sunday snapshot # 13

 

Atlantic City

Three generations of family fun.....  Philly cheesesteaks, ice waters, funnel cakes, salt water taffy, the boardwalk, sand, shells, waves..... and lots of giggles.

A day at the beach makes life seem so simple-- it seems to clarify what's true, what's important, and why we are here.  Walking along the shore, picking up shells, and jumping in the waves is good for the soul.

1953

my mom and nana / 1953

my nana / 1953

my mom and uncle Phil / 1953

my nana / 1953

my mom, nana and uncle Phil / 1953

1982

me, my brother and sister with my great aunt Grace / 1982

me, my brother and sister with my great aunt Grace / 1982

1990

my brother and sister / 1990

my brother and sister / 1990

me and my brother / 1990

2014

my niece and nephew / 2014

my niece and nephew / 2014

my niece and nephew / 2014

my niece and nephew / 2014

my nephew / 2014

catching some waves / 2014

August 2014

sunday snapshot # 12

Peace isn't the absence of trouble.... it is the absence of worry.  You can live in peace even when you are surrounded by chaos.  How do you do this?  You have to stop worrying; it's wasted energy.  Just hit delete and keep moving.

When life is spinning out of control we have to remember that everybody has a purpose and everything is going to be ok.... 

Just be.

be in the moment

be in peace

be in God

and be good to others.

Atlantic City 2014

sunday snapshot # 11

Love and hope and joy.... these are things I try to seek each day.

When in doubt, spending time with children can teach us what life is all about. They are a reminder that there is something greater and that we come from a spirit of love and hope and joy.

I love a little one.... with their smushy mouths and pudgy hands.  Nothing like it!  

Got to spend some time with this new lil one and his 2 brothers.  I have known their mom since she was in elementary school, she's like family and it's so great to see how her family has grown.

Welcome to the world little one.

Congrats Andrea and Adam!

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sunday snapshot # 10

YAY!!!! 

This past Friday was the one year anniversary of my website --- launched on August 15, 2013.  

My gallery1126 has been in the works for many years and will always be a work in progress but it's been a good first year.  People ask me... what are you.... a teacher, a mentor, a designer, a photographer, an artist???  And my answer is yep... all of the above.... who wants to be just one thing :)  

I'm just me and I just love art.... pretty simple.  There's a strong connection to photography in my family roots.  Nothing major news worthy and no one famous but loving photographs is in my DNA.

Grandma: Herta Schindlbeck

This is my grandmother's first camera.  It's a Kodak box camera-- part of the brownie series.  She never told me much about it but the fact that she keep it and keep it in good condition says a lot.  I am so honored that my Aunt Janet passed this down to me.

My grandmother's first camera / Six-16 Brownie originally $3-$4

Here are a few of her snapshots of my father (the first of eight kids) using this camera...

Gerald 1943

Gerald 1944

Gerald 1944 ..  love the smile

Pop-Pop: Ralph Chiachetti

And my mom's dad had a great love of photography.... taking and printing his own photos in the basement where he made a darkroom.  Knowing what I know now of traditional photography and having made my own prints, I love holding his original silver gelatin prints.  He died when I was very young so I never got to hear his stories but he is definitely a part of who I am and why I love photography.

Here are some of his prints....

My mom 1946 / Rosemary 2.5 years old

My nana / Ann Chiachetti / 1935 and 1936

And this is one of my most favorite photographs.....

Ann Chiachetti taken in December 1935 by Ralph Chiachetti / Philadelphia

Dad: Gerald Schindlbeck

This is my father's camera....

Minolta range finder

I loved the look of this camera growing up and always remember my dad behind it.  All of our great photos and family memories are because of him.... honestly... if it was up to my mom to be the family photographer, all of the photos would have the heads cut off.  She did not get the photo gene.  She loves a great photo but bless her heart, she can't take a good photo... love ya mama!

I have lots of great memories of playing at the park growing up and my dad pushing me on the swing.... so high in the sky.... such a great feeling.  Here's one of my favorite photographs he took of me on the swings.

me 1980

Me

My first camera was a Kodak disc that I got for Christmas in 1986.  Such a clever design.... I loved that film disc.... very trendy.  I had a few other point-and-shoot film cameras after that and my 35mm SLR.... a Pentax K1000... a classic.  This is it...

my first SLR / 1993

I did share some of my first darkroom prints in a previous post.  They were taken with this camera.  In 2006 I started showing my work.  Here is one of the first photos I printed, framed, and sold as part of a gallery display at Imagine on Main-- a little artisan shop in Oswego. 

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taken with Kodak film 200 Gold

It's from my dad's garden.... another great love of his. Besides the flowers, my favorite thing about his garden was the raspberry bush.  It was great to just pick fresh raspberries right off the vine each day.  Over the years the bushes have slowly gone downhill.  We only had about 5-8 raspberries total this year.  His raspberries really were the best around.  I never did photograph them.

The love of photography has continued down the line.  My niece Layla asked for a "camera like Aunt Annie's" this past Christmas.  She did not get a DSLR but did get a great digital starter camera. And like most teenagers, she love a photo app :)

Here is an iphone photo she shared with me....

Aurora, Illinois / 2014

But more and more, my nephew Aidan is grabbing my camera every chance he gets.  He goes around on his own to see what there is to see.  Here we were working on focal point and aperture. This was taken with my Canon 5d mark ii and 85mm 1.8 lens.

summer 2014

So like I said, nothing news worthy and no one famous.... just the love of looking at life through the lens.

sunday snapshot # 9

Just got back from a trip to Atlantic City.  Our first full day at the beach was CRAZY.... the ocean was fiercely turbulent.  It was amazing to watch the force of the ocean... huge waves crashed down (and knocked all of us over a time or two :) ... churned up lots of black sand and filled the beach with shells and jellyfish.  The next day was calm and clear.

And that's how life is sometimes.  It crashes down on us and knocks us over (again and again for some of us) and it's easy to get sucked into feeling broken but it's important to always get back up and see what there is to see.

“The cure for anything is salt water - tears, sweat, or the sea.” 
― Isak Dinesen

tones of blue, black, white, brown and beige.... i heart walking along the beach

iron particles create the black sand along the upper east coast

a jellyfish washed ashore, taking a little break and hoping to swim another day

sunday snapshot # 8

Rain, rain go away.....  not for this one.  She loves water whether it comes from a faucet, a hose, or the sky.  A playdate at the beach got rained out but that's ok, we had fun running home in the rain and then watching it fall.

Gigi August 1, 2014

Gigi August 1, 2014

sunday snapshot # 7

A chilly but Zen day on the lake in July.  It's nice to tune everything out and have a few moments of reflection.  I am definitely someone who needs Zen time -- time to do some reading, take a nap, get a little space, gather my thoughts and put the pieces back together.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought -- Buddha

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sunday snapshot # 6

These gorgeous smiling sunflower faces turn to follow the sun.  They know something deep in their soul that we sometimes forget.  It's easy to forget.  It's easy to become consumed by things that keep us from our best self.  But like these sunflowers, we will absorb whatever we give ourselves over to. 

It is important to remember:

What you focus on expands.... and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it     ~ Oprah

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows follow behind you.
~ Maori Proverb

 

 

sunday snapshot # 5

Here are some of my first darkroom prints.

Pentax k1000 -- 35mm -- Kodak TMax film -- circa 1993-1994

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” -- Ansel Adams

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walking through the streets of Cadaqués, Spain -- 1994

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Altgeld Hall -- NIU campus -- 1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altgeld's_castles

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first apartment -- Dekalb -- 1993

Working with film is a complex art form. It is demanding and personal and elusive; it makes you really work for it-- to connect and capture and create. With photography, whether darkroom or digital, I am always chasing something.

sunday snapshot # 4

When you are feeling down just look up.....

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Notes: photos taken

July 2013 - July 2014      

iphone 5; hipstamatic app

sunday snapshot # 3

Live in hope.

It's easy to get down... to be overwhelmed with all of the could've-would've-shoud'ves, who said what about you, who likes what you did, who doesn't like what you did, who likes what you said, who doesn't like what you said, who misunderstood, who was unkind, who took advantage, who walked away, who you wish would walk away, where should you go, what should you do, what do you like, what do you want, who do you want to be and are you allowing yourself or others to get in your way????

This inner "talk" is endless-- mine is especially chatty :)  And most of the time what people say and do is more about them than you.  We should be reflective in life but this talk can really get in our way if we don't recognize that it is not always our inner voice, our true self.... it's just talk.

But if we let it all go.... if we look around at the little things.... if we have hope.... that is where our true spirit lives. That's where you find your true self.

This is why I love photography.  It tells us to slow down, to see the little things, to take it all in..... to look for the beauty all around us and to honor the moment.

Side note:  yes, photography, art, design is also part of all of that talk sometimes, all of that art world noise; it can stir up a lot of self-doubt but that's just the life of an artist :)  Some of it is helpful, you just have to consider the source. Take what speaks to you and ignore the rest. I'm trying to ignore it and just love doing it.

Here is one of my first iphone photos.

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Lake Michigan / beach in Saugatuck / 2013

This was a great little moment.  Just me walking along the beach.  That's one of my favorite things to do.  I love all of the things you can find.  

Notes: iPhone 5. TTL (through the lens) with just a quick clean edit in Photoshop CS6-- a bit of sharpening and a touch of blue added to the shadows for a little pop.

sunday snapshot # 2

One of my besties is off to Paris.... lucky girl.  I loved Paris and not because everyone says it is so amazing but because it really is so amazing.  They say Paris is a real life wedding cake -- all of it's neutral tones of white and cream and blush and griege set against black trim and stone -- and it really is this visually quiet and graceful city.  I was not too excited to go to Paris.  I do not speak any French and the little bit I try to pronounce is embarrassing and then you hear how much they dislike anyone who isn't French so I figured it was going to be miserable.  I was excited to see all of the important artworks and landmarks but I expected the traveling about part to be difficult.  I was so wrong.... honestly everyone I met was so friendly and helpful.... and I ended up loving everything about Paris. 

So this is me in Paris.  In 1994 I took a 4 week Art and Design class that travelled and studied in England, France and Italy with my art school.  This is on the ferris wheel in the heart of Paris.  The baskets went around the large frame but could also spin around individually ..... and this is in the middle of a spin.  

me Paris 1994

My friend Aileen was trying to get the conductor to spin another group's basket really fast..... so of course, in return, he spun ours.  As I am holding onto the middle axis for fear of flying out, Hans grabs my camera and snaps a few shots.  This was way before digital.  With film, sometimes you got what you got and you moved on to the next great moment hoping you captured something great.... a true moment.

So this is me in Paris and this is great..... because this was a true moment.  And looking at it now reminds me about all of the great times I had in art school and all of the great people I got to be with, who I don't see anymore but who are such a big part of who I became.

Can't wait to hear every detail of Dawn's trip and see all of her snapshots.... which will probably look a lot like the ones I took in 1994 because Paris hasn't really changed.  Hope to go back someday.

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Paris 1994

sunday snapshot # 1

So today is my birthday....  and the older I get, the more I realize that life is a process of continually letting go and just being.... it's a process of becoming who you were always meant to be... striving to be our highest self.... forgiving.... letting go..... starting over..... and appreciating small moments.

I have had a few rough years lately.... a big life shift.... what I lightly refer to as a "little hiccup."  Chronic pain is a tough one to rise above sometimes.... it is exhausting and it is persistent and it is invisible to others.  When you are in the middle of it, it is hard to see past it.  It can easily defeat you and if you are not careful, it can easily define you.  

At times it can seem too big of a burden to bear but the key to overcoming is to count your blessings.... to appreciate the small things in life.

Life goes by really fast.  If we don't stop every once in awhile and look around and take it all in, we can miss out on the really important stuff.  We can easily become consumed by pain, work, social media, technology, tv, stuff, whatever... so I am starting a blog series and each week I will share a Sunday Snapshot.... a little something to honor this crazy-wonderful-challenging-heartbreaking-beautiful life we have all been given in this crazy-wonderful-challenging-heartbreaking-beautiful world we live in.

So here is a photograph of my niece. She just turned 1 a few weeks ago (and looks much cuter smashing cake than I would).  

She is a good reminder to find joy in everything!

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first days of summer 2014......

It was a lovely day; nothing on the schedule.... just time to sit in the grass, watch some ants and look around... family, friends and photographs are the best things in life!

new 85 1.8 lens

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Gigi turns 1

My niece.  This little girl is quite a character... from day one she has been smiling, determined, silly.... and definitely wakes up with her own agenda each day.  She is full of laughter, love and lots of spunk.  Today she turns 1.

She is too funny!

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the beauty of green

Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises...

Pedro Calderon de la Barca

There is so much life and hope in the color green.... from the deepness of emerald to the zing of lemongrass,  the warmth of olive and the calmness of teal.  I love the soulful quality of this moss; a small little corner with a vibrant life of its own.

rainy day moments...

a little bit of sunshine for a rainy afternoon...pink and yellow hues

quiet reflection as a light rain falls

Applause Applause Applause

I live for the applause plause I live for the applause plause .... plays as this gorgeous pieces comes down the runway; such a perfect song for such a strong piece. Rigid yet fluid, this piece has a strong architectural structure yet swayed beautifully as it moved down the aisle.  But even more surprising.... look carefully and you will see this bride has her very own chair... fitting this year's theme the chair you wear.

I was so excited that artist Sharon Sychta asked me to document her behind the scenes activities the night of ŏn-sŏm' bəl at Water Street Studios on September 7, 2013. The Bride's Chair Gown won Best in Show for fashion...congrats Sharon!

"Neither the simplest or most obvious element of a bride’s gown, this brilliant piece of perversity, necessary to a bride’s comfort on her special day is a contradiction of the traditional role of a bride to be beautiful at any cost.  This relationship is the proof of all bridal elements that, Beauty + Comfort = A pleasurable bridal experience. Who would have known the perfect experience of a bride on her day has a parallel geometrical relationship proven by one of Euclid’s elements for the Pythagorean theorem – the Bride’s Chair " --- Sharon Sychta

follow Sharon on facebook 

and PS.... today is my 1 month anniversary as a dot com.  LOVE!

Hello!!!!!

Finally...... I am a dot com. 

It's been on my list of things to do for several years now but life had a little time out in store for me (a little hard to do a photo shoot hopping around on crutches) and now that I am over that hiccup, I can get back to what I love.... art... design... photography.... color.... drawing.... painting.... 

To capture and create what makes life worth living! 

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