Docuvitae Inspiration
Eugene Smith’s Country Doctor on Life.com
Life.com is republishing Eugene Smith’s photo essay on the Country Doctor. I was a finalist for the W. Eugene Smith Grant for humanistic photography the year I started Docuvitae. I have always been inspired by Eugene Smith’s work.
If you are familiar with the series, you’ll see some never before published images included here.
Click this link to see the series.
New Feature on Style Me Pretty!
We are so excited to have been featured again on Style Me Pretty. 
This was a beautiful wedding held at Vibiana, with elegant details and organic floral designs by Neil from Gilly Flowers.
Mindy Weiss did fantastic work with the event coordination. Loved working with them both. Sending a big thank you to Style me pretty!
It is a real treat for the senses! Enjoy.
Francie
Thinking of National Kissing Day
“let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone”
Khalil Gibran
Last week, National Kissing Day made a large splash and I stopped to think about what a gift Docuvitae is given that we get to tag along and document such important milestones in people’s lives. In light of that, we have gone through our archives and pulled some of our favorite kisses! Some are between friends, between family and between Brides and Grooms! I’m inspired to go find someone to kiss!
Enjoy,
Francie
Editor’s picks
Some of my favorite shots from Greg and Jessica’s wedding were made by Rebecca at the classic Sunset Tower Hotel penthouse on the Sunset Strip, where Greg and his groomsmen get ready.
A little Gary Winnogrand-esque, I asked Rebecca what work she had been looking at recently. She automatically responded, “Just some 60s french cinematography stills.” I mentioned Gary Winnogrand, however, and her face brightened up. She was amazed I could see the resemblance. She had, in fact, thought of the New York street photographer at the time, as something about the hotel room and the everyone’s suits and mannerisms reminded her of his work.
It’s an example of what interesting shots Docuvitae photographers create with a rich knowledge and experience in fine art and photojournalism. I have a lot of fun seeing connections between our work and artists I admire, and I am always eager to see how my colleagues expand upon that which has already been done.
More photos from Jessica and Greg’s wedding
Henri Cartier Bresson part 2
On the way to the MoMA from my hotel, I stumbled upon a park that has lived in its spot on E. 53rd Street since 1967, Paley Park. It had rained that morning and the sun was just beginning to come out again. I stopped to finish my coffee in the park before continuing on to the museum, something a little out of character for me these days as I’m always rushing somewhere or another. Something about Paley Park, though, was so inviting and so surprising, a little sanctuary in the middle of a bustling city. I struck up a conversation with the groundskeeper who gave me a little info about the history of the park and some of its more noteworthy visitors and patrons. Nice guy, great smile. It wasn’t until I was about to leave that I was inspired to take a few pictures to document that experience. Normally I would take a photograph of a person associated with a particular space to remember it. People tend to exhibit more character and aura than inanimate objects for me and I always call myself more of a portraitist. This time, it was totally the place, its longevity, its ‘old soul’, the ‘sun after rain’ lighting and its incredible design and symmetry that I am always so drawn to. I often take photos of inanimate objects, but rarely show them, sometimes never even look at them again. While I took these ‘portraits’ of this little moment in time and this incredible park and a few more grab shots on the way to the museum, before seeing Cartier Bresson’s exhibit, it was absolutely the Cartier Bresson exhibit that taught and reminded me to revisit and take pride in the simpler things.
xRebecca
Paley Park
Henri Cartier Bresson
The other weekend, I was in New York photographing the wedding of Anna and Michael (will post a few favorites when the film comes back from the lab) and had a chance to visit the Henri Cartier Bresson exhibit currently up at the Museum of Modern Art. For our readers who are unfamiliar with his work, he is absolutely one of the greatest photographers in the history of photography and I beg you to visit any museum or gallery that has his work up and get an up close look at his prints. If you can get to NYC before June 22nd when the exhibit ends, block out a minimum of two hours to make your way though the exhibit.
The thing about Cartier Bresson that I find to be so impressive is that his unique perspective, his ‘eye’, is clearly present in every single photograph. There is an artist communicating in each shot, no matter what the subject. In a modern world that tends to be so wrapped up in visual tricks and gimmicks, Cartier Bresson’s work proves that simpler is indeed, and more often than not, just better. Below are a few of my favorite Cartier Bresson photos. This display is merely a drop in the pond from Cartier Bresson’s highly prolific career.
photo by Henri Cartier Bresson
photo by Henri Cartier Bresson
photo by Henri Cartier Bresson
photo by Henri Cartier Bresson
photo by Henri Cartier Bresson
A Moment In Time, Worldwide Photo Shoot
May 2nd, 2010. 8:00am.
from Laura:
Laura's daughter, Willa, watches her favorite 'doggy' shows on youtube with Dad on Sunday morning.
Willa engrossed in the 'doggy' shows.
From Juli:
Ocean view from Hermosa Beach
From Rebecca:
Power lines and palm trees in Palm Springs.
From one of our favorite clients and fellow photographer, Jen Pollack Bianco:
photo by Jen Pollack Bianco, Artist Paul Pletka painting in his home studio in Santa Fe, NM.
Did you participate in this past Sunday’s Worldwide Photo Shoot? Have you looked at the New York Times ‘LENS’ Blog to see what people all over the world were doing at 8am on Sunday? Check out the submissions here.
Jessica & Greg
We recently had the pleasure of documenting a truly lovely couple and an absolutely stunning event. Our warmest congrats go out to the happy couple and their wonderful family, it was certainly a day to be remembered!
A very special thanks to Mindy Weiss, Amy Shapiro and the rest of the team at Mindy Weiss Events for creating such an extraordinary environment to photograph. Their special touches made this wedding truly magical for all in attendance. Thank you also to Neil at Gilly Flowers for your ever-inspiring, ever-innovative floral arrangements and designs. You continue to blow our socks off again and again!
Please enjoy a handful of our favorite photos from the day below.
Docuvitae Client Featured in Film Festival
We are often lucky to work with exceptional creative talents. One in particular had a really big week. Congratulations to Marc Salomon for screening his documentary film, Camp Chuck, this week as part of the official selection at the Newport Beach Film Festival. . Marc is a Principal Filmmaker and Founder of Play Pictures Media.
To our readers, keep an eye out for work from Marc. We’re sure to be seeing great things ahead from this remarkable talent.
Worldwide Photo Shoot!
Earlier this month, The New York Times ‘LENS’ blog invited their readers to participate in building what they are calling ‘A Timely Global Mosaic, Created by All of Us’. This ‘Timely Mosaic’ will be made up of thousands of image contributions from people across the globe of photographs simultaneously captured at exactly 15:00 hours (Coordinated Universal Time, formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time) on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010. For our fellow West coasters, that’s 8:00am. All image contributions will appear on the LENS blog in slideshow format so that all can see what this specific moment in time looks like in all different parts of the world.
To learn more about how to participate, click here.
I am going to be waking up in Palm Desert that morning after photographing a wedding the night before. Where will you be at 15:00 (U.T.C) on May 2nd? Laura, Juli and I plan to participate and will post our photos on our blog and facebook page for you to see. If you’d like to share your photos with us, please email them to the studio at mail@docuvitae.com with a brief description and we will feature our favorites on the Docuvitae blog.
Looking forward to seeing what you all have to share!
xRebecca
