Ah, a new year, a new moment of inspiration...

Sure, I'll jump on the bandwagon and start something new.  I was poking around on Etsy (where I have a lovely little letterpress shop) and somehow ended up on the homepage of a video blog series that will be documenting the progress of a bunch of girls as they put themselves through a 30-day challenge that they chose for themselves.  Of course, watching them I got all inspired and finally decided to do one of those things that many photographers do these days... a photo-a-day challenge.  Now, I'm not going to go crazy here and say that I'm going to take one photo every day at 7:09pm on the dot for the next year.  That's a little too much for me, though a really interesting project for those who are up for it.  However, I am willing to take and post one fresh photo every day through the second of February.  If I like it, maybe I'll keep going.  If I hate it, I'll be done soon enough.

Now, the problem is that on weekends or when I'm away, I'm pretty good at disconnecting and staying off the grid.  That means I might not actually post every day, but I will take a fresh photo every day and post it when I get back into the groove of modern civilization.  Sound reasonable?

Awesome.  It begins now.

I thought I'd start with a self-portrait.  I'm a big fan of the honest portrait - show me the imperfections in the skin, the asymmetry in the face, the flyaway pieces of hair... this type of portrait should document a face.  I had been meaning to sit down and do another attempt at a self-portrait for a few weeks now anyway, so I felt it was the an appropriate beginning to a new challenge in a new year.  Day one.

50mm 1.4 @ f/1.4 1/250sec ISO 100 flash at 1/32 on camera with sunpak diffuser

Boxcar Press

Over the holidays I was back home in Rochester, NY.  I was so close to Boxcar Press in Syracuse that I couldn't resist taking the time to visit.  Turns out that the whole family wanted to go, so there were five of us on the tour.  Let me tell you, those folks are wonderful!  I contacted Cathy and she got me set up with a time and date.  When we came by, it was pajama day.  That right there could've made the tour for me.  Cathy generously spent a good hour and a half with us and took us through every section of the building and showed us the individual steps in their process from making a design into a plate to operating a Heidelberg windmill.  My dad even got to pull a test impression on a freshly made plate.  It was a really great experience.

Here are some shots (SOC) from our visit:

It's Official!

I'm now officially selling letterpress items.  I am setting up an Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kkozelsky and have a new business Facebook page.  Check out Kozelsky Press and give it a 'Like'!  While you're there, feel free to swing on by KozelskyPhoto and give that a 'Like' as well to keep up to date with my projects.


I sold at my first art show over the weekend at Spin Cycle in association with Waldo Wildcrafts.  I didn't have a great spot, but I think that in general it went pretty well.  I brought the press with me and gave a couple of demonstrations during the afternoon.  I'll definitely be hauling it to any shows I do in the future.  


Here are a couple of shots of my setup:

Family Session | Tallahassee Photography

Here are some frames from a recent family session up in Tallahassee.  We spent a windy hour out on the Miccosukee Greenway and ended up with some nice captures.  Next time we'll do it when the whether is a bit calmer :)

Letterpressing!

I've been letterpressing like crazy this week to get ready for Spin Cycle's local art show and sale on 12/18.  Here's a sneak peek of some of the things I've been working on:

Holiday Cards!

Here are some templates to choose from if you are hoping to get some photo cards out for the holiday this year.  A nice variety of choices, I think!  If you see something you like, just drop me a note.  All text is customizable, so dates, names, holiday wishes can be altered. :)

Citizens Co-op Produce | Gainesville Food Photography

For Thanksgiving last week, Citizens Co-op set up a special online ordering system so you could get fresh food for the holiday.  I ordered two packs of local tempeh from Jose's tempeh and a bag of produce from Swallowtail Farms.  Both have been excellent so far!  The tempeh was cooked in onion and spices and has a very autumnal taste to it.  The produce came in a wonderful bag.  There were all kinds of goodies in there: turnips, sweet potatoes, salad greens, kale, arugula, fresh rosemary, purple bok choi, and so on.  I used the turnips, sweet potatoes, and some of the rosemary in a lovely roasted root vegetable dish with some beets, onions, and carrots.  I cooked down the greens for a veg version of southern greens, and I'm going to attack those salad greens for lunch today.


Swallowtail does run a CSA, so if you are interested in joining, please check them out at swallowtailcsa.com.  CSA stands for community supported agriculture.  If you join a CSA, you pay a flat fee directly to a farm, and they provide you with a box of a variety of fresh produce every week.  Joining a CSA is a great way to support local foods and farmers, as well as a sure way to always have healthy, fresh produce on hand.


For more information on Citizens Co-op, you can visit their website at citizensco-op.com.