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Category Archives: personal

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Destination Weddings

In the past year I’ve been lucky enough to shoot three destination weddings. And in May I’ll be headed to Hawaii to shoot another (can’t wait!). I love doing them, but if I have any downtime, I’m not usually lugging my 5Ds around the resort or town. Here are some of my favorite iPhone shots from my travels to Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya and Montego Bay!

Montego Bay airport bar.

From the bus to Rick’s Cafe (Jamaica).

Airplane wing. En route to Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Barcelo Maya Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Near the Malecon. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Ahhh…

Palm tree. Mexico.

Another palm tree. Jamaica.

Stray kitty. Puerto Vallara, Mexico.

Me and My iPhone: Love Stinks!

Just kidding, I love love! And this week’s iPhone post is dedicated to just that.

Spotted about a year ago on the Lower East Side.

Said it before, I love coffee. Especially romantic cups!

Hello Kitty love.

Sparkly love.

Love handles?

Viva El Amor…

I’m yours..

Lost…

Found…

Roots love.

Happy Father’s Day

It’s father’s day, so I thought I’d break my ‘blog mold’ and do a post in honor of my dad, who passed away when I was a teenager. I am who I am today because of my parents. Every day I see pieces of their personalities in myself and I love it!

I also know that my strong family roots and upbringing has influenced me not just as a person, but as a photographer. I am in love with the way people interact with one another. I adore the tiny things they do in between the moments you’re meant to capture and I find myself always looking for those ‘in between’ moments. They are the interactions and expressions that truly show the relationships people share.

I went back through some old files to find some of my favorite ‘dad’ shots from portrait and event shoots to share with you. From the father holding his newborn baby for the first time or the dad giving a speech at his daughter’s wedding, I’m so grateful to the families who let me in on these moments, trusting me to preserve them. I treasure photographs of my own family and it’s an honor to be creating memories for others.

Happy Father’s Day!

Me and my dad.

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My sister, father and I at the Jersey shore.

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Happy New Year!

I interrupt my ‘Best of…” blogs to bring you the following series.

Bright and early this morning I was forced to head outside, not even realizing at first, that it was snowing! While I only had to walk about 5 short and 2 long blocks, I still felt a bit annoyed by having to venture out into the cold. After bundling up and stepping outside, I decided to make the best of it and capture the beautiful snowfall with my iPhone and the CameraBag app.

I really really really love Brooklyn. It’s a pretty inspiring place to live. I try so hard not to take it for granted, but I definitely do sometimes. Especially with the cold, snowy weather, this morning was a nice change to not be rushing to the subway or lugging all my camera gear (though part of me wishes I had brought my 5DmkII). It was just me, empty streets, some fresh snow and a coffee.

Happy New Year everyone!

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I’m in England!

And I’m having an absolutely amazing time.

I’ve taken lots of photos, but for now I’m going to post one of my favorites. I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. I’ll write more when I’m home!

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Lensbaby Fun in Coney Island!

So, I’ve made a pact with myself to spend the next week shooting for me (after I work this weekend, of course). Yesterday I was feeling like a grump, so I decided to start my pact early, get motivated and head to Coney Island with P.

I adore Coney Island (see previous blog: Summery Things), but haven’t really been in a while. Though I feel guilty saying it, and I do admit that it is sad without Astroland, Coney Island is still great! I firmly believe that even the biggest sticks-in-the-mud can’t resist the fun of boardwalk. Come on… Claw Machines, Ski Ball, Soft-Serve Ice Cream, Kites (oh my)! Boardwalks and beaches always take me back to summer vacations with my family ‘down the shore’ (Yep, ’tis true. I’ve just revealed that I was born and raised in New Jersey!).

Okay, so on to the photographs:

On our walk to the D train, I spotted this sweet bike horn. I tend to photograph bike bells, but I couldn’t resist this one!
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Normally, I curse the D train. Of all the trains I’ve lived off of, the D is kind of my least favorite. However, when it’s taking you to Coney, it’s not so bad!
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In my “Summery Things” post, you get a different view of this sprinkler.
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I’ve always been fascinated by the people who fish off of the Coney Island Pier. I just think it’s so much fun to watch them!
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I watched this family fish together and interact for such a long time. They were so loving and fun to observe. This little boy was determined to catch a fish. He was so patient while his grandma (pictured) caught about five! His big sister was a total pro at removing the fish from the line and putting it in water! I’d never be able to do that without squirming!
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This guy reads the paper out here every day. He used to work on a print press. He told me “Ink runs through my blood.”
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The sky was totally amazing yesterday! Do you see the kite?!
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Seriously, there is nothing like sweet light.
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While I was photographing the sky, P was getting some raw clams.
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While I won’t eat clams raw, I’ll happily photograph them! (Lensbaby 1.0)
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The board walk was bustling and the sunset could not have been more perfect.
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My photo taking was soundtracked perfectly by the music of Joseph Ardigo.
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Okay, I admit, there are not-so-cheery parts to Coney Island, but they sure do add to its charm.
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Goodnight Coney Island!
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Exploring Brooklyn – Sunset Park

I cannot believe that I leave for Jamaica in two days. Totally nutso! I’ve got so much to organize and I’m photographing two, yes two, events tomorrow, so I’m pretty sure that time is going to fly.

I’m hoping for the chance to post some photos from David and Jen’s rehearsal dinner tomorrow night before I head to the airport. I’m especially excited to be photographing at Bayard’s again – it’s just beautiful there.

Quick announcement – I’ve created a facebook fanpage. So if you’re a fan, show your love here: Kristina Hill Photograph Fanpage!

So on to the title of this blog. I’ve upgraded to the 5D Mk II and I’m so excited! I’ve had my eye on the camera since it was first announced by Canon and now it has kicked my old ‘back up’ camera body into retirement, moving into my camera bag with my trusty 5D.

I have not had the chance to shoot any video yet, but I totally intend to do so in Jamaica. I’ve actually taken very few photos on it, but wanted to post a few as some of you have been nagging me to see what I’ve done with it so far!

So here a few from a walk through South Slope/Sunset Park on the first day of our relationship together. May it be a long and happy one!

I know, I know, not too exciting. But since buying my first digital camera, it has become a tradition that photo number one is a tribute to the camera that came before!
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I have dozens of photos like this… I’m not sure why I like to photograph my skirt/shoe combinations!
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A bit blurry, but wanted to test out the capability of the 6400 (yes, 6400) ISO (no noise reduction applied!).
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Boat Bar, Brooklyn – Guinness and Otter!

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to Boat to do a photoshoot with Andrew Thompson.

Too bad for Andrew, he was upstaged by Guiness and Otter. Guiness and Otter are, hands down, the two most lovable dogs I have ever met (and I’m a cat person). They sat at the bar (literally) all night, drank a few mini-beers and stole the hearts of dozens. Enjoy!

Meet Guiness
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Meet Otter
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Guiness (who was named before his love of the beer was discovered) drinks his Guiness.
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Otter meets Andrew
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iPhone Adventures – CameraBag

My iPhone has been running really slowly lately (much like the other mac device in my life). It didn’t take long to figure out that the 600+ photos I had stored on there could be causing it to melt down. I never thought I’d use a camera phone so much, but having CameraBag on it makes it even more fun to play with.

So yesterday I sat down and removed all the non-portfolio photos from it and that’s what inspired me to post this montage of iPhotos. I try to ‘tweet’ photos and post to my facebook when I remember. I ‘d like to think I’ll have the time to post some more, but enjoy these for now (a snippet of my little life):

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Beacon, NY Adventure

Yesterday P and I took Metro North to Beacon for a mini adventure. Though most of the time was spent in a cozy cafe processing Bat Mitzvah photos, we also spent some time walking around taking photos and checking out the neighborhood.

When I’m outside of the city I tend to get really excited about nature! I didn’t bring my 5D, but I did bring the Lumix and I’m glad I did. I’m always telling my students “read your manual…” and “know your camera…” but I admit I haven’t taken the time to really get to know my Lumix!

It was fun playing with the camera’s custom functions. I set two separate custom functions illustrated in the following images. All ‘effects’ were done in-camera. Enjoy!

When this little guy woke up yesterday, I bet he never thought he’d be the subject of a photoshoot!
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Oddly, I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a ‘wishie’…
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Before catching the train back, we had a drink at Chill – a wine bar on Main Street.
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