Fine Art Friday–Nantucket, MA


I love the patterns and reflections in this image…but these are more than just reeds.  So what ARE they?  Hidden under that stippled water are…cranberries!  I shot this at a cranberry bog in Nantucket last fall, but you’d almost never guess what is lurking under these vines.  Harvesting cranberries is a pretty cool process–check out the link to learn more.  Here’s to finding some art in nature this weekend.  Happy Friday!

The Boss–East Rutherford, NJ


My husband is from Jersey and sometimes you’ve just got to embrace its many strengths–Sloppy Joes, Taylor Ham, Jersey Tomatoes, Bon Jovi, and BRUCE!  So last weekend I spent two nights enjoying the fine music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in their native land.  For a mom of an 18 month old, one night out til 2am is impressive, but two nights in a row is just plain crazy! Who do I think I am? I was dying last Sunday, but it was definitely worth it.  Friday night’s concert included a train ride out from Manhattan (see above for my American flag clad seat-mate), some high class tailgating–real wine glasses–under a blue sky with my aunt and uncle, and a 3:10 show with a great but different set list.  We eventually made our way down to better (read: not our own) seats, which happened to belong to a friend from college…small world.  But the contraband seats didn’t stop me from Irish stepping in the aisle to the last song and a personal favorite: American Land.

On Saturday, we kicked off our rainy parking lot tailgate early– this time with siblings and cousins–and made it authentically Jersey by chowing down on Sloppy Joes from the Millburn Deli.  Saturday’s show had all of the ingredients of an epic evening–Bruce turning 63 at midnight, being the 3rd of 3 nights at MetLife, and capping off the band’s last concert before a month-long tour break.  However, Mother Nature had her own plans.  We headed to our seats around 8:30, only to see the entire floor of the arena was empty.  Not a good sign.  Soon after we were forced to evacuate to the tunnels under the stadium (due to dangerous lightning in the area) for a nice 2 hour wait.

Once they issued the green light, my sister had a brilliant idea: rush onto the floor for a spot near the stage.  We shuffled straight past the security guards as if we belonged there.  Luckily, in the chaos they were no longer checking bracelets.  We dashed to a barricade close to the stage and secured the perfect spot to dance the night away.  Despite the fact that it rained throughout and I was nearly elbowed in the face by the crazy fist-pumping of a maniacal fan next to me, it was a blast. We were doubly rewarded for our sneakiness when Bruce came down from the stage and climbed onto a platform directly in front of us while singing “In the Midnight Hour”.  I tried desperately to get him to grab my hand, but the best I managed was taking a video and touching his foot.  At midnight, everyone sang Happy Birthday to Bruce, and he claimed that the last time he played live on his birthday was before the cell phone was invented!

The Saturday setlist was a great mix of oldies, an awesome rendition of  “Pay me My Money Down” (been singing this all week to myself), and some of my faves from the Wrecking Ball album. I still can’t talk about the fact that we left early, missing 14 songs because we had to get home to our babysitter before 2am, but such is life.  It was still a fabulous weekend and, let’s not forget, I got to touch the Boss’ shoe.  You can’t beat that.

Photos courtesy of the trusty iPhone

Easily Falling into Fall–New York, NY


The only thing that makes the end of summer bearable is that it ushers in crisp air and changing leaves.  Today is one of those perfect early fall days–sunny and in the mid-60’s–which leads me to…

My favorite things about fall:
-Watching the foliage colors deepen week by week in Central Park
-Kicking off the soccer season (age 5-college)
-Drinking the first tall skim chai that I order at Starbucks in honor of the seasonal change
-Busting out my fall wardrobe (not the most stylish but cozy nonetheless–consisting mostly of Patagonia fleece, J. Crew blazers, and cute flats)
-Walking through a field of pumpkins
-Photographing family portrait sessions for holiday cards
-Gorging on cider doughnuts…preferably from Atkins Farms…does it get any better?
-Shooting Fall weddings (consistently gorgeous)
-Tailgating at football games…best when it’s “the biggest little game in America.”
-Having our neighborhood back–most tourists have left until the Thanksgiving balloons appear
-Cheering for the Red Sox in the baseball postseason(sadly not this year, 20 games back doesn’t even leave us a wild card hope)
-Cheering against the Yankees in the postseason
-Enjoying the perfect weather

Happy 3rd day of Fall! 
What are your favorite things about fall?

Fine Art Friday–London Calling


I shot this from an opposite escalator in the Tate Modern in London–an awesome spot if you ever make it to the land of gorgeous royals, historic beheadings, and most importantly, the old school apple pies at McDonald’s (crispy, greasy, and circa 1989 in the U.S/pre American health kick=yum.)  I love the strong diagonals of this photo and pop of red in the corner, as well as the small amount of wall text visible–a section of a handwritten history of modern art.

Museums are a passion of mine–the blend of the architecture and art is always different and intriguing.   I have degrees in museum studies and art history as well and spent many a semester as an curatorial or education intern. I especially love checking out museums when I travel, as they can tell a lot about a place.  Here are a few faves that have really enhanced my travels: The Immigration Museum in Melbourne, AUS, Robben Island Museum in Cape Town, SA (the museum could use some help with exhibition layout, but the material is moving), The Louvre (obvious and overwhelming but historically important), The Musée du Vin in Beaune, France (all you’d ever want to know about the evolution of a wine bottle and more!), Museum at Giverny in France (decide what your impression of Monet’s bridge might be), the J.Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (architecture meets landscape), and the National Gallery of Art (classic and proud) in Washington, D.C.

Happy Friday!  I’ll be heading out to Jerz this weekend for a little Bruce fix, and the tailgating forecast looks promising.  Have a great weekend!

What to Wear- Part 1- Engagement Photos

I saw a great blog post today on Green Wedding Shoes (a wonderful wedding blog that I follow) about what to wear for an engagement session.  I liked many of their suggestions and thought I’d repost it for my readers and brides-to-be.

My favorite highlights:
1) Whatever you wear, you should feel comfortable (look comfy=happy in your pics)…if you always rock your flip flops- wear them!  Have a favorite pair of jeans?  Great!  Want to be a little more formal? Wear a dress that you can still move easily in and is not too short to sit (on sand, a bench, etc) for photos.
2) Don’t be afraid to be bold–in color that is!  I love her yellow tank and bright red shirt featured on the blog.  The camera loves color…I’m not talking about a neon Hawaiian print, but some tasteful, bold color.  Check out this groom-to-be’s pop of red on his Lacoste belt- great choice!

A lowlight:
The advice on the nail art–you want these images to be timeless, so I’d stay away from trendy things like this and keep it classic.  Here are some photos from an engagement session where the couple was SO comfortable with each other that the images seem effortless. I also like the clever use of a Pinterest board (this one by Zofia Photography on Nantucket) to showcase some great ideas for couples preparing for their shoot.

Stayed tuned for what to wear for a portrait session–coming later this week!

 

[…] Impressed by their planning, I sent several suggestions.  To which they replied “no, really, what should we wear?”  Eventually they heeded my advice and looked great!  We met in November on a day with snow […]