New York City
I love New York City. I never went in as a kid so when I graduated college and got my first job in the city I was terrified. All those streets and taxis, rushing people. How do I hail a cab? How do I get ona subway? Oh forget about the subway! The job was at 34th and Madison. Where the heck was I going! My Dad showed me how to get around. He told me which direction the avenues went and which direction the streets went. I still get it confused. But I did it and I survived. When I had kids one of the things I wanted for them was to not be afraid of the city. I wanted them to know all the ins and outs and not just the 10 blocks from grand central to their first job out of college.
The great writer Pete Hamill says it best here: "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter if you are younger or old. Reading our rich history makes the experience more layered, but it is not a substitute for walking the streets themselves. For old-timer or newcomer, it is essential to absorb the city as it is now in order to shape your own nostalgias. That's why I always urge the newcomer to surrender to the city's magic... Listen to its music and its legends. Gaze at its ruins and monuments. Walk its sidewalks and run fingers upon the stone and bricks and steel of our right-angled streets."”
I have made a really great friend in the photography community. Her name is Colleen Putman. She's the talent that is Colleen Putman Photography. She is just lovely and my kind of person: kind, patient, fun and open to anything! My kids call her "Mommy's friend who lives in the city"....they are crazy about her! We just recently went out on a second excursion with her in the city. It was amazing...Top of the Rock, Lego Store, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Times Square. A lot of laughs, a little origami and good conversation were had in between destinations!! Thank you for an amazing day Colleen and we can't wait to meet up with you again really soon!!!
The start of our journey, waiting for the train...
It was bone chilling cold....
Waiting in Grand Central for Colleen.
A little lost heart...
You spend a lot of time looking up when you are New York City.
The viewing machines used to be where people looked to see the view, now they catch a glimpse of themselves at the top of the Rock. The viewing machines look confused....
Photo bomber....
Colleen is an "origami master"! She taught us how to make these!
Atlas, a man with a lot one his shoulders...
Church World vs. Corporate World
Stain Glass Light
Lego man in St. Patrick's...
Times Square shenanigans...
Mixed messages....
The ride home...
I got caught on camera...his pic is on Instagram...
This blog is part of a a blog circle! Please be sure to click through to see my neighbor, the amazing Nicki Bosch Photography, to see how she spent her 30 minutes this month. Knock here.
Frames in a Day : When Life Hands You Lemons
"When life hands you lemons...You take a picture...
lots and lots of pictures...
and then you can make your lemonade.
30 Minutes in the Life : January 2016
30 Minutes in the Life : A Tale Of Two Walls
“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
~John Ruskin
The two walls in this post are on the same street in New Rochelle, NY on opposite side of the street from each other. Of course, I went to this street because of the colored side but my favorite images are from the brick wall side of the street. It's like anything in life. We go with the intention of liking something in particular and end up falling in love with something that is the complete opposite. I guess the trick is in allowing yourself the prerogative to change your mind.
On one side...
The colored wall in monochrome...just for giggles...
I love the juxtaposition of nature in the city.
And on the other side of the street...
My favorite below... All her color adds some life to the brick wall....maybe it was the color I loved all along...or it's the best of both world's.
Back to the car...
This post is part of a blog circle which means you get to see the amazing art of so many photographers!! The next in line is Stacey Markel Photography. Click below to see her awesome 30 minutes!!
http://
Thank you for stopping by!!!
30 Minutes in the Life : November 2015
My "30 minutes" this month is more like a full day!! It couldn't be helped! When your day involves hanging out in the world's greatest city (just my opinion) with an amazing photographer more than 30 minutes is going to be captured!! I had the unbelievable pleasure of meeting Colleen Putman of Colleen Putman Photography!! She is even sweeter in person than I ever could have imagined.
My kids keep asking me when we will see her again!! My daughter asked me yesterday, "Mommy, when will we see your friend who is the really good photographer and lives in the city again?" I think it's fair to say that this day will go day in their books as one of the "best days of their life".
I included even the out of focus and mistake images in here as well because I guess it just makes the day seem more real. My kids moved a mile a minute exploring the city and I didn't want to stop them too often to get the most perfect shot. I wanted it to have an "on the move" feel. We cannot wait to hang with Colleen again!!!
Without further adieu, my "30 Minutes"...
Please head on to my neighbor in this fabulous blog circle, the wonderful and talented....Stacey Markel Photography!!!
Frames in a Day : We Made Play-dough
I have always been a hands-on Mom. I am always doing something with my kids; teaching them something new or creating something. When my passion for photography developed I spent a little more time on my art and honing my craft. It wasn't taking up all my time, it never could since my kids are my first priority in every sense of the word. Lately though I'm reminded more and more how fast this time goes by. How these little's of mine are growing and changing everyday. Sitting on the floor or creating something together will not be as well received as it is RIGHT NOW. There's a small window of time.
My littlest is in pre-school. Next year she will be a full time kindergartener, which in this day and age means full-time student. More cerebral time and less imagination time. Sad, but a sign of the times. Anyway, a few weeks ago she came home with a recipe for play-dough. Her school was asking parents to make some play-dough with their children and donate it to the school. The recipe lay on my kitchen counter.....for many, many days. I moved it from counter to counter and back again as it got in my way. A week went by, the ingredients of a few night's dinner started to gather on the paper and coffee stained the edges. I knew if I put it in "the pile" it would get lost and we would never make the play-dough. I wanted to make the play-dough with my daughter but more importantly I felt I "needed" to make the play-dough with her; Needed, for memories' sake.
So the day came....I set out one morning, it was my goal for the day. We went food shopping for the ingredients. When we returned home, play-dough making commenced. We have a very small galley kitchen. "I will not care about the mess," I vowed to myself.
And with my trusty canon close at hand, I documented our time together. I wanted this moment documented for us. I have vague recollections of time doing such things with my Mom. Nothing documented. Life can change in the very blink of an eye....and faster than you can ever imagine. This is more than just making play-dough for a pre-school classroom. So much more.
Our secret ingredient....purple glitter. Because, well, what doesn't pair well with purple glitter!!
and while it cooled....
M + C = Mommy and Caroline...
There is an amazing documentary photographer, Dawn Blomquist. What she captures through her work is true documentary and real. I so wish she could have documented this for me so that I can be in these images as well. She's is Seattle and aI'm in New York. So, distance being it's inconvenient self, my daughter will just have to settle for my hands that made it into some of the images. If you don't know Dawn's work, please click here.
Thank you for stopping by!!