I’ve been very fortunate to get in contact with the wonderful people at the Ambassador Bridge who’s in charge of maintaining the Michigan Central Station. When I approached them with the proposal for a one of a kind photo shoot and possibly workshop inside the building they were more than open to my ideas. The photo shoot is already a reality but still tons of things have to be done.

Jennifer from the Ambassador Bridge has been a sweetheart and offered to show me the inside of the building in a private tour, how could I say no!

If you are like me, passionate about architecture you know this building is a beauty, but you have to see past the destruction to really see the spectacular craftsmanship and visualize the building as it was meant to be. Despite the rubble, the trash and all the disgusting graffiti the building took my breath away. As I’m walking inside the building and taking pictures I can see in my mind the scenes that I want to shoot…. I can’t wait to shoot inside this building!!

All the images below were taken using just the natural light that enters the building from literally everywhere.

^The main entrance of the building from the inside and outside. Not one window remains intact in the building.

^The main lobby area and me experimenting with what I call color fading, which is nothing more than a B&W picture with a colored  band that fades away.

^On the second or third floor, where the offices existed. Most of the rubble on the floor are broken Italian white marble tiles that decorated the walls of the building… unbelievable and so surreal to see such beautiful structure in this state of disaster.

^Another one of my experimental color fading pictures, showing how nature is slowly taking care of the inside of the building.

^Main control room. I was told from here the entire building was controlled. Just this panel and a very old desk remains.

If you are not familiar with these elegant and exquisite chocolates here are just a few pictures I took of my 18 delicious chocolates!

The great news! First of I got the approval for the biggest and greatest photo shoot ever taking place in Detroit or anywhere else in the US for that matter! If you read my blog you have heard the MCS, Michigan Central Station one of THE most beautiful buildings in the city of Detroit is having the worse luck any building could ever have, being demolish. The Detroit City Council gave the order this past April to demolish this amazing building. How are they going to do that on a Landmark is beyond me.

Fair enough I decided to do my part, by bringing awareness, and I mean National awareness to this fabulous structure, to stop this madness and to find a way to restore this building and to bring the railroads back to life. Now more than ever, the world needs to go green and every city needs to start acting up to make this a reality. So I got in contact with the fabulous people that manages and owns both the Ambassador Bridge and the Michigan Central Station to request permission for the biggest photo shoot ever taking place inside this building. Boy was I aiming to the sky when I emailed them! but I took the chance and sure enough they not only loved my idea they gave me the go, so now I’m planning one of the most meaningful photo sessions that ever existed and photographers from all over will be a part of this incredible task. Can you tell I’m exited?? Photographers from all over will have the chance of a life time by shooting inside one of the most magnificent buildings that exit in the US today. To be a part of a worthy cause, bring awareness and help preserve the heritage of every city in the US starting with Detroit. So please join me in this wonderful task!

More soon as the plans get rolling and everything is wrinkled out, so sign for my feed so you can get to know more about this wonderful opportunity!

See ya!

I created Manuela Valenti Studio in 2000, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I actually and finally was happy with my brand! when I opened Manuela Valenti Photography a couple of months ago, I figured “well I am the same person, same company, why not same image, so my photography blog started as Manuela Valenti Studio, same colors and all (I’m a freak for orange!). But after a little while I wasn’t happy one bit! I wanted something different but at the same time similar, something girlie but at the same time elegant, so a rush of ideas started coming to my mind and like a month ago I sat down to put all those ideas on paper.

I knew I liked lavender not only as a color, but as the flower, is my FAVORITE one ever! to the point I grow my own organic lavender in my own garden which I use to make my LavenderAlmond Organic Soaps, yes I do have my own line of exquisite organic soaps and they are to DIE for! my clients can testify for that!

Aside from lavender I thought “well, I love France, that’s one of my favorite places of all times”, so much that we drove the South of France completely in one trip while living in Spain and the West on a second trip all the way to Paris stopping on almost every little town and village we could find on our way, it was amazing! talk about direct inspiration for my paintings! so with all this, I was going for a more vintage looking French lavender design for my blog. It was not quite ME, me, I’m more modern/abstract/contemporary person (ask my 17 years old! all his friends say I’m the coolest mom ever!! ), but it had the elements I wanted and loved. So here I was with all the info that I wanted for my new design, perfect! so I started working and about a week or so ago I’m popping in into one of my favorite places online SWFB a photography group on flickr, and I stumbled on a thread about how fabulous Stacy Reeves’ new look is! (and let me tell you is FABULOUS!!!) and I almost fell backwards! we love the same thing! lavender! I had a couple similar elements, not exactly the same, but similar, and I thought to myself, I’m doomed completely! I have to start all over again! I mean Stacy Reeves is one of my favorite wedding photographers, but although my colors and overall design were different I wasn’t comfortable, so back to the drawing board.

Starting back again I wanted something that represented me and I made the decision I didn’t want orange as my accent color (a hard decision!). I wanted definitely something modern, contemporary, abstract if you will, but with a small feminine touch, but for days I was completely blocked! I couldn’t pass that barrier! so like everything happens for a reason I remember watching this video from one of the tours/workshops from Jasmine Star (you have to check her work out! is amazing!!) where she talks about branding, how she came up with hers and how incredibly important it is on any business, and although I knew what exactly she was talking about, ’cause hey! I already have a business remember? my studio/gallery business for my paintings, I was still blocked! I knew I needed something and I just couldn’t find it. My brain wasn’t working hard enough, so like I always do to relieve my stress, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started doodling my signature. For years, ever since I was a teenager, I’ve used MValenti as my signature for my paintings and art in general, that’s how I’m known internationally among collectors and galleries, even for my photography, but I still wasn’t sure about using the same signature as my brand. I kept drawing and doodling and I wrote the M in my cursive font to sign my name with a different font just to try and see if that worked. As I’m writing the M I made a mistake and a line came after it. I was thinking at that moment, “ah! another mistake, let me try again” as I’m placing the pencil down on the paper to start again, that’s when it hit me! I had it, right there, in front of me. For years I’ve experimenting on how to write my name with a nice font, because my handwriting really sucks!! so I grabbed a sharpie and a white piece of paper and started making more and more, loose and not so loose, short and long, round and not so round Ms until I made the perfect one which is the one you are seeing in my new logo. I took a picture, cleaned the signature, made some photoshop magic and that’s how my branding came out.

The colors? well, basically they are the same ones I use for Manuela Valenti Studio but since I knew I had to change the main color (orange) ’cause I already had made the decision to part away the two businesses (still crying about it!), I started hunting for a nice color that would match perfectly with my dark gray (or grey as you prefer) and white. I tried many, including red, too typical and an era I just don’t want to go back to!… blue was completely out of the question (I’m just not a blue color fan)… green, LOVELY!!!… yellow? too bright, plus it’ll look like a bumble bee!… purple? not quite, although my oldest son liked it!… back again to the blockage, what color now?!… I had to take a break or I would go crazy. I entered my painting studio as I needed to clean some old paint I had left on the tray and I saw the color, fuchsia! I finally had it! I ran to my computer and the blockage was gone! my ideas started floating like crazy! my brain was finally organized and on track! I was able to design in no time the entire new look for my photography site! in no time everything was ready (it’s good that aside from an artist, I’m a graphic designer and web designer huh?!

Yet, after I thought I had the color, fuchsia, figured out here comes my little one and after a while looking how I’m playing with colors he says “I don’t like that pink, I like the green better, it matches the color of your eyes” HA! and I thought I had all ready! here comes this little guy about to loose another tooth anxious ’cause the tooth fairy will leave him $20 under his pillow, makes a statement out of nowhere and I crumble! I was so sure, so convinced about my business decision and I crumbled?!?! oh boy! the doubts back again, which one! fuchsia or green? or should I just cave in and go for the orange and call it a day? HELP!!!

If you want to help, then place your vote below in the comment area, ’cause I’m dying here! two simple choices, this exotic tropical green you see in my blog right now or  the luscious fuchsia below?

What started as a quest to find the perfect design that would match me, Manuela Valenti the person, the artist behind the camera and the head of the business ended up being the most rewarding process I have ever done for myself and the most challenging at the same time.

Now what is left is design the business cards (if I ever decide on the color!), and all my marketing material that will match my new simple but elegant design, I can’t wait!!

Coming up with a design for your business whether you do it yourself or hire a company to do it, is tricky and sometimes frustrating. A design that matches your personality as a business owner is extremely important as is the first thing any client will see before even considering hiring you. The key to find your brand is look deep inside yourself and find what you like the most, what you identify the most with. It could be really anything, even a bouquet of flowers, or a piece of candy, but whatever it is, as a business you build your entire empire around it as that would be crucial for your future clients to identify with you, the person and the business behind the product your offer.

If you want to, I would love your feedback on my new design, I really do! so click below and start typing! and don’t forget to tell me which color you like the most!… I love them both, so this is a real dilema for me!

Until next time!

There is nothing more rewarding to me as a photographer than capturing relaxed and candid images of my kids or any client for that matter when they less expect it. Any photographer will tell you those are THE BEST pictures you can ever get.

On another note, I’m in the process of parting away from the design of Manuela Valenti Studio for my photography business into a more unique and completely different one. Branding wise it is the best thing for both my businesses, so don’t be surprised if the next time you visit my photography site you see a completely different and rejuvenated blog!

I just love the sequence below! I had a blast at taking pictures of my son while playing in a finally warm weather!

As expected his huge chunky chalk broke in half and he tried to put it back together.

Aside from loving to sing (all day long, and I really mean ALL DAY LONG!) Gabriel enjoys drawing and painting just like me. Maybe he’s another artist like his mom ;D maybe we would be able to work together as a mom/son artist when he gets older, who knows! so far he’s having a blast doing it and it has filled the entire house with color and fun, including the drive way!

You know is time to say bye at taking pictures when your model decides to go watch the penguins of Madagascar on tv. See ya next time!

Looking at Detroit today is like looking at any city in a poor third world country. Entering Detroit gives you the impression you are not in the United States of America. It seems like another country, which for me after coming from Atlanta was kind of scary I have to admit.

Prosperity in Detroit is a word that has been forgotten completely or so it seems. People has abandoned and keeps abandoning the city that is falling apart from every corner. Crime is skyrocketing and jobs are as scarce as common sense by the part of the entities that govern the city. This once a beautiful modern city is falling down rapidly and dramatically. To top it all up the City Council just announced their decision of using money from the stimulus funds to demolish the Michigan Train Station. The mayor wants an “emergency demolition” of one of the greatest buildings in the United States of America, that should be preserved, restored and it trains made functional again just like any other modern city in Europe and the US. The reason for demolishing this beautiful historical piece you would think is a very strong reason, right? well no, the reason for demolishing this landmark, is plain and simple because is ugly and of course because after using money from the stimulus funds to tear it down they will demand the owner of the building to pay the city back. I’m not a lawyer but I’m sure this is not quite legal.

Why not restoring it? why not make it functional and bring more permanent jobs and revenue to the city that so much is craving for it? do they really think that generating temporary employment to destroy the building is better than permanent employment?? are these people on the Detroit government for real??… The demolition of this landmark is the beginning of the end for the city of Detroit and nor the government nor the people living in Detroit have realized this yet.

After 20+ years of complete abandonment and vandalism the building still stands proud of the golden era of Detroit. This was once the portal for millions of passengers that entered the once prosper and modern city of Detroit. Can you imagine entering the city through this gorgeous building?! it should have being fabulous! talk about prosperity and opulence! The attention to detail in the construction of this building is so exquisite that even is admired by architects worldwide and still today shows its splendor in full despite the state of ruin of the building.

I went to take pictures of the MCS this past Sunday 19th of April, just a few days after the sad decision was made to demolish the building. I guess the angels were sad that even the sky turned gray and the day was cold, yet I was able to take great pictures of the front of the building. We couldn’t make it inside but I would have loved walking inside this building. The historic value of this building is amazing, the construction was incredible and it would be a really good thing if the city of Detroit would not only make it a landmark but make it functional again. In an era were is so important to make a city as green as possible and having such an incredible infrastructure there ready to be restored to its splendor activating one of the most important train stations would make Detroit not only the green city but a prosper one as well atracting the business and revenue that is so much needed. Honestly, it is a crime not to save this building.

We need a miracle in Detroit to make this city a prosper one again, and I mean a true miracle. From been one of the most important cities in the US is now the last one, where no one wants to live and where even large corporations don’t want to invest. We need a clean, honest group of people to manage this city the right way, but most importantly we have to get rid of the cancer that is currently making all the bad decisions that have turned this city into the shameful city that is today.

Let’s keep the Michigan Train Station. Don’t destroy our heritage.

The incredible attention to detail of this building is amazing! look at those florets, those columns! is like entering a Roman or Greek temple! why do they want to destroy it?!….