I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and happiest new year!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
A love of light
Beautiful qualities of light throughout the day and into the night. It makes me love my job so much more with each new wedding. Congrats to Heather and Micah.
All images taken by Something Blue Photography.
Friday, November 12, 2010
My Rochester Bucket List
If you haven't heard already via the social realms, Thom and I have decided to make a very big decision and leave our families, careers and lives in Rochester, New York behind for a brand new start in San Francisco, California!
We're both terribly excited for the new change of pace and for the opportunities there. I can't wait to discover a new city and experience new cultures. Last week, we made a very quick trip out [40 hours] to see the city and visit my grad school.
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, after two years of trying, 7 heartbreaking letters of rejection and one willful spirit later, I have finally reached a ginormous milestone in my photography career and have been accepted into a photography graduate school at the Academy of Art University. And let me also just say, I cannot freakin wait. Out comes my trapper keeper, highlighters and backpack...
And so this is the hard to keep secret I've had for a few weeks now. I mentioned big changes that were going to occur in a past post and so here they are! Thom and I seem to be domestic traveler extraordinaires. Our lives will be continually moving back and forth from San Francisco to New York City back to San Francisco to Miami to Key West and finally back to San Francisco. [And perhaps Rochester sprinkled in here and there] Add the ill timed holiday season coming upon us and you might just have the perfect recipe for a very stressful move.
We both have realized this and the true reality of leaving our families and childhood areas. So yesterday, I made a big decision and left my current job, knowing that I would be leaving them sooner rather than the later I had originally hoped for. And now that I have finally told them, I can now finally tell others. And it's a huge relief. I am not one for keeping secrets for very long. [Cue the visible sigh of relief]
So grad school for me for the next two years and Thom? He found an amazing application developing job that will have him so close to Fisherman's Warf, that he'll not only smell the salty taste of the bay but also the overwhelming smell of the many hobos which San Francisco is infamously known for. Horray for that!
With all that said, I am now realizing what I'll be missing and so I will not be taking Rochester for granted! It's funny to know that simple things like the fall season and snow will not be something I will be experiencing soon in San Francisco. (Think the last recorded snow fall in San Fran was like in 1978?) Don't forget New York apples and hayrides too! And what about chicken wings! Becoming this nostalgic just makes me a bit sad to be leaving New York and because of that, I've decided to create my Rochester Bucket List. A list of things that I should do/experience/taste before I leave.
I've come up with a few:
1. Visit the Memorial Art Gallery one. last. time.
2. Visit and eat at Donuts Delite up near Irondequoit
3. Go see one last movie at The Little Theater
4. Visit the Science Museum on East Ave. (Never have I ever...)
I suppose I could open this up to the Buffalo area as well since that is where I grew up and I could think of a few places I've been wanting to see or experience or eat at. Especially eat. I'm all for great restaurants in the area.
So do you know of some things that aren't worth missing before I leave? For instance, a great restaurant or place to see? Leave a comment, let me know.
And before I end this post, let me just say again that I will miss a lot of great things here in New York. There are so many memories. But I am excited for new ones, so it's been fun New York. You stay classy.
We're both terribly excited for the new change of pace and for the opportunities there. I can't wait to discover a new city and experience new cultures. Last week, we made a very quick trip out [40 hours] to see the city and visit my grad school.
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, after two years of trying, 7 heartbreaking letters of rejection and one willful spirit later, I have finally reached a ginormous milestone in my photography career and have been accepted into a photography graduate school at the Academy of Art University. And let me also just say, I cannot freakin wait. Out comes my trapper keeper, highlighters and backpack...
And so this is the hard to keep secret I've had for a few weeks now. I mentioned big changes that were going to occur in a past post and so here they are! Thom and I seem to be domestic traveler extraordinaires. Our lives will be continually moving back and forth from San Francisco to New York City back to San Francisco to Miami to Key West and finally back to San Francisco. [And perhaps Rochester sprinkled in here and there] Add the ill timed holiday season coming upon us and you might just have the perfect recipe for a very stressful move.
We both have realized this and the true reality of leaving our families and childhood areas. So yesterday, I made a big decision and left my current job, knowing that I would be leaving them sooner rather than the later I had originally hoped for. And now that I have finally told them, I can now finally tell others. And it's a huge relief. I am not one for keeping secrets for very long. [Cue the visible sigh of relief]
So grad school for me for the next two years and Thom? He found an amazing application developing job that will have him so close to Fisherman's Warf, that he'll not only smell the salty taste of the bay but also the overwhelming smell of the many hobos which San Francisco is infamously known for. Horray for that!
With all that said, I am now realizing what I'll be missing and so I will not be taking Rochester for granted! It's funny to know that simple things like the fall season and snow will not be something I will be experiencing soon in San Francisco. (Think the last recorded snow fall in San Fran was like in 1978?) Don't forget New York apples and hayrides too! And what about chicken wings! Becoming this nostalgic just makes me a bit sad to be leaving New York and because of that, I've decided to create my Rochester Bucket List. A list of things that I should do/experience/taste before I leave.
I've come up with a few:
1. Visit the Memorial Art Gallery one. last. time.
2. Visit and eat at Donuts Delite up near Irondequoit
3. Go see one last movie at The Little Theater
4. Visit the Science Museum on East Ave. (Never have I ever...)
I suppose I could open this up to the Buffalo area as well since that is where I grew up and I could think of a few places I've been wanting to see or experience or eat at. Especially eat. I'm all for great restaurants in the area.
So do you know of some things that aren't worth missing before I leave? For instance, a great restaurant or place to see? Leave a comment, let me know.
And before I end this post, let me just say again that I will miss a lot of great things here in New York. There are so many memories. But I am excited for new ones, so it's been fun New York. You stay classy.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Why my cat might be a bit more retarded than Allie Brosh's dog.
To begin with, please see Allie Brosh's amazing blog at Hyperbole and a Half. Please read her post on her reasoning why her pet dog might be retarded.
Inspired by another blogger and her oh-so-funny post on why she feels that her pet dog might be retarded, I couldn't help but begin to wonder on my own pet cat, Connor. Is my cat slightly retarded?
Thom and I had adopted Connor from Lollypop Farms, an animal shelter out in Fairport, New York about 8 months ago. He had seemed to be the most liveliest cat in the shelter with his very loud and outgoing personality and this was a trait that we wanted so badly in a cat. (I had grown up with cats my whole life and I am 90% sure that they were all very quiet and lethargic; which I hated. Thom, on the other hand, had never owned a cat in his life, just dogs, and was looking forward to the bright possibilities of pet ownership again, even if it were a cat.) We couldn't get a dog at the time since our apartment complex wouldn't allow it, so we ended up adopting a spirited, loud and sometimes ferocious, orange and white male domestic short-hair.
Let me also say that we absolutely love our cat. There is no question or doubt that both of us aren't capable of loving our cat. Seriously. We are those annoying and crazy people that tell other sane people about their cat and stories of said cat. We have no shame. WE WILL PULL OUT A CELLPHONE AND SHOW YOU PICTURES OF SAID CAT. So when I finally begin to get into this post and explain my reasoning why my cat is slightly retarded, I mostly mean it in a funny, light and entertaining way. Not a "survival of the fittest, why I must now put down my retarded cat" way.
So...with all that said.
Reasons why my cat might be retarded:
1. He looks out the window. When the shade is drawn. I'm not sure if perhaps he is actually really smart and is imaging seeing squirrels outside (which he usually does when the shade is up) but he will sit on the edge of the couch and stare at the window with the shade down. Perhaps it's muscle memory?
2. He runs into doors. Sometimes, during the day, we'll crack open the front door of our apartment to let Connor downstairs to lay at the front landing. There's a lot of sunlight that comes through the windows there and he thoroughly enjoys laying in the warmth, like most cats. We leave the door semi opened/closed though, mostly to keep in the upstairs heat. Connor usually knows to snake in and out of the small space between the door opening throughout the day. Sometimes, when we have to leave and run errands, he'll think that he can sneak his way back down the stairs when we're about to lock up and leave. (This usually ends with him succeeding and us having to carry him back up the stairs.)
But one day, I got home and cracked the door open a bit to let Connor down the stairs to lay in the sun. And sure enough, down the stairs he went. It was around lunch time and so I began to get his regular teaspoon sized meal of wet food out in a dish for him. Connor must have heard the rustle of his food being prepared and raced up the stairs to get to his lunch. He does this for every meal, no matter where he might be in the house.
Except this time, instead of his usual meow for food, I heard a loud "thump!". It seemed that Connor had forgotten about the very visible door that was opened a smidgen and had run at full cat speed right into it in order to get to his lunch. Poor cat.
3. He eats a lot of things that he shouldn't. I've seen this cat eat everything from leaves to spiders to cobwebs to his own fur. And what's even more ironic is the fact that he'll only eat certain wet foods. (Chunky rather than pureed) The other day, I came home and was mortified to learn that Connor had eaten one of my sewing bobbins.
Thom told me that earlier, he had noticed Connor playing but didn't think anything of it. Connor does this often, like most cats. Later he found Connor in his "throwing up" position and began to worry. (Connor's throwing up position is just him sitting down all curled together, arms crossed, eyes closed and tail tucked in.) Only this time he noticed a small yellow string hanging from his mouth. I even drew an illustration:
Instantly curious, Thom began to pull the thread. And I swear, it honestly was like something straight out of a cartoon show. Thom kept pulling and pulling and pulling and realized after a huge wad of yellow string that Connor must have swallowed one of my bobbins from my sewing desk. With that realization, Thom kept frantically pulling the string until finally taunt and he had to pull out a very gloppy, gooey and cat vomittity bobbin. All the while, poor Connor was left looking very dazed and confused at what had just occurred.
4. He's unaware of pet repelling products. Did you know that cats don't like the sound of tin foil? Or if you ever wanted your cat down from a counter, you could spray them with water? Cats don't like getting wet either. Sadly, these things do not work with Connor. For one thing, Connor likes to drink straight out of the faucet. And I don't mean cute, petite and small sips of water, I mean, he sticks his head directly into the water while simultaneously trying to lick a mix of water and air. Water doesn't really seem to repel him in anyway. The other day I was putting wet dishes in the dishwasher and Connor just sat right under my feet where countless splatters of water fell upon him. He never moved an inch. And when he feels like being an explorer, we'll usually find him in the bathtub.
Other things like pet repelling covers for couches do not work either. I only know this because I'm a catalog photographer and needed to photograph said cover in my house using Connor as a "prop" or the pet that was supposed to be repelled by the pet repellent cover. (In real life, I could care less if Connor got up on the couch.) Anyway, I was getting ready to photograph this terribly crinkly and foil like cover and kept thinking how much Connor wasn't going to appreciate being the poor modeling victim for my shot. I was sure that he would hate it. But instead, like always, he surprised me.
I placed him on the cover and ran to my shutter to get him jumping off the couch but to my amazement, Connor just stood there looking confused like always. He looked around him, pawed the strange foil like cover, turned himself around and laid right down on the cover! Some pet repellent! From then on, it was about 10 minutes of me pleading and begging him to come off the cover in order for me to try and get my shot. Finally, with the promise of food and Thom's help, we got him to jump off the cover and I was able to get my shot.
So I'm sure that this list could just get completely out of control and animal rights activists would begin to wonder, so I'll just stop here. But seriously, I love my pet and think he's just great...but perhaps a bit retarded.
Inspired by another blogger and her oh-so-funny post on why she feels that her pet dog might be retarded, I couldn't help but begin to wonder on my own pet cat, Connor. Is my cat slightly retarded?
Thom and I had adopted Connor from Lollypop Farms, an animal shelter out in Fairport, New York about 8 months ago. He had seemed to be the most liveliest cat in the shelter with his very loud and outgoing personality and this was a trait that we wanted so badly in a cat. (I had grown up with cats my whole life and I am 90% sure that they were all very quiet and lethargic; which I hated. Thom, on the other hand, had never owned a cat in his life, just dogs, and was looking forward to the bright possibilities of pet ownership again, even if it were a cat.) We couldn't get a dog at the time since our apartment complex wouldn't allow it, so we ended up adopting a spirited, loud and sometimes ferocious, orange and white male domestic short-hair.
Let me also say that we absolutely love our cat. There is no question or doubt that both of us aren't capable of loving our cat. Seriously. We are those annoying and crazy people that tell other sane people about their cat and stories of said cat. We have no shame. WE WILL PULL OUT A CELLPHONE AND SHOW YOU PICTURES OF SAID CAT. So when I finally begin to get into this post and explain my reasoning why my cat is slightly retarded, I mostly mean it in a funny, light and entertaining way. Not a "survival of the fittest, why I must now put down my retarded cat" way.
So...with all that said.
Reasons why my cat might be retarded:
1. He looks out the window. When the shade is drawn. I'm not sure if perhaps he is actually really smart and is imaging seeing squirrels outside (which he usually does when the shade is up) but he will sit on the edge of the couch and stare at the window with the shade down. Perhaps it's muscle memory?
2. He runs into doors. Sometimes, during the day, we'll crack open the front door of our apartment to let Connor downstairs to lay at the front landing. There's a lot of sunlight that comes through the windows there and he thoroughly enjoys laying in the warmth, like most cats. We leave the door semi opened/closed though, mostly to keep in the upstairs heat. Connor usually knows to snake in and out of the small space between the door opening throughout the day. Sometimes, when we have to leave and run errands, he'll think that he can sneak his way back down the stairs when we're about to lock up and leave. (This usually ends with him succeeding and us having to carry him back up the stairs.)
But one day, I got home and cracked the door open a bit to let Connor down the stairs to lay in the sun. And sure enough, down the stairs he went. It was around lunch time and so I began to get his regular teaspoon sized meal of wet food out in a dish for him. Connor must have heard the rustle of his food being prepared and raced up the stairs to get to his lunch. He does this for every meal, no matter where he might be in the house.
Except this time, instead of his usual meow for food, I heard a loud "thump!". It seemed that Connor had forgotten about the very visible door that was opened a smidgen and had run at full cat speed right into it in order to get to his lunch. Poor cat.
3. He eats a lot of things that he shouldn't. I've seen this cat eat everything from leaves to spiders to cobwebs to his own fur. And what's even more ironic is the fact that he'll only eat certain wet foods. (Chunky rather than pureed) The other day, I came home and was mortified to learn that Connor had eaten one of my sewing bobbins.
Thom told me that earlier, he had noticed Connor playing but didn't think anything of it. Connor does this often, like most cats. Later he found Connor in his "throwing up" position and began to worry. (Connor's throwing up position is just him sitting down all curled together, arms crossed, eyes closed and tail tucked in.) Only this time he noticed a small yellow string hanging from his mouth. I even drew an illustration:
Instantly curious, Thom began to pull the thread. And I swear, it honestly was like something straight out of a cartoon show. Thom kept pulling and pulling and pulling and realized after a huge wad of yellow string that Connor must have swallowed one of my bobbins from my sewing desk. With that realization, Thom kept frantically pulling the string until finally taunt and he had to pull out a very gloppy, gooey and cat vomittity bobbin. All the while, poor Connor was left looking very dazed and confused at what had just occurred.
Other things like pet repelling covers for couches do not work either. I only know this because I'm a catalog photographer and needed to photograph said cover in my house using Connor as a "prop" or the pet that was supposed to be repelled by the pet repellent cover. (In real life, I could care less if Connor got up on the couch.) Anyway, I was getting ready to photograph this terribly crinkly and foil like cover and kept thinking how much Connor wasn't going to appreciate being the poor modeling victim for my shot. I was sure that he would hate it. But instead, like always, he surprised me.
I placed him on the cover and ran to my shutter to get him jumping off the couch but to my amazement, Connor just stood there looking confused like always. He looked around him, pawed the strange foil like cover, turned himself around and laid right down on the cover! Some pet repellent! From then on, it was about 10 minutes of me pleading and begging him to come off the cover in order for me to try and get my shot. Finally, with the promise of food and Thom's help, we got him to jump off the cover and I was able to get my shot.
 |
| Terrible pet repellent cover. Supposedly to keep pets off of your furniture. |
 |
| I popped this shot off right away thinking that he'd jump. |
 |
| Instead he just pawed it. |
 |
| And finally laid down. |
Monday, November 1, 2010
New York Expectations
I was just on the phone talking to a friend. I was explaining how sometimes I'll envision a situation or event and imagine it's expectations/outcomes before it's occurrence. I do this a lot. This past weekend I went to New York City to attend the 2010 PDN Photo Expo at the Jacob Javits Center and every expectation I had for the photo expo and New York itself was met. No lie. Every single one.
First off, the Expo itself was of a mediocre regard. And what I mean to say is that nothing was super special or shown that I hadn't already read about. The vendors seemed a bit more random this year than last, with stalls like "Shoe Doctor MD" or something like that, I started to wonder if I had the right convention. The seminars though, were phenomenal. I attended a lighting lecture and two Photoshop workshops that really are going to be adding the the quality of my work from now on. Below is an image taken from Carrie Beene's beauty retouching workshop.
Secondly, I'll share with you my lucky chance or fantasy expectation. Usually those include things like picking up a winning lotto ticket, finding the ultimate bargain deal on clothes or the ever popular, meeting someone famous in a random situation. The point of these expectations are that they are just-out-of-the-ordinary events that could or could not happen, which usually makes them super special to come across.
Well anyway, I had my fantasy expectation when I met Joey Laurence randomly at a McDonald's by B&H on 34th Street. If you don't know Joey Laurence, that's okay. This is more of a photo geek know-how rather than meeting some famous actor or actress that most people would know. I've been following Joey L through his work, documentaries and his blog for a while now and I have to say that I'm always impressed with his hard work ethic, sense of photography and overall good heart. So it was an absolute delight to walk into a McDonald's and see him sitting there and eating a burger.
So random and so normal. Yet it always gets me how we all seem to lose it when we meet or encounter someone that we regard highly. My situation was no different and if anything, I was full of excitement and the jitters. I even shamefully interrupted his conversation and asked for a photo with him...I know, I know! Could I possibly be any worse than the tweens out there -fighting, crying and screaming for Justin Beiber? Probably not. But anyway, that was my fantasy expectation of meeting someone famous while in New York.
Thirdly, there are "realistic" expectations that I'll have. These are the sobering kind of expectations that bring my fantasy expectations down from their high cloud of daydreams. My realistic expectations were of the normal sort of expectations, like predicting the cold weather and realizing the massive crowds of people on the sub near 5pm or so. These helped me not to become so disappointed with New York and it's rough nature. Knowing that I'll probably end up in the subway car with the crazy and soulful beggars is definitely an expectation at the top of this list. This past weekend I was sandwiched between two beggars on each side of me, panhandling and telling their sad stories. After transferring onto the L train, a series of small children came aboard and started selling candy bars. Panhandling never ends in New York and I always manage to see it's rotating barrage of Mariachi Bands and bums from train to train.
Finally and probably because I'm just that kind of food loving person, I always have a food expectation when I travel. Usually, it's a good expectation of trying a new food or discovering a new favorite restaurant. (What can I say, I love food!) Especially being in New York, this expectation is usually always met each time I travel there.
Thom and I went to Williamsburg in search of Blue Bottle Coffee. Best coffee yet! Though my friends are pretty much coffee snobs and my father even roasts his own, I really don't know quality coffee by taste. Heck, I can barely tell the difference between decaf and regular. Sad. Verrrrry sad but I really can't. The only thing I can ever tell is whether or not coffee is old just based on color. Not even taste! Ick!
But even with my poor palate, I found Blue Bottle Coffee to be the best and freshest coffee that I've ever had. If ever in Brooklyn, make your way to Blue Bottle for the best cup around. (And just a hint, you know a coffee shop is of premium quality when they roast their own beans, like Blue Bottle)
After Blue Bottle, Thom and I headed to Flushing to meet a college friend of mine. We ended up at a hot pot restaurant that night. If you're not sure what hot pot is, I say go out and try it! Great food. Super Asian and full of flavor. Thanks again for the superb choice Cindy.
All in all, a great extended weekend and an amazing photo expo.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Jay Leno loves my photography
Probably not.
But this past Monday, on the Tonight Show, Jay brought up Home Trends in his "Headlines" segment. Specifically, a photo I took was shown! You can view the segment here or at NBC.com. Our mention is at about 2 minutes in.
The photo is a portrait of a co-worker that posed wearing a leopard-print shower cap. Trust me when I say that NO ONE could ever look good in this shower cap. So I'm not so surprised that our product was shown on the show. Such shapeless products like this are hard to shoot and everyone here at Home Trends tends to lose the reality of the product and how comical it is. We're just concerned mostly with getting a decent photo, making our deadlines and trying to sell a product! So it was nice to see someone poking fun at us, the product and of course, the photo.
Thanks Jay.
Below is the image that was shown on that night.
But this past Monday, on the Tonight Show, Jay brought up Home Trends in his "Headlines" segment. Specifically, a photo I took was shown! You can view the segment here or at NBC.com. Our mention is at about 2 minutes in.
The photo is a portrait of a co-worker that posed wearing a leopard-print shower cap. Trust me when I say that NO ONE could ever look good in this shower cap. So I'm not so surprised that our product was shown on the show. Such shapeless products like this are hard to shoot and everyone here at Home Trends tends to lose the reality of the product and how comical it is. We're just concerned mostly with getting a decent photo, making our deadlines and trying to sell a product! So it was nice to see someone poking fun at us, the product and of course, the photo.
Thanks Jay.
Below is the image that was shown on that night.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall's vibrant colors and a wedding
I just love fall.
I can't get over all the colors. This past weekend Shinay and I headed up to the Catskill mountains for a wedding to shoot. Dare I say that fall weddings are the best because of all the colors??! Nothing beats top mountain views, fall colors, wooden chapels and waterfalls...
More on that day coming soon...
I can't get over all the colors. This past weekend Shinay and I headed up to the Catskill mountains for a wedding to shoot. Dare I say that fall weddings are the best because of all the colors??! Nothing beats top mountain views, fall colors, wooden chapels and waterfalls...
More on that day coming soon...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Happy one year and a new start to Mistakes & Malarkey!
So to celebrate my 1 year of blogging, I'm o-so-excited to announce that my blog has moved and can now be found here at its brand-new and very own Blogspot home called Mistakes & Malarkey!
All new posting [and old] can now be found here. Everything is a bit more navigable and seamless. Eventually, the old face and site of www.erinrademacher.com will be no more and all of Erin Rademacher Photography will direct automatically here as well. Eventually though. Trust me when I say that it was hard enough to transition all my posts over. Which is probably why there hasn't been a single post for awhile!
So no more using any third party sites, like Weebly to do my blog posting. (Weebly's great for the complete computer illiterate [like how I used to be] but now, I'm semi-confident navigating my way along the inter-webs)
So please, update any old bookmarks [Mom] to my new site or just subscribe, found on the right hand side!
For those that read via Facebook, you'll definitely have to subscribe now since I cannot stream my posts directly to FB anymore.
Hope you all like and enjoy the new ride!
Cheers,
Erin
All new posting [and old] can now be found here. Everything is a bit more navigable and seamless. Eventually, the old face and site of www.erinrademacher.com will be no more and all of Erin Rademacher Photography will direct automatically here as well. Eventually though. Trust me when I say that it was hard enough to transition all my posts over. Which is probably why there hasn't been a single post for awhile!
So no more using any third party sites, like Weebly to do my blog posting. (Weebly's great for the complete computer illiterate [like how I used to be] but now, I'm semi-confident navigating my way along the inter-webs)
So please, update any old bookmarks [Mom] to my new site or just subscribe, found on the right hand side!
For those that read via Facebook, you'll definitely have to subscribe now since I cannot stream my posts directly to FB anymore.
Hope you all like and enjoy the new ride!
Cheers,
Erin
Friday, October 8, 2010
Early October happenings
A lot has happened this past week or so in October and late September. And I find myself so aware of time passing simply because it's fall. Fall is the visual indicator of time passing. Passing through the colors of the leaves, gradual chill in the air and wonderful earthy smells of apples, pumpkins and spices. I looooooove fall.
I've successfully completed my series on beauty. You can view those images on through my flickr set. Please leave me some more feedback if you have any. I've been enjoying hearing opinions, advice and feedback outside of school.
My sewing has improved greatly since my first and second dresses. I achieved my goal of trying a vintage dress sewing pattern. It was funny to see the really outdated illustrations on the front of the packaging and then my sewing outcome. I'm in love with the fit and the fabric. Although, I don't find buying the materials vs. buying a store bought dress to be the significant price difference as I originally thought. Does anyone happen to know of a discount fabric store online? Or perhaps in the Rochester area? The few yards sales that I've gone to have been very hit or miss when finding choice fabrics and my usual source of fabric has just been a local Joann Fabrics store.
Finally, I've been making a greater effort to challenge my lighting skills. I recently submitted a photo of mine in a contest on women, beauty and body image. I came up with the idea of visual tools and products that women use as negative criticisms on their body image and placing them all in a trash bin with the statement saying above it, "Take out the trash." [Thanks Kyra, my copywriter genius-extraordinaire]
It's simple and to the point...
What made it so hard was the fact that I chose to shoot black on black. I like subtle lighting and making the outline prominent by hints of a highlight. Black, like white, takes away the background and gives your foreground immediate attention. All-in-all, I like it.
Some much more is going to happen this month, into November and then December! And I really wish I could say just now but you'll just have to wait and see! [A shameless way for you to check in on my blog for future posts!]
Plus...my 1 year anniversary of blogging is coming up in a couple of weeks and I have a really, really big surprise on that coming soon!
Stay tuned. ;-)
I've successfully completed my series on beauty. You can view those images on through my flickr set. Please leave me some more feedback if you have any. I've been enjoying hearing opinions, advice and feedback outside of school.
My sewing has improved greatly since my first and second dresses. I achieved my goal of trying a vintage dress sewing pattern. It was funny to see the really outdated illustrations on the front of the packaging and then my sewing outcome. I'm in love with the fit and the fabric. Although, I don't find buying the materials vs. buying a store bought dress to be the significant price difference as I originally thought. Does anyone happen to know of a discount fabric store online? Or perhaps in the Rochester area? The few yards sales that I've gone to have been very hit or miss when finding choice fabrics and my usual source of fabric has just been a local Joann Fabrics store.
Finally, I've been making a greater effort to challenge my lighting skills. I recently submitted a photo of mine in a contest on women, beauty and body image. I came up with the idea of visual tools and products that women use as negative criticisms on their body image and placing them all in a trash bin with the statement saying above it, "Take out the trash." [Thanks Kyra, my copywriter genius-extraordinaire]
It's simple and to the point...
What made it so hard was the fact that I chose to shoot black on black. I like subtle lighting and making the outline prominent by hints of a highlight. Black, like white, takes away the background and gives your foreground immediate attention. All-in-all, I like it.
Some much more is going to happen this month, into November and then December! And I really wish I could say just now but you'll just have to wait and see! [A shameless way for you to check in on my blog for future posts!]
Plus...my 1 year anniversary of blogging is coming up in a couple of weeks and I have a really, really big surprise on that coming soon!
Stay tuned. ;-)
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| "Attitude" A part of Beauty, 2010 |
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| From a 1992 Simplicity button up dress pattern |
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
More works in progress
I've added two more images to my new set of personal work. I changed a few things around technically to bring my point of view better conveyed through the imagery. By cropping in, I find more focus on distortion which is my main goal in the project. I debated over the .gifs and whether or not they gave too much information or not enough. I was pretty set on wanting to show transformation from magazine ad to unreal imagery but again, I think I'll forgo the process and show the end results. Sometimes too much information can hurt a project rather than help it.
I find color to be important too. Color casts give a mood and feel. In this case, I want these images to come across as alien and foreign. They are something unreal and surreal. Selective focus helps me achieve direction in the imagery and I think I'll keep that around too. (If only for my beloved 45mm tilt-shift!)
Overall, I'm beginning to see more of my unrefined vision become something that is coming together and more complex each time I shoot. AKA progress, horray for that one little word!
I find color to be important too. Color casts give a mood and feel. In this case, I want these images to come across as alien and foreign. They are something unreal and surreal. Selective focus helps me achieve direction in the imagery and I think I'll keep that around too. (If only for my beloved 45mm tilt-shift!)
Overall, I'm beginning to see more of my unrefined vision become something that is coming together and more complex each time I shoot. AKA progress, horray for that one little word!
Monday, September 27, 2010
I want to go to there.
This past weekend was one of those great fall-themed kind of weekends. There was lots of brisk weather, sweater wearing, gathering of friends, homemade applesauce, hot tea and of course pumpkin picking.
Thom and I had a wedding to attend on Saturday and you would think since I am a professional photographer, that I would remember such important things like a camera...but I didn't. We were [of course] running a bit late and rushed out the door to drive down to Livonia, New York when I realized that not only did I forget my camera, but the wedding gift! Whoops. Well, the gift will have to now be shipped and we ended up having a great time that day anyway, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, eating and dancing into the night. A huge congratulations to Nicole and Ben!
Sunday was a bit warmer than Saturday, so we decided to head out and pick some pumpkins at Wickham Farms in Penfield, New York. Wickham Farms is one of those really awesome kinds of fall places to visit for not only pumpkins and gourds but also apples, preserves, mums, corn mazes, petting zoos, food, etc. I grew up in Western New York and places such as this are dime a dozen but having never been to Wickham Farms, Thom suggested that it would be a great place to go to for our pumpkins.
What he also failed to mention was the awesome jump dome that they also had. Once we pulled up to the place and I saw for the first time the sheer awesome-ness of that jumping dome, instantly I cried out, "I want to go to there!" based from oh-so-funny Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey on 30 Rock. Every childhood instinct in my being was crying to go on that thing or just to watch the small children being flung up into the heavens and back down on the huge canvas dome. Sheer awesome-ness.
Needless to say, I had a great time and would recommend those in search of pumpkins to stop by Wickham Farms and perhaps take a jump on the dome.
Thom and I had a wedding to attend on Saturday and you would think since I am a professional photographer, that I would remember such important things like a camera...but I didn't. We were [of course] running a bit late and rushed out the door to drive down to Livonia, New York when I realized that not only did I forget my camera, but the wedding gift! Whoops. Well, the gift will have to now be shipped and we ended up having a great time that day anyway, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, eating and dancing into the night. A huge congratulations to Nicole and Ben!
Sunday was a bit warmer than Saturday, so we decided to head out and pick some pumpkins at Wickham Farms in Penfield, New York. Wickham Farms is one of those really awesome kinds of fall places to visit for not only pumpkins and gourds but also apples, preserves, mums, corn mazes, petting zoos, food, etc. I grew up in Western New York and places such as this are dime a dozen but having never been to Wickham Farms, Thom suggested that it would be a great place to go to for our pumpkins.
What he also failed to mention was the awesome jump dome that they also had. Once we pulled up to the place and I saw for the first time the sheer awesome-ness of that jumping dome, instantly I cried out, "I want to go to there!" based from oh-so-funny Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey on 30 Rock. Every childhood instinct in my being was crying to go on that thing or just to watch the small children being flung up into the heavens and back down on the huge canvas dome. Sheer awesome-ness.
Needless to say, I had a great time and would recommend those in search of pumpkins to stop by Wickham Farms and perhaps take a jump on the dome.
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| Later I tried to cut out a pattern for a dress... |
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Homemade granola
As mentioned before, I decided to make granola...only I did it last night instead of a week ago. I found the recipe from this site here and was pretty satisfied with the results. Perhaps next time I'll add a bit more honey and less salt. (Not sure why, but there was a big call for salt in the recipe. Though, my mother always told me never to add as much as the recipe calls for in regards to salt.) O well, lesson learned once more and for next time.
It makes me happy to know that I won't have to buy super expensive/gourmet granola anymore since I can easily make it on my own. Thom and I had this conversation last night on people being sustainable vs buying everything at a supermarket. And while I still choose to buy things like laundry soap and shampoo, I have found some blogs of people who actually go the whole nine yards and make things from house cleaners to their own deodorant! Perhaps in some small ways, I have been a little bit less consumer dependent and more home-savvy. (Examples include my small potted garden of herbs and tomatoes) It would be interesting to see how far I could go before my neighbors start the jokes about me being a crazy hippie...
Recipe for homemade granola:
(From "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito via www.amateurgourmet.com)
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt (I would add a dash or pinch, not a tsp!)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey (Add a bit more for a better hold)
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds
Preheat the oven to 315 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
It makes me happy to know that I won't have to buy super expensive/gourmet granola anymore since I can easily make it on my own. Thom and I had this conversation last night on people being sustainable vs buying everything at a supermarket. And while I still choose to buy things like laundry soap and shampoo, I have found some blogs of people who actually go the whole nine yards and make things from house cleaners to their own deodorant! Perhaps in some small ways, I have been a little bit less consumer dependent and more home-savvy. (Examples include my small potted garden of herbs and tomatoes) It would be interesting to see how far I could go before my neighbors start the jokes about me being a crazy hippie...
Recipe for homemade granola:
(From "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito via www.amateurgourmet.com)
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt (I would add a dash or pinch, not a tsp!)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey (Add a bit more for a better hold)
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds
Preheat the oven to 315 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
 |
| In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt. |
 |
| In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined. Thom and I bought this honey locally at an apple farm in Victor, NY. |
 |
| Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture. |
 |
| Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture. |
 |
| Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. |
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Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 5 min. more. You can later add any dried fruits of your choice afterwards. Just add, stir granola around again and bake for 5 min. more. I added some craisins here. |
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| Allow granola to cool completely and then store in an air tight container. Granola should keep for about 1 week. |
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Untitled present works in progress
It's been a bit too long. The wait has left me feeling disconnected and full of anxiety but as a lot of people say, you cannot rush art. I haven't found a muse or inspiration in well over a year but who can really blame me for having other things on my mind, especially post-graduation and job searching/procuring.
But now the wait is over. I've found my muse and it's wonderful to find myself once again lost and consumed in my personal work. I miss it. I miss the rush and the excitement to just create, create, create. I miss being able to focus on something that is mine and not worry about other things. It's even nicer to be out of college and away from it's influences. I hated to create art then just because my peers were creating art in this or that certain way. One feels that they too must try and do the same. It was all overrated bullshit honestly but it's hard to break out of the cloudy haze of your peers, professors, environment and influences.
My current works are very much still in progress. It's also hard to open up this early in the process and let others see the rawness of an unstructured idea. For me, this is pivotal; as hard as it is to be honest and exposed for others to criticize, it's also beneficial for the progression of a project.
So here it is. A project based on consumerism, beauty, society's opinions on beauty and my own criticism on the whole thing. This is my reaction to the industry's standard of beauty. I find too many times, of articles of misrepresented women photographed for beauty's sake. I find it so thin, transparent and easily manipulated, much like a piece of paper and specifically a beauty ad found in a magazine. I, as a woman and consumer, see this artificial ad. I hold it in my hand, take a glance, flick the page, see another. Repeat. The industry thinks that they know beauty. They think that they know what we want and how we want to be seen. But their sly ploys of beauty are just these fragile pieces of printed paper. Beyond just looking and admiring these 8.5x11 works of art, we also tear them apart, cut them out, bend them to our will and/or fold them. And when you do so, you find these images of beauty become distorted. They were only meant to be admired from a flat two dimensional perspective, never as a three dimensional observation or in real life for that matter! So I mock these beauty ads and manipulate them to my will in three dimensional forms. And from my camera, who can only reciprocate back as a two dimensional space, I found myself creating revised beauty ads. They are once again thin, transparent, easily manipulated and more over, exposed.
So please help me out, give me some feed back. Do you like? Do you understand? Ps- Those that happen to read my blog posts via my Facebook feed: You won't be able to see my works unless you scroll down and click the "View Original Post" link that will send you directly to my blog!
But now the wait is over. I've found my muse and it's wonderful to find myself once again lost and consumed in my personal work. I miss it. I miss the rush and the excitement to just create, create, create. I miss being able to focus on something that is mine and not worry about other things. It's even nicer to be out of college and away from it's influences. I hated to create art then just because my peers were creating art in this or that certain way. One feels that they too must try and do the same. It was all overrated bullshit honestly but it's hard to break out of the cloudy haze of your peers, professors, environment and influences.
My current works are very much still in progress. It's also hard to open up this early in the process and let others see the rawness of an unstructured idea. For me, this is pivotal; as hard as it is to be honest and exposed for others to criticize, it's also beneficial for the progression of a project.
So here it is. A project based on consumerism, beauty, society's opinions on beauty and my own criticism on the whole thing. This is my reaction to the industry's standard of beauty. I find too many times, of articles of misrepresented women photographed for beauty's sake. I find it so thin, transparent and easily manipulated, much like a piece of paper and specifically a beauty ad found in a magazine. I, as a woman and consumer, see this artificial ad. I hold it in my hand, take a glance, flick the page, see another. Repeat. The industry thinks that they know beauty. They think that they know what we want and how we want to be seen. But their sly ploys of beauty are just these fragile pieces of printed paper. Beyond just looking and admiring these 8.5x11 works of art, we also tear them apart, cut them out, bend them to our will and/or fold them. And when you do so, you find these images of beauty become distorted. They were only meant to be admired from a flat two dimensional perspective, never as a three dimensional observation or in real life for that matter! So I mock these beauty ads and manipulate them to my will in three dimensional forms. And from my camera, who can only reciprocate back as a two dimensional space, I found myself creating revised beauty ads. They are once again thin, transparent, easily manipulated and more over, exposed.
So please help me out, give me some feed back. Do you like? Do you understand? Ps- Those that happen to read my blog posts via my Facebook feed: You won't be able to see my works unless you scroll down and click the "View Original Post" link that will send you directly to my blog!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dress #2
Since I had successfully completed my very first dress a week ago, I had no problem creating a second one rather quickly (three days) but with actually following ALL the directions! So here is dress #2, (from the same pattern) unaltered.
I actually finished up the hem tonight and will wear it out tomorrow just in time for UB's Fall Fest, featuring Jason Mraz! Can't Wait!
I actually finished up the hem tonight and will wear it out tomorrow just in time for UB's Fall Fest, featuring Jason Mraz! Can't Wait!
Update: Photo of me at the concert, photo courtesy of Thomas
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Whoops! I made a dress instead...
So a week ago or so, I posted on how I recently bought my new sewing machine. I had mentioned that I was taking sewing baby steps and after creating some cutesy simple craft projects for my nephew, I was going to move onto clothing, specifically, a skirt.
Well, I can say that those were my intentions. But after getting caught up with Burda Style and their awesome website for sewing noobs like me, I ended up printing out the directions for a skirt and a pattern for a dress! Whoops.
That was about a week ago and was not such a great starting off point for my journey in sewing. Being up past midnight trying to sew probably didn't help either. And shamefully, it probably took me a good hour to figure out my pattern/direction mishap. Fuzzy-headed and with a crazed look in my eyes, I was starting to think that maybe I wasn't cut out for this "Sewing thing" until I put the pieces [literally] together and realized that they were starting to look more like a dress rather than a skirt! Well when life gives you lemons...
So I ended up making a dress out of a skirt-kind of material. Now that I'm finished with it, I found it a fortunate mistake. The dress itself is supposed to be a light, summery sundress. But the material I had chosen was a bit stiff, thick and a very neutral gray...not very light and summery if I must say. In the end, the dress looks more formal which is perfect for the wedding that Thom and I are attending at the end of September! I ended up altering the look of the top strap of the dress, shortening the hem a bit and sewing in the cups of an old bra for support.
I am definitely happy with the outcome and can't wait to wear it out! Yesterday, I went back to buy some more fabric and this time, with the proper intent of creating that light and airy sundress. This time I purchased a caramel-tan colored cotton blend with a burgundy floral print on it, perfect for that nice fall layered look.
Today, I'm going to try to make some homemade granola and later homemade tomato sauce, part II [Explanation on that later]. More on that to come. Today definitely is called "Ambitious Sunday".
Well, I can say that those were my intentions. But after getting caught up with Burda Style and their awesome website for sewing noobs like me, I ended up printing out the directions for a skirt and a pattern for a dress! Whoops.
That was about a week ago and was not such a great starting off point for my journey in sewing. Being up past midnight trying to sew probably didn't help either. And shamefully, it probably took me a good hour to figure out my pattern/direction mishap. Fuzzy-headed and with a crazed look in my eyes, I was starting to think that maybe I wasn't cut out for this "Sewing thing" until I put the pieces [literally] together and realized that they were starting to look more like a dress rather than a skirt! Well when life gives you lemons...
So I ended up making a dress out of a skirt-kind of material. Now that I'm finished with it, I found it a fortunate mistake. The dress itself is supposed to be a light, summery sundress. But the material I had chosen was a bit stiff, thick and a very neutral gray...not very light and summery if I must say. In the end, the dress looks more formal which is perfect for the wedding that Thom and I are attending at the end of September! I ended up altering the look of the top strap of the dress, shortening the hem a bit and sewing in the cups of an old bra for support.
I am definitely happy with the outcome and can't wait to wear it out! Yesterday, I went back to buy some more fabric and this time, with the proper intent of creating that light and airy sundress. This time I purchased a caramel-tan colored cotton blend with a burgundy floral print on it, perfect for that nice fall layered look.
Today, I'm going to try to make some homemade granola and later homemade tomato sauce, part II [Explanation on that later]. More on that to come. Today definitely is called "Ambitious Sunday".
Friday, September 10, 2010
Differently the same
I'm sure if you ask anyone that has ever seen the hit movie, "Mean Girls" directed by Mark Waters, you'll know that the movie was based on all the characters placed in their own unique groups and how those groups interacted with each other. It's funny to think that these stereotypical types or groups of people carry far out of the high school realms and into everyday realities. No matter how we try to become that highly unique individual, we are always based upon some other idea or person.
So when I came across the photography exhibit called, Exactitudes, I was instantly amazed. Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek came together over a long course of many years to create this unique look at groups of people. I'm not sure why it's all so fascinating to me, perhaps there's a funny sense of irony in it all. I find how when we all try to stand out from others around us, we end up just being like someone else instead. There are dozens of other people trying the exact same thing! I guess the question is, what group would you like to be in?
Check out more of the Exactitude works at it's respected website. It's almost overwhelming to see all the similar groups of individuals. Also, make sure you turn on your sound. Once you click on a certain group, a small sound bite will tell you a short description of that particular group.
So when I came across the photography exhibit called, Exactitudes, I was instantly amazed. Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek came together over a long course of many years to create this unique look at groups of people. I'm not sure why it's all so fascinating to me, perhaps there's a funny sense of irony in it all. I find how when we all try to stand out from others around us, we end up just being like someone else instead. There are dozens of other people trying the exact same thing! I guess the question is, what group would you like to be in?
Check out more of the Exactitude works at it's respected website. It's almost overwhelming to see all the similar groups of individuals. Also, make sure you turn on your sound. Once you click on a certain group, a small sound bite will tell you a short description of that particular group.
All images courtesy of www.exactitudes.com
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