One More Week!

In just one week, I'll be hosting the first meeting of the Camera of the Month Club. I am excited (and a bit nervous) to get started! I've really been feeling the need for some peer encouragement, new ideas and inspiration, and I can't wait to see what this brings! 

Once again, here are the details:

Much like a book club, the group will convene at the end of every month to discuss using a particular camera, and showcase their best 6-8 photos to the group. 

• Every month, members will shoot with one camera (film/digital on rotation; brand/type of camera TBD each month)
• Monthly meetings: last Tuesday of every month, meeting location will change accordingly
• Friendly group critique: bring 6-8 best photos to share with group and provide/receive feedback
• Best photos to go on group Tumblr
• Work towards group photography show (s)
• Membership: free

First meeting: Tuesday September 30th, 6:30PM 

Meeting location: Loreley Bar, 7 Rivington St, NY 10002

Camera for October: your choice of Polaroid Camera (vintage/refurbished) or modern day Fujifilm Instax 

Please circulate this new club to your friends or colleagues who would be a good fit. I'm hoping to keep this to a small-medium sized group. Please have them contact me through this website.

Thank you, and happy shooting! I hope you'll join me!
(Camera loans/donations/borrowing will be discussed and explained on one-on-one or monthly meeting basis.)

Camera of the Month Club!

I haven't updated my blog in months...guilty as charged! No time like the present to update my blog, and share my new project. 

I am starting a Camera of the Month Club, and I would love to get fellow photographers excited about this idea. Photography can be a particularly solitary endeavor, and a supportive camera club will provide photographers of all levels with much-needed encouragement, ideas, guidance, and constructive criticism (as well as some happy hours and new friends!)

Details:

Much like a book club, the group will convene at the end of every month to discuss using a particular camera, and showcase their best 6-8 photos to the group. 

• Every month, members will shoot with one camera (film/digital on rotation; brand/type of camera TBD each month)
• Monthly meetings: last Tuesday of every month, meeting location will change accordingly
• Friendly group critique: bring 6-8 best photos to share with group and provide/receive feedback
• Best photos to go on group Tumblr
• Work towards group photography show (s)
• Membership: free

First meeting: Tuesday September 30th, 6:30PM-7:30PM

Meeting location: Loreley Bar, 7 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002

Camera for October: your choice of Polaroid Camera (vintage/refurbished) or modern day Fujifilm Instax camera (s)

Please circulate this new club to your friends or colleagues who would be a good fit. I'm hoping to keep this to a small-medium sized group. Please have them contact me through this website.

Thank you, and happy shooting!
 

(Camera loans/donations/borrowing will be discussed and explained on one-on-one or monthly meeting basis.)

drawn to water

Sandbar on Sand. Relics of Hurricane Sandy, Beach 116.

Feb. 1. 2014

It is no secret that I love the beach. I have also felt a real sense of 'photographers block' when it comes to shooting NYC for some time, unsure of where to point my camera and agonizing over shots that I feel like I have taken years prior. NYC is one of the most photographed cities in the world, and to stay relevant and unique, you have to approach NYC from an angle few other photographers have thought of.

This is where the beaches come in.

For the past two years, I have turned my focus to the beaches of NYC, particularly the Rockaways and Fort Tilden. My Drawn to Water series is a testament to how much I love the beach and ocean. I now go to the beach every month of the year. My documentation of Hurricane Sandy and Rockaways can be found in the Hurricane Sandy & The Rockaways section, which I will speak to in another blog post.

As an avid beach-goer and aspiring surfer, I have held a deep love for the Rockaways since I moved here. The beach has always held a democratizing quality to it, bringing sunbathers, surfers, and families from all walks of life to enjoy the sea and sun.  You forget that you are in NYC for a few hours, and marvel at the refreshing Atlantic waves lapping at your feet. I love catching the beach in all four seasons; Summer beach goers escaping the heat; Fall beach bums trying to soak in the last few days of climate-change induced heat; Winter beach goers taking in the salt air, crisp winds, and brave the cold waves for those of us who winter surf. I especially love catching a storm rolling onto the normally-packed beach, feeling the enormity of Mother Nature cracking thunder over my head, and capturing photos of the beloved angry waves, empty of their usual swimmers.

I could go on, but this list sums it up nicely: 17 Signs You’re Addicted to the Ocean.

Finally, I aim to include beaches from all over world in this section, but the majority of these are from the Rockaways. Beach bums of the world unite!

manufactured nostalgia

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I love Polaroid Film. I own a Sun600 Polaroid Camera, and I have been shooting with Impossible Project's 600 Color Film. When I feel more confident in my Polaroid color skills, I'll start shooting with their Black & White Film.

In a recent conversation with a fellow photographer, we were discussing recent trends in what is deemed popular contemporary photography. My friend exclaimed much of the photography we see in online forums, such as Instagram, is "manufactured nostalgia.” A filtered, improved version of what is really happening.

Manufactured Nostalgia, I thought to myself. I love(d) this term. And guiltily, I suppose my love for Polaroid film is precisely a case of Manufactured Nostalgia. But just the same, I love Polaroid Film. Why? Staging the right shot gets my blood pumping. I wait with impatience and excited anticipation for each photo to develop. I hug the photos tenderly into the crevice of my armpits on a cold day so that the film will develop properly. I have a modern obsession with a vintage phenomenon.

I have also been unequivocally impressed with The Impossible Project in NYC. During my first visit, I nervously waited for the slow elevator to arrive, armed with a host of questions about my camera and the Polaroid process. I asked my questions gingerly, expecting to find bored to hostile employees, and unhelpful and unfriendly service, typical of much of the art and retail scene in NYC. Instead I was greeted with incredibly warm, energetic, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Every time I go, I feel more welcome there. The space itself is beautiful, with great lighting, a mouth-watering array of cameras, great views of Canal street, and great exhibit of photos on display. I highly recommend their openings and parties, I guarantee a great time!

My name is Erica, and I manufacture nostalgia with each of my Polaroid photos.

Soho. December 2013.

starting over

It's funny in life when we have premonitions of upcoming events or an urgent sense one needs to do something quickly, and then shortly afterwards, said event occurs. After putting the finishing touches on this website Friday night, I shut my laptop case proudly and thought to myself, "You did it, you built your own website. Your photos look great. Now it's really time I back up my work."

The next morning, I accidentally dropped my laptop, cracked my hard drive and deleted 5 years of work. I had close to 10,000 images at that point in my iPhoto docket, as well as fellowship applications, college papers, cover letters, memories. Gone. Gulp.

Silver Lining: I kept about 70% of my images intact on my many memory cards, so not all my photography work is lost. I also have every roll of film I have shot over the past few years as well. I still have my health, my loved ones, my cameras, and with enough painstaking effort, the means to buy myself a new laptop.

Along with my many 2014 dreams, goals and aspirations, multiple back up systems are in order! What are your favorite back-up systems? Please share!

Happy New Year

2014 is here and that means new beginnings! A new website, new photos to take, and new places to explore with my cameras.

This is my first time keeping a blog, and here you'll find photography tips and techniques, camera reviews, thoughts on photography in NYC, photographers I admire, and some of my Polaroid shots.

Thanks for visiting!