Agent Rosie

As a co-owner of The Standard Society, established in 2013, Heather is a talent agent primarily for directors, animators, and editors in the commercial advertising industry. As their representative, Heather connects them to opportunities to expand their artistic ability, and promote their skills, and vision for story.

I met Heather purely because she and my cousin Tom met, fell in love, married, and now have a daughter, home & life together. 

Early on, each encounter I had with Heather one upped the previous. She was charming, beautiful, and electric. Smart, incredibly witty, with an infectious laugh. For years I knew little about her professional life. Here and there I'd hear she was writing something, working with creatives. Made sense to me, she was always donning a tint of wild color in her hair, plus her sense for storytelling was solid. My cousin had an incredible partner and I was grateful that she was part of our family. I find it wild how, when people are part of your family, you really know little about what exactly they do for their career. You rarely get into the conversation. 

Around 2012, I was talking to Tom, expressing a struggle I was having with my career. He suggested I talk with Heather, saying she helped creative people. I reached out. The short conversation was, as expected, brilliant and fun. However, her natural ability to listen, connect, encourage, and then direct me on a path for my future was highly impactful. The moment was pivotal for me. I began to think differently about what I was currently doing as a creative and developed new aspirations for my creative future. 

Agent Rosie firmly stands here on set as a trend setter in an industry with far too few female agents. As an ally for those in the director's chair, impacting and inspiring the voices of both women and men. This Modern Rosie portrait depicts my cousin Heather in a powerful light. As a beaming symbol to her daughter, our family, and the larger creative community. She expands the notion that women can be wildly passionate mothers inside their homes, while simultaneously being fierce economic agents for change outside.

#modernrosie #agentrosie

Story World Explorers podcast discussing our Modern Rosie personal project

Rosie the Healer

May 2021

Dr. Ingrid Liu was our family’s amazing physician for several years. My wife and I were comforted to have our family physician for many years to come. Then suddenly, she announced she was leaving the practice and would no longer be in our network. 

We were so sad to lose touch with a provider who was so dependable, sensible, attentive, and friendly. She had brought us so much comfort during many scares, which happen with three growing boys. 

Some months later we bumped into one another. "We miss you so much,” I stated. With a warm smiling reply, "I know, I miss you all, too! How is the family?" We exchanged updates.

She explained that she left to start her own membership-based practice after feeling confined by the statistics and money driven practices of insurance companies. Those interactions were monopolizing her time with constant communication and mandated procedures that were often not the most sensible. I shared my appreciation for her stance, explaining my being denied health insurance by one of the big companies because I was seeing a therapist. She nodded unsurprised. Which is why she needed to start something new. If she hadn't, she was on a path to leave medicine altogether. The norm was too often not allowing her to advocate and help her patients in the best way possible — antithetical to why she became a family practitioner. 

Dr. Liu now has a practice allowing her to provide the compassionate care she always envisioned. She has a partner and a small staff to provide very personalized care at a reasonable monthly rate.  Relationships with labs and centers keep common tests significantly lower than what they are with the insurance companies in the middle. They also offer many prescription medications at wholesale prices, likewise, a fraction of the cost of the pharmacy.

This Modern Rosie image portrays Dr. Liu proud and comfortable, providing a highly valuable service to the community. Instead of being directed by statistic focused pencil pushers, she now leads with the skills, knowledge and medicine that drive her passion to care for others. After all, that's why she got into medicine in the first place.

Rosie the Advocate

June 2020

I met Dr. Amara Enyia while photographing a panel discussion on women leaders at Adler University in early March 2020. Dr. Enyia immediately stood out to me as she challenged the audience to "have the difficult conversations regarding race/politics within your families, inner groups and circles” and added, “The world will only move forward with those discussions happening." I stayed after for a quick chat to commend her bold and courageous charge. While I immediately had her in mind for the Modern Rosie project, I felt a need to learn more about her before approaching her to participate. It didn’t take long to admire her impressive advocacy and leadership as a Chicago west sider and her influence on the international stage.⁠

Early that June, I decided to reconnect, share my Modern Rosie project’s artist statement, and ask if she’d be interested in being a Rosie. Given her powerful leadership and influential voice, she was an ideal candidate. She was very receptive, saying, “given the current social climate, I am excited and honored to be a part of this project.” ⁠⁠

As with each Modern Rosie, I informed her that she should research and reflect on the persona of Rosie the Riveter. With this being a contemporary Rosie series honoring the hard work and contributions women leaders make to our currrent economy and society, the only required link to past Rosies was that she wear a red bandana. ⁠

We set the location near her west side home under the Green Line L tracks. The day was perfect.⁠ She arrived wearing this stunning solid black outfit and bold red shoes. In addition, her necklace, sourced in South Africa by a dear friend of hers who owns The Silver Room in Hyde Park, was chosen to represent her commitment to Pan-Africanism.⁠⁠

⁠Dr. Enyia boldly stands as a fierce advocate for the people, community and world around her, facing life’s traffic. Determined to engage with, and positively impact, the direction of the forces moving around her. Challenging people to slow down, think, and reflect on the routes we automatically follow every day. Rosie the Advocate inspires us to consider our patterns and embrace a different path toward a better future.

Twenty, and Twenty More

For just over 20 years now, I’ve walked on this professional photographer’s road. This winding road has been full of wonderful moments, chance encounters, and interesting adventure. If we've met, you probably noticed that I enjoy meeting people. Hearing stories. Building relationships.

Beginning my career as a wedding photographer connected me to so many amazing people, many of whom do equally amazing things. Turns out, my style and personality partnered me with a crazy number of creatives for their nuptials. As the official 3rd-wheel-storyteller for these couples, I was able to form a strong bond and, oftentimes, develop a professional relationship past their big day. The strength of this foundation for my career cannot be overstated. There are not many days that pass where I don't have an exchange with a past wedding client. Some connect for a family portrait, others for a commercial gig. Many have become steadfast friends.

In 2013, I decided to step away from wedding photography to take a new road. Concentrating on taking back my weekends for my family and focusing on developing my commercial & corporate photography portfolio. The result has been amazing. We have created a new foundation and direction for our work for the next 20 years. Each year expanding our creative offerings to our loyal clients. Incorporating video production has become a larger part of our future. This has thrilled us on so many levels. We are storytellers with a knack for the smart, impactful message. Offering clients, whose goals we know so well, both video and stills is a win-win for everyone.

In early 2018, thanks to the ASMP, I invested in a 3 day workshop to better understand my craft. This was icing on the cake. An "Aha!" moment. Unlocking personal projects which have been sitting in the back of my head, and in some cases in old negative sleeves, for too long. Sometimes you have to invest in yourself to move on a clearer path. Be on the lookout as we unveil my personal projects on a more regular basis.

There are many to thank for helping guide me along the way. Kind of impossible to thank you all. But know this, if we've connected at some point along the way, I appreciate you and the impact you've had on us along the way.

Clients. Thank you for allowing CGP to be your visual ambassador on your journey into your future. The ride has been blast. We are so looking forward to continuing with you on your road.

Professionally, Steven E Gross gets a tip of the hat for opening my mind to photographing weddings as an art. Paul Elledge a nod for opening the vault to my personal projects. Each of these artists' skill & generosity have inspired me in so many ways. To all the assistants and partners who've been with us over the years, I thank you. Our work today is better because of you.

And finally, to my family. Chelsea, you've been such an incredible, supportive partner to this scatterbrained, self-employed, bald, creative soul. A rock. I'm grateful on so many levels that you picked up that phone in 1992, and looking forward to continuing our dance on this road. Boys, it's only recently that I'm realizing how fast your little legs had to walk in your early years to keep up with my long legs when we walked down any road. You've each inspired me in more ways than you can know. Keep working hard as you navigate your roads. To my large family, I love you. The support you've provided my creativity from my earliest memory is immeasurable. Sisters, thanks for teaching this man to love dancing. Oh, and Mom, thanks for providing me with my most valuable tools which I use every day. My ability to connect & make a person feel comfortable. Kind of important for a people photographer.

The road of these first 20 years has been amazing to reflect upon. The next 20 is wonderful to envision. This should be a special and enjoyable journey. We are excited to walk with you. Lets go.

Cheers,

Tips For Entrepreneurs & the 1099 Employee

Never Use a Phone Selfie  Your image matters, so using selfies from your phone for your employee portrait or your LinkedIn profile is a big no-no. Selfies don’t read professional, they just read lazy.

Don’t Use a ‘Night Out’ Photo  Everybody gets lucky with the perfect lighting, the best outfit, or perfectly styled hair on a night out with friends. But seriously, that photo is far from sending a professional message.

Find the Right Professional Photographer  Start looking at the work of professional photographers in your area. Be selective. Look through their portfolio with intention and discuss budget upfront. Creating an image that really exemplifies who you are requires a connection to the photographer.

Avoid Excessive Retouching  Stay away from too much Photoshop manipulation (or “airbrushing”). Chat with your photographer about their intentions for editing. Accenting your character and personality is what your photographer should strive to do. Keep a close eye on the work that is in their portfolios - do the people look like real, relatable people to you?

Purchase More Than One Photo  When going through proofs from your photo session, identify an image you need now and one for the future, then purchase two different images. This could be different poses in different shirts or jacket, hair up or down, etc. Ordering a couple of images up front will cut your cost in the future.

Create Consistency  Realize that the image you choose is your personal brand. Use it for at least a year (yes, a year!). A new image every week only works for models. Variety can be fun but doesn’t show stability and comfort in your skin. Be strong in your image and your brand will back it up.

Tips for Employers

Make Room in the Budget  Build photography into your annual budget. Going with several, cheaper photographers shows zero consistency and lack of commitment to your team. Customers recognize that!

Find The Right Photographer  Hire a quality, professional photographer that has a portfolio that matches the portrait style you’re looking for. Think about the kind of message you want to send. Do you want to portray corporate professionalism, fun personality, or somewhere in between?

Think Long Term  The photographer’s portfolio matters, but make sure they are someone you can (and want to) use again. Every company will face turnover, so consistent lighting and backgrounds are key. You want to know that the next person you hire will be added to the page and look like they were photographed on the same day as the others.

Say Goodbye to Stock Photography  We live in a world where hiring a professional photographer is only an email or call away. Having quality, original work featured on your website sets you apart from those who use stock images. Working with a photographer will give you more personalized images to differentiate your business. Take the opportunity to accentuate your team, your space, and your company.