toying with creativity

i have a holga image featured in this book: toying with creativity. check it out if you are able. i haven't been able to read the entire thing yet, but it's a pretty good resource for anyone interested in lo-fi cameras and image making.

by the way, most of the recent nyc images i've been posting (and will continue to post) were taken the day of the launch party for this book. i took the train up to the city and roamed with camera in hand until it was time to hit the party. :)

also, another bit of publicity i received a while back was a profile on holgajen's blog. you can read that HERE. lots of my images are featured, and the commentary is quite good, i think. check it out!

Zeek Magazine

I recently received a copy of the Spring 2010 issue of Zeek Magazine in the mail, where I am a featured photographer! I'm not sure if the magazine is out on the racks for individual purchase, or if you need a subscription, but the cover looks like this:

And the image that is featured is this one, from my Route 66 trip back in July of 2008, which was taken at the very start of the excursion in Chicago's Millennium Park:

the smithsonian s+udio arts blog - featuring me!

i was just featured in the smithsonian studio arts blog with an article about my mordançage work.  it focuses a little more on my mordançage work as it is applied to wedding photography, but a lot of it is general and spans my personal work as well. check it out HERE!

the above image is not featured in the article, but you can see different photos over there. :)

My Favorite Cameras

A lot of people find their way to my blog through a variety of means. Sometimes they find me through a link on another web site, sometimes they are clients of mine, and sometimes they arrive here by searching for keywords that appear often in my blog. And one of those topics that attracts a lot of people is the gear I use, specifically my Holga and film photography. Well, an article written by friend and fellow photographer Angela Kleis addresses the topic of a photographer's favorite camera in her latest Smithsonian Studio Arts Blog column, and she interviewed several photographers to find out what their go-to cameras are and why. See the article HERE and you'll get to hear about my favorite cameras to shoot with - the Holga gets a mention, big surprise! But, so do a few other film cameras made by Hasselblad and Nikon. Go check out the article for my full quote, plus you'll get to see what other area photographers like to shoot with most.

ISPWP Contest Winner!

Yes, it's that time where I announce that I placed one of my recent wedding images in another contest. This time it's the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) Fall contest in the "First Dance" category. The image can be seen above and was taken at Jessica + Todd's Thorpewood wedding this past September.

See the contest category HERE!

Shutterbug Magazine Feature

If you happen to be by a place that sells magazines, make sure you check the November issue of Shutterbug Magazine. Specifically, page 90, where you will find a feature with yours truly. The work profiled is my wedding / artwork hybrid site at www.erinantognoli.com.

I got a note about a half a year ago asking if I would allow the magazine to use a screen shot of my website with their profile, and of course I said yes. But, because the article is only available online to subscribers, I had not seen it when it first came out. I began getting emails from all over the world telling me they loved my work and that the article was really great, so that made me feel better, but ultimately I had to see it for myself and made a pit stop to Borders where I found the magazine on the rack.

I'd share it if I could, but due to copyright issues I can't scan and post the page, but if you get a chance check it out this month at the nearest place magazines are sold.

***UPDATE - it's now online! Check it out here: http://shutterbug.com/web_profiles/1109web/ ***

Another Contest Win!

I am happy to announce my 5th place finish in the "Family Love" category of the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) Summer image contests. The winning image was taken at Jennifer + Joe's wedding at The Washingtonian Marriott in Gaithersburg, Maryland last year.

I rarely enter contests (the ISPWP is about the only contest I enter these days, in fact!), so it's always an honor when the judges choose my work among all the other talented photographers out there. I have a wonderful time making these images, and it's always nice to see others reacting well to them too.

Check out the contest images here: Summer 2009 Contest - Family Love
And the ISPWP site here: ISPWP

The ISPWP has a strict code of admittance for wedding photographers, as follows:

Membership Requirements

The application process helps to ensure that ISPWP members are established, experienced and have reached a high level of professionalism. The membership committee will evaluate applicants on the following criteria:

* At least 50 weddings as the principal photographer (not as secondary/backup)
* Sponsorship by an existing ISPWP member OR two email references from recent clients and two email references from fellow professional photographers
* Website review
* Agreement to operate your business in accordance with the Code of Conduct
* No unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau or other similar consumer protection organization

The Knot - Real Wedding!

I love my job, and would continue to make beautiful images for my clients even if my work never appeared in any magazines... but it's also awfully nice when my work is recognized. Luckily for me, I can have both!

The Fall issue of The Knot is out on newsstands now, and you can see the cover above. My wonderful bride and groom Crystal and Nick got a fabulous 4 page spread in that issue, where you can see a good many photos that I took at their wedding. Click on the images to see them larger, and look for the magazine wherever they are sold to see it in person. Also, you can see a link to the online version HERE, though there are not as many photos online as there are in the mag.

Thank you again to Crystal and Nick, who had that great combination of style and sense of humor to make the editors at The Knot take notice!

Crystal + Nick - "Real Wedding" Knot feature!

One of the parts of my job I love, aside from making awesome images for my clients, is getting those awesome images published in wedding magazines. And I am happy to report that Crystal and Nick's wedding is currently featured in the 2009 Fall/Winter issue of The Knot DC, Maryland, & VA. Get a sneak peek HERE. It's on magazine stands right now, so go pick up a copy and check it out! We are on pages 46-49... a 4 page spread!

Liesl + Derrick - Featured!

Recently, the ISPWP put out a call for photos of unique ideas that member photographers had seen at weddings. One of my great couples from a while back, Liesl and Derrick, instantly sprung to mind. See their awesome Day of the Dead cake topper, along with a few other really cool ideas to show your individuality and to help separate you from the rest of the bridal pack here: Four Unique and Creative Wedding Details.

ISPWP Award Winner!

Yes, I'm making two posts in one day. Why? Because I just found out two of my images placed in the Winter 2008 ISPWP contest. I am super excited because one of the images placed was under my Halo Photographic documentary wedding and portrait work, and the other was under my Erin Antognoli work - the funky cool creative Holga wedding and portrait site!

I didn't enter many images this time around, mostly because I am indecisive, and by the time the deadline rolls around I'm lucky to have a couple of entries together. So I'm honored that the judges chose what little I entered.

On to the winning images:

7th Place in the Pure Art category:



And 9th place in the Kids Will Be Kids category:



About the ISPWP:
The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers is an organization of the best wedding photographers in the world. It was created by professional photographers to raise the standards of the wedding photography profession.

We are a resource for wedding clients who know they want to hire the best and the brightest for their wedding. We provide assurance and peace of mind that they are hiring the most respected, most ethical, most professional and most talented wedding photographers in the industry.

It’s no secret there are many online directories of wedding photographers. Some of them have hundreds, even thousands of photographers. That SOUNDS great because there are so many to choose from! But most of these directories have little or no criteria for membership, they are simply link farms that oftentimes include photographers with zero experience and unknown backgrounds.

When you hire an ISPWP member, you can be sure they have passed a rigorous application process and are recognized by their peers to be at the top of their field.

My Holga Weddings + Portraits on the Evening News!

My Holga wedding & portrait photography booth made the evening news!

So a couple of weeks back I participated in the Unbridaled Wedding Expo in Philly. Well, while I was in Colorado for my art show opening / artist talk, I got an e-mail from Unbridaled. It turns out ABC News (Channel 6 in that region) was there interviewing people and gathering video footage of the event. And wouldn't you know it, they included quite a bit of footage of me and my booth setup! Apparently, I'm rather alternative even among the alternatives.
:-)

Click on the link to see FYI Philly Video: Unbridaled which is news footage from the Expo. Keep an eye out for my booth, which consists of folding screens with panels of Holga images suspended from it, and you can see me (in the yellow shirt and black pants) talking with some prospective clients. You'll also get to see a lot of other offbeat and unique vendors featured in the video, along with snippets of the fashion show modeled by the Philly Roller Girls. Fun!

Voice Of America - The Holga Interview (in English!)

As promised, here is the unofficial, slightly shorter version of my Voice of America Holga interview. Thanks to Sahar for putting together a version that most of my friends could understand! In this interview, you can see me at work photographing a model, and hear me talk about my technique, inspiration, and motivations with regard to my Holga photography!

First Place Winner!

I am happy to announce my first place finish in the "Emotional Impact" category of the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) Fall image contests. The winning image was taken at Crystal & Nick's wedding at Celebrations on the Bay in Pasadena Maryland.

The judge's comment reads: "Judges comments: Wow, look at her eyes. Serious emotion going on, and really well-framed to emphasize the moment."

I've placed in a lot of contests over the years, but it's always exciting to find out that I got top image in a category, especially when I only entered 2 images in the contest overall!

Check out the contest images here: Fall 2008 Contest
And the ISPWP site here: ISPWP

The ISPWP has a strict code of admittance for wedding photographers, as follows:

Membership Requirements

The application process helps to ensure that ISPWP members are established, experienced and have reached a high level of professionalism. The membership committee will evaluate applicants on the following criteria:

* At least 50 weddings as the principal photographer (not as secondary/backup)
* Sponsorship by an existing ISPWP member OR two email references from recent clients and two email references from fellow professional photographers
* Website review
* Agreement to operate your business in accordance with the Code of Conduct
* No unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau or other similar consumer protection organization

Voice Of America - The Holga Images

As promised, here are the Holga images I made during the filming for the Voice of America interview I mentioned in the previous post. See the video HERE (my segment is 16:50 minutes in). You will see these images, along with some of my other fine art Holga images, in the piece.













Thanks to Sahar who made the video, and for Maira for modeling for both of us!

Voice Of America - The Holga Interview

Anyone speak Farsi? Just kidding. But not really. Because if you do, you will get to watch AND understand a really cool piece consisting of me being interviewed about my Holga artwork, my process, my techniques, and my inspiration.

But if you don't speak Farsi, you can still see me in action, as well as a bunch of my artwork (including the shot above from the video shoot)! Visit the Voice of America site at this link:

http://www.voanews.com/persian/_-late-edition.cfm

(For anyone who is ultra confused by that page, you can find the direct link to the video HERE, but be warned it will automatically start playing the video in Windows Media Player)

Click on the second link under 9/26. My piece is around 16:50 or so in. While I am speaking in English, they dubbed it over in Farsi! The original aired with the Iranian population in mind, but they're gonna have an English version soon to air around the world, so I'll be sure to share that when I have it.

Enjoy, and I will post more photos from the shoot I did for the video soon!

More Contest Wins - Lucky #7!

Well, this has been a good month for contests. I just found out that I placed 2 of my images in the latest ISPWP contest (that's International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers). Both images received 7th place (lucky 7!). This contest deadline was just before I left for my Route 66 trip, so I literally just blazed through my 2008 wedding images and grabbed two that I thought would work with the categories at hand. Seeing as how I only entered 2 images, I think I did pretty well there!

First up was Candid Portrait, which I made at Annie and Matt's wedding at Baker Park in Frederick back in April:



And next is Reception (Not Dancing) which is an image I made while second shooting with Allison of A Britton Photography for Jordan and Tim's wedding this past June:



See the rest of the winners by category here: ISPWP Quarter 2, 2008 Contest

About the ISPWP:
To become a member, a photographer needs to have at least 2 years of experience, have shot at least 40 weddings as the primary photographer, have references from a current ISPWP member, have no outstanding issues with the BBB or similar, and conduct business according to the ISPWP code of ethics. So ISPWP photographers are some of the best around, and I am proud to be in their company!

Wedcomp - Winner!

Okay, so I know 3 posts in one day is a bit excessive, but I just found out that I placed 5th in the Reception category of the last Wedcomp contest. The winning image is from Jennifer and Matt's wedding that took place last October at the Peabody Library in Baltimore. Here's what the judges had to say:

Sure it has been done before, but this is one of the best "Cake sharp/everything else blurry panning shots" I have seen...the lights in the background and the color only add too it.

See the page with the rest of the winners here: Wedcomp - Reception Winners

Published Again...

It's not a huge deal (at least not to me!), but I have an image in this quarter's Brides Washington DC / Maryland Magazine and thought I'd share. It's the Fall / Winter issue, and it's on stands now. I saw the Washington DC version in the store the other day, and my photo is on page 188 if I recall correctly. Apparently, several videographers were asked to list their favorite venues to shoot, and Gramercy Mansion in Baltimore was one of them. Gramercy has been using the image above that I shot of their grounds during a wedding back in 2005 for a ton of their profiles and ads, and asked if they could use that image in the writeup. I said yes, so there it is!

Show Review

I know, I know... I am a bad blogger. But I have been out of town for almost a week, so I sort of have an excuse for the infrequent posting. While I am wading through the images I shot over the holiday, you can read this review of my recent solo exhibit and artwork written by Alexandra Silverthorne. Alexandra is a DC area photographer as well, and you should check out some of her other work while you are over at her blog.
:-)