Internships Available 2010

I've been receiving a lot of requests for internships lately and I'm finally ready to start planning for interviews! I absolutely LOVED working with Alexis Hall & Katie Baker in 2009! While I can take absolutely NO credit for their successes over the last year, I do hope that I at least helped in some small way!!

Since getting a studio, I've had the opportunity to do a few more promotions and special events which have required extra help along the way. Emily Ku did an awesome job helping me as an on-demand, super-duper office manager, and Ivan Feign & Lauren Peate were extra helpful getting my studio up to par during my Holiday Photo Booth!



What's it like to work with me?

I asked Alexis Hall, graduate of the Photography Program at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, what she liked and didn't like about her internship with me:

"The internship: overall, two thumbs up. I learned SO much, and I think that I was helpful, too, in the process. For me, the most valuable part was being able to have access to Anne and bounce ideas off her and learn from her experience. The only parts of the internship that I didn't particularly enjoy were minor...it made for a really late night for me (only because I'm an old lady and go to bed at 10pm, ha) and it was a little bit far away, but I knew about both of those things before I signed on for it. If anything, I feel like I didn't do enough to help, and that I got more out of it than she did. A 5-hour block of time seems like a lot of time to get stuff done, but once you factor in dinner and general chit-chat time, it really isn't."

Here's what Lauren Peate, graduate of the Photography Program at the Art Institute of Boston had to say about working with me in the studio for a few weekends:

"Anne was an amazing person to work for. I had a great time helping her with the holiday photo booth. It was fun for everyone because of Anne's uplifting energy that she is able to hold throughout the day. I learned so much about the production/bussiness side of photography that I never learned at my four years of school for photography."

My intern needs this year are very similar to last year's internship needs, however I will also be launching a few new exciting projects this year, which will involve a lot of building something from scratch - which is a great opportunity for someone who wants to start their own business & build their brand in a competitive market.

I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by a constant supply of photography students from surrounding colleges and universities, which is why this internship is unpaid and quite competitive. Last year's internship interview had over 20 attendees, and I ended up recruiting additional professional photographers who were also seeking interns so that we could find placements for as many interviewees as possible!

If you can commit to spending 5-6 hours a week in my Lowell, MA studio for a term of 6-12 months- that would be an ideal internship schedule. We can negotiate which days and hours will work best for you. At the end of the internship, we can evaluate if you'd like to continue with the internship or if there's an opportunity bring you on as a paid employee or contractor, depending on your strengths and the needs of the studio.

I would encourage ANYONE who's interested to apply, provided that you can make the time commitment. I'm not looking for perfect photographers or students with certain skills, I'm just looking for AWESOME PEOPLE with energy and passion to learn and help out. The internship will be tailored to utilize your strengths as well as challenge you in a few ways that will round out your natural talents. So much of what needs to happen behind the scenes is more related to running a business rather than just taking great photos. If this is something that excites or intrigues you, than you could be a great fit!



I'm planning to conduct internship interviews on February 28th, 2010 from 10am - 4pm. Since my email inbox isn't nearly as reliable as my voicemail inbox, please call 888-678-ANNE (2663) and leave a message with the following information:

- Your name & phone number.
- Why you're interested in the internship.

I will be returning phone calls next week in order to set up your interview, so don't worry if you don't hear from me right away. Feel free to follow me on Twitter or Facebook in the meantime, so that you can get an idea of what I'm like in advance. I'm full of optimism- so if that annoys you, we probably won't be a good fit. If you appreciate lots of different cuisines, I have a feeling you'll really like working for me. ;-)

(Images above feature Rich & Ashley of Pizzuti Studios and Douglas Levy Photography from a day when we were playing around the studio with some of my lighting equipment.)

Insider Scoop from Emily Ku

The following blog post was written by Emily Ku after working with me during the holidays in 2009! The words & images are all hers, and the pleasure of working with her was all mine. ;-) Thank you Emily!!

"It all started when I read one of Anne's tweets saying that she needed some temporary help for a holiday photo booth. I have been following Anne's blog for around a year when she first started to blog on Weddingbee Pro (now on hiatus), so I knew she was an awesome wedding photographer and had a great sense of humor. At first I didn't really understand the free holiday photo booth since Anne mainly shoots weddings, but I knew it was going to be big and wanted to be a part of it. It turned out that the photo booth was to celebrate her studio opening at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA and more importantly, to have a really good time."

"From the outside, Western Ave looks like a big, rundown warehouse, but inside houses some of the most amazing local artists I've encountered. There are over a hundred artists who work on everything: glass figurines, hand painted scarves, jewelry, paintings, photography, etc. They open their doors to the public on the first Saturday of every month, and for holiday open studios, they opened the first two weekends in December. Most people who visited Western Ave during the holiday open studios didn't budget enough time to visit all the studios, so some people unfortunately didn't have enough time to take holiday photo booth pictures."

"These are just some of the many props that people could choose from. We also had a lot of holiday props which were the most popular, and we even had some festive Hanukkah props. Sometimes there were so many people waiting to get their picture taken that you'd think we were giving out free swine flu shots or something! I had a really fun time helping people pick out costumes, and Anne even let me shoot for a bit and play with the studio lights! It was quite challenging shooting a different group of people every ten minutes because there wasn't any time at all to get to know them and make the camera-shy people feel comfortable, but we were able to get a lot of really fabulous shots. When the shooting was over, the hard part started. I helped Anne edit through the thousands of photos that she took and also tried to help her complete holiday orders from her wedding clients. There was a ton of work to do after each weekend and while I could go home whenever I wanted, Anne was burning the midnight oil for weeks. I've now been introduced to the grueling life of a photographer, and I actually really enjoyed it!"

"Here's a picture of the wonderful people in Anne's beautiful studio: Anne Ruthmann (top left), Amanda  (top right) - the "hot chick" down the hall, aka the owner of Brick Mill Studio.  Ivan Feign (bottom left) - one of the wonderful assistants I worked with, and Lauren Peate (bottom right) - the other wonderful assistant I worked with. There were three of us total working for Anne, and it has truly been a pleasure! She is the best boss in the world!! Thanks Anne for letting me guest blog!"

"I just want to leave you with one last picture. Meet Emma, my fellow photographer friend Alex's dog. Isn't she so adorable?!"

To learn more about what Emily is up to now, visit Emily Ku Photo's Blog!

Headshots for Haiti Success!

Press play to see some of the headshots selected yesterday!


I'm so grateful for everyone who came in to give a donation to Haiti relief and gave me the opportunity to photograph them! A special thanks to the following people who volunteered their Saturday afternoon to help raise $400 in just 5 hours! I couldn't have done it without their help!

Meg Belanger
Emily Ku
Karmen Lee
Royce & Ralph of the Waltham Church of God

Casting Call: Boston Pin-Up Girls!

(Press play to begin the slideshow!)

One of the funnest things I got to do when I lived in Terre Haute, IN, was partner with Samantha McGranahan to help establish The Roxy Girls. Now that I have a studio in Lowell, Massachusetts, I'm ready to update my Pin-Up Photography Collection in anticipation of a new brand for the New England market! All I need now are some awesome girls to help make it happen! Girls of ALL sizes ages 18+ are welcome! You may have to pay for hair & make-up, but the photo shoot will be complimentary to help me re-establish my portfolio with the wicked smart, geeky, and kick-ass girls of New England!

If this sounds like something you're interested in, drop me an email through my website and I'll send you more info about what you can expect and how to prepare! Please pass this on to friends who would love it as well!

(PS. I also offer Film Noir Boudoir if you're looking for something more intimate & fine art.)

Headshots for Haiti

This weekend, during Western Ave Open Studios, I'll be volunteering free Headshots for Haiti donations. I'm excited to have a group of Haitian-Americans join me in the studio who are organizing a mission to get back to Haiti in order to help create sustainable aid and infrastructure. They will be available to help answer any questions you might have about their mission and what they'll be doing with the donations.

The following video is from 2008, when four tropical storms ripped through Haiti. They had not seen full recovery before the Earthquake of 2010 destroyed all that they had worked hard to rebuild. They are beautiful and resilient people who simply need more help in creating structures and infrastructures that will keep them safe through acts of mother nature. Things which we take for granted and are protected from in the comfort of our well built homes, on our carefully cultivated land, in between our well constructed roads. Haitians will die before they give up, but there's no need for them to suffer when we have so much to give. Press play to hear some of their stories...

Haitian Hope - The best video clips are here

I don't have much to give- in fact, I probably have fewer assets than most of my readers. However, I can give my time and my talent to help mobilize & equip others, and I can encourage you to do the same.

"No one ever became poor from giving." - Anne Frank.

So, if you or someone you know needs an updated profile photo for facebook, linkedin, twitter, auditions, websites, blogs, online dating, or that secret love letter they'll be writing for Valentine's Day - please pass this info on! While you're in Lowell, you may also want to stick around to enjoy the annual Lowell Winterfest activities like Human Dogsled Racing, Outdoor Ice Skating, Hot Soup Competition, Marshmallow Roasting, Downtown Sleigh Rides, Live Music Tent, and TONS of FREE activities and crafts for families!! This is one of my FAVORITE events in Lowell and I look forward to joining the fun after capturing some great headshots!

February Desktop Image - Birds of a Feather

While I was visiting family in the midwest over the holidays, I was struck by how beautiful and colorful the Cardinals and Blue Jays were against the white snow and bare trees. My in-laws have cultivated a backyard haven for birds to find food and shelter during the winter, and the delight was all mine when observing the colorful creatures fluttering about. I patiently sat by the window, watching birds come and go and interact with each other. The Blue Jays didn't seem to want to get along with any other birds, while Cardinals seemed perfectly happy to socialize with each other and made occasional attempts to socialize with Blue Jays. It was all very Zen, just observing and appreciating things as they are.

Then I had an idea.

There was one particular background and one particular bird I had seen on occasion, but every time I got close enough to the window to capture it exactly as I wanted it to be composed, the bird would fly away. I tried everything to capture this one background perfectly framed around this bird and after nearly an hour of waiting, moving away from the window, trying to be stealthy, etc. I accepted that the bird did not want to fit into my ideal image as I had imagined it. I could not make reality match my ideal.

Then I realized.

I was so focused on on getting what I wanted- that perfect image, that I was failing to see all of the other opportunities near by. Once I was able to let go of my expectations, I released myself from the frustration of not getting what I wanted, and I was able to simply and happily capture all that was naturally being given to me. Just that one simple act - letting go of my expectation of what something should be - gave me the freedom to graciously appreciate all that was real and naturally ideal without trying to impose my own ideas of perfection.

It is this very thought that has made me rethink the idea of one door closing and another door opening. I find it closer to the truth that when one door closes, it is a window that opens, but we're so busy looking for another door that we fail to see the window as an option to reaching our goals.

This month, I challenge you to appreciate things the way they are, rather than wishing they were different, and to look for windows when you're feeling frustrated that there aren't any doors. ;-)


Click either image above to begin downloading a copy for your desktop.

Want a Koala?

Since it's hard to get close to a Koala in the wild, most of these photos are from the Featherdale Wildlife Park between Sydney and the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia.




Apparently the Koala's preferred diet of Eucalyptus leaves is what causes them to sleep alot. I think they look cuter and nicer with their eyes closed anyway. ;-)


Can you find the wild Koala in the photo below? This was captured at Noosa National Park in Queensland, Australia.


If you couldn't see it in the photo above, use this next photo to help you see what kind of place they naturally end up in.


At many parks in Australia, you get a chance to "Cuddle a Koala" - so I did! While I found most Australian animals in the wild to be quite tame around people, I still wouldn't attempt this outside of a supervised park, did you see those nails above?


On twitter and facebook a lot of people asked me to bring a Koala back from Australia- so I did! Unfortunately it wasn't any of the ones above. However, the Koalas I did bring back require no supply of eucalyptus leaves, tall gum trees for sleeping, or cleaning maintenance. They can cling to your camera strap, keep your pens and pencils safe, or ride everywhere with you on your keychain! To win one of these cute little mini koalas pictured below, just find one of your favorite TwitPic photos from my Australian adventures, copy the link to the photo and paste it in the blog comments below!! That's it! Oh, make sure your name is on your comment too! I'll announce the winners Monday morning in the comments, so be sure to check back then!