For the Love of Light!: 2011

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Henri Cartier-Bresson Interview with Charlie Rose

Today I watched this video of Charlie Rose interview Martine Franck the widow of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Agnes Sire, and Peter Galassi as they discuss Henri's life, work, and his new exhibit at the MOMA.

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10966

I have long been a fan of Henri Cartier-Bresson work, thought I knew little to nothing of his history. I left this video feeling totally inspired. What I take away from it is the discussion of the compassionate eye of the photographer and Henri's grace to capture deep emotion and vulnerability deftly without denying the human dignity of his subject.

I hope that one day I too can look back at a piece of my work on day and use the term...perfection.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Portrait Session with Andrea

There is nothing better than getting to take pictures of people you love. One of my nearest and dearest friends, Andrea, came down for the week and we just had to have a photo shoot at the National Arboretum. This was of course preceded by some serious Anthropologie shopping. There was nothing about this set up that I didn't love! The azaleas were in bloom, my girl was in D.C., and her outfit was perfect! What's not to love?

© Crystaline Randazzo Photography - All images are copyright of Crystaline Randazzo and in no way are to be used by Google, Google Advertisers or any third party. These are not your pictures. Steal them and I will sue you.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Breath Magazine & DC Crop Mob

In August, prior to leaving for Zambia, I got spend one amazing day with DC Crop Mob. This group gets together about once a month to help local farmers by doing whatever needs to get done on the farm at that point in time. You can plant, weed, harvest, etc. It is a wonderful way to promote small farmers and sustainable living in your area. You can read more about Camera Meets Crop Mob here.

I think Crop Mob is a fantastic organization, so I was thrilled when Breathe Magazine wanted to use some photos from my shoot. Today, I was sent the final article and it sure looks good to see my name in the fine print!

Monday, April 4, 2011

National Arboretum

One of my favorite places in D.C. is the National Arboretum. You could say I have a thing for nature, whatever that means. I headed out that way because I assumed that there would be some cherry blossom action, but ended up getting side tracked by all the magnolia trees in full blossom. They looked and smelled amazing!!!

I added a Nikon 105mm to my lenses in October but I hadn't had many opportunities to use it. Today was my chance! It was definitely the first day of Spring and at 85 degrees, I had to be outdoors.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Cherry Blossom Festival, DC

I'll admit that my inner geisha is a sucker for the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. I absolutely love it! I was so excited that we were back in town in time for it. Our second official Saturday in D.C. could not of been any better. It was a brisk day, and I got to put my new macro lens to work. The images were left me feeling refreshed, and excited to put my camera to work!

There are definitely some big changes on the horizons for CKR Photography! More on that front later!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day from Zambia!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Shoot Snap Shot: Tremont Family Portraits

I had a great time yesterday shooting family portraits for some of our friends at post, the Tremonts. Pam and Eric have a lovely, five year old named Payton whose curiosity and gregarious attitude comes across in the photos. He and I decided that the next time we took pictures together, he'd bring his camera along as well and we'd take turns taking photos. He was fascinated by the camera and even framed a few shots as my assistant. This family was so much fun! What a blast!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Shoot Snap Shot: Lubuto Library Project

At long last, I got to visit the second Ngwerere Lubuto Library in the flesh! Well at the very least in the insaka. To give you some background, Labuto Library Project was founded in 2005 by Jane Meyers, Labuto Library Project President. She began by changing a small reading room into a full-fledge, balanced library collection for street kids starting in 1999. And this year they open their second library at the garden compound in Ngwerere.

I have been looking forward to seeing Lubuto's programs in action, but arrived during the holidays when school was not in session so I had to wait until after December to get shooting started. I am blown away by the scale of the project, and the logistical hoops that this team jumps through every day. Labuto runs several educational programs during the week, including drama, dance, and art along side the library. You can see the incredible art the students are creating here.

I will be the first to admit admit that I am a book lover. I love the way old books smell, the weight of them in your hands, and the way they connect you to various stages in your life. I've been known to spend hours in used books stores and libraries. Books grow and change with you as your understanding of the world changes.

I have to say, seeing the kids today and the way they were in awe of the books was amazing. Just to watch how their chubby, little fingers gently turned the pages, and to see their eyes gleamed with the thought of unknown places. The world was at their fingertips. And mine was as simple as the click of the shutter.