Friday, June 5, 2009

Hallie's Bat Mitzvah




I love love love when clients call me to photograph another event or photo session for them....nicest compliment in the book, the way I see it. This was the case for Hallie's Bat Mitzvah as I worked with her family a few years ago for Hallie's sister Julia's Bat Mitzvah. I was really looking forward to photographing this fun, hip family again and was dumbstruck when I saw Hallie this time. She was all grown up! What a difference a few years make. I felt like I very much celebrated her becoming a lady with all her family and friends.
































Hallie seemed so cool and collected before her ceremony. I was personally quite ecstatic with the beautiful lighting opportunities at the temple, particularly with the lovely (and quite gigantic) stained glass.












The party was sure to be fantastic. Held at the Coveleigh Club in Rye, NY, Hallie's Bat Mitzvah had a waterfront setting and architectural details from a classic era. I know that Hallies mom, Heidi, worked tirelessly to make sure all the decorative details for "Halliewood" were perfect. It was so fun and so very classy at the same time.
























The party was a blast. Dance floor packed at all times and Hallie very much enjoying her big night.


















Speaking of fun and classy, I just can't decide which of these images are my favorite from the day. I am equally impressed with the family portrait as I am with the air these kids got!!



Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Baby Eric





I recently had the pleasure of photographing another newborn baby. I love getting that phone call! Baby Eric is just 11 days old in these images yet he fit into his new surroundings just beautifully....sleeping most of the session.

Proud first time parents Elena and Eric were clearly in awe of their little one. Elena fit so naturally into her mommy role. If Eric ever fussed, just being in his mother's arms soothed him immediately, as you can see in this image. I particularly love the window lighting on Eric here.









I just love this serene dad moment. Junior is completely unaware of just how loved he is by his proud daddy.











A few more favorite shots from the session.....




It is always so flattering to photograph the first "professional" images of a child and this one was particularly enjoyable for me. It reinforced my decision to return to my photography work after taking some time off recently to have my own children. I truly feel blessed to witness and capture such happy events. Also, my own children recently celebrated their birthdays (4th and 2nd), so it came at a time when my husband Joe and I are amazed that they were ever as little as a newborn baby. Seeing 11 day old Eric (and his little toes and his little hands and sweet coos) just brought it all back.


Welcome to the world, baby Eric!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Ode To Karcich Photography

Welcome to my first blog post! I've been thinking a lot about which subject is most worthy of my very first posting.....a particularly great wedding? A sweet newborn session? Something about my personal life? I've decided that it would be most appropriate to go back in time a little bit - well, a lot, actually - and pay homage to my dad's photography business, Karcich Photography. A time WAY before blogging, the internet, digital cameras.....and even before color film. So much has changed and one of my dad's many comments about my business says it best, "How will people find you if you're not in the phonebook?"

Funny thing is I have been holding onto two artifacts from Karcich Photography meant to be displayed in my home showroom but have been very indecisive about where to put them. Well, for starters I'll post them here.

The first artifact is my dad's old camera. Yes, it's an "accordian" camera. How neat is this thing? It's so fascinating to me to see how far photography has come, but when you really break it down, people have always been interested in creating interesting images and it's really just the tools that have changed. Lucky for me, the tools are just SO much easier to use nowadays. My dad is in awe (and I think a little jealous) of what I can do with my camera and without a darkroom.

More of my dad's quotes:

"You mean you can shoot a few hundred images without film? Where does it go?", my dad asks.

"When I shot weddings, people were happy with 60 pictures."

And my favorite: "Don't shoot black and white. It put me out of business!"

This stuff if priceless, don't you think?

The second artifact is this photograph (of course one of the artifacts has to be a picture). This is the front of my dad's studio, with yours truly in the carriage and my mom standing beside it. There are photos of me on the other side of the studio window (what can I say, my parents were very proud) and can you believe how far strollers styles have come? Anyway, this photo says a lot to me. First of all, like many photographs of my own kids, the parent that is the photographer is NOT in the picture. This image also elicits feelings from a different era - a photographer had no choice but to have a storefront studio back in the day. Karcich Photography was on bustling (and still bustling) Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens. That's some expensive real estate! I am fortunate enough to climb out of bed, go up a flight of stairs and see what my business has in store for me that day.

Today? I start a new era. Karcich Photography is on the internet. No more phonebook.

--