Minnesota State Fair Photography

August 31, 2015 in Hired Work

I Instagrammed on behalf of @WCCOTV while at the Minnesota State Fair last week. Below are the 5 images I posted to their feed.

And here's a blog post written by Eric Mueller who organized the takeover which included 4 other talented photographers!

Good morning! Rita Farmer (@mamacita.rita) here, taking over WCCO's Instagram feed today from The Great Minnesota Get Together! I'll be showing you some of my favorite Fair traditions throughout my day here with my kids. But first, breakfast.

Rita here (@mamacita.rita) posting live from the @mnstatefair. Coming to The Great Minnesota Get Together with my kids means visiting ALL the animal barns. The Clydesdales remain my favorite though. #mystatefair

Hi again from @mamacita.rita! The Miracle of Birth! In all my years coming to the Fair, I had yet to witness a live animal birth -- until today! This little guys is just a few minutes old and is greeting his mama face to face for the first time

@mamacita.rita here! Grabbing some lunch under the Red Pines outside of the Agriculture/Horticulture building at the Fair. Even amid these huge crowds, there are delightful places to find respite. (And it doesn't hurt that the @mncraftbrew

Hello again! It's @mamacita.rita here signing off after a fun-filled day at the State Fair. I'm closing out my series of photos of #mystatefair the same way I began: with a #lookdown shot of my son's hands. It was so fun seeing The Great Minnesota G

Studio 1606 // Minneapolis Portrait and Event Photography

August 27, 2015 in Hired Work, Citinerary

I was recently hired to photograph Cuban painter, Roger Toledo Bueno, at Studio 1660 - where he's been an artist in residence all summer. Studio 1660 is the brainchild of Zoe Kosieradsk, who first met Roger while studying abroad in Havana. I also shot photos at a backyard exhibit of Roger's work.

I wrote about the project for Citinerary here and have included some of the photos from the article below.

[Re]treat

August 19, 2015 in Hired Work, Travel

A yoga retreat on an island in Wisconsin? Yes, please. Hone my photo skills by taking some shots for Align by Adrienne? Ok.

I didn't even realize how much I needed this time to recharge and actually exercise for the first time in years until I got there. The setting (at Stout's Island Lodge) was idyllic, the workouts grueling, and the company wonderful.

Here are some of my favorite images:

Family Staycation

July 26, 2015 in Hired Work

True Story: when the Mall of America first opened in 1992, I was almost 12 years old and I was obsessed with it. I vividly remember poring over every single word of the Star Tribune's Variety section pull-out feature prior to the grand opening. I knew, before even stepping foot inside its walls, the color of the (then) carpeted floors of the South Avenue wing of the mall and best entrance to use to go straight to the movie theater.

If you had told me that I would someday be offered the opportunity to stay, shop, dine, and play there with my family and get paid for it, my 12-year-old self would have been blown away. In fact, my 35-year-old self was sort of blown away when the offer came in a month ago to do just that in exchange for some photos of the experience. I knew my kids would absolutely love it. I also knew the Mall has come a long way since 1992 and recent updates have made it highly photogenic. Having a press pass - and the authority and confidence that comes with it - was an added perk to the gig and one I wish I'd used even more. Here are a few of the DSLR images I snapped while there.

You Had Me at Vodka

July 22, 2015 in Hired Work

When the organic, "grain to bottle" distillery, KOVAL, asked me to take over their Instagram feed for a day, I accepted for two reasons: free vodka of course, and I also had the perfect opportunity with an upcoming family vacation to depict their hashtag, #ReimagineTradition.

I was a few weeks away from taking a trip that I have taken just about every week for my entire life and as such is very meaningful to me. As I captioned one photo:

"In 1966, my grandparents began a tradition that my (entire extended) family still cherishes today: a week-long vacation on the North Shore of Lake Superior. And even though my grandparents are no longer with us, every July 4th, three generations of their offspring gather at a tiny family-owned resort (which is a also still a working, one-man, commercial fishing camp) for a week of yard games, card playing, hiking, tons of food, and classic cocktails. Of course the latter two have evolved since the days of my grandparents’ Sloppy Joe dinners and Bloody Marys made with nothing but vodka and tomato juice, but the spirit of the trip - spending time with family and enjoying the great outdoors - remains the same."

Here are the images I shot for it, which can also be viewed (with captions) on KOVAL's blog.

Minnetonka Moccasins

October 28, 2014 in Hired Work

In early October, I organized a group of local Instagrammers (all of whom are dear friends who also happen to be extremely talented photographers) to get together and take some photos for a classic Minnesota company: Minnetonka Moccasins. It was a beautiful fall day with near-perfect shooting conditions, and the resulting images are as eclectic and awesome as the group itself. The collection can be found on Instagram at #MinnetonkaMeet_Fall2014.

I also wrote a guest post on Minnetonka Moccasins' blog about how to take the perfect Instagram shot featuring their shoes - taking into account lighting, perspective, filters, and even hashtags.