Claudia Curici Photography
Exploring my passion for photography
Life in the bubble
Digging through some old albums I found this image that fits into this weeks photo challenge, Circle.
I guess is not difficult to recognize this is Chicago’s reflection in the surface of the Bean. Initially I had the real bird in frame, but I cropped the image to 16:9 to get rid of it for a more mysterious and unreal feel. Taken with Fujifilm x100S.
Let LIFE surprise you
I woke up this morning to a wave of new year wishes everywhere (none of them personalized for me though, at least not yet, but hey we live in the social media times where everything comes in bulk).
Then I was thinking what to wish others, without sounding cliche… So I wish others what I wish for myself. No lists, no objectives, no resolutions, instead:
A new year driven by curiosity, filled with new discoveries, surprises, possibilities and awe. I will allow myself to experience and experiment more, with less fear of the unknown and of judgement. I will dig deeper for treasures, in my own soul and others’. I will cherish more the miracle that is LIFE on Earth. ❤
Happy New Year , Thank You, and a selfportrait I took at MoMA, a couple of weeks ago (the low shutter speed is intentional). 🙂
Observation. Simplicity. Patience.
This is pretty much what making photography teaches me every day.
“Photography is an art of observation; it has little to do with the things you see, and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt
Later edit: I just saw the weekly photo challenge and I think this makes a pertinent entry. I went to the lake on the 25th to see the sunset (usually quite dramatic in Texas) and possibly the full moon, but the layer of clouds became so dense and thick, I didn’t see either. I didn’t feel disappointed though… I enjoyed the beauty around me.
Irene
This weekend I had my first senior photography photoshoot, something I didn’t fully understand before moving to Dallas. I guess this practice of having professional photos taken before graduating high school is specific to the US and I fully get it: I wish I had one when I graduated high school :).
Irene is a smart, beautiful, down to earth young lady, top of her class and a star in the volleyball team, part of a choir and busy with helping others in need, very proud of her achievements. Irene is a nature lover and we chose Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden as our first location, and will have another session in a more urban setting for some environmental portraits.
A selection of the photos we took below. I used the Fujifilm x-T1, FX56mm, 1.2 and a reflector.
Gathering – Giving Joy
I just saw this challenge and I thought I have a perfect example of gathering. Last week a group of amazing senior year school young boys and girls organized a Christmas Party for children at Heart House Dallas, a nonprofit that provides safety, education and opportunity to refugee and underprivileged children. When I heard this is happening I offered my services as a photographer.
Crafts, indoor soccer, singing and dancing split the gathering a little bit, based on talents and preferences. This was the singing and dancing group 🙂
From a photography point of view, it was quite challenging… Due to the low light, I had to work with high ISO, wide aperture and a reasonable shutter speed as everyone was moving very fast 🙂 I had so much fun though and I left inspired by these amazing, talented, beautiful, smart kids. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays ❤
‘This place is Wonderland’
Grumpy Bear: Wow. This place is beautiful.
Swift Heart Rabbit: This place is wonderful.
White Rabbit: This place is Wonderland.― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Empire state of mind
This was the view from our hotel in New York City, so imagine my joy but also my struggle as I did’t have a tripod with me… Because I wanted to capture an image that I will print in a big format later, high ISO was not really a solution this time, even with the performance of the Fujifilm. I added, just for fun, a photo of the same view taken with my iPhone and edited with Snapseed with an HDR filter. You can see that edge on the outside of the glass partition, this is where I fixed my camera to be able to take a longer exposure.
Bridges
Passage, communication, connection, optimism, transition, progress, courage, strength, hope – there is a strong symbolism behind bridges, something important to remember these days when the discussion about building walls reappears on agendas around the world.
This is the first post from New York City, and the first pictures taken with the 18-55mm lens that came with my Fujifilm X-T1. It is also the first time in a long time I am using a zoom lens and I have to say I still prefer primes.
From a photography point of view, this trip has been slightly overwhelming, although I reached a stage where I only press the shutter if I see (on the LCD screen) what I envisioned. In future post I’ll explain and exemplify what I mean by being overwhelmed.
Baby it’s cold outside
And it’s time to spice up our photoshoots with some festive red. Thank you Maggie for being so gracious even when you are freezing ❤
Claudia Curici Photography 