Dear Stacey:

Words will never be enough to tell you how grateful I am for having you in my life. You were my very first client, a complete stranger that trusted me when I told you that I was a professional photographer and that I wanted to photograph your children. You and your family were kind and generous to me, and showed me so much love and appreciation for my art.  Seeing my images hanging on your wall reassured me that I was born to do what I do. Not only were you guys absolutely amazing to hire me once, but I had the pleasure of working with you several times during that year. Meeting your dad and capturing his joy around his grand kids was a very important moment in my career and although his presence will always be missed, I am so happy you have those images to cherish them forever.

I am so happy to see your creativity, love and energy in this new project of yours. Little Miss Pepper will be a complete success! Your jewelry is amazing, classic and so personal. I am absolutely in love with the piece you sent me! How thoughtful of you to add my wedding date, my dog’s initial and a beautiful heart that reads “C&C”. I am now truly wearing my heart around my neck!

Thank you,

Caro!

Gratitude is by far the best feeling you could have (after Love, of course) so because I am truly grateful to have you all visiting my blog, my facebook and my website and because Stacey, the owner and designer of Little Miss Pepper is super generous, We are hosting a FABULOUS MOTHER”S DAY GIVEAWAY!!

Little Miss Pepper is offering 150.00 store credit (not valid for cash) to one lucky winner, does it sound like fun? You bet it does! So here is what to do: Easy, Breezy get ready to win..

just Like Little Miss Peeper on Facebook and leave her a comment on her page. Since Little Miss Pepper gets a lot of LOVE, don’t forget to let her know that Carolina Guzik Photography send you her way.

(make sure you leave a message, otherwise it would be impossible to get your name into the raffle)

One time is not enough? Are you an over achiever and want to increase your chances of winning?? Easy, Breezy… After liking Little Miss Pepper and leaving her a comment on her wall, just do the following…

Like Carolina Guzik Photography on Facebook, and leave me a gratitude message for introducing you to the best Jewelry designer in the world and give you the opportunity to win 150.00 store credit!!!

You have until Sunday, May 13, 2012 to participate. The winner will be announce on Little Miss Pepper & Carolina Guzik Photography Facebook Pages on Monday May 14, 2012

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

HOSPITABLE. old. fashionable. modern. FRIENDLY. muslims. DELICIOUS FOOD. walking. mosques. hills. museums. the bosphorus. TEA. hookahs. LAMB. kebabs. pita bread. CONSTANTINOPLE. more walking. sunsets. GALATA TOWER. taksim. istiklal street. call to prayer. MORE KEBABS. the blue mosque. hagia sophia. GRAND BAZAAR. spice bazaar. pashminas. EFES BEER. basilica cistern. STREET VENDORS. sufi whirling dervishes. pistachio. POMEGRANATE JUICE. nuts. OTTOMAN EMPIRE. sultans. byzantine empire. hummus. olives. AMAZING CULTURE.

All images taken with my dear Lupe, a Canon Rebel XTI, and a 50 mm 1.4 lens.

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

It has been a long time since I devote some time to my self-portraits, and by that I mean a good, planned session. I miss having that one on one time with my camera, for me it is liberating, inspirational and just plain awesome! But a present all the way from Texas, from a complete stranger gave me a great reason to go out, and think of some cool images to give in return. If  you know me, you know that GRATITUDE is at the top of my list, and when someone shows me LOVE, I am on a mission to give as much LOVE back as I can. Here is the story of the amazing woman that gifted me the most UBER COOL SCARF I have ever owned…

It all started on Facebook, I was looking at a photographer’s page that I love and she had posted an instagram of her wearing a uber cool scarf. I was the fist one to commented on it and if I recalled correctly my comment was: “OMG I love it! I WANT ONE!!!” (Yes, all caps and excessive exclamation points) 3 minutes later, the creative designer of the scarf  contacted me. Her name is Shareen and she is just plain AWESOME.  After several emails and exchange of information, she sent me two gorgeous scarfs! These scarfs are super beautiful, chic and very trendy, an accessory that will make you stand up on a crowd! (Believe me, I wore mine to an event yesterday and several people approached me just to ask me about my scarf! )

Shareen, Thank you for such beautiful and generous present! I am sure your store is going to be very very successful!

For more info on prices & colors contact Shareen at shareen@shareenfrater.com

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

a very talented photographer asked me the simplest question of all: “Why do you do what you do?” I sat in silence for a moment and my memory took me back to a an exact moment in time, the moment where I knew the power of a camera. I was 5 or 6  years old and my uncle was a well established photographer, we were on a family outing to the country side and he had his camera with him. I was following him, not because I liked him, but because I wanted him to take my  picture! He was always photographing his kids and he never, not even once pointed his camera at me. I was determined to have him photographed me. I thought that if I was to walked right next to him, the two of us alone, then he had no other choice but to take my picture. I was wrong. As we were walking, we saw this five year old, country girl, standing on the street and he asked her if he could take her picture. He was so excited to take her picture, but she looked at him and with a determined no she ran away.  I stood there looking at him, in my mind I was screaming at him: “DON’T YOU SEE ME?? I AM HERE, TAKE MY PICTURE!” but I said nothing and he kept on walking.

20 years later, and after collecting only a handful of pictures of me as a child, I asked  my husband for a camera, and I started a Self-Portrait project. I photographed myself for two straight years before I pointed my camera at somebody else. I do what I do, because I know people want to be celebrated & remembered.

Here are my latest set of self-portraits.

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

 This is what she thinks about my work:

“Carolina is what happens when a personable, upbeat and sympathetic personality meets a super, competent photographer. Her work is a beautiful chronicle of our time and captures the love stories present in every engagement, wedding and boudoir shoot she is commissioned to shoot. Above that, she is an artist; an explorational self-portraitist, and an inspiring figure for aspiring female photographers everywhere” – Miss Aniela

If you have never heard of Miss Aniela, please let me introduce you to one of the most amazing female artists of this era:  http://www.missaniela.com

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

growth

Noun: The process of developing or maturing physically, mentally, or spiritually.

A couple of years ago I was taught by the very talented Christine Kane that choosing a word that will inspire every single action you make over the year, is way better than setting a whole bunch of resolutions that most likely will never be accomplished and she was so right!

This year I decide to choose the word GROWTH. In this 2012 not only I want my business to grow, but I also want to grow in my personal life, my relationships and grow my possibilities. I have set my intention and I have said it out loud, and I am sure  the universe has heard me: IN THIS 2012 I HAVE CHOSEN TO RISE. 

I now leave you with my latest set of Self-Portraits. Here it is to a very AWESOME 2012

Taking self-portraits is a whole project, and finding the perfect composition and right focus can be hard. Here I didn’t know I was that close, nor that the crop was right above my lips (which I LOVE) or that the focus was on my zipper, “hello zipper” as my husband told me. But regardless of all that, I just ADORE this image

If you are ready to find some self-realization I recommend you read Danielle Laporte’s Blog she will rock your world. Also, if you are in business, any type of business, I recommend you subscribe to Marie Folio’s Newsletter. She is funny, clever and such an AWESOME business woman

Lets Stay Connected

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

FRIDAY 13, 2012 UPDATE!

You have chosen a winner!!!! Thank you so much for participating and for voting for your favorite image of 2011.

Drum rolls please……

And the winner is HUDSON+DADDY with 39 likes!

You can see all the scores below

I am back in the office and ready to rock 2012! But before I get busy with new and returning clients, it’s time to recognize the best images of 2011.

One of the perks of being my client (besides AWESOME ARTWORK of your family, a killer referral program, complimentary seasonal sessions and much more) is THE BEST OF THE YEAR AWARD.

The way it works is very simple, I chose my favorite image of each session (some clients have more than one entry. There is one entry per session booked) and on Facebook I posted an album with all the images so YOU can vote for your favorite image of the year! Obviously, the image with the most Facebook likes wins a super awesome  11×14 museum wrap canvas

Spread the word and start voting now! The winner will be announce on Friday January 14, 2012

#1 Jissel+Kenny (7 likes)

#2 Nicholas (5 Likes)

#3 Rebecca & Michael (1 Like)

#4 Phoenix+Paxon (5 likes)

#5  Hudson + Daddy (39 Likes)

#6 Gabi (0 Likes)

#7  Bianca+Frank (1 like)

#8 Canadian Family (0 likes)

#9 Shelby (4 Likes)

#10 Valentina (2 likes)

#11 The R Family (2 likes)

#12 Aeson + Alethea (19 likes)

#13 The S Family (0 Likes)

#14 Esteban + Isabella (3 likes)

#15 Mr.+Mrs.D (1 like)

#16 Noah (2 likes)

#17 Catalina (8 likes)

#18 Laura (1 Like)

#19 Michelle+Felipe (0 likes)

#20 Janet+Jared (2 likes)

#21 Nicholas (2 likes)

#22 Juliet+Jaedan+Gabi (2 likes)

#23 The F Family (16 likes)

#24 Nicholas T (o likes)

#25 Manuela (2 likes)

#26 Stephanie (3 likes)

#27 Ximena+Oscar (5 likes)

#28 The G Family (2 likes)

#29 Nili+Jeffrey (1 like)

Thank you for a FABULOUS year

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

1000 IMAGES? WHAT TO DO NEXT?

Yes, we made it! It’s been an amazing nine days of photo tips. So now you have some tricks to improve your photography and I am sure you also have 1000 images of your family. So what to do next? Yes, you have uploaded them to Facebook, you have tagged yourself and your friends and now you can move on, right? Well, not in my house! I refuse to let my pictures go to waste. Those memories of my dinners,my friends, my family, my dog and my husband deserve a better place in my house than being on a file, who knows where on my hard drive! Those pictures deserve some love!

I have used Blurb to create two of my personal books and I love how great they are! You can have as many pages as you want, and the program is very easy to use; it also has some great templatesso you don’t have to design pages or layouts. Blurb books are great for all those family pictures and the quality is outstanding!

 Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

LIGHTING

Lighting is one of the most important components in an image and mastering it takes lots of practice. However, a basic tip is to avoid shooting against light.  Another great tip, if you are planning to photograph your kids at the playground do it two hours before sunset. The light at this time of the day is not as harsh and it will give you beautiful cream tones. To master lighting you need to practice a lot, but these two tips will set you in the right direction.

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

B&W.

I LOVE B&W; there is something very special about it and no matter how much I use it, I just never get enough. If you want to convert images into B&W never, ever shoot in monochromatic. Always shoot in color and then edit the image to B&W either in Aperture, Photoshop or Lightroom.  This way you can control the contrast and the image does not lookplain gray.

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

DON’T SWEAT IT. THEY DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CAMERA.

This is another urban legend, just like the cheese. Who says that your family ALWAYS has to be looking at the camera? That is so not true. Beautiful photos are also captured when the family is interacting. Let them be! This tip references back to Chasing Toddlers. As I said before, just sit back and let the moment unfold organically. Shoot away and move around so you get different angles.

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

CHEESE IS ONLY GOOD IN A SANDWICH!!

I am not even sure how the whole cheese thing became a part of photography, but we have all been brainwashed into saying it! I am on a mission to make it stop! LET’S BAN THE CHEESE!

When you say “cheese” your smile is never, EVER natural. Try it right now. Say “Cheese” out loud, I’ll wait…

You see. It is horrible! It makes your eyes squint giving you wrinkles and the smile is so unnatural.  Instead of asking your kids to say “cheese”, crack a joke, especially if it is about a fart.  I know! Not very glamorous, but you’ll have your kids laughing out loud!

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

Welcome back to 9 days of amazing photo tips! I hope you are finding this information useful. Happy shooting!

PHOTOGRAPHING NEWBORNS

Newborns are so sweet and cuddly. They truly are a joy to photograph. Plus just having a brand new life in your house must be celebrated. I always suggest that you hire a professional photographer to do this job, but if you also want to get some great photos of your baby, here are some tips:

1. SAFETY FIRST! You don’t need to get all crazy and put your baby in strange locations or objects to achieve amazing images. I actually like the simplicity of newborns. You just need a cute blanket. Wrap your baby in it and place him/heron your bed and take several photos from different angles.
2. Make sure your room is warm. If your baby is warm he/she will be more comfortable and probably fall sleep faster.
3. This goes back to the DETAILS tip. Make sure you capture your baby’s toes, belly button and lashes. Those are details that you will cherish once your newborn is all grown up.

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

INCORPORATING PLACES OR REMOVING OBJECTS

Beautiful composition is achieved by looking at what surrounds you. Before clicking away, take a couple of seconds to really see through your viewfinder.

If you have a lot of mess in your background, that can take away from your subject and make the final image less appealing or very distracting. If it is impossible for you to clean or rearrange what sits behind your subject, you can just re-position yourself and take that beautiful picture from another angle.

Incorporating places into photos is so much fun. Not only is it a reminder of the actual place, but it also allows you to be creative.  Position your subjects in front of the structure and take several steps back until you can see the whole structure through your viewfinder, then take that awesome photo!

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission

Welcome back to day # 2 of amazing photo tips…

DETAILS

I love details! Details are what make us unique. Make sure you capture your kid’s lashes, chubby toes and the curls that so beautifully drop on her face. What about the things that your kids love? That rag doll, a teddy bear and his favorite pair of shoes. Make sure you document the little details too.

No need to wait. Get all 9 tips NOW!

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*All Images remain the property of Carolina Guzik Photography and are protected by federal copyright laws. Images can not be reproduced, copied, published, edited, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission.