Crafty Bastards!

This past Sunday, I attended Crafty Bastards! in Adams Morgan / DC for the second year in a row. The weather was great, and when I was there, it was packed full of shoppers. My vendor friends tell me this was very good for them, so I'm hoping sales were good for everyone across the board.

I saw many of the same vendors as last year, along with some new ones. It's getting very competitive to secure a spot as a vendor at this arts & crafts fair because it's known as one of the best around. I'll name a few vendors that caught my attention!

1. Sean Hennessey - Sculpture and mixed media: Sean is a friend from ArtDC.org, and this is his first time showing at Crafty Bastards. But I always love seeing his work in person. He's recently begun casting glass in addition to concrete, so it makes for some interesting pieces.



2. goshdarnknit - Rania Hassan: Rania was at last year's fair, and I mentioned her on the blog back then. But the work is still an interesting look at the blend between craft and fine art, while still being something that could be displayed in a gallery. I especially like the "Knit" series.



3. Woolarina - Fibers and knitting: There was a lot of this type of work at the fair, but I found theirs to be the most appealing. Lots of great colors and textures in a wide variety of products from hats, scarves, and other knitted wares, plus yarns for those who like to knit themselves. Check out their hand-painted yarns and fibers!



4. Alita's Jewelry - These guys had the coolest jewelry made out of hardware like gears, wrenches, forks, bolts and a bunch of other metal items. They don't seem to have a web site outside of their Crafty Bastards listing, but perhaps I was not looking hard enough? In any case, here's a photo:



5. Saint Bob and the Happy Little Trees - This display wins the award for the tent that freaked me out the most. All items featured famed PBS painter Bob Ross. Yeah. Freaky.



6. Rebound Designs - Caitlin Phillips was at last year's show as well, and I noted then that these bags made of old books certainly are crafty. Just a very cool idea and execution.




7. Damned Dollies - Again, another vendor I mentioned last year. There were a lot of t-shirt vendors at this fair, but these were the ones I would want to buy. No, I didn't buy one then and there (again!), but plan to shop on the web site at some point soon to find my size in the style and color I want. The downside of the fairs is that if you get there too late, you risk not finding what you want in your size. :-(



8. Rob Ullman - Rob was at last year's festival as well, as he is an illustrator for the City Paper. I relayed the story last year on the blog of how we went to Kent State University and I was a huge fan of his comic in the Daily Kent Stater - but that I had never met him while we were there. Well, after I met Rob for the first time last year, I acquired some of his newer work, as well as an anthology of his comic strips from the Daily Kent Stater! So cool! I stopped by the City Paper booth to say hi to him again this year, and I still think his work is incredible.

One of Rob's City Paper cover Illustrations:



So that is my rundown of this year's fair. I hope everyone had a good time, and if you missed it this year, definitely plan to go next year!

Erin Antognoli - Holga Weddings

Although the site has been live for a while now, I wanted to formally introduce the new brand within Halo Photographic - Erin Antognoli - Fine Art Holga Wedding Photography. It's been linked on the right side of this blog for a little while, and so I figured I'd call attention to it!

You've also seen some of the images from my Holga wedding photography on this blog, so you know that a.) they're not your traditional wedding photography, b.) they're made in the same artistic style as my Holga work that I display in galleries, and c.) they're made using film and a darkroom, rather than digitally.

What you may not know is that I do not in any way intend to replace the regular photographer in this endeavor. I would hope to work along side a regular wedding photographer who would capture the documentary aspects of the day, while I am commissioned to make artwork during a wedding. I have a list of photographers all over the country who would love to work with me who are insanely talented, but couples are welcome to find their own photographer as well... I always like meeting new people. And yes, I will travel just about anywhere if someone is interested in having me make Holga art at their wedding!

I plan to continue offering my documentary wedding photography services as well because I love that type of coverage, but can't do both documentary and Holga coverage at the same wedding. Lots of photographers do shoot a roll or two of Holga at their weddings, but frankly, I've never seen any that are overly impressive. I'd rather not make mediocre images, and feel that the Holga images, in the intricate style the I create them, would need my full attention if they are to be worth printing at all. And I only want to offer the best to my clients - the images I provide would have to be fit to hang in a gallery along side my personal artwork!

So visit the site, look around, and let me know what you think!

Solo Exhibit - G.R.A.C.E.

Great news arrived in the mail today. Technically, I've known for a little while now, but it never seems as real until you have it in writing. I have another solo show featuring my Holga artwork series at the Greater Reston Arts Center in Reston, Virginia. The tentative dates are from January to February 2009, and I will certainly keep everyone posted here when I have specific show and opening reception dates.

Yay! This is my second solo show (so far) that I have earned with this series of Holga photographs. The first will be happening in Georgetown at the Dumbarton Concert Gallery this November - the opening reception is on Saturday, November 3 2007, so be sure to stop by to see the images in person and to meet me!
:-)

Alaska X-Pan Landscapes

I am not a landscape photographer by any stretch, but being in Alaska, there was no way I could get through the trip without making photos of the gorgeous scenery. All of my non-Holga film images were shot with an X-PanII, and I don't have them all scanned in yet, but I thought I'd share the ones that I had done so far. I have a lot more to sift through, and will see if I can share more in the near future.

The photo above was taken from the boat on the way to Vancouver, and the immediately photo below is at the Hubbard Glacier. While this particular shot does not show the glacier itself, it shows all the ice chunks that have broken away and are floating on the water.



This one was taken on a path in the woods. It was near a small little town that didn't have much in it (I can't remember the name), but the scenery was nice.

ArtDC.org - Featured Artist

I am this week's ArtDC.org featured artist. Every week, they feature a new artist, and it's an honor to be chosen for a profile.

Since the feature went up last week, they may be getting ready to feature a different talented area artist. If that's the case, you can try accessing my feature here, or checking the links in the right hand column of the main page to find the previous featured artists.

And if you are a Washington DC area artist or are interested in the local art scene, I would highly recommend joining the forums over at ArtDC.org. They are very helpful - I found most of the calls for entry for the shows I am in over there. And the community is a wonderful asset as well.

Alaska Holgas

The first of my Alaska images are ready to share! I shot almost all film while I was there, so the process is a bit longer to get a finished product, but so worth it (at least I think it is...).

I know, I know... none of these particularly scream "Alaska", and in fact, could have been taken anywhere. But trust me, I did actually make these images up there!





More images to follow as I get them finished...

Sad News

My family's dog died while I was in Alaska. I found out earlier this week. My parents didn't want to tell me until I picked up Maurice from the kennel so I wouldn't worry about him, which was a good decision on their part.

I lobbied to adopt Portia a little over 10 years ago from the Humane Society after shooting an assignment for the newspaper I was working on at the time about another dog who was recently adopted from there who saved her owner from a fire. So I went to the shelter and a 4 month old Portia was in her cage, and I would reach in and pet her and as soon as I touched her, she would roll over. I thought it was adorable. She looked mostly like a black lab, but had a little Rottie mixed in, and who knows what else.

Little did I know that Portia was neurotic, a little demented, and an evil genius. But despite many rocky roads, we kept her anyway. My plan was to take her with me when I moved out, but she loved my father more than anything, and the rest of us were merely tolerable. So I figured I would not pry her away from her true love, and that's how I ended up with Maurice instead.

Anyway, just before I went on vacation, my parents took her to the vet. The doctor said she was very healthy and strong for a 10 year old dog, but she had minor arthritis... not uncommon for a large (90 lb) dog her age. So they prescribed some medicine - Rimadyl. My parents asked if it was necessary, the vet said not to worry. They started giving her the medicine, and she stopped eating and was listless. Then she started throwing up. They called the vet, who said it was probably the heat. She was indoors 99% of the time, so my parents didn't buy this and wanted to bring her back in. The vet said to wait 3 days. My parents were upset. My dad got on the internet and looked up Rimadyl to see if it was behind the turn in her health. Not only was this medicine very risky in terms of the side effects that are possible, but Portia displayed the majority of the symptoms / side effects listed and it said to get the dog to the vet immediately if this occurred. My mother argued with the staff at the vet's office that this was not normal and got her in the next day.

Another vet at the clinic did some tests on this visit, and found out Portia had gone into kidney failure. They had to put her to sleep.

I am extremely sad and upset. This dog was a part of our family for 10 years. I've known her as long as I've known Andy.

Let this be a warning to all pet owners - make sure if your pet is given any new medication that you ask a ton of questions and get the information sheet from your vet that includes the side effects. This was not given to my parents, and if it was, our dog might be alive today. She should have had a few good years left, and now has none.

To end this post on a somewhat positive note, I dug up a few photos of Portia to share here. She had a very good life with our family, and that's what I will try to think about through all of this.

Portia:


This is Andy, my mother, and Portia on the porch relaxing:


This is one of Andy and Portia sleeping in the living room. It was funny, because if I went to wake Andy up, she would rush over to him because she wanted to wake him up herself. But then she would just fall asleep next to him. This was a common sight every time we'd visit my parents:

Published Again

I am back from vacation and will share some photos from that trip as I process them. I shot a bit of digital (a very VERY small bit), but most of those images are on film, which means I'll be processing them in the darkroom over the weekend!

In the meantime, I can share an article I wrote, as well as an image that was chosen for inclusion in the themed gallery "Time" for the latest issue of Light Leaks Magazine. The magazine features a column called "Trippin'" for each issue, outlining a cool place to visit and take some lo-fi photos. And obviously, I wrote about taking images in DC, since that's where my Holga project was born. The cover is above, and see my contributions HERE. If you are into lo-fi photography, I highly recommend Light Leaks Magazine, because it is always giving me some new ideas and inspiration!

Carmella

This is my second cousin Carmella, who I had the pleasure of meeting for the very first time recently. I had been hearing a lot about this little girl, but since I don't live in my hometown anymore, had not gotten to see her until now.

This is me holding Carmella (taken by Andy, even though my name is on it!). She loves to be held, and thinks it's funny when you sniffle!


And this is Carmella with her mom (my cousin Gina) after eating:

Antognoli Family Reunion

This weekend I traveled back to Western Pennsylvania / Eastern Ohio for my annual family reunion. It was a bit smaller than usual, but we still had a good time. I don't have all the photos edited yet, but here's one that grabbed my attention of a young 2nd (or 3rd?) cousin during the kids' games.

More photos / jabber to come later when I have time!

Award Winner, AGWPJA!

I just found out that I won second place in the latest AGWPJA contest! That placement was enough to make me the 5th place Artistic Guild wedding photographer from the contest all around. I'm pretty excited about all of that! The screen capture of the winning photo is above, and judge's comments are below:

Judge's Comments: 1. Surreal, dream-like, whether created in camera or not this has a beautiful treatment with a nostalgic look to a situation that each of us photograph week in and week out.

For the record, this wedding image was made completely in camera with my favorite Holga... no Photoshop applied!
:-)

Holga Wedding #3

It's been a while since my last post! Sorry about that. I've been really busy lately and have neglected my blogging duties. Anyway, I just developed the Holga film that I shot at Lisa & Harry's wedding with Allison of A Britton Photography based out of Virginia, and thought I would share.















A big thank you to Lisa & Harry and Allison for allowing me to make these images and share them with all of you!

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

-----------------

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!