Thursday, June 7, 2012

Back it Up Back it Up Back it Up!

Posted in Personal

I’m not reminiscing about a Salt n’ Pepa lyric here, I’m merely sharing that my 1TB external hard drive saved my life this week.  So yes, back it up!  You’ll notice there is no image above.  It’s been a rough week here in the IT department, hence my blog silence.  My beloved 24″ Mac desktop went on the fritz (white apple symbol on startup, that’s all), and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief that my back up drive was fine, and that I store all of my client files remotely as well.  But it still really bites when your computer doesn’t work!

Here was the scene on Monday morning: I looted around our shared basement storage for my ancient Mac box, dragged it up to the 4th floor, packed up the computer, carried said 400 pound box down 4 flights, awkwardly walked one avenue in the pouring rain (wishing I had covered the box in plastic), attempted to hail a cab while balancing box on top of a trash can, gave up on getting a cab and boarded the bus, promptly wacked someone in the knee with evil computer box, profusely apologized, and finally arrived at the Apple store, where a trusty staffer offered to take the evil box and helped me downstairs to the Genius bar for my appointment.  Phew! But they really need to serve martinis at this supposed “bar.”  There is a lot of stress there.   View full post »

Posted in Personal
Friday, June 1, 2012

Fine Art Friday–Start of Summer, Chatham, MA

Posted in Fine Art


The week after Memorial Day is always filled with hope and possibility as long summer days just stretch out in front of us.  Even those of us who don’t spend our whole summer at the beach can dream of sandy feet, ocean breezes, and trashy novels.  As a photographer, I lust after the gorgeous summer light that lingers at sunrise and sunset, and can’t wait to capture newlyweds and families in that magical atmosphere.

Thanks to nature’s palette of grassy greens and watery grays, today’s image has that feeling of early summer ahhhh.  All this bench needs is a frosty Dark n’ Stormy and I’d be all set!  I shot this during a casual Cape Cod rehearsal dinner (the couple just celebrated their 4th anniversary yesterday!) and love this moment of peace and possibility amidst the lingering early summer light.  Happy June–and most importantly–happy unofficial start to summer!

Posted in Fine Art
Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Benjamin–High Line–New York, NY

Posted in Kids,Portraits


I met Benjamin and his parents on a gorgeous Friday morning at the famed High Line, an awesome elevated park located on the West Side of Manhattan.  Ben’s mom is an old soccer/hockey/lax teammate of mine from Loomis Chaffee, and it was fun to catch up and meet her little one.  The High Line is located on an historic freight rail line that ran from 34th Street to Spring Street until the 1960’s.  Recently saved from impending demolition, it was re-purposed as a public park which opened in 2009.  It has since expanded northward in stages, adding unique features including waterscapes, sun decks, open lawns, contemporary bird houses, and a funky amphitheater overlooking 10th Avenue.  Ben will be 2 in August and loved to explore all of these features during our shoot…so much so that we all ran after him, daring him to slow down and smile!  We didn’t get the perfect smile, but we did capture his fun spirit and some cute candids.  Check out a slideshow of our shoot to see what fun we had with water and bubbles.  We ended our session with a few photos on their beautiful stoop in Chelsea.  Ben, Jo, and Ted, it was so fun to spend the morning with you and I can’t wait to see where your little explorer takes us next!

Posted in Kids,Portraits
Friday, May 25, 2012

Fine Art Friday–Napa, CA

Posted in Fine Art,Personal,Travel


Sarah’s Take: Today we welcome a guest blogger, the talented Suzie St. Pierre.  A friend from photography school, Suzie always finds the coolest perspectives when she shoots…whether that means lying flat on a dock, standing in water, or hanging precariously over a fire escape.  When I asked her if she’d like to share a creative shot for Fine Art Friday, she sent over this beauty.  She is a master with her 90mm 2.8 macro lens, which I suspect she used for this awesome image.  Thanks for sharing your talent with us!  I’m hitting the road in a few minutes to head up to Amherst College for my 10th college reunion…yikes! How did that happen?  I hope your Memorial Day is also filled with keg beer, delicious food, white shorts (I’m giving you permission to wear them before Monday), old friends, and embarrassing stories of bygone days.  Have a great long weekend everyone!

Suzie’s Take: I was super excited when Sarah asked me to participate in Fine Art Friday, but couldn’t decide which photo to submit.  After searching through tons of images, I decided on this one.  I spent some time in California’s wine country for a class through RMSP, the photography school where Sarah and I met in 2005.  While in California, I spent most of the time laying in the dirt underneath the vines.  Bizarre I know, but I am always looking for a different perspective and a way to break the rules that we learned in school.  Here I managed to break a major one….don’t shoot in back lit areas.  Why not?  Happy Friday!

Posted in Fine Art,Personal,Travel
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Fine Art Friday » Sarah Greig Photography - January 18, 2013 - 5:41 am

[…] we welcome a returning guest photographer to Fine Art Friday, the awesome Suzie St. Pierre.  Though based in NYC, her heart beats for two […]

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Revisiting the Past–Hartford, CT

Posted in Personal,Portraits


I’m often reminded of the power of a family photograph, particularly its ability to freeze a moment in time, outlive its subjects, and be handed down through generations.  Today is my mom’s 65th birthday and we celebrated over the weekend with a big surprise party.  For a creative save the date, I scanned an old family photo (circa 1958) of mom with her five younger siblings, added some text in Photoshop, and sent it along to her brothers and sisters.  The flurried response of sarcastic emails that went back and forth was humorous to say the least…“I am pleased that you used the picture of the last time that Frank (top middle) smiled in a photograph.  Of course, the stylish jacket that my mother purchased for him may have made him feel unusually proud and content that day.  I do regret, however, that you have chosen a photo where I (bottom left) am desperately holding back a long pee as the photo session lingered on.”  As part of the surprise, my aunts and uncles took mom on a cocktail tour of their old haunts in the South End of Hartford, CT.  Fueled by liquid courage from The First and Last Tavern, they snooped around the driveway of their childhood home.  Much to their pleasure, the front door opened and the current owner (ready to call 911?) invited them in and let them check out their old rooms, thus crowning their perfect trip down memory lane.

To make a long story short, the party was a smashing success filled with family standards–excessively lengthy and loud toasts/roasts and step dancing to a live Irish band.  But it all started with a photo, which of course I forced them to reenact on the staircase.  I antiqued the final image above to match the original a bit more.  Old family photos should remind us all of the need to capture fleeting moments.  My grandparents, who did not have a lot of money for miscellaneous expenses, obviously recognized the value of photography and the importance of documenting their growing family.  So take their lead–don’t put off taking family portraits this year, and of course, choose me to help you record these memories:) Happy Birthday Mom!

Posted in Personal,Portraits
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Mary Farrell - May 22, 2012 - 5:24 pm

Sarah, priceless!! many thanks for saving our memories. And Happy Birthday Margaret. Aunt Mary