Engagement Sessions

Engagement photography can be great, as was the case with Ivy & Ralph (see slide show below) They are getting married next July, and we spent aboout an hour in Narragansett in the woods, on the beach, on the rocks. They were so easy with each other, and you can really see a relationship unfolding in these photos.

Not in the job description

So, everyonce in a while, when I photograph a wedding, I have to do stuff, I'm not really supposed to do. I don't mind it, it's just not really in my job description. For instance, I've helped sand scuff the bootom of bridesmaids shoes, secure wedding veils after they've blown out in the wind (see above) and once I gave a ride to five bridesmaids to the reception cause the couple left in the limo and they realized they had no transportation. OOops. That was when I had a mini-van, now I drive a pick up truck - hmmmm, hope that doesn't happen again. The photo above was taken by one of my assistants. The brides veil had blown out in the wind. her maid of honor put it back in her hair, but when we went back outside for more photos, the wind really picked up, and the bride kept holding her head in the pictures. So I went over to fix it, so we could take one more image before going back inside. I look at this photo now and laugh. This may sound funny, but I forget how tall I am until I see pictures like this one.

New York City

Lisa and I share the same month for a Birthday, and the same year. This year, we spent two nights in NYC. Saw the MOMA exhibit of Eduard Munch, took in a NY Mets game (they lost - bummer) had dinner with friends, walked the streets, Central park, saw the homeless and two Rock stars - though we didn't know who they were. Fun trip and great weather.

Palmer Boys

Everett, Malacki, & Nigel. What awesome names and what awesome boys. This photo session was from a gift that Monique, an enthusiastic customer, who is my bank teller, gave for Christmas. Four months later I am with the boys on a beautiful spring morning. This is my favorite. Photos of kids are best done in their home. They are comfortable with the surroundings, and less likely to knock over stuff in your studio. Now that more and more of the weddings I've done in the past are resulting in children, I'm doing more portrait work, which I am really enjoying.

Kodak

Kodak interviewed me about three months ago for their online article about Black & White printing paper. The magazine is called Pro Pass. If you copy the link below into your browser, you can read the article.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/member/ProPass/magazine/V206/hazelwood.jhtml?id=0.2.14.10.356&lc=en

The best part of the article is, well, not the article, it's the side bar of 6 images from past events, with a few comments about how the photograph was taken.

Art's art Show

My brother Art, who is an artist - in my family you got named for your occupation - guess I should have been a Gym teacher. He's been in town this week for the opening of his show of Prints at the University of Rhode Island. Yesterday was the official opening with a Panel Discussion on Political Art. If you can make it to the URI library, the show will saty up until April 28th. if not, see much of his work online www.arthazelwood.com.

The Opening was a huge success. Lots of students came to the event and the panel discussion. The show is called "Hubris Corpulentis". It depicts images about the Iraq war and the arrogance of of the West. He also has made an Iraqopoly board game that is a spoof on the famous board game with various aspects of the history of the Iraq war depicted. It is quite provacative. Art also showed a slide (see below) of a new tool being distributed nationally to call attention to the problem of homelessness. The chart depicts the cuts in federal money for housing from the 1970's to now, and then you can see the rise in numbers of homeless persons, who are depicted as the people growing larger along the bottom.

Every year I do a wedding in which the couple foregoes any gifts, instead they opt for people to make a donation to a local cause that will have an impact on some aspect of society. I've seen a range of options from Animal shelters to Save the Bay to Adoption causes to other causes. What a great way for people to add a dimension to their wedding - by making a gift of both money and awareness.

The art show made me decide to start donating a portion of my fee for weddings to a local homeless shelter and affordable housing project here in Rhode Island.

Brother's Show at URI

Birthday Trip to Lowell & Concord, MA

Monday was my Birthday - A free 8x10 to anyone who can guess my age. Anyway. My brother is in town from San fransisco because he is having an art show at URI. Check out his website at www.arthazelwood.com Well, the two of us picked up my son in Boston and drove up to Lowell to make a pilgrimage to the grave of the Beat writer Jack Kerouac. We all love his writing style and the wild wild world of the 40's & 50's he decribed in his many books. He's famous for On The Road, but I always loved Dharma Bums best. After Lowell, we drove over to Concord to see the house where we grew up on Revolutionary Road. Art and I recall as young kids our father planting these blue spruce pine trees along the side of the house. They were 2 feet tall back then, and today, there is only one left, but it's huge. Then back to Boston for dinner in the backBay at a great Italian restaurant called Ciao Bella.