This week I really didn’t take many pictures, and I took none on my own camera. I did take a number at a wedding shot with Isabelle and Lauren Slusher though and I feel quite good about those images. They have yet to be looked at off of the camera, but eventually I will share the photos I’ve taken at the four weddings I have been to so far.

This week though was exciting for other reasons. Particularly being the two big events I went to on Saturday and Monday. Saturday I decided to get day-of tickets to New York City Ballet as part of their 30 for 30 deal (if you’re under 30 you can get up to 2 day-of show tickets for $30, often times giving you better seats than if you’d bought them in advance). So my dear friend Nicollette joined me for this adventure! Also to join us was Nico’s long time friend Erin, and Erin’s roommate. Now this is key to the story, because Erin’s Roommate knows a woman who works for NYCB costuming and was able to get us BACKSTAGE AT LINCOLN CENTER. I’m still excited about this if it wasn’t clear

Not only did we tour backstage but we also got to meet Ashley Bouder, the principal dancer with the company who played the lead of Sylph in La Slyphide. It was really an incredible New York kind of night that made me grateful to be in the city after several weeks of not really “feeling” the big city life. (ps, I know only 2 people in this photo)

The following Monday, I got to go backstage at a venue that is on a slightly larger scale: Madison Square Garden. David was playing with J. Cole their on Oct. 1st so Isabelle and I got great tickets and backstage passes. I was a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed the concert. I was so impressed by David who I’ve known since I was 12 as to be this nice, guitar playing relative of mine. To see him on the jumbo-tron at Madison Square Garden was pretty incredible. And J.Cole was also really engaging to watch. I’ve been listening to his music daily since the show.

So no “professional” looking photos to add this week, but fun ones from my adventures! Thanks for reading. Loving the comments and feedback (thanks Claire and Aunt Lynda)

I moved to New York seven weeks ago from yesterday. I can’t decide if that feels like it has been a long or short seven weeks. Or maybe it feels just as long as it was. I decided since the point of this blog was to keep me accountable to myself this year, I should make a post in which I do that. I wrote some photography related goals in my first post which were as follows:

1. Assistant in as many weddings as possible
2. Take pictures regularly outside of weddings of everything
3. Document my experiences, thoughts, and photos here and in journal form
4. Develop my technical skills as a photographer (maybe take classes at SVA)
5. Understand what is important at a wedding day, and how to best document this
6. Learn to make people comfortable behind the camera. What can I do as the photographer to capture the most genuine photos of people?
7. Understand workflow and business components of a freelance photographer
8. Understand and practice editing elements of photography

Looking through this list, I’d say I’m working my way through it as best as I can. To address each point I’ll just make another list since list-making is a rather favorite talent of mine:

1. I have been to 3 weddings with Isabelle in the last month, with several more to follow in 2018.
2. I have been taking pictures everywhere I go, either on my phone or on my camera. My subjects have ranged from New York City street scenes, to the cutest little boys ever, to friends & family, and some more nature-based works in Gettysburg and Colorado.
3. I’ve been updating this blog almost every week with thoughts about the week. The past week I have been thinking a lot about the technical elements of photographing. Such as how I can change around ISO, Shutter speed, and aperture to change the mood and style of a photo. At the wedding I went to on Saturday, I played a lot with a very wide aperture because I was loving the striking effect it created.
4. Answered in the previous bullet. No plans for SVA classes yet, but hopefully some creative live classes and maybe SVA in the winter when I will be traveling less.
5. So far, my understanding of wedding day focuses include in various orders (though often much like this): bride getting ready, maybe groom getting ready, dress & accessories, rings, bride portrait, groom portrait, first look, couple portraits, family portraits, wedding party portraits, ceremony, ceremony details, ceremony guests, cocktail hour, details & food/drink, dinner, dinner details/food/drink, dancing, cake cutting, pre-cutting photos, potential exit.
6. I think the best way to make people comfortable in front of the camera is to be a real person with them. Engage in conversation. You are working, but working with people so try to bring out their natural state and comfort. Be clear about instructions.
7. This will come later
8.  I’ve been editing photos at least once a week, hoping to just continue to do more and develop my own look and some presets.

This weeks shared photos consist of some shots from the Color Factory and Colorado. These were more for fun and documentary sake. Enjoy and thanks for viewing!

 

My syllabus focus this week was light, which seemed very fitting for the week I had. I am feeling extra grateful as I reflect on the past seven days which were filled with wonderful people. Starting last Thursday, I got coffee with one of the kindest people I know, Hannah, who was back in America for a few days from Nepal where she has been working with non-profit organizations for the last year. She is such an inspiration to not let fear of the new get in my way of adventure, not to mention an inspiration to be a kinder, more compassionate human. Seeing her brought a piece of my Muhlenberg home to the city. 

Also on Thursday my parents arrived to New York for their yearly visit to the US Open. For once I could join them on this, along with their friends Diana and Rick who my dad became friends with 30ish years ago when he lived here in New York. With this group, I felt both like a tourist and a resident in the best sense of both. We did lots of things that as a resident, I forget to take advantage of (Hudson river nighttime schooner rides, high line walks, shopping, 6 miles walking in central park, Kinky Boots, US Open…). But I also got to show them around Brooklyn, which Rick, Diana, and my Dad really never visited when they lived here. I am very grateful to have parents who are so supportive of my choice post-college life, not to mention excited for me and happy to visit.

And to top off this long weekend of good people, I got to connect with some of my dearest Muhlenberg people. Sara kindly drove to visit me, spend the night, and go with my family to the US Open. It was such a joy to share time with my friend. I realized just how much I had missed being around my peers, my friends, my forever people by being with Sara. And just as I was feeling lonely post this great time when my family and friends had gone home, I talked on the phone with Marco for a long while and almost immediately after we had hung up, my dear Cat called just because.

So as I said before, this weekend just happened to focus on light. In my photographs I tried to capture light in interesting ways, but I also thought about how the people in my life are my light.

My pictures of the week :

Another week already come and gone. This one all too quickly, probably due to my leaving New York for a long weekend. I don’t imagine most New Yorkers vacation in Pennsylvania, but alas, I enjoy getaways to Gettysburg with a pit stop in Allentown. I think I will feel very grateful this year to live nearish to Muhlenberg where I can catch up with my friends who still call it home. And where I can have surprise encounters with my best friend who has returned from California! Plus Wegman’s. I can’t forget I went to Wegman’s three times in four days.

In addition to this little travel to see Marco, I took a number of photos with a focus on negative space. Or rather, that was the prompt, which I met to a degree, but also just had fun taking pictures. So here are some of my negative space focused photos, and some just fun ones from the week.

 

Other things I did this week include finishing “Southernmost” by author Silas House. I highly recommend for anyone who likes to read. It is a relevant read for the times in regard to judgement of others, love towards others, and sincere humanity.  It is a pleasure and a true heart-warmer. Plus a Kentucky author so you can’t go wrong with that. Also I’m recommending the podcast Still Spinning produced by the Joyce Theatre. For dancers and non-dancers a like, the discusses are insightful and interesting about dance and the creative process in general.

So that’s what I have to say for this week. Until next time.

This past week has come and gone very quickly. My wonderful boyfriend came to Brooklyn for a few days where we explored some of the city and he helped me watch the boys for a whole day (bless Marco). In addition to having some company, I began my first week of my photography syllabus created by Isabelle to help my have some intentionality in my photographic practice.

The focus of subject this week was finding summer color in Brooklyn. I roamed around Williamsburg and Greenpoint on a few different evenings to find color, practice photographing, and also take the opportunity to be out on my own in my new city. It has given me some purpose to my free time, while also a creative outlet. I also finally bought an Adobe Lightroom package so I could edit my own photos on my laptop. It was a worthwhile purchase I am super excited about.

I had a lot of fun taking these photos and editing them. Here are a selection of my favorite from the week. Hope I get a good grade!

 

This past Saturday I had my first experience assisting Isabelle as a wedding photographer. Unsure of what I would be getting into, I was incredibly pleased by Isabelle’s generosity in the work I was given. I was expecting to be the bag lady, the lens changer, and just a quiet sort of observer. But as she is with everything, Isabelle was very trusting in me and excited by my being there! So much so, she lent me one of her beautiful cameras to work with for the whole day. We continually traded lenses based on what she wanted to work with, or what she thought would be suitable for what I was working on so I tested out a variety.

Though it was roughly a 9 hour work day, it went incredibly fast. I found myself completely caught up in the work. With Isabelle’s instruction and guidance, I think I even took some pretty beautiful pictures of the venues (The Williamsburg Hotel and Roberta’s Pizza), the bride and groom, and guests. I am eager to edit with Isabelle at a later date. Pictures to come at that point. For now, my basic photography goals for the year (in no particular order):

1. Assistant in as many weddings as possible
2. Take pictures regularly outside of weddings of everything
3. Document my experiences, thoughts, and photos here and in journal form
4. Develop my technical skills as a photographer (maybe take classes at SVA)
5. Understand what is important at a wedding day, and how to best document this
6. Learn to make people comfortable behind the camera. What can I do as the photographer to capture the most genuine photos of people?
7. Understand workflow and business components of a freelance photographer
8. Understand and practice editing elements of photography

I will hopefully stick to these, and maybe flush them out more as time goes by, but for the meantime this is my reference page. Friends, family, followers (hahaha…) keep me accountable to this.

After this weekend and from living with a freelance wedding photographer, though it can have stressful moments and long days, it seems like the kind of work that I would enjoy as an artist and an entrepreneurial spirit.

 

After the first 10 days in my new Brooklyn life, my almost three year old charge named Forrest has opted to call me Mary Poppins. It is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever heard. Though I wonder if people are confused when they hear him talking about how Mary Poppins has the sticker book when we are heading home from the zoo in an Uber Carpool.

I’ve been keeping busy with the boys and Isabelle most of the time. We go to the park or take a field trip to Ikea for some more house plants and other necessities. Isabelle and I watch the Great British Baking show and drink wine when the boys are in bed.

This week Forrest and I went to the New York City Fire Museum and to the Central Park Zoo. Two places I had never been, nor am I sure I would have ever gone.  I am not living the typical New York lifestyle at the moment, but I am seeing New York in a way most people never get to, as a child. I have loved seeing what this very young life of a New York city resident can be like.

And while this is all great fun, I am finding the time and ability to experience New York City on my own. I am lucky enough to be living in walking distance from a Yoga to The People. This is a donation based, power vinyasa studio which offers dozens of classes a week at whatever price you can afford. I’ve been three days a week to the 7am class and found such joy and strength in getting back into my yoga practice. I imagine it would be fun to start teaching again, but at the moment I am greatly enjoying just being a practitioner.

Last night I also made the easy trip to Long Island City to finally take a class at Circus Warehouse. This has been something I have wanted to do for four years, and it did not disappoint. My favorite line of encouragement from the NFL linebacker-sized instructor was “these ab exercises are to remind you that you have a core…and it is very weak!” which was given at minute ten of core circuits. But beyond the great work out, it felt like such a great community upon entry. The jokes, the talent, the friendliness were exactly what has attracted me to circus since I was 18, and I found it here in some back alley warehouse. I had such a buzz last night after that class, so much energy and joy. I realize this is a place I need to spend more time for me.

And wrapping up on this post with a few more things I have done for me this week are baking and photography. I am lucky to live in an apartment with always hungry little boys who will eat anything I make and also get a GIANT CSA share every two weeks. This week featured a whole bunch of plums so a Plum Galette it was.

As for my photography practice, I am lucky enough to live with the very gifted wedding photography Isabelle Selby, who was kind enough to make me a syllabus for our year together and to take me to some weddings. I am eager to get started on that and will share the results soon.

 

Links to everything from this post:

Galette Recipe

New York City Fire Museum

Circus Warehouse Schedule

Yoga to the People

But it isn’t my name. I’m Mary Rollins Mathews, and being called the full Mary Rollins is one of the first things I tell people about myself. I’m also very happy to be called MR, which these days more people call me than the full Mary Rollins. I have never identified with the name Mary. It might have something to do with the elementary school picture day photographer who used to taunt me with “Mary had a Little Lamb” every year that really pushed me over the edge. Regardless, being called Mary Rollins or MR or some variation of that (Merr, Mr.M, Rollins) has always attracted me to the people who are patient enough to learn what I like to be called rather than assuming I’m Mary.

Based on that introduction this is a blog about me, what I do, what I love, and what I am passionate about. Though I write this primarily for me (and probably my mom), I hope what I share strikes whoever reads this with something. I don’t know what that is yet as I intend for this to be very eclectic.

But why start a blog now? This past May I graduated from Muhlenberg College with degrees in Dance and Business-Arts Administration. After a summer at Muhlenberg performing for the Atlas Circus Company, I have moved to Brooklyn! Here I’m learning the post-grad lifestyle free from a typical 9-5 desk job. That had no appeal to me. So here I am, figuring out what does and what else doesn’t appeal to me as a job.

Though I hope to add to the list of experiences I have this year in New York, my current dabblings include nannying for my sweetest of little cousins, Forrest and Sheppard while also being a wedding photography “intern” with their awesome mom, Isabelle Selby Linaburg. Since she and her husband David (guitar player for J.Cole) are the coolest people I know, when the opportunity to live and work with them for a year presented itself, I was quick to accept in a hope some of their talents would rub off on me.  

And we are in New York City! What better place is there for a recent college grad who is passionate about dance, circus, photography, healthy living, yoga, travel, and seeking out cozy coffee shops. My intentions are to keep track of all these things I am doing, loving, not loving, and experiencing so when this year is complete I have a better idea of what to do next!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton