Moving too fast

I haven't had a chance to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center yet and that makes me very sad.  I must make time to see it at least twice next week before we leave for the holidays.  I just haven't had the time to get in the Christmas spirit this year.  Where does the time go?!?!

Picture from last year

Family Time

A lot has happened since my last post.  My little brother got engaged, my dad got married, and I got into NYU's Social Work program with a generous scholarship.  Life is good. 

11.4.08

It all changes

1.20.09

Meeting Bill Eppridge

I'm taking a break from writing personal statements to post a thread about meeting Bill Eppridge. Last weekend, the huge PDN Photo Expo took place over in midtown. I met up with a few friends Friday afternoon and wandered around the huge trade show. I was feeling pretty uninspired by all the gear and gadgets, but loved the feeling of being in a warehouse full of photographers.

I decided to leave my group with the gadgets and go check-out the free lecture by Bill Eppridge. I started my journey by asking a few people where he would be speaking. No one seemed to know. I ended up two levels down in the wrong part of the expo hall. I headed back to the exhibit area and found where the lecture would be taking place, which was almost exactly where I started.



Bill's stories began after a wonderful introduction by a Pulitzer Prize-winning anchorman. Now, some of you might know the name "Bill Eppridge" but if you don't, I guarantee that you are familiar his work. Bill was one of the first photographers to shoot the Beatles and also worked extensively with a young Barbara Streisand. He was at Woodstock, went to Vietnam, and featured one of the first stories in Life on a couple addicted to Heroin.

While all of these photographs are amazing, Bill is probably most well-known for his pictures of Robert Kennedy. Bill told story after story about the events he witnessed, while a slideshow of his pictures was projected above him. He was in the room, and actually right next to, Bobby when he was assassinated. To hear the story of Bobby's assassination from a first-hand witness was beyond powerful. I felt as though I was listening to a living, breathing, walking history book.




Bill spoke for well over an hour and only stopped because they needed everyone out of the room we were using. After the talk, Bill stuck around and spoke to anyone and everyone that approached the stage. I instantly made my way to the front. I wouldn't say I was star-struck by Bill, but I was in awe of this man. I was completely taken back to have the honor and privilege to shake the hand of a man who had experienced so much of our nation's history. I didn't have any questions for him. I simply told him how honored I was to meet him and that I hope to achieve a fraction of what he's accomplished. His response: "have a good editor." Of course, he can say that; Bill married his editor.



I left the expo completely elated. I couldn't go home, I was too excited. I found the nearest cafe, grabbed some coffee, and wrote. I reflected on what I want to accomplish as a photographer and why I want to pursue a career in social service. I felt empowered, excited, and inspired all by one man's life stories. It has been a long time since I have had the feeling of complete euphoria, but last Friday broke that dry spell. Meeting Bill Eppridge will be something I remember for the rest of my life.

We'd love to use your picture...for free.

Two different websites approached me this week and asked to use the picture above.  My first reaction was excitement.  I was happy that people wanted to use my pictures, I was flattered by the nice things they said, and I felt as if I might be moving past the amateur stage.

I emailed both individuals to discuss compensation and received the same response: they were not able to give any compensation, but would give photo credit.  Now, here's the tough part: do I let them use my picture with my name and hope that I draw some attention to myself or do I hold out for some sort of compensation?  I turned down the first website, and was happy I did after I saw the pictures they used in their article.  The pictures were not bad, but they obviously all came from Flickr and used them for free.  

As for as the second website, I haven't decided what to tell them yet.  The website looks more credible, but overall lacks pictures.  I am leaning towards telling them no and here's why:

-I took the picture with intent.  I knew I only had a few days to get the picture and sure enough, the Lehman Brother's sign was gone before the weekend was over.

-I now have one of very few pictures with the Lehman Brothers and Barclay Capital sign

Last, and I believe most important:

-I do not feel that I need to let people use my pictures for free.  I'm not asking for a large compensation, maybe only a few bucks, but I feel that I would be devaluing my pictures if I was to start letting people use them for free.

That's all I have for now.  I would love some feedback/options/discussion on this subject.  Please feel free to share your own stories. 

Ode to my Little Brother

Don't Worry if Your Job Is Small

Don't worry if your job is small,

And your rewards are few.

Remember that the mighty oak,

Was once a nut like you.

 Anonymous 

I know this poem isn't specifically about brothers, but I felt if was appropriate and way too good to pass up.  

I was looking at the Frog House website tonight and was suddenly struck with how grown-up my younger brother is.  It seems like overnight, he went from a quiet, shy kid to a successful, hardworking, tall and bearded man.  What happened?!? And more importantly, where did the time go?  

I am so incredibly proud of who he's become and cannot wait to see where he is going.  I definitely was a proud sister when I saw my brother's name listed as "Executive Director" of the TCU Frog House.  Shishtopher, I'm so proud of everything you have accomplished.  Thank you for being a great brother and my unofficial-twin.

One thing after another

A lot happening in NYC this week: David Blaine hanging upside, Lehman Brothers becoming Barclay Capital, and (gasp) Sarah Palin.  I have a picture of Palin posted of my flickr if your interested.  That's about all that attention I care to give her.  

As for David Blaine, I will quote the man I heard in Central Park..."He's not a very good magician.  I can see his wires."

 

Just Passing Through: Summer of Old Friends

I'm not sure how or why it happened, but this summer was the summer of old friends. I reconnected with several friends I haven't seen over 5 years! Ethan, Sal, Nicole, Blaine, Vinnie.....I couldn't have planned a summer like this. Maybe that's why it happened. Nothing was planned, people just showed up. Seeing all these friends from different phases of my life brought back a lot of memories: Tennis camp at Newks, late nights at Starbucks, crazy van rides, dressing-up and walking to Adam's house are just a few memories that come to mind.

It is amazing that I have been able to stay friends with so many different people over the years, even through all the changes and transitions.

I feel very lucky to have so many old friends still in my life. I love all of you guys. Thank you for helping me become who I am today.

Two of the friends I reconnected with this summer.

Me, Nicole, and Hunter


Sal and Me

Promised Updates

Wow, it's been a busy summer. I took Danny mountain biking for his 29th birthday two weekends ago in the Poconos. We packed up very early on Friday and headed to the town of Jim Thorpe. The town is about 2.5 hours from where we live, but you feel like you're in a small town in Switzerland. We will definitely be back to mountain bike again and also to try some white water rafting.



I have been very lucky this summer to reconnect with old friends and the honor to make fantastic, new friends. Last week alone, I reconnected with three people that I haven't seen in over four years! I guess everyone decided this was the year to come to the US Open. I have had the honor to get to know June Harrison, who is a fantastic tennis photographer, and just began my class with Donna Clovis. I have a feeling that big things are about to happen.

I will have more stories and pictures up, hopefully, by the end of the weekend. Keep checking back!

Updates

I just returned from mountain biking in the Poconos and am about to get ready for a Photo Walk at Coney Island. The photo walk should be pretty exciting, especially since our group leader organized several events for us. I also just received my new business cards and they look amazing.

Lots more to come soon: posts, pictures, and all of the above. Happy Saturday!

Brownie 2A

I met a couple friends for lunch at the Time-Life building for lunch on Friday. We had a great time discussing photography and enjoyed looking at some of the old Time-Life photographs in the lunch room. On my way home from lunch, I decided to stop by a local thrift store, Astoria's Second Best Thrift Store. I hadn't been in there for several months and enjoyed wandering through the newly organized store. I had made my way to the second half of the store when I stumbled upon two Kodak Brownie cameras.


I played with both of them for a few minutes and decided to see how much they would want for both cameras. I walked out of the store with two Brownies for a total of $6. There are a few small pieces that will need to be replaced, but both cameras are in great condition. I also found out that B&H still sells the film for these cameras. I will hopefully be able to take some pictures with the Brownies in the next few week and will post them as soon as possible.

The New McDonald's

I have a theory....it's probably been said before, but I believe that Starbucks will be (or is) the new McDonald's. Starbucks has some of the only "public" bathrooms in the city, which I take advantage of, but public bathrooms mean a lot of foot traffic, foot traffic that is surpassing the upkeep of the store. I was in Starbucks this evening over on Prince St. and could not believe how disgusting the bathroom was. There was one bathroom (total, girls and guys) for a store that could hold 50-60 people that I waited close to 25 minutes to use.

While waiting in line, I began to have the feeling that is was in coffees version of McDonald's. Customers waited in a long line to have a sugary drink made at lighting speed. I don't know about other coffee drinkers, but my belief is that coffee wasn't meant to be consumed in a hurry. To me, coffee means good conversation or a good book. Something that should be enjoy not quickly, but over a period of time. I guess that is my big problem with the current lifestyle: Nobody slows down.

Last though of the day, next time you are drinking a cup of coffee make yourself slow down. Force yourself to sit and enjoy your drink instead of running out the door. And let me know how that works out.

I leave you with one of my favorite pictures from Governor's Island...

Stock Photography

I now have pictures posted on a stock photography website.  Danny's old roommate visited us last weekend and is also into photography.  I have to thank Dan and Emily for telling me about stock photography.

I only have two pictures up right now, but these pictures are officially for sale.  I will have more posted soon.

I would love any feedback/discussion about stock photography or about my pictures.

http://psc.photoshelter.com/user/kaityv

Favorites

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my trip to Texas...

More to Come...

Once again, it's been a busy couple weeks.  I was in Texas last week from Wednesday to Sunday to celebrate Robyn's 50th birthday and Father's Day and also to see family and friends.  We had a great party on Thursday night at my Mom's apartment with a random mix of friends  and Robyn's surprise party Saturday night at Avanti's (I will post pictures soon).  I got back late Sunday night.  

Tuesday night we went to see the Puppini Sisters at B.B. King (will post pictures soon) and then last night we went to the Kitano Hotel to see Roni Ben-Hur play.  The moral of this story is that I have several new post to come with pictures from my trip and the show.  

For now I leave you with a picture of Mr. Asher:

First Official Photo Shoot

My goodness, I cannot believe 3 weeks have past since my last post. This past week was packed full of fun-filled events, one being my first official photo shoot. I had been talking with Dennis and Darien for several weeks about doing a photo shoot. They both needed publicity photos for their up-coming concert and Darien needed head shots. We planned to shoot outside on Saturday, but the weather was too unbearable. Instead, we settled for a well-light hallway and a silver door.

I had a very different connection and experience with both Dennis and Darien. This was a bit of a surprise to me, since we are all such good friends. We would shoot for 20-30 minutes, take a break, and then continue shooting. I felt that the pictures became stronger every time we came back to shoot.

Overall, I'm very happy with how the pictures turned out. I feel the pictures captured the individual personalities of Dennis and Darien. I would have liked some of the pictures to be a little crisper, but that could have been due to shooting indoors without a light meter. I am very excited to see were this next step in photography will take me. Thanks to Dennis and Darien for being patient with me and taking such great pictures! And thanks to my fantastic assistant for the day, Mr. Danny Stone!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot:

Mr. Dennis Tobenski

Just for Fun

Mr. Darien Shulman

GQ

Happy, Happy Birthday

I wanted to thank my friends and family for making my birthday so special this year. I felt like a princess with all the flowers, cards, and birthday phone calls and texts. My friends and family are the most important people in my life, so thank you for making me feel so loved.

We celebrated my birthday on Friday night with our friends. We went to dinner at a fantastic little Cuban restaurant in the Village. There was quite a comical situation at the beginning of dinner that involved me trying to order guacamole. I had asked the waiter if they had guacamole and he said yes, so I placed an order. A few minutes later, an order of fried plantains showed up at our table. The waiter came over to me to clarify what I had asked for, since the plantains were obviously not what I ordered. I asked him again about the guacamole to which he answered, oh, no we don't have guacamole.

Other than the guacamole conflict, dinner was delicious. I had a seafood paella that came in an authentic paella pan and included a lobster tail, shrimp, monkfish, calamari, mussels, and calms. I could not believe that I ate the whole thing, but it was just that good. Someone told the waiters it was my birthday, so once dinner was done, two waiters came over and sang happy birthday to me. There was a candle in the cake, but this was no ordinary candle. It was like they had stuck a firework in my cake. I will include a picture as soon as I get it.

From there, we moved on to our favorite bar, The Blue Donkey. We definitely owned the bar that night. We started rocking out to some Flight of the Conchords music and then Darien and I proceeded to play a few video games. I think this might have been one of my best birthdays yet. I had such a good time with my new friends in NYC and wished that all my other friends could have been there as well. Thank you all for a great birthday! I love each and every one of you!