2010's LAST Photoshoot!: Chris and Bekah, Maternity Session

Happy New Year Everyone! Here's an image from my photoshoot this morning with Chris and Bekah, who are expecting their little one in February:



May this year bring you peace of mind, good health, and plenty of joy!

Love,

Monica

Happy Holidays!

This year I was blessed with getting sick during the holidays. I am in no way complaining, in fact just the opposite. Work-wise, this was the best scheduled time for me to be sick with only personal parties to attend to. (No one wants a photographer that is missing photos because of sneezing and having to blow their nose every second minute or so.) I did have to back out of a couple personal enagements, but my friends and family were very understanding!

p.s. Thank you, Mom, for telling me I sounded like "Rudolph with that thing on his nose" when I called to wish you and Dad a Merry Christmas.

Reindeer, abstract. A present I wrapped for my Mother-in-Law.

I did have a wedding to attend yesterday, I was able to enjoy being a guest (though a mildly under the weather guest) which is rare for me. It was important to Cat and Barry to include their daughter/step-daughter in the celebration by having her perspective as the official wedding photographer. :) In addition they also had several disposable film cameras on the tables to include the perspectives of the guests. My contribution to Cat and Barry's wedding, aside from my well wishes of course, was their engagement photos (view some photos here) and also their gift to the guests. They'd asked me to put together a design for a musical cd gift. Here are a couple photos:


The process.



So Happy Holidays to everyone out there! I hope to have a photo year in review, up soon :) Stay tuned...

Year End Wedding!: Cat and Barry

The third wedding in three months of another one of my good friends, this time it's Cat and Barry! Before I head off to the wedding at the Weston Hyatt, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite images from their engagement session that I shot last month:




Yes, they're ballroom dancers too :)


Photographed at a beautiful location in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida! Can you believe it's Winter??


CONGRATULATIONS!!

Yogic Inspiration: The Love of Doing Dishes

As a yoga instructor it is my intention to share information that I've learned directly through my own yogic practice. My Guru, Yogi Amrit Desai says, "you teach who you are." So here is a website I stumbled upon which offers a story that I connected with. I've also included the story below:

Finding Enlightenment in the Most Surprising Places
© 2005 Corinne McLaughlin

"One of the most significant dreams I’ve ever had came to me over 30 years ago when I first began my search for enlightenment. I still remember it today and cherish its wisdom-- and I’m still working to embody what I learned, as it is the cornerstone of the spiritual path.

The dream began when I went to hear a lecture by a spiritual teacher, a young white man whom I admired and heard speak many times. There were hundreds of students attending his talk. They all saw him as a great guru and brought him flowers and fruit. He gave a very wonderful and inspiring talk, full of deep spiritual truths.

Then I blinked, and the scene suddenly shifted, and I seemed to travel into the future. I knew somehow that I had advanced spiritually, and was now attending another spiritual lecture. This time it was held in a very unusual futuristic building. But I noticed there were much fewer students in attendance than the previous lecture.

I realized it was because this time the teacher was a black man, and racial prejudice kept people from hearing the same deep spiritual truths from him. I was told that any type of prejudice could prevent someone from hearing the same great truths. Some people couldn’t hear it from a woman, or from someone of a different religion, for example. But I knew I was more advanced now, and I could accept deep spiritual teachings from any authentic teacher, regardless of how he or she appeared.

But then most remarkably, the scene shifted again and knew I had advanced even further on the spiritual path. Now I was in the kitchen of an ordinary house and there were hardly any other students left. I knew I was there for the same deep spiritual teachings, but where was the teacher?

Then the realization suddenly hit me: the teaching at that moment was doing the dirty dishes in the sink with love!

Now I’m one of those people who don’t exactly get super excited about doing the dishes. So this realization made me feel sick to stomach. I had to lie down. I just couldn’t believe it! So this is the really advanced teaching?!!

Yes, I was told inwardly. It’s all about finding the Teacher within you--not outside yourself. You find the face of God that is your own face. The Buddha said, “Look within: thou art the Buddha.” Your true Teacher is your soul, the Divine Presence within you. This is where you’ll find your most reliable source of guidance for your life. When you work with your inner Teacher, you learn to do everything with love, even the most mundane tasks such as the dishes. You learn to be more fully present in each moment, more fully awake and aware.

This dream reminded me of the ancient wisdom, “Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water”—but now you do everything with love."

Here are a few more of my favorite articles from the site, some offering great meditations:
ATTENTION: The Most Precious Resource
How to Keep Spiritually Sane in Challenging Times
The Art of the Observer

Palm Beach County Photographer: Triple Maternity Session, Cont.

As of yesterday, December 12, 2010 all three babies have arrived from the triple maternity session I did a couple months back!



I wish each family congratulations and lots of love. I hope to photograph the "rocker" babies someday but right now it's a blessing just to know that they've arrived. Special thoughts and prayers go out to the Snow family as they've been on a journey of events since their son Harrison was born. I encourage you read the blog about their story, and keep them in your heart while they overcome what has been placed in their path.

As I was speaking with a friend yesterday, I was reminded of a program that offers support in these types of circumstances for residents of Palm Beach County. Thank you to my friend, Tomas Boiton, for the reminder of Healthy Beginnings. Tomas is an advocate for many great programs in this County and the creator of the company "Citizens 4 Improved Transit."

Event Photography: Corporate Holiday Party, West Palm Beach

Hailing form Northern Michigan, it's days like today that I am reminded why it's great to live in South Florida! The weather was gorgeous, especially after this cold snap we've had. I know "cold" to Floridians will never compete with the Lake effect snow and wind chill factors that reach into the negatives as is common "up North," but 37 degrees absolutely felt cold to me in comparison to Florida's humidity and heat. Here are a couple images from a corporate holiday party that took place today at the National Crouquet Center in West Palm Beach.



I didn't even know this place exsisted and am so excited about the discovery! They host events and are very open to having newcomers out on the course. Althought I was enjoying the weather and always love photographing the Kitson and Partners crew, I made sure to grab an events schedule and a menu as I'd really like to get a group of friends together to go play croquet!

Palm Beach County Photographer: November Contest WINNER, Andrea and Marlowe

So I did a Thanksgiving weekend giveaway and the winner won a free one hour photo session from me. The winner was new mom, Andrea with her adorable baby Marlowe. I've been busy editing weddings but took a short break just to quickly organize some from this session. I had to post this. :) More soon!!

P.S. Andrea has an amazing blog that you should read. Lots of cute photos of Marlowe!

Action shot of Marlowe attempting to eat her mother's arm. (She didn't succeed.)

An Exciting Day: John Ralston Album Released

It's been 3 years since the last John Ralston release so today makes for a very exciting day! Both musically, and personally as I was fortunate enough to be the photographer for the album. There's a very limited production of the special 7inch vinyl release so I'd suggest you order yours today! I already ordered both the red and white versions. They're only $5.00! Also, be sure to check out the label's description of the songs HERE.

(If you don't want the album you can get the digital downloads.)

Peace
Love &
Rock n' Roll,

~Monica

Palm Beach County Photographer: October 2010 Wedding: Robert and Stacy

Mr. and Mrs. Howe.

CONGRATULATIONS to another amazing couple that I felt so fortunate to photograph. Robert and Stacy are neighbors and close friends to my husband and I. When they go out of town we get to dog sit for their very cute dog, "Bear."






Their wedding was intimate with around 30 guests and it couldn't have been more lovely. Stacy and Rob did a great job of making sure the details were completed with consciousness. All the way down to the beeswax candles that lit the room with a soft yellow glow, emitting happy ions as we all celebrated. (So the candle-makers say!) Personally, I didn't think we needed any extra reason to be happy on such an already joyful occasion.


Not just another beautiful bride! I'm lucky to have Stacy as a friend. She was one of my bridesmaids just earlier this year. In fact, she helped plan and coordinate my amazing bridal shower that took place in the very room where I created this portrait of her on her wedding day!

Palm Beach County Photographer: McGorry Wedding SNEAK PEEK

***UPDATE*** View the complete McGorry wedding day photos here

Where do I begin with this couple? Two very beautiful friends allowed me to share in their special day. Greg and Justine were married on November 20th, 2010 and I am sharing just the tiniest bit of imagery that resulted from that day of joy....I will be sure to fill in the details as the editing slows down and I find the words to explain how spectacular this wedding was! Count this as the first of many installments ;)


The new "Mrs. Greg McGorry."


Greg and Justine were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Custom Photo Cards

I knew after I had the shoot with adorable Mia that her Mom was going to have a tough time choosing the final images. So we did a very special project that I wanted to share: custom photo cards! She got four sets of 16 different poses of watercolor printed art cards to give as gifts to her family. I really loved how they turned out, and Mia's mom did too! Here's a quick snapshot:


Selection of the "Mia" cards



Printed on watercolor paper then hand-torn for the deckle edge look. The notecards pictured are a metallic gold, and come with matching envelopes. A great gift!

Monica McGivern - One Life Photos

Here's a link to a photo competition I entered. Why not try? It's only ten dollars for a one in a million chance to win $25,000. And if I don't win the money at least I got created a few new images in preparation for it! Click the link to see one of my latest self-portaits, shot for this competition:

Monica McGivern - One Life Photos

For the Designers/Photogs in My Life...

Does anyone else envision the world in PSD? I remember going outside after breaking from a long editing session one day and thinking the sky's midtones needed to be punched up a bit. Here's a cute video for those of you whose glasses are shades of Photoshop:

I Have PSD from Hyperakt on Vimeo.

Almost that time...

Last year this was the result of a pumpkin carving get together that I thought was so much fun!

This year I'll be shooting West Palm Beach's Moonfest Festival for Broward/Palm Beach New Times! Can't wait to share the slideshow....looks like I'll be dressing as a photographer for my costume this year.

In the meantime, check out my FIRST ever gig shooting for the New Times HERE. It was the amazing indie Art Fair, Stitchrock, organized by local cupcake connoisseur Miss Amanda Linton.

Palm Beach Gardens Bridal Shower for Justine

I had the pleasure of photographing a friend's bridal shower! Justine will be marrying Greg in less than one month. I'll also be photographing their wedding and if this shower is any sign of things to come, you'll be sure to know why I'm honored...the whole event this past Saturday was just beautiful! From the hibiscus iced tea to the gourmet buffet, to the devotion of the guests to honor Justine's committment to the blessed life that we know she and Greg will share together. Here are just a few photos of the day:


The Atmosphere


Table Settings


The Food!


Tasty Hibiscus Tea


The Beautiful Bride-to-Be and the Flowergirl


The Cake (Yum!)


Some of the Lovely Guests


Traditions


Junior Bridesmaids and the Flowergirl practicing their Smiles

Thank you Justine for an opportunity to share in your joy. You're going to make a beautiful bride!

Palm Beach County Photographer Documents Three Rockstar Mom-to-Be's

PLEASE READ:New Times Magazine article.

So we did this photoshoot a couple months ago. The girls were amazing and so full of energy! Thank you to each of them for allowing me to document this special time in their lives! Also, many thanks to Courtney Hambright for loving the photo in the first place.


Jezek, Snow, and DiValentine

My favorite part of being a photographer is learning to see the passion and abundance that others are grateful for in their lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a photographer, and this allows me to see the spirit in others. To me, this is the essence of each photo project I embark upon. Thank you Courtney for combining my photographic vision of the beautiful spirits which Tiffany, Susan and Valerie embody, into an alluring portrait of words.

AND last but certainly not least is a huge THANK YOU (capital letters!) to one of my mentors "in the biz," Rhea Lewis. Rhea was the one who supplied the "l," "o," "v," and "e" for this photoshoot both literally and figuratively speaking. I knew how Susan was feeling when she said in the article that I made them feel "so special and beautiful" because this is exactly how I felt when I had the opportunity to be photographed by Rhea during my bridal portrait session.


Bridal Portrait of me by Rhea Lewis





Look for more of this session on Rhea's facebook page

Rhea has taught me so much from the business of photography to the amazing talent it takes to create a fine art baby portrait. So thank you Rhea for all of your help with this shoot and beyond! :)

YES!

Chris Horgan (of Eskimohunter/Sweet Bronco fame) said I was a good singer. Courtney, my ego loves your boyfriend.

10.10.10- Worldwide Moment Captured

Here's my "Worldwide Moment" image captured at 10:10am (6:10am EST!)



My internal clock has had me working LATE in the evenings so I knew 6:10 would come early. About 5 minutes before the "moment" happened I decided what I wanted to shoot. I had some paint laying around from my cd album cover experimentations. Since John Lennon's 70th birthday celebration had just passed, it's a tribute to him.

Palm Beach County Photographer Documents Local Band

Wow what a busy last couple of months! So many photos to share...here's a few photos from the shoot last night with "Luna Rex." The band contacted me after they had won a huge competition sponsored by Gator Cases. Luna Rex won the grand prize of a complete custom outfitting of cases for their band! In addition they got a professional photoshoot to document all of their precious new winnings. So I was honored to be recommended by the band and Gator Cases accepted! While I work on the final commercial images, here are a few fun ones taken at the very impressive Dc Rhearsal in downtown West Palm Beach. What a great space to shoot photos! (I hear there rates for rehearsal space are great too.) Anyway, thank you to everyone involved. Enjoy these:


*Dc Rehearsal does not condone underground betting on arm wrestling matches




Jon-Guitar/lead vocals


Paul-Guitar


Heath-Bass Guitar


Angel-Percussion


Just for fun.

Inspirations, Part II: Andy Goldsworthy, Land Artist, Sculptor, Photographer

This is a montage from the documentary of Artist Andy Goldsworthy, called "Rivers and Tides."



I do believe it's time to retreat back to nature. I am so inspired by this man's sculptures. Luckily I will be in Ocala next week. I look forward to sharing the result of this discovery.

For now I have the beach. This was my inspired photograph after having seen "Rivers and Tides". I wanted to capture the moment when the ocean met my footprint.

Continuing my Practice

Yesterday I had an amazing yoga class (as always) taught by Laura at Harmony Martial Arts.


Laura Cole Baker
Photo: Monica McGivern

When I went to pursue my journey further at the Amrit Yoga Institute I was told how important it is that you don't replace your personal practice with your "teaching practice. In fact how could you? One quickly realizes that you can only teach who you are, meaning without the direct experiences, how do you have anything BUT the ego to teach from. To be a teacher you must be a life-long student. In fact this is the conversation that Laura and I had after class as she so humbly stated, I tell people I am just a "sharer. We are all just sharing our experiences."



Laura Cole Baker
Photo: Monica McGivern

What I love about Laura's classes is how thoroughly she describes the modifications and tips for getting the most out of the pose without going too far. It's a physically challenging vinyasa/ashtanga flow but her attention to detail as to where each student is at all along the way allows her to direct you in and out of the poses safely. It's very refreshing and iinspirational to hear your instructor describe their direct experiences instead of just relaying information.

Perspective

Wow I feel blessed!


Old-fashioned oatmeal made by my husband with chocolate soy milk and organic bananas and coconut. Plus, french pressed organic hazelnut coffee with organic dark cocoa and cinnamon.

Supporting the Local Music Scene

Hoping Ian makes his goal! There's a great "scene" here to document...



Good luck Ian!

Listening

"The art of receiving
is learning to let go
and lose everything
we think is ours." -Yogi Amrit Desai


What we think, we can't possibly know. Knowing is the language of the heart, not the mind.

Featured Teacher

I am honored to be featured by the Amrit Yoga Institute.

Here is a link to the article. Once there, click on the "August 2010" Newsletter.

Thank you to Daniel Millay for the yoga photo of me performing the "wheel" pose.


If anyone is interested in more information about hosting a yoga party please ask!

Album Cover Design

Here's an album cover I designed for local band "Blond Fuzz." CLick here for the article by Reed Fischer at the Broward/Palm Beach New Times about my creative process.

"Stop It!"

It's so easy for the mind to wander forward to fears of the unknown or back into reactions derived from the past...the trick is to train the puppy-like mind to "sit and stay" in the present moment. Here's a great technique as demonstrated by Bob Newhart ;)



Thank you to Yogi E of Yoga Pura for passing this along.

"Once"

Watched a movie that was recommended to me by the all knowing and powerful, Netflix. If you haven't stopped wasting your money on cable tv and just signed up for Netflix, I'd recommend it now. That in combination with FREE books and DVD and CD rentals from the library are more information than anyone could ever hope to take in. Plus reading a couple of choice Blogs or two. ;)

So this movie was about an Irish street musician who meets a girl and they make beautiful music together. What I loved most was that in real life the actors actually were musicians/actors and the won an Academy Award for the music that they wrote specifically for this movie. Listen to this song and you will know why:


As they wandered around the city I was reminded of the series "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke who were each actors/musicians who ad libbed 90% of the movies. Both worth checking out.

Blessed.

All things inspired have a tendency to come to me in the morning, before I've let the weight of the days tasks inside my head. Before I step to the computer to see how everyone else seems to be so far ahead of me. I tend to find my inspiration through quite moments of writing while drinking a cup of tea. I had the most perfect spot in my old apartment where I would read and write and drink my tea while feeling the sun filter through the shades. This self-portrait was born of those moments.



I remember reading somewhere a person who was saying that when they were young they felt the pressure to "have it all." Meaning the great apartment, the amazing relationship/family, a great career..all of the typical wants that people think will make them happy. Then she realized at a certain point that you can have it all, maybe just not at the same time. So then it becomes so important to truly value that which is before you. Count your blessings! I do believe I shouldn't free-write on the computer. In the years that I've been free-writing I take approximately 20 minutes (or longer) to write everything that appears in my thoughts. A to-do list, memories of dreams, things I want and things that sometimes just flow out of the pen beyond what I could've ever conjured up by allowing my thoughts to get involved. This is an amazing exercise to just move energy. For some reason I'm on the computer typing away today and I realized the reason I shouldn't do this on the computer is that:

#1 I can't see my handwriting.
#2 I never read back through my free-writing because if there's emotional things there's a tendency to get drawn back into them once you read it. Writing is a form of letting go
#3 I can't tell when I've reached my three pages!

So for all of these reasons I think I need to stick to the page for this exercise. But one of my to-do list items is to update my blog. I have a hard time thinking people actually want to read about my "stuff." Maybe there will be a day when I'm able to structure this more. Right now I just jumping from yoga to photography to free-writing ;) When all else fails, post some photos ;)

Enjoy your day!
May you realize the quality of your blessings...

"Love Music" Maternity Session

I couldn't be happier with how the images turned out in my latest triple maternity session! These girls are all affiliated with John Ralston's Invisible Music which is why I wanted to do a music themed image. The lucky babies have already been exposed to some of the greatest music in South Florida ;) Just watch this Invisible Music clip as an example:



Do you agree?

p.s. The clip was filmed by Robert Rutherford, aka "Gingerman" Please check out more of his clips as he's got great dedication to filming what music is what here in S. Florida. He's also a nice guy.

Inspirations Part I: Ernst Haas, Photographer

I first learned of phtographer Ernst Haas in one of my earliest classes while attending the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale. I remember my instructor, Diane Blazy talking about how Haas was a photo-journalist for Life Magazine who was never really given assignments but was allowed to travel and send back his work for publication. If you see his images, you'll immediately know why. For example, the "Snow Lovers" image below was one of the first to capture my attention:

I feel the beauty is in the art of seeing the image in the frst place. Take a look at this image as well, another one of my favorites for it's abstract perfection, a black and white image entitled, "New Mexico":

There are so many more if you'd like to explore his work further at this website.

What is most intriguing is that along with Haas's photos, it seems to me that his philosophies are of great depth as well. His quotes have been especially inspirational as well which leads me to believe that much more in his artistic vision. Here are just a few of the quotes I have used in my journey as an artist;

"Photography is a bridge between science and art. It brings to science what it needs most,the artistic sence, and to art the proof that nothing can be imagined which cannot be matched in the counterpoints of nature."

"The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE."

"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."