy-billion times worse! I'm such a lover of dramatic lighting and this type of shooting really fills a need for me. I must do more!

Here are some of my favs from the shoot.

I love Natural & Creative Lighting!

2010-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the agents I work with at my day job, ask me to do new headshots for their advertising and cards. I always enjoy this little bit of time of with them that's usually spent joking around, telling them to do things and sit places where they have no clue what I have in mind. The best part is when they see the shots and really like them. My subject below, is a naturally adorable girl with stunning eyes. I love what she wore and couldn't help but do a normal edit and one that was rather vintage to match her outfit.

These were done in natural light

As for Creative Lighting, I love finding kids to do the teen shoots with, because they really don't understand how beautiful or handsome they are. I know because I HATED being a teen. Teens are quick to take pictures of themselves with their p&s but seem intimidated to have them done "professionally". I believe that's because they don't understand what is involved and that it is nothing like what they will see with their little cameras. Being a teen was TERRIBLE. I can't imagine how awesome it would have been to have gotten the chance to take part in some fun real photoshoots and show the world that I was more than what THEY (the mean kids) said I was. Here are 2 exceptional girls. The gorgeous young redhead is MaryHelen and the beautiful, rather sultry girl with the wild hair is Rachel. MaryHelen's mother did the hair for both girls and her co-worker did the finished look for MaryHelen. Our friend Angela did their makeup which really brought it all together.

The teen shoot was done downtown during the day with some creative lighting.

Real Estate Photography - Middle Georgia Photography

2010-02-26T11:21:00.001-08:00

It looks like the season is starting for doing more real estate photography. This is an area I really love to do. It's not that easy and it takes thought and a little more equipment but that may be why I like it. Not everyone can do it although a lot of people think just because they have a camera and take photos of a house, that it's the same thing. News flash -it's not! I did a "before & after" blog post on ActiveRain about just this thing and posted sample shots. I work to make every home shoot better than the last and it's all a learning process and a big part is the process of addition- versus deduction (meaning adding lights). I did a few on Friday and have just now gotten around to being able to post a few favs from the day.

Attempt at Motivational Spill....

2010-02-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

Don't see this photo, FEEL it!

I am always astounded by how short of a time we have in this life and how you never know when someone is going to die. My dad left this life at just 54 and it boggles my mind how many often I hear of men between mid 40's to mid 50's dying out of the blue. It gets me to thinking.....well, everything makes me think, it's my curse and it's why I do photography and why I started with graphic design.....

I believe we all come into each other's lives for "a reason, a season or for life" and up to US to make the most of our time while we are here. Once you realize this and keep it in mind- you will view meeting/knowing people a whole new way. You never know when someone is going to come into your life that is going to give you the support, or the wisdom, or impart the knowledge on you that will be needed another day and it's important to pay attention to it. I want to make a good impact on others lives....I want to show people they have it in them to be a better person....I want "YOU" to realize that if you stop believing you can't, and instead believe that YOU CAN.....that it will happen. You may read this and think "She's full of crap, that never happens for me"....well, then you are right....because you believe it. I am living proof that changing your way of thinking CAN make a difference. I spent the 1st half of my life wanting to do things but always saying there was no way I could....so there wasn't. I certainly don't have everything going for me...I don't have a nice house, I don't have kids, my bills aren't all paid, I struggle every month and I don't go through life like it's a party. LIFE.IS.HARD. I work some days around 24 hrs just being sure things are done but can look around the tiny home I live in and nothing is done there. I want to help everyone and make everyone happy but I know I can only do it one person at a time. I especially like working with teens and it's why I do the Teen days (Casting Calls) because kids need help with confidence more than ever these days. I know because I Lived It. School was terrible and I literally have the physical scars to prove it.

I know some people see all my photo posts and may be sick of them and there are others that are always commenting and complimenting. I may like "my stuff" but there's nothing like hearing someone else liked it too or "Got it". Some folks do lots of light photos and I tend to do darker or use creative lighting. Some people have asked why I do that and it's because I'm trying to convey an emotion to the reader. I love to hear people say I'm talented because I don't say that of myself and although I may think I made something pretty, I'm my harshest critic and always want to do better. I just use the camera to capture the vision I have of whatever I am looking at. I love when people get it and just like with any artist, I hate when someone says "You camera did a good job".... I want to say, "Your fork made a good dinner".

Look at this photo

What do you see? Do you just see a flower? If so, look again.... it's dark, it's shiny, it's romantic, softly lit, it's singular and it's facing away rather coy, but you can see all of it's beauty....

Look at this one

Do you just see a withering tulip? Look again.... it's bright, soft, it's lit by the sun and you can see something inside but aren't sure what...there are some focused petals and out of focus....and it's all on purpose.

What will your obit say if you died today? We don't want to think about it but face it, we are born to die. I realized one nite a few years ago that mine wouldn't say much and although I didn't know what I wanted it to say, I knew I didn't want it to say nothing.

Enjoy your loved ones.
Love your friends and don't have enemies.
Stop and look at your surroundings instead of with blinders on.
Work at your day job but also play.
It's ok to let your guard down because there are people that care about what you have to say.

And then.........Go out and have a good day...because I said so!!

Spring has brought the birds!

2010-02-21T12:05:00.001-08:00

Oh my....spring was officially here....at least for the weekend and today was GLORIOUS!!! Not just gorgeous and not just beautiful but GLORIOUS! The birds were flocking around my feeder and there was a lovely variety to oogle upon. I got tons of great shots of them but I'm going to just post a few of my favs.

Hairy Woodpecker

Bluebird

Tufted Titmouse

TWO Red Bellied Woodpeckers

Willie watching me watch birds and is obviously completely bored!

I. Love. Flowers.

2010-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

The nite after Valentine's, I had Valentine's dinner with my mom at her house and I got a chance to take some photos of the flowers I had delivered to her this weekend. They are gorgeous - tulips & iris'! If I could figure out how to just take photos of flowers for living, I would do that at least half the time. :-)

Enjoy!!

A tulip with mom's ukelele....I'm very musically motivated (always a song in my head) and I love the look of instruments. I used to could play quite a few but haven't in a long while.

3 Months, Chunky, Precious and Sweet! Baby James - Baby Photography

2010-01-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

I just realized I've gotten a little behind on my regular blog so I'm going to be working to play catch up! Recently I had a session with a wonderful family and their adorable chunkster James. Not only were they super nice and welcoming, but little James was too cute for words! At first we weren't sure if we were going to get anything, he was a little unsure about the camera and set up, but after he got used to it, he kept us laughing with his funny faces and noises and was just overall one totally edible baby. I look forward to watching him grow up.

Dressage Horses- Equine Photography

2010-01-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

All I can really say about this is that I love horses! Always have an always will. I am so excited after a decade of being away from them, that I will be getting back into photographing horses. I look forward to going to shows and visiting farms. I will post updates as I go along! These were photographed in Warner Robins at the Hillstrom Farm. Such a wonderful place, beautiful grounds and very nice welcoming people along with gorgeous loving horses!

I'm in the paper!

2010-01-13T05:09:00.001-08:00

Ed Grisamore, local columnist, had a great article in the local Macon Telegraph, about two adoptees- Michael Lange & AC with one of my photos! http://www.macon.com/194/story/983341.html

Please read the article to know more about both of them. Some people may have seen my posts on my other blog about how I've done some work with a local Animal Control to make a calendar to help raise money for the shelter. AC is the mascot dog I worked with and this is what this is all about. How awesome they not only used one of the photos but also made a mention of me! Hopefully it will continue to help raise awareness about the shelter and help dogs and cats to continue to be adopted.

Previous blog post about AC & the calendar

FunDay with Lori

2010-01-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

Today I had nothing on the 'book' so I made plans to go spend a few hours with one of my BFFs. I sat up my whole 'shibang' in her kitchen and we spent about 3 hours fiddlefinagaling around with me making her do all these poses and wearing masks and hair up, using a fan, masks off, hoods on outfits... you name it! I love doing this type thing. I think this type of shooting is rather 'fashion-like' although it tends to be a little dark, which is what I gravitate towards when not doing photos of babies or kids. Lori is such a great sport and loves being in front of the camera and has learned to take my directions - such as eye movements or head tilts. Sometimes she thinks I'm signaling her but I'm really just moving my own head!! And sometimes we get to laughing so much that we almost cry our makeup off!

In any case- here are some of my favs from the day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-01-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

Yes it's actually 2010....just WHERE did 2009 go? It has literally flown by but it was an incredible flight! The new year has already started off with a bang and I had 2 wonderful special sessions today. The first was with a friend from work and her week old newborn. What a precious baby! I love meeting my friends babies when they are 'new' and very much enjoy watching them grow up. It touches my heart to be a part of it all. The second session was with a friend whose family I've known almost my whole life. When she found me and I saw her boys, I couldn't wait to offer to do a session for them!

Here are Garrett, Dylan & Tate:

Wrap Up for 2009

2009-12-29T06:43:00.000-08:00

Weeeeeeeee!! That pretty much is the jist for how 2009 has been....one helluva ride!!

I started to write a huge essay on the year's progress but thought summary form would be easier and shorter to follow:
January- Sold my beloved '87 IROC-Z
February - Paid off majority of debts and started doing more bookings.Traveled to Rosemary Beach for a weekend of beauty and photowalking
March- Put deposit down for '10 SS Camaro and had a birthday. More bookings!
April- My sweet 'heart dog' Vinnie had to be put down...apparent brain tumor. We are still heartbroken but are so very thankful for every second we were blessed with him. He was the smartest, most human-like dog I've ever had and I've had a LOT.
May- More bookings! Visited the Atlanta Zoo & Aquarium.
June- Got my '10 SS Camaro!!!!! And traveled to Saint Simons
July- Not sure what happened in July other than photography :-)
August- More photography!
September- Met a wonderful new friend that brought me my darling sweet Willie!!
October- offered to help AC and coordinated with Central GA CARES to create a beautiful 2010 "A Year with AC" Calendar to help raise money for the shelter! I had a wonderful October of meeting people, finding old friends and working with a wonderful worthy organization. Also - got in touch with my dad's side of the family and connected with some amazing family members!! I also finally visited Cumberland Island & Okefenokee! In addtion, I did photos for a friend's fundraiser and all the proceeds were donated to her daughter's (battling brain cancer) fund. I also wrapped up the month with doing yet another fundraiser for Georgia Canine Rescue & Rehab where again, all the proceeds from the photos went to their organization.
November- This was another busy month- a whirlwind of gorgeous photos and fabulous people! The AC Calendar I made hit the streets and sold out in just a few days!
December- Christmas and the end of a busy, exciting, fun-filled year!

I am SO ready to BURST into 2010. My mind is bursting with ideas and I'm ready to not only continue to grow as a photographer but also continue to be a better person. I look forward to helping out the community with other projects, doing more travel adventures and creating even more gorgeous photos.

Thank you SO much to everyone that gave me their time and trusted me to capture beautiful shots for them. I feel so blessed to have found all the relatives and friends from the past and connected with new ones.

SEE YOU SOON 2010!

Introducing....Alex

2009-12-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

Recently I reconnected with a friend from grade school and she introduced me to her 15 year old daughter that is interested in modeling. I was not only thrilled to get to do her first shots, but also just plain thrilled to meet her. She's so much a piece of her wonderful mother and it was also so nice to be able to spend more time with my friend while getting to know her daughter. We only had a short session because it was low 30's, windy and just plain miserable.... but we are looking forward to doing some more creative endeavors!

Sloshing with the Purser Family

2009-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Saturday I met with the Purser family and their precious little girl, Tenleigh. We had a wonderful non-raining morning in a sloshy but gorgeous setting! It's always a pleasure photographing such wonderful people that are not only easy to work with but gracious and sweet all together.

Enjoy! The whole set can be seen here
Sarah, Clay & Tenliegh's Christmas Session

Bulldog Fun

2009-12-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend it was cold, blustery and raining. I had a few shoots scheduled but had to cancel due to the weather. One however, had decided to meet me at my home where I would set up a "studio" in my boyfriend's garage to make some really cute shots for her Bulldogs. It may have been 35 degrees but we heated it up playing with the dogs and having fun!

Enjoy some of the shots! The white boy with fawn brindle patches is "Chipper" and the red and white girl is "Maddy". Chipper is 8 months old and full of energy. Maddy is a pretty 6 month old that is so sweet and naughty in the same breath.

AC Calendar update & Mini Shoot Contest Winner

2009-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

The calendars no more hit the streets one day and then were practically sold out the next day! I think another batch is being ordered this week. In any case, it looks like 250 calendars have sold out in just a few days. Wow! What great support the shelter has throughout Middle GA!!! It has been so exciting being a part of such a wonderful organization!

And also- it was a VERY tough call for the mini shoot contest winner but the winner is....drum roll please... PAULA FULLER!

Thanks to all who entered!!

AC Calendars Hit the STREETS in Macon!

2009-12-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

About 2 months ago I contacted 'AC Pup' ...the mascot for the Macon Animal Control shelter...to offer my services in some way to try to help out the shelter. I like to take on projects here and there to help raise money using my photography since I really enjoy helping out worthy causes! I was contacted by "AC Pup" a few weeks after that, to see if I was still interested in donating my services to do photography of AC to take a few shots for a 2010 Calendar. I couldn't send the answer of YES back quick enough! I was so excited to not only work with a dog but also decided to do 12 different shots to make the calendar. I realized there was an immediate need to get the calendar done and to the printer as soon as possible so they could be sold for Christmas. I told them my ideas and they let me run with it. I had 2 sessions with AC and his mom Tracie VanDeWalker and president of Central GA Cares, Patti Jones, Charlotte Van Hoozen "Grammie", Beth & little Michael Lange and Anne & Birch Sawyer. It was a blast! I have thoroughly enjoyed not only working with AC himself but also absolutely everyone involved with this worthy cause. I created the entire calendar and they were beautifully printed by Minuteman Press in Macon. Today they FINALLY were delivered and I was so excited to see the finished product. I didn't know whether to cry or jump for joy so I may have done a little of both. :-)

If anyone is interested in this very worthy cause, ALL the proceeds go to the Macon Animal Control Shelter/Central GA CARES and are only $12 each. You can find out more about AC and his awesome special story on Facebook by looking up AC Pup. This special dog was found as a little tiny puppy in a trash bin almost frozen to death- thrown away!!! Luckily the people at Animal Control found him and he's become an incredible ambassador for the shelter and for Macon. Please contact AC Pup on Facebook to get your own calendar or you can just contact me and I'll help you out!

Some people have asked to see the gallery for the calendar. There were only a little over 12 selected, but a lot of fun photos that I am more than glad to share!
Check it out! http://robincookphotography.zenfolio.com/accalendar

Here are a few shots from my first site of the calendars today - enjoy!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this! I hope the calendar sales really help out!!

I Made National TV!!

2009-12-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

OK sort of! One of the homes I shot for an agent here in Macon, called this morning to tell me that the home I shot for her earlier this year, had been featured on the TODAY SHOW!! I was ecstatic!! It doesn't show the photographer name but judging from the other homes listed, I am most likely the only "professional" featured. I did sign my name to the comments....just in case anyone wondered. :-)

Here's the link- it's the first one! The quality is poor on the video...
http://barbaracorcoran.com/2009/11/what-you-can-get-for-under-500knbc-today-show-6/

and here are a few of the shots from that home...some were in the video. Home listed by Nancy King

Win a Mini Session!!

2009-12-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

OK everyone....it's almost Christmas time and I live to give and so I've decided to have a contest!! I am GIVING a FREE Mini Session ($75 Value) to whomever wins! It could be for a child, or you and your loved one or maybe your doggy. You could also choose to give this session as a GIFT to someone else! TIS THE SEASON!!!!!!!!

How do you win? Just post in the comments, stating why YOU would like to be the winner. I will select the winner on December 12th. This Mini Session will take place in Gray, GA and is around 40 minutes of shooting time. I will keep you moving around for different poses and you can even change clothes or whatever! I like to have fun at my shoots! I will post all the best on facebook as well as email ALL of the best(in low-res with my logo) to the winner. Plan to bring cute props and I will also have some. This will not be a studio shoot where you do one pose. This is an outdoor shoot (my fav!).

Let's have some fun!!

I Heart Savannah

2009-12-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Savannah is my 'hometown'....it was where I was born, where I was partially raised and where my mom was born and raised and where her family still lives. I love going there because there's always something new to see or do. I love the beach best though although I don't like the crowds. I like to find the secret spots where I can just sit and stare out at the ocean and listen and think....and of course meander around and find pretty things to take photos of! I could probably spend a solid week in Savannah just on gorgeous windows!

Here are just a few shots from my trip during Thanksgiving weekend. My aunt took me to some places and my uncle took me to some others. It was a great weekend and I enjoyed it all!

It was a very baby day!

2009-12-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

I recently had the pleasure of doing a session day with 2 wonderful families and their precious babies, Isabella & Tenleigh. I absolutely love doing sessions with babies and toddlers. It can be challenging but it is always worth it and the big plus is getting to spend time with those little precious kids! Here are my favs from teh shoots...

First 4 shots are Isabella, then the others are Tenleigh

Handsome Gunnar the Doberman

2009-11-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

My new friend Meredith has 2 beautiful Dobermans that she just absolutely loves to pieces! She had asked if I'd like to do a shoot for them and of course I leaped at it. I love doing the dog shoots since it's so much a part of who I am. We met at this beautiful little setting and spent a little while playing and laughing and went from being cold to sweating! It actually was a wonderful morning! Gunnar enjoyed it all the most, it was his very own private play and treat time and a few times he was so excited he would just run in circles. Who could blame him! His own shoot on a beautiful morning!

Here are some of my favorites:

GA Canine Rehab & Rescue - Success!

2009-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, 11/14, I did photos at a Fall Festival in Warner Robins to help raise money for another local rescue & rehab organization. I love doing these events and you never know what is going to show up or how it's going to go! Here are just a few of my favs from the event. I was very glad we had a beautiful day and I even got a little sunburned. :-)

The full gallery for the event can be seen here!

Central GA CARES (Animal Control) ROCKS!

2009-11-08T12:16:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while I love to find some projects where I can donate my services to help organizations. This time it has been for dog rescue organizations. 2 weeks ago I was asked by the mascot of the Macon, GA Humane Society if I'd be interested in doing photographs for a calendar they wanted to do to raise money for many much needed things the shelter. I had contacted "AC" a few weeks prior to let him know I was interested in helping out some way. I immediately let them know I would be glad to help and since I knew they needed it quick, we went ahead and set up the dates. I spent 2 days & around 5 hours with AC and quite a few people involved with the organization - Patti Jones, President of Central GA CARES, Charlotte Van Hoozen- AC's "Grammie", Beth Lange & her son Michael Lange and Anne Sawyer & her son Birch - very involved with AC's events, and Tracie Vandewalker, AC's mom, & AC himself. I came to love them all!! I had been involved with community work in the 80's with the shelter but it was quite a different place back then. The people I worked with are an amazing bunch, including the wonderful mascot, AC!!!

I was so excited to do the calendar shots but me being me...I just couldn't do 12 shots and walk away. I immediately was struck with a ton of ideas and wanted to make each month different, fun and special. We met at several places around Macon and I was allowed to "make it happen" and I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

Below are some of the shots from our sessions. I am so very honored to have had the chance to work with this bunch and look forward to doing more for them in the future. I have been humbled by the outpouring of love, compliments and thank yous from people I've never even met before. I had not realized how much my work could touch others. I makes me look forward to other projects that much more.

You know you want at least one!

2009-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Loooove some Float Wraps!!

I finally had the opportunity to do a few float wraps for family and GOODNESS am I impressed! I love these things. Photos do not do them justice. I am hoping more people will start getting these little gems. These are just 8x10 but they come in all sizes. They are very well made and simply gorgeous. The response I got when I gave them as gifts was a big speechless *GASP*! That's a great reaction!

Here are a few shots of the 2 I had made. They are prints from my trip to Cumberland Island a few weeks ago.

HOLIDAYS SESSION SPECIALS

2009-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yes you heard right - it's almost November and then comes Christmas! It's time now to get booked for FAMILY SESSIONS! I am going to be doing some specials for the holiday season and it's best to hurry and book because orders for cards and photos and other gifts need to be in by the last week of November which is going to be here before you know it.

Holiday Specials!!

*Holiday Family Session SPECIAL - $175*
*1-2 hours shoot time on-location using either natural light or "studio" lighting for more creative imagery
*Unlimited clothing changes
*All photos in your own gallery
*8 emailed small with my logo
*Includes three 5x7

Do you just want photos of your child/kids or pet/pets?

*Holiday Mini Session SPECIAL - $75 (1-3 kids or pets)*
*Around 30'ish minutes of shoot time- kept short so the kids don't get bored!
*Unlimited clothing changes
*All photos in your own gallery
*8 emailed small with my logo

Happy Birthday Lucas!!

2009-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Precious Lucas Human just turned ONE! I have been photographing him since he was 3 months old and he is always such a pleasure. His whole family is a pleasure and it has been exciting watching this handsome boy grow during his first year. We had a little session this past weekend and here are a few of my favorites.

Welcoming Baby Isabella

2009-10-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late getting this listed on here but she's just too special to miss out! Meet Baby Isabella. Her mom is a friend of mine and I did her maternity shots just a few weeks before Isabella came into the world. She is such a beautiful mellow baby and I look forward to doing more sessions with her as she grows!!

Enjoy! See the FULL GALLERY here!

It's SUPER BOKEH THURSDAY!

2009-10-01T10:07:00.001-07:00

Yes....I will admit it...I'm a bokeh whore!... I love it so much that I like to go out and purposely 'make' it. What is bokeh (Boe'kuh) you ask? Wiki says "a photographic term referring to the æsthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas of an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field. Essentially, bokeh is an aesthetic and qualitative measure of light distortion in the out-of-focus areas of an image, and is primarily caused by lens aberrations and aperture shape." Bokeh is this beautiful creaminess you see out of low DOF photos. In any case- I took a little lunch time today to wander around the parking lot at work (literally) and captured some beautiriffic shots including exquisite bokeh.

ENJOY! Please visit my Flickr page to see these in their FULL size glory.

The Proof is in the NUMBERS!!

2009-09-28T18:33:00.001-07:00

I decided to see just how many homes and how much amount in sales have been made with the homes I've shot and with a little research for verification, found that in just one year 18 of my homes (shot within the year) closed making almost 5.3 MILLION in sales! I am very proud of this feat in only a year. I look forward to helping make many more sales. At this time I have 3 that have gone pending in just the past week!

GREAT PHOTOS GET ATTENTION AND MAKE SALES!!!

http://www.robincookphotography.com/

Contact me to info on getting you booked today!

New "Son" Willie the French Bulldog

2009-09-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCING....our newest family member, Willie! The most wonderful little french bulldog! He's a year & a half old champion and this marks the first time I'm getting a dog strictly as a companion. I don't show like I used to anymore since the photography has taken up my time but I can't stand not being around the dogs. Willie is a wonderful little dog!! He immediately stole my heart and fits in with our family like he's been here since being a puppy. I can't thank my friend and the lady I got him from, Kathi Liebe, enough for entrusting me with this wonderful, silly, adorable, handsome, loving little clown.

5 Day Old Rylie Bass

2009-09-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

This baby is special to me because her family is like my own and I couldn't wait to do this newborn shoot!! This little girl already has my heart and I've only know her a few days. I look forward to watching her grow up and getting to know her.

Here she is!

Announcing New Service with Real Estate Photography!

2009-08-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Although I typically only tell people that I deliver around 25 shots per home for the Real Estate Photography, I always take more. Some homes require up to 60 shots due to all the elaborate details and sheer size of the house. MLS only allows around 14-17 shots and Realtor.com only allows 25 shots and all of those are small. Because of this, I have started to make galleries for use for advertising!

Here are the first 4 created. They all start with tinyurl because it makes it much easier to learn and find a website with this very short URL.

http://tinyurl.com/pinnaclepoint
http://tinyurl.com/401riverforest
http://tinyurl.com/5dunedin
http://tinyurl.com/oxforddenny

Please email for pricing, options and availability!

Kallie & Scott's "Belly" Session

2009-08-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

This week I had the absolute pleasure of doing a "Belly Session" for my friend Kallie and her husband. It was a short session that will resume soon but a good start! Kallie has 7 weeks left to go and her little girl will be "Isabella". I look forward to meeting her!!

New website is LAUNCHED!!

2009-08-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yes it has finally happened....after 2 years and having 4 different web addresses to go to, I FINALLY picked a site I liked and have spent the past weekend and nights getting it ready. So - at your own leisure- please visit and bookmark http://www.robincookphotography.com and click the first block for now- Enter Website!! Please take time to visit all the pages because quite a few of you have photos throughout the site. I wanted to be sure the most special photos were out there for the world to enjoy. Some of you may not see any of your shots yet, but you will. I still have a lot of special photos to go through!

Prepare for Cuteness OVERLOAD

2009-07-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

These shots are going to speak for themselves! Give me muslin, tape, b400, a floormat and put it all outside on the front deck with cute animals........

wa-la! Click on each one to see bigger!!

My Love

2009-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Played around last week and did a few shots in the yard with my boyfriend. I had been wanting to do some "Rebel without a Cause" type stuff for a while and it only took a year to get him to agree to it. LOL

Discover ME

2009-07-07T11:53:00.001-07:00

I have been doing this for a while now...no not the blogging, the photography! My heart is primarily in portraits, real estate, and vehicles. I also have a passion for nature but that tends to be primarily for my own relaxation and enjoyment than anyone elses.

I want to be discovered & I want to continually improve and grow. I am ready, willing and eager to move forward and stay out of my box! It only takes that ONE person. Right now I'd love to do ads for vehicles that will appear in magazines. I have taken a LOT of vehicle photography to date but haven't even had the chance to really show what's in my brain. I tend think more dramatic and like dramatic lighting.

Just a very few samples of some done with my minimal gear....

Ok so the word is out. I want to do some magazine covers or at least do a LOT more cars. I have other loves but right now the car 'want' is what I'm going to put out there.

DISCOVER ME!

Blue Eyes & Freckles

2009-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

One of my agents I work with, has this precious daughter she brings in at times and when she stopped by yesterday I just had to take a few minutes to get her in some good natural light and do some shots. I love when these kids are naturals! She has such incredible blue eyes and the cutest freckles! Here's Lindsey!

My SS is Finally Home!

2009-06-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

My Camaro is finally here after what seems like a FOREVER wait and now that I've had her over a week, I can't say enough about how great this car is... so instead of saying how great she is... I decided to show it!

A Visit to Bonnie's Farm

2009-06-12T08:21:00.001-07:00

I am delighted to have had the pleasure of visiting a friend of mine's farm and get to take a few shots of the animals before a bit storm hit. I got to see ducks and geese and mini horses and regular horses and dogs and deer and swamp and turkeys and all sorts of things! I look forward to going back on a pretty day and doing more shots of all the little details.

Real Estate Photography is one of my Specialties!

2009-06-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Some people may not realize this is one of my specialties so I thought I'd remind folks! I do this after hours for any agent including weekends when needed. Typically there are at least 3 of the listings I've shot, Pending at any given time. At this date, over half of the homes I've shot within the last 6 months have either closed or are already pending and I have shot around 50 homes. Homes shot by me, sell over twice as quick and agents that use me are consistently TOP PRODUCERS!

Sample Gallery For Real Estate Photography

Newborn Baby Leah

2009-06-02T06:41:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure recently of photographing a lifetime friend and fellow photogs newborn baby and it was SUCH a treat! She was 10 days old at our meeting and an absolute pleasure and so beautiful. I look forward to watching this baby grow up.

Here are a few favorites from the day!

Zoo Atlanta & GA Aquarium

2009-05-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

Mother/Daughter day in Atlanta!

On Mother's Day Saturday, me and my own wonderful mom, went to Atlanta to spend a day at the zoo & aquarium. It was a wonderful day and we walked until we could walk no more! We saw lots of wonderful animals and although I still prefer the TN Aquarium, I will definitely be going back to the Zoo. Enjoy!

In Memory of my Vinnie

2009-05-31T05:08:00.001-07:00

For those of you that knew my darling Vinnie....he passed to the bridge (put to sleep) yesterday after a week long battle with severe nonstop dibilitating epileptic seiizures that left him unable to function normally. He was going to be just 6 in July. He was my constant companion, my muse, the light of my day, my best friend, the sillyness through all badness, my heart, the best there has been to date. He could do every trick in the book and could learn anything withing minutes. He loved everyone and everything and never forgot a place or a person. He was special and he was loved....and I am missing him....

Kids in the Park

2009-05-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting up with three new kids at Washington Park and they werw SO adorable! From Scottie running full blast back and forth to Emma Grace starting off as GrumpyPants and Hutch with his "No Drama Here" attitude- it was so much fun. Here are some of my favs from the day.

Less Seen Scene

2009-05-31T05:06:00.000-07:00

I love photographing obscure things or what some would call macro. It's tiny things that aren't normally noticed- but things that through my viewfinder- are just amazing! All of these were found in my yard.

Baby Gavin in the Park

2009-04-09T06:08:00.001-07:00

Monday afternoon we finally had a break from rain for a day, and I met with Gavin's mom to do a sweet little shoot in Indian Springs Park. We didn't have a ton of time but we got some really cute shots! Gavin is a precious 5 month old and also in these shots are his sweet big sister Grayson.

Enjoy these precious shots!

5 Month Old Lucas

2009-04-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

I did a newborn shoot for some friends of mine last year and this past weekend they were ready for his 5 month old shots. Boy has he grown and he just keeps getting more handsome! Please enjoy the photos. We met at his mom's on a very nasty flooding day but in spite of the storming- we got some of the most precious photos.

Big brother Noah wanted some attention too! How could I resist this smile-

The FULL set can be seen here- please comment! http://tinyurl.com/5mlucas

Scott's Z-28

2009-04-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy a few shots from this past weekend.

Scott's Z28.....these were taken all around Warner Robins...we had a BLAST running around finding cool places for me to photograph his gorgeous Z28 to show off his new gorgeous rims.

Too many updates!

2009-03-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

I must confess I've been on wordpress!
Please change your bookmarks and find me there at http://robincookphotography.wordpress.com/

I will do a quick update here though!

Weekends Meanderings

2008-11-11T13:49:00.001-08:00

This weekend I found a quaint little hole in the wall near where I live that is listed as an Andalusian Trail and it held all sorts of cool things such as old barns and dilapidated wood buildings and even an old mule. Here are the highlights from my trip.

Then the next day, it was still so beautiful, I shot some more random things such as the dogs and the yard.

Finish the Sentence

2008-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I got this questionaire from the David Cross blog. It's one of the 10 I follow on a daily ritual!

Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
My Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer - makes all sized rooms be filled with light! And I love my Domke F1x bag and my ProLensWear Large Lens Bag. LOVE them!

I’ve learned the most from..
Reading the Strobist blog, Scott Kelby's blog, Lighting Essentials, Zack Arias/OneLight photos and surfing for hours through the Flickr pools!!! It doesn't seem I will ever be able afford to go to a workshop so instead I spend hours reading, looking and trying things out for myself.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
New Zealand - gotta be amazing sunrises and sunsets

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
I love my action sets- most all especially the Phaunt Free Pack.

I love the fact that Photoshop
Does everything and more- things I have yet to learn!

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Costs so effin' much and doesn't come as a bundle with the new Lightroom. It really needs to be PhotoLightroomShop.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would have gotten a DSLR then and not been afraid to move forward.

In 10 years
I'd love to be successful and have a full plate of bookings and have evolved into something special

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Just take the damn photo but think OUT of the box! Don't stand- squat... Don't do it straight on, choose a funky angle... Focus and re-focus.....ENJOY and envision the end product.

Your readers can find out more about me
Here and my big gallery http://robincookphotography.zenfolio.com/

Presenting Paul & Erica Lorenzana

2008-10-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the first wedding (hopefully of many!) and the setting was beautiful Lake Blackshear with Erica & Paul. Such a gracious, sweet and kind couple and it was a pleasure following them around the resort! Here are just a few of the many incredible shots I got of this wonderful couple.

I had Paul write Erica a little love note...

And here are some of the couple...

And just a few of the whole party...such a FUN group too! They were open to all ideas that popped in my head for them!

Many CONGRATS to the new couple and I wish them a long wonderful life together!!

Little Shoot with Tracy

2008-10-22T07:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday I had the chance to get together with my friend Tracy to do a few shots and even though it was a dreary dull day, we were able to salvage it and make some beautiful shots! Here are a few to enjoy!

And her adorable daughter, Lauren- who didn't even know I was capturing this shot!

Just another Sinclair sunrise

2008-10-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

WoW.....I looked out my window this morning before getting ready for work and saw this amazing view. I immediately ran to get my camera and hauled tail outside to a very cool morning to capture these. What a gorgeous event to capture the sun coming up over the trees across the lake combined with the lazy haze sifting through....

After capturing the smooth lake shot, I backed up the hill towards the house and just had to include the little flowers that my boyfriend saved for me while cutting grass.

Quick Summary

2008-09-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Callaway Gardens with my mom and then spent the weekend in Jekyll Island with a really great couple of friends. It was a dream of mine to do a weekend of shooting whatever I wanted in those 2 places and damn I got it. Now I want to go back and do it again and even better!

Here are some of the shots from the trip

I have more stuff coming up but I'll wait until it's done to post about it!

Random Beauty

2008-09-05T06:20:00.001-07:00

This week hasn't been very active but I have taken a few shots here and there. I do have a trip coming up where I'll get to do a lot of shots and also going to be shooting 2 Vettes. I'll be going to Jekyll Island! I have never been so I feel like a 5 year old in a candy store!

In the meantime, enjoy some randomness!

These bottom 2 are from my morning commute this morning. I drive 92 miles a day round trip to work each day. I guess you could say I love my co-workers!! :-)

Beauty in a shoot

2008-08-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful, slightly less than ordinary home in North Macon. Although I have shot a lot of homes, this one was special, simply for the incredible yard someone had taking many hours creating. It was like a wonderland to say the least! I only had the time to take a few photos but could have probably spent hours there finding all the little details.

Ever been locked in a cemetery?

2008-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yep you guessed it....I got locked in a cemetery this past week during a shoot! The evening started great and we went to three different locations and I wanted to end the shoot at this particular cemetery. I knew they closed at sundown but had checked the schedule and it was supposed to be right at 8:30 that night. We went through the shoot in one spot and I got some great ones... and then I was ready to get to the gate for some other scenery and damn if that gate wasn't locked! It took the police 2 hours to get someone there to let us out. I couldn't be mad about it, it was just too funny! Especially since I'd driven around in there trying to find another way to get out but the roads were made for horse and buggy- not for my little bitty low-ridin' car!

In any case, the evening produced some beautiful shots and here are a few. This is my friend Greg's Z06 Corvette.

Wednesday and still buzzing!

2008-08-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

This week has been buzzing with excitement still in the air from the Gala this weekend. What an event! I look forward to doing more events and meeting more people. It came to my attention this weekend, that the majority of people do not know what to think when they meet me because I am soooo not your normal photographer! I am not going to put you in the traditional poses, I'm not going to speak to you like I'm not interested in you, there's no "1, 2, 3, CHEESE!"....I'm going to want to know you and I want to capture your personality and show the world the greatness in you. I'm going to try to put you in a fun pose and probably make you laugh. There's no stiffness and you can forget about not being photogenic because I'm going to change that too.

In any case, I am currently working on making an actual real website. As much of a website person that I am and can build anything, doing this stuff with the photos requires more space and time and may result in me using a template for much easier upload and upkeep.

I currently have a lot going on but not near enough. I'd prefer to be busy every day but this week has been slow. I do have some car shoots and possible event shoots coming up as well as a band shoot that I'm very much looking forward to. I always have the Real Estate shoots from time to time and would like for those to be what keeps me busy during the week. I hope that enough comes along to afford me the ability to get better and more gear as well as pay off some debts that are dragging me down. Actually, I don't hope it will happen- I "know" it will happen because I'm keeping a positive frame of mind.

Here are some of the shots from the event this weekend. I posted them elsewhere where you can go look but I think some need to be here too.

Exciting 05 Vette Shoot

2008-08-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

Friday nite I got together with some friends for some fun times that consisted of dinner, a photoshoot, riding around a park and playing in a cemetery topped off with some ice cream! Boy what a nite! Me and the girls had a blast.

One of my best friends, Lori, just got a new '05 Vette for her birthday so as my gift to her I did the shoot. I had shot some cars before but had been dying to do a formal real shoot and this was everything I hoped for. I look forward to doing more because now I have more ideas and look forward to finding new places to get into trouble!

For most all of these I used my 3 amigos (3 speedlites) on stands and also some reflectors. You'll see I used a gel for a shot too. I did not break out the softbox because there were creepy men around where we were the first time and I wanted to be able to grab my crap and run if needed!

Here are some of the photos- enjoy and please comment!

tap, tap Ahem...Is this thing ON?!

2008-07-31T07:16:00.001-07:00

So I've been blogging and posting photos for quite a while now and have no clue if anyone other than me is reading them. I am hoping eventually SOMEONE will comment. Maybe I have at least one reader (my mom maybe?)? In any case, I'm going to post anyway. Yesterday was absolutely glorious and I didn't have any shoots lined up but was dying to photograph SOMETHING so I decided to stop by the cemetery my dad is buried at and got some pretty cool shots. Some people may think it's a little morbid but I think cemeteries have some really cool designs and beauty in them. This one is Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon which is very well known for it's history and designs.

Weekend Favorites

2008-07-28T05:07:00.001-07:00

This weekend wasn't too exciting. I tried doing some shooting around the yard quite a few times, didn't catch much other than some sinus headaches. I'll keep this short and sweet so here are the favs from the weekend.