Malina Photography

onion and tears

2012-02-07T11:36:00.002-05:00

She was quiet and shy. Much more preferred her solitude to fame and fuss about her. She was loved by many. I will still read her poetry with great delight but with overpowering sadness now, for not being able to look forward to new beguilingly simple, beautiful word plays that only she could create. What heartbreaking news to get on one's own birthday... Rest in peace Wisława Szymborska...

The onion

the onion, now that's something else
its innards don't exist
nothing but pure onionhood
fills this devout onionist
oniony on the inside
onionesque it appears
it follows its own daimonion
without our human tears

our skin is just a coverup
for the land where none dare to go
an internal inferno
the anathema of anatomy
in an onion there's only onion
from its top to its toe
onionymous monomania
unanimous omninudity

at peace, at peace
internally at rest
inside it, there's a smaller one
of undiminished worth
the second holds a third one
the third contains a fourth
a centripetal fugue
polyphony compressed

nature's rotundest tummy
its greatest success story
the onion drapes itself in its
own aureoles of glory
we hold veins, nerves, and fat
secretions' secret sections
not for us such idiotic
onionoid perfections

Translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh

and I will always shed some tears over cut onions- how prosaic, the antithesis of poetry - or is it?

shy

2012-01-10T14:32:00.000-05:00

I have a child who's shy. And camera shy too. I don't mind. I don't care. As long as he lets me take pictures like the ones below.

something different

2012-01-10T14:07:00.001-05:00

I love drizzle, fog, rain, haze. Well as long as I'm staying dry and cozy at home or …going on a photo adventure. And as much as I hate Polish weather, being as meteoropathic as I am that's quite understandable, I must admit I love how it photographs. I'm partial to the mood it creates. All of a sudden the landscape brings a strong feeling of nostalgia, sad but warm with no regrets. I'll take a gloomy day over there at any time.

posing guide for photographers ;)

2012-01-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

or how boys like their pictures taken. ( continued from previous post)

inspired

2012-01-07T18:34:00.001-05:00

by dance and movement. I'm in awe when I see people dance, move in a controlled way that only dancers (and ninjas) can. All muscles in full rein, body parts easily cooperating with other body parts unlike mine, untrained and awkward. I love to see those moments in between poses, fleeting and hard to see unless with help of a fast shutter speed.
So whenever I have a chance to photograph movement I'll jump at the opportunity.
And for me it's a great prescription for a successful session with boys - they won't sit still, or pose - well, most won't- but are very eager to show off their skills. Very exciting, and exhausting for everybody involved.
So when my son asked me to photograph his usually shy self I was ecstatic. No, he is not a dancer, or ninja - as much as he would love to be one, but he is one hyperactive boy who won't sit still for a second. Together we were trying to capture magic and... we did. For real. Look at the picture below and say it isn't true. I'm still amazed I took it.

So here is motion. Unconventionally still. Boy's edition.

more pictures to follow in the next post.

holiday cards mini sessions

2011-10-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Neighborhood Mini Sessions! Yes, it's that time of year already - let's start thinking about holidays - time to get your cards ready! The cards are the main purpose of those sessions so you can get them ready to be sent way before all holiday craziness starts!
Here are the details:
Saturday October 29th every 30 minutes starting at 3:30-6 p.m. (Saturday, Nov 5th rain-check)
Meet me at the playground area at Horgan Ct at your reserved time.
Your session will last 25 min and cost $225 (please add 5% VA tax) - within a week you will get:
- a link to your own online gallery with 10 pictures (or more) accessible for 10 days;

- 11x14 print and a digital file of the same
additional prints available for purchase. Free www.tinyprints.com upload of every picture you ordered print of, with no minimum order required! Upload of any additional, unordered picture $50 each.

If you would be interested in other date, time of day - please let me know -maybe there is more people like you so we could make it happen.
For more information on pricing please e-mail me - malina@malinaphotography.com
Please email me at malina@malinaphotography.com to reserve your spot or if you have any questions.
Hope to see you Saturday!
Malina

here is to the crazy ones

2011-10-06T10:08:00.001-04:00

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented" Barack Obama
Rest in Peace Steve Jobs. You will be missed.

nothing twice

2011-09-15T11:35:00.001-04:00

Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice. 

Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.

by Wisława Szymborska

translated by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh

How I wish for a second chance sometimes, simple do-over, or just for no regrets at NOT doing something. And since it is a photographer's blog I'll start with pictures. Yes there are regrets in this department too - I photographed a family recently, didn't think much when taking pictures of two boys being silly and their grandmother trying not to burst into laughter. It was fun and natural, the moments I strive to catch in my photography. And then while editing I looked at those pictures and my eyes got teary. Not that they were that great, I'm the last one to admit "greatness" of my own work ( let alone cry over it :)!) and there is always room for improvement, but they were GREAT and a thought struck me, and my heart started aching... I realized I wanted those pictures to be mine, meaning my family in them, my mom with my kids. I realized I don't have pictures like that...oh how I wish... but there are no do-overs...heartbroken...
Elena - thank you for sharing your beautiful family with me and for ...making me cry :)

rurki z kremem

2011-08-10T13:11:00.002-04:00

and a taste well remembered from childhood. And now - it get's a little teary from here - becoming a taste of childhood of my own children *sniffle*.

What are they? Simply, they are little tubes made out of crispy wafers and filled with rich whipped cream. Yum. And we found the best spot in Warsaw to get them - Kręcimy Lody Bracia Gessler ...And the best man to make them Pan Ryszard - the master maker of rurki z kremem. Thank you for bringing back my sweetest childhood memories and letting my children learn what it was all about :).

at cooks'

2011-08-10T11:02:00.002-04:00

or rather " U kucharzy"- it's a new restaurant in Warsaw, placed in an old hotel (former Hotel Europejski) kitchen - old kitchen floors, tiled walls, sinks serving as vases; furnished with rustic wooden furniture and serving rustic, Polish, home-made, simple and oh so yummy fare - recommend :) You cannot see the food here , or smell it, or taste... but at least you can see it being prepared - amazing experience!

poland - here we come

2011-08-08T12:02:00.001-04:00

...and we landed in Warsaw. Of course there were troubles (just little ones) - 2 hour delay already at Dulles Airport, our starting point, so we had to run like crazy to catch our connecting flight to Warsaw. It was tiring but we got there on time and the fun began.. .and the jet lag of course. ;) First impressions - sunny but not hot (yippee!!) - we were prepared for that but it always surprises us how nice the summer can be in Poland - 75F and sunny, with some beautiful white clouds coming and going - just perfect. And it looks so much nicer when it isn't raining. Tired but happy to have landed ( I'm not too fond of flying) off we went to Old Town. Second first impression - people not so happy :( - a Polish trait I guess. And it is contagious - so sad :(

film, film, film...

2011-06-30T16:16:00.000-04:00

the photographic kind. No it is not dead, it just smells funny - I found this one somewhere - lol. But everybody is asking why I want to go back, backwards is not progress. But maybe, just maybe I want to entertain a thought that it is - I learned a lot over the last 10 years of digital photography, I can't deny it, but there is something missing. It's just like reading a book on kindle - it's still the same content, it just feels differently. Maybe it's how my brain was wired for reading when I was little, liking the sound of page turning and having no problem with visually remembering the plot - two thirds of the book, right page, first half bottom left -about that - oh there it was :). I'm pretty sure my kids' brains are wired completely different - and a book, real paper kind, might soon feel like forgotten past to them, and they won't have problems recalling the contents of any book read on an ipad. But to me it just feels right. Same with film - not that from now on I'll use only that - I want to stay up to date. It just makes you all giddy, no instant gratification of a digital, no rush and no clicking senselessly - film is more expensive - use it wisely :). And after having it developed - no more time spent at the computer editing, I'll have my life back and some photos will get printed - how perfect! So would you say that maybe, and only maybe(?) it is progress after all :)
I recently used my first roll of film, Kodak Ektar 100, after 10 years of digital. It was a little scary (especially that my old film camera doesn't have AF) and a lot refreshing and I was in awe the first moment I picked it from a lab. Not at my skills, oh no - I was just rushing through those 36 frames to get it to the lab and see with my very eyes the capabilities of film. I'm still in awe.
Till next time.
M.

happy hour

2011-06-11T12:06:00.002-04:00

two happy photographers, one helpful employment lady, more crowd, lost raffle ticket (sorry Rashmi - I wasn't lying - I have good memory for numbers :(), found raffle ticket, too late, too funny, just a happy hour at Jaleo for Community Lodgings volunteer appreciation event.
"Community Lodgings’ mission is to lift families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency." - and what a great mission it is.
It was my great pleasure and privilege to photograph wonderful families that I wouldn't have the opportunity to meet if it weren't for Jim Dempsey of Community Lodgings and Rashmi of Rashmi Pappu Photography's invitation to volunteer. Thanks to both, and to the families who were posing for portraits to be cherished for ever.

ten years later

2011-06-08T14:41:00.003-04:00

with a kid, and still fitting in her wedding dress- a round of applause, please!!! - let me introduce the glowing bride on her 10th anniversary. She didn't have her bridal portraits taken on her rainy wedding day so she decided to be a trouper, and conquered the mud of Lake Cook, or rather Bog Cook :), in her wellies quite bravely. Thank you A.!! And here is a reveal of what three crazy photographers and one lady in her wedding dress were up to on that perfectly lit evening. Some of my favorites:

Thank you Rashmi for the invite. It was muddy, and a bit smelly, but FUN!

mother's day again

2011-05-26T15:00:00.003-04:00

so some musings are due. It's May 26 and that means it's "Dzień Matki" or Mother's Day in Poland, my home country. It brings back a lot of memories from my childhood and a lot of reflections, again:).
I miss my mom - she died of Alzheimer's 3 years ago at the age of 63. Too soon...I only have some pictures of her from my childhood - she always shooed my father with his camera away. But how I wish I had more. Especially of us together. Hugging, kissing, walking, skating, hanging out in our pajamas the whole day - just together.... I cannot bring back time so now it's time to think of my own kids, and it's even more challenging since I'm the house photographer. I want them to have fond memories of our time together and photos will refresh their memory every so often. I feel like I'm running out of time though - they are growing so fast, not so snugly and cuddly any more, so it's a little testing to show the love when there is so many other emotions mixed in. But those are good, too. I wish I had an unposed picture to illustrate but I don't - I'll be better this year, I promise:) But here I am with my lovely not so little ones.

And here is my call to all the moms out there! Don't wait till you lose weight, be well rested, have a good-hair-day etc. - have a picture taken - of YOU! alone or with kids! Your parents are going to love it and your kids will cherish it for ever. The picture of the most beautiful mom in the world - you!

And you can win a free session to do just that!

Please go to http://www.facebook.com/malinaphotography and "like" my page and then send me an e-mail to malina@malinaphotography.com saying why you would like to win this "mom session" ( just for you or you and your babies) - less than 500 words please;). 3 contenders will be chosen by June 15th and than we will do a fb voting part. Have fun! Can't wait to read your stories! Malina

wonderful years

2011-05-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

I was working on a personal project recently. My father's birthday was coming.70th. I had ideas and projects piling up for years (yes, you read it right - years!!) and I finally found motivation to tackle one of them.
My dad was our family photographer and he was following us with his camera a lot. And you know what it means - lots of photos, actually slides, taken on different occasions like vacations, holidays and walks in a park. How priceless is it to have at least some memories preserved like that? I had all the slides scanned for several years already, but never found time to go about fixing them - yes, a lot of time had passed since they were new :) but finally I couldn't find any more excuses - after some work on some of them, lots on others and none on the rest I sent them to print. I was in awe when I saw them on paper- beautiful, just beautiful and so , so moving…after shedding a couple of tears and promising myself that soon I'll print them all for my own use I put them in a box and sent them to my dad. Happy Birthday!

More pictures/scans coming soon!

birthdays

2011-05-21T17:41:00.002-04:00

and birthday parties - a lot of preparations and a bit of fun ;). I cannot believe it's been 12 years already. What now? Middle school, choices, decisions, independence *sniffle*... growing up...it's happening too fast... I'm not ready!!
Happy Birthday żabko!(transl: froggie :)) - hope you still need me from time to time...

cream puffs plus girl talk

2011-05-14T13:01:00.004-04:00

equals perfectly spent Friday afternoon! Thank you Ms. Connie! Here is the recipe for you. They are so easy to make and oh-so-yummy!

Puffs:
1 cup of flour
1 cup of water ( I use a tiny bit less)
100 g of butter (a little less than one stick for those metric-system-impaired)
4 eggs
a pinch of salt

Filling:
heavy whipping cream
sugar to taste

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 390 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter it and rinse with water (my method).

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and sift the flour directly into the pan. Stir the mixture into a paste with a wooden spoon. Return the pan to a medium heat. Stir the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the paste to a medium bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one thoroughly before adding the next. Before adding the last egg, beat it in a small bowl. Adding it by tablespoons to the mixture, just until the batter is smooth and tight. If the batter starts to get loose, do not add all of the last egg.
Using a large spoon form the dough into the mounds on prepared baking sheet. You can use a pastry bag to do it to - I prefer a rustic, spoon method - less to clean :).
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and the puffs are light, airy, and crisp. It may take a little longer (up to 40 min) depending on the size of your spoon :D and thickness of the dough. Cool on a rack.
In the meantime beat the whipping cream on high with your mixer. When almost done add a little bit of sugar ( I add about a teaspoon per pint of cream). Ready.
Cut the puffs and fill with cream. Sprinkle with a little bit of powdered sugar and voilà!

I make about 25 puffs from this recipe and they disappear the same day!

Enjoy!

breakfast in bed and mother's day reflections

2011-05-08T21:54:00.004-04:00

10:56 a.m.... knock knock...room service - isn't that the sweetest thing?… the breakfast was yummy, and Marysia said she hadn't had hers yet (at 11a.m.!!) because she'd been making mine all morning...awwww….how lovely - maybe even sweeter than her mango-strawberry-watermelon salad- yum.

I don't celebrate mother's day usually - just awkward to celebrate your own holiday. Usually I spend my day in my garden, contemplating herbal aromas and beautiful flowers yet to be planted, cook something simple or go out to early dinner. But this year is different, it really feels like I deserve a day off - after 2 weekends of sleepless, kid's-stomach-ache-filled, nights, I find myself succumb to a not-a-kind-of mom-I-strive-to-be - a sensation I'm not too proud of :(. So I let myself reflect a little on my "behavior", and other stuff, too, and it feels like mother's day is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

But for those of you who want this blog post to be about my "new years resolutions on how to be a better mom/person" - you don't have to read any further since my musings are mostly photographic in nature this year. I spent a lot of time recently on a personal project, photographic one, too ( stay tuned - soon will write about that one) and was lucky enough to have found several pictures of my mom, some of them with little me!! Such a rush of memories and feelings and…… regret of having only a handful…There is no redo on all those years that we are not in the pictures with the rest of our family…unfortunately. I know those endless excuses of bad-hair-days, sleepless nights, pounds to shed etc. before we even let ourselves in front of a camera but I also know this - it all doesn't matter because for our kids we are still the most beautiful moms, make-up or no. I know because my mom, on those several rediscovered pictures, is just that - the most beautiful mom in the world. I 'm so happy to have those memories preserved. I miss you, Mom…

And I have some ideas how to turn us - invisible moms - into award nominated best or best supporting ones at least. I'll keep you posted. Malina

my Mom and I, Baltic Sea circa '77
photo by my father

up close and ...

2011-05-04T14:55:00.001-04:00

I usually don't share too much personal work, or life here on my blog. This year I decided to change it and start showing you more of what I really love or …hate. Yes, those small little pesky things that gnaw at you and cause that itch to write about them on your blog. But let's start with nice.
It's easy to take pictures and I can take a nice portrait of anyone at any time. It's very much different with your loved ones, especially the kids. Yes you have access to them at almost all times and they should be comfortable in front of a lens by now (well after over 10 years of being followed by an odd person with a camera in hand)- sounds easy but is it? Well, the first problem encountered is making them sit for you - how do I ask/bribe/threaten them to comply? Once they actually sit, or stand or lie down for me to take the picture how do I make them stay for longer than 3 seconds without falling into a weird, silly, ugly face mode? Once that is solved how do I capture true them?
An honest, sincere, real portrait - that's what I'm striving for and I still hope it's doable. I'm still trying to get that natural genuine expression, that unposed posed portrait that when you look at it you feel like you have an immediate connection with that person, that vulnerable state in between poses… still trying and won't stop till I get it right. Not easy but nobody said it would be…And to illustrate - lucky to capture this genuine serene joy.

spring is in the air?

2011-03-31T12:19:00.001-04:00

...really? I can't believe how long this winter seems to be. Looks like another wintry season is upon us despite already wilting daffodils in our garden, and cherry blossoms, although not yet fully relished, already saying good bye. Well, even our four legged fur-ball refuses to enjoy such a spring, still hibernating at my feet - oh, how warm that feels!! So I just have one request to whomever it may concern, and whoever is responsible for this mess - Spring, please come asap!!

love, love, love...

2011-02-14T01:03:00.001-05:00

love, love, love,
love, love, love,
love is all you need...
...and maybe a Valentine's Day Giveaway - a free one hour session* for you and your loved ones and a CD of 15 high resolution fully edited images. And there maybe more than one winner, too. ;)
How to enter?
Please like my facebook page here and leave a comment below saying why you would like to win. It's that easy.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday, February 15th.
Now go spread the love and leave some trace here… ask your friends to do the same..and the friends of your friends...:)
And what would be a photographer's blog post without a picture?
Well, here goes: this time "real" pictures - i.e. painted by my daughter 6 years ago, in kindergarten - real gems that I just found in my computer (while looking for something entirely different :))

* session to take place by the end of may 2011

yellow

2011-02-03T13:42:00.001-05:00

when I started this journey with Marta Locklear I never thought I would last till now. And here I am, still inspired by colors and textures around. Here is my take on yellow with any texture I want:

feeling blue

2011-02-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

blue and nubby:)- love, love , love blue!

green

2011-01-18T20:41:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe I'm still in - this week's challenge is green and "piney":) - and "piney" is texture -at least according to Marta :) - this one was easy, our Christmas tree wasn't picked up ( snow day?) and was still on the curb, and pines, and other prickly shrubs, are plentiful in our neighborhood. Here are the pictures:

and then, two days after I made the first series of photos, it got really painterly beautiful - is it still "piney"?

another hue challenge

2011-01-03T15:00:00.001-05:00

"hue . buff . texture . soft (with a fur, hair, wisp sorta character)" and it WAS challenging since our only family pet is black. So let me introduce: "my daughter's hat" :) -I was lucky to have found it :)

christmas story

2010-12-30T19:20:00.002-05:00

Here it is - I can't believe I'm still doing this and last minute but not late. Thanks Marta !
In our house Christmas is about traditions...following old , creating new ones. And most of them are about food - spending weeks in the kitchen in preparations for Christmas is not uncommon in Polish families. So yes - I spent a lot of time cooking, and some time photographing the creations - not all or Christmas would have to wait till at least a week after :) So here is my yummy story:

happy holidays

2010-12-24T14:17:00.004-05:00

silver

2010-12-23T13:33:00.002-05:00

...and shiny this week. And while preparing Christmas food was inspired by all the shiny kitchen tools that not only girls crave :)

purple

2010-12-14T22:23:00.003-05:00

This week's challenge - purple with unlimited texture. I thought it would be more difficult than browns but surprisingly it was not - only the weather and shooting outside part was impossible - frrrr....igid. And I'm really proud of myself for not putting it up at the last minute :).

conquering winter blah

2010-12-09T21:55:00.003-05:00

I'm almost ready for winter break, fulfilling last orders and looking forward to decorating the tree, Christmas cookie baking, staying at home a lot with warm slippers on, sipping on a hot tea, getting lazy... But it does come at a cost - it's not easy to get out of this winter stagnation and start working with a fresh eye and tons of creativity later on. So why not challenge myself during the cold months of winter and rediscover things that I love. This comes with a little help from Marta Locklear - Thank You!
This week it's an exercise in hue and texture - color brown (one of my favorites). I was doubly challenged - I love to shoot outside but was stuck at home for over a week with a bad cold so had to shoot at home with less light:(- but I'm up for any task. Here are my browns:

happy thanksgiving to everyone

2010-11-25T16:01:00.002-05:00

and bon apetit! :)

pictured our unorthodox Thanksgiving dessert - ptysie or puffs (profiterole) - will be filled with homemade whipped cream just before serving- yum...

family | alexandria va family photographer

2010-11-15T14:19:00.001-05:00

It was way overdue - our last family picture was taken by me 3 years ago. So being in drive from all recent mini sessions I decided to get everybody ready, set the date and time and use the beautiful weather that this fall's been spoiling us with. It all worked pretty well except for the fact that my remote shutter release stopped working and I had to run back and forth to press the button on self timer... it was fun anyway... and no, the pictures are not perfect and I could swap heads forever in photoshop but I'm not going to do it - just leave it as it is :)

november in shenandoah...

2010-11-14T21:28:00.004-05:00

...just beautiful

smiley | alexandria va baby photographer

2010-11-12T18:42:00.001-05:00

just a sneak peek ....
Thank you guys for sharing your family with me :)

best dressed | alexandria va family photographer

2010-11-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

and the award goes to................................. Z. family. Thank you Ms.G :) for assembling your family looking like a million bucks! And you made it all look so easy!

mini sessions | alexandria va family photographer

2010-11-10T19:19:00.000-05:00

I love it when a mini session turns out like this one. I love shooting boys and since my own doesn't really like the idea of being "shot" - except in video games:) I'm really grateful for other families to bring their boys for me to photograph. And when it yields pictures as beautiful as the ones below I'm happy. I really have the best job in the world!

fall

2010-11-05T11:45:00.006-04:00

I love fall...the colors, the crisp air, beautiful light, long evenings...yum

mini sessions | alexandria va children photographer

2010-11-03T10:02:00.001-04:00

And just a teaser...haha....and how cute... and sweet... and there is plenty more ...will get my hands on them soon...promise...the pictures not the kids haha...

neighborhood mini sessions

2010-10-24T23:39:00.006-04:00

Although October is a busy month, I am ready for even more work and would like to do something I have never done before - oh, I'm feeling adventurous :) - Neighborhood Mini Sessions! Yes, it's that time of year already - let's start thinking about holidays - time to get cards ready! The cards are the main purpose of those sessions - you chose your card I upload a favorite photo from your mini session for free (usual price is $80) and you get your cards ready to be sent, way before all holiday craziness starts!
Here are the details:
Saturday October 30th every 30 minutes from 8-9:30 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. (possible Sunday dates, too)
Meet me at the playground area at Horgan Ct at your reserved time.
Your session will lasts about 25 min and cost $115 (please add 5% VA tax) - within a week you will get:
- a link to your own online gallery with 10 pictures (or more) accessible for 10 days;
- one free www.tinyprints.com upload for your cards order and...
- 50% neighborly discount on all your regular prints (files, canvas and art prints not included in this offer -regular price applies) with no minimum order required!

For more information on pricing please e-mail me - malina@malinaphotography.com
Please email me at malina@malinaphotography.com to reserve your spot or if you have any questions.
Hope to see you Saturday!
Malina

Monday morning: got some feedback - so I'm proposing another possible date the weekend of November 6th and 7th - I'll wait for your response and then decide - and for all stay-at-home-moms or working from home moms who are somewhat flexible with their time - the teacher's workdays coming next week could work too. Please let me know so I can work out a schedule.

Week of November 7 - 14
if you missed 2 previous weeks this is your last chance - I have 2 spots on Sunday afternoon at 3 and 3:30 . Please e-mail me if you'd like to reserve your date.

Marysia

2010-10-21T14:51:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted my kids' pictures here for quite some time - there is not enough time in a day to do everything :( - so sad. But here go - slightly outdated, September pictures of my sweet 6th grader.

horses

2010-09-13T16:10:00.003-04:00

Marysia loves animals. All of them, but horses have been her favorites since she was a little baby girl. She even announced at age 3 that she wanted to be a horse when she grows up - not a teacher, doctor or a rock star but a horse! LOL
This summer she finally had an opportunity to ride and take care of horses, and her chosen one Sisco, while at a summer camp at local stables. They fed, cleaned, watered and even swam the horses - a lot of hard work and even more fun - and of course rode horses for 3 hours a day. She was exhausted but happy and very, very stinky by the end of each day.
Here is just a random picture of Alfie the alpaca being affectionate.

bishop's garden - washington dc family photographer

2010-09-13T13:07:00.004-04:00

I've been swamped with work, all kinds of work, and blogging was a little neglected. But since for a lot of projects that happened in the summer I can see the light at the end of tunnel I hopefully will have more time to spend on the computer - blogging, editing, maybe even browsing ;) So here goes my first post since the beginning of summer - decided to go with little sneak-peeks again - especially foe squeezed in sessions like this one.
Wonderful family of 5 + grandma and grandpa joined the party, too! The weather was beautiful- sunny but not too hot, and the location so, so beautiful - the Bishop's Garden in DC. Could we ask for more? No, even the kids were perfect and everything went smoothly, much better than expected with 9 months old twins and their 3 year old big brother. Thanks Julie and family for a wonderful afternoon!

project office : choices

2010-08-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

Fireplace wall.
I think I'll go with the "coral".

project office continued

2010-08-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

The floor is done and ready to be waxed...and then buffed...and then waxed again. I 'd hoped that by now I would have been cozied up at my new desk, all organized and tidied up... dream on...not going to happen soon :) It's still a lot of work but it means nothing without pictures. Here is the floor - I'm in love - stained concrete minus the stains :) - those left with the old carpet - Hurray!

project office

2010-07-20T12:13:00.001-04:00

Some renovations were way overdue in our house. Started with the basement/office/hobby room. I hate the carpet and it was so dirty - the room is adjacent to our garage and tends to be our dump/mud room. So the carpet has to go and I have a nice plan for the floor - pssst it's a secret - you will see in "after pictures". Easier said than done - removing the carpet and ugly vinyl floor from bathroom and laundry room is not an easy task -took me two whole days - boy, that stuff is heavy. And the yellow has to go, too - I grew tired of it, ready for something totally different. Here is how it looks now:

strings

2010-05-18T13:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my daughter participated in a Regional String Orchestra concert in Hayfield conducted by Ms. Keenan - we were impressed! She is already a pro at doing it - 2 piano recitals a year, 3 string orchestra concerts, two chorus recitals..
We are so very proud of you Marysia!! Here are the pictures:

new site just launched

2010-05-14T09:57:00.007-04:00

I have very exiting news to share with you!
I've been working on my new website for so long that I am really, really happy to have finished. New design, new logo, new pictures...and it is finally up - thanks to my dear husband who worked his magic to put it on the web. Thank You!
You can visit it here

site down

2010-05-13T14:42:00.002-04:00

my website is down temporarily and will be up soon in new "clothes"

doggie

2010-04-29T11:45:00.005-04:00

Let me introduce our beloved "designer dog"/mutt aka mini goldendoodle - 25% golden retriever and 75% poodle. He was born on July 28th, 2009 and you can see him at about 8 months here. Isn't he the cutest and fluffiest thing ever?!

looking for light

2010-02-12T13:20:00.006-05:00

lesson 3 :: unexpected light

OK, so it was fun. I love experimenting with light and if I cannot find a source I'll look harder, or create my own :) I wish I could have driven somewhere and try the car lights but we were snowed in for a week, no going out except with the puppy. I'll leave it for later then and for now here are the results of my trials. In the first two the light sources are obvious. In the next I was painting with light - flashlight to be specific:

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develop : on fridays : lesson 2

2010-02-06T15:03:00.020-05:00

lesson 2 :: under the influence

It was such an enjoyable and exhausting experience to dig through piles of books and bookmarks to find those more influential. And I dug really deep - time flies so fast and I didn't even realize till now, how many of very important inspirations I managed to forget. Rediscoveries are great and now that I'm a little older I can see clearer what my likes and dislikes really are.
From a very young age I was into art. Any kind - it was something that moved me. And since then I knew I'd always have something to do with it. And so it happened.Somehow I love 2D art a lot, enjoying most techniques. I love chiaroscuro in almost all representations from Caravagg io through Rembrandt to Vermeer. I love how it makes the painting come to live, giving it a 3D effect. And what's interesting - it is not about details for me - the light creating forms is what I'm drawn into.Then I stumbled upon abstract - either color, or form, or order fascinated me and still do. (order less than other two- especially when it comes to my house :-D )
Kazimir Malevich,

Mark Rothko

- big influences with a lot of followers. And William T urner - realistic but in a poetic, moody, abstract kind of way.

How do you connect all of those, together with your love of nature ? You become an architect- ha,ha. I love nature, the calm , uncluttered simplicity of the ocean - very therapeutic and purifying.
Nature inspires me and since architecture is such a "grounded" kind of art ( is it art?) it seemed like the best choice. So what are my biggest influences there:
Frank Lloyd Wright - for his innovative vision, what a cliche, right? :),
Tadao Ando - for the use of light to create the simplest, most emotive forms - genial!!

I love Bauhaus art movement, and though I don't work as an architect I still visit a lot of architectural and design blogs and sites,like these:
iwan baan - architectural photography, really worth visiting;
dezeen - design, art, architecture etc.;
debi treloar - beautiful photography and design;
real life design -very cool to see;
, and furniture stores:
cb2 modern furnishings;
west elm -love the simplicity and the catalog;and IKEA - on foot... and budget :-D;
and etsy (I love etsy!) with all things handmade with love;

And here is what I do with the above, because what would a photographer's blog be without even more pictures:

thank you jefra+liz

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winter calm : develop on fridays : lesson one

2010-02-03T19:33:00.012-05:00

Lesson one :: finding your voice

Another snowy day, and a "snow day" for kids. Would be nice to stay under covers, sipping hot lemon tea, reading, but...on a morning like this you get inspired... the snow, the light - you just can't be trapped under the covers.

develop : on fridays

2010-02-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

I was looking for a push, inspiration, a little nudge in this gray wintry time and I found this
Since sometimes we all need a little nudge ( at least that's what I'm telling myself) I decided to go for it. So over the next several weeks you will find posts that might have a lot to do with my rediscovering myself

crush it

2010-02-02T10:31:00.009-05:00

Crush It! Why now is the time to cash in on your passion.
Yes, that's what I got for my birthday, and can't wait to read it. I'm swamped with reading at the moment and there are several books that I haven't finished yet but there is nothing better than a good manual. Hope for a very creative, eye opening experience. But for now - happy groundhog day to me!

new year - new skin

2010-01-21T14:52:00.016-05:00

Hurray!! My blog just got a new skin. I'm so excited and hope you like it as much as I do. Now I may even post more often here :)
And to let you know what I have been up to lately and to whet your appetites a little, here is:

I plan to have this series for sale as giclee prints soon so visit often to get the info as soon as it gets here.
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Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T22:14:00.002-05:00

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2009-12-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Just dropping by for a moment during this hectic season to announce my "Holiday Specials".
Please send me an e-mail to ask for more information.

Childhood memories

2009-03-09T11:53:00.004-04:00

With friends circa 1978. Salvaged from old slides of my father's.

Ho,ho,ho.......

2008-12-23T22:07:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Fall colors

2008-11-06T14:19:00.013-05:00

It was so much fun to photograph this beautiful family - a "not-terrible-at-all-two" :)) and a kindergartener. The weather was wonderful, the leaves had just started to turn colors (although we hoped for a little more at this time of year) and the kids were great - I couldn't ask for more in any photo shoot!!

L.

2008-11-04T12:58:00.006-05:00

It was the first cold morning this fall. And I mean really cold - thank you L.
for being such a trouper!:) Here are the results:

Holiday photo cards

2008-10-21T12:27:00.009-04:00

Here they are - finally!
New this season - my black and white Nostalgic Collection, a little modern and a lot of fun, since you can customize them with colors and text of your choice.
You can also chose from my Vintage Damask cards - and you can customize them, too! To learn more about this year's collections and how to customize your own please go here.
The last day for holiday sessions is November 15th to ensure that your cards will get to your family and friends on time.
All full sessions taking place from now to November 15th will receive a set of 24 custom holiday cards.

Sisters

2008-10-18T12:56:00.004-04:00

F.

2008-10-18T12:51:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from an almost-photo-shoot with my nephew.

Tooth fairy...

2008-07-31T22:38:00.007-04:00

yes, she came last night and left some $$ for this beautiful first grader. See for yourself.
Also trying out some new self made presets for processing the pictures.

Stormy

2008-07-20T12:23:00.001-04:00

1st wedding

2008-06-20T15:44:00.006-04:00

I had a pleasure to photograph a wedding as a second shooter and an assistant to a wonderful photographer Zoya DiCaprio. Here are the results:

Cool Dude!!

2008-04-25T14:11:00.034-04:00

After a long break I'm trying to catch up with my blog, photography and all the stuff that lags behind. Here are two new pictures of quite a cool dude:-)

I will also try to post some older pictures soon - back in the past, so look for new post with older dates somewhere under this one.

January Reflections

2008-01-15T13:44:00.011-05:00

Just a couple of impressions from a January walkabout in Old Town Alexandria

Family time

2007-11-27T18:41:00.012-05:00

I don't feel nearly as comfortable in front of the camera as behind it...but it was worth the discomfort after all :)

From a November session

2007-11-15T12:08:00.004-05:00

M.

2007-11-14T11:38:00.004-05:00

In the bathtub

2007-11-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

Party at the Smithsonian...

2007-11-02T11:32:00.005-04:00

decorated by very talented Charles Osborne

Trick or Treat?

2007-11-01T20:46:00.001-04:00

New discoveries...

2007-10-30T10:39:00.002-04:00

from the archives - birthday party May 2006

After a week

2007-10-27T13:34:00.004-04:00

This little girl is only 7 days old here...and so cute

Soccer

2007-10-19T20:50:00.001-04:00

click here to go to Kingstowne Soccer galleries

Two days old... almost

2007-10-17T14:33:00.005-04:00

Taken in a hospital

Couples' phototherapy :-)

2007-10-09T10:12:00.005-04:00

Maternity

2007-09-24T19:36:00.006-04:00

Latest maternity session. We all had a blast!

New beginnings...

2007-09-24T08:41:00.003-04:00

Brand new

2007-09-15T09:57:00.001-04:00

They are so tiny, fragile, beautiful...miracles...
I wish you all the best in your brand new life T.

The look

2007-09-12T09:53:00.001-04:00

For the first time in a long, long time he agreed to look into the camera. Here are the results:

Family fun- still proofing August work

2007-09-10T18:30:00.003-04:00

Boys

2007-09-09T17:00:00.001-04:00

...just the end of summer fun

M.

2007-08-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

I just love her eyes here...

Z.

2007-08-10T16:26:00.002-04:00

Another 8 year old

2007-08-10T15:40:00.002-04:00

8 and sooo cool!

2007-08-10T15:12:00.001-04:00

My little baby is a third grader :(

2007-08-10T13:25:00.003-04:00

Just found, proofed and here she is...my sis

2007-08-09T09:56:00.000-04:00

Taken in July

From the archive

2007-08-08T19:27:00.001-04:00

I just found this little gem in my archives,. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Friends

2007-07-30T13:07:00.001-04:00

taken on July 22, 2007

Sisters

2007-07-30T12:57:00.002-04:00

Beautiful, beautiful girls. So pretty and natural in front of the camera.