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Photo 52: A Play on Light {18}

The holidays are over and it's back to the grind. Photo 52 has abandoned the freewheeling twinkling lights and is getting back to the technical side of things. We will be spending the month of January focusing on the use of natural light indoors. This means the subjects of our images will be a) inside and b) illuminated by sunlight without the addition of flash, lamplight or other artificial light source. The topic seemed appropriate since many of us are currently experiencing some significant drops in temperature.

Plunging mercury notwithstanding, I had a very dear friend visiting this week and we weren't about to spend her entire trip holed up at home. These were taken as we ducked inside to warm ourselves up at various points throughout the day.

If you are unfamiliar with Photo 52, my initial post can be found here. Please continue around the blog circle to see what my fellow participants are finding as we kick off the new year. Next up is the lovely and talented Julie Kiernan, who is no doubt scoffing at my complaints of cold weather from her home in Minnesota.

Flying High at the Park Avenue Armory

If you have a chance to make it over there before January 6th, Ann Hamilton's "event of the thread" installation at the Park Avenue Armory is truly a thrill. Riding the big swings to pull the even bigger curtain eclipsed the more nuanced aspects of the exhibit for this particular audience of three, but we loved it just the same.

Photo 52: A Play on Light {16} - Merry Christmas!

Holiday lights week four: Merry Christmas!

Wishing you joy, peace and a little big city magic this holiday season.

Please continue around the blog circle to a dear friend I am very much missing this holiday season, the wonderful Kami Chaudhery out in Seattle.

Oh, and the little guy says Merry Christmas too.

Photo 52: A Play on Light {15} (feat. Louis L'Amour)

And now for something completely different...

We have arrived at week three of Photo 52's holiday light theme. This weekend I took some pictures of my brother's amazing band, Louis L'Amour, at the Trash Bar in Brooklyn. The bar was decked out with some twinkly red lights which, for purposes of this post, I will assume were holiday-related. Please take a moment to go "like" their Facebook page and be sure to check out their next live show!

Please don't forget to take a spin around our blog circle. As always, my friends are finding beautiful ways to express themselves in the midst of a complex and emotional holiday season. Begin with my friend, and tremendously talented Brooklyn photographer, Kelly Patton of KRox Photography.

Heavenward

I find myself without words today, faced with news of families enduring an unspeakable loss in a way that feels so very close to home. An image I took this afternoon somehow encompasses the chaos in my mind and desire for peace in my heart. I only wish I had more to offer.

Shop Local

Local love.

After almost ten years in this neighborhood, Christmas shopping at Domus has become something of a holiday tradition for my family.

This evening we headed out for a little stroll and stopped by to pay them a visit. We were excited to discover that their beautiful tree is already decorated and, as always, treasures abound.

A Snowy Day

Not to belabor the subject, but the skies have been somewhat noteworthy as of late.

Sandy

My family is certainly among the most fortunate of those who experienced Hurricane Sandy this past week. The devastation felt by so many people in such close proximity to us is heartbreaking and difficult to see. It is also utterly surreal as, from our vantage point, Sandy was little more than a rain storm.

We are proud that our City and its people continue to display the grace and resilience they are known for in the face of this great challenge. We look forward to finding ways to help as the rebuilding begins.

Once the storm cleared, we made it out for some fresh air. For the most part, it was just us and the pigeons.

Hailing

At the end of the evening - same scene, different angle. She's a shadow in the light, then a light in the darkness.

Photo 52: A Play on Light {5}

Stepping out of the shadows, into the light! Weeks five through eight of Photo 52 will be all about backlighting. I often feel that in these photographs the light can take on a life of its own, becoming an additional subject in the frame.

It felt good to be seeking moments in the sun during some remaining fall warmth. And, preceded by a string of cloudy days, this bright morning sunshine was a sparkling reminder to appreciate that without the brightest lights and the darkest shadows, life would be very grey indeed.

Here is a little fun at the Bryant Park fountain. If you look closely, you will see it was also doubling as a very large birdbath on this fine morning.

Please continue along the circle to see the beautiful and ethereal image one of my dearest friends, and amazing photographer, Kami Chaudhery captured of her daughter in Seattle this week.

Mr. X

My life is far from lonely, but I am a person who craves solitude. Somewhat ironically, I also dislike crowds. There is something about New York though - you can join in the fray or simply stand a little apart, alone in the midst of chaos.

I should note that all of these images were actually taken in very good company - this past weekend Justine and I co-led a photography walk around Manhattan for Clickin Moms. A wonderful time (we hope) was had by all!

Umbrellas

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day...

Photo 52: A Play on Light {3}

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore...

Week three of our shadow theme! I can't say I'm actually in amore with this image, but I had my camera on me the other night and decided to take a picture of the beautiful crescent moon despite my less than ideal gear setup. It took me a moment to realize that the haze behind the crescent was, in fact, a shadow of quite some magnitude - that of the earth itself.

Please continue along our blog chain to see what my fellow New Yorker and beautiful photographer Jessie Wixon found this week.

Down on the Corner, Out in the Street

Photo 52: A Play on Light {2}

Playing with Shadows: Week 2

Last week, I joined a group of photographers in launching a 52 week study into light. In this week 2 of our month on shadows, I walked the parks along the West Side Highway in search of a little less concrete and a little more jungle as my source of inspiration. The days are getting cooler, the shadows begin to lengthen by early afternoon, and while summer colors still abound, there is a hint of autumn in the air.

Next in the circle is the exceedingly talented Jill Cassara. Please click through to see what shadows she discovered in Ann Arbor this week.

Over My Head

Sometimes it's good to have your head in the clouds. Or at least your eye on the sky...

Photo 52: A Play on Light {1}

Playing With Shadows: Week 1

The heart of photography is light. Glowing evening light, yellow indoor light, even an absence of light - ultimately, it is the ability of a photographer to see the light, understand it, and decide how to use it that will make a photograph memorable. The successful use of light in photography is an endlessly fascinating subject and one that I am striving to understand better every day.

With that in mind, I am embarking on a 52 week project with a group of talented and diverse women from across the country and abroad. We have very different lives and distinct styles but share a love for photography. As a means of furthering our growth and education, and as a way to see each other's work regularly, we have decided to tackle the concept of light head-on. Each month, one of us will pick a light-related topic and we will all post a weekly shot based on our interpretations of that theme.

Our collective adventure is called Photo 52: A Play on Light and our first month's theme is Playing with Shadows. My submission for this week is below. To see everyone else's amazing work, please continue along the chain.

Next up, our talented yellow rose of Texas, Kim Dupree.

Onward and Upward

I had the great honor of being asked to write an article on street photography by the ladies over at Clickin Moms recently. After taking a parent-focused photography course with a local photographer last fall that ignited this whole obsession, I was directed to the classes at Clickin Moms as a great place to up my game technically. To now be at a point where they view my voice as one they wish to add to their public image is incredibly rewarding.

I have met some beautiful photographers, but more importantly, some beautiful people, on this journey. The support, generosity and friendship from individuals who are equally as focused on improving their skills and creating something that speaks to them has been an unexpected treasure. Stay tuned, because I will be participating in a weekly blog project with several of these wonderful ladies starting on Monday and you will be able to link to each of their sites from here. Different visions, one theme - I can't wait to see what comes of it.

A Walk in the Park

Two of us three have had a labor-less Labor Day weekend. We spent a few of those hours on a glorious late afternoon stroll through Central Park.