Personal: Our 'Staycation'

Last week, my partner and I went back to basics with a 'staycation' in the Poconos for some much needed rest and relaxation. Not only was it a greatly appreciated break from the constant hustle and bustle of the city, but also served quite well as an excuse to hike/location scout more potential spots to work on my Natura series. It was lovely to get back into the vibrant and incomparable lush green of the forest, and the misty, cloudy forecast made it easy to capture some really great images. I'm not sure if there's anything I love more than being out in nature with nothing other than my camera and my partner/photo assistant, and this trip was exactly what I needed to get my creativity gears grinding again. It's easy to get burned out in the city that never sleeps, so I was immeasurably grateful for a long week of unwinding, and I think I found some really spectacular locations to shoot next. Hope I get to go back out into the forest soon!

PDN's Photo of the Day!

I am so thrilled to share with you all that last week I was fortunate enough to be featured on PDN's Photo of the Day along with my fellow YPA mentees, which you can see here. It was truly amazing to not only have my work shown on such a prominent and reputable news source for photography, but to also have such a positive response to the work I submitted. While it may seem a small thing, this has always been a goal and dream of mine since I began pursuing photography professionally. I can't believe how far this organization has helped me come, and I have so much gratitude and respect for our mentors Andrew Hetherington and Steve Giralt, as well as the photo editor of PDN, Amy Wolff, for all of their encouragement, support, and enthusiasm about our work.

I got a wonderful little reminder of this step forward by seeing it in a weekly PDN newsletter email I received today. It's so surreal to see my photo on such a mainstream news source, but I am forever grateful for it, and couldn't help myself but instagram it. It's so validating to see how hard work pays off.

Focus Philadelphia 2014!

I'm so excited to announce that one of my photos was selected as one of the top 100 submitted to the annual Focus Philadelphia competition via ASMP! I can't wait to see the finished book that the photo will be printed in, and I feel so honored to be included in such a highly esteemed group of photographers. 

Strength © 2013. Model: Gabryal Rabinowitz

I've always loved how this photograph turned out, and I could not have asked for a better model in Gabryal Rabinowitz; is he for real with those muscles?! Looking at the images from that shoot, I can see just how far I've come and how much I have improved my work in the last few years. I hope I can get to do more of these soon!

Rainy Days in Prague

I was fortunate enough to have two of my best friends get married this past year, and one of them had the wonderful pleasure of holding their wedding in Prague.

While I was there primarily for my friend's big day, I had to take advantage of exploring a city I'd never been to before.

There's something so intriguing and beautiful about European architecture, I can never get enough. The weather wasn't on my side that day, so I felt black and white did a little more justice for the true feeling of what it was like to be there.

It may have been a little cold and fairly rainy during my brief stint in Prague, but I think I still managed to get some great shots, exploring the streets of the city on my own.

Here are the few I'd love to share with you, and hopefully you enjoy them as much as I do.