Crista Hecht Photography

Boston Typewriter Orchestra ...amazing. That's all I can really say.

September 22, 2008 - From left, Richard Maddalo, Jay O'Grady, Alex Holman, Derrik Albertelli, and Giordana Mecagni, members of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, a group that plays music on typewriters, practices around a table in the basement of O'Grady's house. The group's purpose is "a collective endeavor which engages in rhythmic typewriter manipulation combined with elements of performance, comedy and satire," according to Albertelli, the group's leader. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 22, 2008 - Jay O'Grady, left, Alex Holman, middle, and Derrik Albertelli, right, members of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, practice playing typewriters. The group's purpose is "a collective endeavor which engages in rhythmic typewriter manipulation combined with elements of performance, comedy and satire," according to Albertelli. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 22, 2008 - Jay O'Grady, left, a member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, uses a beer can to make a different sound effect on his typewriter, while Alex Holman, right, plays along. The group uses materials, such as paper, plastic tubes, metal and typewriter parts to make new sounds on a collection of 20 different manual typewriters according to Derrik Albertelli, (not pictured) the group's leader. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 22, 2008 - Alex Holman, a member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, plays music on a typewriter during a practice session. "I mark the keys that have broken off in red so I know not to use them," Holman says, referring to the 10 keys with red ink on his typewriter. Photo by Crista Hecht.
September 22, 2008 - Alex Holman, a member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, fixes a broken key after a two-hour practice session. "We usually have at least one minor repair per night," Holman says. "I've had to mod mine six different times because of all the repairs," says Derrik Albertelli, (not pictured) the group's leader. Photo by Crista Hecht.


I know you want to hear it!
www.myspace.com/bostontypewriterorchestra
www.bostontypewriterorchestra.com

the stars
the desert
cool sites ..old barns, ruins, anything historic
open spaces
BBQ
friends
dry weather, but having 4 seasons is good
a big blue sky
the sun
so much to do, so little time
a new place to shoot every day
being surrounded by mountains
horses..wild horses
cool photos
swimming in the truckee
late night photo shoots with friends
the rodeo...and all the events in the fall..rib cook-off, hot air balloons
shooting football and basketball
knowing every photographer in town
free food for media
shooting anything in nevada...again
i miss everything basically..can't wait to get back to my favorite place

When I came to Boston, I made a point not to upload anything from Nevada (except for the portfolio and the dandelions) to my blog. I deleted my flickr account and just recently started a new one with my new work. I wanted to start fresh. Boston is my chance to learn on my own and grow from my own experiences..a chance to look at things with optimism. Even if my photos aren't great right now, they will be better in the end and I will be too. Although I miss everything about Nevada, I'm trying to make the best of being in Boston. I love Nevada...just needed a change of scenery and faces to get straightened out. Don't worry, I'll be back soon! :)

I finally got to shoot some night photos. I have this fascination with the light at night and I haven't shot any night photos in I don't know how many months..many many months.

This is the railroad tracks over the Charles River with the Boston skyline in the background. There's a plane in there too. I didn't bring much equipment because it wasn't going to be a long night. I brought my D300 and a 24-70. I've seen these tracks and new I wanted to shoot here. I forgot a strobe, so I asked Kat to keep firing off her on-camera flash toward the tracks. It worked pretty well. I'll probably go back and try it again with a strobe and maybe on a clear night when the remnants of the hurricane aren't nearby.

I went to Cape Cod this past weekend with my grandparents. It was good to get away and I'm glad I got the chance to see them. I was hoping to get some good photos and something different from Boston, but the hurricane brought some not-so-nice weather. We were pretty much fogged in the whole time, no sun, loads of rain..but I got one or two ok shots. Anyway, it was good to see family and even though the photos may not have worked out as planned ..I could care less about the photos..as long as I could spend time with the people I love I'm happy with that.

This story isn't what I was hoping for, but I'm still learning. I keep telling myself not every story will be perfect - there's always room for improvement. UPDATE: I guess I was being too hard on myself because I just got some really good feedback from my teacher on this story. "Exceptional" was the word.. :)

September 19, 2008 - Jennifer Tang, 24, a second year doctoral program student at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., makes jewelry in her apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Tang started Majenta Designs, her jewelry business, a year ago to help pay for her student loans. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 19, 2008 - Jennifer Tang, 24, a second year doctoral program student at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., makes jewelry in her apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Tang started Majenta Designs, her jewelry business, a year ago to help pay for her student loans. "I always was really into crafting and making things and when I started grad school, it was about paying off loans," Tang says. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 19, 2008 - Jennifer Tang, 24, a second year doctoral program student at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., places finished jewelry in the sun to dry in her apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Tang started Majenta Designs, her jewelry business, a year ago to help pay for her student loans. She makes jewelry, tins, mirrors, pins and other small items to sell on Etsy.com, a Web site where people can sell handmade products. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 19, 2008 - Jennifer Tang, 24, a second year doctoral program student at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., reacts to receiving a new jewelry order online while in her apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Tang started Majenta Designs, her jewelry business, a year ago to help pay for her student loans. "Jewelry's a really competitive field," she says. "I've sold my products throughout the U.S., and in Australia, Indonesia, Belgium, Sweden and Canada. Right now I'm trying to finish a big order for a wedding in Australia." Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 19, 2008 - Jennifer Tang, 24, a second year doctoral program student at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., makes jewelry in her apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Tang started Majenta Designs, her jewelry business, a year ago to help pay for her student loans. "I don't get to see my friends or my boyfriend very often," she says. "There's some days when I intern at Shattuck Hospital from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., go to school from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., then I'm home by 10:30 p.m., I check my mail and Etsy for an hour or two. After that, I'm supposed to be reading, but I procrastinate with Etsy and I have to make jewelry to get orders out on time. I'm also a teacher's assistant at school." Photo by Crista Hecht.

www.majentadesigns.blogspot.com
www.majentadesigns.etsy.com

Funny video about twitter. I don't usually post other things besides photo, but this was too good.

http://www.ihatemornings.com/twittersong/

This is my old portfolio. I really wonder how I got into grad school with this portfolio. Just so you can see where I started from...

I will be uploading one or two photo stories every week and some daily stuff in between. I will try to post the technical info if people want to know more about a photo, but most of the photos can go without that info. If you have questions or comments about the photos, please post them and I will respond. This is my attempt to improve in photo every day and comments really help me think about things differently and try new things. Oh, and please don't use the photos without permission (I like to know where they end up too). Thank you!

Shantel King, 30, is a cake decorator at Rosie’s Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass. She started working at the bakery 11 years ago, where she learned how to frost a cake. Now, an assistant to the bakery manager, she handles the orders and shipping for five Rosie’s Bakery locations in Boston, as well as supervises the workers. King makes between 200 and 300 cakes every day, starting at 6:30 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m. on long days. According to King, her motivation to make people happy through her cake decorating skills has made her job exciting. On September 15, 2008, King had to work all day with the recent news that her grandmother is dying. Shortly after King finished the cake orders for the day, she visited her grandmother in a nursing home, where her family was making arrangements.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., talks with Courtney Rumasuglia, a coworker, while frosting cakes. King has worked at the bakery for 11 years and makes over 200 cakes every day, which are distributed to five Rosie's Bakery locations in the Boston area. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., pipes "Happy Birthday" onto a cake. King has worked at the bakery for 11 years and makes over 200 cakes every day, which are distributed to five Rosie's Bakery locations in the Boston area. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., places the last cake on the racks to be boxed and shipped. As an assistant to the bakery manager, King has the responsibility of making sure the cakes are presentable and are shipped to the correct locations. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., reacts to a phone call while taking a short break in the bakery storage room. Before arriving at work, King was informed that her grandmother was dying, so family members called King throughout the day to make arrangements. She left work early to visit her grandmother at a nursing home, saying, "It's going to be different going in there and not having my grandma know who I am for the first time. She's slipping away. You can tell she's not going to be here much longer." Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., cleans up after decorating cakes. "By the end of the day, I'm literally tired, emotionally tired and exhausted. Especially on a long day when your arms are constantly moving and you're on your feet all day," King says. Photo by Crista Hecht.

Does anyone actually read my blog?

Some comments on the photos or anything in general would be much appreciated...if anyone's out there :) haha!


I changed my settings so Google blogs will find it more easily..might take awhile for it to register. (just for you Jake! thanks!...it's on my facebook too)

Faneuil Hall


The really really small building (Old State House) compared to the surrounding towering buildings. I kicked myself for not getting the shot of a white bird flying through in between the buildings just seconds before I lifted my camera up.


Just the city.




Really cool, but sad Holocaust Memorial. There are six of these glass towers (each represents a Nazi death camp) that had millions of numbers on them...probably ID numbers...of all the Holocaust victims. There were grates under each tower (you could walk under the towers inside of them) and steam was coming up through the grates. Also, there were little lights under the grates that kept blinking. I'm guessing the steam had something to do with symbolizing the gas chambers.

Finally a sunny day!! We didn't get started til 3 p.m., but it was fun anyway.


Kat and I by the water in between Faneuil Hall and the North End.


Froggies at the Frog Pond in Boston Common. He caught me, but I didn't go down without a fight.


Does anyone know what this means? Let's hope the sidewalk doesn't cave in...

Kat took a photo of me just as a flying squirrel was about to attack me. It was a rough day.

Kat had to do a photo story on this dancer, Kira (first photo), and she asked me to come along. I wasn't going to (after all that walking!), but I had to write a story on an event, so I thought I would go and if the story didn't work out, I could always take photos. We were there from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. I ended up being the videographer for Kira's practice before the show, which was fine. So when I wasn't getting stuff for my story, I got to go up on the balcony and shoot anything I wanted from anywhere up top (the balcony surrounds the whole room). I know I could have gotten some better stuff down below, but I was really interested in what I could get above and I've been trying to force myself to do something different every time I shoot. It turned out pretty fun and I got my story out of it, so it all worked out.

The dances were interesting, although some of them were kind of odd, but I don't know much about dancing, so maybe it's just me. The most interesting part was that Kira's partner, Tim, is not a dancer at all - he's a trainer and was a football player. They've been working together for a year just for this one night and he did a good job, but he didn't do much dancing - more lifting than anything. Anyway, I've never shot dancing before so it was good to try it and I hope I got some good photos out of it. This is the first time in 3 months that I've really shot anything, besides earlier today and a little in Hawaii this summer. It feels good to pick up the camera and still feel like I know what I'm doing. No pressure, just fun.

So Kat and I decided to go on a little photo adventure today and get to know Boston a little. We figured we'd get some ideas for photo stories and just have fun. The day started at 10:30 a.m. and didn't end til 11 p.m. and we walked ALL DAY! First stop: Copley Square Farmer's Market.


This building was right next to the farmer's market. It was super tall and it looked like the side on the right was paper thin. John Hancock Tower - 63 stories high and the tallest building in New England.


The sun wasn't out - it's been kind of dreary the past two weeks because of the hurricanes and just bad weather that I'm not used to yet. If the sun was out, the colors would be brighter, but I tried anyway. I've never seen orange raspberries before so I thought it was interesting.


Just thought this was cute.


Fairytale eggplant! They were so small, but you can't really tell in the photo I guess.


This kid was funny. He sat on each one of the ducks in the Boston Public Garden.

Today was a really good day. I'm glad I got the chance to get out and explore. I'm finally starting to like Boston haha...