Tag: Beauty

Creativity · Photography · Practice

What’s In A Name?

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

There is something glorious about saying, ” I created something that has my name on it.”

Not only your signature, but your standards.

The something you want to reflect your subtlety and style;

The thing that has your energy in it.

I am a photographer known for my attention to the feelings of things,

and early on, had lovely but shortlasted creative names like Dorothy Perry Portrait, Dance of Life and Double Happiness.

I also obsessed about fonts, but that is another story for another day.

Truly an airy and impractical soul, I did not learn about the value of domain names until I needed one: mine. Little did I know how hard it would be.

In those years, my name in combination with photography was taken off the board.

There are a number of Perry surnamed photographers as well as the other nice Dorothy Perrys living all over the United States,

and names that I desired were limited by others claiming all the variations of the names for profiles and screen names as well.

So now as I locate the threads everywhere to be rewoven back into my nest,

I will produce, post and control the quality of what I want to write here from my home base. THIS ONE.

The one that has my name on it.

Dorothy Perry is a Chicago photographer of peoples’ personal lives and celebrations. Questions or commissions through the Contact Page here.

Photos for Feelings
Creativity · Photography · Vision

Photos for Feelings

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

The image was a beautiful moment in the ceremony, deep within the photo, taken by a guest in the wedding party.

The groom is a photographer friend, and I know so well the axiom that “the shoemaker’s kids have no shoes,”

and how a photographer may sometimes never own any decent photos of their own important life events.

I saw another moment within the image – to be ‘brought out’ and brightened, so that it can be seen – and felt.

The difference between retouching and my creative ‘caress’ is that I use a quieter, more intuitive eye to see the newer photograph inside the original one, not just a cropping. I wrote another post about the technique in a June 6, 2020 post, Finding A Something More.

So happily honored to see that the bride posts this as her profile photo online. I wish Daphne and Jeff Happy Anniversary, and many dances together to come!

Dorothy Perry is a Chicago portrait photographer specializing in custom family portraits, modern headshots, & personal branding for women and executives.

 Contact her for commissioned work here. Thank you.

Cartooned Culture
Creativity · Vision

Cartooned Culture

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

Anyone who knows me knows I love cartoons!

Some make me laugh, and some make me go “ahhh,” with tears in my eyes.

This cartoon is “Les Triplettes de Belleville,” by Sylvain Chomet. I saw this with a friend years ago in a Chicago theatre, and it remains one of the very few movies that I have viewed more than once.

It is a poetic animated story with very few spoken words. Imagine a plot that brings together cycling, a small family, and three quirky sisters who are part musicians, part muses, and, when necessary, molls familiar with the darker sides of Belleville/Parisian nightlife.

There are some picturing of rougher things of life, so it is not a movie for children, but perhaps saved for when they can appreciate it: the story, characters, and lovingly drawn details create a world that stays with you long after the cartoon is over.

The emotion of amusement also creates access to consciousness, a powerful way to allow the ‘firing of the synapses’ that lead to fresh new ideas and thought patterns.

Do you have any favorites that have this evergreen quality? I’d love to see them!

Keep laughing – watch cartoons!!

Dorothy Perry is a Chicago photographer capturing the closeness of todays’ urban families. Contact her here. 

Sane Spaces
Creativity · Photography · Practice · Vision

Sane Spaces

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

“I’m going to miss this show.”  

This student used to come to the UIC African American Art Gallery

to do her home work and study along with other students:

making art, practicing yoga,

and on Finals week, even eating breakfast there!

For four months, 11 photographs in the AACC gallery

imbued the space with energy, serving as an artistic ‘power station’ –

and creating a room that felt really nice to rest in.

Alchemist and Photographer Dorothy Perry can be contacted here.

Make YOUR Art
Energy · Photography · Vision

Make YOUR Art

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

Today I want to send out good vibes

to the people who come up against the gatekeepers.

We have to live in your world sometimes,

but there is another world, more brightly lit.

(paraphrased from Tales From The Darkside, ha ha.)

Actual real-world people

choosing and buying things that are beautiful.

So, boys and girls, consider the source (even if they say they are ‘experts’)

and keep making your art anyway.

Keep refining – and keep making – your art

not just for the acclaim, but also to make money.

To teach yourself how to be a person who CAN:

become braver, learn new skills,

speak to strangers, get cooperation, meet deadlines.

Become a problem solver. Become a visionary for others.

Photography created these skills and this personality.

But it turned out it had to fit into my life in the right place.

Maybe you will always have it be the other job, as it is for me.

But keep art making in your life. ✨

Timeless
Family Portrait · Perry Portrait Art · Photography

Timeless

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

This just seemed like yesterday.

You can’t stop them from growing;

but you can stop time.

The lazy afternoons of childhood

are preserved by the warmth of sunlight,

the immediacy of memory,

and joyous moments at play.

I specialize in personal photojournalism

made into photo stories and books.

Lets’ meet throughout Chicagoland

and great parks near you.

Dorothy Perry is a mom, grandmom, and artistic photographer of childhood in the Chicagoland area. Lets talk at perryportraitart@gmail.com or through the Contact Page here.

Consciousness · Energy · Vision

Roots and Branches

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

“Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height.

Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches.

Happiness is like a tree going into the sky,

and sadness is like the roots

going down into the womb of the earth.

Both are needed,

and the higher a tree goes,

the deeper it goes, simultaneously.

The bigger the tree,

the bigger will be its roots.

In fact, it is always in proportion.

That’s its’ balance.” – Osho

I welcome the opportunity to create thoughtful portraits for discerning clients.

Questions and inquiries through my Contact page here.

Photography · Practice

Focus

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

Photograph,
not just for reels,
but for real.

Enjoy your present. Contact Dorothy here.

This is Why
Consciousness · Creativity · Family Portrait · Perry Portrait Art · Photography · Vision

This is Why

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

To witness the moment in photographs.

To record the beautiful grace of infancy.

To remember the elders, travelling to see their new young one.

To document time, place, and reality for the future.

To make good energy visible for the home.

To celebrate the two, becoming three.

To honor the spirit of family.

This is why.

If I can help record your family legacy with fine lifestyle portraits, I welcome your inquiry at http://www.dorothyperry.com/contact/.

Original Face
Creativity · Energy · Perry Portrait Art · Photography · Vision

Original Face

Dorothy PerryLeave a comment

Cease practice based

on intellectual understanding,

pursuing words and

following after speech.

Learn the backward step

that turns your light inward

to illuminate within.

Body and mind of themselves

will drop away,

and your original face

will be manifest. — Dogen

This ancient poem

holds the energy

of what I choose to see

in the world around me –

and what I seek to create.

Contact Dorothy here to commission portraits

that stand the test of time.