Ruling Out a Career in Wedding Photography

On occasion I amuse myself in thinking what kind of photographer I might be if I quit my day job and focused on photography full time.

Wedding photography is particularly intriguing. After all you are capturing people in what are hopefully some of their happiest moments. But sometimes when I (the blissfully unencumbered wedding guest) see the photographer juggling three cameras and trying in vain to get all the happy, celebrating people organized into attractive and symmetrical arrangements, I wonder whether wedding photography is as lovely as it sounds, or as exhausting as it looks.

I think I would rather just sit back and enjoy the happy moments with the bride and groom and take it all in, as I did last weekend at the wedding of two dear friends. Though as you can see, I did take out the camera once or twice, just for a little practice. I couldn't help myself. The light was right, the children were adorable, and how often do you get to take pictures of your friends looking so fancy?

CLICK June: Yellow for Bri

It is terrifying to me that cancer has touched the life of almost everyone I know in some way or another. Has it always been that way? Or does it seem to others as well that it becomes more and more prevalent as years pass? Fortunately people are paying attention and countless dollars are contributed each year to help scientists, hospitals, and individual patients pursue a cure. Still, cancer will at some point confront someone we know--all the more reason we should make every effort to address it however we can. It's one of the reasons I ran two marathons with Team in Training, an organization dedicated to raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

This is on my mind right now because few weeks back I received a very thrilling email asking me to be one of the judges for the June Edition of CLICK, an aptly named food photography event that is hosted every month by Jugalbandi (a blog that inspires me in two of my very favorite things: cooking and photography).

This month's CLICK is far more than just a food photography contest, however. Bee and Jai, the talented twosome behind Jugalbandi, are combining CLICK with a fundraiser in support of a close friend and fellow blogger, Bri Brownlow (author of Figs With Bri), who is currently fighting Stage IV cancer.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28, two and a half years ago. After a mastectomy, chemo, and two years apparently in remission the cancer is back and has metastasized to other parts of her body. Bri lost her own mother to breast cancer when she was just a girl, and now she's fighting that same battle. More about it here.

The fundraiser that Jugalbandi is hosting in conjunction with the June edition of CLICK will help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for one year. The goal is $12,000.

As a way of supporting Bri, various photographers, chefs, and other talented friends have donated some incredible items that will be raffled off as part of the fundraiser (personally, I have my eye on that Gorillapod). Every donation will go towards a raffle ticket for the item of your choice, and the funds will go directly to Bri.

CLICK has a different theme every month, and this month's CLICK theme was Bri's own choice: Yellow--the color of hope, which through the work of Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation, has come to signify the fight against cancer. I know that all you photographers out there could do amazing and creative things with that theme. Below is my first attempt:


The deadline for submitting a photograph for CLICK is June 30, 2008, and you will be able to view all the entries here. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

Please check out Jugalbandi for more information and support this campaign by participating in the fundraising raffle, submitting a photo on the theme of Yellow for CLICK, and by encouraging others to do the same.

We're rooting for you Bri.

I Have a Date Too

Nobody would begrudge a girl a date on a night when her husband is off next door playing cards with his friends, right? That's what I thought too, so to console myself while hanging out at home all by my lonesome I made a date for myself. And not just any date, but one stuffed with creamy goat cheese, wrapped in a thin slice of prosciutto, and tossed in a warm pan for no more than 30 seconds until the prosciutto softens around the date and the goat cheese melts just ever-so-slightly. Yum. Somebody's missing out, no question about it.

Bianca

There is no doubt that our niece Ariana has the title of "Cutest Little Girl on the Planet" all sewn up, but she may have a little competition coming her way from the Brazil/Japan/Canada corner. We spent last weekend hanging out in Montreal with some of my friends from high school days, and finally had a chance to meet their daughter Bianca. (Naturally, I am a member of the Bianca Fan Club on Facebook, but this was my first in-person meeting). Within about 30 seconds we were all eating out of Bianca's hand. She had enough adorable antics to keep us all oooh-ing and cooing for most of the weekend. Good thing too, as Montreal was so cold and snowy, we spent most of our time indoors. And really, why venture out when you can watch Bianca smilingly try to eat your wristwatch instead?

Reunion

There is something about going to an international school, particularly a unique little school in a somewhat remote Himalayan Kingdom, that creates lifetime bonds. I grew up in Nepal and spent most of my school years studying at Lincoln School. It was tiny. 250 students, kindergarten through 12th grade. 65 kids in the high school. Everyone knew everyone else--well.

As is typical with international schools, Lincoln's student body was transient. Parents moved to new diplomatic posts, contracts ended and families returned to their home countries, graduates went off to university in all different parts of the world. Nonetheless a bond was forged among the students that transcended that transience and brought us together in a shared love for Nepal and an appreciation of the freedom we had, the diversity we were exposed to, and the youthful hijinks that we could not have gotten away with anywhere else.

This past weekend, thanks to the amazing connective powers of Facebook and the initiative of one person in particular (thanks David!), a group of Lincolnites got together in New York City for a mini-reunion. We had some folks visiting from Nepal, some from Canada, and a number from the northeastern United States. Graduating classes ranging from 1995 through 2007 were represented. We tramped around chilly New York City together, seeing the sights and seeking out restaurants and coffee shops that could accommodate groups of 15 or more. We caught up on the last decade's worth of news. (He's a chef? She has 4 children? They moved to Indonesia? Who got married?!?) We reminisced about Nepal days and the things we missed. (Oh, for a Wai Wai, a cup of Nepali tea, and some tasty momos!)

Here is a photo of some of us that we took to document the occasion (or maybe for the alum newsletter, if there ever is one?):

People looked just the same for the most part, but as I sat there listening to someone who was in 7th grade when I graduated from high school tell me in detail about the long-term economic effects of the sub prime mortgage crisis--a conversation I could barely follow--I realised that we really are all grown ups now. Easy to forget sometimes. But that makes it all the more amazing to me that in spite of the 12 years that have passed since I graduated from Lincoln and the thousands of miles that separate me from most of the friends I had there (not to mention my terrible correspondence skills) I still think of the students at Lincoln School as my brothers and sisters, and I'd venture to guess that's a pretty common feeling among my schoolmates.

Now that's something special.

The Marathon: 26.2 in New York City

Well, it's all over. The New York City Marathon. All 26.2 miles of it. And every moment of it was incredible in its own way. Those hours of anticipation in the chilly Staten Island morning; the thrill of the start; the exhilaration of the crowds cheering; the thousands and thousands of cups littering the streets after every water station; the changing face of the city and its people as we passed from neighborhood to neighborhood; the painful uphills when I wanted to walk, but didn't; the even more painful final miles when I wanted to cry, but didn't; finding that last burst of speed in me to pick up the pace at Mile 25 and sprint to the finish. What a range of emotions I went through during the 5 hours and 44 minutes I was out there on the course! Most overwhelming of all was the feeling of joy and gratitude I felt every time we saw our friends and family out on the course cheering us on, and every time I thought of the many people who told me they would be cheering from afar. Truly, it made the whole experience. THANK YOU!

My running buddy Amy was my mainstay through our 5 months of training and every step of those 26.2 miles. I would not have made it halfway without her.

Below are a few photos from the day, mostly courtesy of Ashkon, my #1 fan. Ramin also made us feel like professional athletes, by running alongside us at Mile 8 with his massive Canon lens and capturing these shots. Now I have pictures to go with the memories.

Before the start, with the Verazano Bridge in the background:

Still feeling good at Mile 8 on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn:

Cups littering the road after a water stop:


Our surprise and excitement at finding friends and family waiting for us at Mile 15 in Queens:



Our cheering section! Who could help but be inspired?


















Going for a strong finish after Mile 25:

My Brother is Famous!

Breaking News: My very own brother is a world-renowned documentary filmmaker! How do I know he is world-renowned? Because today an interview with him about his recent film on the situation of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal was featured on the opening page of the website for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees--a site that gets hundreds of thousands of visitors a day, and that I have visited myself on numerous prior occasions. He has been in the South Asian press before, but this is Global Exposure. How thrilling! The Oscars are coming up in March--does somebody want to give The Academy a heads up about this bright new talent?

When it Comes to Weddings...

... India has them all beat. It's a fact I recently realized when we had the pleasure of attending a gorgeous Indian wedding celebration for two lovely people, whose families gave us a lesson in what "celebration" really means. I thought this particular photo captured the mood of the weekend. (That groom could dance!)

Tagged - 8 Random Things

Okay, I've been tagged by Chelly and am now feeling the pressure of coming up with 8 random things about myself to share with the blogging world. Here goes:

1. I am very cautious about using the word "random," as my husband regularly informs me that, slang usage aside, actual randomness (according to the scientific definition) is an extremely rare thing.

2. After a lifetime of trying out different toothpastes, I have recently discovered that cinnamon-flavored is my favorite.

3. The book I have re-read the most times is Gone With the Wind.

4. If there were a group called Law & Order-aholics Anonymous, I would consider joining.

5. It is one of my life goals to learn to rollerblade.

6. I am a real-life, honest-to-goodness, *certified* SCUBA diver.

7. I am inexplicably drawn to used book sales and can't pass a cart of "books for $1" without walking away with one or two.

8. And because I want to keep with the purpose of this blog and post a photo, my final random thing is the very first photo I took with the new camera that inspired me to start blogging!


Passing it on, I tag Amy next.

Action Shots

This evening I decided to experiment with high shutter speed "action shots" by shooting some Brooklynites playing soccer. Truthfully it was already past 8:00 p.m. and the light wasn't the best for action shots, but it was fun. I got some particularly good ones of that handsome player in the Owls T-shirt.

Caped Crusader Takes a Popsicle Break

Even superheros like to relax with a popsicle once in a while.

Kebab on the Barbie

This afternoon our friends Ramin and Mallory invited us over to their home (and lovely back garden) for a barbecue, Persian style. We had rice, kebabs, and delicious grilled veggies, followed by fruit and ice cream, and excellent company to go along with it all (including a brief appearance by a caped crusader).

I attempted to take advantage of the smoking coals on the barbecue to experiment with these techniques for shooting smoke described by Photocritic, but having forgotten some of the key tips, I had limited success (even shooting at a shutter speed of 1/650).