Friday, February 29, 2008

yes, I'm 3











I cannot STOP taking pictures of my kids! Today is all about Georgie. She is the most visually crazy little girl I think I have ever photographed. I can't get enough of her! She had gymnastics today and they let me shoot her, which is SO awesome because normally parents are supposed to be up in the 'observation room' where I am normally texting away and catching up with photography magazines. But since getting the D3 (yes, it is ALL about the D3!!) I can't stop shooting. I feel like FINALLY things are as I see them!

So enjoy more of my girl!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

carla ten eyck photography studio OPENING!

So for the past year or so me and a whole crew of people have been busting our humps on designing and remodeling what is shaping up to be my brand spanking new kick ASS studio!! I can't even begin to explain what a process this has been for me, my family and everyone that's been a part of it- and there have been tons of people involved!

I haven't blogged about it yet, not sure why really... maybe it's because of the whole 'big reveal' culture we live in now, it's sometime way more exciting to have that then the slow and arduous up to date posts of 'so now I have decided on my flooring...' kind of posts. I had to put so many people through the stress of what to pick, what not to pick, will my clients like it? Will I like it in 5 years? ... kind of constant drivel, I guess I figured I would spare whoever out there reads this, for a bit anyway....;)

I am hosting a studio open house on Saturday March 8th and have sent out evites and just word of mouth to as many of you who's info I have- but if I have not and you would like to attend just shoot me an email and I can get you the info! carlateneyck@comcast.net

I am so excited to see it all come together in the end, the walls all freshly painted, lighting fixtures in, fabulous mantle and floor and staircase- all recycled barn wood- all brand new images on the walls... but mostly the energy that everyone in attendance will bring to it-and of COURSE there will be a Carla Ten Eyck style photo booth in full effect, with a little twist!

One of the requirements, is for people to come dressed in pink & brown or pink or brown! How fun is that going to be to see a sea of my company colors out there? I can't wait to see everyone!!!


The 411:
when: Saturday march 8, 2008
time: 6:00 until....?

wear pink & brown!!

email carla for the address!
carlateneyck@comcast.net

Friday, February 22, 2008

snow day










This is what having a snow day is all about! Not going outside and getting all cold, noooooo......! But staying in my jammies ALL DAY and cuddling with my monkeys and shooting with my super fun toys. (d3 + 85 1.4 combo switched up with the 14-24 2.8) What's not to love about that scenario?

Of course they were more than game to play, and were so excited for Mommy to not have to work and to actually say yes to jumping on my bed!

I was working though, just a little. I had learned a while back from Mike Colon about how he programs his back auto focus button to do all of the focus and his shutter release is only that, for the shutter. Makes total sense to me NOW, back then I just didn't grasp the concept for some reason but now it is an amazing new way to shoot and hold focus and not lose the moment at all. So of course I want to get as much shooting in doing this as possible while also working a brand new camera body. There are a lot of similarities to the D200 (my main work horses last year) and the D3 but there are just enough differences where I want to know my gear like the back of my hand. Last year I had it down, and could switch stuff up intuitively without really even thinking about it.

So I will be a shooting fool, as much as I can do whenever, where ever WHO ever! Be prepared for it!

On a side note- last night's PUG meeting at Greg Weed's house in Monroe was outstanding! Greg & his wife Dana were such gracious hosts, provided such delicious food and we had a ton of new people in attendance!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

mike colon and bob davis













Yesterday a bunch of us headed over to a great seminar by Mike Colon & Bob Davis at the airport. It was full of inspiring ideas and great technical advice. I left feeling motivated and like I was on the right track with my work, which is a wonderful feeling....

During the seminar Cynthia Brown decided to throw & I to the paparazzi for Bob Davis' lighting demo on rim lighting during the first dance! It was so special and emotional, thanks Steve! ;) Too bad my toes hurt from you stomping on them though!
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Our new buddy and incredible photographer Kenny Kim was kind enough to give me some of the awesome and super romantic shots of me and Steve taken by Bob Davis and Kenny himself, they are pretty funny!

After the seminar we took them out to Mayor Mike's for a nice dinner and some conversation.

Thanks Mike, Bob & Kenny for a wonderful seminar!

Monday, February 18, 2008

my hot friend sarah




One of my oldest friends, Sarah, was visiting this past holiday season and put on a fire throwing show at her parent's house right after a beautiful snow fall... Of course I had to shoot it and I am so glad that I did- this was so cool! While fire throwing she had music playing which only added to the whole effect.

She looks so graceful and beautiful while performing, it almost makes you forget that you could get hurt while doing it! After her house party the next night I had Mike and Jean meet me to photograph Sarah throwing fire in an undisclosed location- it was so much fun. We only had two takes at about 3 minutes each to shoot- I was using both cameras and was so engrossed in shooting I didn't realize that at one point both cameras were completely immersed in the snow! Am I glad they are weather proof! So any foggy hazy effect you see is from snow on my lens, not any photoshop trickery! Just pure photographer stupidity! ;)

Thanks Sarah for being such a sport about wearing only a tank top in the freezing weather, risking getting arrested for trespassing (ha ha) and humoring a gaggle of photo dorks!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

new additions to the ten eyck family!








It's a GIRL!!!! My camera is, that is... :) I welcomed a brand new addition to my gear bag on Friday, my spanking new super awesome incredible new Nikon D3! To say I am excited would be an understatement!! I am WAY beyond excited at what this camera is capable of. To add to the fun I had to get some new lenses that I have been really really wanting and feel like I deserve them: my Nikon 85 mm 1.4 AND the super hot Nikon 14-24 2.8!! Seriously.

So of course I have been test shooting with this every second and I am just blown away by the results. What I am posting was shot as a JPEG NORMAL!! And all with the 85 1.4.

In the image of Mike, the first one is the full frame, the second is cropped in way close to show how much detail their still is even after coming in really close. It's crazy!

My kids are ready to kill me I have not stopped shooting since I got this, but how could I? They are SO cute!!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Georgianne Virginia Hernandez 10-24-46 to 2-10-06



Today marks two years since my Mom died. At 1:30 p.m. to be exact.

I decided to make a slide show of all of the pictures I took during her last week and share them and in doing this I now finally feel like the proverbial weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

I think that in keeping them private I was locking away some of my grief, that now I need to let go.

This slide show isn't for everyone. My family is not really the norm- we embrace death in a way that is different from most, I think. My older sisters did my Mom's hair and makeup and nails for her wake; we had altars set up at my house and at the memorial and laughed openly about things, and cried just as openly. And we all took pictures. Pictures of everything- picking my sister Saca up at the train; all of our most intimate moments with my Mom I was there shooting with my Dad and Aunt- and it was the norm. If I hadn't been shooting it would have been weird. My family has always expressed themselves through art, photography mostly. I am so happy for that and comforted by it now, though in looking through it all I am overwhelmed with sadness and feel like it was just yesterday.

Photographs are pretty powerful stuff.

I also am sharing what I read at my Mom's memorial. I still can't believe that I had the guts to get up there and be so emotionally raw in front of so many people, sharing how I felt about my Mom. I remember knowing I wanted to share and the words not coming to me... I had the worst case of writer's block. Then all of a sudden it hit me, I grabbed paper and a pencil and just wrote as fast as I could get it out in one sitting.

Reading that was one of the hardest things I have had to do- I couldn't hide behind my camera (although I did grab a shot when I got up there of everyone) It was just me and my grief for all to see.

The other hardest thing was bringing Jack & Georgie in to say goodbye to my Mom. I was a wreck. They were kind of oblivious, I mean me crying was par for the course for them, my Mom was sick for so long it was just another day of Mommy sobbing her eyes out, you know? Those pictures are some of my favorites and I am so glad my sister Tere got those for me.

Mom, I miss you. I am not mad at you anymore for getting sick and leaving... come back and haunt me soon though, I need a good scare.


**********************

'My Mom has been sick for years. She has been in and out of the hospital, in the ICU for months at a time- on the brink of death but then miraculously recovering. See, she was always slow to respond.
When I used to want to sleep over Dodie’s house on Friday I’d have to start asking my Mom on Monday. I knew I had a chance if she ignored me- it was when she said ‘Go ask your father’ that I knew the answer was no.
So I’d badger away, knowing full well when to stop, when she was almost at her limit. I’d retreat, regroup, and then badger her enough for her to be glad to be rid of me. I have two small children and I’ll be honest, with nine, why wouldn’t my Mom jump at the chance to get rid of even one? Seriously.

And so this theme followed with her being sick, getting sicker and sicker and then recovering. She was so strong for so long but after years of this her body just couldn’t keep fighting. Now if her personality had taken over the fight she would be here forever. That woman could be sassy!

And so it came that we all were there on Friday with her, touching her, stroking her hair as she died. She was so peaceful and so loved by everyone there with her.

In dying my Mom released in us the power to forgive. I was surrounded by my family and friends and people who truly loved my Mom- all grudges and misunderstandings falling to the wayside.

She would have been so proud.

My Mother embodied the idea of forgiveness. Many people may think they are capable of it but believe me, if it were an Olympic event my Mother would medal. She always rooted for the underdog and I would tease her endlessly about it. It used to bother me, in all honesty, because I got good grades, made friends easily and basically was a good kid who did well. As a mother myself I can clearly see that my Mom had the capacity to gauge my strength and know that I was capable of taking care of myself so she could tend to those who needed her more. In doing this she nurtured and created in my brothers and sisters the capacity to love themselves, their families and their friends. Without the hard and true devotion of my Mom, who was relentless in her quest for supporting, loving and bettering each and every one of us, who knows where we would all be.

But here we all are. Together, reminiscing about her and her crazy ways.

At her wake I stopped and looked around at all of the familiar and unfamiliar faces and thought- this was just what it was like at her house- I’d come home from college and there’d be some guy sleeping on the couch who I didn’t know who had gotten kicked out of his house and needed a place to sleep and feel safe. All of our friends knew they had this safe haven to turn to in my Mom, whether it was an actual place to rest their feet or a shoulder to cry on. She was their rock, too.


Sometimes my Mom had a hard time making decisions. There was one time she couldn’t choose which nail polish to wear so she painted each nail a different color. In doing this her hands came to represent the life she lived, multicolored, beautiful and truly indicative of her nature. I am sure she even made each nail polish color believe she liked them best…. As she did with her children as well.

We all believe on some level that we are her favorite. She was able to see deeply and clearly into each one of us and see our good, true being. I used to tease her about this by signing my letters ‘your favorite daughter’ and before caller id I’d call her and whoever would hand her the phone would say ‘it’s your favorite daughter.’ Then I’d wait to get her on to see who’d she think it was.

It was our little game.

This is the true testament and legacy that my Mom leaves us… we all still truly believe that we are her favorite.

But really, I was.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

one proud mama



OK I know, I know what's UP with the three blog posts in ONE day? Well, I just have stuff to share and can't hold it in! So sue me!

Now, this is a super special post as it is about my two awesome photographers Jean and Mike. I think I had mentioned a while back that we were starting some informal training in the off season to keep us all sharp and our minds fresh. Well the first such 'assignment' was how to enter for a juried photography show. Jean found one that was sponsored by the West Hartford Art League with workable requirements and deadlines. The subject matter was wide open- you had to submit a portfolio of at least 3 images, framed. That proved to be a challenge in and of itself, sorry for breaking the bank on that one guys!
Jean had mentioned that last year only 68 of over 300 pieces submitted were accepted to the show.
Well Jean & Mike both submitted their stuff this past weekend and both found out today that they got stuff in!!

I could not be more proud! The whole idea of first off deciding to do this, then coming up with a shooting concept, following through on it and shooting it, is great. If only to have some nice framed pieces for your house afterward was the major goal, actually... I mean who doesn't want to have that, right?

One of the big things was having to kind of go with the flow of it all and change your concept mid-shoot to something that you are excited about. Mike changed his mind after having all 3 of his pieces printed and seeing that 2 of them weren't what he wanted. Which is great because one of them was one of the accepted pieces! Listening to his gut proved to be a smart thing here.

The opening is scheduled for this Friday at 6:30 at the West Hartford Art League 37 Buena Vista Road West Hartford CT.

happiest of tuesdays


My buddy Senor Reilly is celebrating a birthday today and I would be remiss if I neglected to mention it and post an obnoxious and crude photoshop masterpiece in his honor!

Jeff has been radio silent for a spell because he is editing his knickers off lately on a huge two hour project for black history month. I for one cannot wait to see it and will keep you all posted on when it is due to air.

Make sure you check this boy's b-log for some of the BEST movie reviews ever. He is a movie reviewer prodigy, although can you really be that at his age? ;) I say YES!

Happy Birthday Reilly!!!

xxxoo

get out and VOTE


I just got a very important call from Jack Nicholson urging me to vote for Hillary Clinton today! Hillary herself showed up on my caller id the other day and I had to take a shot of it because really? I just did!

Whatever your stance, whoever you are for, get off your butt and VOTE today!!!

I admit I have taken my right to vote for granted in years past but recently have really appreciated that I am able to walk down my street and cast my vote without fear of being shot at or killed for trying to make my voice heard....

So go on now, GIT!