Ciao, Chessa!

Thinking Not Rushing

2012-02-14T09:07:00.001-05:00

After seeing my work at this show in Tribeca, I was contacted by a new potential client about purchasing some work. She visited my website and decided on this photograph above.

I am always so intrigued by the reasons that draw people to my work. She and her husband apparently have a fondness for my beach. This world is small -- funny that we should find each other with such similar interests.

She asked me to provide a little bit of background on the photograph and I realized it's been a long while since I talked about an individual piece, my reasons for shooting the image and why I thought it was worth it to work on it and to explore. It got me thinking about one of my resolutions for 2012: to be better to myself and to spend more time thinking and contemplating and not just always rushing to check things off of my list.

Anyway, here's what I said:

There is a long back story as to why I love photographing the ocean and the reasons why I started to turn my lens to the water and surroundings. The majority of my work is urban and street photography. I go out to shoot photos and I love to take part in someone else's world or experience. I love the city and I love living here more than anything but sometimes you just need to shut everything off and live in your own moment rather than working to be in everyone else's.

My husband and I bought a house in East Hampton almost six years ago. After traveling back and forth from the city every weekend we started to fall in love with the countryside in the winter when it seemed like a lot of people stayed away. We had the whole beach to ourselves and we would get out and walk on this seemingly abandoned stretch that is so crowded in the summer. The beach is so alive when the weather is cold and when most people seem to turn their back on it. Life is so noisy all the time. Even when I look for a quiet place in my mind I can never seem to find it and this place is filled with so much silence that you can actually hear your own thoughts along with the wind rustling through the sea grass on the dunes. The beach in winter is raw and so honest and this photo with its gray undertones and winter sky backdrop shows all the loveliness and beauty that is out there if only you take the time to look for it.

I pondered so many of my major life decisions here from whether I could find the guts to leave my job as a corporate lawyer to be a photographer full-time (I did) to whether I should give up on my hopes of having a baby because I struggled with infertility for years (I didn't). I felt like I could tell this ocean so many of my secrets and it was comforting that no one ever spoke back to me except that howling wind on the dunes. So it's also a very hopeful and spiritual place for me.

If you're curious, you can see a photo of the finished printed piece mounted on board over on my Facebook page.

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Instagram Weekend

2012-02-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

Since the weather has been unseasonably warm in New York this winter, I welcomed the extremely cold front (and snow) this weekend with open arms.

Here's our weekend via Instagram. What about you?

Running an errand before we left for East Hampton.

There's a new food truck court in Battery Park and they're pretty awesome.

Friday night view from our living room.

Saturday morning view from our living room.

Running on the beach. One of her boots kept falling off and she just kept running and laughing. I'm grateful that I had the foresight to bring her snowsuit with us because the sand was soaked after all the snow had melted.

Instagram has some fun new features and I played around with them this weekend on some older photos.

We did some painting and clearly I have a little artist on my hands.

On the drive back home to the city. The Manhattan Bridge is getting a facelift.

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Fridays

2012-02-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

It's no surprise that I love the beach in winter. When it's so cold and there's no one there but you the place is magical. All you can hear are the waves crashing against the shore, the occasional seagull and of course, in my case, my baby girl's laughter. Lucia is as in love with the beach as her mama. We're heading out of the city for some fresh air this weekend and even though the temperatures are predicted to be quite cold (even by New York winter standards) I'm planning on taking a drive to see the ocean.

Happy Friday! Here are some great links from around the web...

How to get over your fears and raise your prices as a photographer.

The Photocopy Club. If you're a photographer, you definitely want to check this out and consider submitted your work.

The Nikon d800 and d4 are here and they're making A LOT of them.

Ryan McGinley is made a film for Edun and there are six species of African butterflies involved.

It's Fashion Week in New York and this is who I'll be checking out for updates and the most beautiful photographs.

Speaking on Fashion Week Kanon Vodka has partnered with some of the most fabulously stylish and talented bloggers to bring you the week's hottest shows and events via Instagram.

And since clearly I'm on a fashion kick (always), you must see this beautifully styled and shot video featuring Kelly Framel (aka The Glamourai).

Don't forget I'm having a giveaway with Pinhole Press just in time for Valentine's Day.

And speaking of Valentine's Day, if I was any good at baking I'd surely make these delicious treats.

How to use a light meter.

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Paolo Roversi Exhibit in London

2012-02-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Paolo Roversi is easily one of my favorite photographers and certainly my favorite fashion photographer. His images, most notably his portraits, evoke classical paintings rather than images made with a camera. He has created campaigns for the likes of Christian Dior and Valentino and all of his work is so intense that you almost feel like the pictures are alive. It is clear that this photographer connects with his subjects on a deeply intimate level.

His method of photographing is minimalism at its best. He works in his Paris studio with a simple backdrop and his only props seem to be old chairs and stools so that his models have a place to sit. I love knowing that even in this highly stylized, digital world (that I also love and am inspired by for different reasons) there are masters out there creating art using the simple and unpretentious methods that worked for so long and that inspired so many. Though the work seems effortless, Roversi is a perfectionist and this is evident in his apparent printing and re-printing in his darkroom until he is satisfied.

For his first solo exhibition at The Wapping Project - Bankside in London, Roversi has focused on his much-loved studio and his muse Guinevere Van Seenus. The selection of photographs includes material from his celebrated Nudi and Studio series.

The exhibit is open until March 31st and if you find yourself in Londontown, you should absolutely stop in to see it. I'm jealous because I'd love to go and see these epic works for myself.

Images via The Wapping Project - Bankside
Plus see a great interview with Paolo Roversi about his work and this exhibit at Dazed Digital.

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A Valentine's Day Giveaway for You

2012-02-07T08:45:00.003-05:00

I love Love. Don't you? Valentine's Day is just around the corner and even though we're not huge celebrators of the holiday (shouldn't EVERY day be Valentine's Day?) my husband and I still like to do a little something special for each other. So what do I get for the guy who has pretty much everything? Well, this year I turned to my friends at Pinhole Press. You might remember I posted about this awesome company before (here and here and here) for photo-related gifts.

For Father's Day I got him a great digital frame that has a constant slideshow of some of our favorite photos but this time I decided to go for something more traditional: a silver frame with a single printed photo. Pinhole Press has tons of options on the site but this one is so unexpected with its mirror-like shine that I fell in love with it. I bought it for him to take to his office so he can see this print of our girl's angelic face all day but now I'm thinking that I should get one for our home too. I think it looks so cool on this leather tray that we have in our living room. I really love how it reflects the light from our windows and the small pieces displayed on the table and tray.

Anyway, this frame would look amazing in any home. So, in honor of Valentine's Day, cool frames and beautiful photographs, I'm teaming up with Pinhole Press to give one reader a silver frame! I've said it before: The Pinhole Press website is seamless and SO easy to use. All you have to do is pick your product (they have tons) and load your photos!

Check it out if you haven't already and in the meantime, here's what you can do to enter for a chance to win a silver frame exactly like this one:

1. Leave a comment
2. Share the giveaway on Facebook
3. Share the giveaway on Twitter
4. Send me an email at ciaochessa [at] gmail [dot] com

The contest will end next Tuesday on Valentine's Day. And sorry, but it's only open to U.S., Canada and U.K residents (only because that's where they currently ship).

If you decide to share on Facebook or Twitter just be sure to let me know about it either by tweeting me @ciaochessa or leaving a comment here. You can also head over to the Facebook fan page and "like"
me over there. It's fun:)

PS--Random bit about the photo I chose...I am NOT a morning person. Thankfully my baby girl is an amazing sleeper and she sleeps all night after bedtime no later than 7:30...but she gets up promptly by 7:30am. I mean, what more can I ask of the girl?! Still, I'm so asleep in the morning that I have to peel my eyes open. My husband takes morning duty every. single. weekday. Those extra 15 minutes are major for me. But I know what's fair and what isn't so of course I take a morning on a weekend -- it's the least I can do, right? On this particular day, the girl greeted me with a sweet "hiiiiieee" but then promptly asked for daddy. She's a creature of habit and wants her dad first thing in the morning! I was a little sad but she was smiling and so happy. I went to get my camera to capture her beautiful face and the magic light. And I chose the photo for this frame because I thought it would be so lovely for him to see her morning face all day long.

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Instagram Weekend

2012-02-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

I chased my baby girl around all weekend and nursed my husband who was laid up after having knee surgery late last week. I feel most like myself when I'm taking care of my family but the creative, working, adventurous woman in me is always there bringing me back to my "other" "more whole" self. Don't we all have many sides that make us who we are?

I didn't take that many photos at all these last few days but last week, I'm guessing in anticipation of my busy weekend ahead, I was again a girl about town with her camera...and her iPhone.

So, here's a glimpse into the last week or so via Instagram.

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Fridays

2012-02-03T09:07:00.001-05:00

This week started off pretty great but unfortunately, as is sometimes the case, it ended terribly. I find that when it happens I just need to take a deep breath and a step back. So, that's exactly what I will do.

In the meantime, on a positive note, here are some cool links from the web.

Happy Friday!

Behind the scenes at Jason Wu.

Two of my favorite cities in one lovely book: Paris versus New York

Use Pinterest to grow your brand...and to have lots of fun, of course. I only recently jumped on the Pinterest train.

The secrets to successful fashion blogging (that honestly can be applied to any niche in blogging).

Celebrate Superbowl weekend two of my favorite things combined: brownie burgers. For real.

My friends at Pinhole Press are offering free shipping on order of $50 or more just in time for Valentine's Day! And stay tuned for a fun giveaway from them next week!

Two of my photos are in the most recent issue of F-Stop magazine.

And, since we're on the topic...another one of my images was selected to be exhibited at another show at the MPLS Photo Center.

Screw the status quo.

Did you catch my gallery wall tutorial? I'm a little obsessed.

73 awesome photography links from this week.

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Desert Rivers

2012-02-02T13:33:00.001-05:00

What looks to me like fossils or even trees against a snowy backdrop are actually aerial shots of dried up rivers in California and Mexico. The photographer, Adriana Franco*, submitted them to National Geographic's online community My Shot in December and I'm sure it's pretty clear why they were chosen as some of the best photos of the month.

So cool, right? What do you think they look like at first glance?

Also, a few years ago this photo of mine was selected by My Shot and featured on the National Geographic website. It was the first time that my work had been recognized in the photography community. I still can't believe it. Surreal.

Images via Honestly WTF.

*National Geographic listed her name as Adrianafranco Franco but I think it was a typo.

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Simple Pleasure. Small Surprises.

2012-02-01T08:45:00.001-05:00

I went to visit a favorite corner yesterday. I had some errands to run that included a trip to the printer so I hung out in the neighborhood and watched people walk by. It was a gorgeous day. The light was perfect and it was so warm I took off my coat, sat back for a while and let what seemed like the whole world pass me by.

I took the subway uptown and met my sister to see The Artist at the Paris. I was amazed by how many New Yorkers go to the movies in the middle of the day in the middle of the week! I wouldn't know since I've never done it and I have to say that it was fantastic. When I got home I felt so energized. I made dinner for Lucia, we ate together, sang songs, colored and read books until it was time for an extra long bath and bedtime snuggles.

Sometimes you just need to do these things for yourself and I promised myself last night that I would take at least one day out of the month to do something different. Somehow everything always gets done but the one thing I always wish I had more of is time. So starting now I'm going to give it, or at least make it or find it, for myself.

What about you? Do you ever make real time for yourself?

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How to Create a Gallery Wall

2012-01-31T09:02:00.001-05:00

My workspace. All photos by me unless otherwise noted. First column: "Love" print in gold from Made by Girl. "The New Yorkers" printed by the Vermont Photo Place Gallery for a show last year. "Running to and From" self-portrait (on desk). Second column: Vogue cover and frame c/o Art.com. "Hot Purple Lips." Lucia last fall with an inset photo of my favorite picture of my husband, then-boyfriend, that I took when we visited Venice in 2002 just six months into our relationship. Third column: Family portrait by Paula Lizarraga last summer. Lucia in our bed during her first trip to East Hampton. Paris in 1997 when I was living there, printed by me and my dad. A gifted quote print via Etsy. Fourth column: "Me and Myself" self-portrait on our old terrace in our first NY apartment, printed by the Vermont Photo Place Gallery for a show last year. Portrait of Lucia last winter. Photo of a well-worn path in 2003 on film on a trip to Barcelona (one of my personal favorite photos for so many reasons). Prints on adjacent wall are artworks from two different artists. Both gifts from my mother when I started law school.

A gallery wall is the perfect way to display beautiful and meaningful art and photos in your home. We've been collecting all sorts of art and for obvious reasons we have accumulated hundreds (if not thousands) of photographs over the years. Of course living in New York City we have limited space not only to store such lovely things but also to hang them and so I've definitely gotten creative when it comes to displaying and showcasing my/our favorite pieces.

After many failed attempts at unleashing the interior designer in me (not to mention many damaged walls) I think I have finally nailed down (pun intended) a system that works for me every time. After you have selected your frames and your artwork (more on that below) here are some simple steps for creating your gallery wall in pretty much any room in your home.

Step One
What you need

1. Measuring tape
2. Artist's tape (masking tape will do)
3. Pencil and paper (to jot down measurements if you're like me and somehow manage to forget them two seconds after you've taken them)
4. Hammer
5. Nails (take a look at the back of the frames you've selected to see what kind will work best for you)

Step Two
Choosing Frames and artwork

This is the part where you can get as creative as you want. I've seen a lot of beautiful walls (thank you Pinterest!) that use all different types of frames mixing modern with baroque, black with white, silver and gold, etc. and I've seen walls of all black frames, all silver, all white, etc. For walls that are strictly photography gallery walls, I've seen people do all black and white or all color (I've done both). I say to do whatever you want. Easy enough, right? It's your space and there's no need for it to be uniform. My mother always says "if it matches in my eyes, then it works" and we used to tease her about that but it's 150% true! I'm pretty sure that at some point my obsessive, type-A tendencies will force me to switch the two black frames and the one brown frame out. They definitely go with the room as a whole but I'm thinking I would want to do white or something in a metal tone like the others. We'll see.

As for what to put where all I can say is that you have to be open to trial and error. I'm a very visual person so after I have an idea in my head I need to execute it. If it doesn't work, I change it and if it still doesn't work, I change it again. I can't tell you how many times I switch prints and move paintings in my home. It's actually a good thing that I live in a small space because I can't even imagine what I'd be doing with the extra square footage.

It's your home so do whatever fits for your life, style and aesthetic. This wall is in the small corner of our bedroom that I use as my work space so I wanted to make it fit with what is already in the room. I decided to mix posters with personal photographs and I think it worked out really nicely. Everything I've chosen for this wall has a special meaning for me and inspires me.

We've been living here for about eight months and for the first three we hardly had anything up on the wall. I always wanted our bedroom to be a zen place with minimal decorations and no television and this was definitely the case in our previous apartment where we had more room because Lucia was still a little baby and I had a separate office. But this also works because as much as I like bare walls in the bedroom, I also love to wake up in the morning and be reminded of all the reasons why our life is so wonderful and full of love.

Step Three
Make a box on your wall.

So now that you've picked out your art and frames it's time to start organizing it.

Use artist tape to designate the area where you will hang the pieces. I'd say that this step is optional depending on the location of your wall but I always find that it is necessary so that you can draw your eye to the space where you will be hanging your frames. In this example it was probably not that necessary since I had a limited space that was naturally drawn by the corner where the two walls meet and because of where we have the television set. However, if you're planning on hanging your display on a fairly large wall but you want to limit the amount of room you take up with your frames, then this step would be especially helpful for you.

If you're having trouble trying to figure out how much space you'll need you can try adding up the measurements of all of your frames plus about two to three inches between each frame. Using your measuring tape, mark the space on your wall and then stick the tape to help you visually. Either way, this doesn't need to be precise since the tape (thankfully) comes on and off very easily. I usually move the tape a few times before I settle on a space and even then, like with this wall, I go over the marker that I made.

Step Four
Layout

Doesn't this look cool? It started to feel like an abstract art project.

Remember Tetris? I loved that game so it's no surprise to me that figuring out a layout is my favorite part of creating a gallery wall. You have to figure out a layout that works for you and place markers on your wall using artist tape. It sounds easy enough but it might take you a few tries to find something that works in the space you have and with the frames and artwork you have. Once you've determined your layout, you can try laying it out on the floor to see what it will look like on the wall. This always helps me to visualize it even more than just seeing a ton of tape and lines up on the wall.

Remember: it's just tape and you're obviously not married to the layout that you, well, lay out. Take a look at the finished wall and you'll notice that it's a little different than the layout I initially did. When I got to the third column I realized that I really wanted to hang the panoramic frame so I squeezed it in and made it work. I did it by switching the order of the frames in the bottom row and adjusting the space.

You can always start with this step before buying any of your frames since most frame sizes are relatively standard or come close to standard sizes. Once you've determined your layout you can pick up frames or add to whatever you already have at home.

Step Five
Hang it up!

This is the easy part. Just measure and hang. Remember that if you make a mistake it's not the end of the world. I have made many, many holes in otherwise pristine walls and if you're hanging a lot of pieces there's always a way to cover them up.

Finally, and this isn't really a step in the process but just a general reminder: have fun with it! I know seeing the finished product it can be difficult to imagine that this is actually a pretty easy home project but it really is.

What about you? Do you have any tips for hanging pictures? Share some links in the comments! I'd love to see.

And, in case you missed them, check out the gallery wall that I put together in Lucia's room featured here and here and here's a small look at the wall in our kitchen. Oh and since I'm obsessed with Pinterest, check out this board that I made for some major inspiration!

Making Progress

Making Progress

Making Progress

Random facts: The white box to the left is filled with polaroids and instax photos. The square frame contains a favorite New Yorker cartoon that I had on my desk when I was a practicing lawyer. That little bronze shoe and old photo are two of my most prized possessions. The shoe was on my grandfather's bar in Argentina in my dad's childhood home and I've always loved it. My grandmother gave it to me when he passed away. Having it on my desk makes me feel like he's always with me. The photo is of my aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and me when I was just a little older than Lucia. I've been meaning to get a new frame for it for ages but I've had it in that cheap black one for so many years (we're talking since middle school) that I almost feel too nostalgic to change it.

The other side of the bedroom wall with a mix of new and vintage frames. The mirror is something that is very special to me. I inherited it from my grandmother.   I keep an old photo of my parents, godfather and me in the frame. And can you spy that photo of my mom when she was in her mid-twenties? Gorgeous much? Lucia looks exactly like her.

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Instagram Weekend

2012-01-30T14:26:00.000-05:00

Foggy afternoon over the Hudson.

I have over 6000 photos and videos on my iPhone. Yes, 6000. This is a problem. I started to delete some since they're all saved on iCloud but it makes me irrationally sad not to have these memories with me all the time. Last night I was rolling through my photos and I saw the first one I ever took, a picture of my belly when I was five months pregnant, the beach in East Hampton (many, many times), my favorite places in the city...the list of events and random days goes on and on. Even with all my fun apps and everything I read online, looking through old photos is my favorite activity on my phone.

Do you agree? Do you have as many photos as I do or more?

Here's my weekend in Instagram.

I went to visit friends in Long Island and decided to take the train instead of our car.

And, ps--in case you're curious, head over to my Facebook page where you can see pictures from PhotoLA, MPLS Photo Center and the Bari Studio where my photos have been featured lately. And give it a "like" if you please...we're almost to 1000 "likes" and I will host a giveaway when we reach that milestone!

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Fridays

2012-01-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Last night in Tribeca.

It's another rainy day in New York . Perfect for staying in and being lazy and nursing a slight hangover from last night's festivities. But I don't think I will be doing much relaxing today with my baby who lately doesn't want to nap and way too much to do besides running after my toddler.

Last night was fantastic and I'm so thankful to all the wonderful people who came out to support me. For some reason it always pours whenever I have a show and still it was very busy and very fun last night. If you want to check out the works, you can visit The Bari Studio until March 15th to see them.

Here are a few links from around the web to get your weekend started right!

Addicted to Pinterest.

This is so inspiring...a birth from an infertile womb. And here's my story too.

Instagram pillows!

Portraits of Swedish men.

You can hear the quiet in this portrait of winter.

Vintage finds.

Amazon's top 10 picture books of 2011.

Four things to say to a friend after a bad break-up.

Vintage mini-bars.

There have been so many great posts this week recapping Altitude Design Summit. Like this one, this one, this one and this one.

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This is happening

2012-01-26T09:07:00.004-05:00

My show is opening tonight and I am equal parts completely excited and totally nervous. These are the usual competing feelings that I have whenever I have something "big" on the horizon and so I've learned to just acknowledge them and move on.

I've always been very much of a "Next!" kind of person -- always looking to the next thing, what is on the "list" that I have to check off, did I accomplish what I set out to do and if I did, let's get to what follows. However, lately I'm really working hard at trying not to move so fast. I want to be in the moment that is happening right here and now and also really take the time to look back and remember the ones that have already passed. This has to do not just with my little family and the fact that this week my baby, who is now a full-fledged toddler, had her 19-month birthday, but professionally too.

When I sat down to write this post the focus was on my work and how much has happened in the four-plus years since I decided to kick the corporate bucket and dropout of my life as a corporate lawyer to follow my dream. At the time I wasn't really sure what my dream was and I can honestly say with certainty that while the concept is much clearer today it is constantly evolving as I add more and more to my list of things that I want to accomplish. Either way I am extremely cognizant of what is happening now and what has happened so far. Instead of feeling like I want to "check" something off and move quickly to the next item, I'm allowing myself to linger in the moment, enjoy and be aware of Time. Yes, Time with a capital T- it goes by too quickly and I never seem to have enough of it.

What about you? Do you make that Time for yourself? How important is it for you?

So tonight I'm going to have so much fun. If you're around I hope you'll join me for some wine and photography...an awesome combination...I speak from experience!

Here are some photos that you will not see at the exhibit tonight if you decide to come because they are out-takes of one photo that IS in the exhibit.

The other day, in an effort to get my creative juices flowing, I was searching my own archives for some inspiration and I found these before-now unprocessed images. There they were in a folder titled "Fifth Ave. Rush and Shadows" and that's exactly what they are. On the afternoon that I took them I was on assignment doing some freelance work and I was in such a rush I couldn't move quickly enough. I was about to put my camera away when I looked up and saw all these people coming toward me. In a second I went from being completely focused to getting home and getting to work to staying out and working some more...but this time for myself. Isn't that why I left my job as a lawyer to begin with? So I stayed outside, skipped the subway and walked against the tide and mad rush of people. These were the results. I'm feeling proud because the photo* that I decided to feature in the show tonight has won all sorts of awards and it's been in a few shows online and on a few actual physical walls. I have even sold a couple prints to collectors. It's all very exciting and particularly motivating for me considering that all of these photos almost didn't happen if I hadn't had the good sense to just let myself BE in the moment and take the pictures that I always wanted to take.

I think I'm having an epiphany. Yep, #thisishappening.

*

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The Constant Buzz

2012-01-24T09:21:00.010-05:00

By Costas Masseras

One of things I love most about blogging is discovering new people and things. I spend A LOT of time pointing, clicking, reading, skimming and studying photographs, and, once in a while I'm lucky enough to come upon a site where every single thing that I see gives me the goosebumps. Such was the case when I found The Constant Buzz, a beautifully and meticulously curated Tumblr blog. Needless to say, two hours later I wondered where my afternoon had gone and didn't the baby just fall asleep, how is she up already?

I blame Pinterest but I also blame my passion for always wanting and needing to seek inspiration and finding other artists who move me and make me want to be better.

By Signe Vilstrup

By Paul Wolff

By Bill Brandt

By Clarence Sinclair Bull

By Dorothea Lange

By Bernhard Springer

By K. L. Haenchen

By Alfred Eisenstaedt

By Alfred Eisenstaedt

By Bernhard Springer

All images via The Constant Buzz.

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Instagram Weekend

2012-01-23T09:34:00.001-05:00

This weekend was the perfect medicine: non-stop relax. After several crazy weeks and a lot of coming and going, we stayed in, went out to see snow for the "first time" (not technically but last year the baby was so small there was no enjoying it), popped open a new box of crayons, ate way too much and watched too much football. Well that last part was mostly my husband but I could definitely hear it from the other room!

This week is going to be fantastic and not least of all because I have a big show here in New York. Won't you join me?

I was dying to put her in this get-up for weeks and finally it snowed! She didn't protest too much.

Here's our weekend via Instagram. And you?

New Yorkers will go for a run no matter what...even this tiny New Yorker!

Being silly. Wearing fuzzy hats and boots.

Seeking Inspiration (aka Are you on Pinterest?)

2012-01-19T11:31:00.001-05:00

So yes, I'm a little late to the party. This week I finally relented and jumped on the Pinterest train. What is wrong with me? Now I know what I've been missing.

One of the things that I am passionate about and that doesn't always (ever) make it on to this blog is my love of home design. Obsession is more like it. My husband catches me sitting on the couch in silence just staring into space and he calls me out. He says I'm secretly (or not-so-secretly) planning in my head how I'm going to "move that there, move this here" and it is so true. I can never walk into a room and not think about how I would change it or what I would do to make it "different" - not necessarily "better" but there is ALWAYS something that can be different.

Case in point: my current work space. Before we had the baby, and back in our old apartment (that I still miss every day even though yes, I love our new home), I had my own office/studio. It got lots of fabulous light, it was quite large and my view was TDF. Now my work space is a little corner in our new bedroom. You'd be surprised just how much I can get done in this small space but it is tiny and shared nonetheless. Before we moved to our new place we had a no TV, no radio, no computers, blackberries, iPads, iPhones, etc. rule in our bedroom. In fact, the only thing we had that needed power, aside from light, was an alarm clock. Now our bedroom is our work space, our lounge space, our everything space and since we got here I've been working to make it one of the best rooms I've ever lived in.

To that end, I've been trolling around the internet looking for inspiration for small home offices and gallery walls and well, what can I say, my drug of choice is Pinterest. I've been having a lot of fun searching and pinning and spying different boards and I have to wonder why on earth I didn't do this sooner! I've found so many new sites that I love from photos that were pinned that I just know this will be my new favorite place to hang out online.

I'm still working on my wall, getting frames, making prints, la-di-da, but as soon as I'm done I'm going to feature it here and give a how-to on making gallery walls since I really, really love them and I've been doing them forever and I think I've finally figured out the easiest way that works for me. In the meantime, here are a few photos that I'm using for inspiration.

What do you think? And, are you on Pinterest? Let's connect over there!

Also, here is a sneak peek at one of the walls in my bedroom...

And here is a tiny look at my kitchen and Lucia's gallery wall.

All photos (except the Instagram of my wall) via Pinterest.

Hey New Yorkers! I'm having a party on Thursday, January 26th and you're invited!

2012-01-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to invite you to join me to celebrate an exhibit featuring a collection of my black and white photography on Thursday, January 26th from 6pm to 8pm at The Bari Studio in Tribeca.

If you're in New York, please stop by to have a glass of wine and say hello! The Bari Studio is located at 23 Leonard Street between Hudson and West Broadway. I would be delighted to see you there!

Head over to Facebook to check out the invite and to learn more about this show which will be open until mid-March.

These photos are a small peek but I really hope to see you there!

Here's a statement about the work:

I take photographs because I love to hold on to memories. Black and white photography represents the notion of nostalgia, emotion, past and future. Whether with humor, empathy or just taking the time to stop and look, the simple, strange and often random instances that we find in life are worth exploring. My photographs are illustrations of moments that are familiar but unexpected. In shades of black and white these moments are timeless and ask you to look beyond the surface to what lies beneath them.

And don't forget to check out my website.

Instagram Weekend

2012-01-17T11:06:00.003-05:00

I'm not usually one to speak in cliches but sometimes they are the only thing that really fits. Never before has the expression "when it rains, it pours" ever been more true.

So this weekend we went away while and I was trying to monitor all of the exciting things happening in the gift lounge at the Golden Globes where my business cards made it into 100 celebrity gift bags thanks to the amazing and talented people over at the Artisan Group. Plus I was busy thinking about PhotoLA where one of my prints was up on the wall with Women in Photography International. We hurried back to the city for a birthday celebration and then last night while driving out to see a friend my car broke down...in the freezing rain...that turned to snow. All in all a very eventful and crazed three days.

So, here's my weekend in Instagram (one day late).

What about you?

Looking through boxes of test prints to add to my new gallery wall. A how-to coming soon!

I chopped my hair...again!

Fridays

2012-01-13T09:34:00.001-05:00

These days, as the weather gets colder, it's all about staying indoors, having baby dance parties, playing dress-up, being silly, long afternoons spent reading books, discovering (and not eating) crayons and major snuggle-fests. I'm looking forward to all of this and more this weekend.

Here are some snapshots from the last few weeks...

And you?

Here are some fun links to get your weekend started right...

The Nikon D4 is here. *swoooon*

True love in pictures.

Glamour and adventure all the way.

Chaos and color.

I'm a professional juggler.

My work is in Photo LA this weekend.

And my business cards are in the Golden Globes gift bags!

The raddest new cameras.

13 things that are crucial in order to be successful...in any industry.

Where the Earth Meets the Sky

2012-01-12T10:35:00.004-05:00

In the dead of winter, when not even the seagulls dare take flight, we visited our favorite beach. I got out of the car and went on a mini-adventure while my baby slept and my husband read the paper. The sounds were so crisp in the air they seem to just hang there for only me to listen. The waves meeting the shore, the wind howling at nothing or no one in particular. This is my magic place.

A Great Debate: RAW vs. JPEG

2012-01-10T09:07:00.011-05:00

This is a processed RAW file. Scroll down to see the original RAW file that came straight out of the camera and a black and white version, as well as another example. I blogged about these amazing windows last month.

So you got a beautiful new DSLR in your stocking last month (lucky you!) and you've got more buttons and dials and menu options than you know what to do with. Top all that off with a fat camera manual and you feel completely lost.

If you're just a beginner you'll have to learn about things like aperture, speed and ISO. But, even before any of that, you first have to decide whether you want to shoot your images in RAW or JPEG. Are you lost? If you know the basics then you're already ahead of the game and the decision about which format to shoot in (RAW or JPEG) will be the most important. And, ultimately, it's the first question you should be asking yourself right after you turn your camera on.

So how do you decide?

First it's best to learn about what each of these file types are.

Defining RAW and JPEG

A RAW file is a file that is waiting to be processed by your computer. Essentially, in the simplest of terms, it is like a digital negative (remember those? I do and I miss them!) and all of the information is saved on the file itself.

A JPEG is a file on your camera that is already compressed and has certain information saved on it that comes directly from the choices you made when you set your camera.

Characteristics of RAW and JPEG Files

A JPEG file is smaller in size than a RAW file. It is higher in contrast and cannot be manipulated without losing data. If you shoot an image in the JPG format and you set your white balance for cloudy or your expsosure too low, you're stuck with both of those choices. The opposite is true when you shoot RAW.

A RAW file has all of the information saved within it and you can manipulate every last pixel of it. Don't like the white balance you chose? That's ok, you can change it and even create a custom white balance for your file in post-processing. Don't like how dull the image appears? Clarify it! The color is off? Fix it! Yes, you can sharpen an image and make many other changes in Photoshop (levels, curves, contrast, etc.) but it just isn't the same as starting with a file that is exactly how you need it to be and not a manipulation of whatever it is that you photographed.

Unlike a RAW file, when you shoot in JPEG you can load the file directly to your computer and print it, upload it and basically use it however you wish without doing anything to it in Photoshop or which ever program that you use. But this ease comes with a price. When you shoot in JPEG it is very difficult to go back and "fix" any mistakes that you made in your settings in post-processing - especially to exposure and color mistakes. The downside of all this post-processing flexibility however is that a RAW files take up a lot of space on both your memory card and your computer. The files are enormous. And, you will also need a program to process the raw files (in addition to Photoshop, Lightroom or whatever program you use).

So, what do you do?

If you are a professional photographer or an advanced amateur or someone who is a control freak (I feel you) then your only option is to shoot RAW. You simply cannot afford not to because you want to take advantage of all that your camera and your talent has to offer by having as much information recorded on the file to work with after the fact.

I would say that if you are a beginner or you're in a rush or if you just want to shoot for fun and do it quickly (I admit it, a lot of the photos I take of my baby are in JPEG because I need to use and send the files quickly), then shoot in JPEG. If you don't care about the information being lost in your file then you won't even miss it. However, shooting in RAW is a great way to learn about your camera and your settings because you have to play around with them so much in post-processing.

Either way, start by asking yourself the question! To RAW or to JPEG?

What do you think? Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG or both? Have any tips? Questions?

Original RAW file straight out of the camera.

Black and white version

Also...

BEFORE

AFTER

And, AFTER

Oh, and one small, unrelated programming note, it's a new year so I'm going for a new look and streamlining the blog with some new design. Thoughts? After rebranding my website last year I got the itch.

Instagram Weekend

2012-01-09T15:26:00.000-05:00

After three consecutive weekends of moving around at a hectic pace and way too much travel, a quiet weekend at home was all we wanted. And, thankfully, that's exactly what we got. In fact, we didn't even leave our neighborhood for two wonderful, lazy days. Sometimes that's just what you need to get you feeling energized and ready to start a new week, no?

Here's our weekend via Instagram? What about you?

Snow White and two babies.

My accessory-loving budding actress.

The littlest fashionista.

Our view on a cold Sunday night in winter.

One of several gallery walls in my home. This is a mix of vintage and new frames and a mix of color and black and white photos. You can see two other walls in my home and stay tuned for a how-to if you need some help organizing your art work and photos!

Fridays

2012-01-06T14:23:00.000-05:00

This week flew by, am I right?

The weekend could not come quickly enough though and every morning that I woke up I kept thinking it was Thursday, unable to wait until Friday. The last two holiday weekends were filled with a lot of wonderful food, travel, family and friends but they were also exhausting. This weekend will be all about relaxing, catching up on sleep and long walks outside (if the weather doesn't leave us freezing).

I'm excited about some cool posts that I have lined up for next week including some fun and very simple tips for making your photos stand out (like shooting silhouettes like these) and a great tutorial that I think you'll find really helpful.Until then, go forth and relax and definitely shoot some photos this weekend!

Here are some great links to get you inspired...

This is what happens when you give kids thousands of stickers!

These people are so freaking talented: The Glamourai and From Me To You.

Who wins the battle of NY vs. LA? Duh...you already know what I think!

More ideas for what to do with all your photos. You know, other than leaving them on your hard drive forever and ever. I have some too!

Paintings vs. Photographs

How to make an epic Facebook timeline photo.

Here's to new beginnings.

Happy Friday!

Ocean Wind

2012-01-05T10:55:00.001-05:00

Atlantic Ocean, East Hampton, New York

This is where my mind is right now. I'm not going to fight the wanderlust that I'm feeling today.

PhotoLA, baby.

2012-01-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

This photo didn't really say that much to me when I first shot it. I took it at the time that I was just starting to become fascinated with people in puddles and their reflections when I stood on this one corner for over 45 minutes just looking down in the water after a heavy rain. I dug it up after a few months of it sitting on my hard drive and three plus years later it's in two shows in two completely different venues.

It's not enough that two of my works are being installed at the MPLS Photo Center (read about it here) but I got word last week that one of my photos was selected to be featured at PhotoLA by the amazing people at Women in Photography International (in booth A-102). I've been recognized by this incredible group of talented female photographers before and when I saw that they were taking submissions for their booth at PhotoLA I was all over it. The booth is curated by Candace Biggerstaff.

So, from January 12th to January 16th, if you're in Los Angeles and you're looking for something very cool and cultural, then head over to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. It's going to be awesome and I need to live vicariously through you since I won't be able to make it there myself. And, they still have tickets available for the opening night benefit gala and Moby is the special host. It benefits the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. So it's a good cause too.

I'm pinching myself because this is too good to be true.

I dream of baby

2012-01-03T07:00:00.004-05:00

She makes 1000 different expressions in five minutes. I love the way her bottom lip curls when she is trying to figure something out and the smile on her face when she sees the different colors her crayons make on paper. I love the way she looks up at me and squints her eyes when she discovers that I put more juice than water in her sippy cup. I love that she claps her hands when she sees that we're going into her favorite playground or when we turn the corner to walk into my sister's building to visit her cousins. I love how she purses her lips together and smiles when she says "no" and how she bops her entire body up and down because she hasn't yet figured out how to say yes.

All of these little moments and so many others are our life together and I feel so lucky to be able to record them. I'm going to do my best to live in and soak up the moment in 2012 instead of always rushing through every thing I do. And, (another) one of my resolutions is to make more albums because I never want to forget any of it.

I took all of these photos with my nifty fifty (my fave). Also, I've been experimenting with new processing techniques for my black and white images. Still playing around but I'm happy with the results.

Instagram Weekend

2012-01-02T07:00:00.018-05:00

I resolve, among other things, to take more photos. This is my "safe" resolution since as a photographer that should be fairly easy to keep. My reach resolutions are a little more complicated (of course). For one, I feel like I'm always rushing through everything I do and this year I'm hoping to take time out to really live in the moment. I'm feeling so positive and very motivated and excited after the 2011 I've had.

My 2012 got off to a lovely start and I hope yours did too. Happy new year!

And by the way, do you Instagram? Come say hello!

A New Year

2011-12-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

My favorite photo of the year...taken at a park in Tribeca on a warm day in October. It was the first time that Lucia was able to enjoy the water by herself since she didn't start walking until September. We were very happy to get one more (and unseasonably) warm day.

This was a year of some major challenges and successes both personally and professionally. I'm so thankful for every single one of my experiences and I am all ready to head into 2012!

I have a few new resolutions for this year and yes, a few that are left over from 2011. Among them, I want to work on using my time more efficiently (no small feat), visit museums and galleries more often, exercise more, spend more time on myself and not feel guilty about it, speak to my baby in Spanish more often than I do now, drink more water, take more time to feel proud of my accomplishments, see my friends more often, and well, the list is rather long.

And, well, you can't really move forward without taking acknowledging where you've been so here's a look back at some of my favorite moments on 2011.

What about you?

Here's to an exciting new year for you and for me!

The possibilities are endless.

Happy Holidays to you!

2011-12-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

I loved this window at Bergdorfs so much that I decided to make it my holiday card. Too good and perfect.

This has been such an exciting year for me both personally and professionally. Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement, visits, comments and emails. I appreciate it more than you know!

Happy holidays to you and yours!

It feels like spring

2011-12-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling inspired by these photographs. They remind me of spring and a promise that something good is coming. The images seem to have an innocence that does not surprise me given that the photographer is just 15 years old. But, they also have an underlying edginess that tells me that this girl is an old soul.

I love the dreaminess of these photos. I like that they seem to be spilling secrets about something that I want to know more about.

All photos by Amber Ortolano (who by the way is only 15 years old!) and via here. And thanks to the Lil Bee for sharing them in the first place.

alternate universe.

2011-12-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'm obsessed with these windows. That's pretty obvious given that this is the third post dedicated to them in the last week. But, what's also obvious is to share the color versions so that you can see the richness of all the different hues and just how saturated they are. As with everything else I have to do the opposite of the intention and study them when they're stripped of all of that. In color they are simply gorgeous. But, in black and white you can really start to appreciate the texture, the shadows, the contrasts...and those reflections of New York City staring back at me. It's like fantasy and reality existing together at once. And maybe that's the point.

See more here and here. And check some extra photos out on Facebook.

Walking in a New York wonderland.

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Still obsessing over the photos I took of the Bergdorf Goodman windows last week. They're portraits of New York City.

And you can see more.

Instagram Weekend

2011-12-19T10:05:00.001-05:00

One last weekend on the beach before the holiday madness home stretch is exactly what we needed. The highlights include trips to the beach, long naps and fun dinners (one that ended with a smile from Julie Andrews herself for Lucia).

Here's a glimpse of the weekend via Instagram. And you?

Love Sigma lenses and this one was my companion this weekend.

Traffic on our way out to East Hampton.

Even Cookie Monster and Big Bird need to eat.

Almost home.

Lucia squatting in her cousin Guapo's house.

Holiday Gift Guide! Great Gifts For Photography Lovers

2011-12-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

This week was outrageously busy and productive. I haven't been able to say that in a very long time so I'm heading in to the weekend feeling satisfied and accomplished. I know it's bragging but I am so, SO happy that I have finished my holiday shopping. This is the first time EVER that I finished with a week to spare.

What about you? If you still have a few people on your list to shop for, I think that any of these items below will bring a smile to a photography lover's face.

So, instead of a Friday link list, here is the final installment of my holiday gift guide for the photography-lover in your life. And many of these items are available for free shipping. Speaking of shipping though, check out the shipping dates to be sure that you can get these goodies in time for your holiday celebration!

Happy Friday and happy shopping!

Oh, and by the way, you can always check out my Amazon store for more gift ideas!

Holga attachment for your iPhone...in case you don't want to go the instagram route. Yes, please.

Lensbaby composer for Nikon. I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember and now it's on sale AND shipping is guaranteed. They make one for Canon too!

50mm f/1.4 If I had to pick one lens to shoot with for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Nikon D3. Come to mama. MAJOR wishlist item for me.

But if that's too advanced (or out of your budget), this one is awesome for beginners....Nikon D90.

Bokeh masters kit for adding cool effects to your photos. Or you can learn a cool bokeh DIY if you don't want to shell out the cash for the kit.

Polaroid Picture...and Printer.

2011-12-15T12:19:00.002-05:00

Giving gifts to yourself is just as important as giving gifts to others. It's absolutely necessary to remind yourself that you deserve IT...whatever it is.

This is how I came to purchase my second favorite new toy (after Siri, of course). I'm loving my Polaroid Grey Label Printer! How could I not seeing as it is from Polaroid and it was designed by Lady Gaga? You can print from your mobile device, DSLR and your computer. I'm just glad that my images, especially my iPhone pics, will have a permanent place in this world on paper and not just the digital vortex that my archive has become (although, honestly, I have been pretty good with printing lately thanks to my favorite printer here in NY...more on that later). I've been putting the prints in a book for Lucia since they're basically all those little moments of our life that slip away unless you snap them with the one thing that is always with you...your phone!

Anyway, to be fair, I did become ~~a little~~ very frustrated when for some reason the bluetooth on my iPhone didn't pick up the printer's wireless signal (can someone please shed some light on this?) but all in all, the printer is super easy to use. You basically turn it on, put in the paper, choose a photo and print. Ta-da! Some reviews have said that it takes a little longer to print from your DSLR but I didn't have any issues with that.

This puppy is on sale over at B&H until December 31st so why not pick one up for yourself or for your fellow photography fanatic?

Happy shopping!

Fantasy and the City

2011-12-14T06:00:00.006-05:00

Visiting the holiday windows is one of my favorite New York traditions (remember this and this?) and every year I am blown away by the art created behind the glass at Bergdorf Goodman. I've seen so many photos of the windows all over the internet that I just could not wait to see them for myself. Every single detail was over-the-top and whimsical and glamorous and fine.

And I love to see New York reflected in the windows -- it's one of my most favorite details in these images and the ones I've shot in the past -- because after all, New York is nothing if not full of fantasy and whimsy and pretty much whatever you want it to be...especially during the holidays.

I was so inspired by all of it and took so many photos that this will be a two-part post. Take a look...

What are your holiday traditions?

And, because I love me some black and white, I can't help but share this one...and, there's more where it came from!

Minneapolis, here I come

2011-12-13T09:52:00.001-05:00

You Pick the Place and I'll Choose the Time (the title is from this song - a personal favorite)
This has been a very exciting year for me professionally and it's looking like 2012 is also going to be pretty amazing. From January 20th to February 26th, if you think you will be in the Minneapolis area, then you'll be able to check out two of my images on the wall at the MPLS Photo Center.

It was one of those things that was just meant to be. The deadline for submitting images to their juried exhibit, Off the Cuff: The Spontaneous and Unrehearsed, was looming and I had so much going on that I did not send in my work until one hour before the deadline. I was so excited when I got an email that Madeline Yale, the exhibit juror, selected two of my photographs. Normally I wouldn't ever suggest going the down-to-the-wire-anxiety-producing-last-minute route but this time it worked out quiet well for me.

Untitled. Taken in Washington Square Park, New York.

You can read more about the MPLS Photo Center and the exhibit here.

Instagram Weekend

2011-12-12T07:00:00.007-05:00

Under the tracks of the 7 train.

We thought our weekend was ruined when on Saturday morning we went to get our car at the garage and it refused to start. Our trip out to the country was obviously cancelled but we ended up having a wonderful, quiet weekend in the city filled with lots of walks (despite the cold) and many, many adventures. And, it turns out, that's exactly what we needed.

Here's our weekend in Instagram. What about you?

Santa Clause came to town.

Applauding brunch at a favorite neighborhood spot.

Santacon was this weekend and they took it very seriously.

Visiting my grandmother and running an errand over the 59th Street Bridge pre-car-breakdown. When I was a kid and we'd sit in traffic going across the bridge I would stare into these windows and make up stories about the people living there. I wished that we lived in the city. I always think of that when I drive over this bridge.

A leopard print dress and sunglasses....100% my kid.

Trees in the windows.

Obsessed with boats.

Finally finished my holiday cards.

Something special arrived in the mail for Lucia's room. More details this week!

Santas in pajamas.

Living it up at Chelsea Piers.

Picking out a tree.

Fridays

2011-12-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

This poster is in my Etsy shop.

The excitement and madness of the holiday season is in full swing around here. I find myself taking little moments here and there to collect my thoughts and calm my mind. So much to do, so little time. Still, I have a lot to look forward to this weekend. Like a visit from my parents tonight, a trip to the beach tomorrow and putting up our tree on Sunday. It's the little things right?

What are your plans?

Here are some great links from around the web to get your weekend started right.

I made a photo book and you can get 10% your order at Pinhole Press if you want to make one too! Just enter CiaoChessa for a discount at checkout.

Are you on Twitter? Follow my photography list. A lot of goodness there.

The deadline for purchasing anything in my Etsy shop so you can receive it by Christmas is approaching.

Party dressing in New York and Paris.

Heineken (a personal fave) is having a contest to find a new design for its bottles to celebrate a BIG anniversary.

Lucia's nursery is featured on the Bon Bon Rose Girls this week!

Old loves. This is too good. Found via Cup of Jo.

Speaking of Cup of Jo, Joanna's 2011 gift guide is here and it's awesome.

I want to take a class this winter. I'm not sure in what yet but I'm feeling like I want to learn something new. I'm open to suggestions...thoughts?

Bloggers have to act like journalists if they want to be treated as such. Makes sense to me.

World AIDS Day in photos.

Gorgeous...and I mean GORGEOUS (and breathtaking, inspiring, evocative...) photos by Miles Aldridges on Nowness. And speaking of Miles Aldridges, you can now buy some of his works over on Art.com. Amaze.


    Conde Nast, Trunk Archive


      Art.com

Take some pictures. Make a book. Rinse. Repeat.

2011-12-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have taken thousands and thousands of photos of Lucia since she was born and I have said thousands and thousands of times that I was going to compile my favorite shots and make a book. If you're a parent who is constantly taking pictures of your kid you know what I'm talking about -- somehow your computer turns into a digital vortex where pictures of your life go to hide.

I have printed a lot of our family photos for some albums and a few fun gallery walls for our home but I finally, FINALLY found the perfect and most lovely way to show off my little (ok, enormous) archive of pictures of my baby: a book by Pinhole Press.

I ordered a few copies of this beautifully executed book and I think some people (Lucia has four grandparents!) will be quite happy when they open their gifts this year. I know that this will be something that my parents and in-laws will really love. Like everything else I've made on Pinhole Press before, the quality is outrageous and the layout is so unique.

The site has a lot of different types of books to choose from and I think I'll try a softcover next for a collection of some of my portfolio pieces but for now I just cannot stop looking through this one. I am terribly indecisive and not the best editor but I had so much fun going through my photos and choosing favorites.

Anyway, if you'd like to check out some stuff for yourself, head over here and enter code CiaoChessa for 10% off your order for the rest of the year. Happy holidays and shopping!

Come on, Vogue.

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Vogue Cover - July 1941

From Art.com

I am seriously obsessed with Art.com.

I was checking out their site for my holiday gift guide and then I learned that they partnered with Conde Nast to bring the unforgettable photographs and legendary cartoons from the pages of popular Condé Nast magazines to life and available for sale. I ordered a gorgeous print from the Vogue archives and it hasn't arrived yet - but in the meantime, I compiled a group of some of my favorite images available in the store.

Seriously, if your walls are feeling sad and you need some inspiration, you have to check them out because there is something for everyone.

Can you guess which one of these I bought? It's going to go in Lucia's room.

         Vogue Cover - September 1933

      From Art.com


      Vogue Cover - May 1945

      From Art.com

     Vogue - April 1930
       From Art.com

Vogue Cover - January 1926

From Art.com

Vogue Cover - November 1990

I specifically remember reading this issue.

Vogue Cover - January 1950

From Art.com

Vogue Cover - October 1939

From Art.com

Holiday Gift Guide! 10 Great Gifts Under $100 For Photography Lovers

2011-12-06T07:00:00.005-05:00

Have you finished your holiday shopping? No? Good. Me neither.

If there's a photography lover in your life any of these gifts would be more than welcome. Trust me ~~I'm a lawyer~~. Some of them aren't exactly photo-related but pretty close...no? For under $100 I think they are all pretty fantastic.

What are you asking for this year?

Plus, check out this holiday gift guide for photography stuff under $50! And stay tuned because the next one is lots of fun...it's more of a wishlist than anything else but a girl's gotta dream, right?

And you want to see more, check out my Amazon store with some of my favorite things.

Aphrodite USB Port. I love this thing and not least of all because I am one of those people who has way too many wires hanging all over the place in my already too-small work space. It's so clever and unexpected. Yes, please! (via IFB)

Cosmos Leather Camera Bag. Clearly this is not your average (ie. ugly) camera bag. I love the rich color and all the great storage options inside. (click on the link to see!) You can carry your camera, a couple of lenses and even your laptop or iPad fit in here.

Fuji Instax. Okay, it might be obvious by now, if you've read my blog before, that I LOVE my instant camera. Nothing beats taking a photo and having it in your hands seconds later. It's magic! It's a nice nod to the past, plus, you won't have to worry about the image getting lost in the digital file vortex that is your computer hard-drive.

Pendleton iPad case. Not technically a photography-related gift unless you're like me and you have way too many photography apps but oh well. My iPad needs a new dress. Doesn't yours?

Rebecca Minkoff iPad case. And speaking of new dresses, how about this LBD?

The Camera Day Pack. This bag is adorable and perfect for every day. Nothing fancy. I like the purple one.

Bamboo cooling stand. I've never, ever seen one this cool (ha! pun intended)

Digital frame. This is the gift that keeps on giving because you can constantly update it and add new pictures. I got my husband one for Father's Day so he can look at photos of our family and our adventures from his desk at work. He loves it. I think it's time we had one for our home too, no?

Gary Fong Puffer Pop-Up Flash Diffuser. Slip this puppy on to your dslr and say good-bye to that hideous washed-out look you get when there's just too much flash. For less than 20 bucks it softens the light from your in-camera flash and it packs completely flat for storage in pretty much any camera bag (see above!) or even your back pocket. (via Photoshelter)

Henri Cartier Bresson: Photographer. My dad introduced me to this master's work when I was way too young to appreciate it. Now I cannot stop obsessing over it. I need this book and so does whoever you love enough to buy it for!

Instagram Weekend

2011-12-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

Sunset over the Hudson.

The holidays are definitely here. I can tell not only because it is December but because I'm feeling exhausted, overwhelmed with the number of things I have to do and feel over-stimulated by all the excitement and anticipation of what's to come. In the middle of the usual craziness I installed a show at a very cool space in Tribeca here in New York. I'll be sharing some more photos over on the Facebook page (have you joined us there yet?) and stay tuned for more details here!

So, the weekend was over-the-top busy but also a lot of fun. This week will be equally over-scheduled but I'm looking forward to the challenge!

How about you?

PS--Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Today is the last day to enter to win a 2012 calendar of my images from Pinhole Press.

Driving back to the city.

Packaging my work.

Before...

After.

A visit from Princess Jasmine.

Lucia's favorite toys include tupperware, an old cell phone from 2001 and a salad spinner.

The holidays have arrived in the World Financial Center.

Saturday night dinner with friends.

Almost home.

Getting our tree this week!

Fridays

2011-12-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about how quickly this week went by. It's already December! It was fast and chaotic and the weekend will be equally busy but I'm looking forward to a lot of family time. We took advantage of the warm weather last weekend and took Lucia to the South Street Seaport. I hadn't been there in years and she had a lot of fun watching the boats and entertaining all the tourists. The weather is unlikely to cooperate this weekend but there will definitely be many adventures.

I have a few fun posts lined up for next week including more holiday gift guides!

In the meantime, here are a few links from around the web to help you ease into the weekend.

Speaking of holiday gift guides, here's an awesome one for photography lovers.

And another for everything under $25!

Simple things you can do to make your images pop!

Dreamy double exposure photographs.

The legality of posting photos of other people's kids online.

I was Team Ben all the way.

Holiday Gift Guide! 10 Great Gifts Under $50 For Photography Lovers

2011-12-01T06:00:00.013-05:00

It's December! How did that happen?

I love this time of year. The parties, the general cheer and good moods, the sparkle, the decorations, the gift giving and getting. Love it!

I am definitely one of those gals who believes it is better to give than it is to receive and nerd alert: I love gadgets and photography goodness! Here's the first of a few holiday gift guides for the photography lover in your life. A bonus...everything is under $50!

Wide Angle and Macro Lens for iPhone. Anyone who loves their iPhone will seriously love this little guy that you can just mount. I think I need this.

The iPhone Telephoto Lens. Come on. Who wouldn't love this?

One of my favorite photography books. Annie Leibovitz at Work. I keep it on my desk for extra inspiration.

Leather case for iPhone. This is awesome and so unexpected.

And, since clearly I'm on an iPhone kick...this one is pretty cool too.

And, you know what, I kind of love this one too. What? Why shouldn't my iPhone have different outfits?

Ever since I saw these gloves here I've been obsessed with getting a pair. Ecco Design gloves that you can leave on when you use your touch screen. Now I can shoot my Instagrams without cold piggies.

Diana mini camera. I am totally on a lo-fi kick at the moment. Plus this gal takes 35mm film so it's super easy.

The Handy Dandy Hand Strap at the Photojojo Store!
This guy definitely beats your boring neck strap.

One of my favorite photographers and one of my favorite cities. A major win! Elliott Erwitt Paris. Hint, hint...I don't have this one in my collection yet.

PS--See some of my other favorite things here. And, stayed tuned for more gift guide installments this month!

Desaturate

2011-11-30T06:00:00.008-05:00

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow."
– Imogen Cunningham

I'm always pushing myself. I always want to be better, try harder, to learn more. Having this trait works because it makes me stronger, smarter (I think), more resilient and it helps me to deal with what I might see as a personal failure or a disappointment whether it is real or imagined. It also helps me because in a way it forces me to take a moment for myself, to step back and appreciate things. I tend to be my own worst enemy and biggest critic so this is an exercise that I absolutely have to practice. When I shut off all the noise, take a minute and imagine things stripped down to their most basic details...well, this is what makes life exciting, beautiful, interesting and full of wonder, and, I think that's pretty powerful.

2012 Calendars (and a GIVEAWAY)

2011-11-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

My new Pinhole Press calendar hanging in my kitchen.

I haven't had a calendar up on a wall in years. Years! But isn't there something so lovely and nostalgic about them? One of my dearest friends in the world still has the calendar from the year she was born and her mother wrote "have baby" in ink on her due date -- I love that!

So I decided to make photo calendars with my work this year and like everything else that I make with my pictures, the printing quality was super important to me. Naturally, after making and receiving my holiday cards, I decided to go with Pinhole Press and I could not be happier or more impressed! The designs are clean and simple and the site is so easy-peazy to use. The quality is outrageous. Seriously. It was one thing to get my holiday cards and see and feel the gorgeous stock in my own hands but I was equally, if not more, impressed with the calendars. Stunning!

I'm giving them as gifts this year and one of you will get one too! How'd you like one of these for your wall?

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment below.
2. Share the giveaway on Facebook and let me know about it for an extra entry.
3. Share the giveaway on Twitter and let me know about it (I'm @ciaochessa) for an extra entry.

The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, December 6th.

Do you still buy the "old-fashioned" kind of calendars or do you keep everything online?

PS--Have you noticed I have a thing for gallery walls? There are a few others in my home...I think a how-to is in order.

Instagram Weekend

2011-11-28T10:27:00.000-05:00

Central Park and Fifth Avenue as seen with my new iPhone!

It's a rare Monday that I wake up and feel completely rested after the weekend. When you have a toddler I think it's rare to ever feel rested at all but this weekend was the perfect mix of little adventures and quiet relax. Is it just me or does it seem like Thanksgiving was weeks ago? December is almost here (I can't believe I'm saying that) and it's shaping up to be an amazing month and the ultimate exclamation point on the end of what has been an incredible year.

Here's a glimpse at our weekend via Instagram. What about you?

PS--Don't forget to enter this giveaway! And, don't forget it's Cyber Monday and I'm having a sale!

The very first photo I took my new toy. Obsessed.

A drive around town while Lucia slept in her carseat. Central Park at the end of fall = my fave.

Playdate at a friend's house...the girl loves her jewelry.

A visit to South Street Seaport on an unseasonably warm day (to say the least!) in NYC.

We met a horse on Wall Street.

Lucia's friend Dakota who became a big sister this morning (her daddy is Lucia's godfather)!

EXTENDED Black Friday and Cyber Monday SALE in my ETSY SHOP

2011-11-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

Are you spending the day shopping? Me too! Except I'm not leaving my house to do it. I can't face the hysteria and the crowds so I'm going to hit up the bajillion online sales going on right now.

If you're shopping online today too, then check out my Etsy shop where I'm currently having a sale of 15% off EVERYTHING in the shop with the code HOLIDAY15.

And, because it is the season of giving after all, I'm offering the sale now through next Tuesday, November 29th!

Happy shopping! And, happy weekend! And, don't forget about this GIVEAWAY!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

Ask me what I'm thankful for this year and I don't really have to use words to answer.

All photos taken with my Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4. My all-time favorite prime lens.

PS--Tips for taking photos of babies and kids. And, this giveaway.

I LOVE my Holiday Cards from Pinhole Press (plus a DISCOUNT for you!)

2011-11-23T10:17:00.002-05:00

Isn't it wonderful when you find a solution to a major problem? For me the mystery of finding the perfect holiday cards (and other amazing photo stuff) has been solved just in time for the holidays! The solution: Pinhole Press

Ask any photographer who their favorite printer is and I'm sure they can name a few. I definitely have my go-to place (more on that later) for professional prints for my clients and my portfolio and exhibits and stuff but until now I had not been able to find the right fit for my work for cards, calendars, notebooks and photobooks. Enter Pinhole Press. I first learned about Pinhole Press when my friend Joanna shared her creations and I have been hooked ever since. Like seriously obsessed. So you can imagine how excited I was when I actually started to make things with my own images (hello, note cards and customized photo wine labels and book labels and diaries and....).

The first thing I made are my personal holiday cards. Are they not adorable? I can't wait to send them out to my family and friends! And if you think they look great on your screen (come on, you know you do!) you should see and feel them in person. I've been making holiday cards and cards in general for a long, long time and I have never seen any on this high-quality paper stock at this price point. The designs are clean and modern and they really let the photos speak for themselves. I also made these sweet address labels that you can customize to wrap around the envelope. Best of all the site is streamlined and simple to use. All in all, a fantastic experience.

So, starting TODAY, my friends at Pinhole Press are offering my readers a 10% discount! Just enter the code "CiaoChessa" at checkout.

Do you make holiday cards? I've always sent them out but last year, after I had the baby, was the first time I ever made them personal by using a family photo.

Happy shopping!

Oh and PS--next week I'll be sharing some more Pinhole Press goodies as part of my gift guide AND offering another giveaway. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: While I received my cards as a gift from Pinhole Press and I am a member of their affiliate program, I only share things that I am passionate about and all opinions are my own.

A Gallery Wall and a GIVEAWAY

2011-11-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

Lucia's nursery and her friends who keep her company, Bear, Raffee and Mono. As you can see we're very clever with our stuffed animal naming.

I'm really excited about today's giveaway! A few weeks ago the people over at Easy Canvas Prints contacted me about printing one of my photos on their canvases. I have to admit, I never really gave into the idea of printing my photographs that way - maybe I'm too much of a purist and prefer my images on paper but after checking out their site and making a canvas myself I could not have been more wrong!

I decided that a canvas photo print would make a lovely addition to the gallery wall that I've been steadily adding to in Lucia's nursery. Doesn't it look wonderful (if I do say so myself)? I'm hoping to order another canvas in color since I'm curious to see the printing but the black and white looks amazing and true to the file that I uploaded so I know the color prints will look fabulous. I decided on an 11x14 print with a standard (.75) gallery wrap. You can choose to have a border with color around the sides but since I decided that I wasn't going to frame the canvas, I liked the idea of having the original image wrap around. It almost looks like the print is floating on the wall. I'm really happy with the way it came out.

The site is super easy to use and the quality is top-notch. I really liked all the pricing and design options. It was especially helpful for me to have all of that information since like I said, I've always printed my professional and personal work on archival photo paper so I was completely unfamiliar with prints on canvas. They also do some retouching if you need it. All in all, an awesome site with an amazing work product. Wouldn't a canvas of a personal photo make an awesome gift for the holidays? I obviously think so.

So here's the GIVEAWAY:

Easy Canvas prints is giving one Ciao, Chessa! reader a free 8x10 canvas and two readers will each win a $10.00 gift card to use on the site toward any of their products.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment below.
2. Share the giveaway on Facebook and let me know about it for an extra entry.
3. Share the giveaway on Twitter and let me know about it (I'm @ciaochessa) for an extra entry.

The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 29th.

Oh and by the way, they have tons of discounts and free shipping on the site if you Like them on Facebook! It's really a no-brainer.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a gift from Easy Canvas Prints in exchange for this post but all opinions are my own.

Instax Vacation

2011-11-21T10:55:00.000-05:00

I shot A LOT of photos while relaxing in Miami with my family last week and since I've gotten home and started to look through them I noticed that not only are the majority of the photos of my girl (of course) but I also took some of the best ones on either my iPhone or my Fuji Instax! If you've been here before you know how much I love my instant camera.

So since I already shared my favorite Instagrams from my trip last week, here is a small selection of my favorite vacation pictures taken with my Instax.

Oh, and in case you missed it before, here are some tips for taking better photos while on vacation.

PS--Stay tuned this week for a very fun giveaway AND a major Black Friday sale in my Etsy shop! Seriously. Can you believe we're talking holiday shopping already? Also, did you see I opened up an Amazon shop with some of my favorite things just in time for the holidays? Check it out!

Fridays

2011-11-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

You know that feeling of general dread that you get when you are faced with the realization that a vacation is over? Well, for once I don't have it! Yes, I would love to still be on the beach in Miami and watching my babe try to eat sand, splash around the pool and chase lizards but the anticipation that I'm feeling right now for the just-around-the-corner holiday season is better than any vacation I could ever take! Okay, I'm exagerating...but seriously, how excited are you for the holidays?!

I'm really looking forward to all the eating and shopping. I tend to get overly stressed about the choosing, buying, wrapping, giving but not so this year. It probably has something to do with the fact that for once I'm not waiting until the very last minute to do everything. I'm going to be sharing a few fun gift-guides in the coming weeks and I think you'll agree that there is something for every photography lover out there. I'll also be hosting some really fun giveaways and sharing a few new tutorials just in time for the holidays so stay tuned!

In the meantime, here are a few fun links from around the web AND a few Instagram photos from my trip...

Speaking of Instagram...are you on there? Find me @ciaochessa

How dreamy is the Diana?

One of my favorite photographers is hosting a fabulous giveaway on her blog. I want to win!

A visit to this exhibit is in my future.

Speaking of exhibits.

I'm a Twimom. Don't judge.

Photobooth proposal! Talk about original.

GORGEOUS and inspiring photographs.

Ten things every creative person must learn.

I've been thinking about switching to Wordpress.

Prada lookbook.

Autumn

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm guessing that when I get back to New York later this week all of these rich colors will be gone and all that will be left will be bare branches and brown leaves. I took these photos just a few days ago but like everything else in Manhattan, in the blink of an eye it will change and then we're on to the next thing...in this case, winter.

Meet Tamara Lichtenstein

2011-11-15T08:30:00.001-05:00

I am so drawn to the dream-like quality of Tamara Lichtenstein's photographs. I love how evocative the images are. Her subjects are anonymous yet I feel like I know them - like we are somehow connected.

All photos via Tamara's Etsy shop and The Lil Bee. Visit her website for more goodness.

Fridays

2011-11-11T11:20:00.000-05:00

If I ever write a book I'm going to call it "Beautiful Chaos". I think it might be the perfect way to describe the lovely craziness that is my life.

I've had the most productive week in a very long time where I did a little bit of everything including ordering about 1000 photo prints for various personal and professional projects, some quiet walks in my neighborhood (these photos are from just outside my apartment...don't be jealous) selected the pieces for an upcoming show in NY (more on that later), created a few gorgeous new photo-related products that I can't wait to share, shot a ton of new photos, spent some serious quality time with my girl and had lunch with three lovely friends (check them out here, here and here).

Tomorrow I'm heading down to Miami with my girl for some much-needed quiet time with her and my parents and the timing could not be more perfect. When I get back it's going to be full-on holiday-prep mode around here with some fun, new tutorials and gift guides, plus some new works added to my shop just in time for the holiday season. What do you think about that?

In the meantime, here are some great links to get your weekend started right...

Today is 11-11-11! Take (and share) a photo to commemorate.

A dreamy mural.

My new obsession.

Yoga breakdancing.

I want all of these. Yes, all.

Surely you've heard of cinemagraphs...I can't help but stare at these beauties again and again.

I decided to create an album of iPhone photos over on Facebook. Come see.

I love the 8 Exposures series on the Impossible blog.

Love this recent Flak Photo feature.

Working girls. Major motivation and inspiration for me.

Paintings not photographs

2011-11-10T08:30:00.004-05:00

A painting by Gregory Thielker that quite reminds me of these.

How cool are these? I came across these awesome paintings on one of my favorite sites, My Modern Met. These hyper-realistic scenes are made from photos and created by artists using oil paints on linen or canvas. I love photography because I love capturing moments that actually happened -- I love to hold on to memories.

Art is subjective and I love that everyone can interpret it or react to it differently. I quite like liking things that people find strange, weird or ugly and I like wondering why someone would fall in love with something that I find awful or bizarre. I love how unlike many styles of photography paintings can be created from photos, memory, invention, dreams, whatever. I love these particular paintings because they started off as moments that happened in time and then turned into something completely different -- a new memory. What do you think?

Alyssa Monks

Gregory Thielker

Paul Roberts

Eric Zener

Doug Bloodworth

All images via My Modern Met.

Instax Gratification

2011-11-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

I have a small, white tin box on my desk where I keep my instant photos. With the hundreds of digital photographs that I shoot on a monthly basis, not to mention all of the pictures I take with my iPhone, it's so easy for my images to fall into the digital vortex. But then there's Instax. One click and there's your photo...in your hands...just like the good ole days. Instant gratification and memories. Talk about getting back to basics.

So every so often, I go through the photos in my small, white tin box, and I smile.

Here are some Instax photos from the last month or so.

We heart crayons.

Me at Brunch.

Yes, sometimes she cries and sometimes I take photos of her when it's happening...it's so rare and also so sweet in her own way.

Buy one here.

The Magic Light

2011-11-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

Perhaps you've heard photographers talk about it before. The magic hour when everything is just right...early in the morning and just before dusk. That wonderful time of day when everything seems to come together and not taking photos would be practically criminal...or at least very, very dumb. We caught it just in time the other day at the beach in East Hampton. When the sun was about to go down and it was so, so quiet and the light was dancing all around us.

In case you missed it before, here are some tips for shooting landscapes.

She was too busy playing to look up so we could have a photo together. She could have stayed on that beach forever.

Instagram Weekend

2011-11-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

Magic, magic light at Main Beach, East Hampton.

After being sick all week and exhausted from trying to get better and chasing after my little tornado I really needed this weekend. We headed out to East Hampton where we found the peace and quiet we were craving and a beach filled with the magic light. The perfect medicine.

Here's our weekend via Instagram. And you?

If only my legs were actually this long.

She loves the sand so much.

When she was in my belly she would always poke me with her little hand up in the ribs. When she was a newborn and we would swaddle her, she always, always found a way to stick one little hand out because she needed it to be free. So, it's no surprise that she finds a way out here too.

Miss Independent 2011. I asked her to "look at mommy...look at mommy, baby" like I always do. She loves to make faces and now more than ever. My little funny girl.

Snoozeville.

The skyline from the LIE.

Almost home.

Fridays

2011-11-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

Taken from the High Line a few weeks ago. You can see the color version here and here.

The first day when you start feeling better after a very, very bad cold is magnificent. It's like a huge cloud has been lifted and I could not be happier. This morning I made my girl pancakes and chased her around the apartment for the first time in days...days! She was so happy that her mama is back and in business that I actually felt like my heart would explode with love.

So this weekend she and I are getting reacquainted and I'm making up for all the lost kisses that I wasn't able to give her this week on account of the flu of doom.

In the meantime, here are some great links from around the web to get your weekend started...

I was in a very reflective mood this week and shared some old film work from past trips to Spain and France.

Doing the Big Shot Shuffle during New York Fashion Week.

So obsessed with Neil Krug's photos that I'll just have to feature him next week...swoooooooon!

Yum.

(Airplane) window painting.

How to overcome the "problem" of inadequate gear.

A lomo movie camera!

Since 2009, photographer Laurence Von Thomas has been running his blog ‘If You Leave’ as a place for contemporary photographers to submit their work. Now he has a second book inspired by the blog.

Speaking of books, I'm thinking of making one for myself made up of some of my favorite blog posts. I want to have it for Lucia some day. I'm thinking of doing it on Blurb. Thoughts?

Foreign Film

2011-11-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

When I was 20 years old I moved to Paris to spend a semester abroad. I was in school in Boston and I just needed to leave and find a place to start fresh. Basically I was running away from a few things that were haunting me and while I fully understood that whatever issues I thought I had would follow me where ever I went (and they did), at the time the best solution I could come up with was to go someplace as far away as it was fabulous. I started studying French in junior high school and had continued through college so Paris was a no-brainer. I went alone and met some pretty incredible people. I learned more about myself during those nearly six months that I was gone than I did in the first 20 years of my life.

Every time I have been back I've fallen more and more in love with the city and maybe it's because of what the place did for me. On one particular trip in late 2001 with my then-new-boyfriend, now-husband, I had become a bit obsessed with photographing Parisians..some of the most beautiful, eccentric, classic, irreverent and fabulous people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing...or at least watching.

Here are some of my favorite images. They are scans of pictures from my personal archive and they were shot using this film. You can also check out more of my photos of Paris here.

Out of the Haze

2011-11-02T09:34:00.000-04:00

I'm coming out of day 3 of what was a terrible cold/flu/my body is trying to tell me something like I better stop doing so much at once syndrome. I spent most of the day in bed yesterday and part of today but I am finally starting to feel better. One of the things that I did which required little thought and which brought back countless memories, was go through my film archives, as promised last week.

The first set of images that I went through are from a trip we took to Spain in early 2004. I was in law school and was really only shooting during school breaks and summer. Those were some very intense years. I was pushing myself beyond any limits that I thought I had both in school and in life. I was so tired and doing way too much at once...finishing up my third year of school, two internships, getting ready for a job after graduation, getting myself in the mindset of studying for the bar exam, being on the editorial staff of my school's law review, planning a wedding! Even thinking about it now exhausts me. Of course it was all worth it even though I ended up leaving the practice of law - if I hadn't gone through all that craziness, I wouldn't be where I am today.

In an effort to get me to relax and calm down (no easy tasks), my now-husband, then fiancee whisked me away to Spain - namely, Madrid and Barcelona. We went in late December/early January so for starters it was freezing and secondly, because of the holiday season, a lot of the museums were closed during most of the days we were there. So basically we ate, drank and walked our way through Madrid and Barcelona - not bad, eh? We went for along walks since being from New York, the cold was no big deal, and along the way we sampled some of the best tapas and Spanish wines ever. All in all, a perfect vacation.

Since we spent so much time on the street, and at the time I was going through a major black and white film phase, it goes without saying that I took A LOT of photographs. As I'm going through them now, I'm really (really) feeling the itch to get back to film. Of course there is so much more that you can do with digital now (plus it's faster, not to mention cheaper) and at the end of the day you can manipulate your photos to have that film/grainy/sharp look, but ain't nothing like the real thing.

One of the things that I loved most was waiting for the prints to develop! The anticipation was so exciting and when I was finally able to look at my work in my hands I was always transported back to that moment. It's not that I don't get excited or feel that twinge of nostalgia for stolen moments that I capture using digital but it's just...different. I still look through my photos (because I definitely print a lot) but I've already seen them multiple times on my camera and computer screen, studied them, let them fall into the digital vortex and then go back to them, again and again. So here I am, nearly 8 years later, and the feeling is the same even though the memories are a little hazier.

I think this one is my favorite. The only thing that really bothers me, and it's a lot more than just a minor detail, is that you can't fully see that this beautiful couple have their fingers intertwined. I loved it. Also, I made a cameo in this photo because the sun was behind me so there's my shadow.

All photos shot with a Nikon camera similar to this one using this film.

To see some more of my work shot with film click here. I'll also be creating a gallery of film images on my website in the coming weeks. Some of the work will only be featured there.

Silver spoons at a flea market. I had to take this photo because it reminded me of my great-grandmother. She collected spoons...and by "collected" I mean that she took a spoon anytime she went out to eat or was on a flight (remember they used to give you real silverware?) I inherited a lot of those spoons...I have one from Pan Am!

This woman went to a water fountain, filled up a plastic bag with some water and gave it to her dog.

Dolls scare me but they fascinate me too.

Fridays

2011-10-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

A flea market in Barcelona. January 2003. I'm kicking myself for not picking up one of these puppies back then. Shot with Kodak Tri-X Pan Black & White Print Film ISO 400

Not that I don't normally do this but I am definitely welcoming this weekend with open arms. Talk about a productive week. There are a few exciting things on the horizon. For starters, this week I got confirmation that my business cards will be in the celebrity swag bags for both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards next year. I'm still pinching myself! And, as if that weren't fabulous and crazy enough, I also confirmed the location and date for a show here in New York City in December with a reception in January...you are all invited!

I also got a new(ish) scanner this week and so I'm inspired to start scanning some of my old film work. I've spent the last few days going through my archives and I'm really excited to share some of the photos here. And...AND...I'm going to dust off my old Nikon and start shooting film again. I know we still have a way to go before it's time to start making new year's resolutions so instead I've been looking back and thinking about all of the things I've learned in 2011...one of the simplest lessons I've come to terms with is that sometimes you just have to get back to basics. So, that's exactly what I think I will do.

All in all an amazing week that will require some major celebrating. We're heading out of the city for a few days of peace and quiet in East Hampton. And you?

In the meantime, here are some great links from around the web to get your weekend started right...

Halloween photography tips...boo!

The PDN Photoplus Expo is going on in New York right now...are you going?

A playground for grown-ups!

Focus, people.

Blog how you want to live. Amen!

Busy being lazy.

Apparently spending more than five minutes in one spot to take a photo can land you in jail in Washington, D.C. What the what?

Did you catch my simple tutorial on taking better photos of your kids?

Alison Turner.

The new mural at Bowery and Houston.

Sharon Montrose has new prints in her shop and ohemgee are they fantastic! Lucia has four of her prints in her nursery and she loves them!

Get photos to your iPad straight from your camera!

Tips for Taking Photos of Kids

2011-10-27T12:35:00.002-04:00

I got so much great feedback about this post that I knew I just had to do a follow-up. Time flies because I first shared my tips for photographing babies when my girl was 10 months old! She is now a whopping 16 months young and she is a full-fledged big girl. To me she will forever be my baby and I'm in no rush for her to grow up but it's amazing how fast time flies and this is scary and exciting (but mostly scary) at the same time.

If you have kids and you're like me then you probably feel like you want to record every single moment. I never want to forget how much Lucia loves her little plastic animals, the face she makes when she's focusing on something, her confident run even though she just learned how to walk and the countless other things that make up her enormous personality. So I try to record it all with my camera and along the way I noticed a few things that make all the photo-taking fun for her and for me and importantly for everyone, simple.

So here are some tips for taking better photos of toddlers and big kids...

1. Use your stories to get great photos

If you are a parent and someone asked you what you do all day with your child I'm sure you'd have a long list of the various activities that you create to entertain him or her. I'm adding "professional fun-times creator and inventor" to my growing list of titles! We have a lot of playtime and down time around here.

We can spend an entire afternoon talking to our animal friends, figuring out puzzles, reading books, running back and forth in the living room, doing the laundry (and by doing the laundry I mean knocking down the bag of clothes in her room that needs to be washed, taking everything out, putting everything back in, hiding our toys under big piles)...the list is endless. Lucia is fascinated by the simple act of taking whatever random things she can find from her magnets to her spoons and hiding them and finding them all over our apartment. I've also started showing her crayons and how to scribble with the different colors and she's really into it and we've been playing with stamps and stickers too. These are the quiet (or not so quiet!), every day moments that are the stories of your life! Get your camera and photograph them.

Playing with our friends.

Running for running's sake.

We love apple juice.

2. Give direction

If you have a big kid or a toddler who is good at listening then you can try to set up a shot that you want to get. Lucia is a great listener when she feels like it but most days lately she looks right at me and gives me a coy smile when she knows she is about to do something that I prefer she wouldn't.

This can also mean indirect direction. huh? For example with a baby or toddler you can set up some toys in front of a window so that you have access to the great light or you can give her a new toy to play with and see what happens. You can also hand your baby a favorite toy and record her reaction when she sees it.

Along the same lines, you can distract a kid or try to entertain them so you can get your shot. How many times have I belted out a fun rendition of Old MacDonald or Twinkle, Twinkle or YMCA or Rolling in the Deep because I knew it would make her laugh or dance?

3. Don't give direction

Just let your kid be a kid and marvelous things happen. I have lost count of the number of times I have caught myself just staring at my baby in amazement. It's like I'm momentarily lost in my own thoughts of sheer amazement. It is fascinating to me that she talks to her animals and tries to make their noises to imitate her dad and me, or that she flips through her books and reads to herself and then figures out that the book is actually upside down but who cares we're having fun!

I love so many things about this picture. The way she lined up her toys, that her back is to me but she still knows I'm there, the dimples in her tiny hand. I want to cry just thinking about it because this is every afternoon and one unique moment all at the same time. To anyone else looking at it it might be just a "nice moment" but to me, her mom, it's everything about our life.

I've definitely snuck up on her and taken photos of her doing all of these little things when she least expected it.

4. Fix (and learn) your camera settings

So you have this fancy camera and you're shooting on auto all the time. Yes kids move quickly so sometimes auto is best, but if you take the time to learn about such things as speed and exposure, you can really take your photos to the next level and spend more time thinking about how to take photos that are unique and that really capture moments rather than just mindlessly hitting the shutter and hoping for the best. Often times, when you don't think about all of the elements that go into preparing to take photos, you can end up frustrated that the shots are either blurry or blown out, or too yellow or not yellow enough or just not right.

Perfectly imperfect is the best way that I can describe my life with my family and it's something that I want to achieve in a lot of the photos that I take. Perfection is not something that you can measure or even define since it means different things to different people. And, you don't have to obsess about your settings but nowadays there are a million resources out there that can help you to learn how best to use your camera (your manual is your friend) and experts who can teach you the basics about settings. Ultimately, this will help you to become a better photographer. Some great places to start are digital photography school, clickin moms and pixiq.

A bit blurry but this photo shows my daughter how she is...playing to her tune and having fun no matter who is watching.

Precisely because things move so quickly with kid photography is why you have to learn your camera and be on your toes (um, like being a parent!) I know what it's like to put the camera down and chase after a baby - I spend the majority of my day running after her and sometimes I have the camera and sometimes I just can't. Remember to be safe and obviously not put yourself in a situation that you can't immediately get to your baby.

5. Think, observe and see

One of my favorite child photographers, Rachel Devine, who incidentally has a new e-book out on this very topic, has said this before and I'm borrowing it from her. I'm paraphrasing but basically the conventional wisdom in digital photography seems to be to go out and shoot as much as you want because hey it's free and why not keep shooting so you don't miss anything. Well, while it might not cost you cash to do this, it does cost you time.

Basically, you could miss out on countless other moments by obsessing with just one. At the same time, you could miss out on learning what it is that makes a truly great photo. I have totally been guilty of this and like Rachel says, while my camera might not have been on automode, my creativity was. Do you really need 20 photos of your babe doing the exact same thing? And then how do you even choose which photo to keep when they all look the same except for a small difference that only you can see? Think of all that time spent on your computer that you can spend doing something else. Wow. Now that I think of it I've done this so many times and in fact, it was my mantra, at least when it comes to photographing kids and families, to just shoot and shoot and think later. I know now that it's a big mistake but it's a lesson that I've had to learn the hard way.

If you're too busy shooting away at one little thing in particular, you will miss out on so many other moments because you didn't take the time to really observe. You know your child best and I'm sure you've gotten lost staring at them, like me, so every once in a while, take your camera and capture that moment and along the way, take the time to think of other ideas for capturing your kids. In photography, like in life, it's important to think before you speak, or in this case, shoot.

This was meant to be. We were at the park, she was running and wearing this little striped dress against this striped background. I saw it in black and white right away.

She looks so grown-up here. I always wonder what she must be thinking about when she looks at me and she seems so serious and deep in thought.

Apparently Mommy's lens cap also lives in barn.

Do you have any tips for taking pictures of kids?

Silliness in the afternoon light.

Seriously, what is it about Elmo? We're getting a new table for our television and we're bolting it to the wall because the fascination with the tv, even when it's off which is more often than not, is too much for my blood pressure and nerves when she gets so close to it.

When the lights go down in the city

2011-10-26T10:56:00.000-04:00

Recently I went for a walk on the High Line at dusk. Everyone always talks about how pretty and serene the park is, and it is. I would liken it to an urban oasis and it rises above the dark(ish) and very loud streets of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea and a bit further north on the west side of Manhattan. But the last time I was there, when the sun was about to go down, it was lovelier than usual.

I didn't focus too much (or really, at all) on the beautiful greenery and wild-looking plants and trees that grow in the park itself. Instead I found myself looking up (or out, as it were) at the lines and shapes of the skyline. The face of our city is always changing and it's so apparent when you walk on this elevated park. Obviously it's a different angle but it's not just that.

The colors, the shapes, the shadows - it looks so...magical. Plus from up top you really see the old mixed with the new and it's inspiring to think of how far we've come but also remembering where we first started. I love thinking about this in the context of the High Line because really, it was one of the very last places in Manhattan that was untouched for a very long time. This amazing place was left abandoned for years - it was beautiful and ironic that in a city like New York this was even possible (you can see photos of the High Line pre, during and post-development here). It seems like every corner of New York is somehow groomed or polished, and this is truer than ever today in the age of non-stop construction and starchitects changing the face of our town; but, the High Line was overlooked forever. It was only a couple of years ago that it was open to the public and I love that finished/unfinished look that it has. Anyway, everything is so rich at dusk and the city looks like it is about to wind down but really it's the calm before the never-ending storm that is New York.

I love it.

From way above the High Line at the Standard.

Underneath the High Line.Underneath the High Line.

By the way, have you checked out my new website?
Also, remember I was in the running to be one of the top 25 photographer mom bloggers on Circle of Moms? Well, I'm number 8! Check it out, if you please.

Instagram Weekend

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tribeca light.

My girl was a bit under the weather at the end of the week but she bounced back by the end of the weekend. This little girl is as strong as can be...and as you can see, fiercely independent. So the weekend was mellow and it turned out to be pretty perfect.

And you?

Here's a glimpse at my weekend via Instagram.

Fall is here.

Old New York. Tribeca.

Light flares in Tribeca.

Magic light.

She was feeling better so I put her to work. Kidding! But seriously, I'm not quite sure what her fascination is with the Swiffer.

Chasing birds in the park. Being happy.

Purple broccoli at the Farmer's Market.

Showing off her new coat...and looking very proud.

And just for fun, since it's been a while, a photo of me from early last week with my brand new haircut.

Fridays

2011-10-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

I took this photo downtown on the west side looking east. I love the water towers in New York.

I'm not sure if it was the crazy weather, torrential rain one day, oppressive (for October) heat the next, or what, but this week seemed to blow by. We're staying in the city this weekend and I have a feeling it's going to be great. What are your plans?

Here are a few fun links from around the web...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Leica's doing well, I'd say. duh.

Burn magazine was nominated for a Lucie (major) and also, BURN.02 is available for purchase.

Street style photography goodness.

What do you get when you combine an x-ray and embroidery. Strange, amazing and random art (my favorite kind).

I've been checking out Wink for inspiration lately.

I don't remember how I came across this photography blog but it's awesome. 500 Photographers.

Digital Photography School is one of my favorite resources. Check out all these awesome e-books they've published and have available for purchase.

Garance Dore always gets it right.

The view from up here

2011-10-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's pretty amazing what you can see when you try a new perspective. In the last few months I've been finding places and ways to look at Manhattan from up top. Next up is a visit to the Empire State (where I haven't been in years!) and the Top of the Rock (where I haven't been ever!)...

My Work on NBC's Parenthood

2011-10-19T12:07:00.000-04:00

Three of my images were selected to be on the permanent set of NBC's Parenthood. It's been a lot of fun watching the episodes looking out for my stuff. Do you watch?You can find these prints in my Etsy shop!