Making Cookies!

I stayed in Philly en route to Boston last week, and while there got to make cookies with Jen's family. She has four daughters, and coming from a family with only one brother, it was a change of pace! I had a lot of fun and took photos of course!

Jen said she didn't have any photos of her with all four daughters together (as tends to be the case when you are the family photographer!) so I made sure to try and get all 5 of them in the frame together. These are really more documentary portraits, as I obviously didn't set anything up, but I think it does the job well.
:-)


Here are the rest:

Boston Holgas

While I was in Boston, I shot some rolls of film with the Holga, and thought I'd share some of those now. These are only scans of the film - film is best when printed traditionally, and I haven't had time to do that yet... yes, I am impatient to share my latest Holgas with the world! So at some point soon I will have actual real prints made of these.

The first image is of Jane Gibbons-Eyre (the aussie mentioned in the last post), Jen Capone, and Craig Molway, all talented photographer friends of mine.

The second image is of Jane enjoying her first ever snowfall. She was so happy and thrilled that she got to see snow! They apparently don't get snow in western Australia, so it was a privilege to share that experience. Being from western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, I take that experience for granted sometimes!

The third image is of Craig's wife Sarah, who was frolicking in the snow with us. She was walking backwards to avoid getting snow in her face, hence the footprints looking like they are in the wrong direction. Ah, yes, mind games in photos are fun!

I have more Holga images from the trip, but these are the only ones that are web ready at the moment. And besides, I still have lots of other images to share from the trip.
:-)

Boston

I recently returned from a trip up to Boston to get together with some photographer friends. The occasion? A fellow photographer, Jane, is from Australia and is currently on a cross country tour of the United States. Boston was on the list of cities where she would be stopping, and since I had never been to Boston before either, I figured I'd make the trek up to see everyone. It was so worth it, and I have the photos to prove it!

I'll post more photos, including some Holga photos I took during the trip, but I'll start with this series of Jane taken at the Chocolate Brunch. There's nothing like having only chocolate (and lots of it!) for lunch, let me tell you.
:-)

Read All About Me!

Finally, for those of you who are not in Montgomery County, you can read the article that features me and my Holga photography in the March issue of Montgomery County Insight Magazine.

Go Here to download the article!

Note: Andy took the photo of me for the feature, and the editor of the Magazine chose one of my Holga photos with Andy in it for the layout. Which is funny because I very rarely feature people in my Holga photos. But that's okay, I'll take it. Let's keep the attention in the family!

See Erin. See Erin's Artwork.

This Friday is the opening of the DCist - Exposed show. The flier above gives details, as well as the dates of the show. I will be at the opening, and will be exhibiting my Chinatown Holga photo. So if you are free, stop by and say hello and see some great photos of DC taken by DC area residents!


Remember the interview I talked about a few posts back? Right now, as I speak, the March issue of Montgomery County InSight Magazine is available FREE at Whole Foods, Giant Foods, major bookstores, local libraries, retail stores, restaurants and other choice areas throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. So pick one up today. It's full color, and my interview, complete with photos, for the "Artists Among Us" section is two whole pages long!

In a couple of weeks, the online version will be posted, and I will post a link to that so that all of you who are outside of Montgomery County can see / read it.

Trinity

The other day I photographed Trinity for a pageant that she is preparing for. Now, this is not typical of the type of work I usually photograph, as I usually try to make images of children in their natural environments. But... because I know Trinity's family and knew how adorable she'd be for the photos, I agreed to set up some studio lights and make the photos she'd need for her pageant.


Now, I've never made pageant photos before, and in fact have never even been to a pageant. So I have no idea if these photos will do the trick to win Trinity the "most photogenic" prize in the competition. But I can't imagine a cuter little girl! She's been practicing her moves, and if what she displayed during the shoot was any indication, twirling is a very important part of pageant competition.
:)

Holga Photos - Adams Morgan, DC

Last week I headed down to Adams Morgan and ended up making some Holga images on the way to and from the metro. These are some of the resulting photos, including a couple of self portraits (the last two images).

Taxes and Photographers

Because I'm an award winning member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association and the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association, I was interviewed for this month's WedPix Magazine. About TAXES and how they apply to being a professional photographer. Gee, thanks guys, for making me think of taxes a couple of months early! Actually, my wonderful accountant sent me a huge packet to keep me organized earlier the very same day I was interviewed, so it was already on my mind. And I'm also honored that someone thinks I know enough about taxes to be interviewed!

Actually, since starting this business, I've learned a lot about taxes. I'm no expert by any stretch, and resort to my accountant with any questions I have about anything, but some of it has to be proactive on my part. So many aspiring photographers ask me for all kinds of information about this business, and my first is to get yourself an awesome accountant! But since so many people ask me for advice, here's my tax tip for those starting out:

Always collect business tax, and set yourself up legally as a business with a tax id so you can do this. I can tell you from experience that paying the 5% state tax out of pocket at the end of the year sucks big time. And set aside 30% of everything you make for the feds. You're also taxed on your gear. Did I mention that taxes suck? But hey, I'd rather do it right than have them come after me in 10 years saying I owe them (tens of) thousands in back taxes!

When it comes to (your) business, operate legally and correctly, and you won't regret it.

You can read the article here: WedPix - Wedding Photographer Tax Tips

DCist - Exposed!

I just got word that my Chinatown image has been selected to appear in the DCist Exposed Show that will take place at the Warehouse in DC from March 9-16. The reception is March 9 at 6:30 PM, and there are some awesome photos that will be in this group show, so check it out if you can!

I will also be featured in an interview in the March issue of Montgomery County InSight Magazine with regard to my Holga photography project. You can pick up a copy at any Giant grocery store and various other places around the county.

Details on both of these will follow once I have more specific information, so check back often!

Photomedia Center Holga Show

I found out about this Holga photography group show put on by the Photomedia Center on one of the ArtDC.org call for artists postings, so I entered a few of my Holga images from the past year. Well, one was chosen for the show! See the work HERE. The photo above is the one that was chosen for the show.

Incidentally, the show was sponsored in part by Light Leaks Magazine, for whom I will be writing an article about Holga photography in Washington DC a little later this year. I'll post more once I find out the exact date the article will be published. I've already written an article about my Holga photography project for the Professional Wedding Photographer Forum (PWP), although you have to be a professional photographer to see it there. No worries, the Light Leaks article will be available to anyone. And I'm always happy to answer questions about my work, so if you have one, drop me a line!

You Know How I Love A Good Covert Operation...

Attention all New York City readers, or to anyone planning on being there in the near future:

DC artist and art blogger J.T. Kirkland is planning a covert show in Manhattan January 16-18. An excerpt from his blog:

'My company/client is putting me up in a pretty darn nice hotel in the Financial District in Manhattan. It's just a couple of blocks from the WTC site. In my room, I am going to mount a showing of my work. This will take place Tuesday-Thursday, January 16-18, from 7:30-9:30pm.

Sometimes an artist just has to grab a bull by the horns. If no gallery is taking your work to an art fair, hold your own. If no gallery in Chelsea will give you a solo show, mount your own. If you can't afford a studio in NYC, let your client pay for one. Right? Right!

So here's the deal. Next Sunday (1/14), I will be driving to NYC with my work. I will mount my show on Monday night and I will do all that I can to ensure the cleaning staff stays out of my room that week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I will open things up for visitors to come in and check out my work. I hope to meet many of my NYC readers. If you want to purchase a piece, we can do that (cash, check or Paypal are all options... my laptop will be up and running)."

Get the details on his blog and if you are able to show your support, please do. And by all means, pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested. Artists need to do more of this type of thing to get their work out there. Now if only someone would put me up in a swanky hotel in the Financial District... :)

DC Holga - Last of 2006

Lots of people do fun and exciting things on New Years' Eve. Well, I spent my NYE in the darkroom for about 10 hours printing and toning Holga work for my big project. I think that's kind of fun work, but not terribly exciting. So this post will be pretty short, except to say that the two Holga images posted here are the last of 2006. I took them in DC near the White House, and my total of finished prints has reached 19. I have 38 on the list to print, so that puts me at exactly half way done with my printing. Next up for 2007 - get a show of my work somewhere. This should be a busy year with all I have planned as far as reaching my goals!

Oh, and I did come out of the darkroom by 11:35 PM in time to settle in and watch the ball drop on TV, kiss Andy, and go to bed. Yeah, like I said, I'm just full of fun.
:)

Happy New Year!

(Yes, the headless antlers are wearing a bow. )

It's finally 2007! I haven't updated the blog in a little while because I've been all over the place visiting family and friends, and so now I'm going to make a few posts at once! First up, family Christmas antics. This year we traveled to Ohio to spend time with my father's side of the family. These are some of the many photos I took that evening:

Cousins Amanda and Joel preparing to be Santa's Helpers. Don't they look thrilled:


Uncle Drew and Aunt Roseanne. I don't know what the joke was, but thought it made a fun photo:


My cousin Tony, who has been taking some pretty cool photos of his own recently:


My grandmother and her kids. My dad is in the back:


These photos were all taken during Antognoli Christmas Bingo. Yes, you read correctly. My crazy family plays Bingo every Christmas eve. When I spend Christmas with Andy's family, I call on Christmas eve, and they sing the Bingo song so I can hear. Did I forget to mention, when someone wins, we sing the Bingo song and clap. And everyone is a winner at Bingo. And we sing every time. I have a big family. I had no hope of turning out normal.
:)

Nonna reading off the Bingo numbers. You have to stay on your toes because she sometimes reads them in code or a mix of Italian and English. After a decade you start to figure out the code though, and Bingo is much easier to win.


Singing and clapping during Bingo. Everyone is a winner... I think this is toward the end when we sang the Bingo song 20 times already.


My Aunt Libby under the disco lights and with antlers:



Andy being attacked by my cousin Jordan:



And finally, Andy nabbed this photo of me in between my taking photos. Note my striped tights. I loooove striped tights.
:)


I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and look forward to starting off 2007 with a bang!

One Year Ago...

Last year at this time, I was in India. We traveled to Kolkata to attend a friend's wedding, and also just to vacation and take in the sights. It was an incredible experience, and I'm just itching for a chance to go back in the future. I may post a few more photos from that trip if I have time... although with the holidays coming up, I'm sure I'll have plenty of photos from THIS year to show! Our Hindi friends did set up a little decorated tree and make a Christmas cake for us to make us feel more at home, but I am looking forward to spending the holidays with our families this year.

What can I even say about India? That experience changed me, I think. I've been to Europe, and India by far was more enjoyable for me in all respects. The color... it's everywhere! It's sensory overload. Everything is so different there than here that it's almost easier to list the similarities than it is to list the differences! But that's one of the aspects of this trip that I loved, was the fact that I got to see something so completely different from my own existence. I now have a fresh perspective on my place not only in my own culture, but in the world as well.

Not to mention all the great photo opportunities. You don't even want to know how many photos we took over the course of the two weeks we were there.

Anyway, I already have these and a lot more of my travel photos posted on my main web site under the "Artwork" section in the "Travel" gallery. There, you can see photos from India, as well as places in the United States like NYC, California and Arizona. I don't put up my DC photos there because I didn't travel far to take them. HA! And the photos in the artwork gallery are not typical touristy shots - I try to keep those galleries on my web site limited to photos that I would be proud to hang in a show, even though it's not really the kind of work I typically make unless I am on vacation or visiting another city or culture.

Betty (The Ewok)

The other week, we babysat a 13 year old Yorkie named Betty. Betty was 7 pounds. Compared to our 80 pound Maurice, I thought it would be like not having a dog at all. Boy was I wrong! Betty kept up with our 2 mile, fast paced walks. She didn't like to walk on the leash and pulled quite a bit. I called her "the flea" because she could jump several feet from a sitting position. And I won't even go into the the neon green radioactive poo incident. Dogs, no matter what the size, are a lot of work!

But despite all that, Betty was adorable. She kind of looked like an Ewok, which is uncanny since Maurice looks like Chewbacca. It was so funny to see us walking down the street all together - we got quite a bit of attention :)

Anyway, Betty is back at home now, and Maurice is happy (the spoiled only child!). I guess this post has no other point, if not to say that dogs totally rule!

Betty sleeping on our bed:


Andy holding Betty (see how tiny she is!):


For comparison, Maurice just before being shaved this spring:

AGWPJA - Award Winner!

I just got an e-mail to let me know that the results of the latest AGWPJA (Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association) contest were in, and guess what! I placed 6th in the details category, which means I am now officially a member of the AGWPJA. (Note: As of now, I am only one of four photographers from the state of Maryland to have placed in these contests since the start of the AGWPJA!).

The only way to get into the AGWPJA is to place in the contests, and the only way to get into the contests is to be a WPJA member. To become a WPJA member, you have to shoot weddings in a primarily documentary style.

The image that placed is of bride Aryn, whose wedding I photographed this past October. The image is very close to how I shot it, except I edited out a few bits of tree branch that were in the lower right and pumped up the color slightly. The AGWPJA lets you manipulate photos, but the regular WPJA contest images must be displayed as shot.

The judge's (Joseph Victor Stefanchik, another reason to get excited over placing in this contest!) comments on my photo: "Beautiful blue sky nicely contrasts the bride and her veil."

Also from the e-mail from WPJA and AGWPJA founder David Roberts: "JVS, who judged the contest, expressed that the task was especially challenging for him, because each category was loaded with so many outstanding creative images. It was difficult, he said, to determine the top ten. Yet, he did; and the results are for your review."

See the contest and AGWPJA web site HERE.

GOYA - Holga Work from NYC

Over the holiday weekend, I spent a good deal of time in the darkroom printing my Washington DC Holga work in the hopes of getting a show to display it, and I also had a chance to develop the rolls of film I shot while in New York City at the One Light Workshop and over the rest of that weekend. Some of the photos that resulted from those rolls are here.

Jason Groupp's studio where we held the One Light Workshop:



Zack Arias teaching us his magic during the workshop:


A random fence that I thought looked cool:


And yes, the pocket wizard does indeed work with the Holga!