Victus Memoria

sparrow

2011-11-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

experimenting with flash with julia

la persistencia de la memoria

2011-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

inspired by salvador dali's painting

shadows

2011-10-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

from a recent project documenting shadows

found film

2011-10-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

autumn with julia

2011-10-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar,
When the dawn begins to crack.
It's all part of my autumn almanac.

emerald lullaby

2011-09-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

model: elizabeth walz

wardrobe: margalit cutler

shot in collaboration with olivia hunter (below)

shooting strangers

2011-09-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

children are probably my favorite subjects. their lack in inhibition, their excitement to have their picture taken, mixed with the restlessness of youth make them perfect subjects. I often shoot with my younger cousin julia, but I've started taking pictures of strangers. instead of shooting them from afar, like a lot of street photographers, I ask them if they would let me photograph them. I enjoy the mysterious aspect of not knowing them or anything about them; I weave stories into my shots, create my own fairytales of their lives. they transform into characters that I write with my camera.

beautiful blonde sisters

spotted this girl across central park, whispered to natalie that I needed to photograph her.

this is jen, she told me a lot of people ask to photograph her.

thanks for reading

pale and scarred

2011-09-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

shot in collaboration with Olivia Hunter
model- Agata Sawicki
wardrobe by Margalit Cutler

the people that have changed me

2011-08-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

to quote my friend julianne, "I have heard time and again that the internet is a bad place." it's true; you hear crazy stories every day. but my experience of the internet has been completely different than any you hear on the news. I've met my best friends here.
alienated by my "real" best friends, I was alone for most of my high school days. after awhile I turned to the internet for the companionship I missed, using a new art form to me, photography. I was quickly sucked into the cyberworld as I met these amazing people, reaching out to this online universe of people just like us.
this summer I have finally been able to meet some of my best friends after years of online messages, long phone calls, video chats, even sending letters and photos. I've also been able to meet some of my biggest inspirations.

tess and I have been friends for a long time, pretty much since I started photography. I got the chance to meet her last summer, and since then, she is like an old friend. when we're together, it's like no time has passed and we're chatting and laughing like friends do.

michelle is one of the funniest people I know. when we saw each other for the first time, I didn't even have that initial shock of "oh my gosh, this is real," because it just felt like we've known each other all along. we understand each other so well. I know we'll be friends for a long time.

rockie was (and still is) one of my favorite photographers. I have followed her work for a long time. she is gorgeous and so so talented, I loved getting to know her outside of her work.

anna (left) has something about her that always drew me to her work, I think it was the honesty in each photo and I really felt like I knew her. we have gotten really close this summer, seeing a lot of each other. I'm so happy to know her.
emily (right) is one of the bravest and strongest people I know. she has gone through so much and still manages to keep a smile on her face. she is sweet and generous, and her work is simply stunning. I'm honored to be her friend.

I have too much to say about this girl that I will try to keep short. audrey is one of my best friends, there's no doubt about that. we have been friends for two long years, two years that I have cherished. I used to go through her pictures for hours on end, computer screen glowing late into the night. we became friends quickly, and through video chatting I met her mother, brother, and best friend (in real life). she finally came to new york, and we spent two days together, nonstop talking and laughing. sometimes when you meet people from the internet, it's hard to keep conversations moving, but there was none of that with audrey. she is beautiful and adorable, I know our friendship is real and strong because it withstood two years of before finally meeting.

monika is so incredibly talented. I look at her work and am amazed that she only just graduated from high school. I know she is going places. I love spending time with her, she is so sweet and we get along so well. she and I will be living in new york for the next few years, I hope to see a lot of her.

(l-r) Metin, Jessie, Emily Wuetcher, Maggie Ann, Michelle, Kymbre (Rockie's roommate), Rockie
an amazing day of photographing strangers, eating frozen yogurt, and meeting old friends.

mary claire is so cute, so funny, and so incredibly talented. being from the west coast, I thought I'd never get the chance to meet her, but here she is, smiling for me in grand central station. I love her. so much.

I didn't know matt before the summer, but since he is friends with jordan (right), I got to meet him. I'm so glad I did, he is so much fun and so great at photography. jordan has been one of my favorite photographers for years, she is so creative and adorable.

meagan and I were a support system for each other during our most difficult times. I can remember one night in the pouring rain, sitting in my car while we cried to each other over the phone, spilling our pain to each other, miles and miles apart. I can't put into words how much she means to me.

natalie has been living with me for the past few weeks. what I like about spending time with her is that we talk about everything, not just photography and photographers. we have been exploring the city together, staying up late and waking early to another day of adventure. she'll be back next year, too long for me, but I know when she comes back it'll be like nothing changed.

so this has been my summer; meeting the people I've known for years. these are the people that have shaped my life and made me who I am.

the internet is not always a bad place. it can be everything to a lonely girl, alone in her mind, yearning for a friend. (that being said, still be careful)

hazy summer // natalie kucken

2011-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

natalie kucken has been living with me in new york. during the day we explore, then stay up late editing and drinking tea. yesterday we wandered through central park all day. we found about 10 stacks of old vogue magazines, and carried as many home as we could. our arms are sore but it was worth it.

I don't want her to leave

sisters

2011-08-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

sisters rachel and julia
video here

A Sign Of The Times (Part 4/4)

2011-07-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Final, and probably my favorite, installment of this shoot.

model: eve grant
wardrobe: nicole hyle
hair: maryanna fitzgerald
MUA: linda burton
art director: leana varvella

attic

2011-07-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

it's funny how much you grow, but you never feel yourself growing. I haven't sat in this chair for years, but when I did, I realized how much I've changed. how much bigger I've gotten. and when I sit in that chair, my mind tumbles and I am a kid again, trapped in a frighteningly unfamiliar body. then I remember, I've been living in this skin all along.

it's easy to close your eyes and pretend that nothing has changed.

remember that change is slow

(by the way, these pictures are not of me, they are of my cousin margalit)

Boyish Charm

2011-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Part 3/4

The last three photos are film

Model: Eve Grant
Hair: MaryAnna Fitzgerald
MUA: Linda Burton
All clothes designed and created by Nicole Hyle
Art Director: Leana Varvella

song of the siren

2011-07-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

sirens are mythical bird-women that lure in sailors to their deaths with their seductively enchanting songs. rachel lenoir plays the three sirens, fatally attracting these sailors with her avian beauty.

all clothes were designed and created by margalit cutler
makeup by linda burton

Floral Fantasy (Part 2/4)

2011-07-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Showers and flowers

Model: Eve Grant
Wardrobe: Nicole Hyle
MUA: Linda Burton
Hair: MaryAnna Fitzgerald
Art Director: Leana Varvella

femme fatale (part 1 of 4)

2011-07-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

this is Femme Fatale, a brigitte bardot-inspired story of luxury and wealth. it is part 1 of 4 shoots I did that day with model Eve Grant, stylist Nicole Hyle, hair stylist MaryAnna Fitzgerald, makeup artist Linda Burton, and my photo assistant/art director Leana Varvella. Nicole (only 21 years old!) made the wardrobe herself, she is absolutely incredible! we did three other shoots, all different themes and styles. those will be coming soon!

Shelley @ New York Model Management

2011-06-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had my first test shoot with New York Model Management the other day. I shot with Shelley, one of their new faces. She is adorable and so much fun to work with. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

summer in the city

2011-06-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've been living in the city for about 3 weeks now. these are some of my roommates in my apartment.

a crazy thunderstorm the other night was luckily captured on my camera!

emily at serendipity's

we went to a free andrew bird concert in brooklyn. he is an incredible musician

emily and I worked on another music video for her song "Threads." It's about the difficult relationship she's had with her younger sister, not being around or watching her grow up because of their parents' divorce. It's absolutely beautiful.

I will be shooting with some models at New York Model Management this week. Stay tuned for some new faces!

Collaboration

2011-06-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily is an amazing singer. Her and I have done a few photoshoots in the past (they're all on my blog), and I recently made her a music video. Her songs are sad but beautiful. We wrote one together, and she has a lot more that she has created on her own. We're working together to promote both of our skills. Please check out her music video!

Love Sandy :)

empty spaces and unfamiliar places

2011-05-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

I continue my life as a gypsy, moving for a week into my mom's new apartment. before we left, I took some pictures in what used to be my room. it's now completely empty and freshly painted white. it was a little odd to see it that way.

the door to the attic was in my room, and at night I was always afraid of some intangible creature that would hurt me. I put my dresser in front of it, protecting me from this undefined danger.
so now I'm with my mom for a week or two, before heading off to new york city for a few months. I have an internship in the NBC photo department starting in June, so I will spend my summer in the city!

here I am in the new apartment. all the clothes I travel with are in a pile on the floor behind me.

some (badly scanned) film

2011-05-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

worst possible quality on earth... but I kinda like it!

most of these are emily, but the first is my roommate and the last is a self portrait.
last day of finals-- it's officially summer!

self portraits

2011-04-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

a few self portraits I've taken over the year. I used to be a lot more comfortable in front of the camera, but it's become more and more difficult to take a good self portrait. I included the few that I feel proud of. it's also nice to know that I haven't changed much, since the first pictures were taken in December, and the last one was taken a few days ago.

fog

2011-04-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

foggy night adventures, filled with harmonica floating through the air, matzah pizza, and funky outfits.

emily

2011-04-21T15:55:00.000-07:00