Crista Hecht Photography

Sometimes, I'm amazed with technology. I just found out in the past two days, I've had page views from New Mexico, New Hampshire, Vermont, Canada, Massachusetts, and Nevada and California (of course). I'm just wondering how people found my blog..let me know. It's just strange to me that 3 months ago, I had no blog and probably not that many people had ever seen my photos. Now I get 20 visits a day from all over the country, which may seem small to you, but that's amazing to me! Anyway, enough with my tech experiences.

One more dog photo.

Tell your friends to vote!

Divas Unleased 2008: South End Halloween Pet Parade

October 26, 2008 - Ashley O'Leary, 25, of Beverly, Mass., pets her dog, Bruce, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, before the start of Divas Unleashed 2008, the South End's Annual Halloween Pet Parade in Boston, Mass., an event that donates money to the ASPCA. The half-mile parade started in the South End and ended at Boston Common where judges voted on the best pet halloween costumes. "I came a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun," O'Leary says. "It's for a really good cause."


October 26, 2008 - Iman Balboni, 14, of Beverly, Mass., walks Bruce, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, as Bruce's owner, Ashley O'Leary, 25, of Beverly, right, walks next to them in Divas Unleashed 2008, the South End's Annual Halloween Pet Parade in Boston, Mass., an event that donates money to the ASPCA. The half-mile parade started in the South End and ended at Boston Common where judges voted on the best pet halloween costumes. "I was going to have him say 'Bark for Obama,' but I decided not to make political arguments," O'Leary says.


October 26, 2008 - Ashley O'Leary, 25, of Beverly, Mass., gets ready to reward her dog, Bruce, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, with peanut butter ice cream from J.P. Licks, an ice cream store in Boston, Mass. after finishing Divas Unleashed 2008, the South End's Annual Halloween Pet Parade in Boston, an event that donates money to the ASPCA. The half-mile parade started in the South End and ended at Boston Common where judges voted on the best pet halloween costumes.


October 26, 2008 - Ashley O'Leary, 25, of Beverly, Mass., waits with her dog, Bruce, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, to hear the winners of the costume contest for Divas Unleashed 2008, the South End's Annual Halloween Pet Parade in Boston, Mass., an event that donates money to the ASPCA. The half-mile parade started in the South End and ended at Boston Common where judges voted on the best pet halloween costumes. O'Leary and Bruce won second place for originality with a prize of a one night stay and dinner at InterContinental Hotel in Boston. "It's really important for people to vote and if I can use my dog, so be it," O'Leary says.

October 26, 2008 - Ashley O'Leary, 25, of Beverly, Mass., walks off the stage with her dog, Bruce, a one-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, after Divas Unleashed 2008, the South End's Annual Halloween Pet Parade in Boston, Mass., an event that donates money to the ASPCA. The half-mile parade started in the South End and ended at Boston Common where judges voted on the best pet halloween costumes. O'Leary and Bruce won second place for originality. Their prize was a one night stay and dinner at InterContinental Hotel in Boston.

Just went to lecture by SI photog Bill Frakes. What I learned: I miss shooting sports, I need more gear, and I miss shooting sports! That's not all I learned, but I'm glad I went. Going to these lectures always get me going with photo again and make me want to try harder to be a great photographer.

10 a.m. - 10 p.m. walk to dog parade in South End, Boston Common, China Town, Faneuil Hall, water front, Jamaica Plain- Jamaica Pond, then back home. It was fun, but exhausting..and by the end of the day, I couldn't move my arm or shoulder because I carried my equipment all day. But FUN!

Tunnel to the T

Orange line - don't get hit!!

Would you like some ketchup with your hot dog?

Look mom! I can touch my nose with my tongue!

Can burritos really be inspired?

Buildings with holes in the middle don't make sense to me.

Jamaica Pond and Lantern Festival

Here's a quick photo story I put together for class. Of course, it's not perfect, but it worked for class.

Michael McGill and Marybeth Weathersby
I'm so happy to have met these people and they made my photo story very worthwhile. I haven't been this excited about photo in a while and I think it has to do with how open and nice they were to me. I will be uploading another part of this later this week. I am also uploading more of these photos to my flickr because I couldn't decide what to use and I like them all. After waking up at 5 a.m. to be at the river at 6 a.m., I chose the first people I saw pull up to the river. I chose the right people..it's the kind of photo story that just makes you feel good for knowing the people. Thank you Marybeth and Michael and congratulations!

October 19, 2008 - Marybeth Weathersby, 58, and her husband, Michael McGill, 73, of Rye, N.H., carry McGill's boat to the dock on the Charles River at Magazine Beach half an hour before the start of the Senior-Veteran Singles Men's race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. Weathersby, who has raced before, followed her husband throughout the race on her bike. "My job today is loyal assistant, shoe sherpa, and extra opinions on every subject," says Weathersby. "I just want to be there for him in case anything happens and to support him." Photo by Crista Hecht.

October 19, 2008 - Michael McGill, 73, of Rye, N.H., set up his shoes, water bottle and stroke meter in his Carl Douglas boat just before the Senior-Veteran Singles Men's race during the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. This was the first time McGill rowed in an event since his back injury last year. He placed ninth out of 27 competitors. "I prepared for the race by rowing just about every day, six days a week, for the last five months," says McGill. "I've been competing for 16 to 20 years." Photo by Crista Hecht.

October 19, 2008 - Marybeth Weathersby, 58, attaches the oars to the boat for her husband, Michael McGill, 73, before the start of the Senior-Veteran Singles Men's race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. This was the first time McGill rowed in an event since his back injury last year. He placed ninth out of 27 competitors. "I've been rowing since I was 13 years old off and on, so maybe that's a total of 60 years," says McGill. Photo by Crista Hecht.

October 19, 2008 - Michael McGill, 73, of Rye, NH, rows past the one mile point in the three-mile Senior-Veteran Singles Men's race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. This was the first time McGill rowed in an event since his back injury last year. He placed ninth out of 27 competitors. "This regatta is just a very exciting national event and it really is quite exciting to row in it," says McGill. "It really was rough with the headwind and that's why I really never got above." Photo by Crista Hecht.

October 19, 2008 - Marybeth Weathersby, 58, congratulates her husband, Michael McGill, 73, after he rowed in the Senior-Veteran Singles Men's race at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. This was the first time McGill rowed in an event since his back injury last year. He placed ninth out of 27 competitors.
"I'm so proud of you ducky!" said Weathersby.
"Really?" said McGill.
"Crossing the finish line, it was number one, two, three, four, then six, then 12 - you, so you passed quite a few people," said Weathersby.
Photo by Crista Hecht.

Rob's Magic

I found Rob at the Oktoberfest doing some magic. This has been the best photo story I've worked on so far. How often do you find a 12-year-old performing magic on the street. Quite the entrepreneur. It was fun, unique and something I'm going to follow up on..maybe even for my final. I'm still editing and working on it, but here's what I've done so far.

Thanks Rob! www.robsstreetmagic.com

Between photo stories on apple picking and Oktoberfest and trying to find the model sail boat club, I still had time for other photos. I feel like I haven't stopped all weekend and I'm definitely feeling it from all the walking..it's time for new shoes.


I feel like I need to get back to art. All this photojournalism is making me crazy. I don't know why there has to be such a division between fine art photo and photojournalism. I think both can be incorporated into each other to some extent. All I know is, I want art back. I need to be more creative.

October 5, 2008 - Katie Rosenberg, 18, a Boston University freshman from Melbourne, Fla., knits while selling her handmade hats for the first time at the Baked Fresh Festival hosted by the South End Open Market in Boston, Mass. She started knitting hats in March when she was doing a project for her high school in Florida. "I was doing embryonic stem cell research and we had to produce something besides a paper," she says. "I wanted to attach it to knitting, so I made chemo caps for patients going through chemo therapy and donated 15 to 20 hats to a local hospital." Photo by Crista Hecht.


October 5, 2008 - Knitted hats sit on a table for sale at the Baked Fresh Festival hosted by the South End Open Market in Boston, Mass. Katie Rosenberg, 18, a Boston University freshman from Melbourne, Fla., was invited by the South End Open Market staff to sell her handmade products. This was the first time Rosenberg sold her hats at a market. She developed her own design and has worked to perfect it over the last few months. "It takes me about a day to make one hat," she says. "The most I've ever made in one day is three hats, but I basically knitted all day and that was it." Photo by Crista Hecht.


October 5, 2008 - Katie Rosenberg, 18, a Boston University freshman from Melbourne, Fla., collects money from Morgan First, left, while Lauren Michaud, right, gets her money out to pay for a hat at the Baked Fresh Festival hosted by the South End Open Market in Boston, Mass. This was the first time Rosenberg sold her handmade knitted hats. "I was very excited to sell my first hat and to have money," Rosenberg says. "I sold somewhere around 17 or 18 hats and made about $200." Photo by Crista Hecht.


October 5, 2008 - Katie Rosenberg, 18, a Boston University freshman from Melbourne, Fla., pets Bailey, a golden retriever, while his owner, Sam Hoyt, tries on one of the knitted hats that Rosenberg is selling at the Baked Fresh Festival hosted by the South End Open Market in Boston, Mass. Photo by Crista Hecht.


October 6, 2008 - Katie Rosenberg, 18, a Boston University freshman from Melbourne, Fla., does chemistry homework in her dorm room in Boston, Mass. Rosenberg started knitting hats in March when she was doing an embryonic stem cell research project for her high school in Florida. She wants to study Neuroscience and Psychology and work in Alzheimers Research after college. Photo by Crista Hecht.