NEW BLOG!

Hello everyone! If you don't know yet, you are a square.
This is my new blog www.heathercurielweddings.com/blog
it is really cool

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry...

I feel like a combination of these three. I want to lay in bed and cry cry cry.

Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Audrey Kawasaki, respectively.

Let's all hire flickr photographers!

I am always looking at photography and I can't remember a time when I have been so disappointed with what I have been seeing... until today.

I have been working on the business side of my photography (ie. www.heathercurielweddings.com) and looking at a lot of "photographer" websites. Most of them have decent sites, contact info, cool things, but in the end lots of bad photography. I will admit to being a photography snob, but damn isn't that what all photographers should be. I feel like people are so uber obsessed with promoting their work and making money that most people are not so concerned with making each photo absolutely beautiful.
Maybe that's why Steichen, Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Julia Margaret Cameron all have absolutely stunning work-- they didn't have to focus on all the business bs that photographer's today have to think about. They simply made absolutely stunning photos and actively went out to find really beautiful people to photograph.
Today I decided to search around on flickr and there it is, really beautiful photography. Why in the world aren't these people posting ads on craigslist all the time? Answer: because they are too busy making amazing pictures for arts sake. It all makes sense.

So I have decided to dedicate myself to making photos for the purpose of making really beautiful images.
The following links correspond to the following photographs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgoralnick/2835486674/in/set-72157600297057532/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauraburlton/2841127273/

HeatherCurielWeddings Site!

My wedding website is complete!
Beautiful photography for your wedding.
www.heathercurielweddings.com

HAPPY FRIDAY

I only know three people that can shake their money maker this good

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

From this entry on thefader.com Fader Magazine
"Ely Kim, a graduate student in Yale's graphic design program, created "BOOMBOX" as his entry for Michael Bierut's 100 Days Workshop. The 9 minute 36 second video is Kim's document of himself on 100 days in 100 locations doing 100 dances to 100 songs..."

FREE Wedding Portraits

Dear Hott Beautiful Babe Brides,

To complete my website the first ten brides to respond will get free AMAZING portraits from me! During the next two weeks only.
heathercuriel@gmail.com

xoxo
Heather

White Sands

Lady lady lomeli

Photos from a shoot I did in November

Raser, chacon

good artists copy, great artists steal...
its that simple.

oily bodies + hottness

Happy 2009! Just checked out the website of some of my favorite photographers Anoush and Aimee and they are still keepin it real. I like their work for a few reasons
1)It is simple and consistent. They aren't overly ambitious and execute their shoots every time.
2) They love Guy Bourdin and anyone who loves him automatically makes me love them.
3) They make videos of their shoots and post them online. Kind of like a behind the scenes meets music video. And I love music videos. Well done.

I like this kind of work because it shows that there are plenty of assignments to go around if you have the passion for your photography. You don't have to be Avedon, you have to love what you do. I am also guessing that they are fun to be around, people loooove this. Hooray for being great and loving photography. ♥
this first video made me fall in love with them.

Newton, sexi

I love love love Helmut Newton and despise his setups at the same time. Master of black and white and female body. His era is like Guy Bourdin's but Helmut was much more successful. After looking at photo after photo of his work I created this image of what a terrible person this man must be. A huge penthouse in New York with a large great dane sitting at the entrance. Inside the penthouse Newton sits smoking a cigar and looks at his sexi little 28 year old girlfriend.
I was actually very wrong.
Helmut was been married to the same woman for over 30 years and lived between two homes in MonteCarlo and Los Angeles. Late into his life he did a series of self portraits. Of his fat old self.
Man, I love me some Helmut.

Back...

I am back from a short hiatus.
Beautiful plants.

...

photos by me

Japan, many thing

I can't do any homework anymore. Photography related or not, i only have 5 weeks of school left and all I can think about are cute kids in Japan and drinking tea with 99 year old women. And filling out my application for the JET programme (lots of presumptuous spelling).
And I'm currently reading all the Japanese secrets for living to 200 years old.

photo courtesy of an old sweet navy website

Novatos

© Heather C

Anthropomorphisize

This is the second post I have that includes photographer Nick Brandt but his photos blow my mind every time I see them. In an interview with Lens Work magazine he talks about how he feels that there is very little respect for animals in photography. His photos have been criticized for being too anthropomorphic, but Brandt describes his work as true to the character of the animals he photographs. Animals are typically photographed in action in a pure documentary style, but there is little exploration into their actual souls.
Agreed.
It amazes me at how narrow minded some photographers are about various fields of photography, rejecting Brandt's work and calling it too fine art. what? His photos have some the most honest animal expressions I have ever seen. It also reminds me a little of Jill Greenberg's monkey portraits. These are shot in studio, and reveal a different element of animals. She uses Hollywood trained animals, but in a way there is a sort of satirical look in their eyes. Different from Brandt, but lovely all the same.

Lesson: keep an open mind to the borders between "fine art" and "photojournalism". better yet, don't label just look...
And a photo of my cute puppy.



photos © Nick Brandt



photos © Jill Greenberg


photo © Heather C

Faith in your own photography

Just found this article in PDN about having faith in yourself as a photographer. Piper Carter was a photographer's assistant for seven years and then finally realized that she was never going to be a photographer if she kept on assisting. This is very similar to the understanding I found in NYC this summer. As tempting and alluring a full time job as a photographer's assistant is, I made the decision to come back and work on my own photography. Work. And work.
I figured I can always go back and try to get work, but NOT assisting. As difficult as it might be, a young photographer has to try try try...

Untitled 1-3

sometimes photos don't need an explanation

© HetherC

Roversi and the element of balance

Paolo Roversiphotography is the ultimate in fashion photography for me. Even though he worked straight through the peak of glamour fashion in the 80's, he has kept his photos ethereal and airy. His style is vastly different from Meisel, Bourdin, and Helmut... but I love Roversi the most. <3
I was lucky enough to see one of his shows at the Pace MacGill Gallery in NYC this summer, and he changed my life. In a collection of ten photographs Roversi really took my mind to the next level. The photos put me at rest, in a very strange way. He really seems to care about the women he photographs and cares about the energy of the photo. In these ways, I connect to his work the most.
I have had long talks with friends about what I want to get out of a career of photography, after analyzing Roversi I can say that I want to have a collection of work as beautiful as his. With an emphasis on the beauty of women and the mastery of light.
His works bring a spirit of lightness and aren't caught up with technical elements. Roversi's focus is in making his women look beautiful in spirit. As much as I love Bourdin and Helmut, I can't connect with their work. Their perception of women don't match up with mine, we don't believe women stand for the same thing. Photographer's own personalities clearly are displayed through their photographs and it's evident by looking at large bodies of their collections.
Roversi reminds me of Sally Mann, Julia Margaret Cameron.

Roversi, these are my favorite things about you:
You are smart.
You love women and respect them.
You paint women with light and make their bodies look like angels.
You use film and mostly polaroids, without even hesitation.

Roversi, I love you.

photos by Paolo Roversi

Mario

Labor day is different for everyone. Some kids get to swim their little hearts out in central Texas swimming holes, and some people go to work. Here in Austin there is a Home Depot with men ready to work. They stand in the parking lot from 6am-6pm everyday waiting to get work for the day. Installing tile, rugs, painting, whatever needs to get done around the house. Even on labor day these guys were out at Home Depot...waiting.
Here's to our subject Mario for working on Labor Day and helping us.