15% Off Prints and other Products
CYBER MONDAY SPECIALCarry your favorite accessories in a stylish SHAZnyc Photography gallery print.
Carry your favorite accessories in a stylish SHAZnyc Photography gallery print.
Specials Prints and Wall Mounts
Bring your favorite stylish SHAZnyc Photography gallery print into your home.
CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL: 15% Off Prints and other Products
CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL: and all this week. SHAZnycPhotography is offering a special 15% discount off of Prints and many other Products.
Enter Coupon Code SHAZCYBER121 at checkout to receive a discount.
During the checkout process, navigate to the Shipping Method page.
Type the coupon code SHAZCYBER121 into the field to the upper right of the photographer's name and click Apply.
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Danielle's Prom
I had planned on spending the remaining time this year experimenting with different lightings.
On these photos, I used two different reflector -- a gold on one of these shot and silver on another, the sad news is, I don't remembered what colour I used on what photo.
I need to take better notes next time.
Cecilio is off to his high school senior's prom in Williamsburg Brooklyn NY.
He insisted on tying this own tie :-/ My baby brother is all grown up now, for sure.
Just look at him standing in that "Good Light", as always.
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K_and_S_12_12_12_090All In The Details.
~ K and S Wedding, 12/12/2012 at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, in Downtown Brooklyn NY ~
K_and_S_12_12_12_103bAll In The Details.
K_and_S_12_12_12_018All In The Details.
All My Christmases Were Green.
This is one of the many Caribbean songs I grew up with back in the days.
I've Never Seen A White Christmas.
All my Christmases were green.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Have you ever seen a white Christmas.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Have you ever seen a white Christmas.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Such places I've never been.
I couldn't let a school bell from a jingle bell.
All my Christmases were green.
So how can I be dreaming of a white Christmas, when it's something I've never seen.
I've never seen snow on any tree.
All my Christmases were green.
All this fireplace and chimney talk, mistletoe and things.
Imagine walking in the winter wonderland and the big bright sun shining.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Such places I've never been.
I couldn't tell a sleigh from a jackass cart.
All my Christmases were green.
So how can we be dreaming of a white Christmas.
Or Chestnut roasting on an open fire.
Or Jack frost nipping at your nose.
Or Walking in the winter wonderland.
Walking in the winter wonderland.
Walking in the winter wonderland.
Walking in the winter wonderland.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Such places I've never been.
All these red roses here and Santa Claus, dressed up in his clothes.
Imagine Christmas in the tropic winter sky, this should never be so.
I've never seen a white Christmas, I've only heard of snow and sleet.
The closest I've come to any snow, is when I buy snow cone down the street.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Have you ever seen a white Christmas.
I've never seen a white Christmas.
Have you ever seen a white Christmas.
It was 20 years ago today that the first text message was sent. It was Dec. 3, 1992, and Neil Papworth, an engineer working in the UK, sent the world's first short message. It read "Merry Christmas."
Cecilio's 18th Birthday 2012
We celebrated Cecilio's 18th birthday today. Well, actually his birthday was yesterday, the 1st of December, but he's all grown up now and he wanted to hang out with his friends on his birthday, so we (his family) had to settle for the 2nd of December.
CHEERS!
The cat has figured out how to remove the "Father Christmas Hat" and completely disassociated herself from it.
I'm very pleased President Obama finally visited New York, especially Far Rockaway Queens NY. The Rockaway's seems so far away from the City (but it's not, not really) that it took a while before anyone paid any attention at all to the destruction there.
A friend gave me a mini tour of her hood, and I have to say it was not a pleasant one. I don't know how to begin to describe the devastation. But one of the major aspects that stood out in my mind is the amount of sand Hurricane Sandy left. It seems to me that when the sea arose, it brought the sand about three blocks inland, and left a few feet of sand in the homes and mountains of sand in the streets. It is as though the Rockaway Beach wanted to relocated itself...
...Which leave me with many questions. One of them being, if the Rockaway's is rebuilt, will the ocean keep pushing back?
SEE MORE PHOTOS IN THE HURRICANE SANDY GALLERY
Summer time and it was so hot that some of the fallen leaves were singed into lovely shades complementary to the colours of the subjects of this Engagement photo session. My main concern was how not to work up a sweat in spite of the heat. It was easy to look cool in this kind of a heat because the foliages were vibrant and pleasing to the eyes.
I've been getting on the A train a lot lately and ridding it just for fun. This is a view from the Howard Beach station near Jamaica Bay in Broad Channel.
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A train to Queens
I love traveling on the A train to Far Rockaway Queens. Far Rockaway (Rochaweygh) means "Place Of Sand" in the Munsee language of the Native American Lenape.
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I took the A train to Queens and got off at the Beach 60th Street station with the intention to shooting the snow, but then I got distracted.
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Photo Of The Week Challenge: Zoom Blur
Sunday I was fortunate to viset a friend in Roosevelt Island for a tennis game. Even though it had been years since I last played tennis in collage, I jumped at the opportunity knwing I will have a chance to shoot some night photography of Manhattan.
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Photo Of The Week Challenge: Transportation
I like to visit The High Line Park, located on the West Side Highway, running along side the Hudson River.
Photo Of The Week Challenge: Silhouette]]>
Photo Of The Week Challenge. Reflection.
This photo wasn't plan, it was a miss fired shot. I was framing the shot when my finger accidently touch something. My idea was to position my nephew so that his reflection would fall on the water. He turned away when that stupid boat sailed by, and he moved a little, his head and foot came out of the frame. Now, about the ripples in the water - that was my niece playing with a stick in the water and making those ripples, splashing water on my damn camera. I soon got her out of there...
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I catch this shot the day before Hurricane Irene came through Brooklyn.
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50mm f/3.5 1/500 sec.
The Photo Of The Week Challenge #2 "water".
I was sitting on a bench at the High Line park, waiting for the sunset to change the colour of the Hudson River when I took this picture of this couple eating ice cream and playing in water.
The "water" in this photograph is a thin layer of water that runs sort of under your feet when you are standing on the marble slate. It was designed to look like glass. When you are looking down at the water, it does not appear to be wet, and you just have to take your shoes off to make sure that it is indeed water flowing there.
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Brooklyn Bridge View From The Manhattan Bridge
The Photo Of The Week Challenge #1 "Bridge"
I walked over the Manhattan Bridge to get a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge for my Photo Of The Week group on Google Plus. But my high sprite soon fell when I saw the Brooklyn Bridge under construction and half of it covered in sordid off-white canvases. I had given up my evening cocktail hangout for this, so I kept on walking, thinking the fresh air will be of some purpose. When I got to about the bridge mideast point, I figure I might as well shoot something. I decided to make a silhouette of the Brooklyn Bridge to hide some of the squalider drape covering it. The result is the photo above.
The photo I ended up submitting for my Photo Of The Week however, is the photo below, which came by somewhat of a surprise. I did not know I had it until I got home and downloaded the lot.
Disappointed with the Brooklyn Bridge being under construction, I started shooting the graffiti on the Manhattan Bridge, when I notice the riders were waving at the camera, because they thought I was shooting them. I went along shooting the riders just for fun. But it wasn't until I got home and downloaded all the images, did I fine this gem. It just goes to show that the Brooklyn Bridge may be prettier, but the people on the Manhattan Bridge are friendlier.
my first blurb book
everything is coming up bokeh
My first book "everything is coming up bokeh" by the Blurb printing service didn't take as long as I thought it would.
First off, it was very easy to set up my layout after I download the Blurb BookSmart application. On the Blurs web site there is a free bookmaking software as well, loaded with pre-designed and customizable layouts and a selection of fonts.
After I'd finish my layout and uploaded the book to the Blurb print server, I waited anxiously. And in only 6 days UPS Ground service was at my door with my new book.
Over all, the colours look great. There is a slight difference in the printed pages and the colour resolution on my computer screen. But the differences are so minimal that, I think, only I noticed. In other words, my first book looks awesome.
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Sunday Clematis
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Yellow Spider
NIKON D200, f/3.2 @ 60 mm, 1/60, ISO 400, No Flash.
I have been to the Philly Flower and Garden Show so many times, that I stop looking at a flower as just a flower. I start looking for the personality within each flower. I look for the story the flower is trying to portray. I find at that some times, only a part of it is needed to illustrate it's particular individual characteristics.
In the case of this Spider Flower, shooting from a different angle for a change, and a limited supply of lighting made a thorough and dramatic change in the form and character of this flower.
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Dangerous Slippers.
The Lady's Slippers.
NIKON D200, f/3.2 @ 60 mm, 1/20, ISO 400, No Flash.
Every year, my sister flowergirl_deb and I meet in the middle at the Philly Flower and Garden Show. She travel up from DC, and I travel down from NY. It has become our thing. We look forward to this trip because we both love planting and gardening. This year's theme was "Spring Time In Paris".
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Why am I not surprised that it's snowing again. The weather warmed up over the week end just enough for the old snow to melt, almost. Then two days later a new set of snow arrived and spew its lovely whiteness. The new set of snow seems to be melting rapidly at first. Some of my neighbors took this as a sign not to shovel their sidewalks. But then the temperature dropped and the remaining snow turned to ice, making it difficult to walk down my street.
As Brooklyn is crawling along with it's thawing, I can finally see some signs of life that was once there before the big snow fall. I want the snow to be gone already. I have had enough. And from the look of it, it is hard to tell the snow from the garbage that was never picked up by the sanitation department, who befittingly does not see things the way Brooklyners do.
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Cosmo star
1 ¼ oz Grey Goose
¼ oz Triple Sec
1 Table Spoon Frozen limeade concentrate
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with 3 Blueberries and 1 thin slice of Starfruit (Carabola).
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It was a night or a few before Christmas and I was running around Union Square, because of course, I'd left some gift shopping for the last minute. I promise myself never to do this again, for he stress was too much. One of My New Year resolutions is to stop my constant procrastination. It has not been working so far. But I have got about ten month to go.
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Stop any New Yorker and say “fall foliage” - and he or she will probably respond with, "what!". No one ever pay attention to colour changes here.
]]>All the reviews are based on my personal opinions. These are gadgets and products that I have bought and am using at the time of the review. The reviews are my own experiences that I am sharing with you and are in no way being sponsored by the manufacturers of the products I am reviewing. I hope you find them useful.
Wedding Album and DVD Case
- The front of the DVD Case, printed by Whcc Pro Printing Service.
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- The Back of the DVD Case, printed by Whcc Pro Printing Service.
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- The front of the Album Cover, printed by Apple Printing Service, by way of iPhoto.
I could not decide which one of the two of my favorite Online Printing Service to pick from. Although Mpix Pro and Whcc Pro both uses the Pro ROSE App for ordering Prints, and their prices are about the same, the DVD Cases were a bit cheaper at Whcc Pro. Also I knew that Whcc Pro offers free shipping and I that Mpix Pro did not offers free shipping. So when it became time for me to choose where to order the wedding prints and DVD Case, I went with the ROSE App I had order from in the pass, well, it really came down to the cost of the DVD Case, because the case is cheeper at Whcc Pro. The Wedding Photos from Whcc Pro came back looking great as usual. But it was the DVD Case I was anxious to see. I have never printed DVD Cases before, and was nervous about the images placements. Although I followed the Whcc DVD Case template, I was still worried that the back image may over lap to the front. My anxiety was short lived because Whcc Pro shipped everything by way of Free Next Day UPS. Within a day and a half I had my answer.
The DVD Case:
The DVD Case looks awesome: the colours were slightly off, which was to be expected due to the elegant vinyl coating. The DVD Cases are offered in a lustre or metallic (I chose lustre) photographic print wrapped around hardboard finished with a matte laminate, and include a magnetic closure to ensure the case stays closed. I had the option of single disc or double disc case. DVD Cases can be ordered with no minimum quantity required, I could have even mixed and matched designs in one order, that is if I wanted more then one DVD Case.
The Photo Album:
iPhoto app to the rescue! I do not like Apple Print Service for prints. It might be the type of photographic paper they use that made the prints I tested there came back looking like a bad bashed job. Although the prints looked unpresentable, my Photo Album are always spot on. So for this reason I only order iPhoto Book from Apple, but not individual prints.
iPhoto’s Coffee Table Hard Cover Books themes makes it quick and easy to put together a Wedding Photo Album. This leave me with more time to spend on the post processing of the images and less time designing a Book from scratch. Once I choose a album theme I like, I may change the lay-out - background color, font, full-bleed, two-page spreads, crop or resize the photos to my liking. I also add song lyrics or poems and design the Dust Jacket cover. Once I am done with designing the Photo Album, I send it off to Apple through the iPhoto app. Apple Print Service is slow. It takes about three days to print, and even with Express FedEx, it still takes about five to seven days altogether for the finish Photo Book to get to my door.
The Apple iPhoto Books are worth the wait. The colours are gorgeous, the hardcover is stiff and the pages are sturdy. The Photo Book comes with a stylish, tightly fitted white box with the grey Apple logo on it. I cut out the logo and replaced it with my own, which make a great presentation.
My clients are always impressed with the Photography Packages I give to them, and I am alway in awe with the pleasure I see on their faces due to my presentations.
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All the reviews on this blog are base on my personal opinions. These are gadgets or products that I have bought and are presently using. The reviews are of my own experiences, and are in no way being sponsor by the manufactures of the products. I hope you find them useful.
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How To Laminate Your Own Photos At Home:
How To Laminate Your Own Photos At Home:
My Wide Format Printing class at Pratt Institute had a great opportunity to visit my professor Ken Taranto at his print studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. Professor Taranto demonstrated lamination, encapsulation, mounting, plexiglas face mounting, how to make placemats and apply the techniques to our photographs. [You can Contact Ken Taranto at Phone #: 212-691-6070. Email: [email protected]]
I tested out two copies of the same image made as inkjet prints scanned from a black and white negative. One scan was made using a fluid mounting “wet” technique on an Epson V750 scanner. The other was a “dry” scan made on a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000ED Scanner.
I made two Placemats which I am going to share with you.
Laminating Placemats ~
The Placemat is encapsulated between two pieces of adhesive backed Vinyl Films.
For my TOP Vinyl Film, I didn’t want a shiny look so I chose Seal Print Guard Satin Matte, a 3 mil Vinyl Film with a semi-matte surface. I guess you can call it a pearl surface as well.
I left some excess on the edges of my Photographs for trimming after the Laminating process.
The BOTTOM Vinyl Film is a thicker 5 mil glossy Vinyl Film because it adds rigidity to the Placemat and is easy to wipe clean.
Laminating Placemats By Machine ~
Both Top and Bottom Vinyl Film have one adhesive side each, but require low temperature to apply them. Vinyl Films that require low temperature (175-200 degrees) are more suitable for archiving and protecting inkjet prints. Higher temperatures can be harmful to inkjet prints.
The Laminator Machine is first loaded up with the two rolls of Vinyl Films.
Top Vinyl Film is loaded up in such a way so that when it wraps around the top roller the adhesive side faces down and towards the face of the Photograph.
The Bottom Glossy Vinyl Film is loaded onto the bottom roller so that the adhesive side faces up and towards the back of the Photograph.
The Photograph is fed through the first roller of the Laminator Machine at the rate of 3 feet per minuet in order to press the two Vinyl Films and the Photograph together without bubble forming.
The Photograph and Vinyl Films then passes through a second pull roller to let the films cool without curling. The second roller ensures the Placemats will lie flat.
Laminating thin pieces such as Placemats by machine is much more efficient, because it encapsulate the Vinyl Films and Photograph in one step. The Machine also applies heat at a low temperatures of 175 to 200 degrees to the Vinyl Films and Photograph as they passes through the rollers..
Laminating Placemats By Hand ~
When Laminating by hand use pressure sensitive adhesive laminating Vinyl films. (peel and stick Vinyl Films)
Both Top and Bottom Vinyl Films have one adhesive side each, but do not require temperature to apply them. They are commonly called PSA (pressured sensitive adhesives) cold laminating film because they don’t require any heat to be applied.
Step 1 ~ The Top Vinyl Film is applied first. With the Photograph face up. Peel back 1” inch of the release liner and fold it down. (that is the paper protecting the adhesive side). Then stick the adhesive side of the Vinyl Film to the top front of the Photograph. And with the side of the palms of the hands, press down and out towards each side at the same time with both hands. Keep working in this way (small portion at a time) until the bottom of the Photograph is completed. It is very important to apply strong and even pressure in order to prevent bubbles from forming.
Step 2 ~ The Bottom Vinyl Film is applied basically the same as in STEP 1.
The Bottom Vinyl Film is more likely to stretch and curl if it is thinner. So be careful to only apply just the right amount of pressure.
Step 3 ~ Place the Laminated Photograph on a flat surface, and with a T-Square trim the edges of the photograph.
If the Placemat is still curling after you are finished, try rolling it backwards (against the curl) and leave it rolled up over night.
Step 4 ~ Taking Care Of Laminated Placemats ~ To take good care of the finished Placemats: simply wipe the top and bottom with a damp cloths or sponge. Keep them away from high temperatures.
Wall Mounts With Dibond ~
Dibond is great for Wall Mounting Photographs because of its stability. The Dibond used here is, two thin sheets of aluminum sandwiched with a dense polypropalene center.. When mounting large scale Photograph, Dibond is the way to go because it is rigid, but not brittle, and doesn’t bruise or warp as easily as most other thin substrates.
A Double Sided Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Vinyl Film is needed to stick the Photograph on to the Dibond.
Step 1 ~ Cut the Dibond to the size of what the finish Photograph will be. Or buy it pre cut from FoamBoardSource.com.
Make sure to smoothly sand any rough edges and wipe clean the Dibond.
Step 2 ~ Then cut the Photograph 1/8’’ inch bigger then the Dibond all around.
Step 3 ~ Cut the Double Sided Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Vinyl Film 1/2” to 1” inch larger then the Dibond all around.
Step 4 ~ Lay the Dibond on a flat surface with the cleanest and smoothest side facing up. Then take the Double Sided Adhesive Vinyl Film and peel back 1” inch of its bottom release liner (that is the paper protecting the adhesive side). Line it up to the top edge of the Dibond, letting about 1/4 ” overhang the edges of the Dibond, and then stick it into place.
Now with the 1” inch of the top edge of the Adhesive Vinyl Film stuck to the Dibond, flip the whole thing over and trim off the excess Vinyl Adhesive with a sharp Exacto knife. ( that is the 1/4” overhang the edges of the Dibond).
Step 5 ~ After trimming the edges off the Adhesive Vinyl Film, flip the board over again so that the Adhesive Vinyl Film is facing up.
Position the Photograph on the coated board very precisely (that is the side of the Adhesive with the top release liner not yet peel back) so that the image area covers the board on all four sides. Put a weight like a phone book on the Photograph so it doesn’t shift. Now, lifting the Photograph at the top edge very gently so the it doesn’t slide on the board, peel back and fold down 1” inch of the release liner from the top side of the Adhesive on the Dibond and gently lower the Photograph against the exposed Adhesive with the center making contact first. Press the Photograph down moving outward from the center.
Step 6 ~ With the Double Sided Adhesive Vinyl Film sandwiched between the Dibond and the Photograph: using the side of the palms of the hands, press down and outwards from the center. Keep working in this way (peeling small portion at a time) until the bottom of the Photograph is completed. Make sure your hands are clean and dry and consider wearing cotton gloves to avoid scratching the surface of the photograph.
It is very important to apply pressure correctly in order to avoid bubbles or creases.
Step 7 ~ Turn the Dibond over and make sure the worktop surface is clean and smooth. A self healing cutting matte is ideal so you can use an Exacto knife to easily trim off the excess.
Step 8 ~ To Protect The Surface Of The Photograph ~ a UV Protective Spray Coat is strongly recommended.
Step 9 ~ Mounting The Photograph On The Wall ~ You have the option to frame the print and use hardware that comes with the frame or glue directly to the Dibond either cleats or a box frame made of wood or an aluminum brace.
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- The Mophie Juice Pack For iPhone
- The Good, The Bad And The Gluey
After buying and using the The Mophie Juice Pack for two weeks, here are my views on it.
My iPhone slides downward into the Juice Pack and connects to a 30-pin dock connector that is similar to the Apple iPhone dock. Everything on the iPhone is accessible when the the iPhone is docked. It does not block the camera or any other peripherals. When I plug the iPhone in, the battery icon changes to the “Charging Icon”. Once docked, my iPhone will run off of the Juice Pack juice until the charge is depleted. From that point on, I can actually remove the Juice Pack and continue running the fully charged built-in iPhone battery.
The Good:
The Mophie Juice Pack gives me what I always wanted for my iPhone, which is an extended battery life. I get about 12 hours when both the iPhone and the Juice Pack is fully charged. In that 12 hours, I can play my music, watch movies and surfing the web with no sluggishness.
The Juice Pack comes in one piece and my iPhone fits right onto it very tightly, so there is no slipping.
The Juice Pack is a very sleek and fashionable design with a velvety, rubber type coating and rubber strip grips on the sides.
The Juice Pack has a bit of protection for the bottom and back portions of the iPhone.
The Juice Pack inside is a cheese-soft neon green colour which makes it easier to find in my bag of gadgets.
The Bad:
My biggest problem with The Mophie Juice Pack is, I can not find a case to fit the iPhone while the Juice Pack is attached.
The Juice Pack offers some protection to the bottom and back parts of the iPhone, but the screen and top portions of the iPhone are exposed and I am starting to see scratches on my iPhone.
The velvety rubber type coating on the Juice Pack scratches way too easily and is prone to nicks and tarnish on the edges. This could be prevented if the Juice Pack had a thin case.
The Mophie Juice Pack charges the iPhone but not while the Juice Pack is being charged. In order to charge both the iPhone and the Juice Pack at the same time, I must plug them both in separately.
I can not do any syncing while the Juice Pack is connected to my iPhone.
The Juice Pack is thick and bulky, and it is so tight, that it is almost impossible to remove it from the iPhone. I found a technique for removing the iPhone from the Juice Pack, but the position I must get into and the faces I make while doing this, is very unladylike, so instead I take my boyfriend with me as a backup to remove the Juice Pack for me.
The Gluey:
The Mophie Juice Pack rubber strip grips on the sides, peel off easily. I have to constantly stick it back into it's place.
When the Juice Pack is warmed up, the glue from the strip grips melts and spills out on to the Juice Pack and on my fingers, which makes a sticky mess.
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