Emma Mullins Photography

This is L.A.

And yes, the lyrics to “All I Wanna Do” were stuck in my head a good portion of this short, but oh-so-sweet, vacation. As was “Hollywood Nights” – more on that later. Actually, they play lots of songs about California in California. Especially at the beach. It was a little weird.

The purposes of this (impromptu) trip were many: First, any opportunity to get out of Chicago in January should be jumped on with little to no forethought or second-guessing. Second, I never got to spend much time in Los Angeles, and I was curious. And third, I owed a proper visit to some friends who made the trek to L.A. a couple years ago.

Actually, my friends are great. They’re incredibly funny and talented women. And they’re doing things. Great things. Ever hear of Lisa Laureta or Brigid Marshall?

Anyway, I had a fair amount of me-time while visiting, which was nice. I did a lot of exploring. Consumed a lot of kale. Met some interesting characters. I even saw the new Star Wars film (I know, I know – sometimes I even surprise myself). The images in this blog represent four days of exploration, reflection, gorgeous sunsets, and real California livin’. I made it a point to find David Bowie’s star on Hollywood Boulevard, which was (expectedly) covered in layers of memorial paraphernalia. On my way out of town I heard news of Alan Rickman’s passing, and would have liked to visit his star as well, but time would not allow it. I’ve always been a fan of Rickman’s work. He and I share a birthday.

En route to LAX with a couple hours to spare, I was taken on a glorious hike through the Hollywood Hills (cue: Bob Seger). Apparently Los Angeles is home to hundreds of secret stairways that have been around since the 1920’s, before cars were a means of transportation. We hiked the Beachwood Canyon stairs, using these instructions. It’s a lot of stairs, guys. An awesome (and tiring) way to end my visit.

I have to say that this visit changed my outlook on California. My Midwest, city-girl attitude was pleasantly confronted with lots of “hey, everything’s cool, man” and “relax, you’re in Southern California”. But in a good way. In a way that didn’t get on my nerves. It’s like there were no rules, and everyone just got along. Everything was – okay. It was refreshing, in a sense. I think I needed that.

Hey California – you’re okay.

Locations pictured include: Echo Park, Sunset Blvd, Venice Beach, Real Flowers L.A., Griffith Observatory, Hwy 101, the historic TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Hills, and Brigid’s backyard.

There’s no doubt this month has seen some unseasonable temperatures in Chicago. When I met with Adrianna and Matt this particularly warm Saturday afternoon, we had planned on a festive at-home session due to an all day forecast of rain. Our shoot started off that way – cozy and indoors with black coffee, black cats, and a brightly decorated Christmas tree. Their apartment was full of knick-knacks and charms, an old-school Crosley record player, a mini-bar, and two noteworthy throw pillows. My personal favorite reads: Home is Where Your Mom is. Finally we decided to take advantage of the last hour of daylight (and likely the last 60 degree day of the year) and go for a walk around their neighborhood. I’m so glad we did!

As snuggly and in love as these two were in their own home, the mood definitely livened up once we got outside. Their energy fed into each other, and they seemed to have the most fun just strolling around Logan Square. We walked up and down Kedzie Boulevard past historic mansions, Adrianna pointing out one in particular where they hoped to one day marry. Eventually we made our way to the HOME mural outside the Blue Line station just before the sun went down. And guess what? Never saw a drop of rain.

These two were so easy to photograph – all smiles and all about each other. It’s couples like Matt and Adrianna who inspire me to continue photographing people – whether single, coupled, or in a group – because they express emotion in an honest, natural way that’s relatable, that’s real. It can be difficult for some (myself included) to relax in front of a camera, either due to feelings of self-consciousness or lack of desire to be photographed. I have always stood by my preference for photojournalistic-style images over staged ones, and I aim for that realness to come through in my work. With Matt and Adrianna, it was no sweat at all. Sometimes as photographers we get really lucky when it comes to our subjects.

In every sense of the word, their lifestyle session was absolutely wonderful! I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

On that note: Cheers and Happy Holidays to all!

I recently had the privilege of photographing the talented cast of EXIT, a new play from ICU Ensemble that world-premieres TONIGHT at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater. The script was written by a friend of mine, a work in progress of hers since we met at the beginning of 2013.

EXIT centers on the life of a young woman and the relationship between her close-knit group of friends. From what I can recall of the script – earlier versions I either read or saw read aloud by actors – it touches on issues of mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, as well as love, loyalty, and trust. The early scripts have expressed these ideas through spoken word, music, and choreography. I look forward to attending the (finally and officially!) staged show this month, both to support my friend Leah and to allow EXIT to affect me the way it is intended to.

The following images from our promotional shoot are a variety of individual, group, and candid photographs. I chose to use dramatic lighting and strong shadows in order to reflect themes of isolation and loss of control. The actors remained in character throughout our shoot, and the entire crew were delightful to work with.

For more information about EXIT and to purchase tickets, visit

http://www.icuensemblechicago.org/

http://greenhousetheater.org/exit/

Break a leg, guys!

This past weekend I had the privilege of photographing these newlyweds outside of Public Landing Restaurant in Lockport, IL. It was a spooky, black November night. We stood right on the bank of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The air had a chill. The bride had a smoke bomb. (A red smoke bomb.) My life as a photographer was about to get awesome.

The following series of photos serves as a documentation of our experience, from jacket-on test shots to lighting the bomb to striking a pose and smoke everywhere. Red smoke. Did I mention the smoke was red?

Though the event as a whole lasted only a few minutes, we were able to capture some awesome images. I can’t decide if I like them better in color or black & white. I couldn’t not share these.

Please enjoy! And yes, there will be a next time. Can’t wait to do this again!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce that for the first time ever, Emma Mullins Photography has a blog! Hip hooray. Welcome, welcome.

I have decided to incorporate a blog here as a way to better reach out to all of you. This will, I hope, serve as another outlet through which my work can be displayed and constantly improve. I aim to post images from favorite portrait sessions, weddings and events, as well as travel and street photography. Basically anything I feel a strong connection with and the desire to share.

The following 12 images were taken this past weekend in East Nashville, Tennessee (hence my blog title inspiration). They say “y’all” a lot down there, y’all. A LOT. I had a few hours to kill around the neighborhood – these are just a few highlights.

Thanks for looking, and check back soon! I’m so excited to keep up with this blog – wish me luck!