For the record, 75 Days of Summer is officially over. After today's back to school pictures, the camera is being given a much needed rest. Plus, I'd like to get caught up on the rest of our summer adventures before fall begins.
Resuming from where we left off: Days 54-55. After a few days of solo time with grandparents, we joined our little adventurer and crashed his party. Like him, we think Grandma and Grandpa's place is the bee's knees.
Also! A few weeks ago, I came across a call for entry for an online exhibit called Cityscapes - the gallery group was new to me, but I quickly learned that they contribute a portion of artist proceeds to charities of the first place winner and juror's choice. That alone made a submission feel worthwhile, so I was very excited to learn that my image was awarded 2nd place. As a longtime admirer of Henri Cartier-Bresson, it made my day to hear that my work evokes thoughts of his "Decisive Moment." I am truly honored.
Stacey Leece Vukelj | In Tandem
A sneak peek at the remainder of our summer fun upstate - my daily shooting project has left me a bit behind in my P52.3 Perspectives postings this summer. I am mostly current on the Who We Become site, but my updates here have been sporadic. As we all head into our fall routines, there's some catch-up going on so please check back in once in a while as we get our acts together and fill out the ranks again. Here, weeks 19, 20 and 21 - Imperfect, Playful and Uninhibited - links to the site under each image.
Imperfect - What we were lacking in light, we made up for in deliciousness.
Uninhibited - I never thought I'd see the day he'd let a bird sit (and poop) on his head.
Playful -At the State Fair
The final countdown is on - only two days until summer officially comes to an end. I have to admit, the failure (entirely parental in nature) to fully assess the true scope of the kindergarten-to-first-grade summer homework situation until a few days ago has left us all feeling a tad disenchanted. Nevertheless, I'm certain we can eke out a bit more fun in the next 48 hours as we race towards the finish line.
Days 51-53 - the precursor to the invasion of the grandparents. Per his request, someone headed up a few days ahead All By Himself (...with an assist from Grandma) before mom and little sis crashed his party. A milestone for us both.
Day 51 - One Last Swim. First diving, now somersaults.
Day 52 - Headed to the Airport
Day 53 - Morning Walk
Perhaps my favorite part of this summer project is that I am sharing images that I would normally keep to myself. While I enjoy capturing the sense of isolation that New York can evoke, these personal photographs cause me to stop to consider, and be grateful for, the fact that my life is filled with laughter, love, family and friendship. How exquisitely fortunate we are to be navigating life with these incredible children, and from a moment in time where the circumstances of their birth afford them security and privilege unknown in other parts of the world. The onus therefore lies with us, I believe, to find ways to share this wealth. For what child is undeserving of safety and of joy?
Days of Summer: 45-50.
Day 45 - Outnumbered on a Train to NJ
Watch me dive!
Day 46: Clean Teeth
Day 47 - Friendship
Day 48 - Commuting
Day 49 - Superheroes
Day 50 - Another day, another playground, his favorite shirt
I have some faux woes for my One shot this month - an abundance of personal pictures that I adore. So how to pick just one? It helps that my summer project will bring more of them to light, but this shot below steals my heart. It isn't a masterpiece, but it was taken on a "Critter Walk" with grandpa this past weekend. Big brother invited little sis to join in on his special time with Pa...she may as well have been brought up to the big leagues. Our littlest one is deep into the incredible transition from small baby to giant personality and watching the kids' relationship blossom this summer as a result of her growth has been a highlight of my life. They adore each other, and occasionally torment each other, but I hope with all of my heart that this foundation of sweetness and love will carry with them throughout their lives. There's really nothing like a great sibling - I should know, I have two!
Please continue on to Chicago where you might see some more sibling love, or perhaps the glorious shores of Michigan in the summer...in any case, it will come from the mind and heart of the always creative and talented Jessica Remus.
After two weeks of vacation and two weeks of camp, we spent the beginning of August in lower gear. Time for adventuring, some DYI tattooing, swimming, dining and dancing with good friends and a little night wandering for good measure. Lots of pictures, lots of fun.
Day 37 - Dinner in Connecticut
Day 38 - Visit to New York Hall of Science
Day 39 - Night Wander
Day 40 - Pool Time
Day 41 - Dinner with the Beautiful People
Day 42 - Patio Art
Day 42 - "I'm making my own bird catcher."
Day 43 - Party People
Day 44 - Independent Lady
My 75 days of shooting are rapidly coming to a close, so it is with some sheepishness that I present to you...the halfway point of our summer. Including a dating correction since I overzealously jumped ahead in my counting a few weeks back. I do promise you this - a break from NYC playgrounds is in the future if you just stick with me.
Day 32 - dusk
Day 33 - no caption needed
Day 34 - Rear View Mirror
Day 34 - headed home
Day 35 - Sprinklers
Day 35 - Space Camper
Day 35 - Hudson River
Day 35 - Blue Moon
Day 36 - Resting
I know there must be a limit on how many favorite images a person can have, but this one truly is among them. I am thrilled and honored to have had it selected for inclusion in the main gallery of the Going Places exhibit at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury, VT later this fall. This year, and this particular gallery, have been very kind to me. I can't overstate my appreciation.
Our summer crew is lightly staffed, but there's still some beautiful work to be seen over at Who We Become. Take a scroll back a post or three while you're there - recent weeks have become a little more populated as people catch up.
Yesterday, I was thrilled to learn that an image of mine was selected as a finalist in the "Happiness" category of the 2015 Voice Competition - and there is nothing happier than a sibling's wedding day. With over 18,000 entries, I am honored and proud to have been included.
Wedding Ring
This year, both of my siblings up and got married and left NYC for the milder climes of California. So, when one of them pays us a spontaneous visit we are very excited, and might take a few too many pictures. Days 29-31, when Aunt C came to town...
Day 29: Brunching
Still cute.
She may actually do this thing.
Fun with the giant bagel sculpture.
Day 30: Not even the aunt escapes a trip to the playground.
Wine in a can? Why not?
Bashing some geodes.
Day 31: In search of air conditioning
Aftermath of a little playground mishap.
Pier 86
Clearly labeled, yet still a mystery.
A crab and his ice cream.
Tickles.
When your big brother goes to camp, you head to the playground and practice walking and eating sand of course. Days 23-28 of summer, feat. the small one.
Day 23: Groovin'
Day 24: Daily Debrief
Day 25: Too tired for PJs
Day 26: Abandoned
Day 28: Shadows
Day 27: Masts
Day 28: Hugs goodnight
Catching up on this project is about to become a bit easier. The problem with taking a trip at the beginning of the summer is that everything else pales in comparison upon return. Days 18-23 of summer vacation - our daily ordinary:
On Day 13 of our summer vacation we said farewell to Utah and headed back to Colorado for the last few days of our travels, taking a lunch break to dust off some dinosaur bones in Fruita before heading to the cool mountain air.
Much of Day 14 was spent on a hike in Snowmass. We rode a gondola to the top of the mountain, then made our way back down. Cue the Sound of Music soundtrack - the views were spectacular.
We took the more circuitous route back to Denver on Day 15, venturing across Independence Pass to check out a ghost town and play in the snow at the Continental Divide. En route was Leadville, Colorado, the town where my grandmother grew up. We even located her old family home.
As we made our way towards the airport hotel, we stopped in to see my dear friend Sarah. She fed us amazing food and let us help feed her koi. The next morning, with a last wave at the giant stallion sculpture at the airport, on Day 16 our trip came to an end.
Goodbye, Moab!
Bones in Fruita
Hello, Snowmass!
Snowmass sunset.
On the lookout for ghosts.
Family homestead.
Mama Z and her koi.
Early Morning and the Airport Stallion
Once in a blue moon...you see a blue moon.
Please continue on out to Denver to see what the amazing Sarah Zalan has found this month.
I have high hopes of catching up on my posting soon, because the number of photos taken on Day 12 may equal the total number of photos I have taken in the subsequent two weeks. My desire to go to bed has won out over my desire to further whittle these down, so without further ado: far too many pictures of our day in Arches National Park - I think I liked the crazy clouds almost as much as the amazing geology. Gorgeous, fun and at times a little sweaty. Once again, our troopers trooped most successfully and I can't recommend this area of the world enough.
I'm a little behind in my editing, though the 75 Days of Summer project continues uninterrupted. However, some fun in the water (on Day 31) felt appropriate for this week's Perspectives theme, kaleidoscopic. I have been incorporating recent P52 links into broader posts, so if you're following our collective project and haven't seen our group's work recently, please do scroll through and check out some of the gorgeous imagery my friends have posted these past few weeks over at Who We Become.
As far as Mondays go, I'll take this one. I was already very excited to receive the press package for an exhibit I am hanging later this week - if you are in the area and have the chance to head up to lovely Rowayton, CT, please stop in! If you are free this Sunday, even better because not only will there be photography, but also wine, cheese...and me! And wine. And cheese.
Then, I checked my email and learned that a favorite image of mine was selected for the main gallery of the Black & White Exhibit at the Photoplace Gallery in Vermont. After a bit of a hiatus from juried shows, when I applied for this one last month, I came away simply feeling good about putting myself out there again. So to learn that I have been included has left me feeling rather over the moon. I am incredibly honored to have something of mine included among this diverse and beautiful body of work.
I found juror Tillman Crane's statement to be an interesting look at the thought process behind the technical and emotional aspects underlying photography as an art form, as well as the somewhat arbitrary nature of the juried process. It is not always easy to put yourself out in the world and his discussion about selection versus rejection resonated with me as being truthful and universal. Please take a look at the full set of images and see his statement in the link above.
The trouble with trying to photograph the incredible views from the Island in the Sky is that nothing can do justice to the beauty and sheer scope of this place. It's also hard to convey how high we were in some of these - the trails were not always easy but our little hiker barely paused for breath (and I tried not to panic while he carefully peered over the cliff edges). While we had a great time in Arches (day 12!), it was Canyonlands that stole my heart.
Here, an over-abundance of photos from our day in the clouds:
