The Story Behind the Photoshoot

Or books, blogs, and what I wore.

If you've seen the cover of the November 2009 School Library Journal, or read it, you'll have had the pleasure of seeing me not once but twice!

The first photo is the cover; the second is with the article, This Blog's For You.

Betsy Bird (aka Fuse #8 Production) emailed me asking me if I wanted to come up to NYC for the cover. As luck would have it, I had no outreach, visits, or meetings scheduled for that day; and the people at MPOW allowed me the time to do this (thanks!!).

The bloggers in the photo: Monica Edinger aka Educating Alice, Cheryl Klein aka Brooklyn Arden, Elizabeth Bird aka Fuse #8, Jennifer Hubert Swan aka Reading Rants.

Then, the big worry. What would I wear? Those of you who know me in real life know my usual uniform outside of work is jeans, Doc Martens or Dansko shoes, and a T shirt and sweater. In work, it's very J.Crew lite, with trousers and cardigans. Quickly we decided that we wanted a grown up look, something dressy, something, dare I say it, Mad Men.

In other words... I was looking for an excuse to go shopping. And I had been handed that excuse on a silver platter.

So, for you fashionistas out there, after much trying on of clothes, I went with the Wool Seamed Dress from Ann Taylor: "A flattering sheath dress in wool with stretch for a perfect fit. Jewel neckline. Sleeveless." Color: Dark Heather Gray. In addition to looking good, it was very, very comfortable, which is what I wanted for the train ride to and fro NYC, not to mention finding the photoshoot.

Wanting to add a bit of color, I indulged in the Perfect Luxe Scarf, also from Ann Taylor, color Raspberry Ice, which you can see in the cover. The sweater in the second photo is from J.Crew; last summer, maybe the summer before, so no link or details on that. Shoes are Franco Sarto, The Artist's Collection; they are black, peep toe, with a buckle decoration. I bought them this past summer, so, alas, no link to photo for you. Jewelry: the pearls I got for High School graduation (thanks, Mom!). Hair is by DeJensen, and whenever my hair looks good, it is because of them. I did my own makeup. I also bought all these clothes myself.

The photo shoot was at The Globe, 158 East 23rd Street, New York, NY. It was my type of bar; tons of old-school details, hard wood, tin ceilings, you know the drill.

This is actually my second photo shoot with SLJ. Back when I wrote Curl Up With a Cup of Tea and a Good Blog for SLJ (February 2007), I blogged about the Photo Shoot.

There were a few differences this time around. First, I wasn't involved in the setting up of the lights this time around! SLJ had a few people there, who were assisting with that type of thing so I got to chat with the other cover ladies. Second, this time around I had the benefit of years of viewing America's Next Top Model (thanks to Carlie and Melissa for introducing me!) Thus I could smile with my eyes and watch my elbows.




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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy