Babies' first Christmas

Some brand spanking new babies from age 5 days to 6 months met Santa Claus last weekend. Judy had convinced Santa to stop by her house and pose with the little ones. Moms, dads, aunties and siblings had great fun telling Santa their wishes for this year's Christmas and smiling for the camera.
The older kids were not quiet convinced that that big old fellow with the huge beard was friendly, but some could be talked into sitting on his lab. At the end of the day it was a matter of getting that toy train on the 25th or not.
There were even some quiet mommy-baby moments to be had.
Enjoy the slide show of Santa and his little friends below.

Congratulations Kelly & Mike

We hope you had a wonderful honeymoon. (I'm sorry you had to come back to November-New-England.)

While we are still editing the over 2,000 photos we took at your wedding in beautiful South Casco, Maine, we would like to give you a quick early glimpse at some of them in the little slide show below ... to help pass time.

We're going to a Trade Show

Yeah! Judy and Silke are going to a "Trade Show" with our portraiture photography. Actually it's a private Craft / Boutique Show - organized by Soni Masur - where local artists show and sell their stuff. (... and great stuff it is)
Last April my artist friend Jesa invited me to stop by. I did. (see April blog) ... and I took some pictures of the event. A few weeks ago Soni asked if we wanted to participate in the "Trade Secrets" part of her upcoming holiday event.

We are among the "Trade Secrets " women Soni refers to in her Newsletter, who will be at the show only Thursday Night!! We are two of the "local entrepreneur women you must know about!!!"

We are so excited about this.
So come by to say hello and check out all the other wonderful stuff ...

2008 Holiday Craft/Boutique Show
Soni Masur’s House
66 Thornton Rd
Needham, MA

Thursday Night Nov. 13th ~ 6:30pm-9:30pm
Friday Nov. 14th ~ 9am-3pm
Saturday Nov. 15th ~ 10am-4pm

Lina & Lukas

I saw Lukas again and met Lina for the first time last week. What a delightful encounter. I am very happy with the portraits I took (... so are the proud parents by the way) and I can wait to go back to document their next steps ... in about a year or so. Check out some of the portraits in the slide show below ...



I have already started on the book. I have a feeling that this will turn into an annual event that will capture the development of the two in a very unique way: One book each year. What a wonderful way to for a family to document their history.

Studio Week

Last week was "Studio Week". I went twice with two great couples. We had a ball each time,and even though we spent a good 2 hours in there each time, time flew by and none of use noticed how late it was when we started breaking everything down.

Check out both albums below ...

Anke & Mike

Kari & Steve

Judith & Silke in Greece

We are thrilled to announce that the work of both Judith and Silke will be included in the 14th issue – the September 2008 issue – of ANTILIPSEIS, 'Dance-Shots'!     ANTILIPSEIS is an independent Greek magazine about photography, that is published every three months in Greece.

* Silke’s work will be on pages 18-19
* Judith’s on page 29

To see thumbnails of all the pages click here.

This issue will have a D(ance) shape and a swirling reading direction (that's why on the link, some pages are upside-down). It is to be out by the end of this month, and we can’t wait to get our hands on a copy of the magazine.

Bikes not Bombs! (BNB) Bike-A-Thon 2008

I liked last year's Bikes not Bombs! (BNB) Bike-A-Thon. A lot. So I decided to photograph this year's event too. And it was great! Click on the photo link below and check out the photos.

Bike-A-Thon 2008

Over three hundred riders braved the sweltering heat on Sunday June 8th and made heroic rides. What a day! At 8:30 in the morning people were already sweating and looking for shade from the punishing sun as the line to check in for the 62 mile race stretched across the field (there were twice as many riders this year than last). Heat and humidity made the hard pedaling on the rides all the more challenging for all 15, 25, and 62 riders, but reports keep pouring in at BNB from riders who had a great day, who kept cool with fun and camaraderie.

The event accomplished to raise $105,000. Bikes not Bombs! more than doubled their fundraising record. This is an unbelievable success which will allow them to keep up with its expansions in youth leadership and international work.

The Green Roots Festival afterparty was also fabulous, Elijah Evans, David McDonald, Nzhinga Webster, and Darren Fenty of BNB's youth programs were amazing with the 30+ piece Branches Pan Groove Steel Orchestra (Dave and Elijah even rode the Bike-A-Thon before they played), and the keynote speakers: Bill McKibben, Khalida Smalls, City Councilor Chuck Turner, and BNB Director Kim Foltz made inspiring speeches – tying together the workshops' themes. The Green Roots Festival was a great sharing place for folks of all different walks of urban life to explore ways to deepen their environmental knowledge and action, and it made some true connections for BNB to work with other environmental organizations more closely in the future.

I covered the event as much as I could given the fact that my husband and I were driving the following vehicle for the 15 mile race.
I am very proud to have been a part of this event and I am already looking forward to next year's ...

Mothers Day and Engagement Books

What does an engagement portraiture session and book have to do with mother’s day?      A lot!
For Kelly and Nate it meant having two hard cover books with their engagement photos ready for mother’s day as their moms were headed to Boston for the weekend and a book like this seemed like the perfect Mother’s day present.
We were right on, as Kelly just confirmed via email:

"Hey!! I just wanted to say thanks again SO much. The books were a huge hit. You're a star :)"

Kelly & Nate

April 2008 ... and...

By Silke Hase (Photog...

Book Preview

Happy, Happy, Happy

Happy Birthday, JR.
Happy Mother's Day, Lisa.
Happy New House, Everybody.

Thank you for the invite Lisa. I can't believe you threw a party like this 10 days after moving into the new house. Click on the picture below to see all the photos I took of your event.

Happy Birthday JR

Welcome Jonathan !

Remember Alyssa and her baby-belly?

Well that was then.

Join me in welcoming Jonathan who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday.

He is a very good baby … except when there is gas rummaging in his little tummy. But Mommy can make things better with a simple back rub. And then the little guy's appetite come right back. Bring on dinner!

Hey Silke,
the pictures are GREAT!!! I love them!!! Thank you for taking them and putting them up on that website so quickly!!! I can't wait to forward them to my friends and family so they can see them too!!! Thank you again for stopping by... It was nice to get to see you!!!
Talk to you soon.
Take care, Alyssa

A girl's night out at the Craft Show

Last month I got an email from my artist friend Jesa to come see her drawings and other wonderful art and craft at Soni Masur's annual Spring Craft/Boutique Show in Needham.
So I went.
Yesterday was opening night and it fit perfectly in my schedule as I could go there after work (rather then going home and getting stuck in traffic)
It was wonderful.

Craft Show

There was yummy 'art' - or was it craft? (I bought a jar of spicy chocolate sauce of Maureen)
I loved Marissa's belt buckles and I will definitely get back to Gerda Maaskant (Turned to Stone) once my new yard is ready for one of her wonderful giant leave stone bowl.
I can't mention every artist here, but there were silk scarves, T-shirts & a fun color activity game, handmade cards and journals, one of a kind handbags and totes, pottery, Jesa's drawings, and of course Soni's wonderful jewelry. ... and this was just the first floor. Soni and her family are sacrificing their entire house this week, as the list continues in the basement with services such as wardrobe solutions, personal trainer, Yoga and Pilates, party and event planners, moving planners, a residential designer, and landscape consultation, design and plant shopping services for homeowners.
Did I mention the snacks.
What a wonderful relaxing evening.
I am going back next year.

Not Exactly Portraiture

Not exactly portraiture, but too good to not take any photos of it.

"Fire in the Hole !"

They have been blasting for almost three weeks nor, right next to the office. Today I brought my camera ...
Click on the picture to view the album.

Happy Belly Shoot

Last week we spent one evening taking photos of Alyssa, who is due in a couple of weeks and her daughter Kiara. Both were wonderful models: very patient (even as I was getting out the dinosaur large format camera) and willing to try different lighting set ups and backgrounds.
Our reward was a wonderful set of portraits two of which I’d like to share here - together with an email I received from Alyssa after posting the portraits in an online album.

From: Alyssa
Subject: Thank you!!!

Awesome!!! Those are all GREAT... Thank you for doing that for us!

I have brought the books to work to show some of the ladies I work with and they love them... I am going to see some of my friends soon, we haven't gotten together in quite a while... but when I see them, I am going to show them as well!!! I promise to keep you posted on the feedback I get from those books and the pictures!!! YOU guys are so wonderful... I can't thank you enough for taking our pictures and capturing Kiara and I together with that big belly of mine!!!

Talk to you soon!!!
:) Alyssa

A Mini Review by Who-Asked-You-Anway-Robert (Traumbilder)

I want to thank my artist-friend Robert who saw Traumbilder for the first time a couple of days ago. He liked it so much that he wrote a review, which I want to post here since Blurb doesn't provide space for this. Thank you Robert for this wonderful review. Here it is:

I received "Traumbilder, Dreamscapes in Photography & Poetry" yesterday. The book is well-packaged and well produced; immediately after Iwrestled this nicely sized 5" x 5" softcover from its triple wrapped container, I wondered if maybe I should have sprung for the hardcover edition. The quality of the print by Blurb.com gives a very good name to web-based print-on-demand publishing.

The black and white photo on the cover (medium format?, 4X4? 6X6? with slightly curling and darkened edge effects in the corners) sets the tone for this wonderful reflective and pensive body of work. When I heard that this was a collaborative work by two separate (albeit, married) artists, I had to deliberately put aside my doubts--a favor I owe to all good friends--that expediency was favored over design. This is NOT a product of a formula that says "Gee, one artist with thirty pages plus another artist with thirty pages gives us a sixty page book!" No, right off it becomes very clear that this is a perfect marriage of photography and poetry; not a match up of images and words, but of two artists unified in intent and purpose as if they were one.

After only four pages, I find my first 'favorite':

   All are small, forgettable things
   Have them, they are nothing
   Leave them behind, they are
   Frames in which our time is set

The accompanying image of taut dock lines reinforces this suggestion of the transitory nature of life and how the commonplace become iconic in our memory. I'm only up to the sixteenth page before I write this because now I know what readers are happy to find out when they pick up a great book: "This works!" I have confidence that the paired talents of Hase and Stull can consistently deliver and surprise and reward us. I am not going to rush through this one. Uh, uh, nope. I'll save this for when I'm ready for another big serving of beautiful work. Mmmm mm!

Congratulations, Silke and Tristan! Well done. Very well done.

Robert Gavila
New York City
January 12, 2008

Epiphany

Judy

I just had an epiphany as I was browsing through the photo books of Lydia and Lukas:
These books - the ones that we have created already and every single one that we will create - are absolutely priceless.
They are family treasures.
They are a blessing.
…for the families of the kids.
…for Mom and Dad now.
… and in a couple of years - AKA ‘in no time’ - for the kids themselves.

It makes me feels so damn good.
... and it really makes me want to create more and more of them.
I can't wait to shoot Ahmed's twins ...
I can't wait to talk to Alyssa.
I can't wait to hear back from Tristan's colleague Mike.
I can't wait for the world.

... and I can wait for our next meeting to learn more about what Arthur tells you in class.
(Give him a hug from me, please. He was the ONLY teacher I ever hugged at the end of a class or workshop)
...and to refine our handout materials for our future client.

And I can't wait for my next workshop to start tomorrow.

God I love photography.

Luv
Silke