Three Generations - Holga Style

I've been testing some new methods of making Holga images, and so today took photos of the family during a get together to try some of these applications. Inadvertently, I found a Holga camera that I hadn't used since last summer because my photographer friend Hassel, who is down in Georgia, sent me a modified Holga around that time that I began using immediately upon receiving it. But there was still film inside the older Holga that I had forgotten about! So I finished off the roll and developed it, and found a photo of my father that I took last July!

So now I have three generations of my family in one batch - My father, Andy, and Maurice. (No laughing, Maurice IS my baby!!!)

And I know these aren't the multi-layered Holga images you have come to expect from me... but don't worry, I will be doing more of those again very soon. Like I said, this is all building toward something (can you feel the suspense? I can...).

Artomatic - Opening Friday 4/13!

Tomorrow begins Artomatic 2007! This is so exciting!
Come see my Holga work at Artomatic... I'm in Room #6A55, and I will be there tomorrow for the opening. So if you are around, stop by and introduce yourself.
:-)

Here are the specs:

ARTOMATIC 2007
April 13–May 20, 2007
2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Va.
Metro stop: Crystal City
Free admission. Donations accepted

HOURS
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Noon–10 p.m.
Thursday: Noon–11 p.m.
Friday, Saturday: Noon–1 a.m.
Closed Mondays

Artomatic, the Washington, D.C., area’s eclectic, engaging — and occasionally even eye-popping — arts extravaganza is back this spring and promises to be more of a draw than ever before.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic is the region’s one-of-a-kind multimedia art featuring more than 600 regional artists and performers. The free five-week event, to be held April 13–May 20, will feature nearly 90,000 square feet of paintings, sculptures, photography and other creative work.

----------------------
And here are some photos of the installation. I will post more photos from later on over the course of Artomatic as they happen!

My space featuring my Holga project:



Sean Hennessey and Angela Kleis in Sean's space. His room is awesome, and he does faux finishing like what you see on the pillar there for his living. Very cool!



Angela Kleis during installation. She had collapsed at this point, and like the good friend that I am, I took her photo and then asked if she was okay (in that order!). She's fine, and her space looks great too!



Jesse Cohen, founder of ArtDC.org, gets a little crazy during the last evening of installation, and Jack Whitsitt looks on:



Alexandra Silverthorne, who is located across the hall from me, is hard at work hanging her photos. She does great documentary street photography (that's what she's hanging here, I believe):



Sean Hennessey and Rania Hassan, who are my next door Artomatic neighbors, look at photos they've taken during installation:



I'm having a blast hanging out with all my DC art buddies and meeting new people or the people who I only know from online. Did I mention how excited I was that Artomatic is finally here?

Celebrity Look Alikes

I spent the holiday with my family in Pennsylvania. It was nice to see them all again, but there's just one bit of information that I find puzzling beyond anything else. Family members told both Andy and me that we bore a strong resemblance to celebrities who have been in the news recently. Who do I look like, I know I hear someone out there asking...

First up: Me. I am the spitting image of.............. Anna Nicole Smith! That's right. I know some of you knew I looked familiar, but just couldn't quite put your finger on it. I pulled up a photo Andy took of me over the weekend, and am putting it along side one of ANS so you can compare:




Maybe it's the blonde hair. Could be the blue eyes. Makeup... yeah, I can see it. The chest... sure, that HAS to be it. I wonder if Anna Nicole wore Canadian socks? No matter, the similarities should be obvious regardless. Yup, my celebrity twin for sure.
:-)

Next up: Andy. Andy's celebrity look alike is so obvious I'm surprised I didn't think of it until now. If you saw him on the street, Andy would most likely be mistaken for........... Britney Spears. In fact, my cousin Kelly was calling Andy "Britney" by the end of the weekend. Duh. Again, an image of Andy from the weekend, along with his twin Britney:




Andy shaved his own head around Thanksgiving. He's mad that Britney stole his idea, but is a little flattered at the same time. Anyway, you can see where there is a resemblance, no?

So there you have it. We will sign autographs, but with whose name? Ah, that is the question...

Give Me A Hand

Okay, so that was corny. But there are only so many ways to introduce my latest Holga images... so if you can do any better, by all means, leave me some new suggestions for titles for these posts!

On a related note, Artomatic opens in less than two weeks, and I will have a wall with my Holga work on it. I will post more info when the date nears, and it will be really fun, so you should make it a point to come and check out all the artwork (especially mine!).

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!