Monday, January 25, 2010
Baby Pictures
I notice that , in some industries, the head shots of professionals don't change from year to year (to year). Granted, there is something to be said for stopping time and being seen at one's personal best. My children, however, have cause me to see the benefits of growing old gracefully...even in the eye of the camera ! Armed with cellphone camera settings, they spend their days caught up in a photojournalistic frenzy. Uploading the images has become an art in itself. By dinnertime, on any given day, the world at large can bear witness to how they grow. Today, I send my camera buffs off to school to focus on work. A decision is made to waive a cup of coffee for a Venti-sized dose of conversation with some of the photographers with whom I work.
On the other side of the lens, a Westchester photographer shares his passion for the technological revolution which drives his market. His select computer applications allow him to put the client in the editor's chair. Seated side by side, he and his client run through each image in order to adjust them...tweak them...do minor nips and tucks while maintaining the integrity of his craft. He tells me that he has been able to pass along the wisdom of being able to put one' best face forward while still being recognizable by passers by on the street. Softening the effects of a stressful life and making his client smile long after the picture has been taken is his specialty.
A Westfield , N.J. based photographer tells me how she lives for the intimacy of emotional portraiture. She is fortunate to share the excitement and capture the love of newly blended families. Grandparents from across the world are meeting their grandchildren for the very first time. In the studio there are many windows shedding natural light. Photo memories with signs of aging will be welcome at the shoot. Her gift to the family is the option of a personal visit to their home with the goal of displaying photographs in such a way that they remain timeless.
One quick peak at my website and Facebook before I go to work on my blog entry.
I stop to take a quick look at my own profile photo. The photographer, who has a knack for putting me at ease, captures personality and a business persona which I can live with. Now, the question is not whether or not to update the photo but one of when to do so? Do I go the route of some news journalists whose columns
have the same image for 25 years? Do I aim my iPhone at myself, strike a pose, turn myself hot pink and post it on Facebook? Do I call a photographer and give myself a birthday gift for the inevitable up and coming 50th this Spring? What do you think? The answer makes me smile!
jo@jorosenfeld.com www.jorosenfeldmajoroccasions.com
jo rosenfeld major occasions on FB
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Local Talent : Part One
GREEN WITH ENVY!
"Reclaimed." That's how one artist describes her works in progress and on display.
"Event Art." That's how I describe the pieces of art having gotten up close and personal during a private studio tour today.
Inspired by NYC museums, contemporary mixed media artists and a need to save the planet, she takes symbolic pieces of the guest of honor and creates lifetime memories and investments. 3D sculpture centerpieces and room accents, life size wall panels, collage sign in boards, memory books and more. The colors are carefully chosen to work with the decor of any venue and/or theme. Her masterpieces are displayed to accent floral and lighting effects.
With a hands on approach to changing the environment, the artist redefines traditional event decor. So, carbon stains are slowly being replaced by green fingerprints!
This year's best investment: Event Art
www.jorosenfeld.com jo@jorosenfeld.com
"Reclaimed." That's how one artist describes her works in progress and on display.
"Event Art." That's how I describe the pieces of art having gotten up close and personal during a private studio tour today.
Inspired by NYC museums, contemporary mixed media artists and a need to save the planet, she takes symbolic pieces of the guest of honor and creates lifetime memories and investments. 3D sculpture centerpieces and room accents, life size wall panels, collage sign in boards, memory books and more. The colors are carefully chosen to work with the decor of any venue and/or theme. Her masterpieces are displayed to accent floral and lighting effects.
With a hands on approach to changing the environment, the artist redefines traditional event decor. So, carbon stains are slowly being replaced by green fingerprints!
This year's best investment: Event Art
www.jorosenfeld.com jo@jorosenfeld.com
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Video Chat
Avatar 3D, a 2 hour and 40 minute long film, stands as strong testimony to the importance of life event videography. Having seen it with my husband and close friends who are soon to be married, I am left with just that message from the bride to be. Her thoughts are to capture a private ceremony for 25 guests and share it, at a later date, at a much larger and less intimate reception for many, many more people.
My own daughters echo my thoughts and words as to how video is a living legacy for them to pass onto their own children. An emotional account of an event with memorable narrative is a timeless, priceless gift for any family. As quickly as Avatar transports the audience through time so does a life event video. Sari and Ally will take the argument a step further with the reminder of daily video chats on their Macs. Shared chat sessions allow them to look back at YouTube pieces which they created at younger ages. They can relive those moments at any given time. So, why not milestone occasions?
The soundtrack of Avatar appeal to me as much as any special effect does. Certain songs take me back in time to wonderful memories. I think of how I recently logged onto a friend's up and coming high school reunion website only to find a play list for my listening pleasure. The music is that of the decade in order to relive youth and all of the fun associated with it. So, why not for life events? Many times I am guilty of playing a song over and over (and over ) again in order to go back in time.
2 hours and 40 minutes is a long time to sit. It's long enough to leave the theater a bit older! The passage of time does that to me...to all of us. I am mindful that certain family members are getting on in years and that health issues will cause them to be incapable of joining me for special times. Alzheimer's and other cruel diseases will not let them share their thoughts on a day's festivities. Videography captures them at their best and they remain that way, in my mind, forever.
The groom to be left me with the impression that he is not sold on the concept of video. I giggle. This reaction from a man who has his golf swing captured on camera in an effort to become a better player. Does he , or do I , really want to relive lessons to be learned?!
Smile for the camera!
www.jorosenfeld.com joro1811@aol.com jo rosenfeld major occasions on FB
My own daughters echo my thoughts and words as to how video is a living legacy for them to pass onto their own children. An emotional account of an event with memorable narrative is a timeless, priceless gift for any family. As quickly as Avatar transports the audience through time so does a life event video. Sari and Ally will take the argument a step further with the reminder of daily video chats on their Macs. Shared chat sessions allow them to look back at YouTube pieces which they created at younger ages. They can relive those moments at any given time. So, why not milestone occasions?
The soundtrack of Avatar appeal to me as much as any special effect does. Certain songs take me back in time to wonderful memories. I think of how I recently logged onto a friend's up and coming high school reunion website only to find a play list for my listening pleasure. The music is that of the decade in order to relive youth and all of the fun associated with it. So, why not for life events? Many times I am guilty of playing a song over and over (and over ) again in order to go back in time.
2 hours and 40 minutes is a long time to sit. It's long enough to leave the theater a bit older! The passage of time does that to me...to all of us. I am mindful that certain family members are getting on in years and that health issues will cause them to be incapable of joining me for special times. Alzheimer's and other cruel diseases will not let them share their thoughts on a day's festivities. Videography captures them at their best and they remain that way, in my mind, forever.
The groom to be left me with the impression that he is not sold on the concept of video. I giggle. This reaction from a man who has his golf swing captured on camera in an effort to become a better player. Does he , or do I , really want to relive lessons to be learned?!
Smile for the camera!
www.jorosenfeld.com joro1811@aol.com jo rosenfeld major occasions on FB
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Reservations About Why We Make Reservations: Why do we run from our own dream homes?
Kitchen couture with state of the art everything. Windows dressed top to bottom with as much care as are runway models. Paver stone pathways winding to front doors which scream "curbside appeal" to the passing cars. Wall to wall labors of love, our houses to homes, and STILL we race out, every chance we get, on Saturday night, to sit in the midst of a venue which is someone else's idea of decorating nirvana. Why? Why not live in the houses which we have transformed into homes?
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: Enjoy your home and share it with those with whom you enjoy spending a Saturday night (or any other night of the week)!
-Plan an intimate wine tasting for you, your significant other and another couple. Hire a wine expert to come into your den. Be treated to a once in a lifetime celebration. Valentine's Day beginning with a celebratory red and ending with a dessert port. Birthday bubblies over chilled and aged to perfection. The possibilities are endless and the budget is yours to determine.
- Host a spa night with the girls. Throw a party for your best friend's --th birthday . Coordinate a mother-daughter retreat. Call up your camp friends and invite them to sleep over 25 years later. Hire a make up artist, hair stylist, masseuse or Reiki instructor. Have your guests leave the leftovers behind and go home with custom keepsakes.
- Dinner and the movies in the home theater which you once designed. A montage for a milestone anniversary. Stay connected with your "clique" each month and bring in dinner 'n a great flick. Junk food optional.
- Invite your friends and family over for a birthday brunch. Hire a musician or vocalist to entertain the crowd with a handpicked play list . Capture the moments with the help of a low key, top notch photographer. Relive their youth and your own. Have a decor artist spruce up your home for the occasion and have the party aura linger after everyone has left.
2010 has arrived. The air is chilly. The economy is still a bit chilly. Let us do the legwork, turn up the heat and light a fire. You can dance in the privacy of your own dream home!
http://www.jorosenfeld.com/ or joro1811@aol.com
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: Enjoy your home and share it with those with whom you enjoy spending a Saturday night (or any other night of the week)!
-Plan an intimate wine tasting for you, your significant other and another couple. Hire a wine expert to come into your den. Be treated to a once in a lifetime celebration. Valentine's Day beginning with a celebratory red and ending with a dessert port. Birthday bubblies over chilled and aged to perfection. The possibilities are endless and the budget is yours to determine.
- Host a spa night with the girls. Throw a party for your best friend's --th birthday . Coordinate a mother-daughter retreat. Call up your camp friends and invite them to sleep over 25 years later. Hire a make up artist, hair stylist, masseuse or Reiki instructor. Have your guests leave the leftovers behind and go home with custom keepsakes.
- Dinner and the movies in the home theater which you once designed. A montage for a milestone anniversary. Stay connected with your "clique" each month and bring in dinner 'n a great flick. Junk food optional.
- Invite your friends and family over for a birthday brunch. Hire a musician or vocalist to entertain the crowd with a handpicked play list . Capture the moments with the help of a low key, top notch photographer. Relive their youth and your own. Have a decor artist spruce up your home for the occasion and have the party aura linger after everyone has left.
2010 has arrived. The air is chilly. The economy is still a bit chilly. Let us do the legwork, turn up the heat and light a fire. You can dance in the privacy of your own dream home!
http://www.jorosenfeld.com/ or joro1811@aol.com
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Greetings from South of the (Tristate)Border!!!
Took a week off from my reality in chilly Westchester and headed south of the tristate border to see how the "other side" celebrates. From where I sat...
... on seat 24E of the sold out Delta 1505 flight . I found myself in a cloud of tweens and kids off to visit their grandparents. One very sweet twelve year old girl , from Scarsdale, shared tales of long distance video chats with her relatives in order to keep them in the loop. A moment of awkward silence and I knew that I was supposed to relate as a "girl" and not as a "mom." So, I walked her through my family's Thanksgiving '09 videochats...how I ran between rooms, Mac in hand, in order to bring those far off, those near at hand and those plagued with the flu together for the holiday. My plane ride BFF and I brought her mom into the conversation . She became quite animated with the notion of a grandparent ("Grammies") candle lighting video. The footage rolled behind those coming up to light the candles . The production served to fill in the blanks for latter day friends and closed the distance between those in attendance and those watching at home. The beauty of modern technology - c.d. copies gifted to all in lieu of extra photo albums ! A fraction of the price and an investment in love!
...on a lounge chair at PGA staring out at the pool, a.k.a. "the big drink." Water bottles of every shape and size customized with the resort's logo. Then, a long line of women with great shades, few tan lines and their own supply of water bottles all sporting labels which read, " Girls Night Out. " The party was in honor of Lindsay's up and coming wedding. Upon arrival , each woman had received a beautiful bag filled with water bottles and everything else needed to survive the weekend! The line up of bags behind the reception desk was as impressive as that of the bikini clad wedding party.
... on the same lounge chair by the pool hours later. I couldn't see Lady Liberty from Palm Beach but I could hear her words echo in my ears over Alicia's version of Empire State on the Ipod. "Give me your tired, your hungry..." Much chat between post-golfing ladies of in home catered Shabbat dinners and brunches in order to make it convenient for sleep away camp friends to stay over . The party never ends or goes into delicious overtime mode!
... beneath a hat and sunscreen SPF 70 . Some like it hot and some do not. Most people, with whom I spoke, voiced disenchantment with outdoor ceremonies.
The humidity and chance of blistering heat were atop their list of fears. Stunning paper parasols had made a name for themselves at outdoor life events. Handed out along with crystal stems of sparkling water guests sat more comfortably through life events without sweating the small stuff. Talk about great photo opps!
... on a bench on the tennis court sidelines. Somewhere between game, set and match I managed to shoot out a text to one of my favorite Floridian party planners. What was new and exciting under the sun? Shopping and buying on a local level. She told me that the request from most was for custom giveaways, decor and more by local talent. Supporting one's own economy and not paying huge shipping or travel surcharges. Agreed. I told her that I refer sources to my clients with their geographic positions in mind. So, a 50th birthday in Malibu meant using a Cali vendor for just that reason!
... both eyes on the beautiful blue skies from a towel on a sandy beach! A Jersey girl who spent countless summers on "the shore."I had trouble, at first, pinpointing exactly what was missing. Then, the absence of skywriting planes and flags with ads over the sands hit me like a wave. Sign of the time, a local
transplanted Long Island mother told me that Bar/Bat Mitzvah banners were the rage. Warholesque images of the celebrated child, life size text messages , with love, from family and friends and more. She had been a teen in the 70s and said that she felt that banners were a contemporary response to life size foam core silhouettes. I shared my story of having watched a Bat Mitzvah girl break through a stage of banners in order to dance out into a ballroom of secondary draping decor. For a generation of green-minded kids, the banner decor appeared far more practical as it served to add drama to the room and then reinvent itself as playroom or bedroom wall covering. Draping is leased. Banners are owned. Flowers die. Banners are forever.
... from a chair in the hotel business office in an attempt to get the computer to cooperate for boarding purposes. I'd come full circle. Yes, in the Citrus Belt I found some new twists on old themes. Then, a moment of clarity. Rituals and event focal points remain constant with little regard to the miles which separate all of us. I met a very sweet woman who was about to marry off her second child. The festivities were scheduled to take place in New Jersey. Atop her party punch list was a formidable blow dry. Yes, I gave her the name and number of a salon, two stylists from which to choose and all sans commissions. Her smile was priceless!
... back in my office posting a blog. Happy New Year and new ideas! Contact me now , please! http://www.jorosenfeld.com/ or joro1811@aol.com.
... on seat 24E of the sold out Delta 1505 flight . I found myself in a cloud of tweens and kids off to visit their grandparents. One very sweet twelve year old girl , from Scarsdale, shared tales of long distance video chats with her relatives in order to keep them in the loop. A moment of awkward silence and I knew that I was supposed to relate as a "girl" and not as a "mom." So, I walked her through my family's Thanksgiving '09 videochats...how I ran between rooms, Mac in hand, in order to bring those far off, those near at hand and those plagued with the flu together for the holiday. My plane ride BFF and I brought her mom into the conversation . She became quite animated with the notion of a grandparent ("Grammies") candle lighting video. The footage rolled behind those coming up to light the candles . The production served to fill in the blanks for latter day friends and closed the distance between those in attendance and those watching at home. The beauty of modern technology - c.d. copies gifted to all in lieu of extra photo albums ! A fraction of the price and an investment in love!
...on a lounge chair at PGA staring out at the pool, a.k.a. "the big drink." Water bottles of every shape and size customized with the resort's logo. Then, a long line of women with great shades, few tan lines and their own supply of water bottles all sporting labels which read, " Girls Night Out. " The party was in honor of Lindsay's up and coming wedding. Upon arrival , each woman had received a beautiful bag filled with water bottles and everything else needed to survive the weekend! The line up of bags behind the reception desk was as impressive as that of the bikini clad wedding party.
... on the same lounge chair by the pool hours later. I couldn't see Lady Liberty from Palm Beach but I could hear her words echo in my ears over Alicia's version of Empire State on the Ipod. "Give me your tired, your hungry..." Much chat between post-golfing ladies of in home catered Shabbat dinners and brunches in order to make it convenient for sleep away camp friends to stay over . The party never ends or goes into delicious overtime mode!
... beneath a hat and sunscreen SPF 70 . Some like it hot and some do not. Most people, with whom I spoke, voiced disenchantment with outdoor ceremonies.
The humidity and chance of blistering heat were atop their list of fears. Stunning paper parasols had made a name for themselves at outdoor life events. Handed out along with crystal stems of sparkling water guests sat more comfortably through life events without sweating the small stuff. Talk about great photo opps!
... on a bench on the tennis court sidelines. Somewhere between game, set and match I managed to shoot out a text to one of my favorite Floridian party planners. What was new and exciting under the sun? Shopping and buying on a local level. She told me that the request from most was for custom giveaways, decor and more by local talent. Supporting one's own economy and not paying huge shipping or travel surcharges. Agreed. I told her that I refer sources to my clients with their geographic positions in mind. So, a 50th birthday in Malibu meant using a Cali vendor for just that reason!
... both eyes on the beautiful blue skies from a towel on a sandy beach! A Jersey girl who spent countless summers on "the shore."I had trouble, at first, pinpointing exactly what was missing. Then, the absence of skywriting planes and flags with ads over the sands hit me like a wave. Sign of the time, a local
transplanted Long Island mother told me that Bar/Bat Mitzvah banners were the rage. Warholesque images of the celebrated child, life size text messages , with love, from family and friends and more. She had been a teen in the 70s and said that she felt that banners were a contemporary response to life size foam core silhouettes. I shared my story of having watched a Bat Mitzvah girl break through a stage of banners in order to dance out into a ballroom of secondary draping decor. For a generation of green-minded kids, the banner decor appeared far more practical as it served to add drama to the room and then reinvent itself as playroom or bedroom wall covering. Draping is leased. Banners are owned. Flowers die. Banners are forever.
... from a chair in the hotel business office in an attempt to get the computer to cooperate for boarding purposes. I'd come full circle. Yes, in the Citrus Belt I found some new twists on old themes. Then, a moment of clarity. Rituals and event focal points remain constant with little regard to the miles which separate all of us. I met a very sweet woman who was about to marry off her second child. The festivities were scheduled to take place in New Jersey. Atop her party punch list was a formidable blow dry. Yes, I gave her the name and number of a salon, two stylists from which to choose and all sans commissions. Her smile was priceless!
... back in my office posting a blog. Happy New Year and new ideas! Contact me now , please! http://www.jorosenfeld.com/ or joro1811@aol.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
