New Year? New Projects.

January is a time for resolutions, and this year I’m determined to finally hang some artwork in my home.  I’ve had frames to fill and hang since…2009.  You may think I’m joking, but I’m not.  The frames gather dust as they sit in a nice, neat stack next to my china cabinet.  I bought several of these great square, simple, silver frames (above left) and planned–over 4 years ago–to make a little gallery down a very long hallway (we call it the bowling alley) in our apartment.  I even have the frame placement sketched out to the inch.  How, you might ask, can a photographer not even find the time to hang up her work?  It is tricky to hang things on our brick walls, but I really have no excuse!  I tell my portrait clients and brides that revisiting your memories in an album or on the wall is a must–simply having digital negatives on your computer means that you won’t get to enjoy your images enough. So it’s time to take my own advice and get a move on.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress, which I’m hoping will take less than 4 years!! During the coming month, I’ll dedicate a few blog posts about different ways to display photographs in your home.  I find inspiration all over for this–in museums, galleries, magazines, and stores, and I always snap these ideas with my iPhone.  Stay tuned!  Here is a fun idea of the day, inspired by a recent display at MoMA.  The image placement is almost an art piece in itself, creates a cool visual effect, and you can always change out the photos to highlight a new theme or color.

Top photos- Courtesy of Crate and Barrel
Bottom photo- Courtesy of my iPhone

[…] new, fresh images or rearranging timeless ones in a funky way.  Or at least I’d make good on my January resolution to complete a long awaited hall gallery in my “bowling alley”.  I’m still […]

[…] As promised I’ll be sprinkling the blog this spring with some great ideas to get your photographs off of the computer screen and onto your walls. Friends and clients are always looking for new, inexpensive ways to display their favorite images, whether they hail from a professional shoot or your iPhone.  Last week, Pinhole Press introduced a pretty cool solution.  Pinhole is a division of Mohawk Paper, so you know you can’t go wrong with the paper quality, but they also do a nice job printing photographs.  Let’s be honest, many companies fail miserably at printing photographs.  I find Pinhole’s overall aesthetic–from font to product design–to be modern, clean, and crisp.  As a professional photographer, I’m lucky to have to a plethora of professional labs that design hundreds of custom products, but I believe that Pinhole offers everyday consumers easy access to unique, high quality products that are difficult to find elsewhere.  They didn’t pay me to write this, I swear!  I trust Pinhole to print some of my clients gifts and I also love many of their unique photo products, from coasters to wine labels to flashcards. […]

Fine Art Friday–Greener Pastures–Sonoma, CA

 

Today’s image is for those of us suffering from the winter blahs.  It’s January in the Northeast, which means I’m really missing endless sunshine and greenery.  I shot this a few years ago from a balcony overlooking Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma, which is a great spot to visit if you love sparkling wine.  I love the simple pattern and how the whole image just feels alive.  Happy Friday!

Wall O Fun–New York, NY

I love holiday cards.  I’ve always loved receiving (and sending) real mail, but seeing cards pour into our mailbox in the days leading up to Christmas brings me an unusual amount of joy.  But rather than toss our cards in a basket this year, I wanted a give them a new life as wall displays.  We have a VERY long hallway in our apartment (nicknamed the Bowling Alley), and I’ve been meaning to decorate it forever (more on that later this month).  Hanging our holiday cards was the perfect thing to jazz up the space for the season.  I knew that my daughter would love to see the faces and colorful designs every time she made her way from the living room to the kitchen, and I was right–she squealed with delight each time she passed by, pointing up to the cards and calling out the names of people that she recognized.

Rewind to November, when my friend Kathleen introduced me to the coolest store ever created. Located in the design district on Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, CA, SoLo has antiques, crafts, books, glassware, furniture, photographs, children’s goodies, stationary, linens…pretty much a wonderful combination of all things that set my soul on fire.  I wanted to buy just about everything in the place.  But the warehouse-like space also gave me some great creative ideas.  One display caught my eye in the children’s area–some nice brown twine hung simply from a wall with a banner of letters clipped to it.  Very Etsy.  But what I loved was the string and the mini clothesline pins.  With those basics, the possibilities were endless.  So I purchased these adorable little boxes of mini clips and “useful string”, and packed them up for a journey back to NYC.  When I wanted to easily hang our holiday cards, I already had the tools! Check out the results below.  Next year I might use a 7/8″ striped red grosgrain ribbon instead of the neutral string, but I was so pleased with this year’s creation, it’s still up! Stay tuned this month for more ideas on fun ways to hang photographs in your home.

 

 

Fine Art Friday–San Diego, CA

Happy first Friday of 2013!  I shot this in November on Pacific Beach in San Diego.  It was my last night of a quick weekend trip to visit old friends, and in a few hours I would be on a red eye back to NYC.  It wasn’t warm, but I slipped off my shoes, dipped my toes in the Pacific, and watched the soft patterns of the receding waves.  I lived here awhile back and definitely miss it.  From my brief time as a resident of Northern and Southern CA, I can attest that West coast sunsets are truly spectacular.  On this particular beach at sunset, the horizon is sprinkled with surfers trying to get in one more ride before darkness arrives (look closely above in a few waves and you will spot them.)  But no matter if a great wave is coming, at the exact moment that the sun slips down, each surfer stops what they are doing and turns to watch.  It’s a cool effect when you see hundreds of surfers saying goodnight to the sun.  Then some keep surfing in the fading light (under the moon) and others call it a day.

I saw this couple paddle in and sit together. I loved their silhouette and reflection on the sand.  I wondered about their story.  What were they talking about?  Were they friends?  Were they married?  Did they come here after work for a few rides before dinner? They didn’t sit there for long, but I was intrigued. Here’s to pondering in front of more gorgeous sunsets in 2013.

Donna Hodgins - January 7, 2013 - 8:56 am

Breathtaking. You have an impressive artistic eye and ability with a camera.

Happy New Year (+a Secret Recipe)–New York, NY


At midnight last night, our neighborhood was rocking.  Literally.  Booming fireworks went on until about 12:20 to kick off the New Year.  Was I out in Times Square celebrating?  God no.  At a trendy club toasting with Veuve?  Not exactly.  Home in bed with bronchitis? Check and check. Though it went down as my most low-key New Year’s Eve in history (sans fun travel destination or party),  my husband salvaged the evening by whipping up a batch of his famous fondue (see below for secret recipe).  We opened a bottle of Frog’s Leap (a favorite) and a delicious French Montrachet and watched the ball drop together.  And I was snoozing the minute those booming fireworks ceased.  A sign we are getting older? Yes. But it was fun.

A New Year is always filled with resolutions.  I’m hoping for a year of  good health (once I kick this bronchitis) and continued blessings.  I resolve to spend more time with my camera–for me–to give myself the time to be creative and see what comes of it.  I live in an amazing, vibrant city that I rarely take the time to photograph for fun or Fine Art.  I also look forward to meeting and working with new clients as I grow and expand my business, and as always, I resolve to strike a healthy balance between work, family, and life in 2013.  Here’s to hoping!

Before I go, I’ll share my unhealthy but delicious way to kick off the New Year.  You can never go wrong with wine and cheese. I’ll get in trouble for sharing this family recipe (third generation) but here goes:

Greig Family Fondue
(close this window immediately if your New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight).
Perfect for a cold winter night.  Best served with a nice Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.  Or even better…pair with champagne!

Serves 2-4, but easy to double.  (estimate about 1 lb of cheese per person)

Ingredients:
1 French baguette, sliced into bite-size pieces.  Cut bread a few hours before serving and leave exposed to air, so it hardens a bit.
2 cups broccoli florets (optional), or other veggies that are dunkable
1 lb nice Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 lb Emmenthaler cheese, shredded
1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove
1 cup of dry white wine (use good wine!)
1 shot of Kirschwasser (German cherry brandy)

Kitchen Needs:
Fondue pot- (recommend this one so you can start on the stove and then transfer to the fondue base)
Denatured alcohol (to fire up the fondue set)
Fondue forks
– not necessary but fun

Get to It
1. Slice bread into bite sized pieces and set aside for at least 1 hour, uncovered

2. Shred all three cheeses (be prepared for a workout!)

3. Peel garlic and rub two cloves on the bottom of the pan, enough to coat.  Chop one of these cloves and add to pan.

4. Pour 1 cup of dry white wine into pan, cook on low heat until it simmers.

5. Begin adding the cheese (no particular order) and stir as you go.  Make sure the cheese does not boil.

6. Once all cheese is melted, add a shot of Kirschwasser and stir.

7. Transfer pot from stove to lit fondue stand (low heat), and serve with bread/veggies.  Stir occasionally to keep from thickening. Enjoy!

8. Go to the gym! (depending on your New Year’s resolution)

 

Top Image: Stock Photography