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Dashwood Books Wandering

Lesley Cecchi — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:48:34 +0000

Yes, we have FIOS, a million cable channels and a kindle too, but there’s no greater thrill then Dashwood Books at 33 Bond St., New York CIty’s only independent bookstore devoted to photography. Check it out http://www.dashwoodbooks.com

Fine books on photography have become highly desirable or to quote Ute Eskildsen the curator of the Folkwang Museum in Essen “… the discrepancies in quality found on the book market between uniquely designed, carefully made objects in small editions, and cheap products geared to the global market, will become even greater in the future. Just as the value of photography on the art market has increased dramatically, so too will the photographic book become a collector’s item.”

http://www.dashwoodbooks.com/

Lights of Montclair and Glenridge

Lesley Cecchi — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:27:51 +0000

Lights of Clark and Westfield

Lesley Cecchi — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:43:25 +0000

Lights of Belleville and Nutley

Lesley Cecchi — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:17:21 +0000

The Black Friday Pics

Lesley Cecchi — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:56:58 +0000

Out at five, coffee and camera in hand, my first Black Friday experience was an eye opener in more ways than one. Barely dawn, I arrived to find stores already open, parking lots jammed and shoppers loading up their vehicles mountains of stuff. The pace was frenetic, but shoppers, for the most part, seemed happy, if not ecstatic! Some posed for the camera and there was no trampling.. at least that I witnessed. One thing can be said with certainty: people love to shop and a good bargain was had by all!

Shopping for Staples?

Picture Black Friday

Lesley Cecchi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:47:03 +0000

Get your camera out and join me on Friday to participate in this interesting project: Picture Black Friday. Started by two photographers, Jake Stangel and Joer Colberg, Picture Black Friday is an open invitation to document this strange and uniquely American cultural tradition that seems to get more bizarre each year. I love this kind of independent project and I don’t know about you, but for me, snapping some pics makes this day of mega shopping a bit more palatable. For more information about the project and how to submit, check out the website: www.pictureblackfriday.org. See you out there in the trenches. Careful, don’t be trampled!

Vivi’s Harp

Lesley Cecchi — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:16:18 +0000

One evening while wandering with my camera, I was summoned by harp strings to an enchanted wood. There I found a red gowned girl and her harp sitting on a bench beneath the gloaming sky. She told me her name was Vivi and I quickly snapped these photos in case you would not believe that such a thing were true.

Millions of Cats: Tips for Editing Your Wedding Photos

Lesley Cecchi — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:01:17 +0000

Today’s Brides are lucky. Family members, friends and even people you don’t know, not to mention your professional photographer, can take hundreds of images, download them almost instantly to sites like flickr, share them on facebook and email endlessly. But like so many things in our digital age, this is both a a blessing and a burden. After all, what does one do with all those millions of pics! It’s a little bit like the classic children’s story by Wanda Gag: Millions of Cats. In his search to find a cat for his wife, an old man is followed by

Hundreds of cats,

Thousands of cats,

Millions and billions and trillions of cats!

Well here’s my advice….Wait!

If you are editing your own photos for an album, to post online, display or give as gifts, the first thing to do is wait. Just sit back relax and look at your photos over and over without making any choices. There’s no replacing that fist glimpse of your photos – like a sip of great wine – and how fun it is to relive that momentous occasion, but, interestingly enough, the photos you like a lot at first, won’t necessarily be the keepers. I don’t know why that is, just a lesson learned from editing millions of pics. Some of them grow on you – again, like a great bottle of wine which opens up and breathes – you will notice new things, something more subtle and interesting can emerge. After many viewings, and some time, you don’t even have to think so much about it. A sort of intuitive process will take hold and the really good photos will emerge. Simple as it seems, that’s my my first and, maybe, best advice…. wait and take your time. Don’t be in a hurry.

Secondly, if I have a second wisdom to pass along it’s just to restate the old Bauhaus mantra Less Is More. Everybody likes a posed shot.. a flattering portrait. That’s what one expects and should expect, because why go through all the trouble of a pretty dress and luscious flowers without showing them off? But, two or more similar shots might be boring…

How about combining that classic shot, from the template, with one that’s more “off the cuff?”

Which brings me to my final point, that good design is always about subtracting…. subtracting the obvious and replacing it with the unexpected.

Here’s another couple of examples.

It’s All Happening at the Fair

Lesley Cecchi — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:24:11 +0000

Someone told me it’s all happening at the fair. I do believe it. I do believe it’s true…. the State Fair at the Meadowlands, that is.

Recherche du Temps Perdu

Lesley Cecchi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:48:43 +0000

The title pretty much says it all..

I first took pictures of my son Marco and his friend Jack in a Pierrot costume after being inspired by the great Nadar photographs of Adrien Tournachon. My friend Suza made the costume and Jack is her son. So, it’s altogether fitting that we’re now planning a show together with these and some of her own beautiful shots of children.