Holga Wedding #2

The weekend of June 9th I traveled up to the Boston area to photograph a Holga wedding with Zofia of Zofia Photography. The couple, Brianne and Pete, were friends of Zofia's from Nantucket, so it was a very fun event to be a part of. Here are a few of the photos I made throughout the day...



I thought this was funny because it's the Maid of Honor's speech and the daily paper. They were in two different rooms, but the combo was interesting to me.
:-)

















Thank you to Zofia, Brianne and Pete for allowing me to be a part of this and to make these images!

And for all those wondering, I treat these wedding Holga images the same way I treat the Holga images I create to display in galleries and other art shows. I personally print these images in the darkroom and tone them for longevity and color, and everything is custom made as well as archival.

Honorable Mention - Holga Images

When I got home from walking the dog today, I checked the mail and found a check from the Delaplaine (see previous post) for $50. I couldn't figure out what on earth it was for because that was the wrong amount for me to get if I had sold something, but it turns out that one of the two images above received an honorable mention in the show. Woo-Hoo!

I feel awful because I have not even seen the show hung yet. I was up in Boston over the weekend photographing another Holga wedding (images coming in the near future), and missed the opening. But I plan to head up that way before the show ends because while I did get a preview of the work, it was not all hung at that point, and it looked like it would be an awesome group of work.

Has anyone out there seen the show? Do you know which one of my pieces got the honorable mention? If not, care to guess which one it is? It could be like a game...

The suspense is killing me.
:-)

Show Opening / Out of Town Reminder

Just a reminder, the opening for the 2007 Juried Show at the Delaplaine is this Saturday from 3-5 PM. Two of my Holga images will be included, and I got a sneak peek at some of the other work accepted and can say I'm in good company.
;-)

To find the show:
The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center
40 South Carroll Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701

Another reminder to clients and anyone else wanting to contact me that I will be out of the office from Friday (tomorrow!) until Monday. So if I don't get back to you right away, that's why. More on the trip after I return... and have a good weekend!

My Holga Photos at the Delaplaine Arts Center & G.R.A.C.E.

I just got word that two of my Holga pieces will be displayed at The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center's 2007 Juried Regional Show from June 2 to July 22! The opening reception will be Saturday, June 9th, from 3-5 PM. As of now, I don't think I'll be able to make the opening because I will be working on my wedding Holga project in a faraway land (no, I'm not fleeing the country, just the jurisdiction!) so unless that falls through, I won't be in the area. But I would love to meet anyone at the Delaplaine who wanted to talk about my work or ask me questions at another time during the show's run. Ah, one of the few downsides of being a wedding photographer is that I work on the weekends. But that's okay, I love my job!

To find the show:
The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center
40 South Carroll Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center on the web

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And a reminder that a couple of my Holga photos will also be on display at the Greater Reston Arts Center in June / July for the ArtsCouncil @ GRACE show.

Opening reception: Friday, June 22, from 6-8 PM (I will be around for that one!)

Artist’s dialogue - July 12th at 7:30 PM (I am planning to attend this as well)

To find the show:
Greater Reston Arts Center
12001 Market Street, Suite 103
Reston VA 20190
Greater Reston Arts Center on the web


If only I could get some of my Holga work into an exhibit in the District in July, I would have a triumvirate of evil.. I mean, Holga.
;-)

Holga Wedding!

On Thursday I tagged along with friends Jamie and Natalie of Borrowed Blue to do something I've been itching to do for quite a while now: to photograph an entire wedding using a Holga! I've tried to bring a Holga along and shoot a roll or two in between regular coverage, but I have found that it doesn't really work as well as it could, since I'm too worried about missing a moment and can't focus on making a really great Holga image. Anyway, I have all the film (yes, film!) finished, and am in the process of editing it. When I finish going through everything, I'll post more images, but I couldn't wait to show this one.
:-)

Thank you Jamie and Natalie for letting me shoot with you, and also thanks to Vanessa and Jesse, the wonderful couple who allowed me to be there on their big day!
(That's Vanessa being escorted to the ceremony by her dad in the photo above...)

Edited to add more images!

Friday Night Fun in a Field

It's Friday night (technically now Saturday early, early morning!), and Andy and I were here looking for something to do. Most couples go out to eat, take in a movie, maybe go socialize. Not us! We drag our gear to a nearby field and take photos of each other! So I am posting a few of my photos of Andy, the cutest human boy ever!

You'll have to ask Andy for the photos he took of me.
:-)

The Cutest Thing Ever

I know every mother thinks her baby is the cutest, but I know for a FACT that mine is the cutest thing in the entire universe! This is Maurice, a few days after his haircut, sleeping on one of his big soft dog beds.

When we first bought this bed for Maurice, he didn't know what to do with it. He was a rescue dog, and lived the first year of his life chained up outside. And there were no big soft dog beds for outside dogs. So he just grabbed one end and started whipping it around the room! I figured it was just not going to work and chalked it up to another waste of money, but then I fell asleep on that bed one day, and he came over and slept next to me... and has been sleeping on his bed ever since. I guess someone just needed to show him how it was done, and if it's one thing I'm good at, it's sleeping.
:-)

Artomatic - Meet the Artists!

Friday May 4th (that's today!) is meet the artists night at Artomatic. The whole thing goes from 6 PM to 1 AM, and artists are encouraged to be in their spaces so that you can talk with them and see the people behind the art. Get the lowdown HERE. Artomatic is just a metro stop away (Crystal City), and there's also free parking across the street. The address for Artomatic is 2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA, in the old Patent Offices. So come and have some fun!

Another bit of exhibit news - I got into the ArtsCouncil@GRACE2007 show! I entered 5 of my Holga pieces (all of which are in Artomatic), but am not sure which one(s) they chose for the show yet. Here's part of the e-mail I received to let me know:

Congratulations on being selected to exhibit your work in ArtsCouncil@GRACE 2007.

We received over 500 artworks for consideration for this annual juried show, making the selection process an exciting challenge for our juror, Irene Hofmann.

We hope that you will join us at the reception and award ceremony for this year’s exhibition at the Greater Reston Arts Center. The opening reception will be held on Friday, June 22, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

In addition there will be an artist’s dialogue on July 12th at 7:30 p.m. at the gallery. We hope that you will be able to join us for this opportunity to discuss your work with other artists and interested viewers.

So great news all around, and I hope to see a lot of people tonight!

From Sasquatch to Spider Monkey

You might remember this post when Maurice got his annual summer haircut last year. Well, that time is upon us again, and I am here to share a few photos that I grabbed during the grooming.

This is what we started out with:

Some think he looks like a bison. Some would say bear. Others are boring and guess poodle or sheepdog. I think he looks like a sasquatch, and Andy thinks he looks like a gorilla. In any case, he's a big hairy beast, and gets entirely too hot in the summertime with this coat.

Let the shaving begin!



This was perhaps the most freakish moment of the haircut. Normally we start with the body and finish with the head, but we thought we'd try it the other way around this time. The result was that it looked like he was wearing a fur coat (don't tell PETA, they might throw paint on him!). See for yourself:

^^^I know it looks like he's screaming in this photo... but he's just yawning :-)


And finally, the finished look:


Maurice is already much happier, and when we went for a 2 mile walk he was peppy and ready for anything. We'll shave him a couple more times over the course of the summer, but it won't be nearly as drastic as the first annual haircut to kick off summer.

Finally, Some Holga Love!

It's just after midnight, and upon returning home I checked my blog subscriptions to find that my holga work at Artomatic finally got some love! I checked out Mid Atlantic Art News, where Lenny has been compiling a lot of the area artists' top 10 Artomatic picks (my list will be coming once I get to check out ALL of the art there), and the newest list is by JS Adams... and I'm on it!

It feels great to be chosen as a top 10, especially when there are over 400 artist participating. JS, you made my day (whichever day you count just after midnight as)!!!

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.

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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.