Polka Photos

Singer Ani Difranco's lyrics resonate with me: "It took me too long to realize / That I don't take good pictures / Cuz I have the kind of beauty / That moves. "In other words, I've never been particularly photogenic. I'm not a monstrosity or anything in real life. But in photos I feel like I appear criminally insane or heavily drugged or posed and simpering. Those are the options. I hate having my picture taken. I wind up saying, "But that looks nothing like me. At least, nothing like who I really *am*."So when I tried a portrait session with Aleks and saw the results, I was fairly astounded. My personality came through. There's so much energy in these ostensibly static images. And I look, imnsho, beautiful. The picture attached to this yelp post? Hers. I am soooooo using that for my online dating profile. Huzzah! I understand she takes a photojournalist's approach to potraiture, so maybe that style and mindset is what creates such animated results. Not just some staid, flat, fake-looking headshot.During the shoot Aleks gave me some pointers on how to shift my shoulders and head so a person's natural 3-D beauty renders best in 2-D. It took some minutes to get comfortable being photographed, but then I settled in because she's so amiable and accessible as a person, and the session got wicked fun. I had a blast. Even with the pointers she gave me I didn't feel like I was being art-directed, or forced to stand or sit in poses she'd already pre-imagined and was just fitting me into some template she already had in her head. I felt at ease and like she was documenting visually how I naturally am. Then the pictures come out and they're somehow of an improved version of me. Awesome.Her pricing is really accessible, too. Having now done a casual session with her because I needed some headshots for various uses, I would definitely trust her with major occasions like a wedding and baby portraits. But I'm also thinking of asking her for quotes on things like a destination family reunion or the first time I run a half-marathon or other milestones I'd love to have albums of. She puts such great, economical packages together and can tell a story with pictures that I think they'd be phenomenal to upload to ancestry.com. Instead of just off-the-cuff random shots I'd have more, I dunno...polished life narratives worth preserving.Maybe it's weird to have a photographer, in the way you have a hairdresser or an accountant or a dentist - people you need to see on a regular basis. But that's how I think of Polka Photos. It's so cool to have that resource now. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Let me start by saying that Aleks is primarily a wedding and event photographer.Let me add that I am not married, nor am I engaged, nor am I almost engaged, and I'm not having an event that needs photographing.  I've known Aleks for over a decade, and have known how incredibly talented a photographer she is for at least that long.  So when I needed some headshots done, she was the first one I called.  She fit me in that very weekend, and we did about 100 shots in about an hour and a half.  Now, normally, I am not a huge fan of photos of myself, but there were at least 30, even pre-Photoshop, that I adored.  Seriously.  According to these still un-retouched photos, I'm kinda hot.  Based on these pictures, if I swung that way, I'd totally do me.Check out her portfolio if you're having a wedding or an event any time soon-- you will be duly impressed.  And if you're in need of headshots, even though it's not her main thing, she does a hell of a job, and, for what it's worth, she's extremely professional and a pleasure to work with.  For serious and for true.  (I've posted a few of the pix she did of me on my profile, in case you're interested.  Just don't go licking your computer screen.  That's nasty.) More...

Reviewed on Yelp