2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay portrait of designer Zion in black & white.

2023 Upcycled Fashion Show GALA-GWAC Wolfeboro

2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay portrait of designer Zion in black & white.

I recently teamed up with the Governor Wentworth Arts Council and the GALA Makers Mill for their 2n annual “Upcycled Fashion” Show! I setup my mobile portrait “booth” at the Kingswood Regional Arts Center in Wolfeboro, NH and created portraits of the many designers and models present… what a blast! There were so many creative and industrious designs, with materials ranging from used Amazon packaging, to old CD’s, and curtains & tablecloths!! The resulting upcycled garments and accessories were quite impressive! I’m looking forward to working with GWAC & GALA again, and look forward to next year’s Upcycled Fashion Show! Hope you enjoy the portraits we created the night of the event.

Up first, we have GALA Makers Mill Executive Director & founder, Josh Arnold, looking dapper and ready for his Master of Ceremony duties in his own upcycled duds….

2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Portrait of GALA Makers Mill Executive Director & founder, Josh Arnold looking dapper in his upcycled duds.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Portrait of GALA Makers Mill Executive Director & founder, Josh Arnold looking dapper in his upcycled duds.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Portrait of GALA Makers Mill Executive Director & founder, Josh Arnold looking dapper in his upcycled duds.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Portrait of GALA Makers Mill Executive Director & founder, Josh Arnold looking dapper in his upcycled duds.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Modern kimonos designed and created with repurposed materials,
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Modern kimonos designed and created with repurposed materials,
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Modern kimonos designed and created with repurposed materials,
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Hand bags made from upcycled denim jeans!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Upcycled poncho with extendable hood.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Upcycled poncho with extendable hood.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Upcycled poncho with extendable hood.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Gorgeous purple skirt with hundreds of handcut circles and matching handmade floral collar, all made from upcycled draderies!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Gorgeous purple skirt with hundreds of handcut circles and matching handmade floral collar, all made from upcycled draderies!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Gorgeous purple skirt with hundreds of handcut circles and matching handmade floral collar, all made from upcycled draderies!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Gorgeous purple skirt with hundreds of handcut circles and matching handmade floral collar, all made from upcycled draderies!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Steampunk/goth/Victorian girl's dress handsewn from repurposed fabrics.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Steampunk/goth/Victorian girl's dress handsewn from repurposed fabrics.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Steampunk/goth/Victorian girl's dress handsewn from repurposed fabrics.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Beach totes handcrafted from empty juice pouches, perfect for a day at the beach!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Beach totes handcrafted from empty juice pouches, perfect for a day at the beach!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Stunning ballgown/formal wear handmade from used Amazon packaging!!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Stunning ballgown/formal wear handmade from used Amazon packaging!!
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portraits by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Mother & daughter Disney character-inspired costumes made with upcycled materials. @Birchblaze
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portraits by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Mother & daughter Disney character-inspired costumes made with upcycled materials. @Birchblaze
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portraits by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Mother & daughter Disney character-inspired costumes made with upcycled materials. @Birchblaze
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portraits by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Mother & daughter Disney character-inspired costumes made with upcycled materials. @Birchblaze
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay boho portrait of upcycled designer Zion.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay boho portrait of upcycled designer Zion.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay boho portrait of upcycled designer Zion.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay boho portrait of upcycled designer Zion.
2023 Upcycled Fashion Show portrait by portrait artist, Kerry Struble, of Birch Blaze Studios located in Wakefield, NH. Cosplay boho portrait of upcycled designer Zion.
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com

New Hampshire Winter Family Photography

While snuggling up in your comfy clothes in front of a toasty woodstove, cup of hot cocoa in hand, has it’s place, a New England winter is best experienced outdoors, in the thick of it! Birch Blaze Studios is here for it. Whether your family loves to be racing down a New Hampshire ski trail, ice skating on a frozen pond, or snowshoeing through a pristine, snow-glazed woodland, why not celebrate these epic memories with a NH winter family photography session? We had so much fun tagging along with this adorable family, exploring a pine grove after Saturday’s snow storm. The girls were all in and super cute (tiny comedians, actually), and they more than earned their hot chocolate served from a trusty old fashioned thermos! There are so many ideas to be explored and memories to be captured in the winter! Click here to book your very own New England winter family photography session with Birch Blaze!

Young family playing in the snow. New Hampshire winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
Family drinking hot chocolate under snowy pine trees. NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
Family drinking hot chocolate under snowy pine trees. NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
Two girls snuggling in a Hudson Bay blanket. New England winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com
Family drinking hot chocolate under snowy pine trees. NH winter family lifestyle photography session by Birch Blaze Studios. https://birchblaze.com

Carrie Fisher…Debbie Reynolds…Mothers and Daughters

As we get ready to say goodbye to this crazy year of 2016, I’m struck with how many icons of my youth I’ve watched melt away. I feel the weight of this year continuing its descent right to the very end like a giant thumb turning and rubbing out any vestige of its targeted foe. After hearing the news yesterday of my very first big screen crush, Princess Leia, that is to say, Carrie Fisher, passing…today came the dizzying news that her Mother, mid-century starlet Debbie Reynolds had succumbed to what one could only assume, a broken heart. The weight of losing her beloved Daughter simply too much for the 84-yo moviestar. We don’t normally post photographs taken by other photographers, but in my search to somehow make sense of, or perhaps at least better understand the impact of this kind of tragedy on a family I came across an uncredited photo so hauntingly beautiful…and at the same time so poignant, so touching, I had to share it. This incredible black & white image doesn’t even show faces, but its documenting of the Daughter-Mother bond is so powerful and heart-wrenching, particularly in light of what has now transpired. Chilling. The photo so perfectly demonstrates “the art of real,” and the reason that no matter how we feel about ourselves we must allow ourselves to exist in photographs. Rest in peace Debbie and Carrie…

 

Carrie Fisher watches her mother, Debbie Reynolds perform. May they both rest in peace. (Photographer unknown)
A very young Carrie Fisher watches her mom, Debbie Reynolds, on stage at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, 1963 (photographer unknown).