I'm a Junkie

It's a well kept secret, I'm a CNN junkie. I leave it on all day long as I work. For a while I banned watching the news because I used to work in TV news as a feature story editor and I know how the news works. I just couldn't watch it anymore after I left the news business. Now since the election campaigning starting months ago, I watch CNN like it's going out of style.

If anyone was watching the news yesterday you would have seen an airplane floating in the Hudson river in NYC. The pilot somehow landed it there when the engines went out. Amazingly everyone survived. AMAZING! So someone in Kelley's family knows someone who had a friend on one of the ferries that was rescuing people sent this photo via his cell phone. I tweaked it a bit, but this is AWESOME! I had to share. It looks like it's credited to a friend of Christopher Tobin, via Robert Green (I believe Kelley's cousin), via my mother in-law, to me. The 4 degrees of RE!

Look Ma! I'm On TV!

While at the YMCA burn down, I ran into an old TV news friend of mine from when I worked at WTNH. Channel 30 was also there and I notice that I was kind of standing in front of their shot. So last night Kelley and I were watching the news after the Chargers win (GO CHARGERS!) and we saw this! Photos taken from my iPhone.

That's Kelley in the blue jacket and I'm standing to the right with my camera and tripod.

Happy New Year!

Kelley and I had an awesome time with some friends at The Woodwinds for New Years Eve. This is the same place we had our wedding reception in CT. There are more photos floating around my facebook page!

Catching Up

I've been a little behind on blogging, so be prepared today!

Going all the way back to last year... Kelley and I took a little weekend getaway to Boston after Christmas. It was a much needed break from the holidays. While up there we went out to dinner with Matt and Enna Grazier, and Kelley's friend Cristina who's a pastry chef from Flour, at an excellent place in the north end, Pomodoro. It's a small italian restaurant with about 8 tables. It was soooo goooooood. Then we went across the street to Mike's Pastry for a little dessert. We had such a great time hanging out!



The next day Kelley and I had a whole day to ourselves. This is a very rare thing. So rare in fact we have the save kind of day today! So what to do with a free day in Boston. We took Matt's advice and went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Are you kidding me? This place is amazing. Just to name a few things that amazed me: Rembrandt's self portrait, a Botticelli, letter's from George Washington, a letter from Ulysses S Grant stating his intention of leaving the Naval Academy, a stained glass window from Paris, a roman sarcophagus, various windows and doors that were used to build the museum, oh, and the center of the building 4 story venetian courtyard! Just to name a few. Everything seems so randomly placed through the museum, at the same time everything in each room relates in a way.

After the museum we did a little shopping, stopping at the Apple Store of course. We walked 3 miles from the Prudential Center to our b&b in the north end. Along the walk I was on a mission sparked by my friend Carla Ten Eyck. She loves to photograph anything that looks like a 10. So I was on a mission to find anything that had "RE." There were plenty of words that started or ended with "re" or had an "re" in the middle. But nothing by itself... until...

I made a reservation at what I read was an amazing restaurant in the North End, Carmen. Another tiny little place where you need a reservation. This was one of the best meals Kelley and I had ever had. It made our personal list of top restaurants. Unbelievable. Then to top it off we thought we'd try Modern Pastry around the corner. There's an argument in Boston as to which is better, Mike's or Modern. You either love one or the other. I always went to Mike's and thought, yeah, it's pastry. So we went to Modern... I never want to go to another pastry shop again. The cannoli was the best I've ever had, plus the chocolate ganache cake... yeah.

Looking forward to going back to Boston!

Happy New Year!

Sorry, no pictures this time! It's a little crazy here at the Esposito house hold. We are painting! And out of paint supplies. The snow storm outside is preventing us from going to get more. I'll post soon about our much needed trip to Boston, the Get To Know You session I shot (there were dinosaurs!!!!), and my end of the year purchase/tax deduction that I just made. Now I have to get the cats mouse out from under the table, AGAIN, before she claws the table apart.

Happy New Year to all, with love, from Kelley and RE!

We're Off!

So I set a goal for myself this holiday season. No work, no blogging, no nothing. I haven't turned my computer on in days! Christmas for Kelley and I is all about family. In 3 days we had 5 family gatherings for Christmas! It was awesome. And now, Kelley and I are leaving for a little weekend get away to a b&b in the North End of Boston. While up there we are meeting up with the Grazier's for a little dinner. Otherwise, total relaxation! Maybe some post Christmas shopping in the city.

This morning I had a little time for some photographic inspiration. I am currently going through my 2008 season for my next best of compilation. I'm also going to be releasing a series of images for my new collection, RE:MASTERS. Here's a sneak peak of one of the images I'm working on.



I'll be back in the office on Tuesday! I hope everyone had an amazing holiday and your taking some much needed rest this weekend.

Snowfall Earth

Any Sunrise Earth fans out there? Here's a little Snowfall Earth from North Haven today.

O Holy Night

This year Kelley and I handed out a few mix CD's of our favorite Christmas music to friends at a party we went to. One track in particular I'm sure not many people have heard before, but it's the one track I can play over and over. It's a rendition of O Holy Night by an insane jazz musician known as Trombone Shorty. I'm not an emotional person per say, but this one song just makes you feel how fortunate you are. When this song goes on I usually have to stop what I'm doing and stop thinking about whatever is going on in my head.

There is one reason why this song brings so much emotion to me. There was a show on NBC not too long ago called Studio 60 (On The Sunset Strip). I honestly thought it was by far one of the best shows on television. Maybe it's because I used to work in tv studios and it reminded me of that. But, apparently, 30 Rock was doing better for NBC and Studio 60 got cancelled. Before it was canned, there was the Christmas episode where Trombone Shorty played O Holy Night with a jazz group from New Orleans. They played in front of images of the destruction in New Orleans. You may have to know the show to understand parts of this clip, but the song and the images were amazing. The part that gets me is this one sign that says what someone wants for Christmas, so heart breaking. For me it was one of the most amazing moments in television that I've ever seen and I just can't forget.

So with that said, Here's the only clip I could find on YouTube that has the dialogue in it which makes the clip complete. It also has some guys info on it since he has it posted, just ignor that. Oh, and if anyone can't figure out what to get me for Christmas, the complete series of Studio 60 on DVD would be awesome. Enjoy the clip:

Skittles Texas Holdem

This is what happens when you have a deck of cards and the poker chips aren't around. You find an alternative. A bag of Skittles. I ate about $50 while we played.

PhotoExpo, RE:WORKSHOP, Drobo, Clients Albums

So I'm sitting here not being able to do much... so a rambling I shall go. I'll explain the work stoppage at the end.

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NYC

Last weekend I went down to NYC for the PDN Photo Plus Expo. I took the train in with a few photographer friends. I walked the whole expo floor with my assistant Greg. The show was just ok this year. I did pick up a few products that I wanted to get, but didn't really see anything impressive on the album end of things. First, I'll continue to use Memory Link as my standard line of albums. It looks like they just finished their new website. I've been using them for years, pretty much since they started up. Their quality has been top notch and so have been their prices. This is how I keep my clients costs low on the albums while keeping the best quality. Then I wanted to see my high end album company and the 2 other high end album companies. Unfortunately all 3 were not at the show! I guess I'll see them at the WPPI convention in Vegas. Another no show was Apple! APPLE!!! There weren't there promoting Lightroom (not that any of us seem to be using it), nor there to promote their cinema displays. Every photographer I know (except 1) are using Macs. Plus photographers and videographers are using Apple TV to present their work on large displays! But don't worry, I went to the Apple store after the show.

Speaking of after the show, we had a reservation for 28 photographers at Carmine's on West 44th. SOOOOO Good. Then it was off to a bar with a few friends, and then to hang out with Kelley's friend Courtenay, and her sisiter, who live in the city. We got back to the hotel at 2:30am! It's New York!

The next day we shopped the city, stayed for dinner, and drove home. I found some AMAZING deals at the Macy's sale where we spent a good portion of the day. I don't even want to know how many miles we walked. OH! The biggest bummer of the trip was not getting together with Chris and Katie Humphrey's who were in town. Simply put, my cell phone battery died and I never got their messages until 2:30am. If you don't remember, Chris and Katie photographed my wedding in San Diego. Sorry guys!!!! I'll see you in February at WPPI!

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RE:WORKSHOP

I had my Hartford RE:WORKSHOP / PPA Super Monday class on Monday! It was awesome. I got a lot of great response from it. What can I say, I'm a very giving person and I love to help out my fellow photographers. I give away my secrets! OK maybe not all of them. But thank you to everyone that came out. I have already heard that a few of you are implementing some of what I do, and are using the files that I gave out! As always, e-mail me any questions.

For those of you not in CT who want to attend the RE:WORKSHOP, why not host it yourself? I've already had one in Sacramento, CA host by Carmen Salazar which was a huge success. You supply the space, notify your area photographers (I'll help too), and I'll be there! Check the website: http://www.rephotodesign.org

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Drobo

This is going to get technical... So this week I decided to check my RAIDed hard drives to make sure everything was going well. Well... no. Both RAID's failed. This isn't the first time they have failed. I've been doing it through Mac's Disc Utility with Lacie Drives. I've pretty much have had enough with this setup. It would probably take me 5 days to restore everything. So instead of dealing with all this, I bought a Drobo and all new hard drives to store next years files, backup this years, and to store last years files. 6TB total. So as I transfer this years files, I can't really use them. The changes may or may not transfer, depending on where the transfer is at the time of the changes. So I'll sit here and wait the 7 hours for the transfer. Then I have to transfer 2 other drives. Joy.

Now I have FOR SALE: Completely working, no issues, 2 - 500GB USB / Firewire 800 Lacie Desktop Drives, and 1 - 1TB Lacie Big Disk USB / Firewire (That could also be a 500GB RAID). Make me an offer. I may have 2 more 500GB drives in the closet.

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Albums

Lastly, and I should probably put this first cause I'm sure your bored reading this by now, are my clients albums. I'm done editing photos for a month after this weekend. So now it's all about designing the albums that I have lined up to do. Believe me there are a lot. But work on them starts on Monday! I hope to have everyones designed by the end of November.

Why the backup? I didn't expect EVERYONE to choose a new option called the "Photographer's Line" which puts all the work on me. And I do mean everyone this year. But I can't complain because knowing that my clients trust me to do a good job has been the best thing ever.

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So those are the updates! Tonight: A halloween party!!!!! What will I be for halloween?? wait and see!

Patriots 41 Denver 7

My assistant Greg got tickets to the 600th Monday Night Football game last night. Also in attendance was Greg's friend Brian (who's wedding I shot) and my cousin Billy from Boston. I had never been to the new Gillette Stadium before so I was looking forward to the game, eating some overpriced food, sitting back and enjoying... oh wait... no sitting! Standing room only tickets! It's not as bad as you might think. We watched from around the 50 yard line most of the game. Greg and I took a walk around one half of the stadium for some pictures.

The long walk to the stadium. I was hoping for a great shot of the stadium, but it's blocked by all the shopping centers. It's a paved paradise.


Hello to you too Teddy Bruschi!

This is a standing room only view. Typically looking between a few people.


Then it was off to wander around the stadium.






Cassel finding a man open and not running away from the defenders!


Good game, good game... I really took this shot to see what camera gear the pro shooters had.

VACATION!!!!!!!!!!

It's almost the end of the wedding season for me. Usually right about now I need a vacation. So we planned ahead of time this year! Kelley has a conference to go to in Hilton Head, South Carolina. So I'm going with her! While she's in classes, I'm hittin' the links! I lined up 4 rounds of golf in 4 days. Kelley and I play the Melrose Course at Daufuskie Island on Wednesday. Then I play Thursday - Sat at Hilton Head National, Harbour Town Golf Links, and Athur Hills at Palmetto Dunes. The highlight of the trip is not only playing one of the best golf courses in the world, Harbour Town, but playing it on MY BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday to me! OK! I gotta go finish packing my golf clubs and stuff.

On a side note... GO SOX! How badly do I want a Sox vs Dodgers World Series?!?!?!?

Not My Day Today, Or Yesterday, Or...

Today has just been off. And that pretty much goes with flow of things lately. Even last night someone said to me the moons must be in a weird alignment because people are acting weird lately. I don't know what's going on. I normally don't write about personal stuff on my blog, I put all that on my Facebook, but I need to vent!

Fist, I talked to the Boston PUG group last night, led by Matt Grazier. I was supposed to leave my house at 2pm. I got out to my car and the battery was dead. AAA came in 30 minutes, checked the battery, and it had a bad cell. So they jump started me, I went to Jeep, got a new battery in just a few minutes, and I hit the road at 3:30. Luckily I gave myself a lot of extra time to get there. I stopped at Matt's for dinner, 30 minutes late. Par for the course, his grill wouldn't fire up. We got to the PUG meeting 20 minutes late. I unpack and realized I left the print out of my notes on my desk. So I pretty much had to wing it. But all was good. I stopped for some food after and finally got home after 2am.

This morning I got up at 9am. I maybe got 6 hours of sleep (I need 7-8 to function. I love sleep). I had a golf lesson scheduled at 10. After the 30 minute drive there, I was told it's been pushed back to 11. Then 15 minutes later I'm told they can't take me till 12. So I say fine, I'll go out and play on the course. They said ok. I got out there and there's a league going through which means there's no way I'm getting out there. So I go home.

I load up my e-mail and see that PPA has announced the Super Monday courses for October. I am teaching one of them. I find my ad... and the information in it is wrong.

There was one shining light in all of this. I did get an e-mail from Joyce, Vaughn, and Briana from the PUG Meeting last night, who said:

"You inspired all three of us. Thanks for your presentation to the Pictage Users Group. Vaughn and Brianna are only 16 years old, and starting a little business with photo keychains from a summer course assignment. You showed them the excitement of photography, quite the accompllishment if you know how adolescents are. Well, they left your talk with an itch to shoot wedding photos right away. I'm going to nurture their aspiration to be as creative as you."

Now my moons are in alignment.

PS, friend me on Facebook! I now have Facebook on my iphone so I'll start updating it all the time.

JibJab!

I know I never put this stuff on my blog, but I love Jib Jab stuff.

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Back in CT, And About To Leave!

So it wasn't so much Maine that I spent my time in. It was mostly New Hampshire. Our night out with Kelley and her friend Sara and Sara's brother Scott was quite amusing. Stories to be told... stories, and mainly photos, that shouldn't be shared! I'll have to really review those pictures before posting any. Portsmouth NH was a blast!

From Maine, er New Hampshire, to Boston to see out friend Christina for lunch. She's an amazing pastry chef at Flour in Boston, the one near the Children's Museum. I just ate all the deserts we brought home in 1 day. They are that good.

Then all in the same day we drove down to Mohegan Sun to meet up with my assistant Greg and his wife Melissa for the Billy Joel concert. It was AWESOME! This photo was taken from my iPhone.



I'm finishing up work on the RE:WORKSHOP! I fly out on Tuesday!

Goin' to Maine

As you can probably see, the past month was packed full of weddings for me. I just photographed 7 weddings in the last 5 weeks. Amazingly enough all the weddings are online, all the products are ordered, and some of those brides already have their proofs in hand! I'm now working on some of their album layouts.

After all that, I'm taking a break! I even played golf yesterday afternoon. I shot horribly, but at least I got out there. Right now Kelley and I are about to head out the door on our way to see our friend Sara in York Beach, Maine for the 4th of July. I can't wait for fireworks and a cookout! On our way back down to CT on Saturday we hope to stop in Boston for lunch. Then we'll be on our way to Mohegan Sun for the Billy Joel concert.

The trip won't be all fun for me though cause I'm bringing my laptop to finish working on my upcoming workshop, the RE:WORKSHOP, which is on Wednesday in Sacramento. I'll be really busy out there! I leave on Tuesday for San Francisco. I go right from the airport to meet up with Ruby and her fiance to do their engagement photos. Then drive the hour and a half to Sacramento to meet up with Carmen Salazar who is hosting the workshop. Wednesday is the all day workshop! Then I go back to San Francisco the next morning. I'm going to do a little sight seeing before meeting up with Brian and Jen to do their engagement session! I'll be photographing their wedding in San Francisco next June.

So a busy next 2 weeks! I hope to post some images from the road!

Recovery (Not The Lightroom Slider)

So... the wisdom tooth swelling caused a problem with the nearby nerve. It has caused the left side of my face to become weakened or pretty much paralyzed. My wife and I have been relating it to Bell's Palsy. It is the left side of my face that I cannot move, barely able to even blink an eye. I am seeing slight improvement as the days go by. Recovery can take a few days, weeks, months, even up to a year. I am on medication that should help a little.

It is an unfortunate situation that will keep me away from being in front of the camera for a while which is why .tv hasn't had any new posts. Not just because I look like I had a minor stroke, but because it affected my speech as well. So until I am able to be on camera again and regain full speech functions, .tv will be off the air. HOWEVER! you can always e-mail me your questions as so many of you have been doing.

One things is for sure, I will continue to photograph! I've already shot 2 weddings with my left eye, since that one stays open. Normally I look through the lens with my right eye. I would love to be able to do that, but I can't close my left eye. I have thought about wearing a patch so I can shoot, but what bride wants to see their photographer show up with a patch over one eye?!

The other dificulty is staring at a computer screen all day. Photo editing has become a slower and somewhat painfull process. I am working on photos as much as I can on a daily basis.

That's all for now. I personally think it's going to take 2 more weeks to recover.

Not So Wise

The only wisdom I'm getting from my last remaining wisdom tooth right now is "you should have taken me out last year when you had the other one removed."

So Friday it decided to no longer be impacted and to come right through. The area got swollen, and a nerve is being bothered to the point it looks like I had a stroke. The whole left side of my face just doesn't want to work. I can't even blink!

Somehow I shot Catherine & Carlos's wedding on Saturday with my left eye instead of my normal way of shooting with my right eye. Thank you to Kelley for coming along with me to help! I can close my right eye, but not my left. So shooting right now isn't exactly fun. The wedding came out fantastic and I can't wait to post the pictures!

But for now... I have to wait until tomorrow to see the dentist and hopefully get this thing yanked. :-(

**UPDATE
Tuesday 8:30am So I wake up from hearing a big truck drive through our complex thinking it was our new washer and dryer (which they never called ahead for a delivery time)... I stretch out... hit the shelf above the bed.... everything falls down, including the glass of water that went right on top of me. The doorbell rings, the washer and dryer are here. And at that point I needed both. While bringing them in they put a hole in the wall downstairs! 6" x 6" triangular shaped hole. The dryer isn't completely hooked up, I have to shorten the exhaust pipe. I'm thinking today would be a great day to have a tooth pulled. Oh wait... that's at 10:30.

See you all in a few days!

PHOTOBOOTH!

The fabulous Mrs Carla Ten Eyck brought a photo booth setup to our wedding in May. Her assistant Mike was there snapping away! Thank's to Mike and Eyck! They are sweet like candy!

Give it a little time to load the 209 photos!

More Pictures From Our Wedding!

These were taken by my friend Cynthia Brown, who was also assistant for the day to my main photographer Matt Grazier.