photography Archives - Page 7 of 8

{7} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Catching up on my Marie Claire reading. The February & March issues are featuring so many spring trends that have me itching for warmer weather.

writing A Birthday card for the hubby. His Birthday is on Tuesday, but we are celebrating this weekend.

listening Swedish House Mafia all day today. Gotta pump myself up for the concert tonight at Madison Square Garden. Can’t believe this is their last tour. Sad face. I scored tix to start off the hubby’s b-day celebration. I’ll leave you with one of my favs: Don’t You Worry Child ft. John Martin

thinking About how much fun this concert is going to be. It’s consuming my mind today!

smelling The yummy bagel with cream cheese that I am about to consume.

watching Don’t hate, but I have been loving the Snooki & JWoww show this season. I mean, how cute is little Lorenzo?!?!

wishing That we hadn’t been woken up at 4am last night with the doorbell ringing from a cab driver that got stiffed by my neighbor. I mean, really?

hoping For positivity and strength to surround my Uncle and help him fight off the sickness he has been faced with at this point in his life. I also hope that my Mom can find equal strength since she has been his rock during this time.

wearing Black leggings with a pink and grey striped top, black and white striped cardigan, studded combat boots, my panda necklace, and my new MAC Candy Yum Yum from my bestie, Nichole! You rock!

loving The fact that we started making friendship bracelets at our last girl’s night on Tuesday. What a trip down memory lane! So fun, but I realize my skills need some brushing up.

laughing At this poor girl who tried to do a hair tutorial. I know it shouldn’t be funny, but it’s kinda funny.

wanting A big cup of coffee from Starbucks. Preferably a Cinnamon Dolce Latte.

needing The winner of my Flair Accessories giveaway to reply back with her shipping information. If I don’t hear from her soon, someone else may become the lucky winner instead.

feeling A bit sleepy due to being woken up last night.

craving This gold Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C. Oh wait…I already bought it. I’m not allowed to crave anything else for awhile…

clicking Through Amazon for some photo paper to print on for class. We are learning to use Camera RAW and Photoshop, so exciting!

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Weekend!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Bright Lights Bigger City

I typically tend to avoid touristy areas like Times Square, but I happened to be here last Friday night with my camera in tow, and I decided to take advantage. As much as the crowds can be crazy and frustrating, there is something about Times Square that fills you with energy and excitement. The bright lights. The big city. It makes you feel as if you are a part of something really magnificent. So I took the opportunity to dive right in there with the tourists and take some photos. I hadn’t really taken any night shots since I started my photography class, so I experimented with what I had been learning, and here is what I came up with. Hope you like.

And now for a little tune to put you in the spirit:

Bright Lights Bigger City – Cee Lo Green

Happy Hump Day!

XO,

Gina

Morning After Nemo

These photos were taking the morning after the big snow storm, Nemo, hit in Brooklyn. I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, and was surprised to find how quickly everything was plowed and shoveled. It was a beautiful sunny day with the light reflecting off the fresh snow. Overall, it was a quiet, relaxing little walk…a nice little break to otherwise hibernating that weekend. Enjoy.

Today I am enjoying the day off at home thanks to our American Presidents. Catching up on laundry, cleaning, tv, and blogging. Hoping to get the chance to take some more photos today as well.

Happy President’s Day!

XO,

Gina

{6} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Still reading Book 5 in the Harry Potter series…I can’t seem to stop falling asleep on the subway lately, which is cutting into my reading time.

writing Been taking lots of notes in my photography class. Weird to be using a notebook and a pen again.

listening Of course the Maryland girl has to listen to a little country every now and then. This song is a bit of a morbid love ballad by The Band Perry, and I can’t get enough of it. Check out “Better Dig Two.”

thinking About my spiritual self. It seems this is the time of year that I tend to look inside my soul. Today is Ash Wednesday (if you didn’t already notice from the photo above), which is the start of the Lenten season. It makes me think about what I can do to be a better person, and what I can do to help others.

smelling Citrus tea that my boss has been brewing daily in the office.

watching Still on my “Race to the Oscars,” and I have seen all but two films now that have been nominated for Best Picture! I have to say, there has not been one that I have disliked so far. Last night was Lincoln to celebrate Lincoln’s Birthday. It was a fantastic film, and I have a feeling it just might take gold at the Oscar’s.

wishing My butt buddie, Erin, a speedy recovery as she is undergoing Lasik eye surgery today. Love you Munchkin!

hoping For warmer weather on the horizon. I’m pretty much done with cold and snow. Unfortunately, I do not think I am going to get my wish just yet…

wearing My “Hi” “Bye” heart sweater with leggings and combat boots.

loving The genius behind Oreo during the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago. Did anyone see that Twitter ad during the blackout? Pure genius.

laughing At my husband and neighbors this past weekend as they attempted to invent a live version of “Frogger” with this Makey Makey invention kit. Just picture a grown man with 4 children jumping up and down around the room Dance Dance Revolution style while listening to techno music.

wanting The doctors to come to a diagnosis for my Uncle, so he can start getting the treatment he probably needs. He has been at Hopkins for awhile now undergoing tons of tests. Love you Uncle Johnny.

needing Rest. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. While I love keeping myself busy most of the time, I am looking forward to a little downtime at some point.

feeling Optimistic. I will leave it at that.

craving This shade of MAC lipstick – Rebel – Did you know MAC recycles? If you return 6 empty MAC products, you can get a free lipstick! I think I just may…yay!

clicking I have been click click clicking away on my camera since I started my photography class a couple weeks ago. So far, I have already learned a lot, and I am looking forward to learning even more.

What have you been up to lately?

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Paperblog

I recently received an invitation from Emma over at Paperblog to be a part of their online community of bloggers. They organize content from different bloggers all over the world and pick out the best posts to feature on their website. In order to validate my blog, I am posting the following sentence to confirm my registration:

« I confirm the subscription of this blog to the Paperblog service under the username popcornandpandas ».

So here we go, Paperblog. Let’s see what you are all about.

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm in this snow! We have about a foot over here in Brooklyn. I think I am going to head outside and play (i.e. go take some photos).

XO,

Gina

#14 Take a Photography Class

This was me on my birthday this past summer. So excited for my brand new camera. Cameras have always excited me. Ever since I was a child, I loved taking photos. I remember I got my first camera in Disney World when I was 7. I went around that park taking photos of everything I could. Back then there was no such thing as digital. So we took our photos to CVS or Ritz Camera to get them developed, and it was always exciting to remember what pictures I had taken or which ones turned out properly. My passion continued through middle school and high school. I would bring my camera to field trips, recess, prom, and other school dances. I brought my camera to college documenting football games and sorority functions. I loved having a physical memory to hold on to. I had albums for days. And I still have them. Memories locked up inside books that I could flip through at my leisure. People always ask me how I am able to remember everything so well. Well, I think it’s because of my photos. I can remember where we were or what we were doing or even what we were wearing, because I can see the photo in my mind. Eventually photos became digital, and I started taking so many photos that I could not keep up with my albums. They were starting to takeover my room, and I had no more storage for them. Luckily, Facebook was invented, and I have since been storing all my memories on the computer. As much as I have always loved taking pictures, I never had a good camera until this summer. I would try to take artsy shots with my point-and-shoot, but they never really turn out how you want them. When I decided that I really wanted to start blogging more often, I realized it was finally time to get a nice camera. The only problem with that is…I don’t really know how to use it. All this money for a beautiful new camera and lens, and not a clue of how to get the most out of it. Which is why I decided to sign up for a photography class at the School of Visual Arts. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time (bucket list/great adventure item #14!), and I am very excited to embark on this journey. It might be tough, and I may get frustrated, but I cannot wait to learn and become completely enthralled with this craft. Today is my first class, and I am not quite sure what to expect, but I know I am definitely looking forward to it. I am hoping to be able to share with you some of what I learn on this blog, and most importantly, I am hoping my new skills will show in the photography I continue to post.

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 🙂

Gina

2012: A Year in Review

Ringing in the New Year in Playas del Coco, Costa Rica!

Hiking in the Cloud Forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Valentine’s Day Surprise at the Mary Poppins Show! I dressed just like her without even knowing.

Celebrating Zack’s 31st at crazy Mehenata Bulgarian Bar

14 inch hair chop! Bye Bye. Thanks Nikki!

Sweetlife Festival at Merriweather in MD featuring Avicii…AMAZING.

Seeing Emily Blunt and Jason Segal at the premiere of 5 Year Engagement at the Tribeca Film Festival

SKYDIVING!!! Thanks to my amazing husband – he surprised me on our one year anniversary with this bucket list item.

Dad FINALLY visits us in NY. With Zack, Mom, and cousins at their pasta shop in Brooklyn

Virginia Beach trip with friends for Shirin and Shahrum’s wedding

Testudo came to Zach and Jessica’s wedding! Go Terps!

Happy Birthday to ME! Love my new camera!

Girl’s Weekend in OC for Katie’s Bachelorette – Seacrets is crazy!

Dewey Summer Send off on Labor Day Weekend

A Naval Academy Wedding for Megan and JoJo

Visionary Art Museum Wedding for MaryBeth and James

Trip to Montauk for Mike and Abby’s Big Day

Katie & Adam tie the knot at Sagamore Farms

racejohn — Running with Patrick and Melissa for my late dear friend John Petrovick. “Inside all of us is HOPE.”

racejohn2 — Thanks to Gabbi for helping to raise money for John’s cause.

Camping trip with Erin and Rai to French Creek

End of the season pic with my JV High School Girls Soccer Team

ASHS 10 Year High School Reunion – man time flies

All my girls at the 5th Annual Pollard Potluck

poodiewedding — Alex and Seamus get married to end the year!

It may seem like a lot of photos, but this is just a small snippet of what took place in 2012. There were so many more fun memories of this past year. There were also some sad moments as well. I have learned a lot this past year, and I know that I am truly thankful for the family and friends that I have. I am incredibly lucky for the support and love that I have received this past year, and I hope I was able to return the favor to all of you as well.

I wish you all a Happy New Year’s Eve. Please stay safe tonight.

Bring on 2013!

XO,

Gina

Your Favorite Holiday Things

Thanks to all of those who sent in your favorite holidays things! I loved getting them! We all have our own traditions and things that make the holidays special for us, and I appreciate the little peek into how you celebrate the season.

From Justin – @justin_goldberg

Favorite Holiday Treat:

Amazeballs – cooked by his wife, Jessica of The Quest to Be Cookie Queen

From Angela – @acguaragna29

Favorite 2012 Holiday Present:

Finley

Favorite Movie:

Love Actually

Favorite Christmas Album:

The Carpenters

Favorite Cooks:

Grandma & Aunt Marie for Christmas Eve Seven Fishes Italian Dinner

From Zigi – @zigisitch of ZiGiSituations

Favorite Place to Shop:

Macy’s Windows + Bryant Park w/ the fam

From Olivia – @PressTerp

Favorite Holiday Tradition:

Decorating my trees…big and small!

Thanks again to all those who participated and sent in your holiday favorites!

Today I am headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to celebrate Christmas Eve Italian style – the Seven Fishes dinner. Clams, rockfish, codfish, shrimp, escargot, and whatever else today’s dinner will bring. It’s one of my favorite days of the year where all of my crazy family gets together to celebrate, eat good food, drink yummy cocktails, sing songs, share gifts, and eat Grandma’s delicious homemade cookies.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Hope you have a fantastic day!

XO,

Gina

Hi

HI!!! While browsing for sparkly sequined outfits to wear for my AC trip a couple weeks back, I also came across this adorable sweater. I love the color palette, the comfiness, and the “Hi” lettering that speaks volumes to my personality. I am the type of person who will pretty much talk to anybody, even strangers on the street. While of course every now and then I like to have my “me” time, I usually love being around others, the overall energy of people, meeting new friends, and hearing their stories. My family and friends know that if we go somewhere, I will most likely run into somebody, and they will have to drag me along to keep me from talking to them all day.

Speaking of meeting new people, I went on my first “blogger date” this past Saturday. I would like to introduce you all to Alex of She Is Red. We have been “blogger friends” for a couple months now, and it was fantastic to finally meet her in person. She is an Oregon native who recently moved to New York City from just outside Copenhagen. She has a wonderful blog featuring fashion, food, and sparkly things. You definitely need to check it out!

We met at The Farm on Adderley (one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood) for a delicious brunch, and then did a little photo op in Ditmas Park. Five minutes into our photo op, we were just getting warmed up to photographing in front of someone other than our close relatives when we were screamed at by a psycho lady! This woman came storming out of her house yelling at us to stop taking photos of her house, because there was no sex offender living there and this story and these lies had ruined her life for the past 10 years. Umm…WHAT?!?! First of all, we are fashion bloggers taking photos of our outfits. Second of all, your house was not even in our shot. Third of all, we had no idea about this “sex offender” story and had no plans to broadcast it (until now of course). And lastly…you are PSYCHO! It was a little bit of a shake up for our first photo op together, but we nervously shuttled off to another street with normal, sane neighbors to finish our shoot. I suppose as weird as this incident was, it does make for a great crazy story!

Alex and I had a wonderful day, and I didn’t even notice how quickly the time had passed. I am happy to now call her a real friend instead of just a blogger friend. We realized we have a mutual love of karaoke, so I’m thinking that will be our next adventure!

Photos of me taken by Alex. Photos of Alex taken by me. Photos of us taken by a nice neighbor 🙂

Please excuse our messy manes…it was rainy and humid!

On me: HI Sweater: Forever 21 / Floral Print Dress: H&M (old) / Boots: ALDO -similar on sale here / Tights: Urban Outfitters / Bag: TJMaxx / Butterfly Ring: nOir / Bracelets: Wanderlust + Co. and BaubleBar / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Earrings: ALDO / Lip: MAC Snob

On Alex: Pendleton Coat: Vintage / Faux-fur Scarf: Vintage / Skirt: Forever 21 (sold out, but other pleated skirts I love here and here and also here) / Watch: Caravelle by Bulova / Necklace: Forever 21 / Bag: Forever 21 / Shirt: H&M / Boots: Acne

And how cute is the back of the sweater too!?!? I just love it. BYE! (for now!)

Enjoy the phenomenon of 12/12/12 today!

XO,

Gina

Cheetah is My Favorite Color

This is probably one of my favorite posts, because of this amazing cheetah jacket I found on sale last winter for only $30! Can you believe that? This faux baby is insanely soft, comfortable and perfect for a night out on the town. I had a big group of friends up visiting last weekend from Maryland, and I wore this out to our group dinner at Supper in the East Village. The family style Italian was to die for, and we had our own private room where it was completely appropriate to start our own dance party. We ended the night at Sing Sing with a little karaoke; always a crowd favorite with my group of friends. Oh what a night!

Cheetah Coat: Ann Taylor LOFT (on sale last winter) / Peplum Top: StyleMint / Skinny Jeans: Zara / Sunglasses: Ann Taylor LOFT / Turquoise Bubble Necklace: Cheerfully Charmed / Butterfly Ring: nOir / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Bow Bracelet: BaubleBar / Polka Dot Bracelet: BaubleBar – sold out but yellow for sale / Buckle Bracelet: Wanderlust + Co. / Shoes: Aldo (old) / Earrings: Aldo / Bag: TJMaxx / Lip: MAC Venomous Villians Cruella de Vil Heartless w/ Wicked Ways Gloss

Photos by: Zack Notes