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Tina Fey Hard At Work from an American Express Ad – photographer unknown

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”

-Tina Fey

And THAT, is great writing…. Buy Tina’s latest book, Bossypants here.

Valentine’s Day is not lost on the single….not even in Los Angeles…..a difficult, if not treacherous place to try to have a monogamous relationship. What with all the young starlets and remodeled fashionistas at every yoga studio and coffee club, eye candy is not only more bountiful, but less caloric than in much of the rest of the country.  Well, there is some eye candy that even the most jaded can appreciate….gorgeous, yummy lingerie!

Last week I had the pleasure of co-hosting a Boudoir Event at Only Hearts on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Beautiful agave sweetened cakes sweetened washed dow with honey iced tea tickled our taste buds. Balloons from Balloons on Montana were celebratory and inviting. Props supplied by Z Gallerie, beautiful models, Claire and Lauren, as well as fabulous makeup artist, Christina Yi and hair stylist, Mitzi, provided more than enough fun for me to spend the entire day photographing an actual boudoir shoot using nothing more than the above and a chaise lounge. You can see some of the photos above with more to come soon, including some amazing before and afters!

The day was a smashing success as I displayed my books of photos, as well as boxed gift certificates that read, “For Your Eyes Only” on the front.

Which reminds me…..there’s still time to pick up a gift certificate for a boudoir session and a little black book for Valentine’s Day!

Just email me and I’ll arrange to have it delivered to you on Monday!

Here’s a sneak peek at a “before and after”:

"Drawn."

This image has some definite meaning to me. First, it displays how I “fly” when I dream (see my recent post “In My Dreams, and My Art, I Fly”). I lift my head towards a vision I see, lean forward slightly and simply levitate towards it effortlessly. Trust me, it happens really frequently.

But, more importantly, this image was created in a celebration of my daughter’s new vision which is now coming to life. She is opening her new business in a few days and has followed her dream. I have been watching her develop her vision and then have it come to life through a long, arduous and diligent process. I am so proud of her hard work and clarity of mind! She is now the proud co-owner of an organic raw food and juice bar/supplements/café/and general surfer’s hang-out! Congratulations to you, sweet baby girl. May your visions always be clear and their manifestations beyond your expectations!

Second in a series.

©2011 Merrilyn Romen for Nico Moon Photography. All Rights Reserved.

"Rain."

It’s rare that my daughters are in the same city at the same time. No matter the weather, we went out to photograph in the forest with a suitcase full of my long dresses and jewelry and the most beautiful two young ladies I know.

First in a series.

©2011 Merrilyn Romen for Nico Moon Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Once in awhile you meet someone who will eventually change you for the good -  forever. And so I did…her name is Evita Ramparte and she is from Poland, a former television documentary producer and a cancer survivor who credits raw foods and alkaline water for her miraculous recovery. Evita and I met through an online group called Tiger Mamas. I showed her my newborn photography and a friendship was born. A single mother who has survived more than most of us, Evita is a shining beacon of optimism, a light in a very dark time and, I am now proud to say, my dear friend.

Just a few minutes with Evita and her incredible curiosity and wonder are infectious. I am working with Evita to re-brand Tiger Mama and create a blog/website for her to talk about her diet, her discoveries, her passions and her favorite things to empower women, mothers, children and men. I will surely post the link just as soon as we are ready to go live.

In the mean time, Evita and I spent a late winter afternoon at the beach and I took some photos of her and her handsome son.

Please stay posted to learn more about Evita’s whereabouts and adventures. They will keep you mesmerized… as they have me!!

We are so excited to be presenting this exclusive Nico Moon Boudoir Valentine’s Event!  We have been invited to have models doing an actual boudoir photo shoot in store at “Only Hearts” a gorgeous lingerie and gift store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica this February 9th, 2011 from 2-6 PM. Only Hearts has stores in New York and Italy, as well and an amazing selection of lingerie and gift items for everyone. (I even purchased a beautiful safe locker posing as an ornate book for my daughter’s boyfriend there!)  Tea and french pastries will be served by the brand new Dolce Vida on Montana and goodie bags with wonderful surprises will be given to the first 50 attendees!

If you’ve ever been curious about boudoir photography or afraid that it might be too intimidating, watch me as I photograph two different women on chaise lounge and visit my website at Nico Moon Boudoir to see the before and after pictures after February 9th! Women have told me it’s like having a pajama party or a girl’s day in. My clients have all commented on how fun and relaxing the sessions are and I am going to prove it to you on February 9th!

If you’re ready to make your loved one smile THIS Valentine’s Day, call me right away! It takes up to 3 weeks to get photos processed and those little black books or leather digital drives made up so you must hurry. All sessions include makeup application. If you’re running out of time (and who isn’t?), you can purchase a “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY” gift certificate in a beautiful be-ribboned box (image to come) for a boudoir session and optional little black book. These will be offered at a discount on the day of the event at Only Hearts for attendees only.

Don’t miss this sure-t0-be-exciting event on February 9th from 2-6PM at 1407 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, California.  Hope to see you there!

xox Merrilyn
Nico Moon Photography and Nico Moon Boudoir Photography

p.s. don’t forget to check back here for some fabulous “before and after” photos!

Wont' Somebody, Please, Save This World? ©2011 Merrilyn Romen.

Blackbird. ©2011 Merrilyn Romen

When I was raising my children, I asked myself the question most artists inevitably ask themselves: am I really an artist or am I just a pretender, just another imitator with no real voice of my own. It disturbed me so much that I quit designing altogether (I had been a graphic designer for the previous 8 years). I immersed myself in my children, sewing them dresses, quilts, decorating their rooms, designing my new backyard into a proper English garden and sketching out concepts for picture frames that I could use for the many photographs I took of them and finally designing dinnerware and teasets for them to play with. You see where I’m going with them. Being an artist isn’t something you choose to become, you one day realize that you just art….. often for worse than better. Artists are rarely rich. In fact, the average photographer in the U.S. makes $20,000/year! Lord knows what the average painter or illustrator makes. But once you realize that you have the ability to turn something mundane into something beautiful, it’s like a drug and it is definitely addictiv

I had thought of going to medical school after college, but my degree in filmmaking didn’t lend itself to immediate admission so I would have had to taken more science and math pre-requisites in order to apply and, well, my parents had had enough of supporting my somewhat bohemian lifestyle so I passed. I often wonder if I would have lasted in medical school or even in being a doctor. Would I have sewn my own uniforms to keep from going crazy?

And speaking of crazy, I was going to apply to become a psychotherapist when I was going through my identity crisis after my children were born. But, truthfully, the only thing that keeps me from going crazy is doing what comes naturally to me…..creating. I am a bit cranky and frustrating when I’m not able to create something.  It might be as simple as making an apple pie or sewing curtains for my room (note to self: get on it!), but the act of creation – for me – is not optional.

And so, when I heard that one of my favorite photographers, Natalie Dybisz aka Miss Aniela, was coming to town from London to teach a seminar with my other favorite photographer – the self-taught incredibly prolific Brooke Shaden, I grabbed my credit card and signed up for a day of complete immersion in my natural life force of creative photography.  And what a wonderful day it was. We posed, we conferred, we shared ideas and we went for sushi at the end of the day. And I found Natalie to be entirely wise beyond her years and profoundly intuitive. (Brooke and she have been collaborating on images during Natalie’s stay in America and they both showed their work at LAPhoto in  Santa Monica this week. Even Brad Pitt was seen looking at their work!)

So here are the images I created that marvelous day with my two fave 20 something mentors. I feel another image coming upon me as a toy store asked me to post something in their store.  The mind boggles!

Only $450 and you get a little black book of photos, professional makeup and a 1 hour private photo shoot in my studio.
You can also buy full albums, wall portraits, gallery-styled canvas prints, framed prints and more.

The photo session must be completed no later than January 15th in order to arrive in time for Valentine’s Day.

You can view our most recent boudoir sessions at www.nicomoonboudoir.com.

And, don’t worry! Your privacy is our concern. All of the women on the website have given us permission to use their images.
We won’t display any images you don’t want us to without your written permission.

Sessions are filling up fast so contact me right away to schedule yours!

Need a last minute holiday gift? Gift certificates are available for immediate delivery!